Posted on 11/27/2014 4:02:04 PM PST by RightGeek
This past week, on This American Life, the first 20 minutes or so are the incredible story of just how screwed up the ATF continues to be (the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms). Much of this has been reported on over the past year and a half by reporters in Milwaukee (and investigated by Congress), but it's absolutely worth listening to the details -- which you can do over on the This American Life page (I'd post the embed here, but unfortunately This American Life does not yet appear to support HTTPS, so we can't). The story is all kinds of stunning, including the insane fact that most of the details came out, and the reporters only began their investigation, because some undercover ATF agents in Milwaukee had trashed the property they were renting, and refused to pay the rent or damages to the landlord -- even threatening the landlord, claiming he was harassing federal agents by asking for the rent:
[snip]
The other thing that becomes clear in all of this is that these "undercover" ATF agents aren't just sloppy and stupid, they seem to go out of their way to be ineffective and dangerous.
Ira Glass: And they were robbed. These agents whose job it was to get guns out of the hands of criminals had three guns that were stolen out of an agent's car while he was parked at a coffee shop. These included a fully automatic rifle [snip]
Not long after that, the store itself was burglarized of $39,000 in clothes, jewelry, and merch, reportedly, because the ATF had not bothered to do much to secure the store and just did not seem to care. Nobody was minding the store, literally.
[Snip]
(Excerpt) Read more at techdirt.com ...
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
Great name for a convenience store.
Just a few:
ATF's Milwaukee sting operation marred by mistakes, failures
Botched ATF sting in Milwaukee ensnares brain-damaged man
ATF's Milwaukee 'Fearless' storefront had little to ward off burglars
The AFT is one of the worst of the worst when it comes to federal bureaucracies. And this was even before Holder got a hold of them.
These scumbags sent goons to my machine shop trying to set me up to make AR15 lowers and finish lowers for people right after Obama’s “under the radar” comment. Then a parade of those goons tried to get a ‘tour’ of the shop because they “heard” I was making guns. I forcefully and without the least bit of politeness told them to leave the office immediately and if they come back without a warrant I will have them reported to the local sheriff for trying to buy illegal firearms and trespassing.
I can only assume most shop owners would invite the agents in to show them around to show them they have nothing to hide. They never bothered me again.
There is a survivalism shop that opened in a town near me this year and in the back of my mind I thought that it would be a good cover for an ATF cover operation.
Funny, liberals over at DU loath NPR about as much as FReepers do, believing it has been co-opted over the past decade by donations from right-wing corporations.
FWIW, I listen to NPR every morning on my drive to work (and many afternoons driving home as well) and I find it to be one of the most "fair and balanced" media sources out there.
>> “FWIW, I listen to NPR every morning on my drive to work (and many afternoons driving home as well) and I find it to be one of the most “fair and balanced” media sources out there.” <<
.
Then you definitely do not listen to KPFA!
.
“Then you definitely do not listen to KPFA!”
Yeah, keep that trash over the hill in Berzerkley. KPFA makes Communism look like a plausible alternative.
The ATF is a total mess and has been for a long time, but this is old news, as in January, 2013, almost 2 years ago.
ATF are useless jackboots in uniform whose sole mission in life seems to be to drive law-abiding gun shops out of business.
And then there’s their role in the gun shenanigans AKA Fast and Furious operation in Mexico.
Shut it down.
DIedrich? Glass? Is this story being reported by Barney Miller’s squad?
Agreed. Anyone in the ATF that served in the military or considers themselves an American should do the right thing and shoot themselves in the face.
They keep losing their badges and guns and confidential information about undercover personnel and operations.
ATF is a joke. They make FBI clowns look professional.
Maybe they hate themselves as much as they should and screw up from drinking themselves to death. I hope their wives don’t give them any until they get a bigboy job.
Losing track of guns? Yup, its a felony but BATF does what the rest of us can’t do:
It would be funny if it wasn’t so serious.
Ping
Knowing the Federal Government this guy probably still got his bonus.
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