Yes, the AGW believers truly believe in unfettered scientific inquiry,

as long as the results are what they want them to be. If they're not, they crap all over you.


Farmer Frank was on a swine- control mission that did not involve politicians. But did involve equipment problems.


Ran across a couple of Gunwalker articles: one makes it plain(again) the White House cannot deny people there knew about it; they're claiming instead "We knew none of those nasty details". However:
The White House officials were provided information on Fast and Furious and other border gun trafficking efforts through what an administration source calls "back channels" by ATF's then-Special Agent in Charge of Phoenix Bill Newell. "...don't want ATF HQ to find out, especially since this is what they should be doing (briefing you)," Newell wrote in an email to the White House's O'Reilly on July 28, 2010. Newell has since been transferred out of that post.
Newell doesn't strike me as someone of such integrity that he'd endanger his position by "You need to know this" heroics; the highlighted portion makes me think this:
Newell may be thinking that someone at the WH doesn't know what efforts he's making and wants to make sure they do; however, what if the HQ was playing word games with this to help plausible deniability by the WH? Yeah, sounds like something out of a bad spy novel; your point is?

The other article covers the same ground; there are some different bits between them.


I am less polite than BRM: I'll put it as "How fuckin' STUPID do you have to be, drunk or not, to think this was a good idea?"
I'll borrow the quote, too:
Stupidity cannot be cured with money, or through education, or by legislation. Stupidity is not a sin, the victim can't help being stupid. But stupidity is the only universal capital crime; the sentence is death, there is no appeal, and execution is carried out automatically and without pity.


A little more Gunwalker:

At one point, agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives say guns sold under the program took just 24 hours to travel from a gun store in Phoenix to a crime scene in Mexico.

(ATF senior officials)... in Washington met every Tuesday, to review the latest sales figures and the number of guns recovered in Mexico.

"How long are you going to let this go on?" Steve Martin, an assistant director of intelligence operations asked the ATF top brass at meeting Jan. 5, 2010, according to a transcript of the meeting contained in the congressional report. None of the men responded and several quickly left the room, the transcript reveals.

Plausible deniability, no doubt.


That is one damned big lizard; catching it alive is kind of amazing.


So ATF was watching straw sales in Indiana, too? Including having the NICS people OK sales to inelegible people? Jeez.


And, after one more day/night on very little sleep, I'm done for the day.