Year: 2011

Reverse Psychology ~ Tea Party vs. Occupy Wallstreet

Published by Papa Giorgio

One of the criticisms about the Tea Party is that there were no blacks involved, and thus, racist. Obviously this is not true (See here, here, and here), but to be fair, let us turn the tables on the “99%’ers”, one site says this:

Occupy Wall Street demonstrations picking up momentum across the country better embody the values of the original Boston Tea Party.

So, what is the deal with these “proto Tea Partiers“? They’re racists! (Using the left’s own logic that is):

Really, these are nothing more than modern-day hippies who probably love terrorists (Palestinian movements) and hate Jews (who they view as bankers and Israel):

Here is HotAir’s input on the matter:

Apparently Charlie Rangel swung by the protest this weekend too. Incidentally, is that what they’re demonstrating for — corporate “accountability”? Philip Klein was at the protest this weekend and said it sounded more like good old-fashioned Marxism and anarchism to him. Dave Weigel was also there and came away convinced that “no one knows what it’s about,” although the guys at the front of the crowds looked to him too like anarchists straight out of a WTO “protest.” Anyway, the reason Grijalva and Ellison are baptizing the movement tonight is because there’s a big union march in support of it scheduled for tomorrow; that’s the first major attempt to try to mainstream the protests by tilting them away from overt Marxism towards a more media-friendly manifestation.

I wonder when we’ll see more mainstream Dems start to ingratiate themselves with the protesters instead of just the hard-left stalwarts like Grijalva. They saw what happened to Bob Bennett and Mike Castle and know that a left-wing tea party could do the same to them in a primary if it got traction. I think that’s what Van Jones ultimately has in mind, although he may be just goofy enough to think that his throngs of leftists are somehow going to influence/intimidate the GOP. Ah well. Here’s an enjoyable vid from the Occupy D.C. protest, where the goal seems to be … getting a second term for Obama. Exit question: Is it too early to start holding OWS to the same media standards as tea party protests, replete with predominantly white crowds and the occasional malefactor whose bad behavior somehow defines the entire movement?

Brian Terry and “Fast and Furious” (Plus: Sharyl Attkisson)

Published by Papa Giorgio

As reported at the web site of former Congressman Tom Tancredo in an article written by John Hill in NEWS (preserved at EXIT STAGE RIGHT):

‘Fast and Furious’ Explodes: Brian Terry Cover-Up, White House Emails Revealed

The disastrous Obama Administration operation “Fast and Furious”, which deliberately put guns in the hands of the Mexican cartel, exploded this week with new revelations of a cover-up, and emails which tie the scandal directly to the White House for the first time.

“Fast and Furious” was an attempt to intercept gun-trafficking that sent 2,000 guns to cartel operatives via straw buyers. Critics believe that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder saw the program as an opportunity to embarrass U.S.-based gun dealers, and help galvanize support for increased gun-control measures, while controlling where and how the guns would be “walked” across the border. But the operation went horribly wrong as the guns went unaccounted for, leading to the murder of Border Patrol Agent Brian A. Terry last December in Arizona, and the deaths of untold others inside Mexico – all using guns provided by the ATF.  Holder denied knowledge of the operation at a U.S. House hearing on May 3rd, but subsequent revelations clearly show both Holder and the White House had been informed about this program as it ran off the rails.

Rep. Alan West has called for Holder to resign or be fired as a result.

Now it has been revealed that after the death of Agent Terry, Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory Hurley and  then-U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke colluded to cover-up the fact that Terry was killed using one of the guns from ‘Fast and Furious’.  Evidence shows that Hurley – who knew “almost immediately” that the guns could be traced to the program, contacted Burke, and they agreed to cover it up:

In an internal email the day after the murder, Hurley, and then-U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke, decided not to disclose the connection, saying ” … this way we do not divulge our current case (Fast and Furious) or the Border Patrol shooting case.”

As Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) said “The level of involvement of the United States Attorney’s Office … in the genesis and implementation of this case is striking.” Grassley and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) are investigating the scandal, and AG Holder’s knowledge and role in its implementation.

…(read more at Stand With Arizona)… now defunct

Fast and Furious e-mails reached at least three White House officials (HOT AIR)

New e-mails obtained yesterday by The Los Angeles Times show at least three national security officials received information about Operation Fast and Furious. An anonymous administration official says these e-mails don’t prove anyone in the White House knew about the covert “investigative tactics” used in the program — but they do show William Newell, then the ATF field supervisor for Arizona and New Mexico, was in close contact with Kevin O’Reilly, director of North American affairs for the White House national security staff, between July 2010 and February of this year.

In fact, Newell sought the White House’s help to persuade the Mexican government to let ATF agents recover U.S. guns across the border, and O’Reilly on several occasions sounded out Newell to see how efforts to combat gun trafficking in Arizona were going. In response to O’Reilly’s requests, Newell praised ATF agents’ work on “firearms trafficking investigations with direct links to Mexican” cartels.

O’Reilly forwarded the information Newell provided to two other officials – Dan Restrepo, the president’s senior Latin American advisor, and Greg Gatjanis, a White House national security official. But O’Reilly reassured Newell the information “would not leave NSS.” Newell answered, “Sure, just don’t want ATF HQ to find out, especially since this is what they should be doing (briefing you)!”

Evidence of another kind of cover-up in the scandal has surfaced, too. Late last night, Sen. Chuck Grassley’s office revealed 21 Fast and Furious guns have been found at violent crime scenes in Mexico….

…(Read more at HotAir)…

Fast and felonious: Obama gun warriors shoot themselves in the foot (WASHINGTON TIMES)

On Friday, the administration reluctantly released new and incriminating documents showing then-Special Agent William Newell with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) had discussed details of Fast and Furious in a series of emails with White House National Security Council staff member Kevin O’Reilly. In one of the communications, Mr. Newell gave Mr. O’Reilly a heads-up about an upcoming press conference announcing indictments in a dozen “straw purchaser” firearms trafficking cases and a Gun Runner Impact Teams performance report containing statistics on investigations.

The congressional probe is no longer limited to just the ATF. Early on, the White House denied it had any knowledge of the gunrunning program. Agent Newell, who headed the Phoenix, Ariz., office from which the scheme’s operations were directed, contradicted that claim when he testified on Capitol Hill in July. The just-released emails reveal that not only did briefings on the shady gambit reach inside 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, but the information provided was extensive.

On its face, the ATF’s plan made no sense. Agents directed U.S. gun stores to sell semi-automatic rifles to front men who then smuggled the weapons into Mexico for resale to drug cartels. Agents were supposed to follow the firearms all the way to the lairs of the drug kingpins – except they had no realistic means of doing so. Thus, thousands of the guns have fueled bloody drug crimes south of the border.

Rep. Darrell Issa, California Republican, who is leading the House probe of the operation, has characterized the endeavor as “felony stupid.” Mr. Issa estimated the number of murders committed with Fast and Furious weapons at around 150, including the shooting death of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry, who was killed in December while on duty.

…(Read more at the Washington Times)…

From NEWSBUSTERS:

INGRAHAM: So they were literally screaming at you?

ATTKISSON: Yes. Well, the DOJ woman was just yelling at me. A guy from the White House–

INGRAHAM: Who was it?

ATTKISSON: On Friday night literally screamed at me and cussed at me–

INGRAHAM: Who was the person? Who was the person at Justice screaming?

ATTKISSON: Eric Schultz- oh, the person screaming was [DOJ spokeswoman] Tracy Schmaler. She was yelling, not screaming–

INGRAHAM: Oh, really?

ATKISSON: And the person who screamed at me was Eric Schultz at the White House.

INGRAHAM: Hmm- I thought we were supposed to be so transparent. This is a new era of transparency. And Pelosi was draining the swamp, and the White House was going to turn a new page, and that was actually good to hear. I mean, we were like- okay, that’s- we’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. And then, the first time a reporter asked a serious question about, at least, a Justice Department move here, the reporter is yelled at and screamed at.

And I would imagine, Sharyl, that if- let’s say, a NBC reporter had been yelled at and screamed at by Karl Rove, we would have been hearing about it for years afterward (laughs) in the Bush administration. It would be, ‘Oh, those bullies over at the White House, once again, shutting down true inquiries into their goings-on behind closed doors.’

See AMERICAN THINKER as well.