I'm glad I don't live in the US...

[The Scandinavian]

Scary.

I'm glad I don't live in the US...

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/04/18/BAGRU66UPA1.DTL

SAN LEANDRO
Owner scoffs at idea junkyard is a threat
$1 million damage caused during raid by agents, he says

Jim Herron Zamora, Matthew B. Stannard, Chronicle Staff Writers
Sunday, April 18, 2004


The owner of a San Leandro warehouse complex searched by federal agents seeking rocket launchers scoffed Saturday at the notion that he has any links to terrorism or illegal military weapons.

"This is ridiculous -- I'm a junkyard owner, not a terrorist,'' said Harold Chapman, 75, owner of a 25-acre former Kellogg's corn flakes plant that has been converted into warehouse space. "I'm about as much threat to national security as a tired old dog.''

Federal investigators said Friday, as they searched the building, that they had no information linking the search to terrorism. The federal search warrant used to conduct the raid was sealed, but the U.S. magistrate who signed the warrant told The Chronicle the search was for "rockets that could be launched from military vehicles and (for) some M-16s."

Marti McKee, spokeswoman for the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said Saturday that she could not elaborate on the magistrate's comment but confirmed that her agency's agents were looking for "military weapons and explosives" and that none were found.

McKee had said the raid was the culmination of a six-month investigation.

"The investigation is ongoing, and the investigating agencies -- ATF, FBI, and the Alameda County Narcotics Task Force -- will continue the investigation," she said. "What has been concluded is the search of that premise."

Chapman said several hundred searchers caused some $1 million damage to his warehouse complex at 2040 Williams St., located in an industrial area between the San Leandro BART station and Oakland International Airport.

All they took with them was a few documents, he said, and a couple of miscellaneous machine parts.

On Saturday morning, Chapman showed a reporter dozens of doors to warehouses, truck-trailers and the camper he lives in that were crashed open by investigators, using explosives, firearms or brute force.

"I'm mad because I offered them the keys to every door here, and they just wanted to be cowboys and crash their way in,'' said Chapman, who lives in a trailer at the rear of the site. "We offered to help them, and they just decided to do it their way. They're complete morons. They trashed the place for no reason.''

Or am I missing the point here - could this be political slant trying to paint the ATF / FBI as jack booted nazis?

What's really going on in the US? It's impossible to know what to believe these days

 

[kbr80]

Or am I missing the point here - could this be political slant trying to paint the ATF / FBI as jack booted nazis?

Nope, the fbi/atf are JBT's. The go home and tell stories about blowing up a door.

Geesh, the man offered them the keys.

I just cant wait, never mind, public forum and all,.

 

[Orthonym]

So much for co-operating with the nice "officers."

Maybe he'd have been better off, no maybe the government criminals would have been worse off, if the old geezer actually HAD possessed nasty military weapons?

And used them.


I held my nose and voted for Dubya in 2000, one of the 537 in FL. Not this time. I'm voting my conscience, which means either leaving a blank spot where it says "vote here for President" or voting for the Libertarian candidate. (assuming he's not a lunatic)



The Stars and Stripes Forever

 

[dinosaur]

Reminds me of a very old Mad Magazine parody where the Gestapo give a guy a beating for leaving his front door open thereby denying them the fun of kicking it in.

 

[Firethorn]

Damage caused by search with a Warrant?

Who's responsible for the damage? I'd tend to think the agency conducting the search would be responsible for any damage they cause during a search, especially if nothing is found!

I know that sometimes damage HAS to be done, like when somebody buries a body under concrete, but still.

I'd total up the damages, send the agency a bill, then contact my lawyers if they don't pay.

 

[nero45acp]

Government stupidity/foolishness scares me alot more than any terrorist!!





nero

 

[Nightfall]

McKee had said the raid was the culmination of a six-month investigation.

Behold, the incompetence of government! It took 6 months of investigation and a raid to figure out there was nothing there. Your tax dollars at work, folks.

 

[Bruce H]

Send the whole thundering herd to Fallujah. See how well they like them apples. They would have the opportunity for lots of on the job training. Finding and identifying different arms. They want to play like this let them. Stend the magistrate also. They can magistrate anywhere.

 

[RED-DOG 40]

quote:McKee had said the raid was the culmination of a six-month investigation.

....Hmmm..
Here we go again folks ,
..More of our "Intelligence" at work...sheesh....

 

[capnrik]

CLICK ON THE LINK

The Scandinavian only posted half of the story. The other half is in the link and is interesting as well.

 

[sturmruger]

Hell if I could run around and blow doors off their hinges with shotguns and explosives I would jump at the chance, but I would also expect someone to hold me accountable. Escpecially if the keys were offered to me!!

 

[Third_Rail]

"I guess the feds had to check out the tip in case it was real. But they could have been a lot more diplomatic about this. ... And if they don't pay for all the work I have to do to fix the mess they made, I'm damn well going to sue them for every penny.''

Damn straigt!


EDIT: Here's the damage.

Great to do that to an old man...

 

[goon]

We don't need to paint them as JBTs.
Trust me, they don't need any help on this one.

 

[rich2u]

Yeah read the whole story. This is pretty pathetic...Especially if the goverment sold him the stuff in the first place

 

[jimpeel]

Marti McKee, spokeswoman for the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said Saturday that she could not elaborate on the magistrate's comment but confirmed that her agency's agents were looking for "military weapons and explosives"

On Saturday morning, Chapman showed a reporter dozens of doors to warehouses, truck-trailers and the camper he lives in that were crashed open by investigators, using explosives, firearms or brute force.

Now if I wee looking for explosives I would not be running around looking for them using ... EXPLOSIVES!

 

[Cool Hand Luke 22:36]

I'm glad I don't live in the US...

The smug arrogance of the Europeans never ceases to amaze.

Europe is less than 6 years past it's latest round of death camps.

I'm also glad you don't live in the US.

 

[warmi]

"I'm glad I don't live in the US..."


Uhh ?

While there is still some hope for US, Europe is already past that point.
They are a one huge nanny state where human rights are defined and redefined daily by faceless bureaucrats.

And it will only get worse with the adoption of their new constitution.

 

[jimpeel]

I find the picture of the guy holding the trailer door somewhat suspect. Trailer doors open outward and this door shows no sign of outside damage. Are we expected to believe that the authorities kicked the door off its hinges from inside the trailer?

 

[boogalou]

I'm also glad you don't live in the US.

Hey, give the guy a break. He was trying to pass on some information about the erosion of freedom in this country. If I had started this thread and said "I'm glad I don't live in California", would you be all over my case, or is it just the fact that he's a european. God forbid, that anyone from Europe dare critizise anything in the USA.

The smug arrogance of the Europeans never ceases to amaze.

Thats like the pan calling the kettle black....

 

[Tamara]

jimpeel,

Trailer doors open outward and this door shows no sign of outside damage. Are we expected to believe that the authorities kicked the door off its hinges from inside the trailer?

It looks like a kick or blow on the outside aluminum-skinned latch area caused the latch to buckle, tearing through (and off) the foamcore liner on the inside of the door.

 

[Diggler]

Hey, it wasn't that long ago (in Florida, I believe) where some guys at a scrapyard were cutting up what turned out to be a MISSILE...

 

[AJ Dual]

I'm wondering if the good old DOD figured out that they disposed of some things unwittingly at auction that "go boom", and it was sold in one of several large, poorly inventoried lots to several unwitting junk/surplus dealers, and now they're playing big-time CYA by going on fishing expeditions for the "evil men who stole government weapons for doubleplusungood purposes.

What's really sad about that is they just don't get it.

They don't realize that most of the public now expects most any .gov bureaucracy over ten people in size to be a pack of incompetent boobs with minimal accountability. What little we ask these days is that they don't frame Mr. John Q. Public in the process of said CYA...

 

[USAFNoDAk]

Reading the entire link, and hearing about the potential tiff with an acquaintance, reminds me of this great Sven and Ole joke (read the entire link first):

DEA Agent answers the phone: "Federal Drug Enforcement Agency. Agent Smith Speaking".

Voice on phone: " I vant to report on a guy named Sven Olson, who lives over in Svede Hollow. He's dealing Marijuana, and he's hiding it inside the logs he has stored at da back of his old shed".

Agent Smith: "Thanks for the tip, Sir. We'll get right on it and check it out".

The DEA shows up at Sven's place and starts chopping up all of the logs behind his shed. However, they fail to find anything. They apologize to Sven, stating that they must have received and erroneous tip.

Sven goes back in the house, and in a few minutes his phone rings.

Sven: "Hallooo?"

Voice on phone, "Hey Sven, dis is Ole. Vas the DEA yust at your place?".

Sven, "Ya, day vas here, den".

Ole, "Did day chop all yer firewood for ya?".

Sven, "Ya, day chopped er all up der, den".

Ole, "Oh, ain't dat nice. Now how about if you call dem. I gotta get my garden tilled".

 

[jimpeel]

Tamara

The pictures are of two different doors. Note the position of the latches. They are on the opposite side of where they would be if it were the same door.

If the latch is on the left on the outside view, it can't also be on the left on the inside view.

 

[Boats]

No wonder we can't find the WMDs in Iraq. How on earth did the JBTs miss this thing?


It is even listed on the guy's website as a possible "secret weapon."

More importantly, where are the Mythbusters crew going to get more junk to shoot and blow up on the Discovery Channel?