Is the BATF a "Gang"?

[Fletchette]

I was listening to National Proletariate Radio (NPR) today; they interviewed an ex-ATF agent who had written a book on his experiences. The agent infiltrated the "Mongols" motorcycle gang for two years, and ended up testifying against a bunch of them for various crimes.

During the course of the interview, the ex-ATF agent said a few things that caught my attention. First, he openly admitted to participating in very questionable activities to "maintain his cover", activities such as drug deals, motorcycle theft, beating up other gang members and even showing up to a location where several of the gang members had planned to rape some women. The undercover agent said that the women did not show up, but if they had he would have jumped on his motorcycle and ridden away (insinuating that the women would be raped by the others and he wouldn't do anything to stop them).

The other thing that caught my attention was the culture. The "Mongols" had various patches that distinguished rank, there was hierarchy, orders are given to underlings to perform certain missions. "Enemies" are targeted, and excessive violence is used to intimidate them, etc. Very much like...the BATF.

At one point, the ex-ATF agent said that his mother had died, and asked the leader of the gang if he could go to her funeral. He did. When the agent got back, he was went to the leaders "pad" and expected the special gang hand-shake. Instead, the leader hugged him, told him he loved him, and that he was very sorry that his "Momma passed away". This was repeated by all the other members. The agent said that he was so moved he almost cried. He also said that not one of his fellow ATF agents offerred thier condolences or even sent a card. The agent admitted that at that moment, he came very close to riding off with the Mongols.


Now, I am certainly not defending the actions or culture of either of these two organizations. But from this agent's story it was very apparrent that he had to choose between being ATF or Mongol, which leads me to wonder, is the ATF really just another gang?

 

[Deavis]

I'm sorry man, I'm not seeing how a agent's infiltration of a biker gang and his subsequent respect for the treatment he received from that gang after a traumatic incident is related to the ATF being a gang. Maybe I'm just missing the link somewhere, could you help me out?

 

[DMF]

Is the BATF a "Gang"?

Gee, there's that giant annoying smilie again...

 

[P95Carry]

Sounds like a remake of that movie with young Sheen.

This thread may not survive all that long!

 

[Fletchette]

Maybe I'm just missing the link somewhere, could you help me out?

Sure.

Specifically, both the ATF and the Mongols had specific hierarchy, used uniforms and insignia, used excessive violence to intimidate people, drew up lists of "enemies", etc.

In many ways, they used the same psycological tools to instill discipling and order in their organizations.

The fact that this particular agent actually had to "choose" between the two organizations, made me compare them on the same level.

 

[Third_Rail]

In an abstract sense you may be right.


In the everyday sense you couldn't be more wrong.

 

[cropcirclewalker]

This might take a little bit to develop what my point is...

I used to have a FFL. I was one of those basement type, non store front types that only sold firearms to aquaintenances. Klinton and the ATF hated that. Yes, they succeeded in coercing me to not renew my license.

So I was being interviewed over the phone by some ATF guy when I originally applied. I am not good at being interrogated. At one point, he asked if I had a dog. I replied in the affirmative but could not help from asking in return, "Why do you ask?" He replied, "Sir, if you wish to withdraw your application, you are free to do so." That was his answer.

Later in a moment of hubris, he was describing to me the vast importance of the job which his bureau did in stamping out illegal firearms, running in non compliant sellers, catching bombers, and all like that.

When he was done I asked him, "So what about the A and the T?" He said, "What?"

I said, "You just got done describing in great detail all the stuff you do to stamp out the firearms. What about the Alcohol and the Tobacco?"

He said, "Oh, yeah, we do that too."

So, heres my point.

Mr. MF, I know this is anecdotal, so spare yourself.

This guy was really proud of the job his organization was doing of infringing on the God Given and constitutionally protected rights to own and carry firearms. Yet, when I asked him about the job his organization was doing about the other letters in his alphabet agency (which may have even been legitimate, although amendments 9 and 10 arguably question that) he could care less.

His pride and joy was the fact that he was impeding the citizens from their God Given, constitutionally protected and lawful right to keep and bear arms. That sounds like a crime to me.

Isn't that what gangs do? Crimes?

 

[AZRickD]

Are they a gang? I dunno (the "Good Ol' Boy Roundup" makes me say yes). But they are a danger to we gun owners. Far more of a threat to average Americans than are any biker gang (and I mean that it both contexts).

This country would be a better place if F-Troopers were all unemployed.

Rick

 

[DMF]

ccw, I personally know 4 people who have FFLs. None are in LE. All have dogs. None have EVER had an experience like you describe. Your story reeks of BS.

 

[DMF]

ccw, I personally know 4 people who have FFLs. None are in LE. All have dogs. None have EVER had an experience like you describe. Your story reeks of BS.

From MSNBC June 8, 2004:

Cigarette Smuggling Linked to Terrorism

Huge profits, low penalties make it attractive as source of funding

Smugglers with ties to terrorist groups are acquiring millions of dollars from illegal cigarette sales and funneling the cash to organizations such as al Qaeda and Hezbollah, federal law enforcement officials say, prompting a nationwide crackdown on black market tobacco.

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has more than 300 open cases of illicit cigarette trafficking -- including several with terrorist links -- up from only a handful five years ago, ATF sources said.

"This is a major priority for us," said Michael Bouchard, assistant director of the ATF. "The deeper we dig into these cases, the more ties to terrorism we're discovering."

The lucrative trafficking of cigarettes, known as cigarette diversion, is a simple scheme but difficult to stop, law enforcement officials say. The traffickers purchase a large volume of cigarettes in states where the tax is low, such as Virginia and North Carolina, transport them up Interstate 95 to states such as Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey and then sell them at a discount without paying the higher cigarette taxes in those states.

With huge profits -- and low penalties for arrest and conviction -- illicit cigarette trafficking now has begun to rival drug trafficking as a funding choice for terrorist groups, said William Billingslea, an ATF senior intelligence analyst who has studied the issue extensively.

Although black market cigarette sales have been around for decades, the link to suspected terrorist groups is a new and growing phenomenon.

"The schemes provide terrorists millions of dollars which can be used to purchase firearms and explosives to use against the United States and others," said ATF Director Carl J. Truscott, who was appointed to head the agency two months ago after 22 years in the Secret Service.

Links with Hamas, Hezbollah, al Qaeda
Several major cases of illicit cigarette trafficking with terrorist links have involved the purchase of cigarettes in Virginia and are currently under investigation, federal law enforcement sources said, adding that there are other cases nationally with links between the traffickers and Hamas, Hezbollah and al Qaeda.

"The money is so lucrative," Billingslea said.

In New York City, for example, where the combined state and city tax on cigarettes is $3 a pack, a carton can sell for about $75. The trafficker can buy a carton for about $20 in Virginia, where the tax is 2.5 cents a pack, and then sell it to a mom-and-pop store in New York at a profit of about $40 a carton, ATF officials said.

A smuggler can make about $2 million on a single truckload of cigarettes. A truckload contains 800 cases, or 48,000 cartons.

"People go shopping for a bargain," Billingslea said. "Why pay $75 for a carton of cigarettes when I know someone down the street who will sell me a carton for $15 less out of the back of a car?"

The first large-scale cigarette trafficking case tied to terrorism was prosecuted in North Carolina in 2002. A federal jury in Charlotte convicted Mohamad Hammoud, 28, of violating a ban on providing material support to terrorist groups by funneling profits from a multimillion-dollar cigarette-smuggling operation to Hezbollah.

The jury also found Hammoud, whom prosecutors described as the leader of a terrorist cell, and his brother guilty of cigarette smuggling, racketeering and money laundering. The two men, natives of Lebanon, were accused of smuggling at least $7.9 million worth of cigarettes out of North Carolina and selling them in Michigan. Hammoud was sentenced to 155 years in prison.

Prosecutors were able to prove that profits from the venture were funneled to high-ranking Hezbollah leaders. And Hammoud was caught on wiretaps speaking on the telephone with Hezbollah's military commander in Lebanon, Sheik Abbas Harake, according to trial testimony.

In another case in September, Hassan Moussa Makki, 41, a key player in a multimillion-dollar interstate cigarette smuggling ring, pleaded guilty in Michigan to providing material support for terrorism and participating in a racketeering conspiracy. Prosecutors said he also funneled money to Hezbollah.

Makki, a native of Lebanon, was one of 12 people indicted last year in the scheme to buy low-tax cigarettes in North Carolina and sell them in Michigan. He was sentenced to 57 months in prison.

A legal commodity
Law enforcement sources said the terrorist links are established in these and other ongoing investigations through wiretaps and background intelligence investigations and by running the traffickers' names and those of their associates through CIA, FBI and Homeland Security databases. When a terrorist tie is suspected, the cigarette-trafficking probe becomes a joint investigation with one of 66 Joint Terrorism Task Forces across the country. The task forces, run by the FBI, are composed of federal, state and local law enforcement officials.

Paul J. McNulty, the U.S. attorney in Alexandria, last year charged 10 people with possession and distribution of contraband cigarettes, wire fraud and money laundering as part of a scheme to smuggle more than $2 million in cigarettes bought in Virginia to New York. A man whose name came up in that investigation was arrested in Detroit carrying hundreds of thousands of dollars in wire transfer receipts showing payments to people associated with Hezbollah.

In an interview, McNulty declined to comment on terrorist links in that case. But he said the ATF and other law enforcement agencies are taking cigarette smuggling "more seriously than ever."

"We are pursuing cases such as cigarette smuggling because of the possibility that proceeds from that crime could end up in the hands of terrorists," McNulty said.

He added that the Charlotte case made law enforcement officials more attentive to cigarette smuggling as a key source of financial support for terrorists.

"There are other sources, but this is the one that has gotten the attention of law enforcement," McNulty said.

Cigarette trafficking is difficult to stop, partly because tobacco is a legal commodity. Smuggling cigarettes becomes a federal crime only when more than 60,000 cigarettes, or 300 cartons, are purchased to avoid payment of state tax, said Jerry Bowerman, chief of the ATF alcohol and tobacco enforcement branch.

McNulty said catching the suspects is extremely labor-intensive.

In his case, he said, New York tax authorities placed advertisements in various newspapers and magazines in the New York City area offering Virginia cigarettes for sale. The ads for A&A Tobacco Wholesale listed a Virginia telephone number to place orders. A Virginia post office box was set up as a billing address. Incoming calls were switched to and recorded by an agent with the New York office of tax enforcement.

An undercover storefront location was established for A&A Tobacco Wholesale by law enforcement personnel in King George County in Virginia, where investigators from the New York tax office posed as employees and filled the cigarette orders.

When prospective cigarette purchasers telephoned the advertised number and placed orders, they were told that the cigarettes being sold would bear counterfeit joint New York State and New York City tax stamps.

 

[DMF]

http://www.atf.gov/press/fy05press/field/041505la_contrabandringbroken.htm

ATF, ICE BREAK UP MAJOR CONTRABAND
CIGARETTE TRAFFICKING RING
Eleven Arrested and $250,000 Seized

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Eleven people face federal criminal charges today following the breakup of a major contraband cigarette trafficking ring based in Riverside that investigators estimate cost the government and industry more than $1 million in lost taxes and revenues.

The nearly three-year undercover investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) culminated this week with the arrest of nine suspects and the seizure of more than $250,000 in currency. ATF and ICE received substantial assistance in the case from the California Board of Equalization, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

John A. Torres, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Los Angeles Field Division, said the operation has dismantled one of the largest cigarette trafficking rings ever uncovered in California’s “Inland Empire.â€

“The violators in this case have caused the State of California to be defrauded out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax revenue,†Torres said. “I have one message for the perpetrators: pay your vice taxes and you will avoid any problems with ATF or the State of California.â€

“Trafficking in counterfeit cigarettes is a multi-billion dollar international enterprise that robs financially strapped states like California of badly needed revenues,†said Gary Pinkava, Assistant Special Agent in Charge for ICE investigations in Riverside and San Bernardino County. “ICE is working with its law enforcement partners to shut down schemes like this that enrich criminals and criminal organizations at the expense of our economy.â€

During the last three days, ATF and ICE agents executed search warrants at five Southland smoke shops, including three Payless Tobacco stores in Hesperia and Santa Paula, Smoker’s Corner in Pomona, and the Tobacco Zone in Anaheim. In addition, investigators conducted searches at several storage facilities where the defendants stockpiled the illegal cigarettes. Besides the currency, those searches led to the seizure of more than 5,000 cartons of contraband cigarettes and approximately 3,800 counterfeit California tax stamps.

Court documents show that several of the defendants in the case orchestrated a scheme to import and distribute counterfeit cigarettes, primarily from China. It is alleged the defendants affixed counterfeit tax stamps onto nearly four million packs of cigarettes. Many of these cigarettes were then distributed or delivered to smoke shops throughout the Southland.

Under California law, only cigarette distributors licensed by the California Board of Equalization are authorized to receive and possess cigarettes without California tax stamps. Distributors must purchase the tax stamps, at a cost of 87 cents a pack, and affix them to each package of cigarettes prior to their distribution. Individuals who traffic contraband commonly evade this state tax by placing counterfeit tax stamps onto packages of cigarettes.

The defendants in the case are:

Daniel Araya, 42, of Lancaster, owner of Araya’s Enterprise and Omega Distributors;
Sivly Hang, 54, of Moreno Valley, obtained counterfeit cigarettes from China;
Adel Shahin, 40, of Rancho Cucamonga, worked at “Tobacco 2 Go†in Apple Valley;
Adnan Bawaneh, 38, Victorville, proprietor of “Tobacco 2 Go†in Apple Valley;
Ghaleb Almasad, 61 of Hesperia, operated Payless Tobacco Shops in Hesperia and Santa Paula;
Ahmad Almasad, 41, of Hesperia, operated Payless Tobacco Shops in Hesperia and Santa Paula;
Ali Abdelhadi, 53, of Hesperia, operated Payless Tobacco Shops in Hesperia and Santa Paula;
Samir Jaber, 38, of Corona, operated #1 Tobacco Zone in Anaheim;
Ritesh Patel, 23, of Hershey, Pa., former associate of Jayesh Thakkar.
Jayesh Thakkar, 40, of La Palma, Calif.
Rabi Ayash 39, of Palmdale
If convicted, the defendants face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count related to cigarette smuggling and trafficking.

 

[Old Dog]

The "Mongols" had various patches that distinguished rank, there was hierarchy, orders are given to underlings to perform certain missions. "Enemies" are targeted, and excessive violence is used to intimidate them, etc.

Hmm. Sounds a lot like the group I belong to ... does this make the U.S. armed forces a "gang" too?

Really, what is the point of the original post? The BATFE agent in question was describing a typical undercover experience. From this, we are supposed to extrapolate that the BATFE operates just like a outlaw motorcycle gang?

 

[GreenFurniture]

Hell, any gathering or community of like minded people is a "gang."

This, THR, is a "gang."

Get over it.

-thanks-

 

[Alex45ACP]

Gang: A group of criminals or hoodlums who band together for mutual protection and profit.

The BATFE is most definitely a gang. They just happen to be government sanctioned.

 

[cropcirclewalker]

Mr. MF,

Like I said, my tale was anecdotal. I don't claim to be an authority. You cannot, however, disprove the truth of my experience. Post all the articles you want.

Many of my friends, back in the early 90s (when I got my license) would ask, "Why did you get a license?" My response was, "To arm as many of the public as possible." Hey, that's just me.

P.S. I armed quite a few.

Characteristic of most Missourians, I hold the .gov in extreme low regard.

Back in 1861, the Missouri legislature adopted the principle of "Armed Neutrality" and asked both the North and the South to stay the heck out of Missouri. What happened?

Of course, the Union Army, (in contravention of the U.S. Constitution;;

Section. 4.

The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence.

the Union Army invaded Missouri, confiscating privately owned firearms up and down the Missouri River and imposing martial law, even to the extent of the "Ethnic Cleansing" of an entire county near WestPort, (Now called Kansas City). Naturally, the legislature, having escaped to Arkansas, voted to secede from the Union and thus became one of the 13 stars in the Confederate Flag.

Although slavery was present in Missouri, it was not prevalent nor was it economically feasable. Missouri got involved in what you call the "Civil War" purely on States Rights principles.

The moving finger of time has moved on and there is not a thing that a .gov minion can do to change a whit nor a tittle of it.

Enjoy.

 

[DMF]

You cannot, however, disprove the truth of my experience.

You're right I can't disprove it, nor can you prove it. So it's just a story you posted, and I'm saying, based on what my friends went through to get their FFLs, and Class III weapons in the late 80s through the mid-90s, your story sounds like pure fiction.

Your rant about Missouri, and the Civil War has no relevance to this discussion, and as soon as you throw in "ethnic cleansing" also shows it's BS too.

 

[cropcirclewalker]

Hi, ho, there, Mr. MF, Crop here.

You can call me a liar if you choose. I am not suprised. You are only doing what they pay you to do. I understand the influence that economics has to one's well being. Without .gov you might be out of work. You don't bite the hand that feeds you.

You, and all the others on this forum, are limited by the constraints that are a part of the internet. Just so that you and all the others out there understand.

What I say may be true. What I say may be untrue.

Have I (a common citizen) more to gain than you (a .gov minion) based on what I relate as being a previously described anecdotal account. What am I losing? What am I gaining? A promotion? Your mission is clear. Mine is just the truth.

To the rest of you out there.........Take it for what it's worth.

 

[Cosmoline]

No, the BATF isn't like a biker gang. Most biker gangs will leave you alone if you leave them alone. There are only a handful of criminal biker gangs, and those pose no more threat to public safety than any other group of petty criminals. They're not nice people, but you can always shoot them if they try anything.

The BATF on the other hand, can muster the full power of the federal government to enforce its will. You are not allowed to shoot them on penalty of death, even if they are trying to kill you at the time. If you cross them, they'll make sure you never make it to trial.

Frankly I'd prefer to stick with the bikers. The BATF are cowboy thugs with the full power of the state supporting them and no consequences even for murder. Allowing a rape to take place is small peanuts for them. I hate them and I will always hate them.

 

[DMF]

I understand the influence that economics has to one's well being. Without .gov you might be out of work.

Well this is further proof you make this crap up as you go. I am NOT motivated by money. I took a large pay cut to get my current job, and my previous private sector employer has made it clear many times they would gladly hire me back. Without my government job, I'd go back to my old job, making MORE money.

 

[DMF]

There are only a handful of criminal biker gangs, and those pose no more threat to public safety than any other group of petty criminals.

Ignoring your tinhatted nonsense about ATF, you are completely wrong about the nature and scope of outlaw motorcycle gangs. They are organized crime at it's worst, and are not "petty criminals". They are no different than any of the other organized crime thugs who use violence to further their "business" and they are a huge danger to others.

 

[Risasi]

Well I'll weigh in.

Are they a gang? Hmm, yeah sure. Although I don't necessarily have a problem with gangs. Most of the time they usually just fight amongst themselves, for turf. Whatever the turf may be.
If they want to kill themselves what do I care? They have been with us, and always will be. Hello Romeo and Juliet anybody? And that was 400 years ago.

As for the ATF in general. They serve a function of the government. A useful one? Now that is a matter entirely subjective in nature. I don't believe the .gov should be regulating and taxing alcohol, tobacco or firearms. Especially firearms. Afterall it was regulation and taxes that started this whole mess in Boston. But likewise I still pay my taxes. Not out of some goodwill or anything, but because the bible says I should.

Anyway, I have known a few ATF agents, and I can't say that they were the gung-ho JBT's we all like to think they are. In fact more cops that I've known are more like that than these guys were. BUT, and yes this is a big but...but I do remember a major travesty of justice on April 19th, 1993. Where the .gov, with the ATF in the lead killed over 70 people, and there was an air of guilty until proven innocent. Unfortunately they were never proven innocent, and so everyone assumes they were guilty. This does not sit well with me. To this day I think Koresh was a kook, but I have serious doubts he was doing anything illegal. But I digress. There are also reports of baiting citizens into felonies, like the Randy Weaver incident. So it it any wonder that some of us have a very bad reaction when the letters "A","T" and "F" are mentioned? Also when the heck was it the job of law enforcement to lobby for new laws? I thought it was the "will of the people".

As an aside I find out 9th Circuit has declared the machine gun ban unconstitutional, yes the BATF is fighting this. That is not their job. It is merely to enforce law, not create new ones. And so we find somewhere within their power scructure it's more than just law enforcement, but also an organism. And it has an agenda. This is not to be, the arm of the law isn't supposed to grow a head. WE are the head. (alegedley). And .gov growing it's own head is against the very heart of the foundation of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness/property. I'm sure this is some the lawlessness that does not sit well with guys like Cosmoline, and myself included.

BTW: Most law enforcement personnel a have met are professional, some are not. Most are civil, some are not. Most are just regular guys who stand around the water cooler like the rest of us, but I make no bones. They are the long arm of the law. And are there to enforce the law. My problem is the law. The law is only there to incarcerate and convict me. It's not there to help me. Likewise law enforcement is not there to hand out medals for good driving, they are only there to stop you for traffic infractions. And this can be applied across the board. The problem is not law enforcement, it's the law. Fix the stupid laws and they won't be pulling you over for stupid stuff. Anyway, with this knowledge I know a cop is only there to serve justice. Unfortunately I am a bad guy just like everyone else, including that cop. So I mind my P's and Q's. I wouldn't turn my back on a cop, just as I wouldn't turn my back on a rattlesnake. This keeps both them and me honest now doesn't it? And I am just fine with that. But once we start down that crooked road of power plays, and internal agenda like some of what can be seen within the ATF it can spell nothing but trouble for the people.

I believe it was Thomas Jefferson who said that a good rebellion is what keeps the government in check. And he expected one every twenty years or so. Now I didn't say insurrection. Although this most certainly is one of the reasons for the 2nd Amendment. As it recognizes it's your right, being neccessary to the security of a free state. Anyway, the best thing you can do is call evil what it is. I don't know that you can do anything about it now. But I know one thing, the freedoms of this country are waning, and though we have a reprieve right now. This will change unless something is done. Personally I believe the problem is us. It's our debt, our lack of enthusiasm, our complacency. Heck Mexicans will outwork us, because they want it and we don't. And our willingness to just let the next generation fade into the liberal camp. That's your silver bullet. You win the kids, you win your freedom. What good does it do you to fix the problems now if in twenty years your kids go and overturn everything you did?

Anyway, sorry my answer to ATF being a gang or not is rather long. But that's because even though the answer is easy for me, the reason they have become what they are is our own fault.

 

[longrifleman]

Your rant about Missouri, and the Civil War has no relevance to this discussion, and as soon as you throw in "ethnic cleansing" also shows it's BS too.

I live smack dab in the middle of the area that was "cleansed". Some of my ancestors were given 30 min to load their wagons and leave or die. They watched the Union troops ransack their house as they left. After the looting was done all the buildings were burned to the ground.

And no, they weren't slaveholders.

It's no surprise not many know about this. The winners write the history books and they always make the losers look as bad as possible and themselves as good as possible.


As for the cigarette smuggling, the problem is the extreme tax rates that almost guarantee a black market. But, we can't question either revenue collection or social engineering without being labled anti-govt or un-American.

Any time the BATFE cross the line and engage in intimidation or falsifying records of planting evidence and such, they become no better than a criminal gang. If they never do those things, they have nothing to worry about.

 

[Risasi]

Ditto to longrifleman.

Especially about the history being written by the winner. For instance you often don't find it mentioned that there were over 3400 slave owners who were black, at the time of the civil war. And yes, I know they claim they just bought them to free them. Well so did a bunch of whites.

And yes, taxes, blackmarket, regulation. All of this creates an illegal trade in the product. Which just leads to organized crime. On both sides of the legality fence. You would think we would have learned from prohibition, but no. And that was merely prohibition of trafficking of alcohol, not production of alcohol. Yet everyone thinks that alcohol itself was banned. Go figure.

 

[AZRickD]

With huge profits -- and low penalties for arrest and conviction -- illicit cigarette trafficking now has begun to rival drug trafficking

Didn't we predict this when Clinton's tobacco-phobes, with the help of federal courts, began accelerating taxes on cigarettes? Black market, smuggling. We all knew it would happen because we had the lessons of Alcohol Prohibition and the War on Some-Drugs to instruct us.

If the F-Trooper is so concerned about al-queda involvement, he can ask his BATF-lobbyist to repeal the high taxes and WoSD.

But he won't, because he wants his job protected.

Rick

 

[StopTheGrays]

To paraphrase a quote from one of my favorite movies, Married to the Mob:

Angela de Marco: God, you people work just like the mob! There's no difference.
Regional Director Franklin: Oh, there's a big difference, Mrs. de Marco. The mob is run by murdering, thieving, lying, cheating psychopaths. We work for the President of the United States of America.

(Gang or mob, close enuff)