http://www.sierratimes.com/03/02/14/arjj021403.htm
Whack’em & Stack’em Update:
A Classic Case of Butt-Covering
Analysis by J.J. Johnson
If you recall in our previous report from San Antonio Texas, a 14 year-old girl was shot in the head by officers of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Many regular readers know by now that little Ashley Villarreal was taken off life-support yesterday. She’s dead.
Now, you’d figure that would be the main focus of the follow up stories, and what steps the DEA would take to ensure justice in this matter. But think again. This is a Whack’em & Stack’em clean up – at it’s best. Class is in session. Let’s walk through it, shall we?
DEA case troubled by timing
By Maro Robbins - San Antonio Express-News
The stakeout that ended with a 14-year-old girl shot in the head was part of a federal narcotics investigation that had been marked in recent days by several instances of unfortunate timing.
[The key here are the words ‘unfortunate timing’. You can translate that into, “it wasn’t our fault.†You see, in the whack & stack culture, it’s NEVER the fault of the executioner. By merely inserting the two above mentioned words, the reader will overlook the blatant disregard for public safety demonstrated by the DEA. Read on…]
Drug Enforcement Administration agents say they were looking for cocaine trafficking suspect Joey Villarreal and believed he might be trying to flee Sunday when they shot into the darkened car, driven by his daughter Ashley Villarreal.
[Just in case an eyebrow got raised over “they shot into the darkened car†meaning, they didn’t know who or what the heck they were shooting at, you can relax since the phrase “cocaine trafficking†was used in the same sentence. Already, the reader is feeling easier about the whacking of an unarmed, teen-aged girl]
Officials said the agent, Bill Swierc, fired as the sedan tried to ram him. But as family members arranged Wednesday for the girl's funeral, they dispute that she was to blame for her own death.
[Whack & Stack fans: How many times have you heard about that dead witness attempting to “ram†the officer? It’s like an epidemic: driver sees cop, cop pulls gun, driver hits the gas, cop has justified kill. It is a common tactic (excuse) used when explaining why they simply shot into a car. After all, you’re not going to get the other side of the story. That potentially damaging witness was lethally dealt with. And if you think we’re getting carried away with this, read the last part of that paragraph again:â€â€¦they dispute that she was to blame for her own death…â€
Excerpt from our previous report in this case:
“…Not to worry, the local police said they are conducting an investigation, and the DEA is cooperating. TRANSLATION: Give us a day or two to come up with a reason why that little 14 year-old girl deserved what she got…â€
As you can see, this is already the trial balloon that is being peddled on the streets of San Antonio. And by the way: if you go back to the original story, the girl also took enemy fire while backing the car up (conspicuously omitted in this version of their story). Let’s move on…]
The incident at South San Joaquin at Motes streets has inflamed local sentiment, both for and against the agents, and is under review by San Antonio police and a DEA team from Washington.
[Get it? Locals are outraged, as well they should be. But in a classic whack’em & stack’em, the mission is to make you forget about that, and focus only on what those wonderful ‘agents’ were doing to protect the public. Watch how this story suddenly changes direction.]
Meanwhile, in hindsight, the shooting was only one instance in which the timing appeared unfortunate. For example:
DEA agents helped Kerrville police arrest Villarreal on minor charges barely two days before federal agents were looking for him again, this time after receiving information alleging that he might bolt for Mexico.
While agents were searching for Villarreal, his lawyer says the 36-year-old musician was making plans to turn himself in. The meeting at the attorney's office ended roughly three hours before Ashley was shot.
When federal authorities charged Villarreal after the shooting, they based the complaint on information they had possessed for some time but had not wanted to use until the rest of the investigation ripened.
"He was and is part of an ongoing investigation in a larger drug trafficking case," said Greg Surovic, the assistant U.S. attorney who supervises federal drug task force prosecutions. "The plan was not to arrest him on Monday."
[Let’s stop right here – See how we’re suddenly into the drug case and the dead girl is all but forgotten? Go on – there’s more…]
But the chain of events that put agents in front of Villarreal's home on Sunday appeared to start two days earlier.
That's when Kerrville police Sgt. Harry Fleming received a tip alleging that the odor of marijuana had wafted from the hotel room Villarreal was renting…
[ Oh for Gosh sake – with the High Terror Alert going on these days, someone was smoking a joint – call in the SWAT TEAMS]
…The police, aided by DEA agents and others, set up surveillance. Court records indicate that they determined the room was being used to distribute drugs.
A search of the room found "white powdery substance" on the nightstand and floor, the documents state. Villarreal had cash totaling $986.
[If it was cocaine, they would have said it was cocaine. Lesson for all you travelers: Don’t spill that coffee creamer – your daughter’s life may depend on it]
Villarreal was charged with possessing less than a gram of controlled substance and driving with a suspended license. He spent the night in jail and posted bond Saturday.
After his release, investigators received the information alleging that he was about to flee the country.
[Sure, you just killed his daughter – thinking they were going after him. Yes, I’m sure I’d feel safe and have complete faith in the justice system after that. After all, you’re the only other witness to the execution.]
"There were things going on in the organization that probably led him to believe the heat was on," Surovic said.
[TRANSLATION: “The only way the DEA could cover their tracks is to set up another take down – this time not missing their target. We suspect is was trying to get out of our reach so we could finish the job.]
Surovic said a prosecutor came into the office and had typed up the complaint against Villarreal hours before Sunday's shooting. The document alleged that Villarreal was the "leader" of a cocaine trafficking group.
[…and you see – by the time you get to this point, you too would be almost convinced that that poor little girl had it coming. “Collateral damage†as they say.]
Meanwhile, the Villarreal family was adamant that Ashley should not be blamed. The girl's uncle, Pete Villarreal called the shooting senseless. He said nothing the girl did was suspicious enough to justify agents opening fire. As he put it, her only crime was driving around the block without headlights and without a license.
"She was killed because she committed a traffic violation," he said.
Visitation for Ashley will started at 2 p.m. Thursday, followed by a rosary at 7 p.m. at the Castillo Mission Funeral Home at 520 N. Gen. McMullen Drive. A Friday Mass was scheduled for 10 a.m. at St. Jude's Catholic Church at 130 S. San Augustine St. Burial will follow at San Fernando Cemetery No. 2.
"A 14-year-old girl," Pete Villarreal said, "should not be buried on Valentine's Day."
[And…may she rest in peace. You see Nick and Norm – the drug war DOES produce terrorism.]
Whack’em & Stack’em Update:
A Classic Case of Butt-Covering
Analysis by J.J. Johnson
If you recall in our previous report from San Antonio Texas, a 14 year-old girl was shot in the head by officers of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Many regular readers know by now that little Ashley Villarreal was taken off life-support yesterday. She’s dead.
Now, you’d figure that would be the main focus of the follow up stories, and what steps the DEA would take to ensure justice in this matter. But think again. This is a Whack’em & Stack’em clean up – at it’s best. Class is in session. Let’s walk through it, shall we?
DEA case troubled by timing
By Maro Robbins - San Antonio Express-News
The stakeout that ended with a 14-year-old girl shot in the head was part of a federal narcotics investigation that had been marked in recent days by several instances of unfortunate timing.
[The key here are the words ‘unfortunate timing’. You can translate that into, “it wasn’t our fault.†You see, in the whack & stack culture, it’s NEVER the fault of the executioner. By merely inserting the two above mentioned words, the reader will overlook the blatant disregard for public safety demonstrated by the DEA. Read on…]
Drug Enforcement Administration agents say they were looking for cocaine trafficking suspect Joey Villarreal and believed he might be trying to flee Sunday when they shot into the darkened car, driven by his daughter Ashley Villarreal.
[Just in case an eyebrow got raised over “they shot into the darkened car†meaning, they didn’t know who or what the heck they were shooting at, you can relax since the phrase “cocaine trafficking†was used in the same sentence. Already, the reader is feeling easier about the whacking of an unarmed, teen-aged girl]
Officials said the agent, Bill Swierc, fired as the sedan tried to ram him. But as family members arranged Wednesday for the girl's funeral, they dispute that she was to blame for her own death.
[Whack & Stack fans: How many times have you heard about that dead witness attempting to “ram†the officer? It’s like an epidemic: driver sees cop, cop pulls gun, driver hits the gas, cop has justified kill. It is a common tactic (excuse) used when explaining why they simply shot into a car. After all, you’re not going to get the other side of the story. That potentially damaging witness was lethally dealt with. And if you think we’re getting carried away with this, read the last part of that paragraph again:â€â€¦they dispute that she was to blame for her own death…â€
Excerpt from our previous report in this case:
“…Not to worry, the local police said they are conducting an investigation, and the DEA is cooperating. TRANSLATION: Give us a day or two to come up with a reason why that little 14 year-old girl deserved what she got…â€
As you can see, this is already the trial balloon that is being peddled on the streets of San Antonio. And by the way: if you go back to the original story, the girl also took enemy fire while backing the car up (conspicuously omitted in this version of their story). Let’s move on…]
The incident at South San Joaquin at Motes streets has inflamed local sentiment, both for and against the agents, and is under review by San Antonio police and a DEA team from Washington.
[Get it? Locals are outraged, as well they should be. But in a classic whack’em & stack’em, the mission is to make you forget about that, and focus only on what those wonderful ‘agents’ were doing to protect the public. Watch how this story suddenly changes direction.]
Meanwhile, in hindsight, the shooting was only one instance in which the timing appeared unfortunate. For example:
DEA agents helped Kerrville police arrest Villarreal on minor charges barely two days before federal agents were looking for him again, this time after receiving information alleging that he might bolt for Mexico.
While agents were searching for Villarreal, his lawyer says the 36-year-old musician was making plans to turn himself in. The meeting at the attorney's office ended roughly three hours before Ashley was shot.
When federal authorities charged Villarreal after the shooting, they based the complaint on information they had possessed for some time but had not wanted to use until the rest of the investigation ripened.
"He was and is part of an ongoing investigation in a larger drug trafficking case," said Greg Surovic, the assistant U.S. attorney who supervises federal drug task force prosecutions. "The plan was not to arrest him on Monday."
[Let’s stop right here – See how we’re suddenly into the drug case and the dead girl is all but forgotten? Go on – there’s more…]
But the chain of events that put agents in front of Villarreal's home on Sunday appeared to start two days earlier.
That's when Kerrville police Sgt. Harry Fleming received a tip alleging that the odor of marijuana had wafted from the hotel room Villarreal was renting…
[ Oh for Gosh sake – with the High Terror Alert going on these days, someone was smoking a joint – call in the SWAT TEAMS]
…The police, aided by DEA agents and others, set up surveillance. Court records indicate that they determined the room was being used to distribute drugs.
A search of the room found "white powdery substance" on the nightstand and floor, the documents state. Villarreal had cash totaling $986.
[If it was cocaine, they would have said it was cocaine. Lesson for all you travelers: Don’t spill that coffee creamer – your daughter’s life may depend on it]
Villarreal was charged with possessing less than a gram of controlled substance and driving with a suspended license. He spent the night in jail and posted bond Saturday.
After his release, investigators received the information alleging that he was about to flee the country.
[Sure, you just killed his daughter – thinking they were going after him. Yes, I’m sure I’d feel safe and have complete faith in the justice system after that. After all, you’re the only other witness to the execution.]
"There were things going on in the organization that probably led him to believe the heat was on," Surovic said.
[TRANSLATION: “The only way the DEA could cover their tracks is to set up another take down – this time not missing their target. We suspect is was trying to get out of our reach so we could finish the job.]
Surovic said a prosecutor came into the office and had typed up the complaint against Villarreal hours before Sunday's shooting. The document alleged that Villarreal was the "leader" of a cocaine trafficking group.
[…and you see – by the time you get to this point, you too would be almost convinced that that poor little girl had it coming. “Collateral damage†as they say.]
Meanwhile, the Villarreal family was adamant that Ashley should not be blamed. The girl's uncle, Pete Villarreal called the shooting senseless. He said nothing the girl did was suspicious enough to justify agents opening fire. As he put it, her only crime was driving around the block without headlights and without a license.
"She was killed because she committed a traffic violation," he said.
Visitation for Ashley will started at 2 p.m. Thursday, followed by a rosary at 7 p.m. at the Castillo Mission Funeral Home at 520 N. Gen. McMullen Drive. A Friday Mass was scheduled for 10 a.m. at St. Jude's Catholic Church at 130 S. San Augustine St. Burial will follow at San Fernando Cemetery No. 2.
"A 14-year-old girl," Pete Villarreal said, "should not be buried on Valentine's Day."
[And…may she rest in peace. You see Nick and Norm – the drug war DOES produce terrorism.]
