I think you are optimistic the Supreme Ct had the chance to shot down civil asset forfeiture (CAF) and even Scalia voted for CAF

hear hear

The FBI series was propaganda supported by the FBI and Hoover https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Edga...

hear hear

Years ago, I believed the government was using unstable individuals in mass shootings...like the guy who opened up on a schoolyard with an AK-47. New laws immediately passed, banning the import and sale of military style weapons...laws that were written BEFORE the shooting, but were not getting sufficient support from legislators. The school shooting, conveniently, took care of that roadblock.

If anyone believes this is beyond the capabilities of our government...just look at the Ruby Ridge standoff. That started with Federal agents convincing Randy Weaver to built sawed-off shotguns to feed his family. This is the same Randy Weaver who, previously, refused to be a government "mole" in the White Supremacist movement in Idaho. In the end, Weaver was found innocent of any and all charges stemming from that standoff...imagine that.

Way back in the 80's, I had two ATF agents who were customers at my camera shop. They didn't need to buy cameras or accessories as Uncle Sammy supplied those, but they'd occasionally buy a frame or a filter. Mostly they enjoyed hanging out and talking about photography. While I personally liked them in the sense that they were affable, they worried me on another level. They told me stories of their "adventures" and made everything seem like a joke. They would begin by talking to each other with, "Remember the time we..." I thought they might be drunk, but I failed to detect any tell-tale signs. I'm not trying to infer that all ATF agents were like these two, but it does make you wonder. In my day, we were given stories on TV and radio like "The FBI In Peace And War" which portrayed sober, dedicated agents, and not clownish hangabouts. Lately, the stories about the Secret Service horndogs, and others makes one give pause and say, "Whatinell is going on?"

Hmm, another agency I would immediately dismantle if I were king. There is a long list of them actually that need to be dismantled.

Sting operations=entrapment

That's shocking! Or, should I better say, "nau-
seating".How can they get away with that?--I
guess there will eventually be a Supreme Court
case. Except, the way things are going, will there
still much longer be any due process?

I think a broader investigation into the DOJ dealings across the board would reveal just how much worse the situation is. An implement that I regard as entirely unconstitutional is the Grand Jury, where the accused is not allowed to present a defense (the clever logic there is that you don't need a defense when you haven't been charged yet). and a finding that an indictment is proper assures conviction.

Judges are all too often obsessed with precedent, so creating a new excuse for prosecution almost guarantees the bench is biased toward the prosecution, since the judge wants to be the first to convict. Prosecutors make their careers on a high percentage of convictions, so sometimes charges aren't filed because the accused is too well connected, and other cases are like a kangaroo court, where the accused is swiftly railroaded.

Leona Helmsley was all too open about her contention that "laws are for little people." The powerful and well connected are far more likely to avoid a conviction than Joe six pack. The farther up the political food chain, the more criminal license you're granted.

Back to “Faith and Force.” The Christians think everyone is guilty because they were born and the government thinks everyone is guilty because they are in the country. Nothing new here.

the whistleblowers were either demoted or fired. there were three. Our angle initially was, what if Brian Tierry was not gunned down by actual cartel. what if...

hey thanks.

Ha! "We are from the government and we're here to help you". Much in line with the fact that a cop can tell you all sorts of lies but it is illegal for you to lie to them.

There is a story by Joseph Conrad, "The Secret Agent", written in 1907 with such a plot. A chilling story, worse when it is in real life.
http://www.mantex.co.uk/2010/02/12/th...

I wish

We have not investigated that but I would put my money on promotions

Thanks for posting it, Dale. It's been over 2 years since that article.
Did the ATF agents involved get promotions and more power as some did after murdering 80 people in Waco?

Thanks

I love these books. Finally the good guy wins one over the forces of evil.