The Sheriffs in Arizona may be getting shot at with Fast n’ Furious guns, but they are not taking it lightly. In fact, the sheriffs are shooting back, at the Obama Administration. Per USA Today:

A majority of Arizona’s county sheriffs on Friday called upon President Obama to appoint an independent counsel to investigate the government’s botched gun-smuggling case know ans Operation Fast and Furious.

At a Phoenix news conference, Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeau said the sting operation, which allowed an estimated 2,000 firearms to reach narcotics cartels in Mexico, was a betrayal that should lead to the removal of Attorney General Eric Holder and possible criminal charges against those responsible.

Wow. Nothing like getting straight to the point, eh? But Babeau wasn’t done. The president of the Arizona Sheriff’s Association said:

“I believe that this is a much larger scandal than what took place in Watergate.”

Now we’re talkin!

“The fact that he knew about this before the murder of Agent Terry should haunt him. Eric Holder, in my opinion, should resign or he needs to be fired…Nobody in America is above the law, including Eric Holder, including President Obama. There is no king,” said Babeau.

Ten out of 15 sheriffs, including both Democrats and Republicans, joined in the call for the appointment of an independent counsel.

Sheriff Larry Dever of Cochise County asked “Who really is responsible for helping to arm the people we are fighting every day on the border?” Sheriff Tom Sheahan, of Mohave County added, “I feel like we’ve been betrayed by our government.”

Well that gets a big 10-4 from this side of the Interwebz, good buddy. And Larry, the answer to your question is, obviously, The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, complicit cooperation, logistics, management, and assistance from the FBI, the CIA, the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security, ICE, USBP, and the Justice Department, including Eric Holder.

Speaking of Eric Holder…

Rereading the poison pen prose from the petulant Pashas of the Justice Department (saythat five times, fast), he slipped a little something in there that bears examination. And I quote:

As I have said, the fact that even a single gun was not interdicted in this operation and found its way to Mexico is unacceptable. Equally unacceptable, however, is the fact that too many in Congress are opposed to any discussion of fixing loopholes in our laws that facilitate the staggering flow of guns each year across our border to the south.” (sic)

Maybe it’s just we’ve heard this same crap so often from the Obamateurs, that we tune it out. But the fact that Holder equivocated not interdicting guns (at all) with the intransigence of Congress in “fixing” gun “loopholes” is, in point of fact, telling.

We’ve got a multiplicity of scenarios that we can choose from, as to the Stanislavsky(ish) question, “What’s their motivation?”

  1. They wanted to create a “river of guns” to justify new gun laws to crack down on private ownership.
  2. The ATF was trying to amass more power and a larger budget, and concocted the scheme to justify their goals.
  3. They are trying to pit the Sinaloas against the Zetas, fermenting a drug gang war on Mexican turf.
  4. They wanted to prevent a drug cartel junta of the Mexican government.
  5. The foot soldiers were trying to make a buck, selling guns in a “loose cannon” thing that got out of hand.
  6. Some combination of all of the above.

What’s the truth? Like the masochist said to the sadist, Beats me?! But that’s what special prosecutor investigations are for – to get to the truth, if at all possible. 

I’m not a member of the Tribe, but Yiddish words are frequently so much more descriptive than plain old English. Chutzpah is such a word. Essentially, it refers to one who has overstepped his bounds in a brash and arrogant way. Balls of Brass, if you will, but it’s more about bravado and a willingness to ignore facts, the truth, and brazen their way through.

Eric Holder is the poster child for Chutzpah.

This letter of his is a textbook attempt to divert blame and attention. But I think he reveals a lot about their agenda in that paragraph. It’s all theatre. And like a radical from a generation prior, apparently they will go after their goals, by any means necessary. Let’s just hope we can get to the bottom of this mess before another drug thug gets to say “I shot the Sheriff.”

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17 COMMENTS

  1. Great news, especially that this is a non-partisan group.

    One question – Why didn’t Sheriff Joe Arpaio join them? He tweeted this yesterday:

    To my followers: Let me be very clear. I did NOT join other AZ Sheriffs at Fast & Furious press conference today. I was asked & I refused.

    I, and others, asked why – he never answered…

    • The location of the first revelations in F&F was a couple of gun shops in Phoenix. It would be easy to surmise that the sheriff had some knowledge of the early events that he would rather never come out. I love Sheriff Joe, but his declining to participate in the sheriffs’ statement might be a sign of bad news to come for him.

    • I would guess Sheriff Joe is doing them a favor since his name now has national attention and is somewhat “notorious” and very toxic to the liberal media.

      • Sheriff Joe’s absence is puzzling. The joke in Phoenix media circles is that since he’s been Sheriff, the most dangerous place in Maricopa County is anywhere between Sheriff Joe and a TV camera. You’d think he’s want to get his mug out in front of the cameras on this, especially given the close working relationship between Sheriffs Babeu and Arpaio and Sheriff Joe’s hatred of all things Napolitano-related.

        If I have to guess, (and at this point, I do), I think you’re right in suggesting Sheriff Lobo Joe is letting others lead this charge because of his media toxicity. This is a good thing, because his schtick is wearing a little thin in Maricopa County these days.

  2. Good piece. How the political elites must hate how they are unable to control, limit, and direct the flows of news information on the Internet. The Internet is the modern day printing press that produced the Gutenberg Bible and helped to spread learning bringing Europe far forward.

    “I believe that this is a much larger scandal than what took place in Watergate.”
    — Clearly this man read my comments here at TTAG last week when I wrote that this scandal goes beyond Watergate (and even Monicagate).

    • The Internet is the modern day printing press that produced the Gutenberg Bible and helped to spread learning bringing Europe far forward.

      The Internet Reformation. Caught a lot of people by surprise.

      • True, it’s not just a medium of commerce. I don’t think the power elites anticipated very well how the Internet could and would become such a political liberating tool serving the common man.

  3. These men are America’s Sheriffs and, yes, they are men. That is a curious response from Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Maybe he figures he’s wearing a big enough target on his back already. He was or is being sued by the DOJ for not cooperating with one of their kangaroo investigations. Very curious….

  4. I asked the Pinal County PIO about Sheriff Joe’s absence at the presser, and he said America’s Toughest Media Hound™ “had a scheduling conflict”.

    Brad, RF, Nick, et al: I along with fellow Az Gunbloggers Great Satan Inc were there at the Capitol yesterday, if you want a first-hand report, let me know.

  5. As for scenarios listed above I’m particular fond of 1 and 2. The alphabet soup people have always been making up stuff so they can get funding and power.

  6. I wonder where that fat rat f^ck, Sheriff Dupnik of Tucson, stands on this. Oh, wait . . . I think I know. He thinks that an investigation of F&F wouldn’t be “civil.” Well, that’s right. It would be criminal.

    • Sheriff Babeu mentioned him by name, and of course Dupnik blamed Operation Wide Receiver as the source of all evil on this. Dupnik just couldn’t believe why the Obama administration would do something like this.

      • Oh, yeah, I forgot that W is the source of all evil in the world. Except for Sarah Palin, who according to Dope-nik was responsible for shooting Rep. Giffords.

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