Federal agents raided a Gilbert gun store on Wednesday, seizing hundreds of high-powered and military-style weapons in the process, though authorities were silent as to why.What did they say on the old Mickey Mouse Club?
"Why? Because we like you!"
And because they can.
Me, I'm interested in learning more about this "public/private partnership," the contractor partner in the raid, Forfeiture Support Associates. They, their relationship with the government and the people behind them deserve much closer scrutiny and should not be operating under the radar, as they will if we rely on "Authorized Journalists" to provide any kind of oversight.
They're too busy being shocked, shocked at a Cavalry Arms Internet spoof and consulting the Council on American Islamic relations about a perceived attack on "Muslim Men...for the purpose of selling a semiautomatic rifle!"
"12 News did some digging," reporterette Kevin Kennedy assures us somberly. He must not have dug too deeply, because the first thing you see when you click the video link on Cavalry Arms' website is the disclaimer:
This video is a work of satire, parodying 1950s style Public Service Announcements.
This video is not racist, as jihadists are not a race. Note, at no point do we say anything about Islam as a whole. The enemies in the video, and those our armed forces are currently fighting are radical islamic extremists.
We do not endorse the unlawful use of deadly force against anyone. All the jihadists in this video are armed, and would constitute a deadly threat in all 50 states.
But ol' Kevin and the rest of the 12 News Team apparently think the story here is about a "CONTROVERSIAL COMMERCIAL." Hey, when you're working hand-in-hand with the government on a story, you need to have a villain, and cast him in as unsympathetic a light as possible. What's a little propaganda manipulation among friends?
Never mind the staged media circus with tables full of evil, icky guns guaranteed to shock a public conditioned to disapprove why anyone needs "weapons of war." And never mind that the increasingly visible spokesjbt Tom Mangan lends his smooth telepresence to the scene.
And then never mind that not only does Cavalry Arms endorse the Second Amendment, they're not shy about using the First Amendment to promote it.
We'll find more in the coming days about the excuse behind the raid, but we do know this much: The purpose in conducting it this way was to send a message, and that message is that BATFU can and will crush a hub not only for supplying arms, but for providing training, education and information about arms use as well as the right to keep and bear them.
As with Waco and Ruby Ridge, both with strong publicity motives behind the way they were conducted, the agency is using a complicit media to shore up a reputation damaged by recent events, in this case the delaying of the "Maximum Mike" nomination.
In a sense, they've been stung and frustrated by people pushing back, and defiance is something they will not tolerate. As Star Trek's Captain Kirk said in "The Devil in the Dark" (how's that for an appropriate title?):
There's nothing more dangerous than a wounded animal.MORE:
Ryan asks since when has money laundering been a BATFU concern?
Nicki hears there may be a disgruntled former employee somewhere in the mix.