The subject of this rant has been well covered and documented by Fortune’s Katherine Eban. She’s done an outstanding job explaining this political farce in clear, unbiased and restrained tones. Now for an angrier snarkier attack from my point of view. Brace yourself, this involves some reading, thinking, reflection and patience so the Right Wing may want to stay away as this is beyond them.

First the groundwork, please review Katherine’s story as published in Fortune magazine:

http://features.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2012/06/27/fast-and-furious-truth/

And one followup:

http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2012/07/03/fast-and-furious-follow-up-the-atf-and-gun-stores/

and finally an interesting letter from Voth’s attorney to Rep Darrell Issa that somehow gets very little play on both Mainstream Media and even the “interwebs”:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/86130067/Voth-Lawyer-Letter

Okay, done your reading and research. Now my take on the matter:

Darrell Issa from day one has wanted to embarrass and ruin the presidency of Barack Obama. It’s no secret. From the day the GOP took control of the House he advised that the President’s administration was the most corrupt in history and as Chairman of the Oversight Committee, he was going to hold weekly investigations to prove the corruption, like Ken Starr on steroids, he would find something. The only thing he’s been able to get any kind of nibble was the Fast and Furious debacle. But it was compelling because it could be used to illicit the support of what I think is the most dangerous domestic terrorist organization in this country, The National Rifle Association. Issa himself went on air to say that the whole “gun walking” plan came from Obama and Holder themselves to create a call to outlaw and repeal second amendment rights. Forget the fact that what rogue agents of the ATF were doing was outside the knowledge of Attorney General Holder and President Obama (or that Obama has actually expanded gun rights in this nation) and that no arrests of the straw purchasers could be made because Arizona and Federal law permitted these purchases. In fact, these purchases were legal because the NRA fights tooth and nail to make sure everyone has the right to buy a gun from the gun manufacturers they represent. It’s not about gun rights, it’s about profits.

I’ve often tweeted that it’s interesting that whenever anyone calls for stricter gun laws to keep the guns out of the hands of convicted criminals and the insane the loudest voice in opposition to these laws is the NRA. Is is because they are made up of criminals and insane? Well, that is entirely possible. I work law enforcement and I’ve arrested prohibited possessors (convicted felons for whom it is illegal to possess firearms) and I’ve found it interesting that many of them are card-carrying members of the NRA. But honestly, it’s a matter of profits. The NRA over the years have become a lobbying group for the gun manufacturers. To make a profit, you have to sell more guns and who has the greatest need for guns besides hunters and Law Enforcement? Well those who want to use them for other purposes and have to use them right away.

In fact, NRA membership is a small fraction of lawful, responsible gun owners. Their call to stop all gun laws because then “only the criminals will have guns” is laughable. By not having such laws, you make it easier for criminals and the insane to have guns. So you end up with more guns in the hands of those predisposed to use them in not such a nice or defensive way.

So, as Katherine Eban points out, ATF agents observed the sale of guns to straw purchasers, but because prosecutors could not allow them to arrest these purchasers due to the lax gun laws, the guns ended up being walked over to the drug lords in Mexico. Border Agent Terry was killed in a gun battle where one of these guns were found. Honestly, he would most likely still would have been killed whether one of these guns were there or not, that is a fact. Fast and Furious had little to do with that death, but it make great politics for gun nuts in the nation to blame it on.

An lets not forget that the investigation is continuing. Issa was demanding of Holder grand jury and wiretap transcripts of this ongoing investigation. Forget that it is illegal for Holder to release these documents, but it makes for great politics on Issa’s part. Hell, he was able to get Holder one way or the other. Since he didn’t release them, he held him in contempt of Congress. Had he released them, he would have broken the law and the prosecution of those responsible would have been compromised. Dirty politics clear and simple from a man convicted of being in possession of a concealed weapon and placed on six months probation, Darrell Issa. Who writes this stuff?

The NRA is just as responsible for Agent Terry’s death as the whole Fast and Furious operation was because were it not for NRA sponsored lax gun laws and lax gun law enforcement, the guns would have never made it across the border. That being said, other guns would have most likely been used and Agent Terry would still be dead. But I’m using right-wing partisan logic in this matter. They want to blame Holder, then they have to also blame the NRA.

I’m all for responsible gun ownership. I believe honest, caring and responsible people can wait a period of time before getting a gun. I believe these guns should be licensed and monitored just like automobiles. There is no harm in that. Nobody is out to take them away from you. If you feel that way, then I suggest you are paranoid and as such, you shouldn’t be anywhere near a gun. Let’s be more reasonable in keeping guns away from unlawful and unstable people in the country, it can be done with little inconvenience to others, the only people who would suffer would be those who sell the instruments of death and destruction. So they’ll have to reduce CEO bonuses a bit, who the fuck cares if it saves lives.