New Back Drop

Fast and Furious Scandal Reaches Higher

"Fast & Furious" Hearings Raise More Questions Than Answers

The more information that comes out about the reckless "Fast and Furious" gun running operation conducted by the Phoenix BATFE office, the more clear it seems that knowledge of the operation, and approval for it, went a lot higher than the Phoenix field office, or even the BATFE.

There is now clear evidence, uncovered by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee headed by Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) that senior Obama Administration officials were aware of this disastrous operation.

Last Tuesday, Rep. Issa conducted another round of hearings. Among those who testified were William Newell and William McMahon, BATFE Special Agents who oversaw the program in Phoenix . Those hearings revealed that senior Dept. of Justice officials, including former Deputy Attorney General David Ogden and Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer, knew about the program.

~source, the NRA

Just ask one small question - if Bush had done this... what would the reaction be?

The cover up is as important as who approved it.

The Wire? Fine...

“The Attorney-General’s kind remarks are noted and appreciated. I’ve spoken to Ed Burns and we are prepared to go to work on season six of The Wire if the Department of Justice is equally ready to reconsider and address its continuing prosecution of our misguided, destructive and dehumanising drug prohibition.”

~The Wire creator David Simon, in an e-mail to the Times of London responding to Attorney General Eric Holder demand for an additional season of the acclaimed HBO series.

[digitalspy

Drunken Awards Show

Next year - either institute a mandatory piss test for the host, or say f-it and have Charlie Sheen and Lindsy Lohan host the damn thing. Couldn't be any worse than what was on last night.

Best Picture: The King’s Speech.
Best Leading Actor: Colin Firth for The King’s Speech.
Best Leading Actress: Natalie Portman for Black Swan.
Best Director: Tom Hooper for The King’s Speech.
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale for The Fighter.
Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo for The Fighter.

The rest here, if you give a rip.

Media's Plaything Broken

Ted Williams, the homeless man turned America's Media's One Minute Sweetheart / Plaything, with a face for radio - not to be confused with the ball player who's head is frozen in a block of ice - has left rehab.

According to sources - Ted vowed to television's Dr. Phil to get clean, get off the bottle for good and not take this second life opportunity for granted.

Dr. Phil put the Media's New Plaything into a rehab facility in Texas and he was supposed to stay there a few months to deal with his addictions to booze and the self destructive lifestyle he's maintained, well, his whole life.

The fairy tale of good intentions and tons of money being thrown at a problem to make it go away is not going as intended. Not surprising, as it seems this philosophy is the entire foundation of liberal society. So now that the fairy tale is over, what's happened to poor old Ted?

What reality is, Ted has left the rehab unit and checked out of there after only two weeks. He's pointing a finger at all the people who were using him. And I don't think that's his pointer finger.

On the bright side, he's back to doing what he loves most: Crack and Thunderbird.

Snowball Planet Hoth

A recent admission from Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher reveals Hoth, site of the doomed rebel base in the first act of The Empire Strikes Back, to be home to more than one kind of snow.

“We did cocaine on the set of ‘Empire,’ in the ice planet,” she said in an interview while promoting her one-woman show in Australia. “I didn’t even like the coke that much, it was just a case of getting on whatever train I needed to take to get high.”

No, Carrie, you were supposed to get on the last transport... not the Falcon.

MORE, - including juicy bits about being on the set of the Blues Brothers

How come the only thing I can think of is... "Do you have any idea what the street value of this planet is?"

Happy Solstice

Happy Solstice Day, to all you New Age crystal buyers and neo-pagan Druid types gathered at Stonehenge today.

Thousands of New Agers and neo-pagans danced and whooped in delight as a bright early morning sun rose above the ancient stone circle Stonehenge, marking the summer solstice.

About 20,000 people crowded the prehistoric site on Salisbury Plain, southern England, to see the sunrise at 4:52 A.M. (1152EST), after an annual all-night party.

The event typically draws thousands of alternative-minded revelers to the monument, as they wait for dawn at the Heel Stone, a pockmarked pillar just outside the circle proper, which aligns with the rising sun.

Today, hilariously ended cloudy.

Police said they had made 34 arrests, the majority for drug possession, and reported no serious problems.

Holy Smoke

The U.S. Border Patrol says agents found a stash of marijuana coming across the border in El Paso in an unusual spot: tucked behind a framed portrait of Jesus.

A Border Patrol statement says the bust was made just before 3 p.m. Tuesday at the Bridge of the Americas in El Paso. A 22-year-old Mexican woman arrived at the port of entry from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, in a sport-utility vehicle. According to the statement, she told agents that she had nothing to declare but some framed art.

Cesar the drug-sniffing dog found otherwise. He was drawn to three framed pictures of Jesus Christ in the SUV. Agents found 30 bundles totaling about 31 pounds behind the backing of the three pictures.

The Border Patrol says it turned the woman to El Paso police for prosecution. No word on the artwork though.

Rocky Mountain High

File under libertarian:

Get caught possessing marijuana in the City of Denver and you could one day get less than a slap on the wrist:

DENVER - A city panel in charge of overseeing marijuana possession crimes in Denver recommended on Wednesday that the fine for possession be set at $1.

If Denver’s presiding judge accepts the recommendation from the Denver Marijuana Policy Review Panel, the fine would be the lowest in the entire nation for marijuana possession.

(…)

“By setting the fine at just $1, we are sending a message to Denver officials that the era of citing adults for using a less harmful drug than alcohol is over. It’s simply not worth the city’s time or resources,” said panel member and SAFER Executive Director Mason Tvert, who coordinated the successful Denver marijuana initiatives.

More

Anti Gun N. C. State Senator Shoots A Home Invader. Bullseyes Hypocrisy

North Carolina State Senator R.C. Soles, 74, the longest-serving lawmaker in the General Assembly, shot an intruder as he tried to break into his home Sunday. He shot 22-year-old Thomas Kyle Blackburn in the leg as Blackburn and another man allegedly tried to break down his door. They apparently were both clients of the Senator's legal office.

The Senator, who according to the Gun Owners of America, he has a career of being against guns ownership. Hmmm... for some reason his public beliefs and his private actions seem to contradict each other here. Let's see, he didn't hesitate to defend himself with his own gun when he believed he was in immediate danger, and was the victim of a crime against himself. But, in typical, "do as I say and not as I do" fashion, R.C. picked up his gun and took action in what apparently was a self defense shooting. But he doesn't think that's you or the rest of us ought to be able to do.

We still don't know what type of gun was used, and if it were properly (legally) registered. We don't know if the Senator will be charged for discharging a firearm. And we don't know anything about whether charges will be filed in the suspected arson that damaged Allen Strickland's home.

Who's Strickland? Oh, that? Well, that's where the rabbit hole really starts, isn't it.

But wait, there's so much more. Apparently the long serving Senator also is involved in all kinds of alleged allegations including an arson case, alleged molestation of a minor, big payoffs in hush money, drugs, you name it. And he's a Democrat? Ooof! That's complicated. Looks like there's a whole lot of 'splainin' to be forthcoming.

And Senator? Even though it's just Tuesday, guess what?

You're Blasphemes Hypocrite of the Week!

Good work Senator Soles!

The Washington Post: Legalize It

The Washington Post ran an article today which read: Time to Legalize Drugs .

On the face, it almost seems like they're going out on a limb there, eh? The article opens by re-creating a drug deal straight out of Hill Street Blues or The Wire - and then say that drug dealers are disproportionately arrested on the South Side street corners, but not in college dormitories.

The article goes on to offer that States should decide their drug policy.

But hold on, it's not the actual opinion of the Washington Post, it's in fact an Op-Ed which means it's opposite of the editorial page. Bigger and better than a letter to the editor, but not a whole hellofalot more.

Anyway, we've all known for a long - long time that Prohibition does not work. Chris Rock said it best, "even if you got rid of all the drugs in the world - someone would still be trying to find a way to get high... check this out..."

But this is Blasphemes, so I feel that I should offer a new or unusual perspective to the debate. Let me offer a simple question. Do you own your own body and what goes into it? Or is the government in charge of your body and what goes into it?

Why do we allow our governments to regulate what substances can and cannot go into your body? Fluoride is great, but cocaine isn't. Twinkes are okay too, but not dope, according to our government. Our government subsidizes High Fructose Corn Syrup and nicotine production, but throws a teenager in jail for carrying too much weed. Seems kind of silly how it's all over the board like that.

But seeing as there are public health and public safety holes all over that Ad Hoc argument I just tossed up there -- let's look to history.

The temperance and abolition movement cultivated in the adding of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution. The movements realized that in order to curtail your freedoms, a change in the Constitution would be necessary. The government had to limit the freedom of the citizens. Note, up until then, the Constitution was meant to limit the reach and power of the government. Kind of a switch up there.

When it failed, and failed in such spectacular crimson blood spilled streets, the Constitution had to be fixed. Here comes the 21st amendment which repealed the 18th. Experiment failed.

What did we learn? Nothing. Not one thing. Nixon declared war on drugs, and for four decades his prohibition also been a complete failure. If the goal was to reduce overall illicit drug use, that's a fail. But if the goal of the war on drugs was to erode key civil liberties, well, that's a win for the government. Oh, and raising the prices. The government does a good job with that too.

Building prisons instead of schools, a militarization of the police and the streets, killing innocents... destroying neighborhoods, families, incarceration of generations of young men because of insane zero tolerance laws... the perpetual drug war that inevitably fuels the violent, underground market? Why would anyone embrace a philosophy of cruelty and insanity? There's just too much money to be made.

And, pound for pound, nicotine and alcohol are by far more hazardous to human tissue than most underground pharmaceuticals.

Say it ain't so, Manny

Ortiz and Ramirez Said to Be on the 2003 Doping List!

Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz, who both somehow ended the Boston Red Sox 86-year World Series drought, then did it again three years later, were among the roughly 100 Major League Baseball players to test positive for 'something' in 2003, according to lawyers with knowledge of the results.

All I can say is that I'm shocked, shocked to hear this shocking shocking news!

So? Can we put an asterix on the Red Sox World Series Wins, then? Can we dial them back to 91 year drought?

28?

So some 33 year old dude was arrested after inhaling 28 cans of whipped cream at a Wal-Mart in Florida, it was reported.

Dude was observed by a loss prevention officer picking up, opening and sniffing the seven-ounce cans of whip cream, according to the arrest report.

Each can contained nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, and when inhaled will "induce a condition of intoxication." He was arrested for inhalation of harmful substance.

Katie Tammen / Florida Freedom Newspapers

How you feeling right now?

If you've popped on an MSM (Main Stream Media) in the last 24 hours, you might have caught wind of the newest SARS/OMG U GONNA DIE!!! paranoia.

This one? Swine Flu.

The problem seems to be - that this N5thing can move from person to person, rather than pig to person... which signals alarms. And the other unique feature is that it hits 25-45 year olds harder than the young or feeble - like normal influenza. Alarming, because experts said the 1918 influenza epidemic also struck the young and healthy.

Great.

The new strain of swine flu forced Mexico City authorities Friday to close schools throughout the sprawling city of 20 million people and order emergency health measures in an attempt to contain the disease. That's pretty serious.

In Geneva, the World Health Organization said the strain in Mexico was identical to one that recently showed up in California and Texas. "We are very, very concerned," WHO spokesman Thomas Abraham said. "It's all hands on deck at the moment."

As many as 60 Mexicans may have died from the illness in the past few days. In Mexico City, nervous parents formed long lines at clinics Friday, some wearing surgical masks.

Authorities in Mexico urged people to avoid hospitals except for medical emergencies because hospitals are centers of infection. They also said Mexicans should refrain from customary greetings such as shaking hands or kissing cheeks.

And yes, The CDC said the Mexican virus samples match the U.S. virus. The virus is a mix of human virus, bird virus from North America and pig viruses from North America, Europe and Asia. But don't sweat too hard, there are four drugs approved in the U.S. to treat the flu, but the new virus has shown resistance to the two oldest. The CDC recommends the use of the flu drugs Tamiflu and Relenza. Well, sweat a little. And remember that viruses do tend to mutate quite quickly.

Well, might as well do this during the Great Recession. Those who survive won't be worried about that unemployment rate.

No word yet if it was Swine flu that offed Bea Arthur. He was 86.

Kerry Makes Push for Gun Control, Blames Mexico

John Kerry is shocked by the violence in Mexico, and demands the only logical solution: banning gun imports to the United States

The United States does not need to send troops to the border in response to Mexico's drug war, nor is Mexico in danger of becoming a failed state, law enforcement officials told a congressional panel. I tend to disagree with this statement, as the posturing is either setting up a reason for 1) More Gun Control, 2) A justification of relaxed drug laws in the failed Drug War, 3) An all out invasion of Mexico to prop up their government, 4) yes, all of these.

Witnesses testifying before members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in El Paso on Monday urged the lawmakers to bolster law enforcement in the region, increase aid to Mexico and push it to reform institutions whose weaknesses have been exposed by their struggle with drug-trafficking gangs.

Experts and members of Congress likewise said Mexico had not become a "failed state" [yet] despite corruption and intimidation that have weakened local control in some areas.

"Cartels are primarily interested in fighting each other," not in challenging for political control, Howard Campbell, an anthropologist at the University of Texas, El Paso, where the hearing was held, told the senators. [Why bother with that, they already OWN the government?]

At Monday's hearing, committee Chairman Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said he had been shocked to see killings and beheadings "just a stone's throw across the Rio Grande from where we're sitting this morning."

Across the border, thousands of Mexican soldiers patrol Ciudad Juarez, which saw about 2,000 murders in 14 months.

Kerry called for a ban on the imports of assault rifles, such as the AK-47, into the United States. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., opposed the idea.
Assault rifles bought in the United States are favorites among cartel gunmen, who find them effective for the urban warfare, William McMahon, deputy assistant director of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, told the committee. ATF agents have traced many guns confiscated in Mexico to purchases in the United States, McMahon said.

For example, more than 60 guns seized following a shootout among factions of the Tijuana cartel in April 2008 were traced to purchases in Los Angeles, Houston, Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle, Philadelphia and Denver, McMahon said.

The visiting senators were particularly interested in how much violence was spilling into the United States. Cartel-related killings have occurred in Texas, and cities such as Phoenix are experiencing a rise in kidnappings for ransom, which authorities say are related to debt collection among drug dealers. Mexican cartels have extended their networks into as many as 230 U.S. cities, according to federal law enforcement agencies. [Their 'shock' will be the justification for something. It's all a set up on the political stage]

The TRUTH IS found from El Paso's District Attorney Jaime Esparza who said trafficking rivalries and infighting had little effect on crime in U.S. border towns. During those bloody 14 months in Juarez, El Paso had 20 homicides, Esparza said.

"Austin, Houston, Dallas -- they are not seeing their numbers up" either, said Esparza, who is a past president of an association of Texas prosecutors. "The rhetoric has been escalated and exaggerated."

Texas Gov. Rick Perry recently asked for 1,000 National Guard troops to be stationed at the border. But Esparza said he didn't think militarizing the border was needed.

"We are safe here in El Paso," Esparza said. "If we see a radical change, I would tell you differently."

It's a set up. Don't say I didn't warn you!

To the delight of the GOP...

Obama to Seek New Assault Weapons Ban

(and Maybe Invade Mexico?)

Not learning from the Clintons, the Obama administration is going to seek to reinstate the assault weapons ban, said Attorney General Eric Holder.

"As President Obama indicated during the campaign, there are just a few gun-related changes that we would like to make, and among them would be to reinstitute the ban on the sale of assault weapons," Holder told reporters.

Holder said that the ban would not only be a positive for the United States, it would help cut down on the flow of guns into Mexico, which is struggling with heavy violence among drug cartels.

"I think that will have a positive impact in Mexico, at a minimum." Holder was speaking after arrest of more than 700 people in a drug enforcement crackdown on Mexican drug cartels operating in the U.S.

Mexican government officials (well, I guess those not on the take from the cartels?) have complained that the availability of sophisticated guns from the United States have emboldened drug traffickers to fight over access routes into the U.S.

A State Department travel warning issued Feb. 20, 2009, reflected government concerns about the violence. This is, in your Cap'n's opinion, setting up US Army incursions into our Mexican neighbor before the end of the year. That's right, I am predicting Iraqi War veterans to conduct the Mexican-American War 2.0... at the very least, an "advisory role" in the Mexican attempts to "stop the violence" from those cartels. (MORE)

As it stands today, the Mexican Army is conducting operations on their own soil fighting the cartels. It's getting very serious.

Meanwhile, in a brief interview with ABC News (in an attempt to get both sides of the gun angle to this story), Wayne LaPierre, president of the National Rifle Association, said, "I think there are a lot of Democrats on Capitol Hill cringing at Eric Holder's comments right now."

During his confirmation hearing, Holder told the Senate Judiciary Committee about other gun control measures the Obama administration may consider.

"I think closing the gun show loophole, the banning of cop-killer bullets and I also think that making the assault weapons ban permanent, would be something that would be permitted under Heller," Holder said, referring to the Supreme Court ruling in Washington, D.C. v. Heller, which asserted the Second Amendment as an individual's right to own a weapon.

For you Blasphemer's too young to remember, or those of you who just don't give a rip, The Assault Weapons Ban signed into law by President Clinton in 1994 banned 19 types of semi-automatic military-style guns and ammunition clips with more than 10 rounds. You'll also remember that Newt and the boys came in an kicked half the Democrats out of Congress... some attribute the Assault Weapons Ban as the catalyst that made it happen.

"A semi-automatic is a quintessential self-defense firearm owned by American citizens in this country," LaPierre said. "I think it is clearly covered under Heller and it's clearly, I think, protected by the Constitution."

Bottom line: We're gearing up for an incursion into Mexico, and the administration is using this opportunity as an excuse to reinstate the assault rifle ban.

Michael Phelp's New Corn Flakes Box

Inauguration Inebriation

The Inauguration Day 2009 Drinking Game*

Drink Every Time Someone Says:

• “Historic”
• “Monumental”
• “Kennedy”
• “Lincoln”
• “Change” (as a noun)
• “Most anticipated inauguration in history”
• The name of a celebrity who thinks their opinion matters.

Drink Every Time:

• Joe Biden’s hairplugs are awkwardly noticeable.
• You see Oprah crying.
• W glances at his watch.
• You see a mediocre looking chick with political aspirations in the crowd.
• Chris Matthews appears to get a boner.
• You see Obama’s face on a t-shirt.
• A white guy pretends to know the words to a Black Eyed Peas song.
• Keith Olbermann comes off as a smug, pretentious a-hole.
• Someone in the crowd passes out.
• You see a bearded hippie.
• Jesse Jackson takes credit for Obama’s campaign.
• Someone discusses the port-a-johns
  
• A Fox News correspondent speaks in hushed tones with an air of faux patriotism.

*Please note, strictly following this list will kill you. You have been warned! Be safe. Don't drink and drive.

Blasphemous Post for June 1

Matthew 26:20-29

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body."

Then he took out a small statue of himself, shook it on the table, gave thanks, and offered it to them, saying, "Sniff of it, all of you. It shall maketh your heart beat fast and dance before the Lord."

Mexican drug smugglers make Jesus statue of cocaine

NUEVO LAREDO, Mexico (Reuters) - U.S. customs officials have seized a statue of Jesus Christ made from plaster mixed with cocaine -- the latest sophisticated attempt to smuggle drugs from Mexico.

Sniffer dogs at the border crossing in Laredo, Texas, alerted officials to the smell of narcotics in the 6.6 pound (3 kilo) statue, which was in the trunk of a car being driven by a Mexican woman into the United States last week.

"The statue tested positive for cocaine," Nancy Herrera, an official at the U.S. Attorney's Office Southern District of Texas said on Friday.

U.S. border police arrested a 61-year-old Mexican man accused of offering the woman $80 to carry the statue to the bus station in downtown Laredo.

The woman escaped back to Mexico, Herrera said.

Tighter U.S. security and Mexico's deployment of thousands of soldiers along the border are pushing smugglers to try increasingly sophisticated techniques like hiding drugs in sealed beer cans, U.S. officials say.

The average price of a gram of pure cocaine in the United States is around $130, according to U.S. government data.

(Reporting by Robin Emmott)

Operation Student FAIL

From AP ALLISON HOFFMAN - San Diego State University has suspended six fraternities after a sweeping drug investigation that landed members of three fraternities in jail on suspicion of openly dealing drugs on campus.

The probe — prompted by the cocaine overdose death last year of a freshman sorority member — led to the arrests of 96 people, 75 of them San Diego State students. A second drug death occurred during the investigation.

Twenty-nine people were arrested early Tuesday in raids at nine locations including the Theta Chi fraternity, where agents found cocaine, Ecstasy and three guns. Eighteen of those arrested were wanted on warrants for selling to undercover agents.

Theta Chi and five other fraternities have been suspended pending a hearing on evidence gathered during the investigation, dubbed Operation Sudden Fall.

Authorities said some fraternity members openly dealt drugs, and that one sent a mass text message advertising special prices on cocaine. Two kilograms of cocaine were seized in all, along with 350 Ecstasy pills, marijuana, psychedelic mushrooms, hash oil, methamphetamine, illicit prescription drugs, several guns and at least $60,000 in cash, authorities said.

Profits may have been used to finance fraternity operations, according to an affidavit.

A member of Theta Chi sent out a mass text message to his "faithful customers" stating that he and his "associates" would be unable to sell cocaine while they were in Las Vegas for a fraternity formal, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. The text promoted a cocaine "sale" and listed the reduced prices on bulk quantities.

"Attn faithful customers both myself and my associates will be in Vegas this coming weekend," the 19-year-old student wrote in the text message. "So stock up, we will be back Sunday night."

Those arrested included a student who was about to receive a criminal justice degree and another who was to receive a master's degree in homeland security.

The Greek system at San Diego State has about 3,000 students, but Fraternity Row plays an outsized role in campus life. It sits a block from Cox Arena, home to many college sporting events.

Dale Taylor, national executive director of Theta Chi, said he was "obviously shocked and saddened" by the allegations. Theta Chi prohibited the San Diego chapter from group activities such as parties or sports activities and will investigate additional disciplinary measures, up to expulsion of members or the entire chapter.

The San Diego chapter, founded 61 years ago, was the first national fraternity on campus and has 65 members.

The chapter declined comment. It occupies two low-slung homes a block off Fraternity Row, with large red and white Greek symbols propped on the roof.

Theta Chi has 131 chapters in the U.S. and Canada and more than 161,000 initiates. It was founded in 1856.

Besides Theta Chi, the other suspended fraternities are Lambda Chi Alpha, Phi Kappa Psi, Phi Kappa Theta, Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Sigma Alpha Mu.

University police launched their investigation into drug sales on campus after Shirley Poliakoff, 19, died from a cocaine overdose in May 2007. Investigators discovered many students in fraternities were aware of organized drug dealing within their houses.

As the investigation continued, another student, from Mesa College, died of a cocaine overdose at an SDSU fraternity house on Feb. 26, the DEA said.

Some drugs bought and sold by students were traced to gangs linked to Mexican cartels, according to the DEA. Agents collected about $100,000 worth of drugs that were being advertised in "resale quantities" between members of the fraternity and other students.

More like Operation Student Fail. Maybe they can make it up as an MBA elective for the credit hours on how they ran a tight shipping and incentive program from the house?