Fast & Furious: Cover-up Continues via Creating Deniability

DOJ is working hard this week to avoid responsibility once again.  They are promoting former Acting Director of ATF Kenneth Melson to a DOJ job (Senior Adviser for Forensic Science) - big turnaround from his expected resignation.  The Phoenix US Attorney Dennis Burke who guided the legal planning has resigned.  Eric Holder continues to lie about his knowledge by staying mum.  President Obama is being protected.  The Administration is playing cover-up instead of trying to find out who/why was trafficking guns to Mexico, and why people have died.

This comes on the heels of other reassignments recently. From NYT: "Two A.T.F. Phoenix division supervisors, William Newell and William McMahon, received lateral transfers to positions in Washington. Emory Hurley, an assistant United States attorney in Phoenix who worked on the operation, was transferred to the office’s civil division from its criminal division."

All of this will give all of these people excuses to play ignorant.  The Washington mantra is at work:  Screw up, cover up, move up.  Let's hope somewhere in the future the Karma gets straightened out.

See:  Heritage - The-fast-and-furious-scandal-continues    and  NYT - Gun Inquiry Costs Officials Their Jobs

Big Government Type 2: Man Kills Grizzly Near his Kids

An Idaho man killed a grizzly bear when it entered his yard where his 5 kids were playing.  I don't know the threat details, but I would assume that Jeremy Hill felt the need to protect his kids.  Mr. Hill lives near the Canadian border in between two bear management areas.  Now the Feds have charged him with an Endangered Species violation. The locals are not amused and the judge had to move the arraignment to larger quarters.  Mr. Hill faces a year in jail and $50,000 fines.

See here:  Outrage-man-charged-shooting-endangered-grizzly-bear-threatened-children
And here:  man_who_killed_grizzly_bear
And here:  Couer d'Alene Press Article

Ever wonder how many bear attacks are fatal?  The numbers amazed me.  Wikipedia provides:  List_of_fatal_bear_attacks_in_North_America

Aside:  This is another case where the British papers seem to be covering North American news better than the local ones.  That is my personal poll and bears no statistical validity.

AirSwimmers

What can I say?  It's just fun!   Airswimmers

Guitars: Who knew they are a security threat?

Fish and Wildlife and Homeland Security raided Gibson Guitars for the second time this week. Think SWAT Teams with rifles and vests.  The confiscated Indian wood (rosewood and ebony) Gibson claims was properly imported the first time.  That was last year and Gibson is now suing to get their $500,000 of property back, because no charges have been filed.  It appears the suit will be a no-brainer and the government will lose, so HS staged a second raid as a warning tactic, according to many in the know.
See Gibson's president:  gibson-ceo-says-wood-is-properly-imported
gibson_guitar_facilities_raided
They couldn't just knock on the door?

Scary part for musicians:  Consider carefully whether or not you should take your antique guitar with you on vacation to another country.

Update from WSJ:   WSJ - Gibson Guitar   Now antique pianos are endangered too.  One dealer fined $17,500 for pianos that are grandfathered but for which he didn't have all the paperwork.  How do you prove wood provenance on 100 year old pianos?

And:  Michelle Obama is also guilty of a criminal misconduct because in 2009 she presented Carlos Sarkozy of France with a Gibson Hummingbird that contained rosewood.

Tee Shirt Dog

Our pooch has a sore on her leg that she keeps licking and thus it will not heal.  So for three weeks she wore a plastic collar.  She hated it.  Yesterday, the vet suggested a t-shirt.  FastKitty found one with long sleeves and a matching color.  Behold:

Big Government, Types 1 & 2 - Regulators and Their Regulations Proliferate

Type 1:
This article (Regulatory-Agencies-Staffing-Up) from IBD (Investor's Business Daily) has some damning numbers on how big keeps getting bigger.  It contains the following chart:


Type 2:
A quote from the article proves how the mindset of bureaucracy is damaged:  "Not everyone in the Obama administration sees a problem. The EPA thinks new regulations can fuel the economy and hiring.  The EPA wrote in February that "in periods of high unemployment, an increase in labor demand due to regulation may have a stimulative effect that results in a net increase in overall employment.""

Hawkeye Honors His Owner, Navy Seal Jon Tumilson

The best and the brightest fall first.  This young man proves the point.  His dog Hawkeye gave his respects to the end.   Navy-seal-funeral-dog-lays-by-casket and Devoted-dog-guards-navy-seal and Jon-Tumilsons-dog