Chapter Four: What the H*ll Are We Doing?

Ah, someone else took note of this book who was not immediately prepared to swallow everything. Good. Haven't seen anyone picking apart her supposed sources, but this guy seems to have done some research: [1] Oh, wait, and another.[2] I like it that these guys are looking at her sources and noticing how they don't say what she claims they say.

This, although not related to the book, is probably a link I should read in more detail.[3]

....

Because I generally dislike being negative for days on end, I'm going to try and be positive for this day's chapter review. (And brief.) When Darren Gil, is quoted complaining about the weapons being allowed to go missing, I understood the sentiment entirely.

Now, don't get me wrong. I understand that police let lower-level drug pushers off in the hopes of catching the bigger fish. The ATF had been criticized for only picking up the small time straw purchasers; so the managers were looking for a way to get at the cartel leaders. The ATF's methodology would be exactly like that used by police; taken against a different type of crime. Drugs kill and destroy lives; the hope of police officers would be to do more good in the long run.

So, how do you identify the paths through which the guns are getting into Mexico? Well, for starters, you have to suspect corrupt Mexican officials, right? Mexico is reputed for having politicians even more corrupt than our American variants. If a Mexican official knows, he can pass the information along to the cartel who has purchased his loyalty and your tactic becomes useless.

Even worse, a Mexican cartel who doesn't like Operation Fast and Furious can arrange for weapons tied back to the Operation be used in a shooting and death incident with a Border Patrol officer in order to create a firestorm of political backlash against the sitting President and empower the NRA to further weaken the regulations on gun control in order to make it even easier for you to secure....

Well, I suppose that would be a conspiracy theory... like the one put out by the NRA who imagined Operation Fast and Furious was designed to fail in order to push more gun control measures. But, I think we'll get to that later in the book.

So, back to the guns and how I agree with Katie.

I would have thought it prudent to have more advanced measures in place to ensure the weapons did not make it across the border. Something like GPS devices, better surveillance, etc... much like what Darren Gil said. What you want to do is discover how they sneak the weapons across the border when it is hard to do so. Now how the weapons pass if there is no resistance. Obviously, the first place to start would be regulations on the sale and resale of the sort of weaponry which is especially attractive to the cartels. Let American citizens buy the guns, but put in place mechanism to prevent them falling into the wrong hands. For example, make straw purchasing illegal... that would be a start.

Also, I do think it should have been possible to provide weapons for sale to the cartel that had mechanical flaws or weaknesses such that they were fall apart shortly. Some sort of corrosive grease applied to sensitive workings. The weapon works when purchased but will break with repeated use. Really, some guys with mechanical or chemical aptitude should be able to manage this... right?

Ok, that's my effort to be supportive for this Chapter. See you next time.