Long Arm of the government-ATF

[Grammy]

Wow this is unbelievable...
Jim

http://www.campaignforliberty.com/blog.php?view=38088

[bdickens]

I thought that racial profiling was supposed to be evil.

[chartreuse]

As written, this all appears terribly bizarre. Can anybody shed any light beyond what's in the article?

[chasfm11]

Very sad but not at all surprising.

If you look at the rational that AFT provided, it appears to be 100% racial profiling. So people with a Germanic accent couldn't be here illegally? In light of the Fed suing AZ over SB1070 - which they claim will lead to racial profiling, it is another fine example how the many tentacles of a bloated government have no way to work together to produce reasonable policy.

I hope the poor guy is able to win on appeal.

[VMI77]

Seems obvious to me it was a setup by the ATF and/or APD.

[Grammy]

Very sad but not at all surprising.

If you look at the rational that AFT provided, it appears to be 100% racial profiling. So people with a Germanic accent couldn't be here illegally? In light of the Fed suing AZ over SB1070 - which they claim will lead to racial profiling, it is another fine example how the many tentacles of a bloated government have no way to work together to produce reasonable policy.

I hope the poor guy is able to win on appeal.

I agree, I have done some searching and have not come up with any information different than the original link.
Jim

[A-R]

please tell me there is some as-of-yet untold side to this story that somehow excuses the ATF's conduct here.

[VMI77]

In all fairness, the BATF doesn't prosecute people, so they're not responsible for the arguments being made by the prosecution. Assuming the link accurately describes what happened, the real malice here comes from the federal prosecutor, not from the BATF. The BATF made an arrest. It may have been a setup. They may also have been directed to make such an arrest so a federal prosecutor could establish a precedent for conviction on the very grounds used here. It was the prosecutor's choice to go to trial and make these arguments, so it is the prosecutor that should be accountable for the results.

[flb_78]

In all fairness, the BATF doesn't prosecute people, so they're not responsible for the arguments being made by the prosecution. Assuming the link accurately describes what happened, the real malice here comes from the federal prosecutor, not from the BATF. The BATF made an arrest. It may have been a setup. They may also have been directed to make such an arrest so a federal prosecutor could establish a precedent for conviction on the very grounds used here. It was the prosecutor's choice to go to trial and make these arguments, so it is the prosecutor that should be accountable for the results.

But the ATF did not arrest the illegals for being in possession of a firearm.

I want to know where the driver's license came from? Was it provided to the illegals by government type people just for the gun show?

[chasfm11]

I want to know where the driver's license came from? Was it provided to the illegals by government type people just for the gun show?

There are probably a couple of good possibilities. I doubt that BATF gave it to him as a part of the "sting"
- it is a legitimate license that the guy just like you and me. It is only recently that they have been demanding that we have a birth certificate or other forum of identification in order to get or renew a DL. Within the normal cycle of renewals, some of these should be purged.
- it is an excellent forgery. If it is, someone should be "talking" to the owner about where he got it. Obviously not something that they were interested, based on the details in the story.

[gemini]

shame on the prosecutor
shame on the BATF
shame on APD
shame on Judge Sparks
This is scary stuff folks.

[aceat64]

This is deplorable. A man's life has been destroyed because some federal prosecutor wanted to make a political statement. I would really like know where the driver's license came from, if it was created specifically to be used to entrap an innocent citizen then EVERYONE involved should be fired and be brought up on charges (official oppresson comes to mind).

[Barbi Q]

It's typical for the ATF. Going after real criminals is hard work and can be dangerous. It's easier to entrap a normal citizen who hasn't memorized every ton of federal regulations, or someone who makes an error on a federal form.

[Shu]

This just makes me sick to my stomach. Couldn’t this be construed as racial profiling?

“"had reasonable cause to believe" he was selling to an illegal alien because the two men and a boy who were present at his table at the time of the sale: 1) were Hispanic, 2) spoke Spanish, and 3) wore cowboy clothing.”

This line makes me sick

[Grammy]

shame on the prosecutor
shame on the BATF
shame on APD
shame on Judge Sparks
This is scary stuff folks.

This man was failed by the system from the begining of the whole incident, it is very scary. Strange I could not find more information ...
Jim