by Incredibly enough, this report comes from CNN. It details the letter sent by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) accusing the DOJ of interference in their investigation.
Month: September 2011
NSSF On 1911 Maintenance
The NSSF has released another in their series of instructional videos. This video features Dean Caputo talking about 1911 maintenance. It isn’t a full fledged armorer’s course but does point out areas that can wear on any 1911 like the recoil springs.
This Will Teach Those Bitter Clingers
Yesterday, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit agains Bass Pro Outdoor World, LLC alleging that the company “engaged in a pattern or practice of failing to hire African-American and Hispanic applicants for positions in its retail stores nationwide, and retaliated against employees who opposed the discriminatory practices.”
The suit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division.
The EEOC’s suit alleges that qualified African-Americans and Hispanics were routinely denied retail positions such as cashier, sales associate, team leader, supervisor, manager and other positions at many Bass Pro stores nationwide.
The lawsuit alleges that managers at Bass Pro stores in the Houston area, in Louisiana, and elsewhere made overtly racially derogatory remarks acknowledging the discriminatory practices, including that hiring black candidates did not fit the corporate profile.
The lawsuit also claims that Bass Pro unlawfully destroyed or failed to keep records and documents related to employment applications and internal discrimination complaints. Bass Pro punished employees who opposed the company’s unlawful practices, in some instances firing them or forcing them to resign.
Bass Pro has come back very strongly to dispute these charges. They note that they have policies and procedures in place regarding employment discrimination and if and when violations are found, they are “promptly and firmly addressed.”
On the other issues they say,
Bass Pro said it is extremely disappointed by the EEOC’s decision to take action. “The company has cooperated with the EEOC throughout its investigation, providing extensive documentation and numerous witnesses,” said Mr. (Mike) Rowland, (VP-Human Resources). Bass Pro vigorously denies the EEOC’s allegations that the Company engaged in unlawful document destruction. It is our policy to retain all documents required by law. “We provided more than 250,000 pages of documents to the EEOC,” Mr. Rowland said.
“Despite our cooperation, the EEOC made unrealistic demands during conciliation. The EEOC cannot or will not tell us the basis for the analysis they claim to have conducted,” he said. “Fundamental fairness and good faith should require that the EEOC reveal the evidence on which its claims are based before filing a lawsuit that will be long, expensive and disruptive.”
“This investigation and the EEOC’s conduct demonstrate a troubling tendency by the EEOC to stereotype those who love outdoor sports and support conservation as people who unlawfully discriminate or oppose equal opportunity for all,” Mr. Rowland said. For example, EEOC staff investigators have suggested on several occasions that because Bass Pro sponsors a NASCAR race team the company is more likely to discriminate against minorities.
Another issue of contention between Bass Pro and the EEOC was Bass Pro’s policy of not hiring convicted felons. The EEOC contended that it “discriminates against certain minority groups.” However, Bass Pro is not just a fishing store anymore and is, in fact, one of the larger firearms retailers nationwide. Federal regulations prohibit convicted felons from handling firearms and ammunition.
Bass Pro concludes by saying:
“Bass Pro has long been a significant supporter of numerous youth development and conservation programs that give outdoor opportunities to inner-city diverse youth. As we challenge these unfair and unfounded charges, we want to assure the millions of people from all walks of life who visit our stores annually that Bass Pro will continue to provide the one-of-a-kind experience they have come to expect,” Mr. Rowland said. “And we will do so while fully complying with the law.”
Bass Pro broke ground on their newest store in Harlingen, TX earlier this year. The population of Harlingen is almost three-quarters Latino. If they were not serious about serving a diverse clientele, they would not have bothered to open a store in the Rio Grande Valley.
Modern companies – and given the growth of Bass Pro, I’d classify them as modern – realize that they cannot discriminate in either hiring or in serving their customers. It is just bad business and hurts the bottom line.
Newell – “Could Have Been Clearer, More Complete, and More Direct”
Lori Jane Gliha of ABC15-New in Phoenix reports yesterday that former the SAC of the Phoenix Field Division Bill Newell now says his answers in the July hearing “could have been clearer, more complete, and more direct.” To that end, he and his attorney have released a 12-page document that they are calling supplemental testimony.
It is interesting that Newell has chosen now to release this supplemental statement given the release of audio tapes involving ATF Agent Hope McAllister and Lone Wolf Trading Company owner Andre Howard. I’m just speculating here but this statement seems to be an effort to get out in front of what is released in the tapes.
As it is, Newell is still trying defend Operation Fast and Furious in what is obviously a carefully crafted letter. He says that an errors were errors of omission rather than commission. He then makes the claim that ATF officials in Mexico and Mexican authorities were kept informed. This claim has been previously denied by both former ATF Attache Darren Gil and Mexican authorities. Finally, he goes on to say that he had no knowledge of any formal whistle-blowing until ATF Senior Agent John Dodson went public with Sharyl Attkisson of CBS News. I think this last claim is an attempt to protect himself against charges of retaliation against the whistle-blowers.
Newell’s letter is embedded below and can also be found here.
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Another Day, Another Round Of Gunwalker Tapes
Another day, another round of Project Gunwalker tapes. If ATF Agent Hope McAllister avoids being indicted for obstruction of justice, it will only because she has something even more damning on the higher ups in that file she spoke about earlier.
The CBS News transcripts of the tapes can be found here.
Reminder From SAF About The Gun Rights Policy Conference
The Second Amendment Foundation has put out this reminder about the 2011 Gun Rights Policy Conference to be held this weekend just outside of Chicago in Rosemont, Illinois.
26TH ANNUAL GUN RIGHTS CONFERENCE SLATED THIS WEEKEND IN CHICAGO
BELLEVUE, WA – Gun rights activists from across the country will gather this weekend Sept 23-25 at the Chicago O’Hare Airport Hyatt Regency hotel for the 26th annual Gun Rights Policy Conference, sponsored by the Second Amendment Foundation and Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.
SAF Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb said pre-registration of over 700 for this weekend’s event suggests there will a great turnout, not only by Illinois activists, but also firearm owners from as far away as Hawaii and Pureto Rico, as well as neighboring Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa and Missouri. This event is free, and includes a Saturday awards luncheon that will recognize the accomplishments of gun rights leaders from the national level down to the grassroots.
“Since last year’s SAF victory in McDonald v. City of Chicago before the U.S. Supreme Court, we’ve been looking forward to this weekend’s gathering,” Gottlieb stated. “We are joined by members of the Illinois State Rifle Association, which joined us in the McDonald case, and by our expert legal team that made it happen.
“It is only fitting that we gather in the Windy City,” he continued, “not only for this important conference, but also to celebrate the Supreme Court victory. This was a win for all gun owners, because the high court incorporated the Second Amendment to the states, thus paving the way for challenges to onerous state and local gun laws and regulations that have placed onerous restrictions on a fundamental civil right.
SAF is currently engaged in federal court challenges to restrictive gun regulations and statutes in New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Maryland, Massachusetts and California, and elsewhere.
This year’s jam-packed agenda features panel discussions covering current and possible future legal actions, the importance of election outcomes to the federal courts and Supreme Court, gun politics, legislative challenges and more. Experts from virtually all corners of the gun rights movement will be on hand, and the annual awards luncheon on Saturday promises to be a crowd pleaser.
“We look forward to a very active and productive weekend for firearms freedom,” Gottlieb stated.
Quote Of The Day
The Washington Post doesn’t think much of HR 822 – National Right-To-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011 – if their editorial yesterday is any indication. As Sebastian at Snowflakes in Hell notes, fundamental constitutional rights are not a buffet where you can pick and choose.
Oft times, ridicule rather than anger is the best way to deal with our opponents and Sebastian does an admirable job with this paraphrase of part of the Post editorial.
Many states already have agreements to recognize newspaper licenses from other jurisdictions. Virginia, for example, honors licenses from 27 other states that have similarly robust standards; Maryland, which strictly regulates what newspapers may be sold, and the District, which essentially prohibits it, do not recognize out-of-state licenses. These are legitimate choices that would be overridden by a federal legislature that too easily bends to the will of the news lobby. Nevada, a strong press-rights state, rescinded its agreement with Utah because Utah does not require training in acceptable viewpoints. Why should Congress to overrule that judgment?
Chuck Grassley On The Released Gunwalker Tapes
Sen. Chuck Grassley was interviewed by Ginny Simone of NRA News about the secret tape recordings of ATF Agent Hope McAllister and Lone Wolf Trading Co. owner Andre Howard. He made an interesting point that the tapes would need to be shared with the straw purchasing defendants under the Brady Rule at some point. However, he went on to say that the trials were a long way in the future and that due to that they shouldn’t have been shared with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Arizona until then. As it is, he said, this will make their investigation harder.
CCRKBA Blasts NY Governor Cuomo’s Proposal For Closing Prisons And More Gun Control
In a speech given at the kickoff breakfast for the African-American Day Parade in New York City’s Harlem, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) called for shutting down some prisons in order to save money. He also called for more Federal gun control.
Cuomo also pushed for stricter gun control laws from the federal government.
“It has been decades where we have been fighting Washington for sensible laws controlling guns and we need those laws passed and we need them passed now. We’re losing too many people out in the streets,” he said.
Lest it be forgotten, when he was Bill Clinton’s Secretary for Housing and Urban Development, Cuomo was responsible for pushing extortion-like lawsuits against gun manufacturers and for signing the infamous agreement with Smith and Wesson that allowed the government to mandate many so-called safety features. That agreement was signed only after the government essentially said “sign or we’ll sue you out of business.” It was later repudiated by the new owners of Smith and Wesson.
The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms has responded to Cuomo’s new call for gun control with a blistering response.
BELLEVUE, WA – New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s call for more gun control laws while advocating the closure of prisons in a Sunday speech proves he is “drinking too much of Michael Bloomberg’s Kool-Aid,” the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.
Gov. Cuomo made his comments during a Harlem breakfast prior to the African-American Day parade, according to the New York Daily News. He reportedly said closing some prisons would release more funding for local programs.
“If Andrew Cuomo thinks keeping thugs out of prison, so he can pump the money into some community program while pushing for further disarmament of potential crime victims makes sense,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, “he’s been breathing too much of the same air as the mayor of New York City. The other day, Bloomberg was babbling about riots in the streets if the government doesn’t ‘do something’ about creating jobs. It now appears Andrew Cuomo wants to keep hoodlums working, in the neighborhoods, in the convenience stores, on the streets; anywhere they can rob and steal from honest citizens.”
Gov. Cuomo also complained that we could send a person to Harvard University for the same amount it costs to incarcerate them.
“Well,” Gottlieb said, “that certainly makes sense. Let’s just move thugs to college campuses. Maybe the governor thinks criminals will climb the ladder of success by robbing a more affluent class of victims.
“Andrew Cuomo and Michael Bloomberg apparently live in the same fantasy world,” Gottlieb said. “They want to throw government money around, either to invent make-work jobs that accomplish nothing, or to pad some social program at the expense of much-needed jail space, while working overtime to disarm law-abiding citizens. They’re not in the State of New York; they’re in a state of confusion.”
Katie Pavlich Of Townhall.com On The Gunwalker Tapes
Katie Pavlich of Townhall.com was interviewed by Cam Edwards of NRA News about the tapes that have been leaking out on Project Gunwalker. These are taped conversations between Operation Fast and Furious case agent ATF Agent Hope McAllister and Lone Wolf Trading Company owner Andre Howard.