14 Ways To Feed A Tyranny

There comes a time in a person’s life when they sit back and reflect on the past. Unrequited love, lost opportunities, and personal regrets are reviewed and weighed. Each of us have, or will, go through a period of self examination to see where we are wanting. Sort of a tyranny of regret. For each of us have a sense of objectivity that we will not discuss with others. Our feelings will be subjective, but the objective, quantitative aspects of our lives will stand out.

We will judge ourselves correctly.

But with regard of the American people, the collective mind and memory has been overwhelmed like a freight train bearing down on a penny. The weight and frequency of each segment of the train and cars warp the penny into a small pile of unrecognizable bit of copper. Oh, the penny can be reconstituted, but to do so would be re-smelting the metal, pouring back into the die, and making the penny whole.

If we allow ourselves the opportunity to review the account of the past 12 months and ask ourselves at every opportunity:

“Is this right and just?”

We can then begin to see that our rich history as a Representative Republic has been replaced with a Tyranny of the ugliest order. And each of us has to ask ourselves the only question that can be asked:

“What can I do to change this?”

Feeding Tyranny

Let us begin in reverse chronological order. At the end a running total can be seen of ammunition, number of contracts, and the amount spent (as it can be determined).

In this week alone, the Federal Government has issued two solicitations for ammunition. Unusual in that they have either never issued such a solicitation before, or cancelled the previous solicitation after a public outcry. I refer to these stories:

Putting the finest point on the issue, we cannot afford to keep buying ammunition at this pace and at these quantities.

Further in this article you will see more wasting of Taxpayer money. To quote Plato:

…Tyranny is not a matter of minor theft and violence, but of wholesale plunder, sacred and profane, private or public. If you are caught committing such crimes in detail you are punished and disgraced; sacrilege, kidnapping, burglary, fraud, theft are the names we give to such petty forms of wrongdoing. But when a man succeeds in robbing the whole body of citizens and reducing them to slavery, they forget these ugly names and call him happy and fortunate, as do all others who hear of his unmitigated wrongdoing.  – Plato,Republic 344a-c, H.D.P. Lee translation, Penguin Books, 1955, p.73.

Continuing on with this week’s solicitations, is the revelation that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), through Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), have solicited for technology that allows DHS employees to track citizens by using license plate tracking readers on government vehicles in a system known as the National License Plate Recognition database (NLPR).

Despite being banned in states and municipalities, the Federal Government, under President Obama’s direction, isdemanding to know where people are. The NSA scandal is only one part. Those citizens who either do not have a cell phone, or do not have a smart phone cannot be tracked. However, with the hundreds of millions of cars on the road, it is statistically probable that your plate will be recorded in the database.

These sensors do not have to be placed solely on vehicles. Pole mounted devices are made available to law enforcement agencies to cover areas such as back roads and freeways.

They’ll warn that tyranny always lurking just around the corner. You should reject these voices. Because what they suggest is that our brave, and creative, and unique experiment in self-rule is somehow just a sham with which we can’t be trusted. – Obama

Last week, the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) awarded a chemical manufacturer over $21,000 for 116 pounds of high explosive. The President of the company, Peter Wolpert, agreed to testify in the trial of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing only after being granted immunity after he invoked his 5th Amendment right to self-incrimination.

It can be said of many things about the TSA, but buying explosives in a time of financial hardship across America is the least prudent purchase they can make.

Earlier in the month, the United States Postal Service placed a pre-solicitation notice for ammunition, something it has not done in the last ten years, and was done two days after Senator Rand Paul attempted to repeal the concealed handgun ban that was put into effect in the early 1970’s.

In September of 2013, the Department of Homeland Security requested 4 million rounds of 12 gauge shotgun slugs.  DHS is requesting it for the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agencies. ICE is the same agency that wants the license plate database to be developed.

With a price tag of $17.2 million for the life of the 5 year contract, the concerning point is the incessant purchasing of billions rounds of ammunition during a time of massive unemployment, massive debt, and massive ineptitude by the Washington leadership.

In the middle of December 2012, the Customs and Border Protection Agency presented a pre-solicitation for 50,000,000 rounds of .40 S&W caliber ammunition a year, for 5 years. The contract would provide a total of 250,000,000 rounds, and ICE would also use the rounds.

ICE and CPB both have approximately 21,000 employees. This number is not solely agents, but administrative staff who would never be allowed to train with a firearm.

However, if every employee was allowed to train with a firearm, using this one solicitation alone, each employee would have the opportunity to fire 1,190 rounds a year.

Both oligarch and tyrant mistrust the people, and therefore deprive them of their arms.  -Aristotle

In September of 2013, documents reviewed in the Federal Business Online website revealed a troubling discovery relating to the incestuous relationship within the Federal Government. It may have been perceived or even an open secret, but the Department of Defense has been aiding the Department of Homeland Security to provide them with massive amounts of fully automatic weapons. Weapons that have been banned from the general population for nearly 80 years.

The DHS is not engaged in an active war, but rather seem to be stockpiling in advance for a war against the American public. The military hardware being provided to local police departments is a technique known as “Forward Placement”, or “Putting your stuff where you need it, just in case you need it”.

A few days prior to the last contract, nearly 700 million dollars has been allocated for the purchase of firearms and ammunition by ICE ($524,043) for 403,110 rounds, and CBP (159,699) for 287 Remington 870 shotguns

CPB had also requested 40,000 rounds 308 Ammunition for their “training”. The Hornady 308 Caliber, 168 Grain A-MAX TAP ammunition was originally designed for law enforcement so that they would have a bullet that would kill bad guys but not beyond the intended target. The light jacket works well on human flesh but fragments upon striking anything substantial, especially brick, concrete, or cars.

This next one is simply mind-boggling. In a time in this great country when 1 in 6 families are unsure where their next meal is coming from, the Department of Homeland Security goes whole hog in the trough of the public coffers.

And I mean whole hog.

In a solicitation posted 5 September 2013, the headquarters for the Transportation Safety Administration believe they need explosives magazines, starting with six different locations around the nation: Atlantic City, NJ, Houston, TX, Orange County, CA, Portland, OR, Fort Meyers, FL, and Tampa, FL

The total cost for all these magazines?

$950,000,000

What exactly are they buying?

Boxes.

Example ammunition magazine – this one is made by Armagcorp

Example storage magazine – this one is made by Armagcorp

With all the expediency of a basement sale, the week prior to the magazine request, was a contract award from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to Goldbelt Wolf, LLC  totaling over $543,970 for military-grade hardware. The list is as follows:

1. Glock G22 Gen IV .40 caliber, with Glock Night Sights. Includes 3 Magazines. (G22-Gen4-GNS), 65, EA;
2. Glock G23 Gen IV .40 caliber, with Glock Night Sights. Includes 3 Magazines. (G23-Gen4-GNS), 14, EA;
3. Glock G27 Gen IV .40 caliber, with Glock Night Sights. Includes 3 Magazines. (G27-Gen4-GNS), 71, EA;
4. Remington Model 870P – 82651, 12 gauge, Ghost Sights. Ammunition: All Standard 2 3/4 inch and 3 inch 12ga shotgun shells; Finish: Parkerized; Action: Pump; Barrel Length: 18 inches; Choke: Fixed IC; Forend: Synthetic; Length of Pull: Adjustable; Capacity: 6+1 (2 shot extension). Stock: Knoxx SpecOps Gen II., 117, EA;
5. Rock River Entry Tactical SBR. Caliber: .223/5.56 mm NATO Chamber; Upper Receiver: Forged A4; Lower Receiver: Forged A2; Barrel: 14.5inch Chrome-Lined Light Weight R4 BBL, 1:7 Twist; Front Sight: A2 (housing pinned to barrel); Rear Sight: None; Muzzle Device: A2 Flash Suppressor (1/2-28 Thread); Trigger Group: RRA Two-Stage LE; Safety Selector: RRA Star; Buttstock: RRA 6 Position Operator CAR with H2 Buffer; Pistol Grip: Hogue Overmolded; Handguard: RRA CAR-Length Delta Quadrail; Includes 30rd Magazine, Chamber flag, manual, and RRA Limited Lifetime Warranty., 173, EA;
6. EOTech 552.A65/1, Military Holographic Weapon Sight. Optics: Transmission holography, parallax-free; Magnification: 1x; Waterproof: Submersible to 33 feet; Sealing: Fog proof internal optics; Adjustment (per click); 0.5 MOA (1/2 inch at 100 yards); Adjustment range: +/- 40 MOA travel; Mount: 1 inch Picatinny or Weaver rail; Return to zero: Repeatable to 1 MOA after remounting; Display window optical surfaces: Anti-glare coating; Window dimensions: 1.2 by 0.85 inches; Front Window Material: 1/8 inch solid glass; Rear window material: shatter resistant laminate (3/16 inches thick); Field of View: 30 years at 100 yards at 4 inches eye relief; Brightness adjustment range: 146,000:1 (brightest to lowest); Night Vision Compatibility: 1280:1 with NV switch engaged; Power Source: Two 1.5 volt AA batteries (supports lithium, alkaline, or rechargeable); Brightness settings: 30 with scrolling feature, 10 settings for NV use; Auto Battery Check Indicator: Flassing reticle upon startup; Auto Shutdown: At 8 hours, and programmable to 4 hours; Dimensions: 5.4 by 2.25 by 2 inches (W x H x D); Weight: 10.9 ounces., 173, EA;
7. Rock River Arms Discreet Case. Black Cordura with heavy duty YKK zippers, eight external D-rings, foam padding and adjustable detachable shoulder strap. Shall include a larger internal zippered pocket, three removable velcro enclosed magazine pouches, and a protective padded divider and four adjustable velcro weapon keepers., 173, EA;
8. Rock River Arms .223 caliber Cleaning Kit, with pouch, for 20 inch and shorter barrels., 173, EA;
9. Rock River Arms fully adjustable 3 point sling with black nylon webbing and quick release buckle., 173, EA;
10. Rock River Arms 30 Round Aluminum Magazine for the 233/5.56mm platform., 865, EA;
11. M600C SureFire Scout Light. Output 200 lumens; Tactical Runtime: 2 hours; Bezel Diameter: 1 inch; Weight: 5.26 oz (with batteries); Batteries: 2 x 123A (included), 173, EA;
12. Rock River Dominator2 EOTech Mount. Includes integral A2 rear sight with windage and elevation adjustment. Seven Picatinny rail slots are available., 173, EA;

In total, 440 pieces of firearms and 865 magazines for the 173 AR-15’s were purchased.

For what? A Native American uprising? Or to suppress a people that are starving?

August 2013 proved to be a busy month, but instead of ICE or CPB, it was the TSA’s turn to request millions of rounds of ammunition.  TSA requested 3.4 million rounds of .357 Sig caliber rounds.

If this is starting to bore you, please keep in mind: There have been now 13 munitions contracts for more than 260 million rounds of ammunition IN THE PAST SEVEN MONTHS to the tune of nearly 1 billion dollars.

In July 2013, the Bureau of Prisons award a contract worth 23,300 for 30,000 .308 boat tail ammunition, and awarded $40,000 to provide 170,000 rounds of 9 mm. You know the kind of rounds you use for your Glocks? Currently, there are two more solicitations that have yet to be awarded for another 205,000 rounds of 9 mm, and 60,000 rounds of .223 rounds.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs placed an order of .40 caliber, 5.56 NATO, the RSL12 Star Slug, and the 12 Gauge RIO Royal Buckshot – and awarded it A2Z Corporation for a mere $8500.

The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration’s Acquisition and Grants Office has purchased 56,000 rounds of jacketed hollow point .40 caliber ammunition to the tune of $25,276.

Refer to the following chart:

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) put in the third solicitation of this year for more ammunition on March 18, for 360,000 rounds of 165 grain .40 caliber S&W jacket hollow point (JHP) rounds, which cost you and I a neat $105,490.80 for the ammunition, or at a steal of a deal at only 29.3 cents a round.

Ammunition requires a firearm to use, and in March 2013, only 11 months ago, the DHS allocated 4.5 million dollars not on firearms, but on parts.

Below you will see a screen shot of part of the PDF file. You will also see that someone tried, miserably, to hide the dollar amount. And the amount should anger you.

The dollar amount, in case you can’t see through the permanent marker, is $900,000 a year – for five years. Which is a whopping $4,500,000 dollars. And this during a time of sequestration.

We are now at a little over a year ago. With over 21 munitions contracts, over a quarter of a billion rounds ordered, and nearly 1 billion dollars being spent (not including new furniture for the Social Security Administration or the failed attempt ofDHS to buy bagpipes), this is what we have before us. There is so much more, from fraud to even more insane levels of ammunition purchasing that can be discussed – but there is simply not enough ink in the world to cover the stories.

Perhaps in his Columbia University days, President Obama learned the Greek adage: “Divide and rule.”

But Americans know another adage: “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” by Wendell Phillips.

And by remembering what has happened, we can prevent tyranny from ever being fed again.