FBI Wants Surplus Stores To Spy on Customers

While I was researching my last post on the riots in London and wondering if it could happen here, I ran across a story about the FBI putting notices into stores that sell surplus items. These are things like flashlights, MRE’s guns, ammo etc.

I started following the links back until I found the origin of the story. It turns out it comes from the Oath Keepers web site. I’ve heard of this group. Basically it’s made up of retired or former law enforcement and military people. The idea of the Oath Keepers is that they will obey their oaths to the Constitution of the United States and refuse orders that go against that oath. That’s a very simplistic view of what they stand for and I recommend going to their site and reviewing everything.

In any case, back to the story. According to the Oath Keepers web site:

An FBI Denver Joint Terrorism Task Force handout (.pdf) being distributed to Colorado military surplus store owners lists the purchase of popular preparedness items and firearms accessories as “suspicious” and “potential indicators of terrorist activities,” instructing store owners to keep records on and report people who:

“Make bulk purchase of items to include:

Weatherproofed ammunition or match containers
Meals Ready to Eat
Night Vision Devices; night flashlights; gas masks
High capacity magazines
Bi-pods or tri-pods for rifles”

The FBI handout, entitled “Communities Against Terrorism: Potential Indicators of Terrorist Activities Related to Military Surplus Stores” also instructs surplus store owners to:

“Require valid ID from all new customers.

Keep records of purchases.
Talk to customers, ask questions, and listen to and observe their responses.
Watch for people and actions that are out of place.
Make note of suspicious statements, people, and /or vehicles.
If something seems wrong, notify law enforcement authorities.”

The handout also instructs surplus store owners to consider as “suspicious” anyone who “demands identity ‘privacy’” or anyone who expresses “extreme religious statements” and those who “make suspicious comments regarding anti-US, [or] radical theology.”

The “Communities Against Terrorism” flyer closes by stating:

Preventing terrorism is a community effort. By learning what to look for, you can make a positive contribution in the fight against terrorism. The partnership between the community and law enforcement is essential to the success of anti -terrorism efforts.

There is a lot more to this article and I highly recommend you read it and start complaining to your elected officials. It’s grown increasingly obvious that the Federal Law Enforcement system is in serious need of cutbacks, layoffs and force reductions. They are now turning against the very people they are meant to be protecting. Under the auspices of the Department of Homeland Security, ((An agency that needs to be abolished)) and the Justice Department under Eric Holder ((Who needs to be fired, prosecuted and imprisoned)) Federal Law Enforcement has grown exponentially. DHS was meant to protect the United States from Islamic Terrorists, but under Obama, Napolitano, Holder and others, these agencies have turned and are just shy of saying “Your Papers please.”

In my opinion, these agencies, (Especially BATFE) ((Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives)) can no longer be reformed. They are to far gone. They need to be disbanded and the whole system rebuilt from the ground up. I would recommend that:

1. The US Marshals be the formal Federal Law Enforcement Agency with powers of arrest. ((After a complete revision of their training manuals and retraining of all Deputies))
2. The Secret Service lose their law enforcement privileges. ((They can be armed, but they don’t need badges to catch bullets))
3. All the other agencies be closed and disbanded. All agents be terminated from Government employment. The agents can apply to the Marshals, but only the best will be allowed back and only after significant retraining
4. That federal laws be severely curtailed to only handle crimes that cross state lines, national security, ((Carefully defined)), and counterintelligence. (Spy Catching)
5. That a new Bureau of Investigation be set up with no powers of arrest. They can be called in by state and local LEA ((Law Enforcement Agency’s)) to aid in forensics and investigations. Any arrests would be handled by the US Marshal’s or local Law Enforcement officers.

In other words, I’m looking for a marked decrease in the number of federal police and their powers. When the Department of Education has their very own SWAT team, then it’s become obvious that something is really broken and the only way to fix it is radical surgery.

What do you think? Comments are open and should be used.

~The Angry Webmaster~

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