March 30, 2007, - 1:16 pm
Waterworld, ATF Edition
By
More of your tax dollars at work in the latest entry to the boondogglepedia. This time it’s hundreds of millions wasted on a watery new headquarters for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. From the Wall Street Journal’s Washington Wire:
RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT: The new Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives headquarters, originally slated to open two years ago, has a problem: Water fills the basement. A General Services Administration spokesman says the $150 million building will open this summer. Agents quip that ATF vehicle purchases should include amphibious vehicles and gondolas.
The ATF . . . America’s Little Venice.
Tags: America, Bureau of Alcohol, Debbie Schlussel More, Explosives headquarters, Firearms and Explosives, General Services Administration, spokesman, the Wall Street Journal, Tobacco, USD, Venice, Wall Street Journal, Washington Wire
ATF people are viewed as “cowboys” and “hard charging yahoos” in the law enforcement world. One ex-cop told me that the ATF is where the ones go that are too wildassed for regular cop shops. ATF is looked down on, but are called on in situations that scare hell out of regular cops. They WILL go into the really dangerous places, but they’re not really PC. Their “style” is to kick down the door, move in and kick ass, and let the chips fall….wherever. Ragheads in Dearborn would HATE them…they’d get their ass kicked by those guys just for looking squinty eyed!
Tonto on March 31, 2007 at 9:34 am