Thread: Army Captain Demands DHS Give Up Their Weapons Of War

March 25, 2013 by Tim Brown

Army Captain Demands DHS Give Up Their Weapons Of War

A retired Army officer with nearly 30 years of service to the United States took to his Facebook page on Saturday in order to put forth his correspondence to Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) regarding the Department of Homeland Security. Captain Terry M. Hestilow called for DHS to hand over their war weapons to the Department of Defense saying that “the DHS has no war mission or war making authority within the limits of the United States of America.”
In addressing those that follow him on Facebook, Captain Hestilow wrote, “We each have a role to play in standing against this present tyranny. Part of that proper response is sending them a letter like this from YOU, and following it up to make sure it remains a “hot button” issue that must be resolved.”
He also said that with the sharing of his original post, he has “994 new friends (sic) requests, 61 messages, and 70 new comments to process.” Hestilow encouraged readers to “copy and properly amend this letter to send to your own senators and members of the U.S. House.”
The following is his letter in its entirety.


The Honorable Senator John Cornyn, State of Texas
United States Senate
517 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Re: Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and that agencies preparation for war against citizens of the United States of America.

Dear Senator Cornyn,

It is with gravest concern that I write to you today concerning the recent appropriation of weapons by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that can only be understood as a bold threat of war by that agency, and the Obama administration, against the citizens of the United States of America. To date, DHS has been unwilling to provide to you, the elected representatives of the People, justification for recent purchases of almost 3,000 mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) armored personnel carriers, 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition (with associated weapons), and other weapons systems, when, in fact, the DHS has no war mission or war making authority within the limits of the United States of America.
Significant is the fact that at the same time the Obama administration is arming his DHS for war within the limits of the United States against the People of the United States in accordance with his 2008 campaign speech claiming,


“We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we’ve set. We’ve gotta (sic) have a civilian national s

ecurity force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well funded [as the United States military]“–Candidate Barack Obama, 2008.
The Obama administration is deliberately defunding, overextending, and hollowing the Department of Defense; the only legitimate agency of the U.S. government with a war mission.


This act of the Obama administration stands as a glaring threat of war against our nation’s citizens! This act of the Obama administration can only be understood as a tyrannical threat against the Constitution of the United States of America! If left unresolved, the peace loving citizens who have sworn to defend the United States Constitution “against all enemies, both foreign and domestic” are left no option except to prepare to defend themselves, and the U.S. Constitution, against this Administration’s “coup” against the People and the foundations of liberty fought for and defended for the past 238 years. We have no choice if we honor our oaths.


The only proper response to this threat against the American people is for the representatives of the People, the members of the U.S. House and Senate, to demand in clear terms that the Administration cannot ignore, that the Department of Homeland Security immediately surrender their newly appropriated weapons of war to the Department of Defense (DoD). Further, since the DHS has assumed a position in the Administration to enforce the tyrannical acts of this president against the People of the United States against the limits of the United States Constitution, it remains for the United States Congress to exercise its limiting power in the balancing of powers established by our founding fathers, to disestablish and dissolve the DHS as soon as possible. One needs only to look to the rise of Adolf Hitler, and his associated DHS organizations, the SA and the SS, of 1932-1934, to see the outcome of allowing an agency of government this kind of control over the free citizens of a nation. The people of Germany could not have imagined, until it was too late, the danger of allowing a tyrant this kind of power. We must not be so naïve as to think it will not happen to us as well if we remain passive toward this power grab by the Marxist Obama administration!


Finally, for more than two centuries the nation has lived in peace at home because of the protections of our legitimate military and the many appropriate state and federal law enforcement agencies, supported by Constitutional courts. We stand today at a cross-road. Will we allow this present Administration to overthrow our United States Constitution and its legal processes to amend injustices, or, will we honor our obligations to defend the Constitution against a “domestic” enemy? Our Constitution lays out the proper methods of resolving our differences; and it does not include its overthrow by a rogue agency of a Marxist leadership at home. You, sir, are our constitutionally elected agent to defend our Constitution at home. We are counting upon you. We remain aware, however, of this present threat and will not expose ourselves as an easy prey to the authors of the destruction of our nation.


I know that this letter demands much of you. We elected you because we, the citizens of the State of Texas, believe that you are up to the task at hand and will, against all threats, honor your oath and office. We are also writing to your fellow members of the House and Senate to stand in integrity with the Constitution and against this present threat by the Obama administration and his DHS.
We refuse to surrender our Constitution or our nation!


Resolved,
Captain Terry M. Hestilow
United States Army, Retired
Fort Worth, Texas
March 23, 2013

The Captain also closed with a bit of a benediction to those reading the letter. “God bless you as you honor your oaths and your obligations as citizens of this free nation. May we once again know honorable leadership and peace at home.”

Read more: Army Captain Demands DHS Give Up Their Weapons Of War

DHS Purchases Massive Explosive Nitrates - Scrubs History : Freedom Outpost,

23 mins ago by Tim Brown
Running The Numbers On DHS’ Ammo Purchases

I provided you a response from the Department of Homeland Security on Saturday concerning the large number of rounds of ammunition that they are soliciting for. I continue to leave it up to the reader to determine if they think DHS’ response is truthful or not. However, their response came just two days after they solicited for 360,000 more .40 caliber hollow point bullets. DHS told us these are for training purposes and, in fact, these are being sent to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Artesia, New Mexico, which is the same location that 240,000 hollow points were sent to last month. However, I want to provide you with more details that DHS has put in print and ask some questions.
The current solicitation can be found on the Federal Business Opportunities website and you will notice that the “Bid MUST be good for 30 calendar days after close of Buy.”


Several congressmen have pushed DHS on these purchases, which resulted in the response from DHS, including fifteen that banded together to get answers. Some of which were not addressed.


With that in mind, Senator Tom Coburn (R-Ok) says that DHS has not purchased anymore ammunition than they have previously. “I think if you go through it (the purchases) without fear and actually make a judgment, I think they’re doing exactly what they need to do.” Coburn has a good history of pointing out the wasteful spending of government and I don’t believe for a second that he is attempting to cover for DHS.


However, that does not explain why within the past year there have been solicitations for “up to” nearly 2 billion rounds when according to Peggy Dixon, spokeswoman for the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Ga, her training center and others like it that are run by DHS use as many as 15 million rounds every year, mostly on shooting ranges and in training exercises. The argument that it keeps costs down doesn’t make sense if you are only purchasing between ten and twenty percent of what you are soliciting for.


Coburn’s comments come after he wrote to DHS back in November of 2012. In that letter Sen. Coburn asked five questions:

1. How many rounds of ammunition has the Department purchased during each of the last three fiscal years? How much did these acquisitions cost?
2. Does DHS plan to purchase more ammunition in the current fiscal year? How much is budgeted for ammunitions acquisitions?
3. How many rounds of ammunition does the Department currently have in its inventory? How are these rounds allocated to each of its agencies?
4. Please describe how DHS (and its component agencies) plan to use this ammunition. How many rounds are allocated for training? How many are allocated for operational use? How many rounds are allocated for other purposes?
5. Please detail approximately how many rounds DHS and its component agencies have used for training and operational purposes during the past three fiscal years.

DHS responded to Coburn in a letter and indicated their purchases were actually going down. DHS points out that 148 million rounds of ammo were purchased in 2010, with that number going down to 108 million in 2011 and 103 million in 2012.


The DHS letter contains the following for the past three fiscal years:

The legend for the various agencies mentioned are as follows: CBP=US Customs and Border Protection; FLETC=Federal Law Enforcement Training Center; NPPD/FPS=National Protection and Programs Directorate/ Federal Protective Service; ICE=US Immigration and Customs Administration; TSA=Transportation Security Administration; USCG=US Coast Guard; USSS=US Secret Service.
In answer to plans for purchasing more ammunition in the current fiscal year, DHS did not answer. However, they did provide a budget which is almost $700,000 more than FY2012.

Now pay close attention here. An inventory was provided among the agencies, as of November 20, 2012. This would be shortly after fiscal year 2013 began on October 1, 2012:

DHS then provides how the ammunition is used by the agencies under its authority.

CBP: Approximately 70 percent of the CBP ammunition is used for quarterly qualifications, mandated firearms training, advanced firearms training, as well as testing and evaluation. Twenty percent of the CBP ammunition is allocated to maintaining CBP’s operational posture. This includes rounds for duty use, as well as for maintaining CBP’s special response teams. The remaining 10 percent is dedicated to maintaining ammunition reserves at both the national and local levels.
FLETC: All FLETC ammunition is purchased, distributed, and used for law enforcement training. No ammunition is allocated for operational or other use.
NPPD/FPS: FPS allocates 1,000 rounds of ammunition per firearm per year for quarterly qualifications and training, to included advanced firearms training exercises, as well as ammunition to support law enforcement operations.
ICE: ICE allocates 1,000 rounds of ammunition per firearm per year for quarterly qualifications and training, to include advanced firearms training exercises, special response team training, and ammunition to support law enforcement operations.
TSA: Approximately 21 million rounds of TSA’s current inventory are reduced-hazard, lead-free frangible training ammunition, which is used exclusively for training. The remaining rounds are duty ammunition, which hare used for both training and operational purposes. Overall, approximately 35 percent of TSA ammunition is allocated for operational use (qualifications and duty carry). Fewer than 100,000 rounds are used for other purposes annually, including firearms testing and evaluation.


USCG: USCG allocates its ammunition inventory for Non-Combat Expenditure Allowance (NCEA) and ship-fill purposes. The NCEA, available for both shore units and cutters, is used for training and for non-defense operations including maritime law enforcement operations. USCG ship-fill allowances are specific to cutters and are designed for use on defense operations.


USSS: USSS plans to use the above mentioned ammunition for training, research, and operational use as needed to maintain professional firearms proficiency. Based on a review of recent historical data, USSS plans to allocate approximately 60 percent of the ammunition for training, 38 percent for operational use, and 2 percent for quality control testing of all ammunition and function firing of all new and repaired weapons.

Finally DHS answered how many rounds they allocated over the past three fiscal years for training and operational purposes.

Here are some things to note. First, we are not told hold much of this ammunition has been exhausted from year to year. For instance, you will note that just into FY2013 they claimed a total inventory of nearly 264 million rounds and yet had still budgeted to spend over $37 million in the current fiscal year on ammunition.
Let me also make a comparison here. Take the numbers above and let’s total them out by department per fiscal year.

DHS Components	Total Round Purchased In FY2010-2012	Total Inventory
CBP	141,624,536	94,404,329
FLETC	61,131,009	18,797,942
FPS/NPPD	11,692,000	2,500,000
ICE	66,494,000	42,300,000
TSA	37,800,000	29,909,514
USCG	28,853,241	70,258,197
USSS	13,956,460	5,563,380
Total DHS	361,551,246	263,733,362

Now I ask you, what is wrong with this picture? Over the past three fiscal years, DHS has purchased over 361 million rounds of ammunition, according to them, but they still have nearly 264 million rounds in inventory at the beginning of FY2013 and are ready to spend $37,263,698 on more ammunition this year. In other words, at the end of three fiscal years they still maintained 73% of the total number of rounds purchased over the prior three years. While I can certainly understand maintaining a small percentage of supply, I don’t understand the amount still on hand after these purchases. It could be that they had larger quantities before 2010.
However, DHS has claimed that they do not maintain ammunition, but use it. The numbers say something different.
Granted, I do not have information prior to FY2010, which would greatly help is ascertaining what exactly is going on with ammunition purchases, there is one question that stand out to me above others. Since DHS has nearly 264 million rounds on hand, why do they need to purchase ammunition at all for at least two years? After all, in 2012, they only purchased a little over 103 million rounds.


Also, while I understand the need to carry hollow points, for training full metal jacket ammunition is just fine and should be at a lower cost to tax payers.

While these numbers are not the 1.6 billion that have been solicited, they are still large quantities of ammunition. DHS could not provide me with the information to go further back than FY2010, which would be necessary to give an completely accurate account of their purchases over the past decade to compare with their current inventory. If anyone has that information or where it can be obtained, I’ll revise this article. However, I wonder if there should not be an independent audit of the ammunition purchased. What say you?


Read more: Running The Numbers On DHS' Ammo Purchases Over The Last 3 Years

Monday, 25 March 2013 12:30 Congress Seeks Answers on Huge Homeland Security Ammo Contracts

Written by Alex Newman






Concerned lawmakers and activists across America from all points on the political spectrum have for months been seeking an explanation about the Obama administration apparently stockpiling weapons of war for domestic use. Estimates suggest, for example, that the federal government has committed to purchasing up to 2 billion rounds of ammunition over several years while rolling out dozens of armored vehicles known as MRAPs on U.S. soil. Meanwhile, the controversial Department of Homeland Security and its boss Janet Napolitano are refusing to provide real answers.

Now, however, at least one member of Congress is proposing to stop funding DHS unless and until it explains the controversial arms buildup, which has sparked widespread suspicion even among Obama’s most devoted supporters. Speaking to We Are Change activist and reporter Luke Rudkowski at the Conservative Political Action Conference this month, liberty-minded Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.) said that more than a few of his colleagues were also trying to find out why the administration would be stockpiling so much firepower for use within the “Homeland.”

“They have no answer for that question. They refuse to answer to answer that.... They refuse to let us know what is going on, so I don’t really have an answer for that,” Rep. Tim Huelskamp explained, adding that multiple members of Congress were still trying to find out. “It comes down to: During the budget process, during the appropriations process, are we willing to hold DHS’s feet to the fire? We’re going to find out.... I say we don’t fund them ’til we get an answer. Those types of things really challenge Americans. They’re worried about this administration.”

Led by Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.), at least 15 U.S. lawmakers have already signed a letter demanding that Homeland Security boss Napolitano justify the controversial purchases. The letter also seeks an explanation as to whether or not the apparent bullet stockpiling is part of a deliberate effort to restrict the supply of ammunition available to the public — one of many theories that have been put forward by Americans concerned over the news amid a deeply unpopular effort by Obama and his allies to further infringe on the Second Amendment.

“The extraordinary level of ammunition purchases made by Homeland Security seems to have, in states such as my own, created an extreme shortage of ammunition to the point where many gun owners are unable to purchase any,” Rep. LaMalfa and his colleagues wrote in the letter. “Are these purchases being conducted in a manner that strategically denies the American people access to ammunition?”

News of the massive federal arms purchases for domestic agencies — enough bullets to kill every American multiple times, for example — was originally spread by radio host Alex Jones and his news service Infowars.com. Since then, however, the controversy has sparked a nationwide uproar, garnering headlines, suspicion, and outrage all across America.

Under major pressure from concerned citizens and the alternative media, even the establishment press has finally been forced to report on the issue. The Associated Press, for example, reported last month that DHS was seeking 1.6 billion rounds over the next few years. Forbes contributor Ralph Benko seized on the story, saying it was “time for a national conversation” in an opinion piece that has since gone “viral” online.

“Spending money this way is beyond absurd well into perverse,” Benko wrote, blasting the DHS activities as “wrong in every way” and calling for congressional action if Obama refuses to rein in the out-of-control bureaucrats responsible for the purchases. “Buying 1.6 billion rounds of ammo and deploying armored personnel carriers runs contrary, in every way, to what ‘homeland security’ really means.”

Military veterans are speaking out, too, with retired U.S. Army Captain Terry Hestilow publishing an open letter to Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) expressing concerns over another increasingly widespread theory — the view that the federal government is actually preparing for a war against Americans on U.S. soil. “It is with gravest concern that I write to you today concerning the recent appropriation of weapons by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that can only be understood as a bold threat of war by that agency, and the Obama administration, against the citizens of the United States of America,” reads Hestilow’s March 23 letter, which has also “gone viral” on the Internet.

In an e-mail to The New American, Homeland Security spokesperson Marsha Catron downplayed the purchases and suggested that public fear over the news was unfounded. “DHS routinely establishes strategic sourcing contracts that combine the requirements of all its components for commonly purchased goods and services such as ammunition, computer equipment, and information technology services,” she said in a statement, the same official line spouted by multiple federal spokespeople. “These strategic sourcing contracts help leverage the purchasing power of DHS to efficiently procure equipment and supplies.”

Catron pointed out that one of the contracts in question — up to 750 million rounds for the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), which reportedly goes through about 15 million bullets per year — represented “a maximum quantity” that would give the center “flexibility over the next 5 years for training of over 90 federal agencies.” A separate contract for up to 450 million bullets is intended to be used by all Homeland Security “components” except the U.S. Coast Guard, which uses Department of Defense contacts, she said.

“This contract is part of the Department’s strategic sourcing efforts to combine multiple previous contracts in order to leverage the purchasing power of the entire Department to efficiently procure equipment and supplies at significantly lower costs,” Catron claimed. “With more than 100,000 armed law enforcement personnel in DHS, significant quantities of ammunition are used to support law enforcement operations, quarterly qualifications, and training, to include advanced firearms training exercises.”

During fiscal year 2012, the department purchased almost 100 million rounds, not including ammunition used by the Coast Guard. The department also claimed in an e-mail to TNA that a “small reserve” of the overall ammunition is kept by federal law enforcement agencies, but that there is not an “ammunition stockpile.” It was not immediately clear what a “small reserve” was or what would constitute a true “stockpile.”

Catron emphasized repeatedly that DHS has over 100,000 armed agents and officers — a gargantuan number of armed bureaucrats that has raised alarm bells among critics as well. In attempting to justify the purchases, Homeland Security has also stated multiple times that the ammo totals represented a ceiling and that DHS would not necessarily buy the full amounts listed in the contracts.

Despite numerous attempts, the department did not respond to questions about what circumstances or scenarios might require two billion bullets — many of them hollow-point — to be used inside the “Homeland.” As critics have pointed out, that would be enough ammunition to wage several decades of war: Even at the height of the Iraq war, the military was using less than six million rounds per month. Catron also failed to address inquiries related to congressional oversight.

Speaking about the MRAP (mine-resistant ambush protected) vehicles in a brief phone interview with The New American, the spokesperson denied myriad media reports claiming that DHS had acquired more than 2,700 units of the heavily armored military machines. She said Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations currently uses 16 of the vehicles while U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) uses another 16 — all of which were apparently provided by the Defense Department. “DHS has no plans for future MRAP purchases,” Catron said.

On the campaign trail before taking office in 2008, without citing what section of the Constitution he thought might authorize it, Obama called for the creation of a “civilian national security force” that is “just as powerful, just as strong, just as well funded” as the U.S. military. At the time, critics recoiled in horror, wondering why the “Homeland” might require a “force” as powerful as the U.S. military. Again, answers were never forthcoming, though apologists later tried to downplay the significance of the comments.

In recent years, however, the U.S. government has made its views abundantly clear: The biggest “threat” Obama and his administration see against the “Homeland” includes veterans, pro-life activists, supporters of individual liberty, constitutionalists, and others who disagree with the president’s radical agenda. The Justice Department, Homeland Security, so-called “fusions centers,” and even a U.S. military think-tank have all openly said as much in official reports and documents. The administration is also under the false impression that it may kill or indefinitely detain anyone it suspects of terror — including Americans in the “Homeland.”

Meanwhile, as The New American reported last month, the administration has also been fueling suspicion by engaging in deeply controversial military training operations involving unmarked black helicopters firing blanks out of machine guns over major U.S. cities. Using shooting targets featuring children and pregnant women raised eyebrows, too. Before that, Obama also came under fire for inviting Russian terror troops to train with U.S. forces on American soil.

Why the administration believes it may potentially need billions of bullets and other weapons of war for use in the “Homeland” remains unclear. State and local agencies are also receiving a wide array of war weaponry from the federal government. What is clear, though, at least, is that more than a few lawmakers and Americans of all political persuasions are becoming increasingly uneasy about it.

Alex Newman is a correspondent for The New American, covering economics, politics, and more. He can be reached at anewman@thenewamerican.com.

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DHS Solicits Bids for 26.1 Million Rounds of Ammo
Federal Law Enforcement Stockpiling Arms (10,000/ICE Employee)
Justice Department Trained Police to Link Political Activism With Terror
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Congress Seeks Answers on Huge Homeland Security Ammo Contracts