Christopher Tappin Case: Solitary Confinement At His Request, Bail Application, And Two Fascinating Facts

Tappin is in jail in El Paso, in solitary at his own request. He has a bail hearing set for Friday. If denied bail, it will be tough to mount a defense...which is why bail will be opposed with vigor. The last thing the prosecutor in El Paso wants is much probing into the real facts of the case.

Like this one:    The weapons system, owned by the Iranians,  he is alleged to have conspired to supply parts to was actually given to the Iranians in the 1980's by (drumroll please!!) the US Gubbermint.

Sweet.

Or this one:  The batteries for the weapons system, owned by the Iranians, given to the Iranians by the US Gubbermint, were offered to Mr. Tappin by (drumroll and brass-band fanfare!!) a fake firm set up by the US Gubbermint, a firm set up to deliberately entrap potential evil-doers.

Oooohhhh, that's even sweeter!

Certainly, the federal prosecutor in El Paso will be performing the full-court-press to extract a guilty plea, of any sort, from Mr.Tappin. Otherwise, his office will be required to cough up allllll evidence they say they have against him, and in the end it may all hinge on the word of one over-ambitious federal agent running the sting who has every reason in the world to lie to the jury about his activities.

Now, OS has no opinion concerning the guilt or innocence of Mr. Tappin. But it doesn't take a genius to conclude that this republic and its freedoms under the rule of law are under much more threat from a government that gives weapons systems to mullahs and spends its energies setting up sham corporations to create defendants, than from the mullahs and their aging weapons systems.

Sunlight is the best disinfectant. OS predicts that as more light is allowed into this dark and slimy corner of US law enforcement, and David Cameron's complicity and cowardice, the case will fall apart. With any luck, some law enforcement, legal and political careers will go down in flames with it.

If you're reading from the UK--keep turning up the heat. Mrs. Tappin testified before Parliament yesterday, and received wide coverage. It's a good start.

If reading from the US--keep following the story. Just like the MF Global scandal, this case has huge implications for us all. If the 'Justice Department' gets away with this one, none of us are safe in our homes and business will become increasingly perilous to conduct.

By the way, none of this, none of it, has served to restrain Iranian behavior in the least way. So don't for  a moment think this case is about 'The War On Terror'. The terrorists are doing just fine, thank you.

The real war, increasingly, is on us.