Posted on 05/25/2012 3:03:44 AM PDT by w4women
About a month ago, EPA regional official Al Armendariz made news when a YouTube video of him describing the way the agency handles oil and gas companies surfaced. In it, Armendariz said an analogy he liked to use about enforcement was how the Romans used crucifixion to keep smaller towns and villages under their thumb. Since then, Armendariz has resigned his post at the EPA. Case closed, right? Wrong.
A local North Carolina man named Larry Keller didn’t particularly like the analogy that Al Armendariz used, so, along with thousands of others assumably, he set about to contact Mr. Armendariz to discuss his views on the oil and gas industries. One of our basic rights and privileges in a free society is to be able to petition our government for a redress of grievances without fear of repercussion from said government simply for voicing our grievance.
Keller proceeded to try and contact Mr. Armendariz by Googling him. His domain was a subset of Southern Methodist University, he was directed to contact a Dr. David Gray who is the Director of External Affairs for the EPA. Keller wrote a simple, one sentence email to Dr. Gray which said simply, “Hello Mr. Gray-Do you have Mr. Armendariz’s contact information so we can say hello?”
On May 2nd, just a little over a week after the Armendariz crucify comments had flared up, two special agents from the EPA and a local police officer showed up at Mr. Keller’s home. Here is the story in his own words:
On Wednesday, May 02, 2012 at about 1:45PM two Special Agents from the EPA and an armed police officer who stood 6’6” tall visited our house in Asheville, NC. Their visit was a total surprise as we had not received any communications requesting an appointment. The agents presented very official looking badges and asked if we could sit and chat awhile. We moved to the back porch and took our seats with the exception of the armed officer who stood by the door to the house the entire time.
Keller was asked by the agents if he ran a business out of his home, and if so, what kind of business. Keller runs a consulting business from his home. Then he was asked if he had ever sent an email to anyone at the EPA. Keller, not remembering the email initially said no, then remembered his email to Dr. Gray trying to get the contact information for Al Armendariz. This is what happened next:
At this point Agent Woods reach into a file and from it he pulled out a copy of my email to Dr. Gray. He handed it to me and I asked what was there about the content that justified their driving across the state of NC to visit me with no prior warning. The other agent then stated that my choice of words in the email could be interpreted in many ways. At that point I asked them to be specific as they were wasting my time. I stated that I pay for agents’ salaries and that of the police officer and they have bigger fish to fry. Special Agent Woods then asked if I had ever been arrested – the answer was a swift no. I then asked for a copy of the email they presented and they said that was impossible as the investigation was not yet complete.
Keller asked the agents for business cards that they had previously promised him and they were miraculously out of business cards. The two agents, who had driven four hours from Raleigh, North Carolina for this encounter with Mr. Keller, left via the back staircase as quickly as they had appeared without supplying Larry Keller with their contact information. He also states that the agents had parked blocking his driveway and that the local police officer had parked in his neighbor’s driveway.
Larry Keller was interviewed by Pete Kaliner, a local conservative radio host about the incident. You can listen to the interview here. I heard today on Kaliner’s show that Keller has hooked up with the John Locke Foundation to pursue the incident further. I’ll keep you updated as soon as more information becomes available.
Is this really the America that we live in now? A concerned citizen tries to contact a government official over statements that he made in public and the next thing you know armed agents show up at his home?
To gather information to pass on to IRS.
Oh yeah! Here’s your classic example of “Hope & Change,” more realisticly Hype & Chains.
How many times do we have to say it?
Don’t Talk to Police
http://youtu.be/6wXkI4t7nuc
Based on the Martha Stewart case, this guy could be prosecuted for telling the agents he didn’t send an email to the EPA.
Does he at least have a badge number for the cop? Cell phone pics of the guys retreating down his driveway?
Not only do they try to ruin anyone and everything they see as being in their way to advancing their agenda, they’ll do it once they know they’ve failed and when those things are not necessarily in the way.
1930's Germany.
Heil Hillary.
The proper answer to an unannounced visit by the authorities who want to come in and chat awhile is, “No and do you have a warrant?”
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/bloggers-forum/index
In the future please post blog articles in the Bloggers forum only.
Thanks.
Is that a drone over your shoulder?
Bump
Interesting that nearly every very stoopid federal agency now has highly armed swat teams.
F-ing EPA should be defunded and many of it employees should be incarcerated forever. And it is but one of MANY federal agencies in the same boat. Shut em down.
EPA? F-em
They were going to roll into this man’s drive and crucify him to settle every one down. Next time, don’t talk to the Roman soldiers. Let them nail their own asses somewhere else.
nd make sure to check the back to see if it is signed and by who.
It should be signed by a local judge.
Absolutely.
W4women,
What happened to Mr. Keller is outrageous.
Did the EPA send agents out to everyone who sent email to David Gray asking how to contact Dr. armendariz?
In hindsight, mr. Keller could have gotten the information from the Web; anyone owning property in Texas is in the public records.
Repeat after me....Never talk to the COPS esp w/o your lawyer present.
the EPA has its own Stasi?
Who knew???
Next target, global warming deniers?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.