Federal agents investigate Letters to the Editor in the Casper Star Tribune

Cheyenne - Watch what you say. The FBI may come calling if you say the wrong thing. A man who wrote a Letter to the Editor that was printed in the Casper Star Tribune provoked the interest of federal agents because of what he wrote.

Dennis Brossman of Lander, who is also chair of the Wyoming Libertarian Party, was notified by a Casper Star Tribune editor in August, that a Casper-based Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agent had visited the newspaper and requested copies of letters that Brossman had written.

When Brossman contacted agent Wanda Dietz, she told him that she was performing "a favor" for Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents in Salt Lake City, Utah.

WyomingNetwork telephone calls to the IRS's "Local Taxpayer Advocate" in Casper had not been returned when this article was posted.

Brossman then contacted a Salt Lake City FBI agent, who said, "he was from the 'JTTF' or Joint Terrorism Task Force, a combined group of FBI, IRS and other agencies."

Brossman says the FBI agent "assured me he'd read my letters and found them interesting, but not a threat."

"He repeatedly told me that I never was under any kind of investigation, but certain people -especially three Cody-area names who responded to my letters - were."

Keith Collins, of Cody, confirmed he was contacted by two federal agents. One identified himself as Dee Russell, a Utah-based special agent for the Treasury Department. Collins said they asked him about a letter to the editor he had written to the Star Tribune in response to Brossman. In the letter, Collins had used the word "collectivist" and that was the focus of the agents interest.

The agents told Collins that the word "collectivist" had been used in a threatening letter to a federal agent, and they were investigating letters using the word.

Collins said the incident might cause him to refrain from writing again soon. He said, additionally, that he understood 86% of the American public apparently agreed with a number of anti-terror measures undertaken recently.

Brossman's claims come on the heels of a similar incident in San Francisco, Calif. San Francisco Chronicle columnist Emil Guillermo wrote Tuesday about Barry Reingold, who was visited by FBI agents for remarks he made at his health club regarding the war on terrorism.

Marvin Johnson, the Legislative Counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union in Washington, D.C., said such incidences are "no longer unusual." He said that Attorney General John Ashcroft is seeking to lessen restrictions on domestic spying and intelligence gathering. The restrictions were imposed in the 1970's as a result of the Nixon Administration's efforts to harass political opponents and critics though use of so-called "enemies lists", and investigations by federal agencies such as the IRS.

Cheyenne attorney Billie Edwards said that when such things happen in large cities, like the Reingold interview, they don't have the same impact as when a neighbor in Wyoming comes under such attention. "It's more frightening," she said.

Brossman said he was unsure of his next step, or any legal recourse he might have. He requested anyone else who may have had similar contact get in touch with him in Lander.

Greenwald: And Captain, did you ever turn your ship upsidedown in a vain search for a key that did not exist?

Queeg: I, I don't know what lies have been sworn to in this court, but I'd like to set you straight on this matter right here and now -- a key definitely did exist!

Prosecution: May it please the court. The witness is understandably agitated by this ordeal and I request a recess to give him a brief ...

Queeg: I don't want a recess. I'll answer all questions right here and now.

Greenwald: Did you conduct such a search?

Queeg: Yes I did. As usual my disloyal officers failed me and the key couldn't be found.

Greenwald: As a matter of actual fact, wasn't this whole fuss over a quart of strawberries?

Queeg: Pilfering of foods in large amounts or small is one of the most serious occurances on board ship.

Greenwald: Yes, but didn't you learn the messboys had eaten the strawberries and that you were conducting a search for an imaginary key?

Queeg: I repeat the key was not imaginary. And I don't know anything about messboys eating strawberries.

Greenwald: Captain, have you no recollection of a conversation with an Ensign Harding just prior to his leaving the Caine?

Queeg: What about it?

Greenwald: Well, didn't Ensign Harding tell you that the messboys ate the strawberries?

Queeg: All that I remember is that he was very grateful for his transfer. His wife was ill in the states.

Greenwald: Captain, do you know where Ensign Harding is now?

Queeg: I'd have no way of knowing.

Greenwald: Ensign Harding is in San Diego. His wife is fully recovered. He has already been summoned and can be flown up here in three hours if necessary. Would it serve any useful purpose to have him testify?

Queeg: No. I, I, I don't see any need of that. [click click click] Now that I recall, he, uh, might have said something about messboys and then again he might not. I questioned so many men and, uh, Harding was not the most reliable officer.

Greenwald: I'm afraid the defense has no other recourse than to produce Ensign Harding.

Queeg: Now there's no need for that. I know exactly what he'll tell you -- lies! He's no different from any other officer in the wardroom. They were all disloyal. I tried to run the ship properly by the book but they fought me at every turn. The crew wanted to walk around with their shirt tails hanging out -- that's all right, let them. Take the tow line, defective equipment, no more, no less. But they encouraged the crew to go around scoffing at me and spreading wild rumors about steaming in circles and, and then "old yellow stain." I was to blame for Lieutenant Maryk's incompetence and poor seamanship. Lieutenant Maryk was the perfect officer, but not Captain Queeg.

Ah, but the strawberries. That's, that's where I had them. They laughed at me and made jokes. But I proved beyond a shadow of a doubt and with, with geometric logic that a duplicate key to the wardroom icebox did exist. And I'd 've produced that key if they hadn't pulled the Caine out of action. I, I know now that they were only trying to protect some fellow officers ...

Naturally I, I can only cover these things from memory. If I've left anything out, why just ask me specific questions and I'll be glad to answer them one by one. [click click click]

Greenwald: No further questions, sir.

The Court: The Court is closed.

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