Man visited by armed EPA agents not satisfied with answers, wants agency changes

[Team Sergeant]

"Armed EPA agents" are you f***ikng kidding me? This administration has lost it's mind. This was clearly an intimidation tactic by the EPA, the kind of tactic their moron leader just resigned because of.....

Yeah, come and talk to me "armed" EPA agents and see how you're greeted. I agree with Mr. Keller, time to defund the EPA. This kind of crap needs to end quickly.
Team Sergeant


Man visited by armed EPA agents not satisfied with answers, wants agency changes
Published June 09, 2012
FoxNews.com

The North Carolina man visited by armed EPA agents after sending an email to a controversial agency official says he not satisfied with the explanations about what he considers an excessive response and that he wants changes to agency policies and procedures.

"This isn't over," Keller said.

He told Fox News.com that Environmental Protection Agency officials have said the agency followed procedures and that the agents acted appropriately during their visit last month. However, Keller is still invited to come to EPA headquarters to discuss the situation.

Keller said he's not willing to come to Washington without knowing what will be discussed.

The incident unfolded after Keller sent an email April 27 to the EPA to try to reach Al Armendariz -- a regional administrator who was under fire for a YouTube video post days earlier in which he said his enforcement strategy was to "crucify" executives from big oil and gas companies.

The letter to an EPA external affairs director read "Do you have Mr. Armendariz's contact information so we can say hello? - Regards- Larry Keller."

Keller said he was just asking as a taxpayer and denies being part of the Tea Party, though he acknowledges supporting the movement's calls to defund the agency in part because it has outreached its intended mission.

"We are a customer of them," he said.

Armendariz, whose region included oil-rich Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana, resigned April 29 for the comments, made in 2010.

The agents visited Keller's home in Ashville, N.C. on May 2 to ask him about the email, which after some misunderstanding Keller acknowledged sending. He said after a brief, tense discussion about whether the missive might seem suspicious, the agents, who were escorted by the local police, left despite Keller ask them to stay to his wife could witness their visit.

"The charter of the EPA is to protect the environment and public, not to act as a quasi federal police department," Keller said Saturday.

Keller appears to have some support in Washington. GOP Sen. Richard Burr's office has agreed to look into the matter.

The North Carolina senator could not be reached this weekend, but a staffer told the Carolina Journal.com that Burr's office has initiated an inquiry with the EPA and that the senator "intends to pursue this matter vigorously."

A regional EPA official told Keller the agency was following up on his email, considering its timing and the number of threats against Armendariz.

"I want a change of policy and procedure," Keller said. "They've got big problems."



Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012...#ixzz1xLuj10k7

[tst43]

Makes you wonder what EPA's response would have been if he had sent a real threat

[ZonieDiver]

Originally Posted by tst43

Makes you wonder what EPA's response would have been if he had sent a real threat

Call the Dept of Education's shotgun-equipped SWAT team?

[tst43]

Originally Posted by ZonieDiver

Call the Dept of Education's shotgun-equipped SWAT team?

I think those are only deployed when an elementary school kid comes to class with nail clippers.

[BigWave]

That is crazy. Perhaps to keep them there he should have threatened to remove the labels and registration numbers from his pesticides. Of course, they may have just shot him.

[Team Sergeant]

Another thought, how would you know the EPA "agents" were armed?

Unless they wanted you to see that they were armed.

An intimidation tactic by the EPA, works on sheeple I'm sure.

[cbtengr]

Why would they be armed? One would think that if they felt a veiled threat had been implied that they would have just turned it over to law enforcement. I used to see those bumper stickers that referred to ones fearing his own government and I would wonder what? At one time at least up until the last 3.5 years I never feared my govt. nor did I ever worry about taking my country back, it was like take it back from who? I see it all in a different light now, folks had better wake up and smell the coffee at the very least, smell the stink emanating from the peoples house.

[Paslode]

Originally Posted by cbtengr

Why would they be armed? One would think that if they felt a veiled threat had been implied that they would have just turned it over to law enforcement. I used to see those bumper stickers that referred to ones fearing his own government and I would wonder what? At one time at least up until the last 3.5 years I never feared my govt. nor did I ever worry about taking my country back, it was like take it back from who? I see it all in a different light now, folks had better wake up and smell the coffee at the very least, smell the stink emanating from the peoples house.

The list of people and livelihoods the EPA (and the USDA) is screwing with grows by the ream with each and every passing day. And the people they are messing with aren't BiG Corporations, they are your average Joe.


Tombstone can't fix it's waterline. Why? The EPA

San Joaquin Valley Farmers are drying up? Why? The EPA


And where is the EPA on LEAD tainted toys from China? They are nowhere...but try hiring contractors to work on your house built prior to 1978 and they are up your ass.

[craigepo]

Is there some kind of rule that states who from the federal government can carry a weapon? To someone's home? A librarian from the library of congress?

This seems surreal.

[rdret1]

I am with you on that one, Judge. They are not a law enforcement agency, they are not a military agency, and they are not an intelligence agency, they are a bureaucratic policy agency that deals with administrative environmental policy, so why are they armed? This from the administration that brought you "Fast and Furious."

[booker]

Originally Posted by rdret1

I am with you on that one, Judge. They are not a law enforcement agency, they are not a military agency, and they are not an intelligence agency, they are a bureaucratic policy agency that deals with administrative environmental policy, so why are they armed? This from the administration that brought you "Fast and Furious."

The EPA and the USACE now have "enforcement divisions", and I guess armed agents must fall under that. If you are a responsible landowner and stray into the bureaucratic "gray area" be prepared to have your financial ass handed to you. By gray area I mean you are following the regs but some clown in a cube has decided that you aren't doing it with your heart and soul. They will always find a way to trump up something. Some of my clients have seen it happen to them here in VA, so it is only a matter of time before it comes out in other areas too. And Lord help you if you stand up to them, they will call in other agencies to start looking for more "issues". I agree with TS, the EPA needs to be sent packing.

[CW3SF]

EPA (like most Departments in the federal government) has law enforcement divisions that are staffed by federal law enforcement officers just like DEA, FBI, ATF, etc. These LEO's investigate fraud, waste and abuse in programs that are funded or impacted by their departments regulations or funding. They are often also charged with protecting their public officials and investigating any and all threats made to or against them.

When one of their top administrative officials receives a threat, veiled or otherwise it must be investigated. Couple that with the fact that this particular official has received numerous other threats and it's no big surpirse that LEO's showed up on this guys doorstep.

Did his email really constitute a threat? The only way to find out for sure is to knock on his door. If they didn't check it out, and the official was harmed in any way, they'd be getting hammered for not doing anything. JMO

[Streck-Fu]

Originally Posted by CW3SF

EPA (like most Departments in the federal government) has law enforcement divisions that are staffed by federal law enforcement officers just like DEA, FBI, ATF, etc. These LEO's investigate fraud, waste and abuse in programs that are funded or impacted by their departments regulations or funding. They are often also charged with protecting their public officials and investigating any and all threats made to or against them.

Administrative agencies like the EPA, IRS, DOE (Education) do not have a need for their own armed enforcers. They should hand over investigations like this to the FBI. Otherwise, there is extraordinary redundancy and unecessary expenses to fund every agencies goon squad.

If the contents of hte email only contained what is printed:

"Do you have Mr. Armendariz's contact information so we can say hello? - Regards- Larry Keller."

...it is no way a threat. Had he written, "I'm going to kill you, you Commie Bastard!" or "Think twice before turning on you car ignition next time...." that would be a threat.

But then, the DHS and DOJ are considering any dissatisfaction with the government as a threat.

[Hand]

Originally Posted by Streck-Fu

But then, the DHS and DOJ are considering any dissatisfaction with the government as a threat.

Which can be construed as terrorism these days: the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, especially for political purposes.

[Team Sergeant]

Originally Posted by CW3SF

EPA (like most Departments in the federal government) has law enforcement divisions that are staffed by federal law enforcement officers just like DEA, FBI, ATF, etc. These LEO's investigate fraud, waste and abuse in programs that are funded or impacted by their departments regulations or funding. They are often also charged with protecting their public officials and investigating any and all threats made to or against them.

When one of their top administrative officials receives a threat, veiled or otherwise it must be investigated. Couple that with the fact that this particular official has received numerous other threats and it's no big surpirse that LEO's showed up on this guys doorstep.

Did his email really constitute a threat? The only way to find out for sure is to knock on his door. If they didn't check it out, and the official was harmed in any way, they'd be getting hammered for not doing anything. JMO

I disagree not by their own people.

When one of their "officials" is threatened they should do as the rest of America does and call upon those agencies that are charged with protecting the people from those sort of crimes.

Sporting weapons is intimidation by those from the EPA is nothing more than strong arm tactics.

Come to my door posing as EPA or Dept of Ed. "armed" and you will have a gun in your face most ricky tic.

Team Sergeant