Friday, December 9, 2011

Federal Agents Reportedly Visit Mormon Cannery In Tennessee, Demand List Of Customers Making Bulk Purchases, Go Away Empty-Handed

Update December 12th: The LDS Church has formally denied that any of its canneries were visited by Federal agents, and Oathkeepers has now removed the post. Updated post HERE.

Update December 10th: This story is now debunked; both the LDS Church and the two canneries involved say they weren't visited by the Feds. Updated post HERE.

The Oathkeepers.org website is reporting that federal agents recently visited a cannery operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Tennessee and demanded a list of names of those purchasing in bulk, but finally left empty-handed when the facility manager couldn't provide the information. The specific cannery wasn't identified, but a recently-published list indicates there are two of them in Tennessee; in Hendersonville and in Knoxville.

Shortly afterwards, Oathkeepers went offline, but the same information has also been posted on other websites including GodLikeProductions, on Free Republic, and Tennessee Sons of Liberty. Oathkeepers switched servers and is now back online; you can read it for yourself and decide upon its reliability.

From the original post:

This incident was confirmed by Oath Keepers Tennessee Chapter President, Rand Cardwell. Here is Rand’s report:

“A fellow veteran contacted me concerning a new and disturbing development. He had been utilizing a Mormon cannery near his home to purchase bulk food supplies. The man that manages the facility related to him that federal agents had visited the facility and demanded a list of individuals that had been purchasing bulk food. The manager informed the agents that the facility kept no such records and that all transactions were conducted on a cash-and-carry basis. The agents pressed for any record of personal checks, credit card transactions, etc., but the manager could provide no such record. The agents appeared to become very agitated and after several minutes of questioning finally left with no information. I contacted the manager and personally confirmed this information.

The specific federal agency was not identified. Ironically, another arm of the federal government, FEMA, actually advises citizens to store emergency supplies, including bulk food, in the event of a natural disaster or man-made event.

This could easily be a legitimate enquiry. The federal government could be investigating some possible genuine subversive group or activity in the area, and a visit to the cannery could be a legitimate part of the investigation. To avoid compromising such an investigation, the federal agents would not unnecessarily reveal additional details. But the federal government's mania for secrecy fuels suspicion among many Americans who believe that government has become increasingly intrusive, invasive, and oppressive.

Further fueling suspicion of government among some residents of eastern Tennessee are some other questionable activities. A Knoxville middle school teacher reportedly assigned her students the task of taking pictures of their refrigerators and pantries at home and submitting them as homework; students who objected were threatened with a letter grade of "F". In addition, TSA VIPR teams have reportedly exercising police powers on Interstate 40 throughout the state under the guise of "anti-drug" and "anti-terrorist" activity; highway policing under non-emergency circumstances is normally the exclusive province of local and state cops. At present, TSA seems to be focusing their activity on truckers at weigh stations on the interstate.

When local residents start connecting all three of these issues, one can easily understand why they become suspicious of the motives of government. Not a day passes by in which government, in one form or another, is constantly prodding, pushing, and testing you, demanding that you prove your "worthiness" at every turn. It can be like living under a microscope.

4 comments:

StorminMormon said...

I apologize, but this story has all the markings of being (at best) a gross exaggeration of the truth and (at worst) a complete fabrication.

Here are my issues with this account:

1. There are only two canneries in Tennessee and this account couldn't name which one of the locations where this event occurred. And why? To protect the cannery manager? From what? Truthfully reporting that a Federal Agent came by to demand records? If nothing else, I wouldn't report which one it was to protect the manager from falsifying the account. Or perhaps the person relaying this story fabricated it entirely.

2. When did this occur? Seriously, what date did it take place? There are almost NO FACTS listed in this account.

3. The cannery DOES have purchase information. I purchase there all the time and I always have to fill out Name, Ward, Stake, etc. And if I use a credit card or a check...there's even more of a paper trail.

4. The Feds would have had a warrant for this information. I don't have the energy to chase down this wild goose, but the warrant is a part of the public record and would be easy to find.

5. What agency? How many "Feds" do you know going around and just saying "We're Federal Agents...let us in" without identifying anything about the agency, or authority they command.

As mentioned, maybe the Feds made a friendly stop by the cannery. And I use the term "friendly" loosely. Even that would be bothersome...but I highly doubt the claims in this story. If I'm wrong, feel free to provide any of the above details. I welcome them.

Jack Mormon said...

This is why I used the term "reportedly" in the title of this post. It would seem like the specific cannery should have been named and the specific Federal agency identified. However, there are a number of people on other websites who say that Oathkeepers, from which the report originated, is a reliable site.

I'm still thinking that it may have been a "friendlier" visit than portrayed. But you can also see by some of the events in the area I've referenced is that a few people in eastern Tennessee have become sensitized to intrusive government behavior.

Greg Seneff Sr. said...

This is a FALSE story. I was at the Nashville, TN (actually Hendersonville, TN) LDS cannery this morning. I asked the manager about the story and she told me it was false. When they heard the rumor they checked with the other LDS cannery in TN (Knoxville, I believe) and nothing like that happened there either.

Jack Mormon said...

Thanks for the response, Greg. I also just learned that this story has been debunked and have published an updated post HERE.