I think I've seen it all now! Listen to the video recording of this in the article:
Tennessee Official Says Complaining About Water Quality Could Be Considered 'Act of Terrorism'
The claim was made during a meeting with residents who say the "cloudy, odd-tasting water" is making their children sick.
Article and video recording here: http://www.alternet.org/environment/audio-tennessee-official-says-complaining-about-water-quality-could-be-considered-act
June 21, 2013 |
A representative for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation told a group of concerned citizens that complaining about water quality could be considered an “act of terrorism,” The Tennessean reports.
Sherwin Smith, deputy director of TDEC’s Division of Water Resources, made the claim during a meeting with residents of Maury County, Tennessee. Organized by State Rep. Sheila Butt, R-Columbia, the gathering sought to address complaints by residents that area water was making their children sick. In audio obtained by The Tennessean, Smith can be heard equating water quality complaints, an act of citizenry, with DHS-defined acts of terrorism:
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130621/NEWS02/306210110/Official-Water-complaints-could-act-terrorism-?gcheck=1
The comment shocked and outraged attendees, who saw it as an attempt to silence complaints, said Brad Wright, organizer for SOCM in Middle Tennessee.
“I think it’s just to quash us complicating life for them,” he said.
Joycelene Johns, 68, has lived in Mount Pleasant off and on for about 30 years and has put up with cloudy, odd-tasting water for years.
“I’ll drink it,” she said, “but I pray before the first sip.”
But she said Smith’s comments had been harder to stomach than her drinking water.
“I was sitting there with my mouth open,” she said. “I couldn’t believe he was saying that.” The message she took away was: “Leave us alone. Don’t come back anymore. We’re not going to continue on dealing with whatever problem you may have.”
Rep. Butt, who organized the meeting, also was shocked.
“I think that we need to be very careful with how we use the words ‘terrorist’ and ‘terrorism,’ ” she said. “I thought it was out of context. That did not apply to anything that we were discussing at the meeting.”
I'm speechless!
Tennessee Official Says Complaining About Water Quality Could Be Considered 'Act of Terrorism'
The claim was made during a meeting with residents who say the "cloudy, odd-tasting water" is making their children sick.
Article and video recording here: http://www.alternet.org/environment/audio-tennessee-official-says-complaining-about-water-quality-could-be-considered-act
June 21, 2013 |
A representative for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation told a group of concerned citizens that complaining about water quality could be considered an “act of terrorism,” The Tennessean reports.
Sherwin Smith, deputy director of TDEC’s Division of Water Resources, made the claim during a meeting with residents of Maury County, Tennessee. Organized by State Rep. Sheila Butt, R-Columbia, the gathering sought to address complaints by residents that area water was making their children sick. In audio obtained by The Tennessean, Smith can be heard equating water quality complaints, an act of citizenry, with DHS-defined acts of terrorism:
We take water quality very seriously. Very, very seriously … But you need to make sure that when you make water quality complaints you have a basis, because federally, if there’s no water quality issues, that can be considered under Homeland Security an act of terrorism.
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130621/NEWS02/306210110/Official-Water-complaints-could-act-terrorism-?gcheck=1
The comment shocked and outraged attendees, who saw it as an attempt to silence complaints, said Brad Wright, organizer for SOCM in Middle Tennessee.
“I think it’s just to quash us complicating life for them,” he said.
Joycelene Johns, 68, has lived in Mount Pleasant off and on for about 30 years and has put up with cloudy, odd-tasting water for years.
“I’ll drink it,” she said, “but I pray before the first sip.”
But she said Smith’s comments had been harder to stomach than her drinking water.
“I was sitting there with my mouth open,” she said. “I couldn’t believe he was saying that.” The message she took away was: “Leave us alone. Don’t come back anymore. We’re not going to continue on dealing with whatever problem you may have.”
Rep. Butt, who organized the meeting, also was shocked.
“I think that we need to be very careful with how we use the words ‘terrorist’ and ‘terrorism,’ ” she said. “I thought it was out of context. That did not apply to anything that we were discussing at the meeting.”
I'm speechless!
