FDA Intimitation: Terrorizing Tobacco Workers

by Ian Williams Goddard

The Associated Press ( The Washington Times, A10, 8/23/96 ) reports that Mark Deane, an employee of the Philip Morris tobacco company, has filed a $6 million lawsuit over threats made against his person by Food and Drug Administration investigators.

After FDA investigators failed to arrive at a scheduled meeting on April 12, Mr. Deane left his home on an errand. His vehicle was then forced to stop by the car of the FDA investigators named in his suit: Gary Dean Light and an unnamed "John Doe."

The AP article states that the "two men jumped out of the car, and Mr. Light shoved a blue-and-white badge into Mr. Deane's face and said he and Mr. Doe were special agents of the Justice Department working 'under the special jurisdiction of the grand jury.'"

At that point Mr. Deane refused to speak without his attorney present. The suit states that Mr. light then stated in a threatening tone " We'll be seeing you."

Then on April 17 the same two agents once again forced Mr. Deane's car to a stop. The suit states that this time they told Mr. Deane that if he did not cooperate with the investigator's demands he was " EXPENDABLE " and that they could "lock him up for 72 hours without anyone knowing anything about it."

These threats appear to have been an attempt to coerce an individual to make legal statements he would not otherwise make. If so, then no witness that the FDA brings in to a courtroom to speak before a jury can be believed because of the possibility that their testimony has been tainted by the threat of death.

TERROR OVER TRUTH

Increasingly, terror is the tool of choice in governmental operations. This case of FDA intimidation is like the case of the intimidation by the FBI of Vince Foster death scene witness Patrick Knowlton just before he was to testify before the grand jury and after he refused to change his story as to what he saw at the Fort Marcy Park. Mr. Knowlton and his attorney John H. Clarke have compiled a report of witness tampering and intimidation -- an excerpt is at:

http://ic.net/~celano/tamp2.html

It appears that the govt has become so despotic that it is willing to resort to physical intimidation and death threats in order to change facts and create a false reality -- truth by terror. The goal seems to be producing desired outcomes in legal investigations that will protect or expand the power of the federal government.

In fact, stemming from the FDA's long battle to gain legal control over tobacco, President Clinton just singed an executive order -- a law by decree -- that grants the FDA sweeping new powers to crack down on tobacco.

While these new FDA powers are supposedly an effort to keep tobacco away from children, the new legal definition of tobacco explicite in the executive order reportedly gives the FDA the legal right to prohibit tobacco altogether.

If intimidation and terror reign over truth and justice, tyranny is sure to extinguish the light that is liberty, leaving the people at the mercy of malevolent masters.

August 24, 1996

© Ian Williams Goddard