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October 3, 2005
A strange afternoon!
Here I was, sitting at my computer trying to get expense reports done whilst balancing our virtual checkbook, and the doorbell rang.
Now, I'm not one to answer the door to strangers, especially if the dogs are out back - as they were and still are. But they rang again, so I went to the door and one FBI Agent and one US Marshall were at the front door.
They asked if they could come in. I asked for their ID again, so I could see if it really looked real, and invited them inside.
The house is kinda messy, as is the norm, and I apologized for its state of disorganization. The two agents sat down in the living room with me and they asked me if I had been in the Washington DC area recently. I mistakenly thought they were talking about my trip to Silver Spring, MD, when I was there a few weeks ago, but they asked me about the Ft. McHenry Tunnel, and I suddenly knew why they were here.
The week I went to Delaware, I took one of my co-workers with me, J, I'll call him. We flew into BWI and drove to Delaware. On our way back, we went through the Ft. McHenry tunnel. J had never seen anything like it before, so he stuck his head out the window of my rental car and took a picture of the tunnel.
He wanted to show it to his son and daughter. He also took a picture of the road leading up to it - it was about 16 lanes or so - and inadvertently took a picture of a power plant that neither of us noticed while doing so.
Let me tell you about J - he is a great guy, I think he is 30 or 32 or something. He grew up on a farm and lives about 90 miles out in the middle of nowhere. He is as innocent as the day is long, and quite innocently took those pictures, which is not against the law, but could be seen as suspicious.
At the time, I told him that someone is going to end up reporting us to the Department of Homeland Security, and sure enough, someone did.
And I'm glad the FBI is checking out these things. Makes me feel like they are much more capable than previous to 9/11.
So that is why the FBI came to my house today. And it is also why I could use a margarita this early in the afternoon. But I'll try to wait - have to do that huge expense report for last week still.
Update: I forgot to mention that I asked the FBI agents if it is okay for me to blog about the visit. They said, sure. Then they said - what's a blog? I said, you know, a web log? They said no, never heard of it - seems they are not big on computer stuff and had never heard of a web blog - I tried to explain, then I finally just told them to go to Instapundit and start clicking on links.
Update the second: They were very observant - they asked if someone in the family had been in the military (of couse the American Flag presented to John when he retired is framed and on display) and asked about the bullet board and the gun on the bar. Gandolf and Annie just loved the US Marshal guy, and then, of course, they asked me about the cats - how many, where did they all come from, etc.
I suppose you need to be a naturally curious person to be doing Homeland Security work. Nosy, really. Kinda like me.
Posted by Beth at October 3, 2005 2:34 PM
Comments
holy cow.
Glad they're doing their job.
Posted by: caltechgirl at October 3, 2005 3:20 PM
Heh. And yer really glad they didn't know about the basement. That might have made them *very* (un-neccessarily) nervous.
Posted by: John of Argghhh! at October 3, 2005 3:34 PM
Wow. That was quite an adventure. Guess big brother is watching and I also guess I am glad he is checking up on things as well.
Posted by: Punctilious at October 3, 2005 4:25 PM
It is encouraging to know that the Dept. is taking actions to check into this kind of possible surveillance. If they had gone to the basement - you'd need more than one margerita!!!
Posted by: barb at October 3, 2005 5:14 PM
So you it were yous yahoos snaping away at I-695! Waddaya think 'bout beautiful Charm City?
Posted by: Boquisucio at October 3, 2005 5:19 PM
That made my day even more boring...wow. Thanks
Posted by: Impatient Girl at October 3, 2005 6:51 PM
Okay, that kind of excitement I would gladly do without. I'm afraid I'd be on my second margarita before I could post.
Why would they tell you it was all right to blog about it when they didn't know what it meant to blog? Seems you should always say no when you don't know what folks are talking about.
Posted by: Suzi at October 3, 2005 8:58 PM
1) Many years ago, I was at an NCO acquaintance's house in Hawaii when a couple of FBI guys showed up and asked to speak to him. Alone. Bunch of us were there for a BBQ, so we just waited. Short time later the FBI left. My buddy said they just wanted to know what his plans were for the near future, etc, and did he have any travel plans, and so on. Nothing special, nope, and etc...
Seems he had been a sniper in Vietnam with a special unit, and the Emperor of Japan was coming to Oahu for the first time and folks were a little tense. The Haole (white guy) Mayor of Honolulu had declared he wouldn't attend the visit, the Japanese Governor said he would. My friend was told to stay away from the airport and down town for the duration. None of us were allowed near the place.
2) At the same time that was going on, I was writing on & off to an embassy of a country I hoped would let me join its Army after I ETS'd without making me become a citizen of that country (though I certainly had the right to do so if I wanted). In the last letter I wrote them, I told them I was not willing to give up my American citizenship, I just wanted to go be in their Army for a couple of years, then come home. They said no, but see us after you ETS. I reenlisted instead.
3) Years later, I was interviewed for a clearance. At that time, I was asked about the letters I'd written to the embassy, and shown copies; I was asked about stuff that had happened to me when I was in 3rd grade in a big east coast city** living under a different last name**. I was also asked how I might react to someone telling me I had family in "the Old Country." I was amazed at the first two, and laughed at the second. The Nazis and Russians had killed all of my family in Russia. But the questioner pretty much knew that too.
The point of all that is that the FBI and other folks have been doing their job fairly well for as long as I've been aware of them. At least so far as I can tell. I learned not to underestimate the intel folks a long time ago, and this story just makes me feel even better about things. Good for them.
Also, I'd bet a dime to a dollar, they know about the basement. Maybe not, but I'd be real surprised if they walked in cold, without having done a fair amount of research. I mean they found you didn't they? Moving car, driving out of a tunnel, most rentals are not marked as rentals--somebody must have been paying close attention. Good for them!
V/R
SangerM
Posted by: SangerM at October 3, 2005 10:22 PM
Heh. Guaranteed they knew about the basement. And they already knew the answers to half the questions they asked, including "What's a blog?"
You overestimated their curiosity, though; field agents are very "stay in the lane" individuals. But having said that, nobody--but nobody--beats a field agent when it comes to researching his subject...
Posted by: BillT at October 4, 2005 7:23 AM
Field investigation is like engineering analysis and cross-examination. You should already have a good idea what the answer is before asking a question.
Posted by: triticale at October 4, 2005 3:51 PM
the intel community likes people to underestimate them. it generally makes their life easier.
Posted by: mlah at October 4, 2005 9:23 PM
Well, Ma'am, you were braver than I would have prolly been (you actually demanded a good look at their IDs) but not as brave as all of us should be, that is, say:
No, I don't want to talk to you. No, you may not come into the house. Here is my lawyer's business card; communicate with her/him before accosting me again.
That's advice from the policemen at TheHighRoad.org, on how to talk to policemen. Remember what happened to Martha Stewart. (As much as I dislike what I know about her, I don't think she broke any laws.)
Posted by: Justthisguy at October 5, 2005 1:31 AM
Actually, I'm kind of surprised/relieved to hear that they tracked you guys down based on, what? Traffic cameras maybe?
Better'n I would've thought possible. And well handled by yourself, I'll add.
Posted by: lex at October 5, 2005 12:19 PM
Amazing! You certainly don't live a dull life!!!
Posted by: Sharon at October 6, 2005 9:07 PM