WOW! Did not see that coming!

A close buddy received a very cryptic message from a mid-level manager at the organization for which she works:

"Please don't use political messages on your ... email tagline. ... I'd appreciate it if you'd change it today."

(Cryptic in that in the actual email the super sounded like she was relaying the message.)

So ... said friend had two quotes within the last couple days and was, at last communication, waiting to hear back on which one disturbed said mid-level manager. One was somewhat political -- but also totally benign and rooted in academia. It was about oil and was from Foreign Policy, which is very well respected.

And the oil quote was relaying stats, not solely opinion. I'll see if I can dig it up from one of her emails. Yes. Here you go ...

"Oil is a curse. ... Statistically, an authoritarian oil country is far less likely to move to democracy than a resource-poor autocracy." -- Moises Naim, Foreign Policy editor-in-chief

The only other one she had used was a new quote from a news story in The Denver Post -- only had since the day it ran, which was like two days ago.

The headline was: "Lawyers question decision to talk with FBI."

The story centers around the reporter's conversations with esteemed local attorneys who were asked for their take on the handling of the case by the suspect's attorney.

The best quote attorney quote among a story littered with great attorney quotes:

"There is an expression among defense attorneys, 'When there is no crime, there is 1001,' the code section charging people with lying to the FBI."

So. Waiting to hear back if oil offends or if defense attorneys offend.

I can't say that I have heard of this ever coming up before at any organization in the history of email. Have you heard of this happening to anyone before?

(With all due respect, that is so North Korea, isn't it? But it also reminds me of that movie The Falling Man and the 9-11 image that everybody wanted to go away. And so it did.)

Seems like some sort of chilling effect is at play here. Maybe someone emailed said higher-up? Hmmmm. Plot. Thickens.

Someone who drives a Hummer and LOVES oil with every meal?

(I'm betting it is the oil just because the other quote was brand-spanking new. She didn't have enough time to offend anyone.)

Stay tuned, cowboys and cowgirls.