Palast Charged with Journalism in the First Degree
From: Greg Palast [mailto:palast@gregpalast.com]
-----Forwarded Message-----
Palast Charged with Journalism in the First Degree
September 11, 2006
by Greg Palast
It's true. It's weird. It's nuts. The Department of Homeland
Security, after a five-year hunt for Osama, has finally brought charges
against ... Greg Palast. I kid you not. Send your cakes with files to
the Air America wing at Guantanamo.
Though not just yet. Fatherland Security has informed me that
television producer Matt Pascarella and I have been charged with
unauthorized filming of a "critical national security structure" in
Louisiana.
On August 22, for LinkTV and Democracy Now! we videotaped the thousands
of Katrina evacuees still held behind a barbed wire in a trailer park
encampment a hundred miles from New Orleans. It's been a year since
the hurricane and 73,000 POW's (Prisoners of W) are still in this
aluminum ghetto in the middle of nowhere. One resident, Pamela Lewis
said, "It is a prison set-up" -- except there are no home furloughs
for these inmates because they no longer have homes.
To give a sense of the full flavor and smell of the place, we wanted to
show that this human parking lot, with kids and elderly, is nearly
adjacent to the Exxon Oil refinery, the nation's second largest, a
chemical-belching behemoth.
So we filmed it. Without Big Brother's authorization. Uh, oh.
Apparently, the broadcast of these stinking smokestacks tipped off
Osama that, if his assassins pose as poor Black folk, they can get a
cramped Airstream right next to a "critical infrastructure" asset.
So now Matt and I have a "criminal complaint" lodged against us with
the feds.
The positive side for me as a journalist is that I get to see our
terror-busters in action. I should note that it took the Maxwell
Smarts at Homeland Security a full two weeks to hunt us down.
Frankly, we were a bit scared that, given the charges, we wouldn't be
allowed on a plane into New York last night. But what scared us more
is that we were allowed on the plane.
Once I was traced, I had a bit of an other-worldly conversation with my
would-be captors. Detective Frank Pananepinto of Homeland Security
told us, "This is a 'Critical Infrastructure' ... and they get nervous
about unauthorized filming of their property.
Well, me too, Detective. In fact, I'm very nervous that this potential
chemical blast-site can be mapped in extreme detail at this Google Map
location
What also makes me nervous is that the Bush Terror Terriers have kindly
indicated on the Internet that this unprotected critical infrastructure
can be targeted -- I mean located -- at 30º 29' 11" N Latitude and
91º 11' 39" W Longitude.
After I assured Detective Pananepinto, "I can swear to you that I'm
not part of Al Qaeda," he confirmed that, "Louisiana is still part of
the United States," subject to the first amendment and he was therefore
required to divulge my accuser.
Not surprisingly, it was Exxon Corporation, one of a handful of
companies not in love with my investigations. [See "A Well-Designed
Disaster: the Untold Story of the Exxon Valdez."]
So I rang America's top petroleum pusher-men and asked their media
relations honcho in Houston, Marc Boudreaux, a simple question. "Do you
want us to go to jail or not? Is it Exxon's position that reporters
should go to jail?" Because, all my dumb-ass jokes aside, that is
what's at stake. And Exxon knew we were journalists because we showed
our press credential to the Exxon guards at the refinery entrance.
The Exxon man was coy: "Well, we'll see what we can find out....
Obviously it's important to national security that we have supplies
from that refinery in the event of an emergency."
Really? According to the documents our team uncovered from the offices
of Exxon's lawyer, Mr. James Baker, the oil industry is more than happy
to see a limit on worldwide crude production. Indeed, the current
squeeze has jacked the price of oil from $24 a barrel to $64 and
refined products have jumped yet higher -- resulting in a
record-busting profit for Exxon of nearly $1 billion per week.
So this silly "criminal complaint" has nothing to do with stopping Al
Qaeda or keeping the oil flowing. It has everything to do with
obstructing news reports in a way that no one would have dared attempt
before the September 11 attack.
Dectective Pananepinto, in justifying our impending bust, said, "If you
remember, a lot of people were killed on 9/11."
Yes, Detective, I remember that very well: my office was in the World
Trade Center. Lucky for me, I was out of town that day. It was not a
lucky day for 3,000 others.
Yes, I remember "a lot" of people were killed. So I have this
suggestion, Detective -- and you can pass it on to Mr. Bush: Go and
find the people who killed them.
It's been five years and the Bush regime has not done that. Instead,
the War on Terror is reduced to taking off our shoes in airports,
hoping we can bomb Muslims into loving America and chasing journalists
around the bayou. Meanwhile, King Abdullah, the Gambino of oil, whose
princelings funded the murderers, gets a free ride in the President's
golf cart at the Crawford ranch.
I guess I shouldn't complain. After all, Matt and I look pretty good
in orange.
*******
A personal request to readers. Many have written to ask what can be
done to protect Matt and me from becoming unwilling guests of the
State.
First, this ain't no foolin' around: Matt and I are facing these nutty
charges. So spread the info. We believe that getting the word out is
the best defense.
Second, call Homeland Security and turn us in. They seem to have
trouble finding us. If you get a reward, you may choose to donate it
to the Palast Investigative Fund, a 501(c)(3) educational foundation
which supports our work and pays our legal fees.
Third, ask your local library to order our book, Armed Madhouse: Who's
Afraid of Osama Wolf? Homeland Security now reserves the right to read
over your shoulder at the library; therefore, the more our agents are
forced to read this subversive material, the more likely we can
convince them to come in out of the cold. All kidding aside, we do
ask you to request your library order the book: not everyone can
afford to purchase this hardbound edition.
Our thanks to Amy Goodman at Democracy Now! and the folks at LinkTV for
broadcasting our report from New Orleans and the Exxon refinery. And
to Gil Noble, host of the ABC Television's Like It Is, our Courage in
Journalism award for broadcasting our report on his network's New York
affiliate. Catch Gil on WABC every Sunday at noon.
In response to a deluge of requests for a copy of the New Orleans
documentary, we are preparing a DVD which you may order at
http://www.gregpalast.com/premiums.htm You may change your email
address or unsubscribe from the newsletter member page. (If you don't
have a password for the member page, you can have one sent to you.)
-----Forwarded Message-----
Palast Charged with Journalism in the First Degree
September 11, 2006
by Greg Palast
It's true. It's weird. It's nuts. The Department of Homeland
Security, after a five-year hunt for Osama, has finally brought charges
against ... Greg Palast. I kid you not. Send your cakes with files to
the Air America wing at Guantanamo.
Though not just yet. Fatherland Security has informed me that
television producer Matt Pascarella and I have been charged with
unauthorized filming of a "critical national security structure" in
Louisiana.
On August 22, for LinkTV and Democracy Now! we videotaped the thousands
of Katrina evacuees still held behind a barbed wire in a trailer park
encampment a hundred miles from New Orleans. It's been a year since
the hurricane and 73,000 POW's (Prisoners of W) are still in this
aluminum ghetto in the middle of nowhere. One resident, Pamela Lewis
said, "It is a prison set-up" -- except there are no home furloughs
for these inmates because they no longer have homes.
To give a sense of the full flavor and smell of the place, we wanted to
show that this human parking lot, with kids and elderly, is nearly
adjacent to the Exxon Oil refinery, the nation's second largest, a
chemical-belching behemoth.
So we filmed it. Without Big Brother's authorization. Uh, oh.
Apparently, the broadcast of these stinking smokestacks tipped off
Osama that, if his assassins pose as poor Black folk, they can get a
cramped Airstream right next to a "critical infrastructure" asset.
So now Matt and I have a "criminal complaint" lodged against us with
the feds.
The positive side for me as a journalist is that I get to see our
terror-busters in action. I should note that it took the Maxwell
Smarts at Homeland Security a full two weeks to hunt us down.
Frankly, we were a bit scared that, given the charges, we wouldn't be
allowed on a plane into New York last night. But what scared us more
is that we were allowed on the plane.
Once I was traced, I had a bit of an other-worldly conversation with my
would-be captors. Detective Frank Pananepinto of Homeland Security
told us, "This is a 'Critical Infrastructure' ... and they get nervous
about unauthorized filming of their property.
Well, me too, Detective. In fact, I'm very nervous that this potential
chemical blast-site can be mapped in extreme detail at this Google Map
location
What also makes me nervous is that the Bush Terror Terriers have kindly
indicated on the Internet that this unprotected critical infrastructure
can be targeted -- I mean located -- at 30º 29' 11" N Latitude and
91º 11' 39" W Longitude.
After I assured Detective Pananepinto, "I can swear to you that I'm
not part of Al Qaeda," he confirmed that, "Louisiana is still part of
the United States," subject to the first amendment and he was therefore
required to divulge my accuser.
Not surprisingly, it was Exxon Corporation, one of a handful of
companies not in love with my investigations. [See "A Well-Designed
Disaster: the Untold Story of the Exxon Valdez."]
So I rang America's top petroleum pusher-men and asked their media
relations honcho in Houston, Marc Boudreaux, a simple question. "Do you
want us to go to jail or not? Is it Exxon's position that reporters
should go to jail?" Because, all my dumb-ass jokes aside, that is
what's at stake. And Exxon knew we were journalists because we showed
our press credential to the Exxon guards at the refinery entrance.
The Exxon man was coy: "Well, we'll see what we can find out....
Obviously it's important to national security that we have supplies
from that refinery in the event of an emergency."
Really? According to the documents our team uncovered from the offices
of Exxon's lawyer, Mr. James Baker, the oil industry is more than happy
to see a limit on worldwide crude production. Indeed, the current
squeeze has jacked the price of oil from $24 a barrel to $64 and
refined products have jumped yet higher -- resulting in a
record-busting profit for Exxon of nearly $1 billion per week.
So this silly "criminal complaint" has nothing to do with stopping Al
Qaeda or keeping the oil flowing. It has everything to do with
obstructing news reports in a way that no one would have dared attempt
before the September 11 attack.
Dectective Pananepinto, in justifying our impending bust, said, "If you
remember, a lot of people were killed on 9/11."
Yes, Detective, I remember that very well: my office was in the World
Trade Center. Lucky for me, I was out of town that day. It was not a
lucky day for 3,000 others.
Yes, I remember "a lot" of people were killed. So I have this
suggestion, Detective -- and you can pass it on to Mr. Bush: Go and
find the people who killed them.
It's been five years and the Bush regime has not done that. Instead,
the War on Terror is reduced to taking off our shoes in airports,
hoping we can bomb Muslims into loving America and chasing journalists
around the bayou. Meanwhile, King Abdullah, the Gambino of oil, whose
princelings funded the murderers, gets a free ride in the President's
golf cart at the Crawford ranch.
I guess I shouldn't complain. After all, Matt and I look pretty good
in orange.
*******
A personal request to readers. Many have written to ask what can be
done to protect Matt and me from becoming unwilling guests of the
State.
First, this ain't no foolin' around: Matt and I are facing these nutty
charges. So spread the info. We believe that getting the word out is
the best defense.
Second, call Homeland Security and turn us in. They seem to have
trouble finding us. If you get a reward, you may choose to donate it
to the Palast Investigative Fund, a 501(c)(3) educational foundation
which supports our work and pays our legal fees.
Third, ask your local library to order our book, Armed Madhouse: Who's
Afraid of Osama Wolf? Homeland Security now reserves the right to read
over your shoulder at the library; therefore, the more our agents are
forced to read this subversive material, the more likely we can
convince them to come in out of the cold. All kidding aside, we do
ask you to request your library order the book: not everyone can
afford to purchase this hardbound edition.
Our thanks to Amy Goodman at Democracy Now! and the folks at LinkTV for
broadcasting our report from New Orleans and the Exxon refinery. And
to Gil Noble, host of the ABC Television's Like It Is, our Courage in
Journalism award for broadcasting our report on his network's New York
affiliate. Catch Gil on WABC every Sunday at noon.
In response to a deluge of requests for a copy of the New Orleans
documentary, we are preparing a DVD which you may order at
http://www.gregpalast.com/premiums.htm You may change your email
address or unsubscribe from the newsletter member page. (If you don't
have a password for the member page, you can have one sent to you.)
posted by peaceandjustice2005 at 5:08 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home