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The Issue Is Not National Security But Image Security

by Open-Publishing - Saturday 16 September 2006
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Governments Catastrophes USA

http://www.baltimorechronicle.com/2...

The Issue Is Not National Security But Image Security
By Greg Palast
September 14, 2006

Forget the orange suit. Exxon Mobil Corporation, which admits it was behind the criminal complaint brought by Homeland Security against me and television producer Matt Pascarella, has informed me that the oil company will no longer push charges that Pascarella and I threatened "critical infrastructure."

The allegedly criminal act, which put us on the wrong side of post-9/11 anti-terror law, was our filming of Exxon’s Baton Rouge refinery where, nearby, 1,600 survivors of Hurricane Katrina remain interned behind barbed wire.

I have sworn to Homeland Security that we no longer send our footage to al-Qaeda—which, in any case, can get a much better view of the refinery and other "critical infrastructure" at Google maps.

Given Exxon’s back-down, I hope to confirm with Homeland Security, Baton Rouge, that charges will be dropped today.

Matt and I want to thank you, our readers and viewers, for your extraordinary and heartfelt responses. Public support undoubtedly led Exxon to call off the feds.

Of course, this was never about our tipping off Osama that Louisiana contains oil refineries. This has an awful lot to do with a petroleum giant’s sensitivity to unflattering depictions of their plants, which are major polluters along Louisiana’s notorious "Cancer Alley."

I’ve learned that, in April last year, Exxon brought a similar Homeland Security charge against Willie Fontenot, an assistant to the Attorney General of Louisiana. Fontenot was guiding a group of environmental studies pupils from Antioch College on a tour of Cancer Alley. Exxon’s complaint about the "national security" threat posed by their photos of the company’s facility cost Fontenot his job.

The issue is not national security but image security. You can get all the film you want from Exxon of refineries if you’ll accept nice, sanitized VPRs (video press releases) of clean smokestacks surrounded by happy herons.

What’s dangerous is not that reporters will end up in Guantanamo; the insidious effect of these threats is to keep networks from filming government and corporate filth, incompetence and inhumanity. Besides the Exxon foolishness, our camera crew was also blocked from filming inside the notorious Katrina survivors trailer encampment.

Furthermore, earlier that same day, a FEMA contractor had grabbed our camera, in mid-interview, when polite but pointed questions exposed their malfeasance.

As with Exxon, the bar from filming at the refugee camp and in the offices of the government contractor were presented to us as a "Homeland Security" matter.

After the September 11 attacks, CBS Newsman Dan Rather said, "George Bush is the President. ...Wherever he wants me to line up, just tell me where."

Reporters who step out of line, who ask uncomfortable questions and film uncomfortable scenes, soon find their careers toasted, as Dan can attest to.

One of George Bush’s weirder acts in office (and that’s saying a lot) was to move FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, whose main job is to save us from floods and earthquakes, into the control of the Department of Homeland Security. Exxon’s refineries, once "pollution source points" scrutinized by government watchdogs, are now "critical infrastructure" protected by federal hounddogs.

As the front lines in the War on Terror expand from Baghdad to Baton Rouge, we find that America has been made secure only against hard news and uncomfortable facts.

Again, our sincere thanks and gratitude for your support. Cakes with files have been consumed.

Greg Palast writes this report from New York With permission of LinkTV, Palast’s production, "Big Easy to Big Empty: the Untold Story of the Drowning of New Orleans," is available on DVD. It will also include an interview of reporter Greg Palast by Democracy Now’s Amy Goodman plus an excerpt from Palast’s bestseller, Armed Madhouse on the topic, "Class War and Hurricane Katrina." For a copy, a modest, tax-deductible donation to the Palast Investigative Fund foundation is requested. The fund supports the work of Palast and those working with him, and pays their legal fees.

Forum posts

  • Looong but excellent read:

    Corporate US Up To Its Neck In 911 Guilt - Whistleblower

    This transmission originated on April 23, 2006; and is addressed to the Future of America:

    A Grand Master Chess Player can think 20 or more moves deep- in essence calculating a Googol of possibilities in his or her mind before making a move. Now, if I were to contend that I could sit down with 8 of the world’s master chess players, and using the aid of only a pencil and paper- or less- play them simultaneously, guaranteeing that I could win at least 4 out of the 8 games, and that I could repeat this feat at will, anytime… Would you bet for me, or against me?

    Keep that in mind. Now, what if I told you that by simply dividing the 8 expert strategists into 4 pairs, you could simply play the first player’s moves against the 3rd player, the 2nd player’s moves against the 4th, and so on, so that essentially the Grand Masters would all be playing each other, with only the illusion that you were making a mockery of their individual talent? Would it make any difference in how you perceive my abilities? Only if I disclosed how I did it, and when that disclosure was made, of course. You see, I’ve been studying illusions, but more to the point, I’ve been studying the illusionists…

    J. Edgar Hoover once said: “The individual is handicapped by coming face-to-face with a conspiracy so monstrous- he simply cannot believe it exists”… & he would know… as I believe that Hoover is someone who spoke from experience, not conjecture.

    In the spirit Hoover’s observation, I’m here to ask the question: What if such a monstrous conspiracy were broken down, processed, and then distilled into an easily comprehensible format, wherein it was effectively communicated to the audience by taking them behind the scenes- where the illusions could be easily understood by the all who wish to see, and perceived in a way that cannot be un-learned? What if the audience were shown the critical perspectives from which the illusions cease to hold any influence over their thoughts, feelings, and actions?

    In other words, I’m looking for someone else who sees the proverbial elephant in the middle of the room, someone who likewise senses that there’s too much not being talked about, events which affect all of our lives.

    That’s a major challenge that I’ve struggled with for the past several years, because I have solutions for the problems presented by the New Normalcy that has flooded our society post 9-11… But it’s next to impossible to communicate the solutions to the People, many of whom think that the illusions are indeed real. And the most horrifying reality of the illusions to which I am referring, is the pain that innocent people are suffering because so many people in our Country are congregated together in the 51st State- the State of Denial.

    On the other hand, I think that you probably have an idea that something is wrong; and that’s why you’re listening to this- and based on what I’m about to share, I think that you’ll feel both empowered and motivated by the overall feeling you’re left with after listening.

    The gravamen of what I have to share within this message outweighs any measure necessary in order to achieve a line of communication with you… So, thanks for taking the leap of faith necessary to grant me this impromptu meeting.

    After all, it’s not as simple as picking up the phone and calling people these days with this sort of information… because even if I had dialed your number, we wouldn’t be the only ones listening. Now, I say this not out of paranoia, but rather as a result of having been on the other side of information technology systems- and I’m familiar with how the data is collected, applied, and manipulated, and used against the American Public… and I think that more people would be interested, if only this information were to find its way to their attention.

    And though I wish that this message could find its way to all of the Voices, which are influential in Our Society- I’m thankful, that I’ve at least gained an audience with someone of influence, someone who has demonstrated a sincere interest in helping the Truth find its way into the Public Mind.

    What I’m asking for you to do is to lend me your attention and hear me through to the end, and if you do, I think that in HindSight, you’ll see your cognitive participation in this exercise as being time well invested.

    The events I’ll be discussing relate to the Who, How, and Whys of September 11th, why this information is being suppressed, who’s suppressing it, and how I came to make this recording- as an escalated measure to communicate this information to the people who can use it to heal America… people like Yourself.

    But first, I should ask: Do you really want to know what happened on 9-11?

    Moving forward under the assertion, that you do: I’ve taken the liberty to write out some of what I need to say, and I’ve done this as a precautionary measure- because the relations I make herein are complicated, dangerous revelations, and I think that we have a duty to make our best efforts to be specific and precise in what we say, and the language that we use to address the topic of September 11th.

    What brings me here to you today is my experience- a chain of events and causal consequences- which forged a foundation… from which sprung thousands of hours of research… and has led me to many hundreds of attempts to enlist the interest of people like yourself- people who have experience and resources, but not necessarily all of the information critical to catalyzing the American People into action. I’m going to challenge you to think, and since the only thing our leaders can recommend We do to help win the war on Terror is pay higher gas prices and look the other way while they plunder Our Future, I’m here to ask that you take what I have to say to heart, because you can do something about what’s going on.

    You see, I’ve found that there are few people left in our society, who have a voice and corresponding influence in the public arena… and even fewer who have the perspective from which they can accurately direct those who will listen to their message. And, still, even fewer, who are willing to shoulder the consequences of making outspoken statements in a society which now frowns on people who think for themselves or raise question and concern when they see innocent people being hurt.

    Continue to read:
    http://www.rinf.com/columnists/news/911-whistleblower-richard-andrew-grove-transcript