UPDATE 7/3/10:
MSM Wall Protecting Obama Gulf Oil Spill Response Cracks With Latest AP Report
Perhaps it is frustration, as expressed by Anderson Cooper, with the new White House rules inhibiting reports about the Gulf of Mexico oil spill that is now causing a big crack in the Mainstream Media wall which until recently mostly avoided direct criticism of the Obama administration response. However that crack has now turned into a flood of surprising criticism coming from formerly friendly outlets such as the Associated Press. Read this amazing AP report and keep in mind that it is no longer just conservative sources that are harsh in their criticisms of the Obama Gulf oil containment efforts:
UPDATE 7/4/10: 1st Amendment Supsended; BP Gulf Oil Spill Coverup Now Violates US Constitution And Bill of Rights
The Federal Government has effectively suspended the 1st Amendment by issuing an order that bans all media access to spill, boom, cleanup sites and workers under threat of felony charges and a $40,000 fine.
While we have seen the media blackout evolve over the course of the disaster in the Gulf the latest ban is especially alarming.
With the issuance of the ban the coverup of the BP Gulf Oil Spill now directly violates the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and the alarming part is that they aren’t even hiding it.
In case you have forgotten, here is the text of the First Amendment of the US Constitution which is a part of the Bill of Rights.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."In other words, The First Amendment protects a fundamental right of the “We the People” by prohibiting the Government from infringing upon the freedom of the press.
It assures that Freedom of Speech is not violated by making sure that the media can operate without the interference from an overreaching Government.
Yet that is exactly what we are seeing here, interference by the Government on behalf of a corporation that is directly infringing upon the Freedom of Press.
The Government sponsored interference directly infringes upon the ability of the media to report on this catastrophe and to provide “We the People” with the necessary facts needed to protect us from an evermore corrupt Government that is beholden to the interests of Big Oil.
The interference by the Government first began by air with the issuance of a NO-FLY zone that infringes upon the Freedom of Press by making certain that the media can not report on the presence of oil or animals that have been trapped in harms way because of the spill.
The Government sponsored infringement on the Freedom Of Press has now has now been expanded from air to both land and sea with with the latest ban that prohibits media access to spill, boom, cleanup sites and workers.
Once again the much promised transparency from BP and the Government proves to be lip service surrounded by a cloud of secrecy.
The latest ban should not be surprising.
It is just the natural escalation of the entire chain of events during which BP and the Government have time and again told the American people one thing and have done another.
As long as we continue to sit idle it will continue to happen.
To steal a line from Rick Barry, “Your silence speaks volumes.”
Our women and children will get sick from going to beaches the Government tells us are safe.
A plague of cancer and other disease will be the result of inadequate seafood safety requirements that haven’t detected a single piece of contaminated seafood while scientist warn us that they are seeing evidence that the entire food chain is becoming contaminated.
The Government will continue to hide the true location of the oil which has now been confirmed in the Gulf Stream and up the entire East Coast of Florida whether the Government admits to it or not.
The Government will continue to assure the media and the public that clean up operations are underway that really aren’t while oil continues to assault the Gulf Coast and everyone know that there should be super tankers out there sucking up this mess.
The reason the our founding fathers gave us the basic rights of Freedom of Press and Freedom of Speech was to prevent such things from happening.
But don’t be alarmed as you watch those same rights which have been provided to you in Constitution disappear into a black cloud of smoke before your very eyes.
No, instead you can be rest assured that Big Brother has your best interests in mind not the interests of Big Oil.
You can trust Big Brother when he tells you being a slave to oil is just a necessary sacrifice you must make in order to enjoy the luxuries of the American lifestyle that we all cherish so much.
Or can you? Here’s the story. Judge for yourself.
Under threat of a federal felony, National Incident Commander Thad Allen HAS BANNED ALL MEDIA ACCESS to boom operation sites and clean up sites. Allen’s orders effectively bans all media – print, television, radio and Internet bloggers from talking to to any clean-up worker or to even come close to take pictures or videos of booms, clean-up workers, oil soaked birds, dead dolphins, dead marine life, burned and dead endangered sea turtles.
Allen has issued a blanket order that bans anyone from getting close to any spill clean up site, boom site, areas where there are clean up workers or any other oil disaster related area or persons effectively shutting down the first amendment rights of the media. The zone of exclusion is 65 feet. There was rumor that Coast Guard bosses wanted to impose a 300 feet exclusion zone but later relented to a 65 feet no trespass and exclusion zone.
CNN’S Anderson Cooper reveals the full media restriction issued by the Coast Guard
"This is despite assurances from Thad Allen that there will be full transparency on all clean-up operations. Allen claims local officials were asking the Coast Guard to create a media-free buffer zone. However no media outlet — television, print, Internet or radio could find a single local official who requested the Coast Guard to ban media access to oil sludge sites on land or water. Since no local official requesting a no media zone can be found, it can only be assumed that the ban was requested by BP.
Read more of this story at Alexander Higgins BlogIf there is any time that First Amendment lawyers are needed — Now is the time, the gulf is the place and the defendant is the federal government."
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