Greg Palast Facing Homeland Security Charges

[kpete]

Palast, Pascarella Face Homeland Security Charges
0 Comments Published by Greg Palast September 7th, 2006 in Articles
by Zach Roberts

Yes, the rumor’s true. Greg Palast is facing a criminal complaint from the Department of Homeland Security stemming from his filming the Hurricane Katrina investigation for Link TV and Democracy Now. The film’s producer, Matt Pascarella, is also facing the legal wrath of Big Brother.

It appears the complaint is about filming a sensitive national security site owned by Exxon petroleum. It seems that photographing major Bush donors is now a federal offense.

Reached at an undisclosed location, Palast says, “Let’s not get over-excited. They haven’t measured us for our orange suits yet.”

During questioning by Homeland Security, Palast asked, “Hey, aren’t you supposed to be looking for Osama? Or for guys with exploding shoes? … We’re journalists.” At Palast’s request, Homeland Security confirmed that Louisiana is, indeed, still part of the USA but did not respond when asked if the First Amendment applies there.

http://www.gregpalast.com/palast-pascarella-face-homeland-security-criminal-charge#more-1485

[MADem]

1. ...photographing major Bush donors is now a federal offense.

It's past time for a change in EVERY branch of government.

This is beyond the pale...

[EVDebs]

74. Palast reported on the NSA's 'spiking' and 'policy shift' pre 9-11

therefore, he had to be attacked. Read this posting at DU and find out more

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2079298&mesg_id=2082766

[EVDebs]

96. Also, on 9-11 an NSA officer was travelling w/*

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=125&topic_id=114370&mesg_id=114370

Por que ? An NSA 'War Room' situations officer... What a coinkydink !

[ariellyn]

93. I know.."sensitive national security site owned by Exxon petroleum"

:wtf:

[Straight Shooter]

2. Now we need to find out how many news broadcasters have done that.

It won't take long to find evidence of all sorts of so-called national security sites that have been photographed, filmed, you name it.

Did this site have a prominent sign displayed, warning against filming it?

What a crock. Doesn't DHS have better things to do?

[MissWaverly]

3. how awful, and how is Exxon classified

it's not a government site, it is not a military installation, this is carrying this NSA
stuff too far, they have valid press credentials, this is ridiculous. They are just
trying to hassle him so that he doesn't write any more about election fraud, and
vote suppression.

[verse18]

4. WTF-Exxon owns a national security site!!

[tomp]

38. my thought exactly, wtf, plus...

...what is a "national security site"?

[ProfessorGAC]

54. Refinery. SOR Site

Any chemical or petro site with a waterfront is regulated for security by the U.S. Coast Guard. In addition, membership of a chemical company in ACC (the trade group) requires a standard of security measures that conform to HSD requests. (Not all chem companies are members of ACC. Hence there are still at risk sites, but most of them don't have any highly dangerous chemicals anyway.)

Lastly, the strategic oil reserve is held in lots of different locations, from salt domes in Texas to caverns in the midwest, to moutain protected tankage in the Rockies. All of those would be national security sites, as well.

I'm not all that surprised the Exxon would own one of these, and i would think a refinery and an S.O.R. site would qualify under national security.

Not that i agree that Palast did anything wrong. But, the sites could easily have that designation.
The Professor

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

51. There are plenty of National Security sites...

...that aren't owned by the government. Chemical plants, nuclear power plants, etc. Probably even some dams and bridges are privately owned.

[jilln]

5. Exxon does not take its security lightly

or at least that's what they think

[annabanana]

28. That is a disturbing article...

Exxon Mobile obviously believe that they are an exception. Special rules seem to apply to them and no one else.

[elehhhhna]

32. Perhaps they shouldl spring for some GUARDS, huh?

[katinmn]

70. No shit! So guys can just walk on their super secret property?

Give me a break, Exxon.

[elehhhhna]

90. Truefact they are super lax. I have contacts there in the exec minsuite..

lower level execs but execs.

Exxon's motto is Cheap cheap cheap. If their shit blows up they'll expect US to pay for it.

[AtomicKitten]

6. Exxon = national security?

Pahleeeze. This government hates Palast for his in-your-face truth-telling. Period.

[Moochy]

45. Amen to that AK!

:hi:

[mikelgb]

7. events are certainly ramping up

[glitch]

20. at an accelerating pace. Interesting times. nt

[John Gauger]

80. "Interesting Times"

That's quite a way to put it.

[glitch]

84. Not mine,got it from the Chinese curse "May you live in interesting times"

[bigtree]

8. first amendment applies here

kick for a kick ass journalist

[leftchick]

9. holy fuck!

Well I suppose they really want him in jail so he can't report on election theft 4.0.

:grr:

[John Gauger]

82. He will do it from his jail cell

Like Eugene Debs.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

10. K&R... It's becoming more obvious every day: Homeland Security is the new

Gestapo.

[SoCalDem]

18. East Germany had the Staasi..Hitler had the SS..the Shah had

Savak...Israel has Mossad...and apparently we have the innocuously named , "homeland Security"..

The thing that irks my soul, is that there was NO NEED for this whole "department"...If it's supposed to keep "bad guys" out and to protect us...well.. isn;t that what the DEFENSE department is already supposed to do?

HS is just another bloated governmental carcass, in which any number of Bush cronies hide....just waiting for their opportune moment, to jump out and yell..SURPRISE !

[Canuckistanian]

23. It should be called HSSS

Heimatssicherheitschutzstaffel

Homeland Security Protective Echelon - It sounds better in German.

[John Gauger]

83. No,

The Defense Department is for bombing brown people. That's why it was originally called the 'War Department.'

[Spiffarino]

35. Crap. Beaten.

Take your pick from history. Every authoritarian regime has its enforcement arm. DHS is BushCo's.

[yowzayowzayowza]

11. Reeks of Despiration.

k&r

[Jack Rabbit]

12. Palast is an investigative journalist

That's a fancy title we Yanks give to a reporter who actually does his job. But I digress.

Being an investigative journalist makes him a threat to the state.

Osama? Hell, what's the worry? H'e only a threat to ordinary citizens. Real people don't count anymore; only articial persons.

[HuffleClaw]

13. political prosecutions are a hallmark of this adminstration

so this comes as no surprise.

[happydreams]

14. If those motherfuckers every tried to question me I spit in their

fascist faces.
Or maybe take a shit in my pants and let them smell it while they asked questions.

Dirty rat bastards!

Is there a law against shitting in your pants while the fucking Gestapo are fucking with you?

[rrasile]

60. For happydreams

I've noticed that your English is much like the low lives on the Free Republic. You sound cool enough but I think we have enough class to make a point a little less graphic and still make the point

[acmavm]

69. Have you read many of the posts here on DU? Some of them

get pretty raunchy. And for someone who only has 61 posts you really shouldn't be comparing anyone to a Freeper or commenting on their language. If you're offened, say so. Speak for yourself.

The rest of us will take care of ourselves and our fine sensibilities.

[happydreams]

78. OK. Why don't you spruce up my message for me.

[Proud2BAmurkin]

15. This smells like bunk

Is this someone who called in a complaint and so they investigated like the Secret SErvice does? Doesn't have the ring of serious

[Warpy]

17. It's harassment

They figure if they can harass the few honest reporters left sufficiently, they'll go away.

[EVDebs]

75. See post #74 near the top of this thread

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

19. I used to sell to many plants and cameras were verboten from inside

or out... Industry takes their shit seriously. And Exxon has paid enough to gubb'ment to have their complaints followed up on.

[walldude]

25. Yeah but since when does Homeland Security investigate

Industrial Espionage? Exxon's not Lockheed, they aren't building weapons. To be honest I was wondering what took them so long to go after Palast, anyone who's read his books will tell you he's a danger to the Administration...

[MountainLaurel]

53. Since such plants were designated

To be probable targets for terrorist activity?

[BattyDem]

37. But prosecuting industrial espionage is not "Homeland Security"

I know Palast isn't an industrial spy, but if that's the kind of charge they're filing, how the hell does it fall under the jurisdiction of Homeland Security?

This PROVES beyond a shadow of a doubt that Homeland Security has nothing to do with preventing terrorism. :grr:

[newspeak]

73. actually, Exxon doesn't pay enough to government

now, they may pay to other individual's to get what they want-but I bet they get more back from us, the taxpayers and citizens, than they ever dreamt of giving.

[nomaco-10]

16. Greg will be Plamed" by the admin.......

for sure for this incident. Maybe this time KKKarl and dick will get sloppy about who they recruit to do their dirty work, or a couple of e-mails will fall into the wrong hands.

[SDDEM06]

21. I also have photos of national security sites

Like those petting zoos and roller rinks in Indiana. I think there are also photos of the White House, Congress and the Pentagon around, too. Better press charges against all those photographers too!

[Disturbed]

22. Homeland Security =

Gestapo.

[Ignis]

30. Limit your photos to New York

No sites of any national security there, according to the recent funding lunacy.

[Deja Q]

24. Yet it's okay to sell off our ports, offshore jobs, & rely on foreign oil?

I'm confused, but the answer will no doubt reveal itself in time. I hope it's a good answer.

[MetaTrope]

43. Dubai is still running those ports, you know...

They are taking their sweet time about finding new owners.

[Jeroen]

26. K&R

[Rex]

27. Ohhh, they would LOVE to 'silence' people like GP.

Bartcop...er...Palast is THE thorn in Big Brother's side. IMO.

[OzarkDem]

29. What a load!

This is just harassment, pure and simple. I hope he doesn't "disappear" now.

[JAbuchan08]

31. k&R n/t

[SammyWinstonJack]

33. Nazis! nt

[Cobalt Violet]

34. So it wont be long before they start coming for the rest of us.

It wont be long.

[BattyDem]

36. Will someone please explain to me ...

WHY Exxon owns a NATIONAL SECURITY site??? :wtf:

[rman]

41. Ehm, privatization is good for the economy, which is good for everyone?

That's a commonly heard argument.

[leversandpulleys]

39. Lets get the word out!

This is the DHS digging around to find _something_ to pin on Greg for doing that last film on Katrina (and for all the rest of his work). We need to get this the attention it deserves. They're using scare tactics to discourage the kind of honest investigation and truth-telling that Greg is known for. We need to call them on it by getting this story out.

[McCamy Taylor]

40. Blatant attempt to silence Palast before the election. They did the same

in 2004 to Mary Mapes and Dan Rather, with the media lynching over the Bush-AWOL story immediately before they were scheduled to head to Florida to cover election irregularities that were going on in that state.

Greg Palast is MR. Election Integrity in this country. The Bush Administration will do anything to silence him so that they can use dirty tricks during the November election. I doubt that this trumped up charge is even about Exxon or national security. Is he a US citizen? Could they be trying to force him out of the country?

[truedelphi]

44. Palast is a born in California American

Attended University of Chicago where he got his masters in either economics or
finance.

Could not get any of the major media here to give him a go on the kind of reporting he likes to do.

One day he got so fed up he faxed one of his articles to The Guardian in the U.K.
and they began publishing him... The rest, as they say, is history

[pitohui]

42. what site?

i guess i'm a hopeless "searcher" but exxon mobile is a big place WHAT exxon mobile location?

i've photographed murphy oil and shell/norco many many many many times because of the photogenic nearness of their flares to the city of new orleans, i had no idea that anyone could object to this

i strongly suspect palast is being harassed for something an ordinary non-famous person would be allowed to do

[pitohui]

46. can some one just effin PM me

i watched the video, there was no exxon mobile in the video or anything else that anyone in new orleans would find more than mildly controversial -- the effin' dr. ben marble video is more contentious

i actually need to know, if there is some reason it's now illegal to take photos of oil company/refinery sites JUST TELL ME and i'll knock it off

[Neecy]

57. that's a good question

I watched the special on DN/Link TV and I don't recall seeing any Exxon/Mobile facilities in it.

So, if he just filmed it but didn't broadcast it, does he still get the gestapo treatment?

[tnlefty]

66. Remember in the film when he went to the FEMA trailer park to try to talk

to the people in there? He did manage to talk to one woman and he stated that the trailer park was an American Gitmo, that it was located roughly 100 miles out from NOLA and it sat next to an Exxon/Mobile facility?

If you watched him on Democracy Now, Amy Goodman talked about going there and that her crew was immediately swarmed by a security firm (Global?) and that the security goons wouldn't let her talk to the people who were there and she said that they were very intimidating. Palast mentioned that he had to sneak past some Blackwater types to talk to the one woman.

edited to add a word

[BattyDem]

79. Why are VICTIMS of Katrina being HELD CAPTIVE by FEMA?!?

Where are the Dems on this?? :grr:

Mr. Conyers ... Senator Kennedy ... Senator Feingold ... WILL SOMEONE PLEASE FIND OUT WHY THOSE PEOPLE ARE PRISONERS?!?

[tnlefty]

94. It would be great if you could've seen the film, however,

go to www.gregpalast.com and look for the stories, one is "Big Easy to Big Empty" and read it and the others. If you can ever see the mini documentary (which I'm sure DHS has taken care of now) you'll begin to figure it out. It's a nasty Catch 22 on our fellow American citizens, and I haven't slept very well since I learned of this situation.

Where are Conyers, and others, they may not know. I thought that I was trying to be informed about what was happening to the victims of Katrina, and this film and Amy Goodman's reports laid bare to me that I have much to learn and to try to uncover.

This just makes me sick. I've been trying to figure out a way to inform some trusted alliances within my community and elsewhere that this is a situation that is JUST NOT ACCEPTABLE!

[Neecy]

88. thanks - now I remember

There was a brief refinery shot there - I think it was to dramatize just how shitty a location was selected for this camp.

Amazing that they'd have the place surrounded by barbed wire, the residents given one trip a day (to Wal-Mart, no less!) and private security goons keeping reporters out.

The half hour with Amy was terrific - I loved the piece she aired about trying to have the dead body removed and everyone passing the buck. Terrific television, so unlike our corporate media.

[tnlefty]

95. You're welcome.

I need my memory jogged sometimes, especially with names! :hi:

[cyclezealot]

47. This is just an outrage.

When are Americans going to get a backbone. WE keep reciting the saying, "... when they came for the trade unionists,"
' I remained silent.'
when they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.'
We have gotta get some backbone and protest in whatever means it takes to save ourselves.
boy,do I admire the French. they take no crap. And the government knows it.
Do something this outrageous and the whole nation is in the streets.

[City Lights]

48. OMG!

:scared:

[leesa]

49. This might be a mistake on DHS part...messing with Palast. DHS is

rather a bumbling group and Palast is not.

[Aviation Pro]

50. Didn't we defeat the....

...Soviet Union and why are we turning into it?

[mojowork_n]

52. What's with the "undisclosed location" business?

I hope this doesn’t screw up the planned appearance at Fighting Bob Fest, tomorrow. (Saturday, the 9th). Greg Palast is supposed to be the closing, headline speaker (Saturday, the 9th, at 4:15 pm) at the Sauk County Fairgrounds, in Baraboo, Wisconsin, located a little north and west of Madison.

This makes one more reason to go, if anyone’s got the time and is within reasonable traveling distance.

[mojowork_n]

56. Location of FightingBobFest

Here's the website:

http://fightingbobfest.org/index.htm

There's a map, and everything.

[shanson]

85. Last I heard

It still wasn't clear if he's coming to Fighting Bob Fest. I'd heard he was on a Madison radio station this morning and that he said it still isn't clear if they're going to let him fly to Wisconsin today (he's supposed to be in Madison tonight for the Bobfest kickoff).

[knitter4democracy]

92. I was thinking that, too.

It's like we magically became the Soviet Union. I think these guys learned the wrong lessons from the Cold War--I think they forgot which side won and how.

[savemefromdumbya]

55. What was Exxon up to?

[originalpckelly]

58. And so the persecution of the liberals has begun.

God save us.

[warrens]

59. This should be fun

I'd LOVE to see them make this stick. The overreach of these nazi punks is just incredible.

[alfredo]

61. I lived in a police state and if the police thought you took a

photo of a sensitive area, they'd destroy your film, but they wouldn't file charges.

A few years later the people rose up and kicked out the right wing government and installed a Marxist government.

[Spazito]

62. I can't access Palast's site...

Is anyone else having trouble loading it?

Edited to add: I can get up the main page re Armed Madhouse but not gregpalast.com

[rman]

63. same here

www.gregpalast.com does come up, with the Armed Madhouse add, as it should.
But can't continue to the main site at
http://www.gregpalast.com/section/articles

Which is kind of odd because it's the same domain name.

[orleans]

64. maybe he's been hacked--or homeland security is hard at work

with our tax dollars, taking down greg's site. (what a bunch of horse shit! i'm so glad we're being protected from these liberal journalists! ((i'm sure you know i'm being sarcastic as hell))

randi will probably talk about this today on her show (unless they malloy her)

[Spazito]

77. It's accessible now...

Maybe it was just getting hit hard earlier, I hope that was the reason, that would be good news!

[noonwitch]

65. In a way, this is good (hear me out)

Palast is not going to take this lightly and this stuff needs to get into the courts and under public scruitny.

[npincus]

67. I can't wait for him to become a household name!

Get the mainstream reading his books.

[PATRICK]

68. RFK Jr.

did an embarrassingly easy flyover of a nuke facility. I think he might have gotten heat much later for that, but it took a lot of time. TIME magazine or one of its sister mags did a mice cartoon scenario and maps of a possible commando strike on a nuke facility- very soon after 9/11. Nothing was done about that kind of needlessly helpful footwork. A Republican senator blows an important information out to the public. Geraldo shows an actual combat map live on TV. Zero real consequences after the outrage is dropped.

There is no Homeland Security or any other in these circumstances. Only GOP political security. Period. The rest is chaos and political punishment that is arbitrary and helpful to terrorism more in its own right than any conceivable single incident even IF it should prove to be useful to a single terrorist plot.

[Imagevision]

71. The bigger question whats Exxon petroleum have to hide??

[newspeak]

72. wait just a minute now

are they saying that he's being detained for even mentioning Exxon? Tell me what's more serious? Remember the truck at the nuclear facility-the driver who said his license was stolen, he had no ID? Remember they found quantities of cash on him? Palast is more of a threat or questionable than the two that were going to get a pass at a nuclear facility? This reeks, big time!!!!

[Jcrowley]

76. Keeping the world

safe for corporate busheviks and free from the dirty truth of Cheney and his kleptocrats. Chilling effect of domestic terrorism courtesy of Der Homeland Sekurity brownshirts.

[CollegeDUer]

81. First McKinney then Palast

The feds really want to take down all of the people who expose the Washington Establishment, don't they?

[lonestarnot]

86. Oh no! Those fucks wouldn't know a terra ist if they ran head on

with one.

[Einsteinia]

87. Yeah, don't photograph the Golden Gate Bridge OR

take a picture with Goofy at Disneyland. . . .

Or Bush. . .

Here we are ostensibly fighting foes of democracy when we've abandoned it here long ago.

The hypocrisy exceeds the word hypocrisy. Need a new word!

[Maat]

89. If he ever sets up a Defense Fund ..

I'll be one of the first to contribute.

Go ahead, DHS, give EVERYONE motivation to see the segment!

I saw it, and it was fantastic.

They are trying to bully him, and get him to agree to let up. He needs to CALL them on it; they will NEVER succeed in prosecuting him (I say, in my humble opinion).

[Kurovski]

91. Kick. (nt)

[TFYQA]

97. Palast's harassment...

Most likely reasons behind Greg Palast’s harassment and why THEY want to shut
him up…

It has more to do with his basic stands than about any photo op ;)

A few little resumes for ya all...

Dying Regime Part 2
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-316522221891913371&hl=en

Dying Regime
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=378229989470389403&q=Dying+Regime

Lynching by Laptop Part 2
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=29166033447680735&q=Lynching+by+Laptop

Lynching by Laptop
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=832266622252138740&q=Lynching+by+Laptop

Available in audio only format here : http://www.purevolume.com/tfyqa

http://www.gregpalast.com/tfyqa-white-noise

Politics is the entertainment branch of industry. -Frank Zappa

We have become a nazi monster in the eyes of the whole world – a nation of bullies and bastards who would rather kill than live peacefully. We are not just whores for power and oil, but killer whores with hate and fear in our hearts. We are human scum, and that ishow history will judge us… No redeeming social value. Just whores. Get out of our way, or we’ll kill you. – Hunter S. Thompson

[CarlVK]

98. This smacks of all the US soldiers guarding Iraqi oil refineries

just after the initial US invasion. Kinda puts a stark face of truth on the whole thing, doesn't it?