With so much attention focused on George W. Bush's "Freedom Agenda" oversees in Iraq, Afghanistan, secret CIA torture prisons, and the like, I'd like to direct your attention to the Freedom Agenda here in what used to be known, until 2000, as the United States of America.
We all know Greg Palast as one of the last of an endangered species in this country - the investigative journalist. He has reported on everything from shady big business dealings to electoral shenanigans that have clouded the last several national US elections, and if the current reincarnation of Richard Nixon squatting in our White House has his way, Greg might be in big trouble...
Join me.
Writing for Greg's website, Zach Roberts reports that Palast is under criminal investigation by the Department of Homeland Security for filming a site owned by Exxon Mobil for a Hurricane Katrina documentary.
http://www.gregpalast.com/...
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.
Exxon-Mobil now apparently has DHS protection.
Taking a quick glance at history and the state of our own Republic, this is, in my view, another textbook example of authoritarianism in collusion with corporatism bound in a determined pact to destroy liberty in the name of advancing it.
We must be ever vigilant.