This was posted on the Innvestigative Editors and Reporters listserve tonight:
ABC TV Local affiliate KATU Portland Oregon, on Friday night, September 17,
2004; was covering the Dick Cheney band wagon swing through Oregon for the
umpteenth time.
They have footage showing the "crowds" pushing up to the "stage" which is set up
at the edge of a private airfield (I think near Eugene OR). The camera is at
the back of the crowd; elevated a bit looking at the "candidate".
All of a sudden a member of the "crowd" took off his shirt, and on his back was
painted an anti-war message. The guy was "going to" try to say something, but
as soon as the members of the audience saw him, THEY PUMMELED HIM TO THE GROUND
AND KICKED HIM.
IT WAS UNBELIEVEABLE!!!! And a little while later, ABC News actually
INTERVIEWED the "NUMBER ONE" perpetrator of this violence, asking him why he
assaulted the guy. The guy answered, "The guy came here really sneaky, like a
snake in the grass. And when see a snake in the grass, you stomp it! So I
stomped the little snake in the grass!"
This was on the 5 Oclock News (and damn it I didn't tape it).
So I got ready to tape it a half hour later, and the STORY WAS PULLED. The part
where they interviewed the guy was gone, and it was replaced with the moderator
saying, "THE SECRET SERVICE DETAINED THE GUY".
The reporter's looking for a copy of the tape. Can anybody help out?