Transparency just Vanished

What would yield a $40,000 fine
and a Class D Felony charge?

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 no trespass & exclusion is 65 feet.  ~ Story via Michael Moore's website. 

Right here in the land of the free, with the free press. I expect this to be challenged in court. 
Ya know.... the Bill of Rights.... 1st Amendment to the Constitution & all that. 
The bottom line for me, is why are the Coast Guard & BP spending any time at all jacking around with media blackouts? Don't they have more pressing & important issues to address? Did they really think this country was going to roll over & allow this to happen? Just the worst environmental disaster in the history of our country & now taking a photo is a Felony?
FYI if you are convicted of a Felony you lose rights. 
• The lifetime exclusion of felons from jury service
• The right to possess a firearm
• The right to hold public office or vote
• Eligibility to earn a living & practice a profession may be restricted


Making photo taking re the oil spill, a Felony Crime is a big deal. This should not be happening with a President who is a Constitutional Scholar. This is a slippery slope with a lot at stake- a horrible precedent to set. No entity should have the ability to disallow freedom of speech & a free press. 
We need a free press that can report the truth, and taking photos is a part of the way to tell the story. Besides the fact we were promised transparency-- by both BP & the Coast Guard, it is our Constitutional right.


For the record, I don't consider myself to be a pessimist, I consider myself a realist. If we don't demand our Constitutional Rights be upheld, then I guess we deserve whatever we get. The notion we would agree to stand down & let BP run the EPA & the Coast Guard under these circumstances, while imposing a felony charge for taking photos of this historic catastrophe, is absurd. 

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




What is it they don't want us to see?

$4 million dollar boom failed

The effects on wildlife?

Boom on Marshes not so good

At least NASA photos from space adhere to the 65 foot ban. Oil appears as white in the photo.