No Media Coverage Media: Scared?
Forest Glen Durland exerted pointed effort to get media coverage, but all in vain. There surely must be people who care about blatant government corruption, as well as solutions to these problems.
Congressman George Hansen bears and wears scars from unlawful torture by the Federal Marshals who violated Constitutional law. Without warrant or jury trial Hansen was tortured and jailed. Exposing corruption in the billions of dollars, he apparently made someone angry. But just why and who ordered the Federal Marshals from our government to violently defy our Constitution? That is certainly newsworthy.
Congressman George Hansen states that he can produce evidence and witnesses to support his statement that the CIA is responsible for about 70 percent of the illegal drug traffic in the United States. George also states that he hesitates to mention any names because he does not want to cause their deaths. That is national news in anybody’s language. One would think that local media would jump all over that one. One could anticipate at least a telephone inquiry. Instead, not one peep out of them. In fact, the Merc even back pedaled! Forest was astonished.
1. San Jose Mercury News, a Knight-Ridder Publication. (The "Merc".) The Merc was contacted first, giving them a full week jump on the story. They had published the "Dark Alliance" series, exposing CIA involvement in the crack epidemic in LA. Other leading newspapers questioned their evidence. Then the Merc editors issued two editorials that seemed to straddle the fence. Assuming they would appreciate more evidence to support their series, Forest Glen Durland contacted them first. They were at first helpful and put him in contact with the Dark Alliance author, Gary Webb. From that point forward, everyone at the Merc started back pedaling. It was confusing at first. Why would a newspaper that had the intestinal fortitude to expose the CIA run scared now? Apparently someone very big very high up had exerted some influence. Congressman Hansen gave his reason: The media is afraid to tangle with the CIA. Forest Glen Durland certainly agrees with that statement.
Forest even put Gary Webb and George Hansen together on the phone. George commented that Gary did not seem interested. From that point on the people at the Merc began back pedaling on the story. Gary Webb seemed to be hiding. This is not reporter talk. Gary Webb is a veteran journalist, and a good one. Something strange is afoot.
4-10-99 Note: After reading Gary Webb's book, Dark Alliance, I now know what happened. There certainly was something afoot. The Merc spiked (trashed) the series, undoubtedly from pressure from the White House. And Gary had suffered for it -- just like another veteran reporter had suffered. Someone very big very high up is crucifying our journalists for telling the truth. That certainly bodes ill for America.
With painstaking accuracy in his book, Gary documents the drug market with serious implications to the CIA and several other federal agencies. The book documents George Hansen's statement. I highly recommend this book to make you aware of our very rotten federal government.
Webb, Gary. Dark Alliance. NY: Seven Stories Press. C. 1998 by Gary Webb.
2. San Francisco Chronicle. (The "Chronicle") Once the leading newspaper of the Bay Area, one could expect at least a phone call from this independently owned newspaper. When the Merc ceased to respond, calls were made to the Chronicle to ascertain the correct contacts. Copy was faxed to the Chronicle. After no response, the process was repeated. Not a peep.
3. Cupertino Courier. A local weekly that should have found some news value here. A phone call followed by a fax info sheet produced no response.
4. National Public Broadcasting. KQED, the local, public owned (?) TV and FM stations, need not run from the CIA, one would think. Phone calls followed by a fax info sheet garnered nothing.
If the media won't tackle corruption by the Federal Marshals and the CIA,
what else is going on that we don't hear about?
Why the Silence?
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