General Allen Has Ordered 'Uninhibited Access' to Oil Spill Operations

[kpete]

Source: ABC News

Allen Has Ordered 'Uninhibited Access' to Oil Spill Operations

June 06, 2010 10:15 AM

Admiral Thad Allen told me he has ordered that oil spill operations be open to the media. The National Incident Commander for the oil spill efforts said in my “This Week” interview, “I put out a written directive and I can provide it for the record that says the media will have uninhibited access anywhere we're doing operations, except for two things, if it's a security or safety problem. That is my policy. I'm the national incident commander.”

When I was in Louisiana over the weekend, I experienced stony silence from government workers and private contractors working for BP who were told not to talk about the work they are doing. Allen pledged to make sure word about his directive gets out to workers.

TAPPER: Lastly, I saw firsthand when I was down in Louisiana over
the weekend, all the workers there, whether they work for the governor
or for BP or for private contractors who work for BP, they've all been
told not to talk to the press, not to talk to the public about their
work. Shouldn't they be allowed to share with the public the work that
they're doing?

ALLEN: I put out a written directive and I can provide it for the
record that says the media will have uninhibited access anywhere we're
doing operations, except for two things, if it's a security or safety
problem. That is my policy. I'm the national incident commander.

TAPPER: Well, I can tell you firsthand people are not -- people are
not following that.

ALLEN: You take (ph) the information and you tell me where it's at,
and we'll get the word to them.

TAPPER: All right, Admiral Allen, thanks so much for joining us.

Read more: http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/06/allen-has-ordered-uninhibited-access-to-oil-spill-operations.html

[babylonsister]

1. Good. nt

[ananda]

2. Should a constitutionally guaranteed freedom...

... of the press or any sort be subject to military order or at the whim
of anyone -- I don't care who -- to allow or disallow?

[notesdev]

5. Good question

and I would also ask whether his statement has any reality-on-the-ground aspect to it or it's just pleasant words for a PR effort with no willingness to actually go through with it?

Last I heard - and this is recent - people were being threatened with arrest for simply showing up at one of the beaches affected in order to document the damage.

[primavera]

6. Seriously?

Where did you hear that? I'd be curious to learn more about the details, because that most assuredly would be illegal. Do you recall where you heard that?

[notesdev]

11. CBS Denied Access to Shoot Oil Spill: Coast Guard and Contractors Say, 'This is BP's Rules, Not Ours

video at link:

http://www.mediabistro.com/prnewser/crisis_communications/cbs_denied_access_to_shoot_oil_spill_coast_guard_and_contractors_say_this_is_bps_rules_not_ours_162174.asp


More along these lines from Newsweek:
http://www.newsweek.com/2010/05/26/the-missing-oil-spill-photos.html

[primavera]

16. Thank you!

That's pretty astonishing. "This is BP's rules"? Since when does BP have authority to make any rules and since when is the Coast Guard their lackey? Kind of takes your breath away to see how far we've come.

[notesdev]

18. This is fascism, unmasked

Corporations calling the shots, enforced by the US military.

This is what I am reminded of...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teapot_Dome_scandal

[wordpix]

33. report on public radio today, interview with a reporter from, I think, Mobile

He said his news outlet had leased a plane and wanted to fly low for pix but they were told they couldn't, and had to stay at 3000 ft. And in another instance, he was going with his crew into an area and were told to get out of the area by BP thugs and 2 coast guard people, under threat of arrest.

Totally appears BP is in charge of operation and making the rules. They obviously do not want any evidence or witnesses but good luck hiding the evidence in a 1000 sq. mi. area that's saturated with oil.

[greymattermom]

7. Florida panhandle

They can't stop people from showing up over the entire Florida panhandle. Lots of people own those condos and lots of business depend on the summer tourist season. When great gobs of oil comes ashore there, we'll have interviews and pictures from residents and business owners.

[cilla4progress]

8. There's the world as we would like it to be...

as it should be...as were TOLD it is...

and then, there's reality.

[primavera]

9. Amen

Unfortunately, our Constitution only addresses public rights vis a vis the government. Actions by private actors fall under common law, which has been written by corporations to ensure that they aren't subject to any laws.

[No Elephants]

13. Statutory law and common law

[primavera]

17. Yeah, but as we've seen from Mineral Management...

... statutory law can be bought and, thanks to Chevron, agency interpretations of statute are all but unassailable unless you can prove arbitrary and capricious abuse, which is nearly impossible.

[scentopine]

27. there is no free speech at the work place - workers are not allowed to talk about their work

only corporate authorized communications are permitted to be released to the press. Every company now requires this from their employees or they will be terminated with cause. In last 7 years, I've had to sign this every year, two different companies.

What used to be the personnel department is now the department of protecting the CEO and executive staff, no matter how much it costs in cash or human dignity to those below them. Workers are the enemy.

[crikkett]

3. Your headline should read 'Admiral Allen'

of the Coast Guard.

[No Elephants]

12. The OP's headline should read exactly as the source's headline reads. Them's da rules of DU, LLC

for the LBN forum.

[crikkett]

23. It didn't, by the way.

[kpete]

21. so sorry

too late, but thanks
my mistake, kp

[Hugin]

4. Ah, the old "Safety or Security" loophole, eh.

Almost anything can fall under those categories.

[No Elephants]

10. Agree. Besides, which national security issues are involved in a BP oil mess?

They will continue to try to hide anything embarrassing or potentially embarrassing.

[xchrom]

14. Recommend

[alittlelark]

15. The 'safety and security' caveat...

Sounds like BP's promise to pay all 'legitimate' claims for damages.

I'll believe it when I see it.

[dkofos]

19. About freakin time.

[Cetacea]

20. +1000 n/t

[Aslanspal]

29. I agree about freakin time

Obama has been rolled for that long.. by these Corporatists.

If BP survives this they will just do it again they are just zealot greedmongers ...look at the Texas disaster at the refinery...Exxon Valdez ...they need to go.

[pundaint]

22. Some of these folks have been working for the Admiral for a while. If he may need to specifically

address instances of people following his written directive, maybe the troops involved have been confused about who is in charge for a while. One can understand how American military might think they work for the Oil Industry, as that is frequently the fact of the matter.

[donco6]

24. Easy for him to say that now.

The oil is washing ashore over hundreds of miles of beaches. They can't contain the press anymore even if they wanted to.

[CountAllVotes]

25. oh good

now we can go look at this?



Oil in the Gulf of Mexico off East Grand Terre Island near the Louisiana coast on Thursday. Critics say delays in the response to the spill will result in greater environmental and economic damage.

[rocktivity]

26. As Henry Rollins might say

Don't "order" about it--DO IT!!!

:headbang:
rocktivity

[TheMadMonk]

28. Join a clean up crew and show up with a helmet cam and a throat mic.

Stream your feed until you're on the job and then put your head down and put in a full shift. Come back the next day and repeat.

[joanmj]

30. Good one!

[defendandprotect]

31. k

[w4rma]

32. I take everything negative that I said, previously, back. This is great news. (nt)