JULY 4 - A CHALLENGE TO LOCAL NEWS MEDIA

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Charlottesville, VA
July 4, 2008 - 3:30pm


"WELCOME TO CHARLOTTESVILLE, PRESIDENT BUSH" BLOG
ISSUES CHALLENGE TO LOCAL NEWS MEDIA

Despite the best efforts of the “Welcome To Charlottesville, President Bush” blog, its contributors and others, we failed in our efforts to dissuade local anarchists --- many of whom are allied with thinly-disguised socialist-communist front groups --- from turning the July 4 naturalization ceremony at Monticello into a shameful spectacle.

This morning, these anarchists repeatedly shouted obscenities, hateful, lie-filled accusations and other screeds during President Bush’s speech at Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s beloved home.

This blog, though less than a week old, repeatedly documented and alerted the local news media to the fact that local anarchists, whom the media refers to as "peace activists," were fomenting exactly these disruptions. Yet not a single media source* exposed this fact, or challenged the would-be perpetrators on their statements and actions. (*with the exception of several local talk radio show hosts, namely Joe Thomas of WCHV and Rob Schilling of WINA)

The local TV station covering the event was unable (or unwilling) to “bleep” out their profanities. Early reports indicate that this inglorious, shameful episode is being mentioned in the national news media.

In short, this entire humiliating event could probably been avoided, had the perpetrators been held to account by the local news media, and subjected to the public shame that their statements and intended actions deserved, before they had the chance to act on their anarchistic desires.

The question now, from our perspective, is:

What’s next, local news media?

Are you going to continue to enable those that fomented, organized and perpetrated this outrage, by referring to them as “peace activists” or “concerned citizens,” instead of what they have demonstrated they are – anarchists, who use fascist tactics to advance their cause? (More here and elsewhere throughout this blog)

Are you going to continue to refuse to devote the minimal resources necessary to clearly identify for your readers, listeners and viewers that many of these groups are local affiliates of large communist/socialist front groups --- representing an ideology responsible for the deaths of an estimated 100 million people in the 20th century? (Were these groups affiliates of Nazis or the KKK, we all know you would - rightfully - expose and hound them, 24/7; read more here)

Are you going to continue to refuse to ask these groups why they don’t protest or disrupt speeches and events held in Virginia by the most vicious violators of “peace” and “justice” in the world --- so long as these violators’ propaganda and savagery is aimed squarely at America, Israel and/or Jews in general? (More here)

And lastly, are you going to continue to feign ignorance when these groups’ statements and actions squarely contradict their (supposed) missions of advancing “peace” and “justice”?

See more info here, here and elsewhere on this blog.

A detailed backgrounder is below, for those who are new to this controversy.

UPDATE 1: Here's the glorious evidence of what probably could have been avoided, had the local news media done its job: VIDEOS - ANARCHY AT MONTICELLO.

UPDATE 2, July 5: Today, David Swanson admitted that he was part of the disruptions at Monticello: "Why We Disrupted Bush At Monticello." Note that Swanson told the local news media on June 30, "I certainly hope no one intends to disrupt or disrespect anyone who's becoming a citizen." Yet on June 27, he said that protesters should disrupt the Monticello ceremony, "to make it clear to the world... that President Bush is not welcome at Monticello, or in Charlottesville," a sentiment he repeated, and amplified, on July 2. All this information was publicly available, and forwarded to numerous local news media sources by this blog. Yet not one of them (except several talk radio hosts, listed above) confronted Swanson, or the CCP&J (of which he is a board member), about their contradictory statements, or his/its true intentions. Instead, the media continuously repeated his "hope" blurb, and framed him as a "peace activist," ad infinitum, in the days leading up to the ceremony --- ignoring all the evidence to the contrary.

UPDATE 3, July 5: Here's another blockbuster story for the local news media to begin to follow up on --- or ignore: Apparently, the local hive of CodePink forged press passes to get into Monticello to disrupt the ceremony: Daily Kos: How to Forge Presidential Press Passes. Again --- imagine if the local branch of the Nazis or the KKK had perpetrated this, instead of the local branch of larger America-subverting communist-socialist front organizations (more here), in order to get into Monticello to launch a profanity-laden, lie-filled verbal assault on a Democrat president. The news media would (rightfully, in this blog's opinion) be on them like locusts. Now what, local news media?

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BACKGROUND:

The following is all thoroughly documented throughout this blog.

Thomas Jefferson was one of America's premier advocates of peaceful, civil discourse, and of the sanctity of inviolable property rights.

Monticello, which Jefferson designed, constructed and resided in, is private property. Long ago, the Thomas Jefferson Foundation (TJF), which owns and operates Monticello, issued a standing invitation to the President of the United States to speak at its annual naturalization ceremony, held on July 4 each year.

On Friday, June 27, the TJF announced that President Bush had accepted this invitation.

On Monday, June 30, the TFJ announced that 1,000 tickets to the event would be available to the general public starting at 7:00am on Wednesday, July 2, on a first-come, first-served basis at the Monticello Visitor Center. Up to four tickets per person would be issued.

Within hours of this announcement, a board member of the “Charlottesville Center for Peace and Justice” (CCP&J), David Swanson, announced on the CCP&J website that President Bush was “not welcome” in Charlottesville or at Monticello – and that his speech, and the ceremony, should be protested and disrupted. Swanson justified this by posting a variety of hate-filled propaganda and misrepresentations about the U.S., its political leadership and its military.

Mr. Swanson even went so far as to insinuate that Thomas Jefferson – who he incorrectly implied was a pacifist – would approve of these actions, as would many of those to be sworn in as citizens. Detailed info here.

The “Welcome To Charlottesville, President Bush” blog ("this blog") was created on June 28, to expose and counter the actions that were clearly being fomented by the CCP&J and other (supposed) "peace" groups, to disrupt the Monticello ceremonies. See the original post here. This blog also debunked the propaganda and misrepresentations published at the CCP&J website about President Bush and the Iraq war here, and about Thomas Jefferson and his views on war - particularly against Islamist theocratic totalitarians that have declared war on America - here.

Several days before the event, the CCP&J emailed this blog, denying that it was in any way involved in, or sponsoring any protests or disruptions of the Monticello ceremonies. The CCP&J further claimed that Mr. Swanson was not a member of its board, and given all this, requested that this blog remove all references to the CCP&J.

In response, this blog offered to post an announcement of the CCP&J's statement(s), provided that the CCP&J posted an identical notice on its own website.

The CCP&J never replied to this offer. Further, the CCP&J failed to put up any kind of notice to this effect on its own website, and continued to allow Mr. Swanson to post his hateful rhetoric and urgings for disruptions of the Monticello ceremonies, at the very top of the CCP&J website.

All the above is documented in detail, here, here and here.

The CCP&J then allowed Mr. Swanson to use its website to urge those who share his views to "Bring as many people as you can, and each request the maximum of four tickets. Go early!" (implied: regardless of whether they actually needed the extra tickets). Early reports indicate that members of the CCP&J and other (supposed) "peace" groups camped out through the night, or arrived extremely early, to fulfill Mr. Swanson's request. This action clearly prevented other (truly) peaceful local citizens from attending --- while providing anarchists with the maximum opportunity to orchestrate disruptions of the event.

A local newspaper article (as well as the rest of the local news media) consistently referred to Mr. Swanson as a “peace activist” – yet never challenged him on any of his urgings for disruptions of the Monticello ceremonies in his posts at the CCP&J website, or revealed that he promotes the fact that he is a working affiliation with a socialist-communist front group, United for Peace & Justice. This is covered here.

A large radio station ran hourly updates all day on July 2, featuring a quote from Mr. Swanson saying that he hoped there would be no disruptions of the Monticello ceremonies. The NBC-TV affiliate ran the same quote on its newscasts. The reporter offered no challenge to Mr. Swanson, given his repeated, public urgings on the CCP&J website and elsewhere, for his fellow "peace" activists to disrupt the ceremonies. See "Update, July 1" at bottom, here.

This local "news" media's acquiescence to the CCP&J and other (supposed) "peace" groups is nothing new. To the best of the knowledge of this blog's participants, the local news media has never challenged anything the CCP&J or David Swanson have said or done.

From July 2-3, the CCP&J continued to allow Mr. Swanson to post his diatribes and urgings for protests and disruptions of the Monticello ceremonies, at the very top of its website. This is all documented here.

On the evening of July 3, a CCP&J member - using the official CCP&J email system - to send out a notice advising of a protest to occur near Monticello (being organized by other groups – including at least one run by Mr. Swanson) - and encouraging local activists to attend. This is obviously in direct contradiction to the fact that the CCP&J stated to this blog that it has “nothing to do" with any protests. (See “Update - July 3 late-night” at the bottom of this link)

Which brings us to today – and the shameful black eye that local anarchists gave to Thomas Jefferson’s beloved home, to those who were sworn in today as citizens, to the city of Charlottesville, and to anyone who (sincerely) seeks peace and justice.

The question now is – as stated earlier – will the local news media continue to act as shields, willing lapdogs, and enablers for those who represent everything that Thomas Jefferson stood against?

Or will it finally begin to stand up, substantively challenge, and hold to account those who perpetrated this outrage?

Even casual political observers know that if a group of Nazis/fascists/racists established a local organization, and included the word "peace" in its name, the local news media would (rightfully, in this blog's opinion) devote significant resources to relentlessly analyzing, exposing and challenging its members and leadership, and their statements and actions.

Yet for years, the local news media has employed an unmistakably clear double-standard when it comes to groups that claim to advocate "peace," yet which have clear links to larger America-bashing, communist-socialist groups, and which enable, foment and perpetrate exactly the kind of anarchist/fascist-type behavior that we witnessed today during the Monticello ceremonies.

Furthermore, the local news media has expressed no interest in analyzing why these "peace" groups are given de facto carte blanche access to our schools, to proselytize their thinly-veiled socialist-communist, America-bashing, tyranny-appeasing propaganda to our children, whereas groups with opposing views are either rejected as being "propagandists," or face bureaucratic roadblocks.

Will the local news media finally start to act with one standard when it comes to "activist" groups, the ideologies they (actually) represent, and the actions they take - and foment? Will the local news media finally hold groups such as those that fomented and perpetrated what happened at Monticello to full account, and not just take whatever they say as gospel, thereby shielding the public from the reality, while acting as their enablers?

Time will tell.

Check back on this blog for updates.

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