[Northampton-GP] RE: No-Fly List Strikes Greens Again!

[Jim Bosman]

About that article I posted a link to the other day,
this email came through the state statecom list.

Jim


--------------------------------------------

By Shaun Delaney of Pittsfield ((former?) GRP State
Committee Member)

I would like to say a few words about this call to
arms and the article that inspired it.

This site www.timnews.com declares, "DEVELOPING -
Justice Department 
declares Green Party a "terrorist" organization ..
Alternet" Then offers a 
tantilizing snippet of the story and a link to another
site www.alternet.org 
with the full article atributed to "Frederick Sweet,
Intervention Magazine 
January 6, 2003" Feel free to read it in full at this
link - 
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=14884.

The article came across with all the jurnalistic
integrity of the Fox News 
info crawler. In my opinion here's what this story is
lacking that lead me 
to give it almost zero credibility:

- The article is atributed to Frederick Sweet as
published January 6th 2003, 
and not once mentions the dates involved with the
actual incident involved. 
The name and location of the airport described as
where Mr. Stuber was 
denied passage 3 days in a row is not mentioned.

- The very first line "Writing about his no-fly
nightmare in the Fairfield 
County Weekly, art dealer Doug Stuber..." suggests
this is a review or 
rehashing by Mr. Frederick Sweet of information from
yet another source. 
This could very well have been a Letter to the Editor
written by Mr. Stuber 
himself.

- At no point is there any suggestion that the author
talked to a single 
person involved in the story to substantiate facts or
confirm quotes.

- Mr. Stuber is described as visiting the airline desk
(apparently Delta 
airlines) 3 times on three consecutive days, not one
of the clerks was 
quoted nor was Delta Airlines contacted for comment.

- An "officer Stanley" is mentioned as approaching Mr.
Stuber for 
questioning. The full name, possition, and police dept
of this officer is 
not mentioned and could have been legaly obtained very
easily by Mr. Stuber 
himself or a journalist investigating the story.

- Besides the unidentified first airport, subsequent
atempts to board a 
flight in Greensboro (NC?) and then Charlotte (NC?)
are desrcribed, again 
with no mention of the airports or airlines involved
and no attempt to 
contact anyone persons for comment or confirmation of
facts.

- Once again the only date we are given between these
two websites is 
January 6th 2003, just over a year ago, when Frederick
Sweet apparently 
summarized for some pulication called Intervention
Magazine something 
written originaly published at an unknown date and
unknown author in 
something called the Fairfield County Weekly.

- The headline on www.timnews.com, where we were all
prompted by to go to 
read about Greens being labled terrorists, starts off
with the word 
DEVELOPING in bright red letters of a larger font size
than the accompaning 
text. This suggested to me that it was a CURRENT story
and that I was about 
to pointed to some FACTS by a JOURNALIST who was
actively INVESTIGATING on 
behalf of a concerned public.


My greater point here is: This is how rumors are
started kids! This is the 
exact method of corupt politicaly motivated journalism
that the right uses 
to smear progressives (and moderates and centrists and
anyone else standing 
in thier way for that matter). We need to hold our
sources of information to 
the HIGHEST measure of integrity. We CAN NOT allow
ourselves to accept rumor 
and inuendo as fact just because it is against our
opponents. This only 
diminishes OUR credibility.

There are much better documented cases of a wide range
of people being 
denied access to commercial airlines after 9/11,
including Greens, Labor 
leaders, various clergy and peace activists. If anyone
would like to get 
involved I suggest contacting the ACLU for an update
on the cases they are 
representing and perhaps asking how you can help.

peace,
Shaun Delaney


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