Feds Shut Down Journalist Access to Spill--Unions, CNN Hardest Hit

AFTRA -- the union of television and radio professionals -- is up in arms over the unprecedented news blackout in the Gulf.

As an affiliate of the AFL-CIO, its defection from the Obama-union duopoly is noteworthy. It represents another mini-rebellion of sorts as increasing numbers of union members are directly harmed by the actions of an administration with only its own interests at heart.

If you're a journalist impacted by the blackout, AFTRA wants to hear from you.

Although I didn't have to look hard to find a case where a journalist was unable to view damage from the spill. Anderson Cooper, for one, cut loose on the White House for its unprecedented behavior in suppressing news stories.

[The federal government announced] a new rule... today backed by the force of law and the threat of fines and felony charges, a rule that will prevent reporters and photographers and anyone else from getting anywhere close to booms and oil-soaked wildlife and just about any place we need to be.

[This comes]...despite what Admiral Thad Allen promised about transparency just nearly a month ago. Here is what he said back then.

...Shots of oil on beaches with booms, stay 65 feet away. Pictures of oil-soaked booms uselessly laying in the water because they haven't been collected like they should, you can't get close enough to see that. And, believe me, that is out there.

But you only know that if you get close to it, and now you can't without permission. Violators could face a fine of $40,000 and Class D felony charges.

We're not the enemy here. Those of us down here trying to accurately show what's happening, we are not the enemy. I have not heard about any journalists who has disrupted relief efforts... We found out today two public journalists reporting on health issues say they have been blocked again and again from visiting a federal mobile medical unit in Venice, a trailer where cleanup workers are being treated. It's known locally as the BP compound... We are not the enemy here.

Yes, you are the enemy here, Mr. Cooper.

You see, the President is -- first, second and always -- concerned with his image.

It took him months to make up his mind about troop levels in Afghanistan but fired Gen. Stanley McChrystal in less than a day after the Rolling Stone reported unflattering remarks by the general's staff.

The president talks about himself endlessly in speeches.

Fox News, Sean Hannity and talk radio, among other critics, were repeatedly singled out by Obama before, during and after his election.

His personal logo is stamped on all of his fund-raising material; and he has his own political action wing -- Organizing For America -- that does not appear to be under the control of the Democrat party.

James Lewis characterizes Obama as "a malignant narcissist", the characteristics for which include:

• "Common to malignant narcissism is narcissistic rage. Narcissistic rage is a reaction to narcissistic injury (when the narcissist feels degraded by another person, typically in the form of criticism)."

• "When the narcissist's grandiose sense of self-worth is perceived as being attacked by another person, the narcissist's natural reaction is to rage and pull down the self-worth of others (to make the narcissist feel superior to others). It is an attempt by the narcissist to soothe their internal pain and hostility, while at the same time rebuilding their self worth."

Mark Levin believes that President Obama thinks and acts like a dictator. The two concepts are not mutually exclusive.

Obama's narcissism manifests itself with a maniacal focus on his goals, irrespective of history, facts, logic and reason. A simple example: his tireless efforts to jam socialized medicine down the American people's throats. Adding a new entitlement program when the country can't afford it's existing entitlements? Solvency is of no concern to Obama.

Anderson Cooper and AFTRA are livid with this administration because of the media blackout. But these dictatorial measures were easy to predict.

If there's one thing this President hates -- even more than capitalism, private property and individual liberty -- it's criticism. Watch out, Democrat journalists. First they came for Fox News...


Hat tips: Patterico and Larwyn.