BP's Turf War With the Media - Not Even Close

You read stuff like this (from ProPublica) and you seriously wonder what the hell is going on in this country. Here's a freelance photojournalist describing what happened to him when he took photographs near a BP refinery in

I parked my car on the shoulder of Hwy. 197 near the Texas City sign that is in the pictures, on the south side of town and the refinery. I walked onto the median where the sign is and took the pictures. I walked back to my car and drove a couple of miles to a gas station that is on the way to my hotel. I noticed that what looked like a security truck, which had a light on the top, was following me, although he continued on when I pulled into the Valero gas station. I got out of my car to fill the tank and moments later two Texas City police cars pulled in next to my car, essentially blocking me in, although I wasn't trying to go anywhere, I was trying to get gas.

The first police officer asked me what I was doing and said he had gotten a report that I was taking pictures near the [BP] refinery. I told him I am a photojournalist and had only taken some pictures of a Texas City sign. He asked to see the pictures and I told him I didn't think I had to show them, legally. Another police officer walked up and again asked to see the pictures. I told him the same thing, but assured him that they were just pictures of the city sign, taken while I was in the public right of way.

He said I could show him the pictures or he could handle this another way, including calling Homeland Security and taking me in.

Read the rest.This crap just keeps happening. Limiting access in the name of 'Safety Zones'? Are we really that passive? Surely there are ways around this kind of stupidity.

Also: AUL sent me this link -which details the lengths some journalists have to go to get visuals of the BP mess.

Completely nuts.