More idiocy on showing, this time from Bush homeland, Texas:
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/upshot/a...164258433.html
Gabriel Elizondo, a Brazil-based correspondent for Al Jazeera, is in the middle of a road trip across the United States, talking to people about the effects of 9/11 on American life. In Texas, Elizondo says he just experienced part of the impact firsthand.
"Ten miles," he
wrote Sunday in a blog post. "That's how deep I got into Texas before being asked to leave."
On Friday, Elizondo says, he decided to stop at a high school football game in Booker, Texas, near the Oklahoma border. "What better a setting to immerse one's self into Texas rural life than high school football," he wrote. "I easily imagine sitting in the bleachers, eating a hot dog (or three) and drinking a Coke, talking football (the American kind) with parents and maybe slipping in a little 9/11 if they allow me. It's a no brainer for me. I love this stuff. I'll take this over sitting in a White House press briefing any day of the week."
But after Elizondo introduced himself as a member of Al Jazeera to Booker High's principal, a warm Texas welcome apparently turned cold.
"I don't think anything can wipe that double-wide smile off Mrs. Yauck's face," he wrote. "But my Al Jazeera business card does the job pretty quick."
"So you're from Al Jazeera," Mrs. Yauck says in a sharp tone, still looking down at my card. Looking up at me, she adds quickly, " So what's your spin on this story?"
"I don't have a spin," I say, still smiling to try to ease any sudden tension. "What I told you is exactly what I want to do. Just talk to people, film a bit. That is it. Nothing more. Nothing less."
"But you're with Al Jazeera?"
"Yes," I say proudly, still smiling.
But Mrs. Yauck is again staring down at my business card.
"Our superintendent is here, let me just go talk to him and I'll be right back."
According to Elizondo, the superintendent, Michael Lee, said, "I think it was **** rotten what they did."
"I am sorry, what who did?" I say, not sure exactly if he was calling me rotten, the terrorists rotten, Al Jazeera rotten, or all of the above.
"The people that did this to us," he says back to me with a smirk, still glaring uncomfortably straight at my eyes.
"Well, I think it was bad too," I say. "Well, do you think, sir, we can film a bit of the game and talk to some people here about just that?"
"No. You can't film, you can't take pictures, or interview people."
"OK, can I ask why? And if you allow me can I explain …"
Cut off.
"No, I just expect that you will respect it."
Elizondo says he respected the superintendent's wishes, and left.
I guess I could have snuck back in and secretly filmed with my Blackberry. I could have went back in with a camera rolling and confronted Mr Lee, which would have certainly got the classic shot of him putting his hand in front of the lens of the camera and likely provoked him to call the local sheriff. It would have turned into the largest scandal Booker had likely ever seen. But I quickly decide against it, not wanting to make a mockery of 9/11 just for a cheap TV confrontation trick. That was not my objective going in, and wouldn't be my objective now.