By now, everyone's heard of the pseudo-journalist from a pseudo-news organization who obtained a press pass to cover Presidential news conferences under an assumed name.

No?

Click here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/02/24/EDGJJBFG2M1.DTL)

James D. Guckert used the assumed name "Jeff Gannon" to get a press pass and field "softball questions" at the President. That is to say, precise questions that the President would love to answer, particularly those that criticise those that dissent with El Prez, such as: "How are you going to work with (Democrats) who seem to have divorced themselves from reality?"

The pseudo-news organization is a webiste that calls itself Talon News (http://www.talonnews.com), an organization that is, not surprisingly, on hiatus in the wake of their recent embarrassments.

But that doesnt' end there. Apparently, Guckert had significant links to the administration of gay porn sites and worked as a $200-an-hour gay prostitute as well. (Boston Phoenix (http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/news_features/top/features/documents/04495077.asp);) MSNBC (http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7022981/)). In the MSNBC interview, he doesn't deny the gay porn sites, but he sidesteps the gay prostitution thing. No big surprise there.

My questions:

* How does a unqualified, unexperienced journalist gain access to Whitehouse Press Conferences?

* How does a journalist get clearance using a fake name, particularly in a post-9/11 world?

* How does a journalist that runs a set of gay porno sites get a press pass to cover the Whitehouse?

* How does a prostitute get clearance from the Secret Service (they are required to conduct a background check) to attend Whitehouse Press Conferences?

* How in the HELL does someone that has all of the above get a Secret Service Clearance to attend Whitehouse press conferences?


The only logical answer is, of course, that someone high up in the Whitehouse hierarchy (high enough to influence the Secret Service) permitted it.

The new question becomes why? Why does someone risk career over a good-looking, young gay man?

The answer, again, becomes obvious.

The new question is: which of the senior Whitehouse staff was sleeping with James Guckert, a.k.a. Jeff Gannon?


Had this occurred in the Clinton Whitehouse, I would imagine we'd have an Independent Prosecuter assigned to the case by now and an Impeachment Hearing in Congress. And rightfully so.

Yeah, I remember hearing about this.


*was ready to make a lincoln log joke until he read the post* :(

how do i get a pass? (as long as it doesn't involve sleepig with george or donald...:eek: )

I have a book (not with my anymore, but I remember it vaguely) about some "famous cons" and con artists who have fooled presidents.

One such guy posed as the "princess of Afgahnistan" and her "royal entourage" and had an audience with the US president, etc, and took advantage of a stay at the Whitehouse, got pictures, the works.

Yes, a guy in drag pretending to be a foreign dignitary.

If I get the book I'll follow up with what president it was.

Embarrassing, and scary, but it happens. Even rich and powerful people can at times be gullible.

One would think that in a post-9/11 Whitehouse, the security would inherently catch such obvious violations, though.

In fact, I would suggest that it would have had someone not intervened. That's the only explanation: someone in the Whitehouse heirarchy "pulled strings" for the guy and got him in, past the Secret Service.

You cannot convince me that the SS does not screen each and every press member, even the ones that they "know."

The question remains: who's Gannon's boyfriend in the Whitehouse?

Originally posted by SkinWalker
How does a journalist that runs a set of gay porno sites get a press pass to cover the Whitehouse?

Why not? Why would the White House frown upon homosexuals?

How does a prostitute get clearance from the Secret Service (they are required to conduct a background check) to attend Whitehouse Press Conferences?

Why would it be a problem that he's a prostitute?

The new question is: which of the senior Whitehouse staff was sleeping with James Guckert, a.k.a. Jeff Gannon?

Non sequitur. Who says he didn't get admitted because he promised to throw softballs? And repetedly made good on that promise?

Had this occurred in the Clinton Whitehouse, I would imagine we'd have an Independent Prosecuter assigned to the case by now and an Impeachment Hearing in Congress.

Probably correct.

And rightfully so.

Why? I can understand that you're miffed about the percieved double standard, but I frankly don't understand why it's public business who el Prez is sleeping with.

You cannot convince me that the SS does not screen each and every press member, even the ones that they "know."

And, Skin, that abbreviation makes my skin crawl (bad pun, I know).

Originally posted by ShadowTemplar
Why not? Why would the White House frown upon homosexuals?

Because the president's a republican. 'Nuff said.

Originally posted by ShadowTemplar
Why would it be a problem that he's a prostitute?

I thought prostitution was illegal. >.< It is, right?

Originally posted by TK-8252

I thought prostitution was illegal. >.< It is, right?

If I remember right, prostitution isn't illegal in Denmark(which coincidentily ShadowTemplar is from...)

Prostitution is in fact illegal in the U.S. though if I'm not mistaken it is legal in Las Vegas.

Anyone who wants to correct me can jump in anytime.

It is only legal during night time as far as I can remember. Daylight hours are now strictly family time, but yeah it's legal in Vegas.

Originally posted by Tyrion
If I remember right, prostitution isn't illegal in Denmark(which coincidentily ShadowTemplar is from...)

You do not remember correctly.

Oh, and Tyrion: I'm allergic to that symbol in your Sig.

- ST

Originally posted by ShadowTemplar
You do not remember correctly.

Oh, and Tyrion: I'm allergic to that symbol in your Sig.

- ST

Oh, it's not in support or to glorify Nazism, but that the character in The Wall eventually becomes a Nazi.

If you listen to the album you'd understand what the sig meant.

Besides, I think it's about time we took the swastika back from the sodding nazis. It wasn't theirs to begin with. It's an ancient hebraic protection symbol, and a recognised symbol in nearly every other ancient culture known to man. It DOESN'T belong to those stupid skinhead yobbo neonazis.

Didn't it originate from Buddhism or Hinduism? I keep seeing them whenever I get to visit a temple.

Are you a Buddhist, Luke?

Food for thought (http://www.heathenworld.com/swastika/luck3.jpg)
More food for thought (http://www.manwoman.net/swastika/swastika.html);)

Yes, it's used a lot by Buddhists, although whenever it's used in its diagonal position, it's as a rule a nazi symbol unless the person who tilted it goofed. If it stands horizontal/vertical like in the post card, it's not a bad sign in itself. Far from it.

For many millenia, before it was appropriated by the Nazis, the swastika was a symbol of good luck and prosperity. Almost every race, religion and continent honored the swastika -- a perfect example of the universal spread of a symbol thru the collective unconscious used by American Indians, Hindus, Buddhists, Vikings, Greeks, Romans, Celts, Anglo-Saxons, Mayans, Aztecs, Persians, Christians, and neolithic tribes. There are even Jewish swastikas found in ancient synagogues side-by-side with the star of David!

http://history1900s.about.com/cs/swastika/a/swastikahistory.htm)

I'm not against the swastika and I agree it should be used for peaceful means so that its nazi meaning is surpressed.

Its kind of hard to overcome the nazi image though, as it is so heavily associated with it. Unless you include a "this is a non-nazi swastika" disclaimer with it all the time.

Maybe if we make a pink and flowery one?

PS/ I remember seeing a weird documentary where nazi scientists went to tibet to analyse the physiology of the tibetan rulling class. They decided they were party of the great ancient aryan super race.

Which was odd as they were mostly little wizened chinese looking light brown skinned guys. :confused:

Originally posted by Dagobahn Eagle
Are you a Buddhist, Luke?

Yes, it's used a lot by Buddhists, although whenever it's used in its diagonal position, it's as a rule a nazi symbol unless the person who tilted it goofed. If it stands horizontal/vertical like in the post card, it's not a bad sign in itself. Far from it.


I know this. When I was a kid, I thought there was something wrong with buddhism(considering I learned about the Nazis before learning about the buddhist swastika).

I figured it out a while after I first saw it.

And I'm not a buddhist, I don't follow their teachings or anything. My parents are very buddhist and it makes me sick. They think themselves as being superior to the other religion being peaceful and able to free yourself. Yet all they are no different, being slave to another master is still being slave.

They don't follow the true teachings of buddhism.

Originally posted by toms
Its kind of hard to overcome the nazi image though, as it is so heavily associated with it. Unless you include a "this is a non-nazi swastika" disclaimer with it all the time.

In the western world that is true but I've been to several asian countries and nobody had a problem. This is only due to the ignorance of the general populace.

Its kind of hard to overcome the nazi image though, as it is so heavily associated with it.I'm afraid today's youth couldn't give a hoot about the second world war, and rightly so. That war has been both glorified and demonised in equal measure... when in reality it was merely a macrocosm of every single war that preceded it. Each generation likes to feel the biggest and the most important.

Besides, the REASON the swastika remains associated with nazis is BECAUSE nobody else has used it for another purpose since. If someone started using it, the rot would be stopped.

And I'm not a buddhist, I don't follow their teachings or anything. My parents are very buddhist and it makes me sick. They think themselves as being superior to the other religion being peaceful and able to free yourself. Yet all they are no different, being slave to another master is still being slave.

They don't follow the true teachings of buddhism.Yes, just about the first teaching of the Buddha was that one should cease to favourably compare oneself with others, and instead focus on genuinely improving oneself.

Sitting around feeling superior is distinctly un-buddhist.