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Living on the Border -

Bisbee women, advocate for free speech, tries to silence TC blogger.

by on Oct. 03, 2011, under Uncategorized

The Bisbee woman that got thrown off YouTube for violating their privacy  policies when she irresponsibly and with no regard for their personal safety or the safety of their families, posted a video showing detailed closeups of  Border Patrol agents faces in the field, is now trying to silence this TC blogger.

After crying the first amendment and the rights to freedom of speech, Alison Bane McLeod, Southern Arizona Field Organizer for Progressive Democrats of America, (a public figure) is now trying to censor the media.  In an email to the editor of the Tucson Citizen, and many other individuals through out the nation, McLeod made slanderous, wild and false associations in regards to my character  and viciously attacked my  personal beliefs through false  accusations in a attempt to alter my blog and silence my right to free speech. The information in the blog, Bisbee woman harasses CBP Agents and gets slapped by YouTube, was legally posted from public internet sources.  I respectfully request a retraction of the horrendous associations she has falsely claimed and a personal apology.

 

 

From: ”Alison McLeod” <alisonmcleod@wildblue.net>
Date: October 3, 2011 6:55:46 AM PDT
To: <mevans@tucsoncitizen.com>
Cc: ”Pamela Powers”, “Dan O’Neal”, “Darrell. Hill”, “Isabel Garcia”, “Jennifer Allen”, “Jonathon Shacat” , “Mike Hersh”
Subject: The Tucson Citizen published my private information
Dear Mark Evans:
First, let me commend your publication for providing a much-needed vehicle for free speech rights in the Tucson area. However, it was irresponsible and showed extremely poor judgment to allow right-wing blogger Karl Hoffman to publish the name, address, home phone number and photograph of a single mother living on the U.S. Mexican border.  As you are aware, it was people of Karl Hoffman’s ilk and ideology who brought us the Gabrielle Giffords shooting, plus the subsequent auctioning of a Glock pistol to raise money for the Arizona Republican party.
I have already received one pre-recorded prank phone call.
Although I believe that racist blogs such as Hoffman’s should be brought into the light and examined, publishing my personal information was obviously Mr. Hoffman’s invitation to do me or my family harm.   I vehemently request that you remove the information from the Citizen post.
Alison McLeod, RN, BSN
Southern Arizona Field Organizer
Progressive Democrats of America
“The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities.”
–John F. Kennedy
Karl W Hoffman
Documentary Film Producer
Freelance Photojournalist
Multimedia Reporter

This entry was posted on Monday, October 3rd, 2011 at 3:45 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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  • cochisecitizen

    Alison is way over the top in calling you a “right-wing blogger” and saying your blogs are “racist”. But I did think it was unnecessary and irresponsible for you to include her address and phone number in your blog. I didn’t comment at the time as I felt I understood why you posted the info, as as contrast/comparison to Alison’s posting of video showing the faces of BP agents and detainee – both are intrusions into the right and expectation of privacy. But if you are going to act Holier than Thou in demanding a retraction from her, I will say it: posting her address and phone number was irresponsible and could endanger her and her family – there are far too many extremists out there who might take things too far. 

    • http://www.livingontheborder.com Karl W Hoffman

      I never made false accusations or falsely associated her character with the cause horrendous crimes and I never attacked her political views just to further my own crusade. McLeod has plastered her own name across the internet waving the banner of free speech and bringing as much attention to her own cause as possible.

      All you have to do is copy and past her name into your browser and in seconds all the info is on your screen and much more. According to another TC blog McLeod had be getting threatening mail for her actions many days before I posted my blog.

      To rub it in CBP’s face, McLeod even posted her banned original video on the ACLU website and provided links to major media nation wide. This was done to further he own agenda and without concern for the safety of the BP Agents or their families. The only extremist here is McLoed.

      Holier than Tho, not in the least. Fed up with liberal hypocrisy, Yes

      • cochisecitizen

        Last time I checked 2 wrongs still don’t equal a right.

  • leftfield

    I thought there was gonna be trouble with this one, Karl.  As a photographer, you must be aware of the “The Photographer’s Right”, a pamphlet widely distributed by photography clubs and associations.  It is well-known that you can photograph anything that is visible on public property or your own private property, including law enforcement officers.  Now, if she had published their names, along with their photos and maybe some contact information, then she’s likely be in trouble.

    The reason I use a pseudonym when I post is because in the past I have written letters to the editor of various papers under my real name.  Unfortunately, my viewpoint was not always well received, and my family received some threatening phone calls.

    • http://www.livingontheborder.com Karl W Hoffman

      There is a whole different set of rules that come into play since the patriot act and the the proximity of the international border. Also you have an investigation in progress, a crime scene since the individual in custody was injured, etc. As a photojournalist if I were to try and cross a police line taped or verbal, stating it was a public place and I had the right to photograph/video what ever I wanted, I might be e mailing you for bail.

      • leftfield

         ”There is a whole different set of rules that come into play since the patriot act and the the proximity of the international border.”

        That might be true, I certainly don’t know.  However, in reading the letter above, I am more interested in the information that you were responsible for Jared Loughner shooting Gabrielle Giffords.  I did not know this.  
        Have you and Jared been friends long?

        Poor Jared, it seems nobody wants him.  The right wing claims his radical leftism inspired him to shoot Giffords, et. al., and the left claims he is a Second Amendment fanatic.   I wonder if this happened when a deranged and obsessed man shot Garfield so many years ago.  

    • Don

      I think Karl’s point is that Ms. McLeod’s actions exposed the Border Patrol agents to an elevated level of personal risk.  She took actions that led to their photographs being widely distributed on the Internet. 
      Were her actions legal?  Probably.  Were they ethical?  Well, if you’re the kind of person who smiles in satisfaction when Border Patrol agents get shot, you probably think they were.  
      As for the rest of us, we tend to look dimly on actions—however legal they may be—that put Border Patrol agents at risk. 

      • cochisecitizen

        Don, I agree with you – Ms. McLeod’s actions exposed the Border Patrol agents to an elevated level of personal risk, and was not right. I still maintain that two wrongs do not a right make, and publishing her address and phone number was retaliation, NOT responsible journalism, and not something that belongs on the Tucson Citizen.
         

        • http://www.livingontheborder.com Karl W Hoffman

          The voice of the people ?

      • leftfield

        Always put your complete trust in a person in uniform.  There is something weird about conservatives and uniforms; conservatives and authority figures.

        • http://www.livingontheborder.com Karl W Hoffman

          I personally have never been very conservative, but as you pointed out many blogs ago, I m a little right of the center. I would however put my trust the majority of the time in a trained professional even in a uniform rather than some crazed and irrational activist screaming found less acusatory remarks.

          • leftfield

            In America, you might be considered a “little right of center”.  In Europe, the moderate liberal of America would be considered conservative.  In Venezuela, I’m quite the moderate.

            • JUST LIKE GREECE

              Which, in Venezuela, is lucky for your continued health.

  • R.D.

    Some just don’t get it Karl. Probly never will. Please keep doing what you do. I personally like hearing the truth and I like the integrity that you put in what you write. If most would look back at what you write they would see you just tell it like it is.

  • R

    Wow, Border War’s shows border patrol agents, faces, in fact the encourage the shows camera men to follow them on their daily activities, duties, seems to me if this ladies activities were some how threatening, violating any laws she would have been arrested, maybe the fact is she was not doing anything illegal, was on her own property, excercising her 1st amendment rights! I seem to remember a case in news where police were arresting a man at a traffic stop, a lady video taped it from her yard/side walk, officer got “upset” ordered her to stop video tapping it, she backed up away but continued video tapping, he arrested her, she got bailed out and sued and case settled out of court where police department paid her a settlement for false arrest/violation of her rights! One can claim anything one wishes but in America one can sue for various reasons, slander, defamation of character etc., violation of ones civil rights, now then it ends up in front of a jury of 6 in a civil case, no guarantee you will win or loose, how beautiful is america!;-)

  • R

    Unfortunately one see’s uncivil communications on internet which often border on slander, libel, defamation of character all the time, some even creep into the category of communicating a threat, seems some folks let their allligator tails over load their hippopotamus mouths!:-)

  • FortheloveofCountry

    I’ve seen the show, Border Wars, and yes, they do show agents faces etc, but  not all the time. I’m sure the BP has / does restrict certain information from being released and I know for a fact they do conceal identities of some agents as necessary. However, this isn’t about the show and what they do and don’t show. This is about one person who has no regard for anyone or anything but herself and her own agenda.
    Should Karl have posted her info? Why not. It’s totally public information that she put out there in the first place. If she wanted to hide it for personal safety reasons there are steps a person can take. Did she have the right to film even after they asked her not to? Probably.  Should she have, No.  But there again, she wasn’t worried about them, her agenda clouded her common sense and she had no problems until she decided her own personal safety was at risk.  NOW, all of a sudden, this whole public info thing, rights and what have you are a BIG PROBLEM.  Pot calling Kettle here…

  • R

    Border War’s show proves one thing, you cannot have your cake and eat it too, either you have legitimate reasons for keeping BP agents faces secret or you don’t!:-)

  • Blondie

    This is just a guess but I’m thinking that the agents on Border Wars may choose whether or not to have their faces obscured and also whether or not to have their names shared. A friend’s husband is BP and was on a recent episode, shown close up from the side for several seconds, speaking to the camera, while operating some equipment, and his name was never mentioned. He strikes me as the type who would not want his info shared, but I did not ask. I have also noticed that many of the agents the crew rides with are supervisors. They hopefully removed their public info from the internet years ago. Just for kicks I googled one of the names that is repeatedly on the show (air support pilot) and he does not come up. So, there’s some speculation about the precautions taken by agents who know in advance (and agree to) being on film for the world to see. 

  • http://www.livingontheborder.com Karl W Hoffman

    Sorry folks this site has been hacked and all my responses have been removed.  Working on the problem.

  • cochisecitizen

    Uh Huh. Interesting. I thank  Karl  for responding quickly to my post via email, and thank Mark for looking into and responding to whatever happened. This is my favorite southern AZ site.

    • http://www.livingontheborder.com Karl W Hoffman

      Well now that that is over with we can get back to the heated debate. Where were we and who was ahead? LOL. By the way thanks for bringing it to my attention.

  • cochisecitizen

    1st wrong: McLoed video taping faces of BP agents & detainees’ faces and posting it on a publicly assessable site. And in an environment that could result in extremist “retribution”.
    2nd wrong: Your posting her personal info – address & phone number – on a publicly assessable site. And in an environment that could result in extremist “retribution”.
     

  • cochisecitizen

    And, by the way, I would have thought you would have corrected your subject line typo by now: It’s not “Bisibee women . . . “, it’s Bisbee woman – that is if you consider someone who lives much closer to Naco a “Bisbee” person.

  • cochisecitizen

    You’re right, you are bad at math. I’m not going to help your blog with hits by doing continuing to do the math for you.

  • http://www.livingontheborder.com Karl W Hoffman

    Didn’t recall asking for help with the math. Well at least we know it’s not about the wrongs, but about the my blog stats.

  • cochisecitizen

    Why have all of Karl’s posts been removed? It looks like I was carrying a conversation with myself.  If that was an editorial decision by the TC, then fine. But if Karl decided to remove all of his posts & replies then I certainly won’t waste my time posting on any more of his blogs.

  • http://www.livingontheborder.com Karl W Hoffman

    I dont know what is happening to this site weather it has been hacked or what but all my comments have been removed from the entire TC website and it is not administrative.

  • Mark B. Evans

    The site wasn’t hacked. Another blogger reported your comments as spam and your comments were filtered out as spam. The problem is fixed and your comments are back now.

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