By Greg Palast for Vice Magazine

Now, if this were a movie, you would hear the audience scream, "DON’T TAKE THE KEY! DON’T GO UP THOSE STAIRS!"

The reporter part of my brain was screaming, too: 'THIS SMELLS BAD.' But I couldn’t  hear a thing because, while I was out for the story, the memory of Ms Jamaica’s hand in my pocket had drained the blood from my cerebellum. I went up those stairs. Unlocked the door.

BUT FOR GOD’S SAKE, DON’T TAKE OFF YOUR PANTS!

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By Greg Palast for Vice Magazine

George Bush told America he'd keep us safe from terrorists by having us take off our shoes at the airport.

Yesterday, Barack Obama again took the Oath of Office. And this Obama 2.0 is also going to save America from insane killers – by limiting ammo clips to ten bullets instead of 30.

At a television press conference about the Newtown school massacre last Wednesday, a tearful President called this, "meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this".

It won't.

But, once again, we get to pretend that our presidents protect us and save us from what is murdering us and destroying us.

But The Great Assault Rifle Debate, like the War on Terror, is just another Weapon of Mass Distraction.

This is the second of Palast's weekly columns for VICE – beginning with a bang: a four-part series on Alex Jones, guns, Piers Morgan and Palast's penis.  If you read the full version of part 2 of these reports right now at Vice Magazine,

You get a bonus:  a free download copy of Palast's latest book, the bestseller, Billionaires & Ballot Bandits.

In all fairness to Obama, he also called – as Bush did – for a massive increase in the number of FBI files kept on Americans. I feel safer already, don't you?

Here's the facts, ma'am: There are about 4.5 million assault rifles in American civilian hands. That's around the same number as in tiny Switzerland (population: eight million). Tens of thousands of Swiss keep a 9mm Sig Sauer, like the one used by the Newtown killer. But we don't see the Swiss sweeping dead kids out of their schoolyards.

The weapon of America's deadliest mass killer, Timmy McVeigh, was fertiliser. Maybe we should ban bullshit, but that would shut down Washington and all five major TV networks.

At his assault-gun dog-and-pony show on Wednesday, Obama shed tears for the murdered victims, as well he should. But where are his tears for the victims of the MACT?

Let me explain. Last month, Obama bullied his own Environmental Protection Agency into watering down the "MACT" standards – the limits on industrial boiler pollution.

Under this loosened "MACT" rule, industry will get to triple the hydrogen chloride and triple the particulate filth they may dump into the air. The White House crows that Obama's bending over on this rule will save corporate polluters $1.5 billion (£945 million) a year. Yippee!

Last year, the White House proudly posted the statement of EPA's Administrator Lisa Jackson that her proposed boiler pollution rules would help "prevent 17,000 premature deaths [and] 120,000 cases of childhood asthma symptoms."

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By Greg Palast for Vice Magazine

PART ONE: ALEX JONES VERSUS DOWNTON ABBEY

Alex Jones is right. Deport Piers Morgan. NOW. Send him back. In chains.

The year's big YouTube hit, Alex Jones shoves an assault rifle (figuratively) up Piers Morgan. Alex was simply trying to explain to Piers why America has a Bill of Rights while England has David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Paul McCartney.

Before I enumerate the charges against Morgan, we need to ask two questions. Why did Alex Jones – the host of one of the only intellectually substantive, fact-heavy forums on American radio –  seem to lose it on air? And why is it so important to the media elite to ridicule Alex Jones and dismiss him as a fruitcake and a buffoon – just another scary, Texan gun-nut – while they venerate Pus Moron – the scoundrel, the faker, the wanker – like he's Thomas Jefferson?

* * * * 

This is the first of Palast's weekly columns for VICE – beginning with a bang: a four-part series on Alex Jones, guns, Piers Morgan and Palast's penis.  If you read the full version of these reports right now at Vice Magazine,
You get a bonus:  a free download copy of my latest book, the bestseller, Billionaires & Ballot Bandits.

* * * *

The yell from Alex's throat was not his own voice alone – it was the choric cry of his millions of listeners in the forgotten heartland of America. It was The Scream of the Screwed.

It's not about guns. (Show me more...)

By Greg Palast for Truthout

Updated as Vaya con Dios, Hugo Chàvez, mi Amigo.

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Over the years many things have been said about Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez but rarely has the true story of the man Pat Robertson called "a dangerous enemy" been told - that's what I've done in The Assassination of Hugo Chavez.

Since the main stream media has decided that Chavez is "a ruinous demagogue" (NYT) - I've decided to release my film, The Assassination of  Hugo Chavez for free. You can download it for free at the link, or leave a small donation so that we can continue making films like this.

Download the Film for FREE

Watch the Trailer

Thanks,
Greg Palast

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Here are the stories that got the most attention in 2012

The Palast Investigative Fund was quite effective this year. Vulture funds were banned, election theft made national headlines, and we outed gov't profiteer posing as a candidate.

Oh, and our little book Billionaires & Ballot Bandits hit the New York Times Bestseller list for 5 weeks.

This was a great year for the Palast Team (other than our photographer getting his head and camera beaten) - and we couldn't have done it without your support, financially and through the simple act of sharing our information.

We're ready for 2013 and have already started putting together the plans for our next investigations, films and maybe even another book.

For now though - please re-read our top, breaking stories from 2012 - many of which you can find in Billionaires & Ballot Bandits. (Show me more...)

By Greg Palast for Truthout.org

[New York, December 18, 2012] Even for New York, this was WEIRD. There were a half dozen Santa Clauses on Second Avenue getting a sermon from a Midwestern preacher who looks like a cross between televangelist Jerry Falwell and a white-haired Elvis.

The Santa Crew and their mini-skirted elves were on their way to get drunk (drunker?) with another thousand Santa impersonators at "SantaCon," an annual gathering of St. Nicks. But they were willing to let the Reverend Billy attempt to save their souls.

Reverend Billy did not object to their plans for lubrication, but to their original Sin: collaborating with the Devil's work known as "Christmas Shopping."

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By Greg Palast

The Mayans sure know how to take the fun out of Christmas.

The world ends on December 21... but that still gives you time, if you act NOW, to make your year-end tax-deductible donation to the not-for-profit Palast Investigative Fund.

And we'll get a 'Thank You Gift' out to you (or anyone you designate) by priority mail within 48 hours of your donation.

That's way before the Big Choc-Mool pulls the plug.

Send us a much-needed year-end donation of $200, $20, $2000, $5. Whatever you can.

Or donate and get one of these items as thanks: (Show me more...)

by Greg Palast
Monday, December 10, 2012

By my initial calculation, 9.3 million Americans lost their vote on November 7 – purged from voter rolls, blocked at the polls, or had their “provisional” and absentee ballots thrown in the dumpster.

Let's get to the bottom of this: In the next 90 days, we need to name names, expose their games, and make sure things don't stay the same.

Just because Mr. Obama won re-election doesn't mean the vote-heist didn't happen. This is no joke: the evidence suggests the GOP actually lost the majority of Congressional races. But, through sick tricks in Arizona and three other states, snatched enough seats to hang our economy over a fiscal cliff.

Help me dig through the mud in those ballot boxes.

Make a year-end tax-deductible donation right NOW. In return, I'll send you the Holiday Stocking Gift-Pack of books, DVDs and political tarot cards, and I'll sign each, for a minimum donation of $125.

Or get a signed copy of any of my books or DVDs.

Order your Hanukkah and Christmas gifts right now and we'll get them out to you first class within 48 hours.

As Frank Sinatra said,… (Show me more...)

A personal note from Greg Palast

Damn that Sandy! She flooded our New York office.

I am asking those of you who can, to make a tax-deductible donation and download my New York Times bestselling book Billionaires & Ballot Bandits: How to Steal and Election in 9 Easy Steps or simply make a contribution here. Keep us afloat!.  Keep our investigative team above water.

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