Huffington Post:
A BBC film crew was detained after it breached the back gate of the top secret military facility known as Area 51 while filming a new documentary about UFO conspiracy theories.
During the incident in the Nevada desert, a camouflage-dressed guard carrying an M-16 told a member of the British team, “We could make you disappear and your body will never be found,” according to a crew member.
“Eight guards wearing combat fatigues immediately came out with their assault rifles and they grabbed us, forced us to the ground and we were all made to lie facedown in a row on the tarmac with a gun at our back.”
You intentionally ignored signage and walked onto a top secret US government base? I’d say you’re pretty luck to A) not be in jail or 2) not be in a shallow grave out in Area 51.
It’d be one thing if they walked onto some less-known base by accident… but Area 51? C’mon. Every dog and cat in the country knows not to sneak past the fence of that one. And by “country” I mean “the world”.
Lucky not to be in jail? Sure. But we’re not supposed to be the “shallow grave” people. It’s not clear from your post whether you’re being jingoistic or cynical.
The quote in the story of “We could make you disappear and your body will never be found,” suggest neither. “We” are also not supposed to be the torturing types either – and yet, “we” are.
Actually, some of the signs say, “Use of lethal force authorized.” Yes, when you trespass onto a top secret installation you risk death.
If I had a nickel for every time I told a civilian there were dire consequences for >actually not that damn serious violation here<, I could fill the end of a tube sock and beat a beaver to death.
And yes, that’s one of my very favourite sayings.
Cynically Jingoistic. Delightfully Contrarian. Implicitly Demagogic. Brusquely Enigmatic.
Yeah, I don’t know. Maybe it’s a joke?
The BBC does many many things that are awesome. Its BBC3 channel is not one of them. It’s aimed that “the youth”, but treats young people like utter idiots and feeds them foul dross for the most part. This programme is a BBC3 programme.
This is the BBC. It’s unlikely that they could be magicked away so easily.
Umm…huh? Do BBC film crews have some sort of magic ability not available to other film crews? Do BBC film crews have an immunity to being shot and having their bodies squirreled away in the desert of a top secret military base?
Sorry but a BBC film crew in this situation is protected by the same thing that protects everyone else – the sense of morality, ethics and legality of the people on the other end of the M-16’s.
The BBC has “Diplomatic Immunity”? Really?
It’s known as a ‘Top Secret’ base. What ever is there is Top Secret… so would’ve been the BBC film crew (wink-wink).
Being a journalist, I’m all for open government, and have had my issues with the military at times, but this is just stupid. They deserve to be deported and banned from ever reentering the country. I never violated military borders doing my job. Never had to.
Had they brought Heineken with them everything would have turned out OK>
Is it OK for your government to be fully willing to murder you if you attempt to acquire information about the obscurantist operations it’s been carrying out for decades with your tax money? That doesn’t sound too democratic.
It’s probably an affiliate of The Learning Channel.
Simplistic question gets a simplistic answer: “No.”
How are military secrets inconsistent with people voting for their representatives? I suppose democracy means we all have the right to know nuclear launch codes too?
Democracy does not equal “the right to know the password to the Oval Office.”
Where do you people come up with this stuff?
Posted without reading byline. Please disregard.
Area 51 is just a toxic dump now.