.
On Jan. 21, 1987, following his conviction on
trumped -up corruption charges and facing a
lengthy prison term, Pennsylvania State
Treasurer R. Budd Dwyer shot himself at a
crowded press conference, continuing to proclaim his
innocence. Prior to his suicide Dwyer gave a lengthy explanation
laying out how he had been set up and who
was responsible. He begged the press to tell his story.
Instead, what Dwyer had to say was totally suppressed,
despite the fact that shocking images of his
suicide, a .357 revolver in hand, with the barrel placed
in his mouth, were broadcast and printed round the
world. This included a particularly gruesome image
that appeared in The Washington Post, which like the
rest of the media suppressed the real story.
Dwyer claimed, and the facts demonstrate, that he
was the victim of a political vendetta by his fellow Republican,
then-Pennsylvania Gov. Dick Thornburgh,
who used his connections in the Justice Department —
Thornburgh was a former federal prosecutor —
to arrange Dwyer’s frame-up and undoing.
While the mainstream media — including all Pennsylvania
newspapers — lied to their readers and
claimed that Dwyer had read a “rambling statement”
before he died, Dwyer’s final statement was anything
but that. It was a stunning indictment of high-level corruption
leading from Harrisburg, Pa. right up to the FBI
and the Justice Department in Washington, but the
mainstream media chose to hide the truth.
Only The Spotlight newspaper — forerunner of
AMERICAN FREE PRESS — told the story, featuring a
lengthy two-part series, including an exclusive interview
with Dwyer’s widow, Joann, who later credited
the populist weekly with having done more to spread
the word about what really happened to her husband —
and why—than any other publication, including
big newspapers in Pennsylvania, where, more than
anyone, the voters surely deserved to know the facts.
Even former Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos —
then being held captive in Honolulu by the U.S. government —
told this writer that she had heard about Dwyer,
even though she and her family were
under siege themselves by the mainstream
media at that time.
Dwyer’s friends and family have
spent the last two decades working to
clear his name, and now an eye-opening
and poignant new video documentary,
entitled Honest Man: The Life of
R. Budd Dwyer, does help bring that
message to public attention.
This touching, 76-minute video covers Dwyer’s remarkable
career — rising up from a farm boy to become
an odds-on favorite to become governor of
Pennsylvania (until the final tragic persecution that
ended his life). It is a fascinating and thought-provoking
demonstration of how the mainstream media
can distort a major news story for its own ends.
Even today Pennsylvania newspapers are loath to
discuss the actual facts of the Dwyer case when they
do dare mention this video, which has been seen by
audiences all across the state.
However, in recently commenting on the release of
this video, David Newhouse — an heir to the powerful
Newhouse publishing dynasty, which owns The Harrisburg
Patriot, the key newspaper in the state capital
in Pennsylvania — published a congratulatory column
praising his newspaper in retrospect for the manner
in which it reported Dwyer’s last moments, he
never mentioned Dwyer’s charges against the political
establishment.
This obviously reflects the corruption of the mainstream
media, which, in the Dwyer affair, demonstrated
precisely how the media suppresses truth.
This video is a “must” for anyone with even a passing
interest in political affairs. Features include commentary
tracks from Dwyer’s son
and daughter, excerpts from Dwyer’s
final comments and a variety of
other interesting material. There
are interviews with political insiders,
Dwyer’s friends and enemies
alike, and revealing commentary
from a number of elite media “journalists,”
who seemed to delight in
the fact that they helped bring
about Dwyer’s suicide.
Dwyer was a rarity — an honest man in politics, a
guy who really believed in the American dream. And
it all came crashing down on him when he wouldn’t
play the political game.
Suffice it to say that you’ll never forget Dwyer and
his story after you’ve seen this documentary.
If you’ve never heard of the Dwyer story, you need
to check out this wonderful production out. And this
writer is honored that the producers mention my
name in the credits at the end.
. . ..Michael Collins Piper is the author of Final
Judgment, the controversial
“underground bestseller” documenting
the collaboration of Israeli intelligence in
the assassination of John F. Kennedy. He is
also the author of The New Babylon, The
High Priests of War, The
New Jerusalem: Zionist Power in America ,
The
Judas Goats: The Enemy Within,
Dirty
Secrets: Crime, Conspiracy & Cover-Up in
the 20th Century,
The
GOLEM: Israel's Hell Bomb,
and Target:
Traficant. These works can
be found at America
First Books and FIRST
AMENDMENT BOOKS:
1-888-699-NEWS. He has lectured
on suppressed topics in places as diverse as
Malaysia, Japan, Canada, Russia and Abu Dhabi. |
|
(Issue Number 8, February 20, 2012,
AMERICAN
FREE PRESS)
