While the way he was treated is disgusting, an "ABC Radio" ID card is not a "press credential", and Graham is wrong to represent it as such, both at the event and in this blog entry.
ABC, like all the other MSMs, has specific ID cards for members of its news division. If you work for ABC in a news capacity, you carry two IDs, one that specifically says "ABCNEWS" on it, and another one that just says "ABC", which is nothing more than your company ID card that lets you past the guard in your own building every day. (Oh, and also grants you a very substantial discount at the Disney Store down at the mall.)
What Graham was carrying was the latter, and it gives him no more privileges to gain access to any event than the company ID card of someone who works at Burger King. In fact, he technically committed a fireable offense by using it as such, though given that his job is to make waves (and thus get ratings), I'm sure his bosses won't care. They sure would if anyone else at WMAL got caught trying something like this, though.
Hey bub, the ABCNEWS card also gives him no more privileges to gain access to any event than the company ID card of someone who works at Burger King as well. A "press pass" is issued by the people providing security at that particular event. They control access to their own events. A person carrying an ABCNEWS ID has no more rights than any other person in the United States -- even if they work at Burger King. Now it's true that ABC News division may have negotiated access rights with certain law enforcement officials or other government agencies, but all that is is an agreement between ABC and the agency involved where that agency is providing security such as at a freeway accident or courthouse. No additional "rights" are bestowed.
It was a public event. The whole point is that one person was being barred from attendance and forced to present ID. Does it matter what ID they were asking for? Why should anyone have to provide any ID at all? None of the illegals were asked to present their IDs?
And how do you know what ABC ID was presented? Were you there?
Are you missing the irony that Michael was trying to display?
The point wasn't that he had a "press pass". The point was that at a rally against Ids, he was kept out because they said he didn't have enough Id.
Then it went from ironic to scary as they beat him up. And apparently with the blessing of the organizer, who is involved with Casa De Maryland, which is a big not-for-profit (meaning only that they get tax breaks, government grants, while paying their leaders good salaries) which is taking over the illegal immigrant concession in the tri-county area. They lobby hard for day-labor centers.
The guy mentioned (Ruis?) shows up regularly in news stories, portrayed as a rational, peaceful man wanting only to make things better for the downtrodden of the world.
And there he was, somehow looking complicit in the "downtrodding" of an American Citizen who showed up at a public event.
I remember when police would arrest people for assault and battery. Even in Maryland. It sounds like the police wouldn't even take a report.
Illegal immigration is big business, and it is entrenched. Look at the Casa De Maryland web site, at their budget which is growing by huge amounts. Look at how much federal, state, and local money they get for providing services. Then look how their leaders act in public. A popular radio commentator gets beaten up at a public rally.