Transcript: The Community Focus Update (09/02/21)
Updated: Oct 5, 2021
The Community Focus Update
Date: Sept 2, 2021
Note: This is a working document information may change. Missing numbers means stories were dropped.
Video description: In this special episode of the Community Focus Update We’ll be sitting down Benjamen Scott Burlew, an Ottawa County resident accused of assaulting an Associated Press photographer during the January 6th riot in Washington DC. Afterward Local Broadcaster Michael Woodruff will provide commentary.
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Mike: Welcome to our 61th episode of the Community Focus Update. In this special episode I will be sitting down with Benjamen Scott Burlew, an Ottawa county resident who went to Washington DC on January 6th to protest and quickly found himself in a nationwide manhunt by the FBI. Before we dive into what's going on around Ottawa County let's talk about those folks who help make this program possible..
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-Extreme Gaming Mike: In addition to video games, Extreme Gaming at 1915 North Main in Miami is now offering movie rentals! Each Tuesday is New Release day and with over twelve hundred titles in stock, there’s something for everyone! To learn more give Extreme Gaming a call at 918-542-7529. On the phone or in person be sure to thank them for sponsoring the Community Focus Update!
Mike: If you’d like to advertise or be a sponsor of The Community Focus Update it’s only $10 an episode during the covid-19 pandemic. Email me at Michael at Woodruff Media Management dot com with the Word “advertising” in the subject line.
After these quick messages we will have our exclusive interview with Benjamen Scott Burlew. Commercial Break (OKERT :30 Reduced Rate) (Ottawa County Farmers Market :60 Client)
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Miami Arrested for January 6th incident Community Focus Update 09/01/21
Burlew Family Interview Segment script
Play video riot video that shows the situation Benjamen Scott Burlew is accused of
-Upper Third: Video Courtesy of Instagram: julythephotoguy
-Camera
Mike: This appears to be damning video. With me is one of the men in the video Benjamen Scott Burlew. Ben, Welcome to the program.
Burlew’s Response
Mike: First I want to thank you for accepting our invitation to be on The Community Focus Update. That takes lots of guts. For full disclosure, Woodruff Media Management assured you as much time to tell your story, providing we would not edit it to include misspeaks and answer refusals. You were also provided the basic outline of our questions, tips on how to have a succesful interview and a tour of our "Studio". We have a few people off camera to include:Brandy ben's Wife and our cameraman Martin Lively.
You understand while you are giving us your side of the story I may ask follow up questions in order to gain clarity on the details of it. In order to ensure the prevention of "gotcha" questions I will only be referencing the video I just showed, the department of justice press release, the FBI criminal complaint, and court documents. While the Burlews have the right to end this story at anytime, Woodruff Media Management has the right to continue the reporting of the incident. Is everyone in agreement?
Burlew’s Response
Mike: Before we discuss the events of January 6th and the charges that followed. I'd like to get a little perspective about your lives.
Did you grow up around here?
How long have you been married?
I hear you are a veteran? When/where did you serve? What was that like?
So why did you decide to go to Washington DC on January 6th 2021?
What did you hope to accomplish when you got there?
We already looked at the video, we saw an initial push by Benjamen Scott then within seconds Benjamen Scott returned and pushed an AP reporter off the small ledge of the capitol steps.
What did the reporter do to make you do this?
What happened after the incident?
What was your feeling after watching the news on January 6th?
Did you feel your protest accomplished what you meant to do?
According to this FBI criminal complaint on April 2nd a tip was submitted to the FBI by a group of internet sleuths were looking for a Be On the LookOut or "BOLO #195" and found your name and town mentioned in a video mentioned on a separate video on youtube. At this point the FBI went into action.
Were you aware the FBI may have questions?
What happened once they showed up to your door?
What were the charges?
How did the FBI handle the investigation, were they professional? did they act in accordance with the Constitution?
How did the court handle the initial proceeding?
What is next in the process?
According to the FBI there were 12 tips reported in connection to BOLO #195, of them 4 specifically mentioned Benjamen Scott Berlew
Is Benjamen Scott Berlew seeking mental and medical help?
What do you think about the media covering this event?
What has been the response from family ,friends, community?
What are your plans if you have to deal with the Associated Press reporter in ways of compensation?
-Refused to answer
What wisdom have you gained from this incident?
Is there anything you'd like to add?
Mike: I want to thank you both again for being on the program. If you have anything to say in the future please give us a call. We'll be following you and keeping our viewers updated until there's a conclusion.
Burlew’s Response
Up next my commentary on what we discussed. Source Material Used During Interview: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CJxKMArpN0_/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=adbf1674-ea12-4be7-ac2b-c21ade432e72 https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/oklahoma-man-arrested-assault-media-during-jan-6-capitol-breach https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/capitol-violence-images/195aarrested.png/view https://www.pacermonitor.com/case/41509062/USA_v_Burlew https://www.oknd.uscourts.gov/ndok-map-0 https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=344144110687968&set=a.136345721467809
Commercial Break
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Mike’s Commentary on Interview with Benjamen Scott Burlew
Mike: Welcome back everyone. When it comes to news reporting, The Community Focus Update tries to give you as much information as possible. In fact we’ve been told we give too much detail at times. One friend once told me, “Mike, just give them the highlights”. The problem is everyone is “just giving the highlights”. The average news package at 6 o’clock is under a minute and a half. A little better is the newspaper which averages about 4 minutes of reading. On radio the top of the hour news is even less, maybe 15 seconds. Over all Talk radio, podcasts, livesteams and programs like this are reporting on the day's events. On the surface, this is a wonderful thing but it does have a downside. This is especially true if the people producing the programming are only focused on certain issues or have biased leanings. If the audience only consumes those things then their knowledge and the reality of the world fall by the wayside. While earning my degree in Mass Communication from Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, I learned about Cultivation Theory. While initially applied to television in the 1960’s, in regard to violence, Cultivation Theory can be applied to all aspects of media consumption. In the past two hours we saw this firsthand, Mr. Burlew admitted as much in regard to watching cartoons like GI Joe when he was a kid. In many ways he and I share much of the same life experience. I too was influenced to be a “Great American Hero” and enlisted in the Army where I served for 8 years to include a tour at the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In my late teens, I had magazine subscriptions to American Survival Guide magazine and Soldier of Fortune. I was interested in “alternative media”, I felt there were more to incidents like the FBI’s standoff with Branch Davidians in Waco or the FBI siege in Ruby Ridge Idaho and the big three, ABC, NBC, and CBS, were not telling the full story. When I discovered Rush Limbaugh on my radio and years later when FOX news came to air I was ecstatic. I thought “finally sources that will give me all the facts”. No doubt Burlew’s trek was the same. Sadly our experiences sent us into different directions. While I can’t attest for Mr. Burlews military experience, I do know that everything we trained for was based on years of studying past wars, history, philosophy,and yes, religion. In many ways these things were not black and white. Upon raising my hand to pledge to protect the constitution against enemies foreign and domestic. I pondered what that meant, “what would such a force look like?” That’s where The Cultivation Theory comes in. Based on the answer Mr. Burlew told me about the media he follows, mainly Steve Bannon's podcast War Room as a source of news that gave me insight into how he looks at the world. Upon visiting Bannon’s War Room you will see Donald Trump as the savior and anyone who is against him as the villain. When one consumes media that has such rigid terms, be it on the left or the right, they have a high chance of developing Mean World Syndrome, the belief that the world is a far worse and dangerous place then it actually is. Those who suffer from this belief often have an “Us versus them” mentality. We saw that to be true when Mr. Burlew said “We are losing our rights. “They” are taking them away.” In Mr. Burlews mind, a vast conspiracy against personal liberty begins with a secret meeting of six bankers who developed a standardized plan for our nation's banking system on Jekyll Island, Georgia in the early 1900’s and ends with Microsoft founder Bill Gates and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious diseases Director Anthony Faucci as they separately address the covid-19 pandemic. By connecting unrelated dots, Mr. Berlew and many like him ask questions while in the same breath refuse to acknowledge the actual information because it doesn't fit the conspiracy narrative that was initially presented to them. Ironically, the thoughts “Much of our lives are being controlled by plots hatched in secret places,” or “Big events like wars, the current recession, and the outcomes of elections are controlled by small groups of people who are working in secret against the rest of us.” are shared by both left and right people. While these people are a minority, technology has made their misinformation equal to the facts. With these facts at their whim they feel beholden to fight against the government.
Now don’t get me wrong, people do need to speak out against injustice. The problem I have is the inspiration behind it. The Black Lives Matter Movement is a response to how law enforcement deals with people of color when a crime is committed. While the March on the capitol was about voters who were told by a cult of personality that their vote wasn’t counted. In both regards these folks were marching for liberty. Ironically both fail to acknowledge the commonality. In the violence in Seattle and in Washington DC, we saw how quickly people were labeled as the enemy if they went off script or they looked like something they were not. We saw in the video tonight just that, people pointing at a guy who wasn’t wearing camouflage or a trucker hat and carrying a camera being accused of being Antifa. The fact that the reporter, who has the same right to be there under the First Amendment, was ignored. His life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness was threatened. The video we saw tonight made my stomach turn. It was embarrassing. A riot like this is something we see from other places in the world, not in the United States. Frankly this event and the assault on the capitol building that followed will be remembered with as much disdain as September 11th. While I’ll refrain from giving my opinion on whether or not I believe Mr. Burlew’s account. I hope this is the only thing he will be accused of. I hope and pray for him and his family, no other video surfaces that show a person who is contrary to that of a family man who loves Jesus and practices Yoga every morning. Thankfully, if convicted, Mr. Burlew will be guilty of a misdemeanor and he will have the opportunity to reconcile and be redeemed. We’ll see you next time on the Community Focus Update. Source: https://masscommtheory.com/theory-overviews/cultivation-theory/ https://www.americanoutdoor.guide/features/the-spirit-of-asg-a-brief-history-of-american-survival-guide-magazine/ https://www.sofmag.com/ https://www.army.mil/values/oath.html https://www.federalreservehistory.org/essays/jekyll-island-conference#need https://www.niaid.nih.gov/about/director https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2014/08/21/conspiracy-theories-arent-just-for-conservatives/ https://warroom.org/category/newsroom/page/2/
Mike: Well that is it for our program please like and share this video and if you have yet, to become our friend on facebook please do so. We’ll see you next week.
(Copyright 2021/fade out)