Originally Posted By YourPalEd Senate Democratic leadership threatens Disney with legal and legislative sanctions by John in DC - 9/07/2006 06:02:00 PM This letter was sent today by the entire Democratic leadership of the US Senate. This letter is such a major shot across the bow of Disney, it's not even funny. It is FILLED with veiled threats, both legal and legislative, against Disney. US Senators don't make threats like this, especially the entire Democratic leadership en masse, unless they mean it. Disney is in serious trouble. Read it, then read my analysis of it below: September 7, 2006 Mr. Robert A. Iger President and CEO The Walt Disney Company 500 South Buena Vista Street Burbank CA 91521 Dear Mr. Iger, We write with serious concerns about the planned upcoming broadcast of The Path to 9/11 mini-series on September 10 and 11. Countless reports from experts on 9/11 who have viewed the program indicate numerous and serious inaccuracies that will undoubtedly serve to misinform the American people about the tragic events surrounding the terrible attacks of that day. Furthermore, the manner in which this program has been developed, funded, and advertised suggests a partisan bent unbecoming of a major company like Disney and a major and well respected news organization like ABC. We therefore urge you to cancel this broadcast to cease Disney’s plans to use it as a teaching tool in schools across America through Scholastic. Presenting such deeply flawed and factually inaccurate misinformation to the American public and to children would be a gross miscarriage of your corporate and civic responsibility to the law, to your shareholders, and to the nation. The Communications Act of 1934 provides your network with a free broadcast license predicated on the fundamental understanding of your principle obligation to act as a trustee of the public airwaves in serving the public interest. Nowhere is this public interest obligation more apparent than in the duty of broadcasters to serve the civic needs of a democracy by promoting an open and accurate discussion of political ideas and events. Disney and ABC claim this program to be based on the 9/11 Commission Report and are using that assertion as part of the promotional campaign for it. The 9/11 Commission is the most respected American authority on the 9/11 attacks, and association with it carries a special responsibility. Indeed, the very events themselves on 9/11, so tragic as they were, demand extreme care by any who attempt to use those events as part of an entertainment or educational program. To quote Steve McPhereson, president of ABC Entertainment, “When you take on the responsibility of telling the story behind such an important event, it is absolutely critical that you get it right.†Unfortunately, it appears Disney and ABC got it totally wrong. Despite claims by your network’s representatives that The Path to 9/11 is based on the report of the 9/11 Commission, 9/11 Commissioners themselves, as well as other experts on the issues, disagree. Richard Ben-Veniste, speaking for himself and fellow 9/11 Commissioners who recently viewed the program, said, “As we were watching, we were trying to think how they could have misinterpreted the 9/11 Commission’s findings the way that they had.†[“9/11 Miniseries Is Criticized as Inaccurate and Biased,†New York Times, September 6, 2006] Richard Clarke, the former counter-terrorism czar, and a national security advisor to ABC has described the program as “deeply flawed†and said of the program’s depiction of a Clinton official hanging up on an intelligence agent, “It’s 180 degrees from what happened.†[“9/11 Miniseries Is Criticized as Inaccurate and Biased,†New York Times, September 6, 2006] Reports suggest that an FBI agent who worked on 9/11 and served as a consultant to ABC on this program quit halfway through because, “he thought they were making things up.†[MSNBC, September 7, 2006] Even Thomas Kean, who serves as a paid consultant to the miniseries, has admitted that scenes in the film are fictionalized. [“9/11 Miniseries Is Criticized as Inaccurate and Biased,†New York Times, September 6, 2006] That Disney would seek to broadcast an admittedly and proven false recounting of the events of 9/11 raises serious questions about the motivations of its creators and those who approved the deeply flawed program. Finally, that Disney plans to air commercial-free a program that reportedly cost it $40 million to produce serves to add fuel to these concerns. These concerns are made all the more pressing by the political leaning of and the public statements made by the writer/producer of this miniseries, Mr. Cyrus Nowrasteh, in promoting this miniseries across conservative blogs and talk shows. Frankly, that ABC and Disney would consider airing a program that could be construed as right-wing political propaganda on such a grave and important event involving the security of our nation is a discredit both to the Disney brand and to the legacy of honesty built at ABC by honorable individuals from David Brinkley to Peter Jennings. Furthermore, that Disney would seek to use Scholastic to promote this misguided programming to American children as a substitute for factual information is a disgrace. As 9/11 Commission member Jamie Gorelick said, “It is critically important to the safety of our nation that our citizens, and particularly our school children, understand what actually happened and why – so that we can proceed from a common understanding of what went wrong and act with unity to make our country safer.†Should Disney allow this programming to proceed as planned, the factual record, millions of viewers, countless schoolchildren, and the reputation of Disney as a corporation worthy of the trust of the American people and the United States Congress will be deeply damaged. We urge you, after full consideration of the facts, to uphold your responsibilities as a respected member of American society and as a beneficiary of the free use of the public airwaves to cancel this factually inaccurate and deeply misguided program. We look forward to hearing back from you soon. Sincerely, Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid Assistant Democratic Leader Dick Durbin Senator Debbie Stabenow Senator Charles Schumer Senator Byron Dorgan The Senate Democratic leadership just threatened Disney's broadcast license. Not the use of the word "trustee" at the beginning of the letter and "trust" at the end. This is nothing less than an implicit threat that if Disney tries to meddle in the US elections on behalf of the Republicans, they will pay a very serious price when the Democrats get back in power, or even before. This raises the stakes incredibly for Disney.
Originally Posted By WilliamK99 That is my problem with most parties...It was fine and dandy for the Democrats when CBS had the Reagan miniseries ready to play, they were crying for free speech when Republicans were able to get the movie pulled, but now they are saying to hell with free speech. Oh well both parties are in the wrong and it makes me sick.
Originally Posted By DouglasDubh <It was fine and dandy for the Democrats when CBS had the Reagan miniseries ready to play, they were crying for free speech when Republicans were able to get the movie pulled, but now they are saying to hell with free speech.> I don't recall any Republicans Congressmen threatening CBS with government sanctions over the Reagan miniseries. To me, there is a clear difference between the parties.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan From a cnn article about the Reagan movie... >>Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie said putting the movie before a smaller audience on Showtime doesn't address accuracy concerns. Without changes, Showtime should remind viewers every 10 minutes that the movie is fictional, he said.<< Hopefully, he feels the same about ABC/Disney's 9-11 fantasy.
Originally Posted By YourPalEd <<<It was fine and dandy for the Democrats when CBS had the Reagan miniseries ready to play, they were crying for free speech when Republicans were able to get the movie pulled, but now they are saying to hell with free speech.>>> While, the criminal, ronald reagan, sanctioned terrorist acts against americans, and let cheney, and rumsfeld start the mess in the middle-east, still, the criminal, ronald reagan was not a terrorist act against americans, on the magnitude of 9/11. 9/11 was a terrorist act against honest americans that will never be forgotten. 9/11, is when republican traitors let down america's defenses, and knowingly allowed terrorists to attack our country. Known terrorists were allowed to wander free and unchecked, due to orders by dick cheney and rumsfeld. They ordered the fbi, and cia, off of known terrorists, before and after the attacks. They stopped pursuit of the most signifigant leads, and misdirected america's defenses through bureacratic paperwork, stopping the leads, that all directly point at rove, cheney, bush and rumsfeld, the known traitors. As long as they are not censored, along with frist, and the foaming at the mouth, liberman, america will not move forward. These criminals must be arrested now. These are the lowest, these republican traitors. You get me. All republicans are liars. All republicans are parasites. All republicans are traitors to the united states of america. All republicans are your enemy.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 <I don't recall any Republicans Congressmen threatening CBS with government sanctions over the Reagan miniseries. To me, there is a clear difference between the parties.> To me, too. First of all, you have to buy into Ed's interpretation to say the Democrats are threatening sanctions. Anybody really think ABC is going off the air if this goes on? Of course not. And, of course, the right-wingers succeeded in actually getting the Reagan movie pulled from CBS - and it wasn't even a particularly politically charged movie. It was mostly about the Reagans' marriage, most resembling a soapy Lifetime movie. At most it had a couple of questionable political scenes that were invented, and rightly criticized as such. But nothing like this 9/11 movie. Yet, because it didn't present Reagan as the demi-god the right wing now insists he was, they put tremendous pressure on CBS and got it pulled and shunted off on to a pay channel. Given the pedigree of this movie, particularly of its author/producer, it seems DESIGNED as right-wing propaganda. It's as bad as if they'd let Michael Moore script it - obviously the conservatives would be up in arms about that.
Originally Posted By Beaumandy <<Hopefully, he feels the same about ABC/Disney's 9-11 fantasy.>> Why do you say it's a fantasy? Seems to me the people who made this movie have pretty solid sources. Are we supposed to think that Clinton is not going to lie about what happened?
Originally Posted By Lake Nona Clinton had his chance to bag Bin Laden and he screwed it up. True story.
Originally Posted By DouglasDubh Why does the "YourPalEd" in post one sound nothing like the one in post 6? The one in post 1 sounds lucid.
Originally Posted By CrouchingTigger >>Why does the "YourPalEd" in post one sound nothing like the one in post 6? The one in post 1 sounds lucid. << Probably because post 1 was cut and pasted from somewhere else: <a href="http://americablog.blogspot.com/2006/09/senate-democratic-leadership-threatens.html" target="_blank">http://americablog.blogspot.co m/2006/09/senate-democratic-leadership-threatens.html</a> Post 6 was all Ed.
Originally Posted By YourPalEd <<<>>Why does the "YourPalEd" in post one sound nothing like the one in post 6? The one in post 1 sounds lucid. <<>>> Of course, you are backwards. You meant #6 was lucid, and #1 was lucid, but simplified for tv watchers. Okay, i'll admit it, it was blather. I should have edited it. It was so gramatically incorrect it was pure nonsense, even though the truth was there. Okay you happy? Satisfied? sniff sniff.
