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Posted on 09/07/2006 4:12:34 PM PDT by Mo1
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
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.
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
This raises the stakes incredibly for Disney.
Paging the ACLU.....
Latest song: ANOTHER OPENING ANOTHER SHOW -- http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1697397/posts
I hope we are not being set up. Rush said he had heard/been told that no one has seen the mini's yet as they were still doing cutting.
Most interesting .... Kean is a PAID consultant on this mini series - two evenings worth.
The news says clinton was so involved with Monica when actually clinton's whole 8 years should be looked at - a dallying with a girl a few years older than his own daughter is minor to what else went on.
Or when you are taking flak you know you are over the target. :)
Actually, I don't wonder at all, but your point is well taken.
I'm reading the thread and trying to figure out what we can do. We HAVE to make sure that a lot of people know about this and make sure it backfires on the Rats.
How about writing to our Republican Senators tomorrow? Making phone calls? There should be an investigation into whether this kind of pressure of censureship is even legal.
Yep .. they ALWAYS over reach
My son called- he read about this on another website- he called to ask if it was a joke/hoax.
When I told him no...he let lose with some soldier-talk...I literally had to hold the phone away from my ear! I mentioned on another thread that he was in Iraq in combat fighting when Farenheit 911 came out- it did not go over well with the troops. And yet...no one suggested it be banned- or "changed to fit the facts"...
Bouchard's people should be all over this. To think that an elected Senator would behaving in a matter worthy of a jack booted thug.
That's right; include Gore-licker's involvement in trying to block the Bent One investigations, and in so doing, blocking information sharing that could have prevented 9/11.
From the cast of characters (Ben Veniste, etc.) listed, it's pure Hezbocrat threats to intimidate the facts from coming out.
To cite the "9/11 Report", aka, a fishwrapper, which whitewashed the facts to protect the Bent One, immediately tells you that they have real fear of exposure.
Speaking of exposure, will they show the document-packed underwear of Sandy Burger, which NEVER was prosecuted?
Geez, the Democrats have really become unhinged.
I know it is a lie...and you know it is a lie...but to CNN it is the truth...Clinton News Network right.
But, I also say Tim Roemer with the House Dems yesterday, celebrating that he has joined their caucus...for the elections..
Click on the pic.
I was just going to say, I own the book Hillary's Secret War for which Jim RObinson wrote the foreward.
It details how during the 90's, posters were coming to sites like Free Republic and pretending to be conservatives all while posting from the CLINTON WHITE HOUSE and the Washington Post. They stir dissent among freepers and other Republicans pretending to be the REAL conservatives.
And while we fight with each other here, we aren't doing the kind of ACTIVISM for which Free Republic originally made it's name.
And Hillary was very worried about the freedoms we have on the internet and the fact that they had NO control over us. None.
Jed Babbitt is subing for Hugh Hewitt .. He's reading Reid's letter now
Your son is right to be concerned and upset. This is literally one of the most shocking things I've heard in a long, long time, SE Mom.
Race Bannon reminded me on another thread that while the Clintonistas like to tell us how hard they fight terrorism, this is what they were really involved with:
Posted by RaceBannon to Peach
On News/Activism 09/07/2006 7:42:11 PM EDT · 37 of 38
CIA directed in 1995 to seek Video Pirates
http://www.FreeRepublic.com/forum/a3ba75bb5147c.htm
And I added to that the fact that the FBI was aggressively going after Microsoft with MUCH more aggression than they ever went after sleeper cells in this country.
keep us updated
Where were they when Farenheit 911 came out? Really protected the public from all the left wing trash in that one. /sarcasm.
This is truly amazing. Disney should publish the letter in advertisement form, with an explanation! This will really increase the viewing market.
It's obvious. The Nov election will be about National Security...as every election since 9-11 has been. Additional information that shows the dims WEAK on national security will severely damage their hopes for this next election.
When combined with the recent Presidential assault to put national security back on the front burner and the recent conspiracy that was broken up in the UK, this mini-series constitutes a fatal blow. It destroys all credibility the dims hoped to build on the issue.
Their dreams are now DUST.
You know what else -- Mr. Peach just said that it's obvious the Democrats are more interested in rights for terrorists than they are for our networks to have rights!!!!
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