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
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.
Tennis updates?
Take that man to the woodshed now!
Oliver Stone's "JFK" comes to mind. Even Freepers believe that one.
I think it was Scarborough talking about it. I won't watch MSDNC, so I don't know, but I'll guess that Joe was blindly parroting the DNC party line, which is all he does these days.
I am watching Greta too.
I'll be waiting to see how many and which journalists/columnists come out fighting for the First Ammendment NOW.
This is a weapon that should not be wasted. The Soviet Union still exists as the Democrat Party--- and Americans should be made aware of it.
Hi, prairie. If ABC doesn't get its back up, they'll be just as wimpy as the limp wristed metrosexuals in DC.
That Sharapova gal got him interested in tennis. LOL.....
I love your ideas! I may start watching movies again with those titles and content.
Make them.....the people will watch. ;*)
I also hope that all conservative parents keep it in mind when the Scholastic Book Fair comes to their school.
For the commemoration of 911, the 7th grade teachers in our school are going to be showing a DVD. I have already previewed it and we are going to show segments on the witnesses, the heroes and the children of 911.
You read the letter at the beginning of the thread and you think it's not real? Hmmmm - I'll have to go back and re-read it and see what I think.
It's precisely why the dems are freaking out.
exactly.....
I am SICK of the lies....I am SICK of the cover-ups....
Talk about a culture...
The Clinton Culture of Corruption.....
Thanks to all you wonderful awesome amazing freepers for being patriots.
Though I'd rather say somethings long the lines of:
It has been clear for many painfully long years that the Senate Democratic leadership is chock full of clueless idiots who have nothing at heart except their own egos and selling the Republic of the US of A down the river to the highest bidder.
Kowtowing to such traitors would be complicit with their traitorousness. God will eventually settle such scores. However, to knuckle under to their idiocies would be aking to shooting yourself--not in the foot--Disney--but in the heart. They are hostile to business and free enterprise. They are eager to put all that's decent and wholesome in the toilet. Kowtow to them at your own AND OUR PERIL.
I strongly encourage you to give them the loudest NO! possible.
In fact, I encourage you to tell those traitorous idiots that
IF THEY DO NOT BACK DOWN, you will DOUBLE THE NUMBER OF MINUTES DEVOTED TO DEMOCRATIC SKULLDUGGERY, CORRUPTION, WIMPISHNESS IN THE FACE OF TERROR AND GENERAL DEMOCRATIC EVILS AND STUPIDITY. AND, FURTHER, that if they delay backing down by as much as 4 hours that each hour beyond that 4 hours you will add another doubling of the minutes devoted to Democratic evils prior to and after 9/11.
Sincerely,
Someone mentioned that it was posted on Harry Reid's Senate site - probably been yanked by now. No Dim has come out yet claiming the letter is a fabrication, either.
LOL!!!
Now THAT is perfect!
;-)
All I can say is, My God we got screwed when we lost Newt!
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