Today Show Uses 9/11 Relatives to Flog Bush Campaign over Use of WTC Images

The Today Show

[Mike Darancette]

Have there been families from Flight 93 or the Pentagon complaining about the ads?

I've noticed that the majority of the WTC discenter families are from the group "Peaceful Tomorrows" which seems to be some Anti War on Terror and Anti Iraq War group related to the American Friends Service Committee.

From This Site:

September 11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows was launched on February 14, 2002, and today includes 50 family members directly affected by September 11, as well as 2,000 supporters. Its mission is to seek effective nonviolent solutions to terrorism, and to acknowledge the shared experience of September 11 families with all people similarly affected by violence throughout the world. By conscientiously exploring peaceful options in their search for justice, the group's members choose to spare additional innocent families the suffering that they have already experienced, as well as to break the endless cycle of violence and retaliation engendered by war. In doing so, they hope to create a safer world for themselves and for their children.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

break the endless cycle of violence and retaliation.

Moral equivalency raises its ugly head. The Stockholm Syndrome strikes again.

[maryz]

On another thread (post #16) I saw a list of the names that keep coming up:

And remember their names .......
Monica Gabrielle
Tom Roger
Mindy Kleinberg
Firefighter Tommy Feein Rescue Squad 270
Kristen Breitweiser

They will be heard from again.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Thanks. Perhaps this thing will wind up boomeranging with some enterprising reporter discovering the coordination by the Kerry campaign. Then who will be guilty of exploiting 9/11 for political purposes?

[tuckrdout]

I found Ronald Michael Breitweiser:

http://www.september11-tribute.org/Victims/WTCVictims.htm

I don't know why he didn't show up in several of the lists.
Interesting.

I find her ranting and raving very curious. She never mentions her husband. Just blames Bush. Only Bush. Let me inform her of something;

clinton (Democrat) lobbed a missile into Iraq, said to retaliate against an alleged assassination attempt on Former President Bush (41). It accomplished nothing. The alleged assassination attempt was never proven in a court of law. In response to terror attacks on our embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, clinton (Democrat) became the first President to PREEMPTIVELY send missiles to "suspected terror targets" in Afghanistan and the Sudan, killing many civilians, and inflaming citizens around the world. The habit of missle attacks which were not approved of by the UN, were widely condemned by most international governments. Overwhelming world reaction determined that the missile strikes would either be "ineffective" in fighting the threat of global terrorism or would have the deleterious effect of unleashing even more "extremism" and "violence" against the United States. (ref: 9-11-01) It was never proven that these targets were weapons factories as the Administration claimed. No proof of weapons were ever found. clinton (Democrat) was offered Osama bin Laden three times by Sudan and he declined. In 1993, clinton (Democrat) expanded the limited humanitarian mission in Somalia, to include rebuilding the nation. The UN "peacekeepers" embarked on a war against Somali warlord Mohamed Farah Aideed. [Bin Laden flunky] clinton (Democrat) included our troops in this war. Aideed and the Somalis never attacked us. In October, the forces of Aideed brought down two U.S. Black Hawk helicopters, in Mogadishu and precipitated a vicious daylong firefight, wounding 77 and killing 18 Americans, whose naked, mutilated bodies were drug through the streets. This horrifying act was broadcast around the world. This, despite clinton (Democrat) sending former President Carter (Democrat) to negotiate peace talks with Aideed. Afterward, clinton declined to bring Aideed to justice, when offered his capture by frightened clan allies, instead clinton (Democrat) decided to cut and run--quit the mission in Somalia. In fact, two months later to the day, US soldiers were escorting Aideed to the Mogadishu airport by motorcade and flying him to Addis Ababa in a US Army airplane! Aideed remained in power until Aug. 1995. Clinton's retreat broadcast a signal of weakness around the world. It sent a message to our foes, that America will change her policies if terrorists kill our people. During the war with Aideed, the clinton administration sent Mohamed Aideed's son, Hussein to Somalia as a Marine Corps translator. He left the military, and remained in Somalia, becoming a warlord himself and being responsible for the deaths and displacement of 50,000 Somali's. clinton (Democrat) invaded Haiti. Haiti never attacked us. A brokered deal instigated by former President Carter (Democrat), allowed clinton (Democrat) to send in our military to place Jean-Bertrand Aristide in power, knowing full well what a despot the man was. This is one of foreign policy’s all-time worst liberal bungles. Today, the disastrous results of Clinton’s experiment in Caribbean colonialism are painfully evident.

Therein is her answer to the 9-11 attacks.

[tuckrdout]

"Do you remember when President Clinton visited Oklahoma City after the bombing? The Republicans reviled him for it, said it was a political stunt."

No. I don't remember any republicans "revile" him! Do you have any websites with these old quotes?

[Ghengis]

Shannon Burke who is on FLA 540 here in Orlando has info on the 6 family members who are aghast at the president's use of the 9/11 footage. I can't supply the details due to work, but they are connected with anti-Bush organizations in one form or another. Maybe someone else can contact him. He has done his homework.

That was my suspicion. That there were a group of democrat operatives poised to be offended at the first 9/11 reference by the GWB campaign.

This was scripted and ready to roll out a year or two ago. Katie probably already had their numbers in her cell phone speed dial (which probably explains her cellphone issue witht he doorman a few weeks ago).

[Maigrey]

She's one of them, along with the laundry list on this thread:

Furor over Bush's 9/11 ad

Check post #24 for further information.

[maggief]

Thanks.

Here's the transcript from Matthew's show last night:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4457904/

'Hardball with Chris Matthews' for March 4
Read the complete transcript to Thursday's showUpdated: 12:14 p.m. ET March 05, 2004
Guests: Monica Gabrielle, Debra Burlingame, Zack Exley, Frank Rich, Tony Blankley, Andrew reeley


CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: Tonight on HARDBALL, families of 9/11 accuse President Bush of exploiting the tragedy for political advantage in his campaign ads.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Alert. Mike Moran on Rush now about these adds.

[maggief]

Thanks!

[Piranha]

I have only my memories, old as they are. However, when I briefly looked on the internet for support I was unable to find any. It is possible that I am mis-remembering this.

[Grampa Dave]

This whining wench and her ilk have been financed by the Tides Foundation to be ready to make these horrible lies/mantras against president Bush.

Thanks to DeBug=int13 for providing these links and the reality of these scumbags.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1091052/posts?
page=96#96



And who is this survivors group "9-11 families for a Peaceful Tomorrow"?

Aww - phooey on them -

The real name of the outfit is September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows

And from all appearances it is a fund-raising front for the Tides Center (EIN 94-3213100) of San Francisco - and "Peaceful Tomorrows" doesn't try to hide that they are affiliated on their contribute page. I know some Freepers are familiar with the Tides Center, and for those who are not, it is a non-profit organization that rakes in fairly big bucks ($63+ mill in FY 2002, which included $5+ mill in Government grants) to distribute out grants and allocations to various and sundry "social" projects and causes, with left-wing groups getting decent cuts of the action - they consistently lay out a good bit of change to anti-second amendment groups, for instance. September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows doesn't appear to be necessarily autonomous from the Tides Center. Interestingly, the P.O. box listed on the "Peaceful Tomorrows" site shares the same location address and zip in the neighborhood with such notable organizations as The New Formulation: an Anti-Authoritarian Review of Books (a biannual journal examining the value of recent publications to the development of contemporary anarchist theory and politics), Institute for Anarchist Studies, Radical Magick (an "Eclectic Ceremonial Based Magick Group"), South Asian AIDS Action, Lesbian and Gay Labor Network, Dyke Action Machine! or DAM! - not that there's anything wrong with that (in Jerry Seinfeld voice). The Fellowship of Reconciliation website that is also mentioned on "Peaceful Tomorrows" contribute page says it all - offices in Wash. DC and also San Francisco.

Though they may splash New York this and New York that all around, "Peaceful Tomorrows" is created and based in Oakland California, founded and directed by Barry Amundson and sister-in-law Kelly Campbell, with the web technical matters being handled by Steve Simitzis of Saturn5 Productions in San Francisco, which has an apparent mission statement of providing web consulting and "hosting for artists, online communities, activist organizations"


Amundson is Designer and IT manager for the San Francisco branch of Fenton Communications, a "public interest communications" company that has offices in Washington DC, New York NY and San Francisco.

They have a rather interesting list of clientele that include -

MoveOn.org
People For the American Way
Nelson Mandela - Presidential Election
Greenpeace
Ben and Jerry's
Rock the Vote (which is also a "top five" paid contractor for the Tides Center)

Can probe here for the whole listing.





Here's a bit from lengthy LA Times article about what they do and the crowd they hang with - I think the Moderators won't have a cow over this excerpt -

October 1, 2002
Operation: Peace
Antiwar movement reflects a different America than in past eras, but diverse allies keep the spirit alive.
By REED JOHNSON, TIMES STAFF WRITER


"We want to poison your mind," teases the woman with slate-colored hair outside First Baptist Church in Koreatown. Swathed in natural fibers and sporting an anti-Dubya button, she's minding a table piled high with books, pamphlets and stickers decrying the sorry state of the planet--wars, corporate malfeasance, environmental disasters-in-the-making, and so on--along with half a dozen copies of the revolutionary rabble-rousings of Chairman Mao.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

But the rally's emotional climax occurred when Kelly Campbell and Barry Amundson, members of September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, a group composed of relatives of 9/11 victims, embraced beneath a giant video screen where images of the burning twin towers had flashed by moments earlier. Barry Amundson, 32, is the brother of Craig Amundson, a 28-year-old Army multimedia specialist who was killed when the hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon; Campbell is his sister-in-law. Both were in Los Angeles to voice their conviction that the response to last year's attacks on New York and Washington shouldn't be more mangled bodies and grieving relatives.


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *




And over at Indymedia -

9/10 Event in L.A. Features Peaceful Tomorrows
The Nation | 08.09.2002 20:19

"starring" Tom Hayden, Robert Scheer, Alfre Woodard, Ramona Ripston, Medea Benjamin, Maria Elena Durazo, Rev. George Regas and Rabbi Allen Freehling.

(Interesting links on that page)






Socialist birds of a feather flocking together........






96 posted on 03/05/2004 2:28:18 AM PST by DeBug=int13

[Howlin]

I've noticed that the majority of the WTC discenter families are from the group "Peaceful Tomorrows" which seems to be some Anti War on Terror and Anti Iraq War group related to the American Friends Service Committee.

You mean this group:

The 'Offended' 911 Group “Peaceful Tomorrows” is funded largely by Teresa Heinz

[NYCVirago]

I understand the sentiment, but the fact is that millions of people continue to watch. Although GMA has passed it in certain markets, Today has the biggest national audience of any morning news show. Like it or not, Today remains an important opinion-maker for many Americans. As such, I believe it is worthwhile to keep track of it.

You do good work watching this swill every day and reporting on it. Thanks -- you must have a strong stomach!

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Thanks, NYC, and funny you should mention the strong stomach. Since I began posting these threads I've been diagnosed with acid reflux and now pop a steady diet of Nexium. Coincidence?