Christy, Thank YOU. This is perfect.

I don’t think Disney wants to tangle with Madeleine Albright.
Paging Edward R. Murrow…..

I would add to contact the Disney Stores — http://disneyshopping.go.com/ They have a handy contact us box for emails.

Update - MSNBC. ABC will issue a statement sometime later today.

Actual reply from WCVB (BOSTON) to my complaint:

Thank you for contacting us regarding the ABC special, “The Path to 9/11.”

This Sunday and Monday WCVB-TV Channel 5 will air ABC’s commercial-free broadcasts of “The Path to 911. On Monday, Part Two will be followed by a special edition of “Primetime Live,” an electronic town meeting.

We will forward your concerns to the ABC Network, since they are still in the final edit of the program.
The following disclaimer will air throughout the movie:
“The following movie is a dramatization that is drawn from a variety of sources including the 9/11 Commission Report and other published materials, and from personal interviews. The movie is not a documentary. For dramatic and narrative purposes, the movie contains fictionalized scenes, composite and representative characters and dialogue, as well as time compression.”

ABC further states, “The events that lead to 9/11 originally sparked great debate, so it’s not surprising that a movie surrounding those events has revived the debate. The attacks were a pivotal moment in our history that should never be forgotten and it’s fitting that the discussion continues.”

From talk shows to internet blogs, the discussions about “The Path to 911” have generated much heat, but precious little light. It is interesting to note that viewers, who have been kind enough to contact us directly, arise from two distinct camps: pro-President Bill Clinton and pro-President George W.Bush. That is correct — both sides have been complaining.

Having reviewed a copy of this mini-series, the management at Channel 5 feels strongly that viewers should decide for themselves the merits of this movie. Unfortunately, there is plenty of blame to go around – Republican, Democrat, government official and everyday citizen.

Neil Ungerleider | Assistant News Director | WCVB | 5 TV Place Needham MA 02494

And why does the “everyday citizen” get blame??

Wow. More awesome pushback.

Great work! It would also be great if people could put together lists of _local_ advertisers for their ABC affiliates.

WRITE LETTERS THEY ARE WORTH MORE THAN A THOUSAND E-MAILS

WTF? (Emphasis mine)

Mr. Kean, whose report criticized both the Bush and Clinton administrations, said Tuesday that the miniseries, like the report, was balanced. “People in both administrations are not going to be happy if it’s portrayed accurately,” he said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09.....nted=print

“If it’s portrayed accurately?”

I sent Scholastic an email telling them I was contacting my school board today.

Will post any response I get.

Disney’s old motto: “We Make All Dreams Come True.”

Disney’s new motto: “We Make All Karl Rove’s Dreams Come True.”

I called the Disney complaint number in the post above.
It has been overwhelmed so the lady gave me a new number to try

818-460-7477

Scholastic — Propagandists to the President!

EPU’d from last thread. This little nugget really caught my atention:

The series, which cost almost $40 million, is to be broadcast without commercials, but Ms. Hartman said this had been planned, as a public service, and had nothing to do with any pressure that might have been brought on prospective advertisers.

Since when does a major network “donate” 5 hours of air time for the “public benefit.”

Doesn’t this violate — at least in spirit — federal campaign finance laws? And if it doesn’t, it should.

EPU’ed alas, but after the current kerfuffle dies down one question will remain.

What does a $40 million partisan, factual inaccurate documentary and the controversy it spawned have to say about corporate oversight and governance at ABC Disney? Inquiring minds would like to know.

‘The Little Mermaid’ is the next Dizzney film to be released on DVD. You know, the 5 disc Bonus Complete version in which Ariel’s seashell bikini top is finally snatched by the evil sharks?

Well in spite of that, my kids will continue to watch the aging VHS version if Disney does not answer our call.

That’s $24.99 that I won’t spend. Who else is brave enough to forego what we’ve always wanted to see?

FDL commenter and Bird-o-Blogger Benjamin Lybrand spent TWO HOURS watching According to Jim (eeek!) compiling clickable contact form links for ABC network sponsors. Some comment boxes have a 500-character limit, so edit and then paste at will. Yesterday, I worked through these 20-odd sponsors in 30-odd minutes. Recommended:

http://birdoblog.birdobot.com/disney_propaganda

I have received acknowledgements from some of these corporations, as diverse as Mazda, Ford, LandRover, WishBone, Iams, et.al. Recommended.

meta @
2

I don’t think Disney wants to tangle with Madeleine Albright.
Paging Edward R. Murrow…..

‘Hello, Keith speaking?’

Cozumel @ 4

Update - MSNBC. ABC will issue a statement sometime later today.

Keep your TV tuned to MSNBC everybody - Chris Jansing (is that right?) makes it sound as if this announcement could be at any moment.

webecelts @
8

WRITE LETTERS THEY ARE WORTH MORE THAN A THOUSAND E-MAILS

;) and the Postal Service will surely get your letters there shortly after Tripe Part Two airs! *g*

timewarp @ 14

EPU’d from last thread. This little nugget really caught my atention:

The series, which cost almost $40 million, is to be broadcast without commercials, but Ms. Hartman said this had been planned, as a public service, and had nothing to do with any pressure that might have been brought on prospective advertisers.

Since when does a major network “donate” 5 hours of air time for the “public benefit.”

Doesn’t this violate — at least in spirit — federal campaign finance laws? And if it doesn’t, it should.

I have been harping on the camapaign finance angle of this since the issue first came up. I think this a really shabby attempt to get around it. If you were to buy a rotation of commercials suffient to equalfive hours of prime time How many millions would that cost? On top of the $40 million in production costs?

Anybody out there able to calculate the cost of a media but like that?

Inquiring minds want to know

Terre @ 19

Cozumel @ 4

Update - MSNBC. ABC will issue a statement sometime later today.

Keep your TV tuned to MSNBC everybody - Chris Jansing (is that right?) makes it sound as if this announcement could be at any moment.

Sounds like a typical bullsh*t grab. They all do it all the time, stay tuned ; )

You guys watching those folks beating the crap out of the Fox journalist on MSNBC? Hehe.

At Disney 818 560-1000 I asked for the ABC/Disney Direct Communications Line and it was busy. She gave me the number -818 460-7477) it is very busy now. (press 2, then 6). You can only give a 30 second comment. Who knows if anyone there will be willing to listen to comments.

Exile on Ericsson St. @ 7

Great work! It would also be great if people could put together lists of _local_ advertisers for their ABC affiliates.

Nice content lately on RochesterTurning, exile. A nice blend of local, national, and the intersection of the two. Too bad the Democrat and Chronicle (local rag) doesn’t crib off you the way Keith Olbermann cribs off FDL. NTTAWWT.

MSNBC now updating us… on hotel heiress Paris!

looseheadprop @ 12

I called the Disney complaint number in the post above.
It has been overwhelmed so the lady gave me a new number to try

818-460-7477

I just got the same comment. Line is overwhelmed and busy and they gave me the same number.

Here’s how we go after Scholastic Books. Contact members of your local School Board. I did. Here’s the website for the Seattle School Board members. They usually are quite responsive to parents’ concerns.

http://www.seattleschools.org/.....index.dxml

FDL Football Friends,
Contact ESPN and share your outrage about 911 BS Fest. Disney owns espn also.

Calling and announcing a boycott is an excellent start.

Don’t forget ESPN. Dad’s who are interested should contact ESPN and any sports organization they cover. I has cost them $30-40 million to go this far. Let it be clear to Disney it will cost them HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS to continue this charade.

Also CALL STEVE JOBS. He is now on the board of Disney. He needs to have a sharholder accountability moment, here.

Kurt at 23 — I do not think that a criminal battery — no matter it’s recipient — is the least bit funny. And I’m sure that the journalist, with his injuries, did not find it amusing either.

ONE MORE ACTION ITEM: Remember the Sinclair debacle before the 2004 elections? Sinclair is still hurting badly from their foolish attempt at electioneering by way of publicly-owned airwaves.

Be sure that when you call ABC-affiliates and ABC-owned and operated stations, that you tell them you will ask the FCC to evaluate their licensure since they are violating the public trust by airing partisan-produced and promoted materials within 90 days of an election over publicly-owned airwaves in the guise of “news” (being produced by ABC News and not Entertainment) with inadequate disclaimers about the veracity of the content.

Just left a voice mail at Disney…you can’t get anyone live. Told them that I am cancelling my trip to Disneyland in January.

Terre @ 19

Cozumel @ 4

Update - MSNBC. ABC will issue a statement sometime later today.

Keep your TV tuned to MSNBC everybody - Chris Jansing (is that right?) makes it sound as if this announcement could be at any moment.

AFTER the Paris Hilton DUI kerfuffle.

‘She is a victim of Mel Gibson. This is a marginal case. She was at the minimum alcohol level to be busted.’

Fuck off.

Scholastic has a Community Board.

All protests.

Froomkin’s theme-for-the-day: Believe It or Not (without even mentioning ABC)

If these folks at Disney actually watched their shows they would know that the likes of Mulan, Simba, and Shrek would have the head of the executive who green-lighted this GOP-u-drama on a platter.

You know what really bothers me about this is the link to Steve Jobs (yes, I’m an Apple guy). Steve is no wingnut, but he is the largest single stockholder in Disney now. Where is he on this? I wonder how his friend and Apple boardmember Al Gore feels about this?

Hello, Steve Jobs, wake up. Tick. Tock.

Update:

Waiting for ABC comment.

But in fairness, we should point out that ABC admits that the show is bullshit.

Big Dawg’s team: Airing this is despicable.

Joe uses creative writing majors for polling?

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP)– The owner of DataUSA Inc., a company that conducted political polls for the campaigns of President Bush, Sen. Joe Lieberman and other candidates, pleaded guilty to fraud for making up survey and poll results.

[snip]

According to a federal indictment, Costin told employees to alter poll data, and managers at the company told employees to ”talk to cats and dogs” when instructing them to fabricate the surveys.

[snip]

Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward Chang said on several occasions when the company was running up against a deadline to complete a job, results were falsified. Sometimes, the respondent’s gender or political affiliation were changed to meet a quota, other times all survey answers were fabricated.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponlin.....ref=slogin

To Scholastic:

As a former employee, I have long admired Scholastic’s mission and its people. So I’ve been increasingly troubled by what I’m hearing about Scholastic’s involvement with the ABC docudrama “The Path to 9/11.” It’s clear that Scholastic went into this partnership with the most honorable of intentions. But it is increasingly clear that the movie — which you, of course, did not control — tells repeated and intentional falsehoods about what did and did not happen in the years prior to 9/11.

When we finally have access to the full historical record about 9/11, we will undoubtedly find more than enough blame to go around, for presidents and public officials of both parties. But that does not obviate the importance of honesty and accuracy in current productions concerning 9/11. It is clear that this movie will be interpreted as fact, not fiction, by millions of Americans — and especially by millions of children who will hear about it with Scholastic’s imprimatur.

Quite frankly, I do not expect ABC Entertainment to be especially concerned with the truth of their productions: controversy draws ratings. But association with this movie fundamentally threatens Scholastic’s brand and reputation. More important, it is in irreconcilable conflict with Scholastic’s credo: “We believe that all sides of the issues of our times should be fairly discussed — with deep respect for facts and logical thinking — in classroom magazines, books, and other educational materials used in schools and homes.”

I sincerely hope Scholastic will withdraw its involvement in this regrettable production, while there is still time to do so. Thank you in advance for your consideration, and for your reply.

To ABC’s Path to 9/11 Blog:

To me, this is simple: We know that your documentary presents events that simply did not happen. We know this because you’ve told us so.

Furthermore, these events show specific individuals in a terrible light. Perhaps they deserve the harsh verdict of history. But they do not deserve to be misrepresented or lied about.

It’s wrong when Oliver Stone does it, and it’s wrong when you do it. When the subject is as fraught as 9/11, telling lies damages our entire society.

This seems fairly simple to me. Since it seems anything but simple to you, I can’t help wondering what your agenda might be. (Especially when one considers who has — and has not — been permitted to pre-screen your movie.) I’m afraid your professed good faith is far from self-evident to me.

Center for American Progress Action Fund spurs 25,000 to call on ABC either to correct or not air its 9/11 mini-series. (link)

From Huffpo:

Chafee Delays Vote on Bolton Nomination

http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....28_pf.html

OT, Panda Division

Spare a thought for dear ol’ Lun Lun, in labor for 35 hours to produce Hotlanta’s favorite new butter-stick. Video here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....00336.html

I just called Disney and had no problem. Good idea is to tentatively book a couple of rooms at Disney and then call to cancel due to Path to 911.

Christy Hardin Smith @ 31

Kurt at 23 — I do not think that a criminal battery — no matter it’s recipient — is the least bit funny. And I’m sure that the journalist, with his injuries, did not find it amusing either.

But what about the camera man who stood there filming for six whole minutes without intervening? Even after the woman in the video went into the house to try to find a gun?

Sorry, but its my local news.

shooogarp @
33

Just left a voice mail at Disney…you can’t get anyone live. Told them that I am cancelling my trip to Disneyland in January.

If you’ve ever been to Dizzney World, even the folks in the parking booths on the way in are androids.

Bill Camarda, excellent points straight to the heart of the matter and beautifully stated.

Rayne said Be sure that when you call ABC-affiliates and ABC-owned and operated stations, that you tell them you will ask the FCC to evaluate their licensure since they are violating the public trust by airing partisan-produced and promoted materials within 90 days of an election over publicly-owned airwaves in the guise of “news” (being produced by ABC News and not Entertainment) with inadequate disclaimers about the veracity of the content.

Rayne-I heard on the radio yesterday they are doing this in Polk and Hillsborough Counties in Florida. They had the same problem in the 2006 Primary! Woohoo!

kristinejoy at 10:35

“But what about the camera man who stood there filming for six whole minutes without intervening? Even after the woman in the video went into the house to try to find a gun?”

Smart camera man. As was the reporter who did not lift one single hand to defend himself. No way will this couple squirm out of these assault charges….

Attention greater Washington, DC, contact the local ABC affiliate.

Terrorist ‘Bucky Phillips’, he of the ‘Bucky Burger’, is still on the lam.

But in IRAQ!

First of all, great work Christy et al. I too think that the Path to 9/11 will be pulled and not see the light of day. When Scholastic backs out, ABC/Disney will have little choice but to follow suit (I hope!).

BTW did a little googling on Cyrus Nowrasteh, the writer/producer of Path to 9/11:

from Liberty Film Festival website:

A Persian-American whose family had to flee Iran when it was taken over by Islamic fundamentalists, Nowrasteh’s work combines an appreciation for the intimate and the human, with a love of history and respect for America’s founding traditions.

from IMDb Movie database;

Cyrus Nowrasteh was born in Boulder, Colorado and grew up in Madison, Wisconsin. He attended New Mexico State University on a tennis scholarship, but later transferred to U.S.C. to study in their renowned School of Cinema. While teaching tennis in Los Angeles he wrote screenplays. His first break came in 1983 when he was hired by Universal Studios to do a rewrite on a project entitled ‘Bikers’. Mr. Nowrasteh says this first job was a disaster because he tried “to please everybody.” Two years later he wrote his first produced script for the CBS TV series ‘The Equalizer’ which led him to work predominantly in series television for the next five years. He also wrote scripts on assignment for various producers and studios, the best regarded being ‘Black Jack’ and ‘Murder At Nha Trang’ for Interscope Productions. His move into directing began on the independent front with ‘Norma Jean, Jack, And Me’, a zany comedy about a young drifter who washes up on an island and discovers that Marilyn Monroe and JFK are alive and well! It starred Sally Kirkland and Michael Murphy and became a festival favorite throughout the world.

Cyrus Nowrasteh recently wrote and directed the Paramount/Showtime production The Day Reagan Was Shot (2001) (TV) which starred Richard Dreyfuss. Produced by Oliver Stone, The Day Reagan Was Shot received rave reviews and a number of awards including the Pen USA West Literary Award for Best Teleplay 2001-2002. Presently, he is developing a four-hour mini-series on John Dillinger for the USA network which Mr. Nowrasteh will write and direct. Also as writer/director, Mr. Nowrasteh is developing 3rd Down & Forever with Chris Columbus’s 1492 productions.

Aside from the fact that he must have been only three or four years old when he was first hired by Universal Studios (if his family indeed fled Iran when the Shah was overthrown), it struck me while reading his movie background that our own Jane Hamsher might have some personal knowledge of the esteemed Mr. Nowrasteh…

MSNBC scolding the cafe that offered the ‘Bucky Burger’. Not appropriate!

Coming up next, we scold the Bush Admin for similar offenses.

Or not.

Send a email to scholastic, tell them you will demand that your local scholl board remove them from the public schools if they have anything to do with Disney or ABC. Also I have spent my last dollar on ANYTHING Disney related. If you live in Florida it is also time to start asking about all the tax breaks and sweetheart deals Disney gets from the State of Florida. Why should you pay higher taxes to support a multi billion dollar corporation?

http://www.LiebermanForLieberman.com

Well done, Bill Camarda!

Just sent this follow-up to the (woman) GM at WFTV-ABC Orlando:

Ms. Bartelt, please excuse my misreading of your given name. I understand that ABC is to make an announcement concerning “Path to 9/11″ later today. Perhaps Corporate is about to solve your problem? If so, and if your input had any influence on this wise decision, my congratulations and thanks!

Meanwhile, you may be interested in this update at firedoglake.com:

http://www.firedoglake.com/200.....used-to-it

Thanks again,
(Ms.) [lotus]

timewarp @ 49

kristinejoy at 10:35

“But what about the camera man who stood there filming for six whole minutes without intervening? Even after the woman in the video went into the house to try to find a gun?”

Smart camera man. As was the reporter who did not lift one single hand to defend himself. No way will this couple squirm out of these assault charges….

When was socializing out basic survival insticts ever a good thing? Just me, but when I watched that I kept thinking “Bitch, fight back!” Nobody ever gets to beat on me, no matter how good it makes the evidence look.

This thing pissed me off so much it put me off buying the LOST season 2 dvds I’d planned on buying. In fact, I am not planning to buy any LOST episodes off of iTunes anymore like I did last season.

This is not easy as I really like the show, but since that show is a cash cow for ABC, well TS for them. Now if even a small percentage of LOST fans started talking smack about buying shows off of iTunes….well that might get more attention that us mad bloggers.

Just a thought.

lotus @ 58

Well done, Bill Camarda!

Just sent this follow-up to the (woman) GM at WFTV-ABC Orlando:

Ms. Bartelt, please excuse my misreading of your given name. I understand that ABC is to make an announcement concerning “Path to 9/11″ later today. Perhaps Corporate is about to solve your problem? If so, and if your input had any influence on this wise decision, my congratulations and thanks!

Meanwhile, you may be interested in this update at firedoglake.com:

http://www.firedoglake.com/200.....used-to-it

Thanks again,
(Ms.) [lotus]

Oh Ms. lotus - how you lead by doing and never fail to inspire….whooo hoooo!

LOL The Disney stock message board on Yahoo is getting pounded ; )

http://messages.finance.yahoo.com/mb/DIS

This movie’s fictional content being passed off as historic fact is what I would consider an INDENCENCY.

Shouldn’t we also be calling the FCC? I mean seriously, the country can recover from Janet Jackson’s bare breast but can they recover from ‘rehistorification?’

Eavesdropping Bill Stalls in Committee

http://tinyurl.com/pjhka

Seems that the R’s are not having a very good day!

This is what I wrote to Scholastic this morning:

“Gentlemen/Ladies,

This morning, The Washington Post published an article about ABC’s docudrama
“The Path to 9/11.” In this article, the following appeared:

“Former secretary of state Madeleine K. Albright called one scene involving her
“false and defamatory.” Former national security adviser Samuel R. “Sandy”
Berger said the film “flagrantly misrepresents my personal actions.” And former
White House aide Bruce R. Lindsey, who now heads the William J. Clinton
Foundation, said: “It is unconscionable to mislead the American public about one
of the most horrendous tragedies our country has ever known.”

I understand that your company is going to distribute materials related to this
docudrama to schools across the U.S. As a parent of an eight-year old in public
school, if this movie is broadcast w/o significant changes that address the
above charges, or isn’t pulled, I will insist that our household not purchase
any Scholastic books not specifically required by my child’s teachers, and we
will not return to any Disney facilities, nor watch any Disney movies or TV.
This whole thing smells of a massive government snowjob on the American people
during an election season, and I’m disturbed and disappointed that your company
would have anything to do with this movie, and the lies it will tell.”

OT but funny — Joe’s official blog is thoroughly trashed — sockpuppetry run rampant! It reminds me of the halcyon days of the WaPoo Blog — back in the day!

Moral: never ever start a political blog without ever-vigilant moderators !

My letter to Scholastic:

I received your email from a website that indicates you have some role in making the decisions concerning participation in the Disney/ABC 911 docudrama.

Your partnership with Disney/ABC over its phony 911 film will tarnish your company’s reputation for a generation. The film is blatant propaganda — it relies on blatant falsehoods to tell the “story.”

The movie is marketed to some extent as a docudrama (though also portrayed as “factual” and based on the 911 Commission report — but its not).

However, your company’s involvement does not purport to be in the same vein as docudrama — you are treating it as a factual documentary and preparing to peddle its filth to America’s children. Your involvement is much more disgusting than Disney/ABC misuse of entertainment to peddle historical lies.

Simply put, your participation reduces your company to partisan hackery. You might as well just put together campaign ads rather than pretend to present school materials for the education of children.

As a parent, I would do everything in my power to insure that your company never did any business of any kind with my school district. Snake oil and education are not compatible, and you cannot mix the two types of business and expect to continue to do business with school districts in this country.

Thank you for your time.

David M. Browne

*ilson46201 @ 64

OT but funny — Joe’s official blog is thoroughly trashed — sockpuppetry run rampant! It reminds me of the halcyon days of the WaPoo Blog — back in the day!

Moral: never ever start a political blog without ever-vigilant moderators !

Man, are they taking a beating over there.
It’s good for a laugh a minute though. *g*

To follow up on LeislerNYC’s comment on Disney stores:

They are seemingly everywhere, in malls, on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, etc., etc. I would think a few people exercising their First Amendment rights with placards reading “Disney, stop politicizing 9/11″ and so on outside their stores (and corporate headquarters) might be quite effective.

Cozumel @
62

LOL The Disney stock message board on Yahoo is getting pounded ; )

http://messages.finance.yahoo.com/mb/DIS

WOW, Coz, thanks. People are talking about shorting the stock!

I can longer support ABC/ Disney inc. or anyone else affiliated with the 911Mockumentry.
That includes all advertisers on ABC and the Disney affiliates.
I have three children and three businesses. We are currently distributing bocott information in their schools and in my businesses,(bookstore-resturant-clothing).
I deal with over 500 customeres daily and will enthusiastically recomend that they follow my lead.

RE: Scholastic

Scholastaic makes its money selling learning materials to schools. Schoolboards approve these purchases, often with input from PTAs and teachers.

The strongest thing you can do, and the one that will impact Scholastic the most, is to contact your PTA and/or schoolboard, and to get them to tell Scholastic that participating in this travesty will make them reconsider any future purchases.

Teachers, who it is said, are predominately liberal, also can have an impact here.

WOW, Coz, thanks. People are talking about shorting the stock!

Hey, that’s what smart peeps do to dumb companies.

*ilson46201 @ 64

OT but funny — Joe’s official blog is thoroughly trashed — sockpuppetry run rampant! It reminds me of the halcyon days of the WaPoo Blog — back in the day!

Moral: never ever start a political blog without ever-vigilant moderators !

Like this one? - “Last week somebody compared me to Lavrentii Beria — I was so impressed with his knowledge of history! and then I deleted him . . .”

;)

Crust - yes. Also a few days back, I suggested handing out sheets of toilet paper to passers by in front of ABC (local affiliates as well as NYC -this would certainly get people’s attention). Maybe one should do it in front of Disney too. (TP - i.e. clean up the act)

A response from my local ABC affiliate:

Note: ABC now is claiming the movie contains fictionalized scenes; boy, the “based on the 9/11 Commission Report” claim is sure getting dulited with each clarification.

Thanks for your feedback. “The Path of 9/11″ is ABC Programming which we are required to carry. Here is a statement issued by ABC regarding the show.

Thanks again for taking the time to write.

Statement from an ABC Spokesperson

The Path to 9/11 is a dramatization, not a documentary, drawn from a variety of sources, including the 9/11 commission report, other published materials and from personal interviews. The events that lead to 9/11 originally sparked great debate, so it’s not surprising that a movie surrounding those events has revived the debate. The attacks were a pivotal moment in our history that should never be forgotten and it’s fitting that the discussion continues.

The following disclaimer will air throughout the movie:

“The following movie is a dramatization that is drawn from a variety of sources including the 9/11 Commission Report and other published materials, and from personal interviews. The movie is not a documentary. For dramatic and narrative purposes, the movie contains fictionalized scenes, composite and representative characters and dialogue, as well as time compression.”

Just posted this at http://abc.go.com/site/contactus.html

As the parents of two young boys (aged 2.10 & 10 months) My wife & I have slowly introduced them to limited television & DVD’s and our prime sources both for entertainment & education have been Baby Einstein DVD’s (of which we own 25); and the Playhouse Disney and Noggin (non Disney owned) cable channels.
However due to your company’s blatant (and admitted) disregard for accuracy the use of any and all Disney/ABC products will cease in our home.

Best wishes to the loss of two future customers.

Which used 499 of their 500 character limit. Do you think they’ll understand?????

OK, I admit I was too lazy to go back and track down some of the specifics on the “good” intelligence gathered through torture which Bush cited in his speech yesterday. I was kind of hoping that the MSM would do it and they did.

So about that Abu Zubaida who was Bush’s big success story. By way of Froomkin and note the reliance on Ron Suskind who did that investigative thingy that reporters have such trouble with these days:

Dan Eggen and Dafna Linzer writes in The Washington Post: “The secret interrogation of senior al-Qaeda aide Abu Zubaida provided U.S. authorities with the clues they needed to capture the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and other key terrorism suspects around the world, according to new accounts provided yesterday by President Bush and administration officials. . . .

snip

“But in his recent book, ‘The One Percent Doctrine,’ Ron Suskind reported that a tipster led the CIA directly to Mohammed and subsequently collected a $25 million reward. Intelligence sources said yesterday that Suskind’s description is correct but that Zubaida’s information was also helpful.”

And addressing a point about Abu Zubaida and his reliability that I remembered, i.e. that he wasn’t:

But as Barton Gellman noted in his Washington Post review of Suskind’s book:
“Abu Zubaydah, his captors discovered, turned out to be mentally ill and nothing like the pivotal figure they supposed him to be. . . . Dan Coleman, then the FBI’s top al-Qaeda analyst, told a senior bureau official, ‘This guy is insane, certifiable, split personality.’”

Nevertheless, “Bush ‘was fixated on how to get Zubaydah to tell us the truth,’ Suskind writes, and he asked one briefer, ‘Do some of these harsh methods really work?’ Interrogators did their best to find out, Suskind reports. They strapped Abu Zubaydah to a water-board, which reproduces the agony of drowning. They threatened him with certain death. They withheld medication. They bombarded him with deafening noise and harsh lights, depriving him of sleep. Under that duress, he began to speak of plots of every variety — against shopping malls, banks, supermarkets, water systems, nuclear plants, apartment buildings, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty. With each new tale, ‘thousands of uniformed men and women raced in a panic to each . . . target.’ And so, Suskind writes, ‘the United States would torture a mentally disturbed man and then leap, screaming, at every word he uttered.’”

So although we don’t torture, when we do torture, we get really good, reliable info, except it’s not. Questions?

*ilson46201 @ 65

OT but funny — Joe’s official blog is thoroughly trashed — sockpuppetry run rampant! It reminds me of the halcyon days of the WaPoo Blog — back in the day!

Moral: never ever start a political blog without ever-vigilant moderators !

*ilson, have I told you lately that you and all the mods on this blog rock? Consider yourself told.

Simon @ 74

Just posted this at http://abc.go.com/site/contactus.html

As the parents of two young boys (aged 2.10 & 10 months) My wife & I have slowly introduced them to limited television & DVD’s and our prime sources both for entertainment & education have been Baby Einstein DVD’s (of which we own 25); and the Playhouse Disney and Noggin (non Disney owned) cable channels.
However due to your company’s blatant (and admitted) disregard for accuracy the use of any and all Disney/ABC products will cease in our home.

Best wishes to the loss of two future customers.

Which used 499 of their 500 character limit. Do you think they’ll understand?????

Shorter version: Simon says “See ya!” Nicely done.

ABC stands by its crock.

From ABC’s own description:

Former ABC News anchor John Miller, now the FBI’s Assistant Director of Public Affairs, was also a consultant on the project. His book, The Cell, co-authored with Michael Stone, was optioned by ABC for use in the teleplay.

mighty handy for Bush to have one of his guys giving advice.

ABC statement just issued: (read on air on MSNBC)

“The following movie is a dramatization that is drawn from a variety of sources including the 9/11 Commission Report and other published materials, and from personal interviews. The movie is not a documentary. For dramatic and narrative purposes, the movie contains fictionalized scenes, composite and representative characters and dialogue, as well as time compression.

No one has seen the final version of the film, so criticisms are premature.” [And sorry, I missed the remainder of the statement…my fingers got tired…will find a link as soon as I can.]

Clinton “will not be happy unless it is pulled” acc to his atty per Nora.

Nora does point out that nobody in Clinton admin got the DVD despite requests but critics of the admin have gotten them…

Nora O’D going to town on Clinton v. ABC!

Common Sense @ 81

From ABC’s own description:

Former ABC News anchor John Miller, now the FBI’s Assistant Director of Public Affairs, was also a consultant on the project. His book, The Cell, co-authored with Michael Stone, was optioned by ABC for use in the teleplay.

mighty handy for Bush to have one of his guys giving advice.

I read The Cell and it’s excellent, IMO. Nothing at all like what the ABC thing is.

Christy @83

I think I have the full quote at @76

OT - maybe a mod could copy/past to Imman or send link?

Immanentize - re: questions for the director - I’m pretty bitter and going too far around the bend, but one or two of these has a kernel of something that could be reshaped for a “for real” question —

1. Can’t you call Warren Buffet and Bill Gates and appeal to their patriotism to help you line up some first rate problem solvers and fix the computer issues?

2. Do you believe illegal or unconstitutional government actions should be protected as state secrets?

3. If the President or the Attorney General order you to violate existing criminal laws of this country and engage in secretive cover up, if you did not feel you should comply, what would or could you do?

4. What should an FBI agent do if exposed to people and activities that violate existing criminal laws of this country and involve conspiracies to cover up those activities – if those criminal violations were ordered by the Attorney General or President’s office.

5. Does the President’s embrace of torture and coercion to obtain testimony mean that the FBI will not be actively working cases involving suspected terrorists in the future and that they will all be handled by military commission, including those involving US Citizens?

6. Does torture testimony go into the data base and is it relied upon to start investigations of Americans in America?

7. Any plans to open War Crimes files soon?

8. If the Office of Legal Counsel has been so wrong, so often, can it’s opinions still be relied upon and will the Executive Branch waive attorney client privilege if an agent or individual is forced to use reliance on and OLC opinion as support for their illegal activities? (I don’t’ know how you assert reliance without doing what all the big boys do and waiving privilege — would be an interesting situation, since the waiver needs to come from the President — how can someone who can’t waive assert reliance?)

9. What would be the FBI’s role if the head of the Department of Justice and the Head of the Executive Branch engaged in actions, known to the FBI, which violate the criminal laws of this country – any difference if the criminal victims are American Citizens or not?

10. How is it a good idea to have sections of the Patriot Act which rely solely upon whistleblower’s within the FBI to leak “classified” (whether correctly or not) information without protection and without recourse for the violations?

11. If the head of the Executive Branch or the Head of the Department of Justice order that members of the Executive Branch violate the criminal laws of the United States, and those members comply, who bears the responsibility?
12. As head of the FBI, do you have the same authority to order violations of criminal law as those claimed by others within or heading the Executive Branch.
13. How do you wake up every day and work for George Bush and Alberto Gonzales.

Hugh @ 10:15am (#15)

EPU’ed alas, but after the current kerfuffle dies down one question will remain.

What does a $40 million partisan, factual inaccurate documentary and the controversy it spawned have to say about corporate oversight and governance at ABC Disney? Inquiring minds would like to know.

Good question. I’ve been looking through their standards of business conduct, which (in case you haven’t worked for a large corporation in the last twenty years or so) explains to employees what the company expects them to do regarding customers, the government, and other businesses. So far, no mention of being honest in labeling fiction as fiction, and not misleading the public, but there might be some gold there. Meanwhile, here’s part of the cover letter to this booklet written by Bob Iger, CEO of Disney:

People trust us because of our commitment to them and to the standards to which we hold ourselves. We alone are responsible for upholding our excellence and our integrity. This means acting responsibly in all our professional relationships, in a manner consistent with the high standards we set for our business conduct.

lotus @
73

WOW, Coz, thanks. People are talking about shorting the stock!

Hey, that’s what smart peeps do to dumb companies.

Lotey!!

When the Reagan docudrama got pulled from the network, it ended up being broacast on the network’s cable outlet, TNT I think. Probably what ABC will do with Path To 9/11.

Good. They’ve responded, so we know we have their ear -and more importantly- the ears of their corporate masters, etc. If none of this made a difference, they would never have uttered a word. Keep POUNDING!!

At first I was unconcerned about this movie. Now with Scholastic being involved and the possibility that schools may lend this offal some sort of legitimacy, I can no longer sit on my hands. I have emailed scholastic and called my local ABC affiliate. If you haven’t done the same here is a link to find your affiliate. Call them, be calm and clear. Don’t write down your statement first (it sounds like you’re reading it). Make a couple of notes about the points you want to hit and then speak extemporaneously. Your “uhm”ing and “ahh”ing will show that your are a bonafide regular person.

jinny @64

Eavesdropping Bill Stalls in Committee

http://tinyurl.com/pjhka

Seems that the R’s are not having a very good day!

Excerpt:

Forced to delay his committee’s vote, Specter grumbled that without his legislation the White House would continue its domestic wiretapping program virtually unchecked by the courts.

Oh, boo-hoo, Arlen! If they’re not obeying the current mandatory restrictions, why should we believe that your bill making them voluntary would help?

Oh, right, because the President promised. That’s much better than being legally required to do it.

Twit.

gregdewar.com @ 10:44am (#60)

Now if even a small percentage of LOST fans started talking smack about buying shows off of iTunes….well that might get more attention that us mad bloggers.

I’d bet that just making some mention of the fact that you got this information via the Internet would get them to thinking. The folks who buy things online are often the folks who get their news via the Internet. If they’re even remotely savvy about online business they’ll know that.

Send E-mail, not enough time for a letter!

I sent Scholastic this email:

Dear Friends,

I have been distressed to read of Scholastic’s involvement with the controversial and factually-disputed ABC TV docudrama (I believe they are not calling it a documentary because it fails to meet the standards of a documentary film) on 9/11.

The Scholastic imprimatur carries great weight with the schools and the reading public, and I would be greatly disappoi