(Image luv to Jesus General.)
M-I-C-K-E-Y…F-R-A-U-D…
Jane posted about the Greg Mitchell interview yesterday, but I can’t resist highlighting this quote from him: (video C&L)
Alison: Lets do a little bits of truth squatting, if we can. Since you’ve seen the movie. A few of the scene, one has former national security Sandy Berger refusing to give the go ahead to take out bin Laden. From your understanding, is this entirely accurate?
Mitchell: No. It is entirely made up. Which is one of the problem. The other thing, which actually just came out today was that the screenwriter admitted on talk radio on the west coast that this scene, while it was in the script, was partly improvised in the making of the movie. –and quite dramatically with Sandy Berger slamming down the phone and cutting off all communication on making this decision to go after Osama. And it is great cinema. Not only did it not happen. The screenwriter says it wasn’t even in the script. And it was improvised on the spot. He liked the way it looked and it went over well in the, when it was being filmed so they left it in. It seem like an appalling thing to admit for a film on such a serious subject. Really on the most serious, most sensitive subject and mass murder. And to treat the facts that cavalierly seems to be the reason that ABC is under such pressure now to do a heavy editing job.
One wonders how they came to the conclusion that a completely false scene should stay in the film. Did they ask Tom Kean? Did they say "Ooooh, Rush Limbaugh’s gonna love this one — it’s just like 24!" or what?
And now, aren’t you asking yourself, just how much of this film is just made up, improvised lies? No wonder they won’t give a screener to Bill Clinton…
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FDL!
Morning Christy!
FITZ!!
Morning! Go Blue!
Good morning, all!
Morning Christy. If ABC doesn’t just completely pull this excretion, it means the left are being written off as irrelevant, as opposed to the wingnuts ability to get the Reagan film blocked.
What will it take for folks to take us seriously?
Good morning! Not fully awake.
EPU – more script drama.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09…..mp;emc=rss
There also was a poster last night – lazlo pink – who is an actor and says that this sort of “improvisation” on a set like that never happens, due to the script editor notation and issues of continuity.
Does the left need to create it’s own network? Didn’t Al Gore try this, and what happened?
I spent five hours after work last night getting caught up with the ABC/Disney thing. This is an *amazing* amount of work. Way to go Christy, Jennifer, Jane, FDLers, blogosphere!
However, I am concerned that ABC will continue to stonewall and even if they are blasted after the fact, it will be a case of “the jury is instructed to disregard that remark” I’m going to take some time to follow up on some contacts I already made and also to do like ET suggested and go after Apple.
It would be ideal if the production $ could be tracked. If this were Toronto I could find that out in about an hour, but I don’t know H’wood.
Morning, Christy and all.
It’s boggling my mind that ABC/Disney’s lawyers have apparently signed off on such surefire multi-litigation-pheromones as this thing exudes.
Who do they think they are — the Bush DoJ?
I think that they are figuring on this dying down after it airs and going into the memory hole.
Any recent legit polls from CT?
EPU’d comment for Jane -
Jane, I think the press secretary thing is a controversy only because they can’t figure you out. You are moving too fast for them, and moving in very significant ways. You’re successful, and they don’t know how to understand or define your success. So for them, that reads as controversy. It’s their way of keeping you within their reality spectrum. God forbid.
We’ve been talking about this claptrap in our classes, making sure the kids that may watch it realize its fantasy. When kids as if they should watch it, our clear response: NO.
Primary on Tuesday – go Me! :)
And Tom Kean maintains this facade of patrician integrity. How convincing.
Americablog has a story that the film is already available @ YouTube.
Seems they are hell bent on trying to blame Clinton.
Anyone know where the petition is? I’d love to sign it.
Oh, and Good Morning!
I’m with you HotFlash – between the dough to make this turkey and then the revenue lost from being sponsor free…(I can’t imagine how much 6 hours of primetime tv gathers, but I’d bet it’s a whole lot)…
I suspect between the letter from Big Dog’s lawyer and the letter from the Senators makin’ scary noises, at the very least, the thing will be very heavily edited…
C&L also has vid of Harvey Keitel expressing his displeasure of the final product. Doesn’t take him off the hook completely since it appears he didn’t do much research into the producers, but actors never have say over the final product, so who knows.
This comment over at The Carpetbagger Report captured the whole situation very succinctly:
I do not believe for one minute that the entire scene was improvised (maybe I will swallow that the phone slamming was improvised)
This writer( and everyone associated with this pile o’ fantasy) has just been caught pulling one of the filthiest campaign dirty tricks of all times, making the Watergate burglers look like chumps by comparison and he is frantically trying to distance themselves from their own product.
Their reputations, and maybe careers, are circling the drain.
YouTube doesn’t host lengthy pieces over a few minutes, so it must be another site, it at all.
trueblue @ 15
Petition
Redshift @ 18
THAT should be the message of the day. Somebody email that to the DNC to HArry Reid, to anybody who might have access to a microphone.
Lets just fill the air today with that message.
And Roddy McCorley, whoever you are, I wanna but you a beer. Thank you. That is just perfect.
Good Morning Christy and All,
just the best to watch this story evolve from afar yesterday – leaving the house in the am with it ‘just an online’ story to see it front and center on Leslie’s show at 3, yeah! that’s what this little commenter’s talkin’ ’bout
in my perfect world, attention would be focused sharply and blazingly on ABC Entertainment Sponsors ! that is what got the Reagan drama pulled
to that end here’s a link with links
(h/t LindyH from yesterday)
http://birdoblog.birdobot.com/disney_propaganda
Here’s the clip (and then some, lol) of Exile on Ericsson St. and op99 doing our part for the cause in the lead story on the local ABC affiliate. I’m the inarticulate one – don’t blink. Exile’s blog RochesterTurning is doing a great job spearheading the local effort against this atrocity.
the local ABC news has been absolutely silent on the crapumentary, but it was finally mentioned this a.m. – surprising, but it usually is the most conservatively slanted of any of their broadcasts (maybe the regular overnight guy is on vacation)
Redshift – awesome summary from that commenter. That is everything-everything-everything in a nutshell.
trueblue @ 15
Think Progress has a petition up, as well as phone numbers for the ABC chief, George Mitchell.
Here’s the review of the ABC “docu-drama” from the Detroit Free Press. The author was kind enough to put his contact information at the bottom of the review.
http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll…../609080342
Contact MIKE DUFFY at 313-222-6520 or mduffy@freepress.com.
Dr. Bong @ 21
Thanks!
Redshift – good stuff.
Imman – I weighed in on the question front, in my usual whiney, pessimistic way.
Christy – have you weighed in on the Siun Controversey? *g*
Mornin’, Pups.
God help us, but Bush is in state today.
Believe the unions as well as other groups are organizing a protest rally because Bush has failed to help the automakers, and has rejected talking to them until after the elections.
Heckuva job, Bushie. P*ss off both the unions AND the corporations. Sure hope that anger works to our favor — and the people are seriously torqued off here already, before this event.
I think it’s time to revisit the days of “Wag the Dog.” I clearly recall during those years how the Republicans, abetted by all the media pundits railed endlessly about how Clinton was simply trying to distract the nation from the really important things, ie his extracurricular activities, with his warnings about terrorism. Clearly this theme of “Clinton was too distracted by Monica to deal with the terror threat” has already shaped the narrative of those days, and the ABC film intends to set it in concrete (see the NY Times today).
I wonder if it’d be possible to compile a video record of the beloved pundits & Republicans scoffing at terrorism & railing on about how Clinton was just trying to change the topic, say a Wag the Dog special, an actual documentary using real clips, not fabrications (rather “composites”) as Disney plans. Just the unvarnished truth as they’re so fond of saying.
Mary at 30 — there’s a controversy? I just got back from dropping The Peanut off at preschool.
Mary @ 30
I must be out of it, is there a controversy?
Posts # 23 and # 18
Are really all we need. Geewiz.
We are getting so fast and so nimble, it’s not even 9 AM (east coast–Wash DC time) and we already have a pitch perfect message of the day and a perfect delivery system for creating pressure.
A kick ass two prong strategy and we haven’t even broken 25 on the comment thread,
Talk about synergy!
It may be quiter here than usual as everybody trots off to deliver the one two punch.
This could be amazing.
BUSH PUSHES TO LEGALIZE WAR CRIMES
This has been predicted for weeks. But now it is here in the last ten pages of the legislation to comply with the Supreme Court’s Hamdan ruling — see [9] for what I know so far of the details. The point to this bill is to retroactively indemnify government officials against prosecution for war crimes.
[1] “Is George Bush Guilty of War Crimes…and Who Cares?” David
Wallechinsky, HuffingtonPost.com, 8/9/06:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…..26669.html [Very good background]
[2] “Detainee Abuse Charges Feared, Shield Sought From ‘96 War Crimes
Act,” By R. Jeffrey Smith, The Washington Post, Friday 28 July 2006
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/080106B.shtml
[3] “Top Military Lawyers Oppose Plan for Special Courts” By
R. Jeffrey Smith, The Washington Post, Thursday 03 August 2006
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/080306A.shtml
[4] “War Crimes Act Changes Would Reduce Threat Of Prosecution”
R. Jeffrey Smith, Washington Post, 8/9/06:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..01276.html
[5] “Retroactive War Crime Protection Proposed”
By Pete Yost, The Associated Press, Wednesday 09 August 2006:
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/081006A.shtml
[6] “Amendments Sought in War Crimes Act”
From the Associated Press, August 10, 2006
http://www.latimes.com/news/pr…..-a_section
[7] “Rewriting the Geneva Conventions”
Editorial, The New York Times, Monday 14 August 2006:
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/081406P.shtml
[8] “Bush Aims to Kill War Crimes Act”
By Jeremy Brecher and Brendan Smith, The Nation, 05 September 2006:
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/090506B.shtml [Excellent]
[9] “A legal bid to ease interrogation guidelines” (headline may differ)
By Adam Liptak, THE NEW YORK TIMES, 08 September 2006
http://www.statesman.com/news/…..legal.html
5 or 6 hours of primetime revenue for a showpiece mini-series is a serious wad of cash.
Mary @ 30
Controversy rocks – as long as they spell her name right!
Good morning FDL, I’ve got coffee brewing over here, and I’m recovering from the overdose of breadpudding (I’m *never* eating again….oooooooogh)
It’s wonderful to see this crockumentary has moved from not much to being on CNN. I’m amazed at the whole thing, really.
Redshift,
indeed – fabulous comment!
let’s gild the lilly, shall we ?
let’s couple the comment with all that has appeared on line this week wrt Orrin and the Kids thwarting Clinton’s efforts at every turn – yikes!
Good Morning Christy
I’m sure that you took this right off the transcript, but I believe that the words Allison were using were “truth squadding”.
And yes, with all the excrement that’s being thrown by ABC there are a number of jokes that can be made about the mistake, but its early so I’ll leave that to much more accomplished comedians on the site than I.
#10 – “It would be ideal if the production $ could be tracked”
I agree, this is key. Any ideas on how this can be done?
Siun got plastered and was dancing naked on a table in a bar, chanting “firedoglake” incessantly. ;)
Redshift @ 18
Amen! I’m going to make me a sampler of that!
Good morning and nice pic, Christy!
Couldn’t these lies affect our national security?
Did Michael Hayden, John Negroponte, Bob Mueller et al get an advance copy and approve it?
Will it “embolden the enemy”?
I am only being half snarky here. With the war on journalists and on whistleblowers, don’t ABC/Disney/Tom Kean/the producers/the writers have to adhere to some standards?
Won’t this further sully our already damaged reputation in the world?
beard5, it’s about time! I’ve been dying for coffee.
I believe I saw Mr. Kean on the TV last night saying that the filmmakers fixed everything he objected to. Evidently, he has the same libelous perspective on certain events.
At least Scholastic made the correct decision by pulling the study guides for high schoolers.
They deserve praise for their courage!
Right Fools at 47 — they are doing new study guides which I haven’t yet seen. You’ll pardon me if I hold my fire on the praise just yet.
meta @ 45
I overslept this morning, too much late night partying on T-Rex’s thread.
But, I’m up and productive now, I’m finally learning to do a new hand, Humanist Miniscule (the immediate ancestor of Italic and the font Times New Roman) When it’s done well it’s a glorious thing, done badly and it looks like poo. (So far, I’m at the poo stage)
The thing that bothers me is that in heat of condemning the lies and inaccuracies of this film what is being forgotten is the omissions, the blame that should be placed on the bush administrations failings that are NOT covered in the film.
Not only is there an attempt to blame clinton but there is also a complete distortion of blame that should fall on bush’s incompetent role in this tragedy
Morning All.
Just got the coffee poured, but not drunk, so I’m a little groggy. I wore my little finger pads down writing to bad, bad, people about the 9/11 abomination yesterday. I’ve seen some suggestions that there should be an FEC investigation about illegal campaign contributions – $40 mil to produce 5 or 6 hours of prime time commercial free = hmmmmm. What’s the chance that the Dem. controlled House is going to pass the special copyright legislation that Disney wants?
beard5, well “Humanist Miniscule” says it all, my friend. All kidding aside, I love fonts. I’m fond of fonts.
Ah. Just got a much more friendly response from the local school system here this morning. They are sending out a notice to all principals to watch for the questionable materials. No known in-school programs around 9/11 at this time. No current relationship between Scholastic and the school system for quantities of texts or other curriculum materials (but that doesn’t preclude individual educators from taking this on their own).
Still concerned as Christy is about Scholastic’s alternative offering; the materials aren’t supposed to be available until late today, leaving virtually no time to vet the material before school begins on Monday.
Could the mods please fish out my 11 ^ and 282 last thread? Thanks in advance!
New from Media Matters:
more…
looseheadprop @ 36
I agree!
I’ve only finished a few of the advertisers, but I wanted to come back and urge everyone to link post 23 and start sending off letters!
She has a sample letter you can copy and paste to each advertiser – little easier that way!
has this been posted yet:
Pols pound ‘Path’
Under fire, ABC mulls yanking mini
But a bombshell decision may happen anyway: Sources close to the project say the network, which has been in a media maelstrom over the pic, is mulling the idea of yanking the mini altogether.
What will it take for the left to be taken seriously? Remember that the right are a bunch of bullies. They run around the playground making threats and pushing people. So far we have threatened the bully, but that almost never works, it just draws attention to you and probably another attack. The only way to beat the bully is to follow through with the threats.
After the show airs file complaints with the FCC citing your local ABC affiliate. Every TV station has to have it’s license renewed by the FCC periodically, file a challenge stating why you feel WXYZ’s license should not be renewed. This almost never happens and will shock the station management. So far this has cost you nothing. Now boycott ABC and Disney. Someone suggested taking all the Disney junk from your home and burning it in front of the local ABC studios, not bad but maybe just stomp on it. Talk about your boycott, spread the word, get others involved. Disney caved to pressure from right wing religious groups boycotting them, there are more of us than there are of them.
Find out who the local advertisers are on your local ABC station and contact them. Let them know that there is a boycott and you will not be using their service, buying their products if they continue to advertise on ABC.
Money is the weapon that the right wing uses against us. It can be the weapon we use against them choose who gets your money wisely.
OFG– that’s right! I had forgotten that…
I heart Media Matters.
the joe2006 blog is such a train-wreck! I’m so reminded of the halcyon days of yore when we trashed the WaPoo Blog … ah, those were the days! … I also just bought http://www.LieberBlog.com …
oops! Meant 24!
On ThinkProgress in its most recent ThinkFast post:
Please stay tuned…
Lotus, I keep wondering where you are. I forget to refresh and when I do, you’re way back up there. Hello, flowah!
Christy Hardin Smith @ 50
http://www.scholastic.com/abou…..006_CP.htm
Christy,
It’s got to be better than the first one!
From an earlier interview with Cyrus Nowrasteh, the writer of the 9/11 film:
So Cyrus, you’ve been open in Hollywood about being a conservative. How has that affected your career?
CN: Well you know, I think there are a lot more conservatives in Hollywood than people think. But it’s not the predominant thing that’s driving me, my career, or my writing. To me that’s fairly personal. It’s a by-product for me of how I came to be in this country after a lot of people in my family had suffered under hardcore, radical fundamentalism [in Iran]. I think this country is about opportunity and about different points of view. I would not consider myself an overtly political person in one fashion or another. But look – my politics rarely if ever come up. I don’t think it bothers people one way or the other, because they see my stuff.
GM: Have you ever had any struggles with networks or executives who wanted you to change your material because they perceived it to be conservative?
CN: Yeah, but usually in mild and miniscule ways. If it’s not conforming to their vision of what it should be, I will usually justify it with the facts and what I think the audience wants or expects. I think there’s a real problem out there right now. I’ve read articles about the lack of boxoffice punch lately, and about the networks losing their ratings. I think a lot of that has to be with people ignoring the fact that the red states have televisions and movie theatres too, and a lot of times they get put off by Hollywood’s overt political agenda, so I try to avoid that.
Bill Bennett on CNN actually rejects the ABC mockudrama and says they should have stuck to the facts and not put words in the mouths of cabinet members.
I just fell over.
YANK IT.
Yay, Stephen! Thank you!
angie @ 6:27 -
sweet jeebus! am also typing from the floor
JML @ 41
Production companies are often made-for-the-occasion joint venture companies. Find out the production company’s name. I’d call a couple of friends in postproduction houses — I’d know who here in TO, don’t know who in H’wood. The people in accounts receivable will know the company name since they do the billing. Once you have a corporate name you can search thru regular corporate records to find out the principals. I think this sort of info w/b in Variety, too, but I don’t have a subscription.
Clemons
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is “highly unlikely” to reconsider Bolton’s confirmation again as things now stand.
One insider reported, as far as the Committee is concerned, “we consider the confirmation over. It’s dead.”
Twisted Martini @
35
let’s see…. “The Siun Controversy” was that Ludlum or LeCarre?
Some morning snacks to go with your cup of coffee:
http://fpc.state.gov/fpc/71909.htm
Update on Detainee Issues and Military Commissions Legislation
John Bellinger III, State Department Legal Advisor
Foreign Press Center Briefing
Washington, DC
September 7, 2006
##############################
http://www.archives.gov/press/…..6-137.html
National Archives Issues Progress Report on Declassification Initiatives
#######################
Not make you paranoid or anything, but the Office of Inspector General for Dept of Homeland Secuirty has found that Mike Chertoff has a dozen different data mining operations (9 already up and running)
http://www.dhs.gov/interweb/as….._Aug06.pdf
*ilson46201 @ 72
Oh, pleazzzzze let this be true!
Why are Reid, Conyers, Dingell, Slaughter and Harman still the only Capitol Hill Dems heard from yet?
WHERE ARE THE REST?
My letter to George Mitchell (you can write yourself at george.mitchell@dlapiper.com):
HotFlash @ 71
where’s that Hamsher woman when we need her ?
Having perused the original study guides, my principle objection is that Scholastic would lend their name and reputation to what was essentially a portion of a press kit (”generously provided by ABC News”).
My objections to “The Path to 9/11″ are the same as my objections to “Farenheit 911″
Except that Michael Moore makes less assertions of objectivity.
My objection to both pieces is that I do not consider the subject matter fodder for entertainment. Maybe in 20 years, but not today.
I think THAT is a question for serious debate.
Is a national tragedy suitable material for entertainment? Is there a time limit? Is “Springtime for Hitler” OK?
Where is the line between News and Entertainment.
What are presenters’ responsibilities in identifying content as fact or fiction?
angie @ 67
What were the odds of that happening?
(Bennett’s having that opinion, that is, not angie falling over at hearing it.)
When’s the Bolton confirmation funeral? We should all pay our
disrespects.Smoochies and Great Vibes to you this morning, meta! (Now don’t forget to refresh later, so you’ll see this.)
Christy – very end of last thread, Jane posted that she’s been doing interviews and keeps getting asked about the “Siun Controversey” News to her too.
Did Siun receive a call asking for authorization to throw rotten vegetables at OBL, but refused? Has the scene been cut, solely in an act of appeasement for FDL?
lotus @
76
those are leadership-types (seniority, titles and all that) — that’s a powerful group there!
op99 @ 25
op99…so hot on tv! You’ll have to beat the men off with Joes wifebeating stick!
angie @ 6:31 am
Have you seen this? http://www.thewashingtonnote.c…..001631.php
This commentary from Steve Clemons for which I am providing a link first came to my attention when I was perusing the Huffington Post. After reading his commentary, I visited Steve’s site and saw the story about John Bolton’s confirmation that you and Wilson mentioned above.
Bravo, Professor Foland!
What a letter.
*ilson at 6:25 a.m.
Forgive a question from a real toobz illerate, but how many of these URLs (if that’s the right term) do you own now and what do the little suckers cost?
Have you considered Lierladd.com?
completely OT
When the tornado came through last year, in addition to the loss of lives and homes, a smaller, ruralish Methodist Church was destroyed. Guess who has showed up to help rebuild it?
FDNY.
The best. Just the best.
a little morning sweetness (very short)
via DRIFTGLASS
http://driftglass.blogspot.com…..ember.html
*ooabby @ 81
Does my Massa For Congress button make me look fat?
*ilson46201 @ 84
They ought to be, *ilson, but they sure seem to have surrendered all the mojo they could lay hands on these last six years . . .
Professor Foland @ 77
I’m pretty sure Mitchell is no longer on the Disney board.
Hmm. I was thinking that the actor who plays Samuel Berger should be tracked down to see if the “improvisation” story matches his recollection. Surprise, surprise. There is no actor credited for the Berger role on either the Internet Movie Database or the abc.com site for the film.
Do they have something to hide?
you may want to email this to all your freinds and naighbors and, if it goes viral, not only will the GOP not get purpetrate a fraud by airing the GOP-O-Rama
But
They may even end up with a net deficit because of all the blowbalck. Please consider sending some version of the following out to everyone you know:
Eugene Robinson’s rocking today on Dubya’s big PR move to bring the secretly held prisoners to Gitmo and preserve the right to torture.
Gotta use those delicate euphemisms – the kids might be watching, and you wouldn’t want them to get the wrong ideas about the facts and the law.
The kicker?
I guess that line got left on the speechwriter’s desk.
It’s frickin’ freezing in tall timber country and even the hummingbirds bailed out yesterday ahead of the cold front…so I’m satellite watching morning cable with my hot cuppa.
MSNBC’s Alex Witt channeling her inner Coultergeist this morning, wasn’t she? “ABC caves” “Clinton intimidates” “censorship” “Dems attacking.” S Blumenthal gives an adequate tho hardly stellar defense…it’s not just Dems, Sidney!!!! But he did point out the producer is a BFR–best friend o’Rush. Hollywood is not a monolith. Shouldn’t fictionalize history. Hey, better than adequate…considering the “journalist’s” bias in the 2 against 1 venue, he did fine.
And whazzup with Bill Bennett? Props to Bill Bennett this morning. Sounding sensible. Repubs can’t be hypocrites. Shouldn’t make your argument based on falsehoods. Props to Bill this morning. And Soledad, for an even-handed interview.
Score this morning: CNN 1, MSNBC -2
Now back to read the postings before the batteries wear down. Happy Fried-e everyone. Send CNN some love for me….
Okay, I’ll bite. What is the Siun Controversy?
Professor Foland — You are FABULOUS!!!
Great letter which speaks in their language.
More love for ABC Disney on another front…
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/…..ool447.DTL
Don’t fall into the “Mouse” trap
This sports guy is cheesed off at ABC Disney for them spreading mickey manure….
Great, great letter Professor Foland.
I agree with the idea and the sentiment that 9/11 should be a day of reverance and respect for those that perished. It should be a solemn day of remembrance of those people, and those people only. Not a day for self-aggrandizing stump speeches and political machinations and posturing. Not a day for commercial exploitation and entertainment ratings. Not a day for crass grandstanding. We should quietly honor those victims and families, and them alone. Why can’t this country do this with some semblance of dignity and class?
and yes Emperor of all that is URL, have you snagged this one yet ?
americasmayor08
think Berger is portrayed by Kevin Dunn (Dave)
or is it Steven Root (Stapler boy from Office Space)
Peterr @ 78
Bill also mentioned that conservatives should be consistent, not scream about the Reagan film that CBS ended up shelving and then laud this one
Professor Foland @ 77
Professor Foland,
Are you a law professor? I never asked. That is a perfect, perfect letter. You every point and so cleaarly and well.
Is there some new viatamin in the water of the ALke today? Everybody seems to have superpowers today.
I knew I’d get epu’d from last thread but I had no patience to wait
anyway, it’s more apropos here anyway;
here’s something everyone is REALLY going to get a kick out of
watch the think progress clip
Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Miniter — conservative author of “Losing bin Laden: How Bill Clinton’s Failures Unleashed Global Terror”
drawn from internet myth…”we never had Bin laden in our sights pre 9/11″, the commision looked into this extensibly, I’ve looked into this extensively, there’s just no basis for this at all”
wow, I NEVER thought I’d quote this guy defending Clinton, but there it is, laying the internet myth to waste
never to be used again in political discussion without getting ridiculed
you guys want to get a kick, take a look at the discussion I had on my board
http://forum.osnn.net/showthread.php?t=86216
pretty good stuff in there…
What’s annoying to me is that the press reports are claiming that Dems are upset about the tone of the miniseries – instead of pointing out specific, LARGE disinformation scenes as the issue(and that some of the people who disapprove just might not be Dems)
I don’t care if they do want to go into Clinton admin failings – along with all failings, and on a fact based examinations. If it is about finger pointing, it needs to be fact based or someone is going to get poked in the eye.
Right fool, you are not right, but wrong: from the disney page:
Here’s the Disney Board of Directors list. George Mitchell has been President of the Board since 2004 according to the Disney website, and I’m assuming they would know. *g*
fahrender @ 73
I must be out of it, is there a controversy?
let’s see…. “The Siun Controversy” was that Ludlum or LeCarre?
I’d go with the incomparable Ruth Rendell.
Great letter, prof – I just love a well-written letter, especially when it’s in an effort to right a wrong.
NotThatMo @ 89
Yep, that sounds mighty fishy to me, too.
op99 @
25
I don’t know if the work firewall is blocking the video, but i can’t see it :(
New thread, gang
Morning, lotus.
Thank you Stephen Parrish @ 85. I did see that right after hauling myself off the floor from the double whammy ;)
op99 @ 109
No listing on IMDB for Berger, but they list the actor who plays the Nerdy controller.
hmmmm.
looseheadprop @ 73
Behind these detainee actions lies stealth legislation to retroactively indemnify government officials against prosecution for war crimes. “The proposal is in the last 10 pages of an 86-page bill [sent to congress on Wednesday] devoted mostly to military commissions, and it is a tangled mix of cross-references and omissions,” according to an article by Adam Liptak, THE NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE, 08 September 2006, http://www.statesman.com/news/…..legal.html
.
This is the attack on the War Crimes Act, which is the legislation that most clearly makes Bush guilty of felonies. We must fight to protect it, just as he will surely fight to gut it.
June 28, 2006
PEPPER TO BECOME CHAIRMAN
Former Procter & Gamble Chairman and CEO will succeed Sen. Mitchell
Burbank, Calif., (June 28, 2006) – The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) Board of Directors today elected independent Disney Director and former Procter & Gamble Chairman and CEO, John E. Pepper, Jr., to serve as non-executive Chairman of the Board, effective January 1, 2007. Pepper will succeed Senator George J. Mitchell, who has served as Disney Chairman since March, 2004.
I stand corrected and I apologize. My information source (Bloomberg) was incorrect.
Rex Weyler, former Greenpeace director, editor of the Greenpeace Chronicles magazine and co-founder of Greenpeace International says from his article published yesterday: “I Want Future Generations to Know This: Many from Our Generation Never Sold You out”. (Mr. Weyler’s statement above is what I want my daughter to remember about me)
“As we wait for the frat-boy, coke-head president and his northern affairs staffer, the Canadian Prime Minister, to finally notice that hydrocarbon civilization is baking the planet, our communities dutifully send their bright-eyed boys and girls to die in the deserts and keep the oil flowing in the right direction at the right price. This is the apogee of the great democratic dream?”
Dr. Bong @
22
Not YouTube…itunes.
Prof Foland – excellent!
Peterr – thanks for the link. WaPo is so off my list I forget to hit some of the remaining things worth reading.
Like wiretaps outside of FISA, interrogation outside of geographic and treaty restraints doesn’t have any answer except – they are breaking the law.
There might be a question for you Imman – if the questioning was all hunky dory – no torture, then a) why not in a secured facility here and b) why no FBI agents around when it happened?
looseheadprop @ 19
There was a quote from an interview with the filmmaker posted a few threads back, I think, that seemed to be saying specifically that it was the slamming down the phone that was improvised. He seemed to be trying to push the point that yeah, the critics are right that slamming the phone never happened, as a way of pretending not to know that the entire event never happened, and portraying the criticism as nitpicking.
Mack (#79):
One of the big differences between “The Path To 9/11″ and “Fahrenheit 9/11″ is that Michael Moore has been a known quantity for some time. He has a bias, a point of view, and readily admits it. As you say, he doesn’t pretend to objectivity.
His film succeeded despite Disney/abc. The commercial success of his film proved that America was ready to see it. It was a poke in the eye of the establishment with a sharp stick and the public said yes. He wasn’t reverential in his treatment of 9/11 but the film wasn’t about the tragedy itself. It was about the inept tomfoolery of Bushco and their ilk.
Michael Moore takes some of the rhetorical tools of comedy/entertainment and uses them for a serious purpose: to draw the public in. To seduce them into looking at something to which they are blind or inured and make them aware. Moore is not simply a buffoon. His work, at least in part, serves an altruistic purpose.
Ohmigod, the actors were allowed creative license too. Must have been a free for all. Its a revolting idea: Markie Mark, or I mean Donnie, et al improvising history.
fahrender @ 122
Agreed. I like Mike Moore and really hate it when folks say he’s the “Ann Coulter’s left”. For one, Moore is funny. For seconds, Moore doesn’t threaten to blow up the NYT. He seems to like to throw the light of day on the kooks who do though. He also uses this autobiographical style, and as far as I can remember has never made blanket statments like Ann Coulter does about “libruls” while claiming the almighty authority of the missing citation in the sky.
mui (#124):
you bet. Moore is driven somewhat by anger but he savors it with humor and it’s often humor wtih a kernel of truth that really winds up the wingnuts. that’s why they hate him so……
Add to what fahrender says at 120, Michael Moore’s piece was factual with video to prove it. Much of the ABC pile of poo is made up of whole cloth.
Adding to the ideas in Prof. Foland’s letter, think of the total cost to the shareholder of Disney’s political gamesmanship. First, the millions Miramax lost by rejecting Fahrenhiet 9/11, then the $40 mil on production of this stink bomb, revenue for two nights of prime time, and the loss of the goodwill of the sane people if they run it, and the goodwill of the crazy people if they don’t. I think it’s time to fire somebody.
Condi has been working on Bushboy. I believe she is the influence that shut down Cheney’s secret prisons.(Cheney is out, Condi is in) She also hated Bolton. Hence, no nomination for the big B. It is a “softening” of the Bush approach. Still dangerous, of course. This is probably why Bennett has come out against the GOP made for tv movie. Plus these idiots have left themselves wide open as people start to bring up the old Wag the Dog bull.
I am so stoked to be involved in this adventure. I have never been so focused!
Professor Foland — great letter; that’s the one I should send to Steve Jobs as Disney’s largest shareholder, pointing out that other shareholders are restless at Disney and get off the stick.
I enjoy Michael Moore’s work.
He has “spoken truth to power” since “Roger and Me”.
As an ex-pat Detroiter, I especially appreciate where he is coming from.
But – Michael Moore’s work should not be used as an exemplary solid argument.
And in opposition to this administration there is little need to embelish the facts. They speak loudly by themselves.
I don’t need to see Britney Spears talking up W’s leadership to know that it’s a sham.
Hi there, LindyH!
I have to give props to somebody over at C&L named Zeke for this little gem:
Turd Blossum!
(Donald Duck!)
Turd Blossum!
(Donald Duck!)
Can Bolton be “Recess Appointed” again? Cuz I gotta think that’s what’s gonna happen.
Redshift @ 19
Roddy McCorley, nice name. Is it real or a tribute?
Awww, you left his rat tail off the photo.