Squiggler

Dems threaten government censorship if they don't get their own way ...

I have tried to stay out of the fray regarding the upcoming miniseries, "The Path to 9/11" which is due to air over two nights on 10 and 11 September. It is impossible not to know that former President Bill Clinton is ballistic, that Madeline Albright and Sandy Berger are quaking and demanding changes, and that the looney left has lost its collective mind and gone insane with anger.

It is one thing to protest, write letters indicating your anger or concern, and to make as big a stink as you want to. That is free speech and everyone is entitled to exercise it. Republicans certainly spoke up over their own concerns at inaccuricies to be included in the Reagan miniseries of a few years ago. However, it is one thing to yell and scream and pull your hair and even threaten boycotts, it is quite another to threaten government censorship in the form of getting a broadcast license pulled. That is beyond the pale and frankly is extremely frightening to contemplate. And all this over a movie hardly anyone has seen yet and which reports from those who have seen advanced copies is supposed to be relatively fair and balanced. There was plenty of blame to go around on what happened in the lead up to 9/11, plenty on both the Clinton and the Bush watch. Most of what went wrong was systemic and thankfully many of those systemic problems have been corrected or are in the process of being corrected now.

Here is the letter written to ABC/Disney with a blatant threat to their right to freely present this miniseries anyway they want. Is this the way we want our leaders to lead, by using the government to silence those telling it as they see it. I don't think so. And the dumbest part of all ... there are many advance copies in circulation, many to the news media, that do not reflect the cuts being demanded. How long before those are available to anyone who wants to see the original?

Senate Dems Threaten Disney's Broadcast License

09/07 06:45 PM - Media Culture

Sens. Reid, Durbin, Stabenow, Schumer, and Dorgan sent a letter to Disney today containing the following passages:

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. [...]

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.

Who in the press will stick up for ABC's right to air this miniseries?

Ed Morrisey:

Many people have pointed out that conservatives protested the factual deficiencies in "The Reagans" three years ago and wonder why they suddenly consider criticism invalid. The Democrats also appear to have completely changed their position as well. This is what they said about conservative criticism of CBS three years ago, and without a Republican threat against their broadcast license:

"No, there are no First Amendment violations here. The RNC protested the content of a program, which is its right, and CBS voluntarily pulled that program off the air, which is its right.

"But the decision makes it very easy to imagine a future where representatives for the Bush administration have the power to disapprove of any content that touches politics, policy, or history — including news programs."

It's certainly easy to imagine it now -- the Democrats have delivered it. Welcome to the Enforced Perspective Party. It's a staggeringly dumb political mistake, and if it's not withdrawn quickly, will do real damage to the Democrats for years.

And MacRanger pulls no punches (He adds in an update: "Looks like Bill is going to need a case of Pepto, email from overseas, guess what “bootleg” movie is showing up? Told you, can’t stop the flood.":

Let’s go back to 2004 and a REAL fictional movie, Fahrenheit 9/11. That is fictional to everyone except Democrats in an election year. Back then Michael Barone wrote of prominent Democrats attending a viewing and even talking the movie up as if it were even loosely based on fact:

“Do the democrats really want to join forces with Michael Moore? It sure looks like it. Last week, Moore’s documentary film Fahrenheit 9/11 opened in Washington with an audience that included Democratic National Chairman Terry McAuliffe, Sens. Tom Daschle, Barbara Boxer, and Tom Harkin, Congressmen Henry Waxman, Charles Rangel, and Jim McDermott (who before the war said that he believed Saddam Hussein more than George W. Bush), and the 9/11 commission’s most partisan member, Richard Ben-Veniste. The film received a standing ovation. In Manhattan, Democratic National Committee Treasurer Maureen White hosted a showing of the film for local big contributors. Seldom have leaders of a political party promoted a commercial film so shamelessly.”

Fast forward to 2006 and some of the same Democrats that attended that show are now crying foul, fraud and even threatening FCC licenses over and The Path to 9/11. Again, the simple fact that you see such a push from Clintonistas, Albright and Berger, among others only lends credence to the movie, more than it detracts - they are scared to death, as is the rest of the Democrat Party. And for good reason. In spite of what you heard, the portrayals are more true than false.

Fact is that they are going to get a lot more nervous and crazy. That’s because others were there and know what happened behind the scenes and while some are still on duty and cannot speak, many others can. Two of which I know personally who can refute Clarke, Albright and Sandy right out of their socks (sorry Berger). Point of fact those two WERE interviewed for the movie, as they WERE on the ground in Afghanistan, and which incidently is why ABC is so bold to air pretty much what they had.

Think about it folks, ABC wouldn’t have spent $40 million dollars and two years of production if they hadn’t already vetted the facts they will portray. Regardless of the hysteria, they are on pretty good ground. In fact, the witnesses are all too willing to come forward if needed to give their accounts in person if needed.

AJ is none too happy either:

Senate Dems Demand Elimination Of Free Speech

By AJStrata on All General Discussions

While emotional liberals always miscast any conservative outcries to erroneous claims from the left as censorship, the true meaning of the word is applied when government threatens or punishes speech it doesn’t like or want to hear. So while calls for boycotts, etc are one person’s free speech colliding with another, the calls of censorship have been basically over the top. Until now that is. In an emotional and angry response to a TV Movie the Senate Dems are trying to repeal the First Amendment and destroy our Right to Free Speech by a real true act of censorship:

And anger doesn't quite cover Allahpundit's reaction:

Thugs for life: Dems threaten ABC’s broadcast license over “Path to 9/11″

Via Spruiell. I forget the context, but I remember Bob Owens at Confederate Yankee saying a while back how disappointed he was in the Democrats over something, and I told him there’s an easy fix for that: expect nothing from them, like I do, and you’ll never be disappointed. Turns out I was wrong, though, because even with zero expectations, I can’t quite believe they’d stoop to this. As naked an example of intimidation as you’ll see this side of British Muslims playing good cop/bad cop with Tony Blair. If the GOP pulled this crap, it’d be top of the f’ng fold tomorrow in the Times. As it should be.

......

You can’t play nice with them.  I conceded they had a point about the scene with Sandy Berger. Ace conceded it. Dean conceded it. Geraghty conceded it. Others have conceded it. Facts is facts, and “composite” scenes play a little too loose for a film about 9/11. But the fightin’ nutroots wanted to see some fight, and Reid — who suddenly seems willing to crap in whatever color the fringe left tells him to — wanted to show he was a tough guy by throwing his weight around with ABC.

Fair enough.  Everything is a precedent. There’s nothing anyone can do except remember and use it when Michael Moore’s new movie comes out and someone on the Republican side criticizes it as inaccurate and the droning about dissent-crushing begins. Here’s a post to help memorialize it for future reference. I hope others will do so too.

......

Update: If you’re going to link, don’t link this post.  Link Texas Rainmaker’s.  That’s another way to stick this incident up Reid’s ass — use it as an opportunity to discuss Clinton’s record as a miserable failure, to borrow another favored left-wing term, on terrorism.

And just in case you missed it in the quote above, be sure to check out Texas Rainmaker for all the juicy details:

Update:
I apologize for insinuating that the Clinton administration didn’t have an approach to dealing with terrorism. I’ve uncovered proof of just how they dealt with it:

And Riehl World View sums it up, in my opinion:

FCC Threats Clinton's Final Folly - A Prediction

However, the ramifications of the current move by Dems to pressure ABC is going to have consequences far beyond a docu-drama. Americans don't like people, especially politicians, messing with their TV. And the other big issue facing Republicans in the run up to the coming elections besides Iraq was firing up their base. I say was because the Dems have just saved the Republicans from having to go to the trouble.

The Democrats shameless maneuvering now going on on behalf of Clinton brings back, not only the animus Republicans have always felt for Clinton, while drawing attention to their general weakness in foreign affairs, it also reminds everyone of the scandal ridden side show that was Democrat Clinton's presidency.

And Newsbusters says that sound you hear is the Constitution weeping.

ABC, Michael Moore, and the Floating Bar Known as the First Amendment

In Bill Clinton

Did you hear that sound Thursday afternoon? That was the Constitution weeping as one of the nation’s major political parties trampled all over the First Amendment. Remember what that is…that right bestowed upon us by our Founding Fathers guaranteeing freedom of speech?

Well, if what was reported by NewsBusters here, and the Ostroy Report here (hat tip to Hot Air) are correct, and ABC really has caved into political pressure from Democrats – in particular, former President Clinton – to edit the miniseries “The Path to 9/11,” such rights have changed forever. At the very least, this would demonstrate that these rights – which Jefferson said were inalienable, by the way! – apply differently to Democrats and Republicans.

Topsecret as a new blogger at Seixon has the solution to the whole problem and it's brilliant ... here is a hint:

Crocodile Hunter dead in freak accident

What a shock, what a tragedy!

Tragedy ... Steve Irwin - pictured here with his wife Terri - has died aged 44 in a horrific accident involving a stingray while filming an underwater documentary in Queensland / News Limited newspapers

Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin dead

September 04, 2006 02:14pm

THE Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin, is dead.

He was killed in a freak accident in Cairns, police sources said today.

It is understood he was killed by a stingray barb that went through his chest.

He was swimming off the Low Isles at Port Douglas filming an underwater documentary when the tragedy occured.

Ambulance officers confirmed they attended a reef fatality this morning at Batt Reef off Port Douglas.

Irwin's body is being flown to Cairns.

It is believed his American-born wife Terri is trekking on Cradle Mountain in Tasmania and is yet to be told of her husband's death.

Irwin - known worldwide as the Crocodile Hunter - is famous for his enthusiasm for wildlife and his catchcry "Crikey!".

The father of two's Crocodile Hunter program was first broadcast in 1992 and has been shown around the world on cable network Discovery.

He has also starred in movies and has developed the Australia Zoo wildlife park, north of Brisbane, which was started by his parents Bob and Lyn Irwin.

Tributes have already started pouring in for the larger-than-life character.

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who used a photograph of his family at Australia Zoo for his official Christmas card last year, hailed Mr Irwin for his work in promoting Australia.

Irwin was heavily involved in last year's "G'Day LA" campaign.

"The minister knew him, was fond of him and was very, very appreciative of all the work he'd done to promote Australia overseas," a spokesman said.

A Tourism Queensland spokeswoman said the death was shocking and paid tribute to Irwin's "enormous contribution" to his adopted state.

Louise Yates said it was impossible to quantify how much Mr Irwin had meant to the Queensland tourism industry.

"I don't think we could even estimate how much he brought us through his personality and his profile and his enthusiasm about Queensland," she said.

"It would be difficult to estimate how much he was worth. And it would be difficult to underestimate."

She said Irwin had been a larger-than-life ambassador.

"It's not just what he brought but what he took with him when he travelled, his passion."

Australia Zoo, on southeast Queensland's Sunshine Coast, employs more than 500 people and attracts thousands of visitors every day.

But Ms Yates said it would be "unfair and unjust" to put a dollar value on Irwin's worth to the state, because of how much he had given.

Fauxtography All American style

Extreme Makeover

Losing weight should be this easy for all of us.

The left photo is the official first-pic-of-Katie released by CBS at this year's upfront. (TVNewser posted it in May.) The right photo is an edited version of the same photo, from the September issue of Watch magazine, which is owned by CBS. (Here's the PDF of the magazine.)

Holy Jihad Brigades claims to have Fox News Crew - UPDATE - Video

Hat Tip: Photo - Flopping Aces

BREAKING NEWS: There is no news on Steve Centanni's or Olaf Wiig's condition, but a previously unkown group is claiming to be the ones holding them. They are demanding a prisoner exchange.

From the AP:

A previously unheard of Palestinian group, the Holy Jihad Brigades, claimed responsibility on Wednesday for kidnapping a Fox News cameraman and correspondent, Al-Jazeera satellite TV reported.

American correspondent Steve Centanni, 60, and cameraman Olaf Wiig, 36, of New Zealand were kidnapped Aug. 14 from their TV van near the Palestinian security services headquarters in Gaza City. Although Palestinian militant groups have often seized foreigners, including members of the media, this is the longest any have been held.

And more from Reuters:

A previously unknown militant group in Gaza claimed responsibility on Wednesday for the kidnapping nine days ago of two Fox journalists and demanded the United States release "Muslim prisoners" within 72 hours.

"Release what you have, and we will release what we have," the "Holy Jihad Brigades" said in a statement obtained by Reuters.

Fox News Channel correspondent Steve Centanni and cameraman Olaf Wiig were abducted by masked gunmen in Gaza City on Aug 14 as they were working on a story.

The group did not say what would happen to the two journalists if the United States did not meet their demand to release Muslims in American prisons by the time the deadline expires on Saturday.

"If you implement our conditions we will implement our promise, otherwise you will have to wait," the statement said.

Michelle Malkin is encouraging a blogburst to bring more publicity to the plight of the newsman and his cameraman. I'm with Michelle in her disgust for the way other news media are treating this story. They don't like Fox, so to hell with Steve and Olaf. It is sickening and so very petty.

Related:

It Shines for All

Ace of Spades

Mary Katharine

The Political Pit Bull

Allah has a super round up.

Wizbang

Macsmind

H/T Media Blog for video link.

Riehl World View

Hot Air - Video

Sister Toldjah

Dancing with the Stars

I'm as hooked on this show as the younger set is on American Idol.

I'm going to root for Tucker!

For its third season, 11 entertainers will vie for the disco-balled hardware that last year's winner, Drew Lachey, rather generously described as "ugly."       

      Jerry Springer, Tucker Carlson, Vivica A. Fox, Harry Hamlin, Mario Lopez, Joe (the artist formerly known as Joey) Lawrence, Emmitt Smith, Sara Evans, Willa Ford, Shanna Moakler and Monique Coleman are all primed and ready to hit the dance floor.       

      Lest viewers be unaware of the contestants' career milestones, here's a brief rundown:       

      

• As ringmaster of his eponymous '90s daytime talk show, Springer shed light on the inner workings of trailer parks across the country, often with explosive results. The former Cincinnati mayor now holds court on Air America radio.
• The bowtie-happy Carlson made a name for himself as a conservative cable pundit on CNN's Crossfire and has since branched out as an MSNBC news anchor. He was also on the receiving end of an on-air verbal beatdown from guest Jon "I'm not your monkey" Stewart last year.            
• Arguably the biggest current star on the roster, Fox battled Uma Thurman in Kill Bill and cozied up to Will Smith in Independence Day.            
• Hamlin is no stranger to Dancing with the Stars, having acted as sideline cheerleader last season in support of wife and third-place finisher Lisa Rinna. He's best known for starring in L.A. Law for five years and most recently had a guest stint on Veronica Mars.            
• Lopez, of course, will forever be known to children of the '80s as Saved by the Bell's resident jock, A.C. Slater. More recently, he made headlines for his blink-and-you-missed-it wedding to onetime Dorito girl Ali Landry.            
• Former BOP pin-up Lawrence played Blossom's "Whoa"-ing big brother Joe throughout the '90s and went on to star in a string of projects with his two look-alike younger brothers.
• Smith hopes to be this year's Jerry Rice. The future NFL Hall of Famer is a three-time Super Bowl champ with the Dallas Cowboys and the league's all-time leading rusher.
• Country music songbird Evans looks to add the disco ball to a trophy case full of  Country Music and Academy of Country Music Awards. Her fifth album, Real Fine Place, was released last year with its title track debuting in the Top 10.            
• Ford briefly basked in the MTV limelight as one of several short-lived Britney and Christina wannabes, during which time she dated Backstreet Boy Nick Carter and managed to score one hit, "I Wanna Be Bad."            
• Former Miss USA and fledgling actress Moakler hit the headlines just last week when it was announced that she and rocker husband Travis Barker were divorcing . The duo starred for two seasons in their own MTV reality show, Meet the Barkers.            
• Coleman, meanwhile, seems to have the tween vote locked up, having recently starring in the Disney Channel's phenomenally popular High School Musical.       

MSNBC

Mike Douglas dead at 81

Talk show host, singer Mike Douglas dead at 81

By Steve Gorman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Mike Douglas, the affable big band singer who for two decades hosted a parade of America's biggest stars and newsmakers on his top-rated daytime talk show, died on Friday on his 81st birthday, friends said.

Douglas, an Irish tenor on the verge of quitting show business before landing the TV show that made him a household name, died at a hospital in North Palm Beach, Florida, according to business associate Bob Patterson.

Patterson said he had no details about the circumstances of the entertainer's death.

Born Michael Dowd in Chicago in 1925, he began singing professionally as a teenager, and after serving in the Navy during World War Two joined bandleader Kay Kayser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge as a featured vocalist.

It was Kayser who gave him his stage name, unexpectedly introducing the young singer as Mike Douglas during a performance.

During his stint with Kayser's band, Douglas recorded such hits as "Ole Buttermilk Sky" and "The Old Lamplighter," and he later supplied the singing voice for Prince Charming in the Disney animated fairy-tale classic "Cinderella."

Subsequently hired as a "staff singer" by NBC, Douglas went on to land his own TV show at a Cleveland TV station just as he was considering getting out of show business. "The Mike Douglas Show" debuted in 1961 as a local program and was soon syndicated nationally, moving first to Philadelphia and later to Burbank, California.

Airing weekdays until 1982, the series was the top-rated daytime talk show for most of its run and attracted the biggest names in entertainment, pop culture and politics, all welcomed in the easy-going, warm style that was Douglas' trademark as a host.   Continued...

Say hello to Jack, Steve, Johnny, Dinah and all your old big band friends. May you rest in peace with great music playing all the time.

Remembering Mike:

Fox News Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes, who once was executive producer of Douglas' show, remembered him as "one of the great television performers of the 20th century whose versatility is unmatched in today's entertainment world."

"Everyone who came into contact with Mike learned something from his immense talent. He loved show business and the audience loved him," Ailes said in a statement Friday.

Tim Brooks, television historian and executive vice president of research for Lifetime Television Network, said Douglas was "an outgrowth on the 1950s mentality of politeness."

"Even when America was getting kind of angry in the 1960s and 1970s, his show was sort of an oasis of politeness," Brooks said. "It got you away from some of the turmoil in life."

"He was a genuine nice guy," longtime friend Larry King said Friday on CNN. "It was easy to be around him. He had a relaxed measure about him, and he also had an incredible ability to get great guests." ... More

See! I told you so.

Nah, we aren't biased ... yeah right!

CNN Promotion of Islamic Relief Worldwide Group Linked to Jihadist Organizations

By Jeffrey Imm

In CNN's coverage of the current battles between Israel and the terrorist group Hezbollah, CNN has provided a list of "aid groups" to assist civilians in the "Mideast crisis".  One of these groups is the Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) group - which has been reported to have disturbing links to Jihadism and recently documented fund-raising links to US State Department-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) Hamas.

Jeffrey Imm asks, "If Islamic Relief is actively supporting FTO groups, why is CNN promoting them?"

When hasn't CNN supported the terrorists, the socialists, the Fascists, and when did they meet a dictator they didn't want to cuddle up with? It is called access ... the drive to be first with a story no matter who you have to kowtow to. Can you say Peter Arnett? Nic Robertson? Jordan Eason?

TV Giant Dead at 83

   

TV Producer Aaron Spelling Dies at 83

Friday, June      23, 2006

By BOB THOMAS, Associated Press Writer

LOS ANGELES — Aaron Spelling, a onetime movie bit player who created a massive number of hit series, from the vintage"Charlie's Angels"and"Dynasty"to"Beverly Hills 90210"and"Melrose Place,"died Friday, his publicist said. He was 83.

Spelling died at his mansion in Los Angeles after suffering a stroke on June 18, according to publicist Kevin Sasaki.

Spelling's other hit series included"Love Boat,""Fantasy Island,""Burke's Law,""The Mod Squad,""Starsky and Hutch,""T.J. Hooker,""Matt Houston,""Hart to Hart"and"Hotel."He kept his hand in 21st-century TV with series including"7th Heaven"and"Summerland."

He also produced more than 140 television movies. Among the most notable:"Death Sentence"(1974), Nick Nolte's first starring role;"The Boy in the Plastic Bubble"(1976), John Travolta's first dramatic role; and"The Best Little Girl in the World"(1981), which starred Jennifer Jason Leigh.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Spelling provided series and movies exclusively for ABC and is credited for the network's rise to major status. Jokesters referred to it as"The Aaron Broadcasting Company."

Success was not without its thorns. TV critics denounced Spelling for fostering fluff and nighttime soap operas. He called his shows"mind candy"; critics referred to them as"mindless candy."

"Charlie's Angels"ushered in a genre known as"jiggle TV"for its gratuitous focus on the female form. ... More

Related:

Eonline has a good retrospective (with lots of links) on Spelling's career.
 

ess.tv and "24"

Sometimes I think I'm the only one in the blog world who was not a "24" fan. It wasn't that I didn't like the show, I had never watched the show. There was a conflicting show on in the "24" timeslot that I always watched, so it wasn't until that show went off the air, that I finally tuned in to "24." What this means is that I missed the entire first five years, except for the final 4 episodes. Well, I have now joined the rest of the world and become a big "24" fan. And now, I can catch up. Thanks to a friend who turned me on to ESS.TV. What a great site and for a measily $5 per mo. subscription fee, I can stream all the old episodes of "24" and watch them straight through, no commercials. I'm about halfway through Year 3 at the moment.

But, but ... it isn't just "24" ... they have tons of other shows, from the Simpsons & Southpark to CSI or old episodes of MacGiver. Check out ess.tv.

And the good news just gets better ...

Couldn't happen to a more deserving guy. Good riddance!

NEW YORK -- CBS executives have decided there is no future role at the network for Dan Rather, making it certain that the man who sat in the anchor chair for 24 years will depart by this fall. ... more