Disney/ABC adds mock assassination of Bill Clinton to 9/11 flick

Nice. Now I'm watching a scene where a movie of President Clinton is being projected on a screen, it's footage from some Clinton speech, and a Taliban guy walks up and shoots several times at Clinton's head, you see a good 5 or 6 or more bullets make holes in the screen in the middle of Clinton's head, just like he's assassinating Clinton.

Yes, we now have Disney/ABC throwing in mock assassinations of Bill Clinton. Did the Taliban really stage such a mock assassination of Clinton with bin Laden watching, and somehow we got a blow-by-blow of the entire scene? Or did Disney/ABC decide to throw in a mock assassination of Clinton just for the fun of it? You decide. Read More......

Third time they bring up Monica

Third time in just the first half of the show that they're bringing up Monica to claim that she somehow distracted Clinton away from doing the right thing vis-a-vis bin Laden. I think we get it. Read More......

New Zealand TV planning on running ORIGINAL defamatory 9/11 show, will only show a new version if Disney/ABC sends it in time

URGENT: Gang, make sure someone in New Zealand and/or Australia tapes whatever is aired down there. We're going to want copies. Ditto for whatever they air in the UK.

According to the folks in New Zealand, they have the original defamatory version of Disney/ABC's 9/11 show and they've clearly not been given any orders not to run it. They're still planning on running the original version and will only run something different IF Disney/ABC gets them the new version in time. As the NZ is pretty damn far ahead of, international dateline wise, this should be interesting. If they run the original show, and they say they're still planning on it, the libel awards are going to be in the millions.

TVNZ spokesperson Megan Richards says the network will run whatever the ABC sends to it.

Ms Richards says TVNZ already has a version of the programme, but if it receives another one before the screening time, that will be run instead.

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Good God

Okay, so right after the falsified and defamatory scene where they blame everything on Sandy Berger, the lead Afghan guerilla fighter, Masoud, says "Are there any men left in Washington, or are they all cowards?" (Note to Sandy: They just called you a coward, and this video already went out to 1,000 opinion leaders in the press - you've already been defamed.) But it gets better. Immediately the show switches to video of President Clinton testifying on tape about the Monica Lewinsky matter.

Disney/ABC is disgusting. They could have just as easily shown shots of Republican congressmen droning on about Monica while America was at peril. Of Ken Starr droning on about Monica while Osama was free. But Disney/ABC chose to blame Bill Clinton. And this is the second time already in the film that they bring up Monica and blame Clinton. That is the prima facie definition of bias. Read More......

The following link is drawn from actual historical photos and other published material

I hear it's exactly what happened. Read More......

The Blogosphere vs. Disney/ABC, as done by Monty Python

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Please help us plan Stage II: The attack on Disney/ABC starting on Tuesday Sept 12

I've talked with some of the other organizers of the anti-Disney/ABC campaign, and we've decided, quite rightly, that if Disney/ABC runs this defamatory show tomorrow night, we are launching an all-out war against both companies. I'd like to start the discussion going, with your input, as to what the next steps should be, possible actions, etc.

Some thoughts:

1. Legal component.

Clearly Bill Clinton, Sandy Berger, Madeleine Albright and American Airlines have good cause to sue Disney/ABC, the BBC, Australian and New Zealand television, and any local affiliate that broadcasts the show. How can we further help their lawsuit? I think a first step is paying close attention in each country to how the show is being marketed. Get us copies of ads, promotions, etc. that show local broadcasters and others promoting the show as true and non-fiction. How else can we help their suit?

2. Legislative.

Clearly Disney/ABC has a lot of legislation before congress that they care about. I already know of one telecom bill by Senator McCain that they're mortified of - the Consumers Having Options in Cable Entertainment (CHOICE) Act of 2006. I propose that we start a nationwide grassroots campaign to get that bill passed. What other legislation can we push to ensure that companies like Disney/ABC never again try to unethically influence an American election?

3. File broadcast standards complaints.

We can do this in New Zealand and any other country that has such a broadcast standards board (and which airs the show - Canada? Australia? UK?) Basically, they have a board that ensure that TV broadcasts are fair, balanced, and accurate.

4. The Mouse.

The mouse won't know what hit it. What else can we do to highlight Disney and ABC's complicity and duplicity in blackening the names of 3,000 dead Americans? For example, Disney's involvement with war propaganda during World War II. Uncle Remus. Other things? Disney is insane about protecting their brand. How do we make clear to America that the Disney brand is unpatriotic and an affront to the memories of those who died on September 11?

5. Public actions.

What kind of grassroots targets and steps (protests, etc.) can and should we organize to embarrass Disney and ABC and to keep the story alive? I'm thinking multiple events/protests at Disney theme parks in the US and abroad (Paris) educating the public to the fact that Disney has no respect for September 11. Remember, the more embarrassing the event for Disney the better.

6. Shareholder action/lawsuit.

What are the elements, and how do we initiate it?

7. Other options for targeting Disney/ABC stock, financial holdings?

What other options do we have for targeting their stock, mutual funds that hold Disney stock, etc?

8. Steve Jobs and Apple

If iTunes goes ahead and lets Disney/ABC offer this show for free via iTunes, then Apple and Steve Jobs, the largest shareholder in Disney, need to be taught a lesson about defaming September 11 and using their companies to illegally and unfairly influence the US elections for the Republicans. What more can we do to show Steve Jobs and Apple that we won't tolerate them turning Apple into a far-right Republican shill?

9. Live-blogging event during the broadcast.

Certainly we're going to be live-blogging the show, Sunday and Monday. I'd appreciate those of you in Australia and New Zealand, if the show does air there shortly, please give us feedback as to what they cut and what's still in the show? It will give us a window as to what defamatory material Disney/ABC insisted on keeping in the show, which will help the lawsuits and our organizing.

Secondly, when the show airs in the US, if Disney/ABC still run it, I want to be sure a number of us are live-blogging it to list the defamation and the errors. If Disney/ABC insist on making a cartoon out one of the blackest days in America history, then we will hold them responsible.

10. Others who have sold us out?

We never heard boo from Senator George Mitchell, who is the chair of Disney's board. And where is Lee Hamilton, the Democratic co-chair of the 9/11 Commission? He conveniently stayed out of the entire discussion this week. Who else sold America out this week and how can we hold them accountable?

11. Miscellaneous

What else are we missing? Use of YouTube and video blogs? Audio blogs? Other media? Read More......

Defamatory Sandy Berger scene in 9/11 show is THE culmination of the entire first half, it is IMPOSSIBLE to edit it out

Okay, I just watched the Sandy Berger scene. It is beyond defamatory. The reports you've read do not do it justice.

We are 1 hour 54 minutes into the film, it is the culmination of the entire first two hours of the film. CIA agents on the ground with Commander Massoud have found bin Laden. They have him pin-pointed in a house. They are looking at the house with binoculars. They are on the phone with the CIA, that has patched in Clinton National Security Adviser Sandy Berger. Berger, like a bumbling ass, sits there, looking every which way, refusing to give them clearance to grab bin Laden who is in their literal grasp. The woman at the CIA has to lecture Berger about how intelligence works, like he's some kind of moron. Berger literally looks like a deer caught in the headlights. He's clueless, an idiot, a moron, unfit to serve in any public office - hell, I wouldn't hire the guy to mow my lawn. After a very long pause, the agents are begging Berger to take some responsibility, stop being such a wuss, stop trying to cover his chicken-shit ass, you see Berger reach forward and the phone line goes dead. Clearly Berger has ended the call. Osama gets away. And Sandy Berger is personally responsible for killing 3,000 Americans and bringing down the World Trade Center twin towers.

Not only is this scene FAR MORE defamatory than any review I've seen to date, this is THE KEY SCENE of the entire first half of the movie. You can't cut it, or a good portion of the movie just makes no sense. But Disney/ABC can't leave the scene is because it simply did not happen. CIA agents weren't on the ground, they weren't with Massoud, nobody had bin Laden in their grasp, and Berger never refused to give the order to get the guy.

The entire culmination of the first half of the show is one big fat lie. This isn't just a small scene with a small error. It's THE scene and it NEVER HAPPENED AT ALL.

Disney/ABC took a national tragedy and turned it into their own personal soap opera. If this thing airs, Disney and ABC are going to see the kind of campaign that they have never seen before. If they thought the past week has been hell, just wait for the next seven weeks leading up to the election when we take them on legislatively, legally, and in the public sphere for abusing the memory of 3,000 dead Americans. Read More......

American Airlines to blame for 9/11, Disney/ABC movie falsely claims

I'm just wondering when American Airlines is going to realize that it's about to be defamed in the entire English-speaking world.

As I first noted yesterday, I have the entire "Path to 9/11" video. And one of the very first scenes makes it explicitly clear that American Airlines had Mohammad Atta in its grasp, warning lights flashing on the computer screen, yet the airline simply blew off the threat and helped Atta kill 3,000 Americans.

Unfortunately, it's a total lie.

Here's what the "Path to 9/11" claims American Airlines did on the morning of September 11. According to Disney/ABC, American Airlines at Boston Logan had Mohammad Atta at its ticket counter and a warning came up on the screen when he tried to check in. The AA employee called a supervisor who kind of shrugged and said, blithely, just let him through. The first employee, shocked, turned to her supervisor and said, shouldn't we search him? The American Airlines supervisor responds, nah, just hold his luggage until he boards the plane. The scene is clearly intended to make American Airlines look negligent.

Only problem? It never happened.

First off, Disney/ABC got the airport wrong. The warning for Mohammad Atta's ticket popped up in Portland, Maine, not at Boston Logan as the tv show claims (this is on page 1 of the September 11 Commission report).

Second, the security rules at the time said nothing about searching a passenger who has a "warning" pop up, they only required that the bags be held until the passenger boarded. The Disney/ABC tv show, on the other hand, clearly tries to imply that American Airlines violated the security rules in letting Atta go. This simply isn't true. (This is also on page 1 of the report.)

But most importantly, Disney/ABC implicated the wrong airline. And I quote the Director of the FBI:

On September 11, at 6:00 AM, Mohamed Atta and Abdul Aziz al Omari boarded a U.S. Airways flight leaving Portland, Maine en route to Boston's Logan Airport.

The 9/11 Report, on page 1 of all things, makes clear that it was in Portland that Atta's warning came up. And FBI director Mueller makes clear that Atta flew US Airways Express from Portland to Boston. So, Disney/ABC, in the first ten minutes of its error-riddled tv show - a show about to be broadcast to the entire English-speaking world this Sunday - paints American Airlines as one of the most irresponsible air carriers on the planet. An air carrier that is directly responsible for killing 3,000 Americans because its own employees are too lazy to follow safety rules.

And Disney/ABC got it totally wrong, defaming one of the largest airlines in the world.

I really hope someone at American Airlines realizes that come 12 hours in Australia and New Zealand, when the show starts to air, no one is going to fly American ever again. (I of course tried to call American's government affairs office in DC to let them know this and the woman hung up on me. Oh well.) Read More......

Is Afghanistan going the way of Iraq?

The similarities are hard to ignore. Like Iraq, road side bombs are increasingly being used, quite effectively and the US/NATO can do little to stop them. Now NATO is asking for more troops to try and at least hold their own in the battle against the growing and increasingly aggressive Taliban. Mission Accomplished?

The roadside bomb, which has inflicted half of American casualties in Iraq, is a simple but fierce some weapon against a vehicle-borne army.

The British Government was warned what might happen. Generals admitted privately that in Afghanistan and in Iraq British soldiers could end up penned into their encampments unable to move outside its fortifications. It is nevertheless strange that the Government, having become entangled in a messy guerrilla war in Iraq, should make exactly the same mistake in Afghanistan.

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Disney/ABC markets defamatory 9/11 show as "exactly what happened" in ads abroad

This is the ad for the show that Disney/ABC has running on channel 7 in Australia. My inner lawyer is just relishing the lawsuits that Disney/ABC and every TV network around the world are going to face come Monday morning. As the other stories now prove, Disney/ABC knew OVER ONE YEAR AGO that their show was riddled with inaccuracies, they refused to fix it, and then they ran ads claiming the show was "exactly what happened." That is a prima facie case for libel, even against a public figure.

As someone just mentioned to me, when this is all over ABC is going to stand for Albright, Berger and Clinton.

(Hat tip, Road to Surfdom.) Read More......

MoDo asks why anyone would make things up about 9/11

Maureen Dowd weighs in on the ABC/Disney scandal. She asks the right question -- because both Bush and Disney are making things up about 9/11:

Why do presidents and filmmakers dealing with the most stunning events in recent American history feel the need to go beyond facts?

Dowd also provides some insights and answers her own question:

The ABC movie promoted itself as a serious work based on the 9/11 commission report and featuring Tom Kean, the commission’s co-chairman, as a co-executive producer. (It’s impossible to imagine Earl Warren producing a movie about the events in Dallas.) But if it’s making a claim upon people’s attention as a trustworthy and accurate description of events that bear on all our lives, you’ve got to stick with the truth. You can’t pick and choose when you want it to be history and when you want it to be art. (Quel art.)

Sandy Berger yelped about a scene that depicted him refusing to authorize a military strike to kill Osama and slamming down the phone on a C.I.A. officer at a key moment. Cyrus Nowrasteh, the Republican and Limbaugh pal who served as the writer and a producer, told KRLA-AM in Los Angeles that the scene was improvised.

They distorted history to throw in a standard cliché of melodrama? (The 9/11 Commission Report as Douglas Sirk would have filmed it.) Why compromise your movie by adding tacky things that don’t increase its aesthetic power and detract from its moral power?

This week, President Bush will continue to undermine the moral power of "September the 11th" for partisan political purposes. ABC and Disney are doing the same thing.

The American people can handle the truth about 9/11...for most of us, it's not history, it's part of our lives. Read More......

NYT: FBI agents warned Disney/ABC that film was inaccurate A YEAR AGO, Disney/ABC refused to fix it

Disney/ABC was told about the errors a year ago and refused to correct them. You want libel? You got libel. This is an intentional tort now, full-blown malice.

Two retired F.B.I. agents said today that they had rejected advisory roles on the disputed ABC mini-series, “The Path to 9/11,” because of concerns about the program’s accuracy.

One of the agents, Thomas E. Nicoletti, was hired by the producers of the mini-series in July 2005 to oversee its technical accuracy, but left after less than a month because of scenes he believed were misleading or just false....

Chief among Mr. Nicoletti’s concerns were scenes that placed people at places they had not been present at and scenes that depicted events that were out of chronological order.

“There were so many inaccuracies,” he said.

Mr. Nicoletti said he asked the producers to make changes, but was rebuffed. “I’m well aware of what’s dramatic license and what’s historical inaccuracy,” Mr. Nicoletti said. “And this had a lot of historical inaccuracy.”

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Saturday Morning Open Thread

Let's get it started.... Read More......

Bombings in India kill 31, injure 100

The bombings occurred outside of a mosque as worshippers were leaving Friday prayers. So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the brutal attack. Read More......

Will Clinton, Berger and Albright threaten the BBC with a libel suit?

As you know, the BBC is planning to show Disney/ABC's defamatory "Path to 9/11" program in the UK on Sunday. I'm told by a friend that under UK libel laws there is no public person defense and damages and costs can both be in the millions. And, "British libel laws are considered pro-plaintiff, meaning that the defendant must prove that she or he did not commit libel."

My friend notes, and I agree, that if the BBC were to receive a letter like the one that Clinton's lawyer, Berger, and Albright sent to ABC, the BBC legal department would likely be in a state of high panic. The chances are that they would yank the program immediately.

If the BBC were to do that it would be much harder for ABC to show the program and if they did they would find it much harder to claim that it was based on fact.

Yes, it would be very interesting if someone who knows Clinton, Berger and Albright suggested this to them. Read More......

"Path to 9/11" being marketed in New Zealand as dramatization of the 9/11 Report

It's not. Someone needs to tell the New Zealand press to wake up and report on this thing. I hear it's not gotten any coverage at all there. Well, it's your problem now too. Read More......

Open Thread

Keep it coming.... Read More......