Writer of ABC’s 9/11 ‘Docudrama’ Is Avowed Conservative Activist

[ProSense]

Writer of ABC’s 9/11 ‘Docudrama’ Is Avowed Conservative Activist

ABC will air a “docudrama” next weekend called “The Path to 9/11″ which blames President Clinton for the 9/11 attacks while praising President Bush.

The writer of the movie is an unabashed conservative named Cyrus Nowrasteh. Last year, Nowrasteh spoke on a panel titled, “Rebels With a Cause: How Conservatives Can Lead Hollywood’s Next Paradigm Shift.” He has described Michael Moore as “an out of control socialist weasel,” and conducted interviews with right-wing websites like FrontPageMag.

The problem isn’t that Nowrasteh is conservative. The problem is that Nowrasteh and ABC are representing “The Path to 9/11″ as an unbiased historical drama. Promos for the movie say it is “based on the 9/11 Commission Report.” Nowrasteh claims he “wanted to match the just-the-facts tone of the report,” and describes the project as “an objective telling of the events of 9/11.”

Here’s some of the objectivity you can expect: Nowrasteh says the film shows how Clinton had “frequent opportunities…in the 90s to stop Bin Laden in his tracks — but lacked the will to do so.” He has referenced Clinton’s “lack of response” to Al Qaeda “and how this emboldened Bin Laden to keep attacking American interests.” A review today in Salon.com says the film paints Clinton “as a buffoon more interested in blow jobs than terrorists.”

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/09/01/nowrasteh-conservative-activist

[movonne]

1. We should all write to ABC and complain....this is propaganda at

it worst...

[City Lights]

8. I agree - here's some contact info:

ABC, Inc.
500 S. Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521-4551

[phone]

Or use this feedback form.

I think we'd be smart to get out ahead of this.

[ProSense]

9. Agree! Thanks! n/t

[Iowa]

20. Thanks for the contact info! Done.

[blue cat]

21. Thank you. n/t

[calimary]

24. Thanks! Done.

I too think we should get out ahead of this.

[blue cat]

34. 818-460-7477

Please call ABC and follow the promps to leave a message, if you feel inclinded. I plan to call every day to let them know how outraged I am, and I don't want to take it anymore.

[struggle4progress]

23. Tell ABC that you plan: (1) to watch; (2) to note the sponsors; and (3) ..

.. to contact each sponsor telling them why you won't use their products in the future.

[chat_noir]

33. looking forward to the AWOL miniseries

……….


WWW.AWOLBUSH.COM




DESERTER: THE STORY OF GEORGE W. BUSH AFTER HE QUIT THE TEXAS AIR NATIONAL GUARD http://www.glcq.com/bush_at_arpc1.htm















$10,000 reward was never collected




Cheerleader action doll hahahaha

[Burma Jones]

2. It will have low ratings................

[BlueManDude]

3. Remember when one of the nets tried to do a Reagan miniseries?

The RW complained, got the thing edited, moved to cable then it had to include a panel discussion of the Reagan presidency.

[MADem]

4. More on the topic, I do not necessarily endorse this info, so don't

anyone get all in my face for putting this forward. I do it solely to add to the discussion of the topic.

http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NWYwMzdmNWM2NDk1MGViNGMzZDVlOTcwZDI1OTU0MmY=

Will ABC Cave on "The Path to 9/11"

I’m hearing all kinds of disturbing, though predictable, stories about a Clintonista offensive against “The Path to 9/11,” an ABC documentary written and produced by Cyrus Nowrasteh ("Into the West"), and directed by David Cunningham ("To End All Wars"). I haven’t seen it yet (although I hope to this weekend), but it is already drawing rave reviews from people who have (the piece is reviewed at FrontPage, here).

Apparently, the documentary recounts the bureaucratic bungling and lack of action against al Qaeda that was pervasive prior to the September 11 atrocities. It is by no means, I understand, pro-Bush. It is, instead, an effort to present history accurately. This evidently has many former Clinton officials and apologists in their default kill-the-messenger mode. Great pressure is being brought to bear on ABC and Disney to reopen the editorial process at this late stage (the documentary is supposed to air on September 10-11) so that the years 1993-2001 may remain forever airbrushed.
-----------------------

http://www.catholic.org/ae/tv/review.php?id=21066
Writer Cyrus Nowrasteh does a good job at condensing the massive amount of information into a workable narrative, but with all the interlocking global story lines – action takes place in New York, Washington, Pakistan, Afghanistan, the Philippines, Yemen and Africa – there's a lot to process. It's sometimes difficult to keep track of all the characters played by an excellent cast that includes Donnie Wahlberg as a CIA operative and Barclay Hope as ABC news correspondent John Miller, whose book "The Cell" – co-authored by Michael Stone – provided additional script material.

The film puts forth the argument that the tragedies of Sept. 11 – along with earlier al-Qaida terrorist acts – could possibly have been averted had it not been for a systemic failure to act on the part of government authorities.

In doing so, it suggests that there is plenty of bipartisan blame to go around, showing how mistakes were made and opportunities missed by both the Clinton and Bush administrations.

Credit is given to old-fashioned police work for foiling several other planned strikes, including an earlier attempt to simultaneously blow up 12 airplanes, the New Year's Eve millennial plot, and a plot to assassinate President Bill Clinton and Pope John Paul II. The program addresses the debate over the delicate balancing of civil liberties and national security in fighting "a new kind of war." It also includes several sympathetic Muslim characters to dispel toxic stereotypes.
-------------------------

The Author: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0637493/bio

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.

Some of his other writing credits include Showtime's 10,000 Black Men Named George (2002) (TV)(a dramatization of Black activist A. Philip Randolph's struggles in leading the Pullman Strike), the independent 1996 Sundance hit, 'The Interview', _"Nikita" (1997)_ , the pilot for the hit USA Network series, 'La Femme Nikita', and the adaptation of Alan Dershowitz's novel, The Advocate's Devil (1997) (TV) for ABC. Nowrasteh has also received numerous credits as a writer/producer on such television series as The Equalizer, and D.E.A. As a screenwriter, he is writing Juarez for Warner Brothers and Robert Lawrence Productions, Andrews' Raiders for Kennedy/Marshall and Universal, and Personal Injuries for Punch Productions and Dustin Hoffman. His wife, Betsy Giffen Nowrasteh, is a screenwriter.

[Bjorn Against]

5. Does "just the facts" include anything about My Pet Goat?

What about the memo which said "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in US"? Does it include anything about Bush's ties to the Bin Laden family? What about John Ashcroft putting terrorism very low on his list of priorities?

Oh wait I forgot it would be biased if it included those facts, only attacks on Clinton are unbiased. :eyes:

[City Lights]

13. And what about Asscroft refusing to fly commercial planes

in the summer of 2001? What idiots believe that there was "some other threat" that caused him to stop flying commercial? These criminals knew full well about the growing Bin Laden threat and did nothing but protect themselves. :argh:

[petgoat]

19. What about David Schippers's attempts to call Ashcroft and

relay warnings he got from FBI agents who knew about upcoming attacks in
lower Manhattan?

Schippers couldn't get Ashcroft to return his calls.

[petgoat]

18. What about Clinton's order to kill Osama, which the CIA failed

to carry out, or the Navy's insistence on ten hours lead time for
cruise missile strikes, or the opposition on the part of the
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs to Sandy Berger's call for commando
raids on the al Qaeda camps?

What about Condi's failure to implement Richard Clarke's plan to
go after al Qaeda militarily and financially?

[The_Casual_Observer]

6. I would have to be restrained in the manner of Malcolm Mcdowell

in Clockwork Orange in order to get me to sit still for dreck like that.

[RadiDem]

7. M. Moore should offer ABC F9/11 for free - Will Pitt article link>

here.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0608/S00377.htm

[The Wielding Truth]

10. Just thinking along the same lines.

[sknabt]

11. Yeah, darn that liberal mainstream media!

:sarcasm:

[ProSense]

12. It's Clinton's fault!

From the Front Page link:

Nowrasteh: The 9/11 report details the Clinton's administration's response -- or lack of response -- to Al Qaeda and how this emboldened Bin Laden to keep attacking American interests. The worst example is the response to the October, 2000 attack on the U.S.S. COLE in Yemen where 17 American sailors were killed. There simply was no response. Nothing.

[NMDemDist2]

14. I wrote them and spanked them about the 700 Club on the "Family

Channel" too

:evilgrin:

[wyldwolf]

15. why not combat it

Everyone with a blog organize and google/technorati bomb.

[JRob]

16. Contact ABC and the FCC ! ! !

How to Contact the FCC

To Contact the Commissioners via E-mail

Chairman Kevin J. Martin: [e-mail]
Commissioner Michael J. Copps: [e-mail]
Commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein: [e-mail]
Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate: [e-mail]
Commissioner Robert McDowell: [e-mail]

http://www.fcc.gov/contacts.html

ABC's Contact Page Link:
http://abc.go.com/site/contactus.html

Will Pitt's article: Clinton, 9/11 and the Facts
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/083006J.shtml

My post regarding this issue:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2807399&mesg_id=2807399

[Hissyspit]

17. Make no mistake, folks. "The Path to 9/11" is going to be pure garbage. nt

[The Backlash Cometh]

22. Fucking "A". Here we go again. Clinton did not lack the will.

I distinctly remember what happened. (1) The CIA under Tenet didn't understand a direct order to KILL bin Laden. (2) The Republicans claimed that the military would not go out on a limb for Clinton and (3) The Republican voters yelled "Wag the Dog" when Clinton tried to attack bin Laden.

RIGHT-WING FUCKERS WERE TOO BLAME EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.

[young_at_heart]

25. I am tempted to never watch ABC again.

I've watched the network from their very beginning........but I can't stomach this!

[autorank]

26. DU it. Boycott them forever. This is total disinformatoin awareness...

...they asked for it, now they have it. No more ABC, ever.

[Superman Returns]

27. but, but

they have LOST! damn...

Why would ABC do this?

[AtomicKitten]

28. ***

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2032784&mesg_id=2032784

[ldf]

29. my note to ABC

too bad they only allowed 500 spaces.


Your propaganda piece will not go unchallenged. A republican congress, screaming "wag the dog", saved OBL.

"Writer of ABC’s 9/11 ‘Docudrama’ Is Avowed Conservative Activist"

Read http://thinkprogress.org/2006/09/01/nowrasteh-conservative-activist

Your "special" is just another reason why ABC has become ABCess TV. A pocket of infection in the body of American media.

Americans WILL wake up, and ABC will rue the day.

Mickey should be ashamed!

XXXX
Manhattan

edit to add... i couldn't help myself, i sent a followup...


Followup email:

“The Path to 9/11″

I hope Clinton sues your asses off.

This is nothing but lies to put blame on Clinton, when the fault of 9/11 lays at Bush's feet, and the feet of a media turned propaganda arm of the Whitehouse, just for financial gains.

You better continue to do everything you can to make sure the Republicans stay in power, because if the Democrats win back control, you WILL answer for what you have done.

XXXX
Manhattan

[MetaTrope]

30. Nowrasteh is just another bread-and-circuses Neocon

anything for some attention

After a false bomb threat halted a press screening of ''Veiled Threat'' on March 8, a dispute exploded between the A.F.I. and the film makers. The chronology of events, charges and countercharges is complicated. Basically the A.F.I. says it dropped ''Veiled Threat'' because the film makers irresponsibly sought publicity that endangered the entire festival. The film makers say they were censored.

Five days before the bomb threat, Cyrus Nowrasteh, the film's American director and writer was quoted in The Los Angeles Herald-Examiner as saying the film makers had ''had the specter of death threats hanging over us for a long, long time.'' As Mr. Nowrasteh explained recently, he was referring to his lead actor, Behrouz Vessoughi, who had been warned not to return to Iran. But, he continued, ''all anti-Khomeini Iranians live under that specter.''

After the threat, the A.F.I. asked the producers not to speak to the press and suggested that for security reasons the film be shown in a theater on the A.F.I. campus, placing it apart from the other feature films. When a schedule of public festival screenings appeared and ''Veiled Threat'' was not listed, the film makers complained in public and all the screenings were canceled.

No one's actions were beyond reproach. The film makers seemed eager to compare their problem with Salman Rushdie's. The A.F.I. shunted the film aside with all the timidity of those bookstore owners who were willing to sell ''The Satanic Verses'' under the counter but refused to display it. Meanwhile, the film lost its British, French and Italian distributors. ''Veiled Threat'' was suddenly dangerous.

But viewing the film makes it clear that ''Veiled Threat'' is as political as a movie of the week that latches onto the latest headline in the most superficial, exploitative way. The story concerns an evil Iranian mullah in Los Angeles who extorts money from an anti-Khomeini journalist. The journalist hires a down-and-out private investigator who stoops to blackmailing the pro-Khomeini mullah with homosexual videotapes...

[bvar22]

31. I wonder if they will mention the Hart-Rudmann Report....

...that the Republicans threw in the trash,

OR

The Gore recommendation to strengthen cockpit doors that was voted down by the Republicans and the Airline lobbyists? (this ALONE would havbe prevented 9-11)

OR

The Anti-Terrorism Act 0f 1996 that was gutted by Republicans in Congress

OR

The HOWLS of "Wag the Dog" by Republicans when Clinton went after terrorists?


just askin.

[lakeguy]

32. i'm assuming the movie praises bushitler for his great wisdom

in foiling the millenium plots as well. couldn't have done it without him!:sarcasm: :banghead:

[HuffleClaw]

35. people aren't stupid. the majority of the public knows the truth

and an overblown 'blame clinton' riefenstahlesque propaganada piece isn't going to please anyone but the freepers. making a big fuss over it is what they WANT. its free publicity for them and only makes it appear that what is being protested is the truth.

[zulchzulu]

36. The Bush Administration was not allowed to read impending warnings...

Bill told them if they read the pre-911 warnings from dozens of intelligence agencies around the World that Monica would come after them...they knew with certainty that Bill would use Monica against them if they read the reports....

:sarcasm: