Righting the rewriting of the rewriting of History?

American Politics Journal — Righting the Rewriting of the Rewriting of History? Righting the Rewriting of the Rewriting of History? Don't Trust The Spin of the Spin of ABC or ABC's Sean Hannity by Steve Young Sept. 13, 2006 -- Hollywood (americanpolitics.com) -- It gets tougher and tougher to dig through all the truths that were built on a lie, and no one makes it tougher that Sean Hannity. "Path to 9-11"'s writer/producer, Cyrus Nowrasteh, appeared on Sean Hannity's radio show last Friday. Sean supplied the incredulousness for both himself and his guest asking Nowrasteh how he felt about Democrats pressuring ABC to "rewrite history." Sean never asked Nowrasteh how he felt about rewriting history in the first place. What Sean also neglected to tell his audience during the promotion of the ABC multi-multi-million dollar mini-series of maxi-lies was that Sean himself is a multi-multi million dollar event of ABC. $25 million, to be exact. Nowrasteh was upset that those who despaired over the mini-series fallacies had not seen day two of the program. He also said the many of those who saw a screening of day one were supplied with a DVD of day two. How he figured that no one thought to pop day two to into the old DVD player is, well, incredulous. And even if they hadn't, does part two correct the misinformation in part one? Does Harvey Keitel ask us to ignore fabricated events? And if, as Nowrasteh says, day two will show a political balance, does that mean that in the second half of the mini-series, he also lies about the Bush administration's handling of the crisis. But wanting to nail down his desire to sincerely get to the truth, "I Did A Lot Of Reading On This" Sean, who prides himself for doing the digging into a story that the "elite, Liberal Mainstream Media"™ refuses to, told Nowrasteh that, "I honestly don't know your politics but it's not important what it is." He actually used the word "honestly." If you want to start digging through that pile of bull crap, best to bring along more bio-chem protective gear than our soldiers are supplied with. Or perhaps Sean didn't have a chance to do a lot of reading or even take a quick spin through EVERY SINGLE STORY WRITTEN ABOUT PATH TO 9-11 this past week to discover that Nowrasteh is a card-carrying a member of FOL (Friends of Limbaugh). No. Sean knew the truth. But he lied and he knew he did. Honestly. Why? For the same reason he lies to his fans. He doesn't trust them with the truth. Because if they heard the truth, they might not decide what Sean wants them to. Honestly. Did I say that Hannity built truths on lies? Maybe it's more lies built on lies built on misinformation and concealed truths. But then again it doesn't roll off the tongue as well. Close to 50% of America still believes that Saddam Hussein was part of 9-11. It's one thing to fictionalize a story, but taking historic fact and telling the OPPOSITE, that's not a docudrama. That's a fairy tale. So when Nowrasteh, who wrote the lies into an anniversary retelling of one of our country's most sacred events and tells us that none of his critics saw the second half of the "Path...", or ABC's Hannity tells us he has no idea of the politics of Nowrasteh, and ABC tells us that we jumped to conclusions because they were still in the midst of editing the lies, why believe anything any of them say? DISCLAIMER: I once wrote on an ABC/Disney sitcom, but I don't think anyone believed that the words coming out of Dane Cook's or Betty White's mouth were nonfiction.

Last honest gov of Texas Ann Richards passes away.

Former Texas Gov. Ann Richards dies - Yahoo! News Former Texas Gov. Ann Richards dies By KELLEY SHANNON, Associated Press WriterThu Sep 14, 9:40 AM ET Former Gov. Ann Richards, the witty and flamboyant Democrat who went from homemaker to national political celebrity, died Wednesday night after a battle with cancer, a family spokeswoman said. She was 73. She died at home surrounded by her family, the spokeswoman said. Richards was found to have esophageal cancer in March and underwent chemotherapy treatments. The silver-haired, silver-tongued Richards said she entered politics to help others — especially women and minorities who were often ignored by Texas' male-dominated establishment. "I did not want my tombstone to read, 'She kept a really clean house.' I think I'd like them to remember me by saying, 'She opened government to everyone,'" Richards said shortly before leaving office in January 1995. Whether or not she succeeded at that, there was no question she cracked open the door. Her single term as governor had ended in a 1994 defeat to George W. Bush, who went from besting his father's silver-haired critic to the governor's office to the presidency. "Texas has lost one of its great daughters," President Bush said in statement after learning of Richards' death. Two years before she was elected governor of Texas, Ann Richards electrified the 1988 Democratic National Convention with a keynote speech in which she joked that the Republican presidential nominee, George H.W. Bush, had been "born with a silver foot in his mouth." A longtime champion of women and minorities in government who was serving at the time as Texas state treasurer, she won cheers when she reminded delegates that Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, "only backwards and in high heels." As governor, Richards appointed the first black University of Texas regent, the first crime victim on the state Criminal Justice Board, the first disabled person on the human services board and the first teacher to lead the State Board of Education. Under Richards, the fabled Texas Rangers pinned stars on their first black and female officers. Ron Kirk, the black former mayor of Dallas, said Richards helped him get his first political internship during a state constitutional convention in 1974 and later, as governor, made him secretary of state. "She set the table so somebody like me could become mayor of Dallas," Kirk said. She also polished Texas' image, courted movie producers, campaigned for the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico, oversaw a doubling of the state prison system and presided over rising student achievement scores and plunging dropout rates. Throughout her years in office, her popularity remained high. One poll put it at over 60 percent the year she lost her re-election bid to Bush. Republican Texas Gov. Rick Perry described Richards as "the epitome of Texas politics: a figure larger than life who had a gift for captivating the public with her great wit." "Ann loved Texas, and Texans loved her," President Bush said. "As a public servant, she earned respect and admiration. Ann became a national role model, and her charm, wit and candor brought a refreshing vitality to public life." U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (news, bio, voting record), R-Texas, said Richards never lost her zest for life. "I wrote her a note when I heard about her cancer and she wrote me back a wonderful letter. She was upbeat and positive and I think she was going to go out with guns blazing," Hutchison said Wednesday night. Richards was diagnosed with cancer in March and underwent chemotherapy treatments. Her four adult children spent the day with her before she died Wednesday night at her home in Austin, said Cathy Bonner, a longtime family friend and family spokeswoman. Born in Lakeview, Texas, in 1933, Richards grew up near Waco, married civil rights lawyer David Richards and spent her early adulthood volunteering in campaigns and raising four children. She often said the hardest job she ever had was as a public school teacher at Fulmore Junior High School in Austin. In the early 1960s, she helped form the North Dallas Democratic Women, "basically to allow us to have something substantive to do; the regular Democratic Party and its organization was run by men who looked on women as little more than machine parts." Richards served on the Travis County Commissioners Court in Austin for six years before jumping to a bigger arena in 1982 when her election as state treasurer made her the first woman elected statewide in nearly 50 years. But politics took a toll. It cost her a marriage and forced her in 1980 to seek treatment for alcoholism. "I had seen the very bottom of life," she once recalled. "I was so afraid I wouldn't be funny anymore. I just knew that I would lose my zaniness and my sense of humor. But I didn't. Recovery turned out to be a wonderful thing." After her re-election defeat, Richards went on to give speeches, work as a commentator for Cable News Network and serve as a senior adviser in the New York office of Public Strategies. In her last 10 years, Richards worked for many social causes and helped develop the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders, scheduled to open in Austin in 2007. Richards said she never missed being in public office. She grinned when asked what she might have done differently had she known she would be a one-term governor. "Oh," she said, "I would probably have raised more hell." ___ Associated Press writers Suzanne Gamboa in Washington and Anabelle Garay and Matt Joyce in Dallas contributed to this report.

I knew College Republicans were losers but damn

Press Release MDP Demands End to Offensive College Republican Activities Brewer calls on Dick DeVos, Mike Bouchard and Saul Anuzis to stop their Party’s divisive, dangerous and extreme activities LANSING –Today Michigan Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer sharply criticized the Republican National Committee, the Michigan Republican Party, Republican gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos, U.S. Senate candidate Mike Bouchard and other Republicans across the state for condoning the U of M College Republicans for hosting “Catch an Illegal Immigrant” day and “Fun with Guns” day. “Fun with Guns” day has College Republicans simulating shooting real people such as Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. John Kerry. “Catch an Illegal Immigrant” day has a student pose as an immigrant and hide while other students try to catch that student for prizes. Morgan Wilkins, a paid College Republicans National Committee staffer, was the organizer behind these appalling events. “The party of Dick DeVos, Mike Bouchard, Saul Anuzis and President Bush has become so extreme and so right-wing that they are now supporting events simulating shooting real people and glorifying hunting human beings. Where is their outcry? Anuzis has removed College Republican leaders before and we demand he does it again. Republicans through out the state should publicly condemn the U of M College Republicans for their offensive and inexcusable actions,” Brewer stated. “These events are hurtful, mean-spirited and dangerous. I never would have dreamed that a state party-sponsored organization would be simulating the death of Democratic leaders. Their divisive actions are snowballing out of control and who knows what they will do next? These types of actions are the reason why voters across the country are abandoning Republican candidates and are turning toward a positive Democratic alternative.” Precedent exists for the Michigan Republican Party to take action against College Republicans. Saul Anuzis removed Ryan Cassin from the Michigan College Republican Federation according the Grand Rapids Press. The Michigan Daily Article can be viewed here: http://www.michigandaily.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticlePrinterFriendly&uStory_id=1f2ec614-4701-464b-a8fe-2b4d4cb4aa05 The Grand Rapids Press article can be viewed here:www.michigandems.com/091306prs-GRarticle.html I have an idea for the College Republicans instead of Fun with Guns day how about sign up for the army day then they can have fun with guns day everyday in Iraq. But the downside for them will be the other side will be firing back at them.

Another DeVos claim takes a hit

A brain drain? Not here A brain drain? Not here Educated immigrants turn the tide in state BY JOHN GALLAGHERFREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER September 13, 2006 Cris Boyer, 25, of Troy creates video games and owns a business. He stays in Michigan because of personal ties and a lower cost of living. (SUSAN TUSA/Detroit Free Press) Top jobs in Michigan The U.S. Census Bureau reports that these were among the top occupations for college-educated men and women who stayed in Michigan from 1995 to 2000, the most recent period for which comprehensive data is available. For men: • Mechanical engineers • Elementary and middle school teachers • Managers • Accountants and auditors • Lawyers • Chief executives • Postsecondary teachers • Physicians and surgeons • Sales representatives • Retail managers For women: • Elementary and middle school teachers. • Registered nurses • Accountants and auditors • Social workers • Secretaries and administrative assistants • Postsecondary teachers • Secondary school teachers • Education administrators • Human resources • Managers If any college graduate could be expected to flee Michigan for a state like California, it might be Cris Boyer. Now 25 years old, the 2003 Michigan State University graduate creates video games, speaks Japanese and owns his own company. So what's he doing living in Troy instead of, say, Silicon Valley? "I grew up around here," the Royal Oak native said last week. "I really like the area. And I work with a kids group here in the area, and that's something I really wouldn't want to leave." Boyer's desire to live in Michigan, and similar choices by thousands of other people, shows how complicated -- and often how mistaken -- the notion of a Michigan brain drain can be. Despite real concerns that people, especially young people, are leaving Michigan, some demographers say the notion of a brain drain -- a debilitating loss of educated people -- has been oversold to an anxious public hammered by bad news about the automotive industry. "It's certainly overblown, and to some extent has characteristics of a myth," said Jim Rogers, manager of data for the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, a regional planning agency. In fact, the state's population is growing, and its population of college graduates also is on the rise. Michigan is hardly free from demographic worries. The state's population continues to grow more slowly than the nation as a whole. Fast-growing Sunbelt states like Arizona add several new residents for each new one in Michigan. But Rogers sees the state's growing number of college graduates as a sign of hope, especially for metro Detroit. "Despite the bad news about the auto industry, despite the fact that we have higher unemployment than the nation as a whole, and this litany of bad news that we've gotten so used to here, we're a large metropolitan area with a large population and a relatively well-educated population compared to the country as a whole, and despite some domestic losses, are still a very strong center of population and industry," he said. Immigration is the difference The idea of a Michigan brain drain arose because, for many years, Census Bureau figures have shown that more college graduates leave Michigan for other states than move in from elsewhere in the country. The net outflow is particularly strong among younger residents. But that's just part of the story. The state's population continues to increase, thanks to the natural birth rate and an influx of immigrants from overseas. Perhaps even more important for the state's economic future, Michigan's population of college graduates -- the people who put the "brain" in brain drain -- has been increasing, not declining. Between 2001 and 2004, the Census Bureau's American Community Survey data showed a net increase of 35,700 people with a bachelor's degree or higher choosing to migrate to Michigan. "Which is news to a lot of people," Rogers said. "That's not the conventional wisdom because this loss of college graduates through migration domestically has been so hyped." Foreign immigration plays a big part. In terms of state-to-state migration, more college grads leave Michigan than arrive. But the rising number of educated immigrants -- mainly men with mechanical engineering degrees from Canada, India and China -- tips the balance into the positive column. As recently as 1980, the Census Bureau found just 8,300 foreign immigrants with college degrees coming to Michigan during the previous five-year period. By 2001-2004, though, the number of college-educated foreigners arriving in the state had totaled 61,800. "The international immigration of college graduates is something that has increased dramatically over time, and it's changed the picture for Michigan," Elaine Fielding, a senior research analyst with the University of Michigan's office of budget and planning, said last week. William Frey, a U-M demographer, echoed that sentiment. Educated foreign immigrants "are less concerned about a warm climate or amenities," he said last week. "They're worried about the jobs and not having a high cost of living. So this immigration may be a source of gain for Michigan that people have not realized yet." Probably because of the demands of the auto industry, metro Detroit's foreign immigrants rank among the most educated in the nation, Frey said. Of the 50 metro areas with the highest percentages of college-educated immigrants, metro Detroit ranked fourth highest. More than 53% of foreign immigrants who came to this area in 2004-2005 had a bachelor's degree or higher. The brain drain idea has taken root in part because many young Michiganders do leave. Graduates from Michigan stay Tracey Killoran, 24, a 2003 U-M graduate, recently moved to Chicago for a job in financial services. She says job opportunities were limited here in her home state but plentiful in Chicago. "It's worked out pretty well for me," the Grand Rapids native said last week. "I was definitely ready to make a move after living in Michigan for most of my life, and Chicago isn't that far away." Sarah Gutowski, 25, also a 2003 U-M graduate, moved to Chicago two years ago to work in graphic design. Better economic opportunities there were only part of the lure. "I wanted to experience city life," the Northville native said last week. "I thought it would be more opportunity for my job and just more things to do socially." Today, living not far from Chicago's lakefront, she reports meeting lots of great people and being "really happy." But sometimes, the advantages work in Michigan's favor. "The cost of living is dramatically lower here than, say, San Francisco or Los Angeles or Seattle, the primary hubs of the industry," video-game creator Boyer said last week. And sometimes state loyalty plays a part. Jennifer Putney, 25, a St. Clair County native and a 2003 MSU grad, strongly considered moving to Colorado after graduation. She loves the West's skiing, sunshine and other amenities. But she, too, chose Michigan. She works as a union organizer based in Detroit. "I guess I have faith that Michigan can turn itself around, and I'd like to be a part of that," she said last week. Whether young college grads move out of Michigan depends to a great extent on where they grew up. About 53% of U-M's 2001-2005 graduates still live in the state, data from the university show. But there's a big contrast between the students who were Michigan natives and those who came to U-M from out-of-state, research analyst Fielding said. About 77% of grads who were Michigan natives still live in the state. In contrast, only 10% of U-M graduates who came to Ann Arbor from another state still live in Michigan. But those out-of-state graduates were the ones the state might have expected to lose anyway. Wayne State University reported similar figures for its graduates. Economic opportunity, or lack of it, clearly plays an important role. Whether the most recent restructurings and layoffs afflicting companies like Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. diminish the number of young college grads coming or staying in Michigan for the balance of this decade is something that has demographers worried. Meanwhile, the notion that Michigan is suffering a brain drain has so taken hold that both Democrats and Republicans accept it. Fighting the brain drain motivated Gov. Jennifer Granholm to create her Cool Cities program, which awards grants to aging cities to help create lively enclaves of urban living to attract younger workers. And battling the brain drain also is behind part of Republican gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos' campaign to unseat Granholm. Contact JOHN GALLAGHER at 313-222-5173 or gallagher@freepress.com.

More trouble for DeLay? I hope so

Texas court to reconsider DeLay charge - Yahoo! News Texas court to reconsider DeLay charge By APRIL CASTRO, Associated Press Writer1 hour, 48 minutes ago The state's highest criminal appeals court said Wednesday it would consider reinstating a conspiracy charge against former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, further delaying his felony money laundering trial. A Travis County grand jury indicted DeLay and two political consultants last year on charges stemming from Republican fundraising during the 2002 legislative races. A state district court judge later threw out one of two conspiracy charges. Prosecutors asked the appeals court to reinstate the dropped charge, and the court said Wednesday that it would consider that request. Judge Pat Priest said he would proceed with DeLay's trial when the appeals process has ended. DeLay stepped down as majority leader after the charges were filed and announced his resignation from Congress a few months later. He and other Texas Republicans have accused prosecutor Ronnie Earle, a Democrat, of conducting a political vendetta. "It's just another bump in the road," DeLay's attorney, Dick DeGuerin, said Wednesday. "I thought they would just refuse to get involved but at the same time, I'm not really shocked by it." Earle did not immediately return a phone call from The Associated Press. Both sides will be given time to file their arguments with the Court of Criminal Appeals, which will then set a date for oral arguments. A ruling is not likely to come before next year, said Ed Marty, general counsel to the court. Prosecutors accuse DeLay and the two consultants of violating state law by funneling $190,000 in illegal corporate money to the Republican National Committee, which then donated the same amount to Texas candidates. Under Texas law, corporate money can't be directly used for political campaigns. DeLay and the consultants, Jim Ellis and John Colyandro, say the transaction was legal. The dispute over the dismissed charge centers on whether the conspiracy statute applied to the state's election code in 2002. DeLay was accused of conspiring to violate the election code, but his attorneys say that transaction was not illegal at the time. DeGuerin says the dropped charge accuses DeLay of conspiring to violate the election code as it stood in 2003. The other conspiracy count DeLay faces accuses him of conspiring to launder money.

Bush used 9.11 speech for political reason? Say it isn't so

Print Story: Democrats say Bush is politicizing 9/11 on Yahoo! News Democrats say Bush is politicizing 9/11 By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer1 hour, 19 minutes ago The White House quarreled with Democrats Tuesday over whether President Bush was trying to win political points by using a Sept. 11 anniversary speech to defend the war in Iraq and his war on terror. Bush spokesman Tony Snow said although there were "three or four sentences" in the president's 17-minute address Monday night that could be considered controversial, Bush took pains not to be partisan. He said Bush had to discuss the dominant issue of Iraq, but he wasn't "picking fights" or making any demands of Congress. "This was not a speech that was designed to single out anybody for partisan reasons, but gave the president's honest reflections and reactions to what has happened since September 11, 2001," Snow said. "The president decided that yesterday wasn't a day for partisanship." Democrats, in a campaign to win control of Congress from the president's Republican Party, charged that Bush was using a national day of mourning for partisan gain. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said Tuesday that Bush was "more consumed by staying the course in Iraq and playing election-year politics." "The American people deserved better last night," Reid said in a statement. "They deserved a chance to reclaim that sense of unity, purpose and patriotism that swept through our country five years ago." In the speech broadcast in prime time on the fifth anniversary of the terror attacks, the president described a brutal enemy still determined to kill Americans, perhaps with weapons of mass destruction if they get the chance. "If we do not defeat these enemies now, we will leave our children to face a Middle East overrun by terrorist states and radical dictators armed with nuclear weapons," Bush said. "We are in a war that will set the course for this new century and determine the destiny of millions across the world." Bush began with a two-minute tribute to the nearly 3,000 victims of the Sept. 11 attacks, but most of his 17-minute speech was devoted to justifying his foreign policy since that day. With his party's control of Congress at stake in elections less than two months away, Bush suggested that political opponents who are calling for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq would be giving victory to the terrorists. "Whatever mistakes have been made in Iraq, the worst mistake would be to think that if we pulled out, the terrorists would leave us alone," Bush said from the Oval Office, with a photo of his twin daughters and the American flag behind him. "They will not leave us alone. They will follow us. The safety of America depends on the outcome of the battle in the streets of Baghdad." While Democrats have been using public opposition to the Iraq war to argue for a change of leadership in Congress, Bush's prime-time address showed how he has been able to use the power of incumbency to command public attention and make his points. Democrats objected to the tone. "The president should be ashamed of using a national day of mourning to commandeer the airwaves to give a speech that was designed not to unite the country and commemorate the fallen but to seek support for a war in Iraq that he has admitted had nothing to do with 9/11," Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (news, bio, voting record), D-Mass., said in a statement. "There will be time to debate this president's policies in Iraq. September 11th is not that time." On Monday, dozens of lawmakers from both parties put aside the campaigning and joined on the steps of the Capitol to remember the attacks. Together they sang "God Bless America" as they had five years ago. "Partisanship would have been the one casualty the American people would have accepted following 9/11, but it remains the one thing the president refuses to give up," Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel (news, bio, voting record), chairman of the Democratic effort to win control of the House, said after the president's speech. Snow noted that Emanuel, Kennedy and other Democrats attacked the speech shortly after the president was finished speaking, suggesting they were the ones who injected politics. "It appears that there had been a desire immediately after the speech to go ahead and make partisan points," he said. Bush said Iraq is part of the United States' post-Sept. 11 approach to threats abroad. Going on offense against enemies before they could harm Americans meant removing the Taliban from power in Afghanistan, pursuing members of al-Qaida and seeking regime change in Iraq, Bush said. At least 2,670 U.S. servicemen and women have died in Iraq. "I am often asked why we are in Iraq when Saddam Hussein was not responsible for the 9/11 attacks," Bush said. "The answer is that the regime of Saddam Hussein was a clear threat. "America did not ask for this war, and every American wishes it were over. So do I," Bush said. "But the war is not over, and it will not be over until either we or the extremists emerge victorious." Although his administration has been criticized for trying to link Osama bin Laden to Baghdad, Bush made further comparisons between the al-Qaida leader and Iraq. The president quoted bin Laden as saying the battle in Iraq is the "Third World War" that could bring America's "defeat and disgrace forever." "If we yield Iraq to men like bin Laden," Bush said, "our enemies will be emboldened, they will gain a new safe haven, and they will use Iraq's resources to fuel their extremist movement. We will not allow this to happen." Bush delivered a message to bin Laden and other terrorists who are still on the run. "No matter how long it takes, America will find you, and we will bring you to justice," Bush said. ___

If only they could drop 33 million a bag at a time

Dowagiac Daily News If only they could drop $33 million a bag at a time Monday, September 11, 2006 11:30 AM EDT With two months to go until Michigan's Nov. 7 election, spending on the governor's race is at $33 million and counting.After crossing the Mackinac Bridge Labor Day, Democratic Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm chanted her party's mantra that Nov. 7 is an election, "not an auction." Personally, I think we'd have something if they just took all that money and carpet bombed the state a sack of cash at a time.People would surely be in a more upbeat, hopeful mood than the fatigue they will feel after exposure to all those nasty attack ads. Republican Dick DeVos kicked in another $3.25 million from his considerable fortune.Through Aug. 28 his own contributions exceed $16.1 million toward a $26.1 million total. Granholm furnished her $12 million war chest $3,400.DeVos likes to point out that he also raised more than $800,000 from more than 5,000 supporters between July 24 and Aug. 28, according to campaign-finance documents filed Sept. 7 with the Secretary of State.DeVos spent more than $4 million during the period of the Aug. 8 primary - 86 percent of it on TV advertising.Almost 22,000 donors have given his campaign $5.2 million since DeVos announced his candidacy in June 2005.The incumbent raised $882,000 during that four-week reporting period, spending $440,000 on ads. She had $7.3 million cash on hand.Granholm is entitled under state law to $1.1 million in public funding given that DeVos has surpassed $340,000 in personal contributions.If DeVos continues at his current pace, the nine-year Alticor president (1993-2002) would be projected to shell out another $9 million of his own money on the contest.Why would anyone want to be governor of Michigan this bad?DeVos must regard Lansing as a launching pad to the White House.The rest of us are left to parse Democrats' claims DeVos laid off 1,400 workers at Alticor during his nine-year tenure while at the same time investing $200 million in Alticor manufacturing operations in China.The DeVos camp says that while 1,400 jobs were eliminated, only 600 workers were laid off.In his own 60-second rebuttal spot, DeVos says there was no connection between job losses and the China investment.Devos implies that Granholm approved $2 billion in tax hikes in less than four years in office.The figure, however, includes a cigarette tax increase and assorted fee boosts either agreed to or proposed by Republicans to close gaping budget deficits left by the Engler administration.Regime rival: Saddam Hussein regarded al-Qaida as a threat, not a possible ally, concludes a Senate report released Sept. 8 contradicting President Bush's assertions to build support for invading Iraq.Quips, quotes and qulunkers: "Political correctness dies hard in the West. Even President Bush, who famously visited a Washington, D.C., mosque shortly after 9/11 to demonstrate his belief that Islam is a 'religion of peace,' has changed his tune and has labeled the enemy 'Islamofascists.' Britain's Sussex police sent officers for 'diversity training' to an Islamic school that they subsequently raided as part of a crackdown on those who recruit and train Jihadist warriors. Don't the cops have it backward? Shouldn't the people in that school be subjected to diversity training and taught the concepts of pluralism and religious freedom? Who is attempting to blow up more airplanes? Who has sworn to murder all 'infidels?' It isn't British police officers ... Why do Americans have to be reminded to remember? ... The enemy won't forget ... He thinks he can wait us out. He thinks we're weak and will wilt before his demands in order to save our lives."- syndicated columnist Cal Thomas

New poll U.S. is less respected now

77% of the Europeans don't like us and 65% of US don't like us either! U.S. is Less Respected Now, Say Americans: Angus Reid Consultants Angus Reid Global Scan : Polls & Research U.S. is Less Respected Now, Say Americans September 10, 2006 Many adults in the United States are disappointed with their country’s current international reputation, according to a poll by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. 65 per cent of respondents think the U.S. is less respected by other countries these days. In 2004, a series of pictures depicting the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. soldiers appeared in several information sources. A classified U.S. Army report states that some soldiers committed "numerous incidents of criminal abuses" and "grave breaches of international law" at the Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad. Both U.S. president George W. Bush and defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld publicly apologized for the incidents. In May 2005, a 308-page report by Amnesty International criticized the U.S. government for its handling of prisoners in several detention centres, including one at Guantanamo Bay where more than 400 "enemy combatants"—most of them from Afghanistan—are being held. Former presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton have urged the federal administration to close the prison. In June, three Guantanamo prisoners were found hanging from the ceilings inside their cells. U.S. officials described the situation as "the first successful suicides" after repeated attempts. In late June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the American government should not be allowed to use military tribunals to try any of the detainees currently held at Guantanamo. On Sept. 7, Bush acknowledged that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operates secret prisons in foreign countries, adding, "Information from the terrorists questioned in this program helped unravel plots and terrorist cells in Europe and in other places. It’s helped our allies protect their people from deadly enemies. This program has been, and remains, one of the most vital tools in our war against the terrorists. It is invaluable to America and to our allies." Polling Data Compared with the past, would you say the U.S. is more respected by other countries these days, less respected by other countries, or as respected as it has been in the past? Aug. 2006 Oct. 2005 More respected 7% 9% Less respected 65% 66% As respected 23% 21% Don’t know / Refused 5% 4%

Busting up DeVos single state recession myth

DETNEWS Weblog Christine Barry The Single State Recession: Another DeVos Lie "Michigan is in a single-state recession. The rest of the country is doing just fine." Amway Republican Dick DeVos needs you to believe that, but it’s just another one of his lies. According to Realtytrac, foreclosures across the US are up 63% from last year, and mortgage defaults in the first quarter of this year were up 72% over the same period in 2005. A Gallup Poll recently found that 27% of Americans are very or moderately worried about paying their housing costs. The housing market has slowed across the US. 29 states realized a decline in home sales, and national home sales in Q2 of 2006 were 7% less than in the second quarter of 2005. As of Q1 2006, the Federal Reserve reports that household debt has increased by about 11% each year since 2003. Personal savings was negative, at -$119.8 billion at the beginning of this year. The number of uninsured Americans has increased 14% since 2000**, and health care costs continue to rise. Gene Sperling, a Clinton National Economic Advisor, cites BLS (http://www.bls.gov) data that shows that real hourly wages have declined and 2.2% since the 2003 tax cut, and census data indicating that median household income has fallen every year since 2001. (Aside: things aren’t so bad for America’s corporate suits) Oh yeah, and the poverty rate has increased each year over the past 4 years. Sure, the rest of the country is “doing just fine”. Tell that to the people of Ohio, and their Republican Governor. Ohio leads the nation in job loss. (the rest of the nation isn't all that optimistic about the economy either.) That’s not to say that Michigan doesn’t have problems. 1 out of every 7 jobs in Michigan is tied to the auto industry, and auto sales react strongly to national economic conditions. Amway Dick wants you to think that the Governor is to blame for the current 7% unemployment rate, which puts us at nearly the worst in the nation. Some economists, however, say that there is little the Governor could do to influence the "economic performance of the state" , and that the economy would look the same today even if DeVos rather than Granholm had been elected four years ago. DeVos needs you to believe in the “Single State Recession”. If you aren’t blaming Granholm for a bad economy, then you might start to think about other things, like health care, public education, his business ethics, your rights to privacy and choice, separation of church & state, and more. And that would knock Amway Dick right out of the running for President Governor.

When DeVos can't defend he make stuff up..

Sitting around the house on a late Saturday afternoon, I spotted the latest and lamest of Dick DeVos political attack ads, you can tell little Dicky is worry about Granholm pounding home Amway and China from now to November 6 he appeared in this one after being oddly absent in the previous four ads he ran. To save you good folks the time and save your heads from exploding by the glaring hypocrisy on display by Amway Dude I'll give you the Cliff Notes version. The ad opens up with the recycle clip of the plants he brought off moving their things to a moving van and showing the factory with the chains on the fence then you see Amway dude standing there with his uncomfortable smile whining about how the MDP and Granholm are sinking to negative attacks never mind he was the first one to fire off four negative of the campaign and he's trying to limit Granholm and Michigan Democratic response by having his lawyers flying around the state demanding the stations not to show the ad but anyway in his ads he made two claims one that his company didn't ship any jobs out of the state and the other he claims he created 4,000 jobs sound impressive right? Well DeVos backers don't gloat yet he didn't cite anything to back either claim so for all I know he's pulling that out of his butt. But the dumbest part of the ad is where he recycles quotes he got in trouble for Quote Accurately, Even in Attack Ads . And he uses Nolan Finley editorial snip supporting the idea of doing more business with China now if you're new to local politics or a vet you know for DeVos using a Nolan Finley quote is very much like using a quote from Besty DeVos or the Michigan Republican chair it will have the same effect. Finley will defend any GOP screw up or crime they commit you see Nolan is a company guy. Wrapping up the ad more whining from Amway dude he says when you hear these attacks you know their false um sure Dick whatever you say Granholm For Governor: China Truth Squad In closing for a dude screaming about false ads DeVos was the one who had ads pulled for distortion from "Left Behind" to the so called struggling business man. Amway dude has spent close to 25 million in ads and not one ad display a plan he has for the state or what he will do once elected all he offers is myth and out right lies. This latest two ads blaming Granholm for everything to not having small class to the Tigers losing three games in Minnesota nevermind she has to deal with an very uncooperative state house run by the Michigan Republicans who are on the payroll of DeVos and Amway and she has to clean up more than a decade of mess left by John Engler note a man Dick DeVos supported.

ABC 9/11 miniseries is bunk

I would use a stronger word than bunk but that's me... 9/11 Miniseries Is Bunk - Los Angeles Times 9/11 Miniseries Is Bunk Former ambassador to Yemen says ABC traded fact for drama in portraying events after the 2000 bombing of the destroyer Cole.By Barbara BodineBARBARA BODINE was U.S. ambassador to Yemen from 1997-2001. She is a visiting scholar at MIT's Center for International Studies.September 8, 2006ON THE MORNING of Sept. 11, 2001, Americans — and the world — froze, saddened and angry. Five years later, we stop to remember those we lost and those who have sacrificed in our defense since, and to reflect on what we must learn. History will define us not by the events of that day but by who we choose to become as a result.Regrettably, ABC has chosen not to document but to dramatize this most critical of times. Its miniseries, "The Path to 9/11," opts for fiction when fact is needed and chooses mythmaking when the candor of history is called for. The 9/11 commission report tells the story with clear-eyed honesty, precision and studious impartiality. The ABC drama does not. The 9/11 commission spent hours interviewing virtually everyone connected not just with the events of that day but those involved in counter-terrorism over 25 years — Republican as well as Democrat. ABC did not. Many senior officials from President Clinton's administration, along with key members of the 9/11 commission, have publicly challenged the distortions and inaccuracies of "The Path to 9/11." From the part of the story I know firsthand, ABC has done the American people a disservice. Drama may be more profitable than reality, but at what cost to our national history? One of the myths perpetuated by ABC played out in the steamy port city of Aden, Yemen, in October 2000, using an FBI agent out of New York, John O'Neill, and the U.S. ambassador to that country. According to the mythmakers, a battle ensued between a cop obsessed with tracking down Osama bin Laden and a bureaucrat more concerned with the feelings of the host government than the fate of Americans and the realities of terrorism. I know this is false. I was there. I was the ambassador. I am not here to either defend or attack O'Neill. He was a complex man. But what happened after Al Qaeda's attack on the U.S. destroyer Cole was a complex story. Within hours, our embassy in Sana, Yemen, received support from Washington, U.S. military commands in the region and neighboring U.S. embassies. Within days, our presence in Aden went from zero to more than 300 people from the Navy, Marines, the intelligence community, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the FBI, the State Department and my embassy. We had a clear and common goal: honor those killed by finding those guilty. As ambassador, I had four missions: recover the Cole and her crew; provide security for the burgeoning U.S. presence in Aden; establish a joint Yemeni-American criminal investigation, as agreed between the president of Yemen and FBI Director Louis Freeh; and maintain the Yemeni-American relationship. These tasks were not sequential but deeply interdependent. The recovery of the ship and its crew was the most urgent. The Cole was also a crime scene, and crew members were witnesses. Recovery efforts had to be coordinated with naval investigators and the FBI. With an unsettled threat, I could not allow either to go forward without rigorous security at the harbor and at our base of operations. The least quantifiable of the four mandates was our relationship with the Yemeni authorities. Diplomatic relations are not an end in themselves but rather provide a context within which we are able to operate — or not. Our cooperative relationship enabled the recovery, the security and the investigation to move forward, to work through the tensions, disagreements and conflicts that naturally arose. The attack on the Cole was a hostile act, but this was not a hostile government or a hostile people. It was my job to make sure everyone involved understood that our actions must not subvert our goals. The realities of a U.S. investigative style inevitably collided headlong with the limited capabilities of Yemen. The Yemenis knew Aden and its people but lacked technical and professional competence; the FBI had the forensic and technical capability but could not operate "on the street" in Aden. The friction, the suspicion, the miscommunication between the two could not, however, be allowed to derail a successful criminal investigation of the attack, its roots in Yemen and its links to other attacks against Americans around the world. Yemen's subsequent willingness to cooperate with us in the war on terrorism confirms the value of working with it — not seeing it as the enemy. In the aftermath of the attack on the Cole, the stakes were high. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell's first lesson of leadership is that "being responsible sometimes means pissing people off." It's inevitable, if you are honorable. The job of the ambassador is to make the tough calls. To paraphrase a fellow Missourian, the buck stopped on my desk.

Saddam saw Al- Qaida as threat not ally

Print Story: Senate: Saddam saw al-Qaida as threat on Yahoo! News Senate: Saddam saw al-Qaida as threat By JIM ABRAMS, Associated Press Writer 6 minutes ago Saddam Hussein regarded al-Qaida as a threat rather than a possible ally, a Senate report says, contradicting assertions President Bush has used to build support for the war in Iraq. The report also newly faults intelligence gathering in the lead-up to the 2003 invasion. Released Friday, the report discloses for the first time an October 2005 CIA assessment that prior to the war Saddam's government "did not have a relationship, harbor or turn a blind eye toward" al-Qaida operative Abu Musab al-Zarqawi or his associates. As recently as an Aug. 21 news conference, Bush said people should "imagine a world in which you had Saddam Hussein" with the capacity to make weapons of mass destruction and "who had relations with Zarqawi." Democrats contended that the administration continues to use faulty intelligence, including assertions of a link between Saddam's government and the recently killed al-Zarqawi, to justify the war in Iraq. They also said, in remarks attached to Friday's Senate Intelligence Committee document, that former CIA Director George Tenet had modified his position on the terrorist link at the request of administration policymakers. Republicans said the document, which compares prewar intelligence with post-invasion findings on Iraq's weapons and on terrorist groups, broke little new ground. And they said Democrats were distorting it for political purposes. A previous report in 2004 made clear the intelligence agencies' "massive failures," said Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., a member of the committee. "Yet to make a giant leap in logic to claim that the Bush administration intentionally misled the nation or manipulated intelligence is simply not warranted." White House press secretary Tony Snow said the report was "nothing new." A second part of the report concluded that false information from the Iraqi National Congress, an anti-Saddam group led by then-exile Ahmed Chalabi, was used to support key U.S. intelligence assessments on Iraq. It said U.S. intelligence agents put out numerous red flags about the reliability of INC sources but the intelligence community made a "serious error" and used one source who concocted a story that Iraq was building mobile biological weapons laboratories. The report also said that in 2002 the National Security Council directed that funding for the INC should continue "despite warnings from both the CIA, which terminated its relationship with the INC in December 1996, and the DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency), that the INC was penetrated by hostile intelligence services, including the Iranians." According to the report, postwar findings indicate that Saddam "was distrustful of al-Qaida and viewed Islamic extremists as a threat to his regime." It said al-Zarqawi was in Baghdad from May until late November 2002. But "postwar information indicates that Saddam Hussein attempted, unsuccessfully, to locate and capture al-Zarqawi and that the regime did not have a relationship with, harbor, or turn a blind eye toward Zarqawi." In June 2004, Bush defended Vice President Dick Cheney's assertion that Saddam had "long-established ties" with al-Qaida. "Zarqawi is the best evidence of connection to al-Qaida affiliates and al-Qaida," the president said. The report concludes that postwar findings do not support a 2002 intelligence report that Iraq was reconstituting its nuclear program, possessed biological weapons or had ever developed mobile facilities for producing biological warfare agents. "The report is a devastating indictment of the Bush-Cheney administration's unrelenting, misleading and deceptive attempts to convince the American people that Saddam Hussein was linked with al-Qaida," said Sen. Carl Levin (news, bio, voting record), D-Mich., a member of the committee. Levin and Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, the top Democrat on the panel, said Tenet told the committee last July that in 2002 he had complied with an administration request "to say something about not being inconsistent with what the president had said" about the Saddam-terrorist link. They said that on Oct. 7, 2002, the same day Bush gave a speech speaking of such a link, the CIA had sent a declassified letter to the committee saying it would be an "extreme step" for Saddam to assist Islamist terrorists in attacking the United States. They said Tenet acknowledged to the committee that subsequently issuing a statement that there was no inconsistency between the president's speech and the CIA viewpoint was "the wrong thing to do." Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., said the mistakes of prewar intelligence have long been known and "the additional views of the committee's Democrats are little more than a rehashing of the same unfounded allegations they've used for over three years." The panel report is Phase II of an analysis of prewar intelligence on Iraq. The first phase, issued in July 2004, focused on the CIA's failings in its estimates of Iraq's weapons program. The second phase had been delayed as Republicans and Democrats fought over what information should be declassified and how far the committee should delve into the question of whether policymakers may have manipulated intelligence to make the case for war. Committee member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said he planned to ask for an investigation into the amount of information remaining classified. He said, "I am particularly concerned it appears that information may have been classified to shield individuals from accountability." ___ On the Net: Senate Intelligence Committee: http://intelligence.senate.gov

I thought Bouchard hated the spending in DC

Press Release Bush-Bouchard Fundraiser More Important than Big Three Meeting Bush Administration’s hostility towards auto industry continues as he makes time for photo-ops with Bouchard but not a meeting with industry leaders LANSING- Today Michigan Democratic Party Chair criticized President Bush for not meeting with the Big 3 CEOs while in Michigan for a political fundraiser for GOP U.S. Senate candidate Mike Bouchard. President Bush has canceled three meetings with the Big 3 CEOs, criticized them for not making “relevant” vehicles and has refused to adopt health care, trade and tax policies that level the playing field with their foreign competitors “How can Bush find time to raise money for his crony Mike Bouchard, but not have time to meet with the leadership of the Big 3 while in Michigan?” Brewer said. “By inviting Bush to raise money, Bouchard has confirmed that he will be a rubberstamp for Bush if he’s elected. The President’s lack of leadership and willingness to put politics over people are once again preventing job creation and Michigan, the home of the domestic auto industry, is paying the price.” Michigan has been especially hurt by President Bush’s economic polices. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Michigan has lost over 180,000 or 1/3 of its manufacturing jobs since Bush took office. Many of those jobs were lost due to outsourcing and Bush’s trade policies. General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner has also been very critical of the Bush Administration’s lack of leadership on health care and energy costs affecting businesses. The Detroit Free Press reported that Wagoner, speaking at an auto industry seminar in Traverse City, said, “Some of the things that we all believe are necessary to ensure the continued strength of the (manufacturing) sector, which I think is just vital ... we just don't see the leadership." Many other Republican campaigns around the United States have stated they are unwilling to campaign with Bush. For example: "In a word, no. Not at this time." - Rep. J.D. Hayworth when asked if he would like President Bush to help him campaign in Arizona [Imus in the Morning, 11/9/05] "We just want him to raise money. Late at night. In an undisclosed location." - An aide to GOP Gubernatorial candidate Judy Topinka, asked if she would like President Bush to campaign for her this year [Washington Post, Will Column, 4/6/06] "Is the president a political help? No, that's obvious." - GOP Sen. candidate Mike McGavick [MSNBC, 9/6/06] Wasn't Boooocuahrd whole thing was he hated the spending in Washington but isn't he's attending a fundraiser with the biggest Washington spender in history? Call me crazy I think Boocuhard has already broken a campaign promise just by standing next to the dude that spent more than 42 presidents combine

Truth Squad going after it on DeVos spin

Granholm has hit DeVos back in a big away, since there is no way DeVos can spin it in such a way that sensible people can swallow so DeVos instead of working on ads to counter the MDP and Granholm ads he's going to run to the courts to have them pulled. Granholm For Governor: China Truth Squad Fact File: China On September 6, 2006, in a television interview with Tim Skubick, Dick DeVos admitted he did create jobs in China and laid off people in Michigan, calling both events, “true.” In July of 2005, the DeVos Campaign admitted Dick DeVos lost Michigan jobs while he was President of Amway. The facts to support “He invested two hundred million dollars in China,” come straight from Dick DeVos. On May 17, 2006, the Detroit News published a letter from the former Amway President. Read the full truth behind DeVos and China below... On September 6, 2006, in a television interview with Tim Skubick, Dick DeVos admitted he did create jobs in China and laid off people in Michigan, calling both events, “true.” Tim Skubick: “What's true about it? You did create jobs in China and you laid off people in Michigan.” Dick DeVos: “Two unrelated events. Both are true.” (WILX-TV, September 6, 2006) The facts come straight from the media: “During DeVos' tenure at Alticor, the company laid off 1,400 workers in Michigan and invested $200 million in China.” (The Detroit News, August 24, 2006) “Although around 1,400 jobs were cut at Alticor Inc. while DeVos was president of the company from 1993-2002, DeVos has said no Michigan jobs were sent to China, and that the investment abroad created jobs at Alticor in Ada. Alticor is the parent company of Amway Corp.” (The Associated Press, June 22, 2006) “About 1,400 jobs were cut at Alticor Inc. while DeVos was president of the direct marketing company from 1993-2002. The company began operating in China in that time, making products for sale there, DeVos said.” (The Associated Press, June 29, 2006) “When Alticor was facing sales declines and falling profits, DeVos reorganized it and some 1,300 to 1,400 Michigan jobs were cut over several years.” (Crain's Detroit Business, July 17, 2006) In July of 2005, the DeVos Campaign admitted Dick DeVos lost Michigan jobs while he was President of Amway. “By 1997, when 70 percent of Amway's sales were overseas, 5,300 of the company's 14,000 employees were in Michigan. Today, Alticor has about 13,000 employees worldwide, including 3,927 in Michigan and 721 in other U.S. locations, said DeVos spokesman John Truscott.” (Tom Walsh, Detroit Free Press, July 19, 2005) The facts to support “He invested two hundred million dollars in China,” come straight from Dick DeVos. On May 17, 2006, the Detroit News published a letter from the former Amway President. “At the same time we invested $200 million in China -- which the company was required to do by Chinese law -- Alticor invested more than $700 million here in Michigan to support operations.” (Dick DeVos, The Detroit News, May 17, 2006) The facts have continued to be reported by the media: “Alticor, the Ada-based parent of direct sales company Amway Corp., has invested more than $200 million in China, mostly for a manufacturing facility. The investment was required by the Chinese government as a condition of selling products there, DeVos said.” (Associated Press, August 22, 2005) “He also invested more than $200 million in China. Amway was co-founded by the candidate's father, Rich DeVos.” (The Detroit News, July 27, 2006) Dick DeVos acknowledged Amway built a plant in China in his own television advertisement. “We built a plant in China to sell in China.” (Dick DeVos, Television Advertisement, September 6, 2006) In their media blog, Alticor openly acknowledged the company invested over $200 million in China and created 4,300 jobs in China. “Here are the numbers: An investment of $220 million in China (an investment required by the Chinese government as a prerequisite of selling our products there). Over time, this investment has grown into about 4,300 employees in China: including manufacturing jobs, office jobs, and retail clerk jobs, staffing the counters at more than 170 shops.” (Alticor Media Blog, April 13, 2006) China Newspapers reported Amway with 160,000 salespeople. “Amway, which specialises in personal, home care and nutrition products, has 160,000 salespeople in China, making it one of the biggest employers in the mainland.” (South China Morning Post, February 14, 2004) In addition, media outlets have reported Amway built facilties in China. “Amway arrived in China in 1992 when Amway Asia-Pacific, one of the three subsidiary companies under the group, established a joint venture with Guangzhou Yifa Industrial Corp. The joint venture, with total assets valued at US$ 170 million, is committed to investing US$ 100 million for manufacturing facilities in Guangzhou and Shanghai.” (China Daily, January 25, 1998). “When Beijing outlawed direct selling in April 1998, Amway was effectively put out of business. Its sales in China plummeted from $170 million in 1997 to $39 million in 1998. Soap and toothpaste piled up in its sprawling factory in Guangzhou.” (The New York Times, November 17, 2001)

Don't be shock if there's a ad like this in the works..

It's a parody but you have to admit it wouldn't stun you if you see something like this A preview of DeVos latest ad open: A little boy stands outside the Palace of Auburn Hills wearing a Ben Wallace jersey and fear the fro wig crying his eyes out. Voiceover1: What's the matter Jimmy? Jimmy: I thought Jennifer Granholm was a Pistons fan.. Voiceover: That's what she claims to be.. Jimmy: Why couldn't she keep Ben Wallace here? Voiceover1: She didn't met with Ben Wallace even when both the mayor of Chicago and the governor of Illinois visited Ben three times, she didn't get interested in talking to Ben until the 11th hour. Jimmy: If I can't trust Granholm to keep our sporting superstars what can I trust her with? Voice over1: If Dick DeVos was governor not only Ben Wallace would still be a Piston, Steve Yzerman wouldn't retired. Jimmy: I'm telling mommy and daddy to vote for Mr. DeVos Paid by Amway

Contract info WXYZ channel 7 in Detroit

Here's the contract information to reach channel seven to tell them to think about airing 9.11 crap movie... Main switchboard: 248-827-7777 Programming: 248-827-9302 News questions and feedback: 248-827-4468 mailto:talkback@wxyz.com Mailing Address:WXYZ-TV20777 West Ten Mile RoadSouthfield, MI 48037

Clinton aides protest B.S. movie path to 9/11

Print Story: Clinton officials protest 9/11 TV series on Yahoo! News Clinton officials protest 9/11 TV series By DEEPTI HAJELA, Associated Press WriterThu Sep 7, 2:04 PM ET A "terribly wrong" miniseries about events leading to the Sept. 11 attacks blame President Clinton's policies, former Clinton administration officials said in letters demanding that ABC correct it or not air it. But in a statement released Thursday afternoon in apparent response to the growing uproar, ABC said, "No one has seen the final version of the film, because the editing process is not yet complete, so criticisms of film specifics are premature and irresponsible." Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former National Security Adviser Sandy Berger, Clinton Foundation head Bruce Lindsey and Clinton adviser Douglas Band wrote in the past week to Robert Iger, CEO of ABC's parent The Walt Disney Co., to express concern over "The Path to 9/11." The two-part miniseries, scheduled to be broadcast on Sunday and Monday, is drawn from interviews and documents including the report of the Sept. 11 commission. ABC has described it as a "dramatization" as opposed to a documentary. "For dramatic and narrative purposes, the movie contains fictionalized scenes, composite and representative characters and dialogue, and time compression," ABC said in its statement. "We hope viewers will watch the entire broadcast of the finished film before forming an opinion about it." The letter writers said the miniseries contained factual errors, and that their requests to see it had gone unanswered. "By ABC's own standard, ABC has gotten it terribly wrong," Lindsey and Band said in their letter. "The content of this drama is factually and incontrovertibly inaccurate and ABC has a duty to fully correct all errors or pull the drama entirely. It is unconscionable to mislead the American public about one of the most horrendous tragedies our country has ever known." The letters pointed out examples of scenes they had been told were in the miniseries, but which they said never happened. Albright objected to a scene that she was told showed her insisting on warning the Pakistani government before an airstrike on Afghanistan, and that she was the one who made the warning. "The scene as explained to me is false and defamatory," she said. Berger objected to a scene that he was told showed him refusing to authorize an attack on Osama bin Laden despite the request from CIA officials. "The fabrication of this scene (of such apparent magnitude) cannot be justified under any reasonable definition of dramatic license," he wrote. Lindsey and Band objected to advertisements for the miniseries, which they said suggested that Clinton wasn't paying enough attention to the threat of terrorism. "While ABC is promoting "The Path to 9/11" as a dramatization of historical fact, in truth it is a fictitious rewriting of history that will be misinterpreted by millions of Americans," they said. "Given your stated obligation to 'get it right,' we urge you to do so by not airing this drama until the egregious factual errors are corrected, an endeavor we could easily assist you with given the opportunity to view the film." The five-hour miniseries is set to run without commercial interruption. Director David Cunningham said it was a massive undertaking, with close to 250 speaking parts, more than 300 sets, and a budget of $40 million. Cunningham has said he shot 550 hours of film. The cast includes Harvey Keitel, Patricia Heaton and Donnie Wahlberg. ___ I saw the promo for it couple weeks ago it was using the line eight years in the making so I already knew it was a steaming pile of right wing dog crap trying to pin 9.11 on Bill Clinton. I was listening to Randi Rhodes the other day and she reading off the people who got a advance copy of the movie. ABC shipped them to Rush Limbaugh fair guy right? And various right wing bloggers and right wing journalist so if this movie isn't political why did ABC give out copies to Rush and these lame right wing bloggers? Funny the right pissed and cried when CBS tried to air a mini series about that tool Ronald Reagan, CBS pulled it. ABC on the other hand will air a movie that's been written by a right wing flying monkey nevermind that many officials screaming about the stuff in it is BS ABC will air it anyway. I add this to the list of reasons to get the GOP out of power so we can break up the corporate hold over the media.

The Dick is crying foul to MDP ad

Press Release MDP to DeVos: “Phone Home” DeVos campaign ignores candidate DeVos’ own words in failed attempt to suppress MDP ad LANSING- Today the Michigan Democratic Party Chairman Mark Brewer in a press conference refuted the DeVos campaign’s frivolous attempt to pull the new MDP ad “Plans” of off the air. Brewer presented the following documents and arguments demonstrating the DeVos campaign’s assertions are patently absurd. The DeVos campaign is challenging two statements, the first being, “After Dick DeVos laid off nearly 1400 workers at Amway, his company in Michigan, he went to Asia.” The DeVos campaign contends the statement is false because Dick DeVos went to Asia before not after helaid off 1400 Michigan workers. The statement in the MDP ad does not say that DeVos went to Asia only after he laid off 1400 workers in Michigan. Records indicate that Amway has been investing in China since at least 1995, both before and after it laid off workers in Michigan. And DeVos has made numerous trips to Asia both before and after he laid off the Michigan workers. The DeVos campaign is also challenging the statement, “He invested over $200 million in China.” The DeVos campaign asserts this is false because he only invested $100 million in China. Published newspaper stories support the statement in our ad. For example, the Detroit News on July 27, 2006 ran a story stating, “During his tenure (as president of Alticor) . . he also invested more than $200 million in China.” Even more importantly, in a May 17, 2006 Detroit News opinion piece DeVos himself wrote, “When I was the head of Alticor, we were presented with the opportunity to expand . . . At the same time we invested $200 million in China . . .” “This might be the first time that we can actually believe Dick DeVos. He says he invested $200 million dollars in China and we believe him. DeVos needs to do a better job communicating with his campaign because they keep on contradicting themselves,” said Brewer. “This frivolous complaint is a complete waste of time. This ad will stay on the air because it is all based on facts, many of which have come straight from DeVos’ mouth.” Based on DeVos’ frivolous complaint many television stations from around the state were forced to waste time and ask the MDP for documentation for the ad. WDIV, WOOD, WZZM, WSYM, and WLUC have all stated that the ad will remain on the air. Only one out of Michigan’s dozens of TV stations has pulled the ad. WWTV/WWUP-TV 9&10 News in Northern Michigan pulled the ad before receiving the MDP’s documentation, a decision they are now reconsidering. As President of Amway, Dick DeVos cut nearly 1,400 jobs in Michigan between 1998 and 2000. The 1,400 jobs never came back to Michigan and Amway suffered a net loss in Michigan jobs while DeVos was President. At the same time, Dick DeVos invested over $200 million in manufacturing plants which created jobs in China. According to the Detroit Free Press, “Amway—part of Ada-based Alticor Inc—considers itself an Asian company, with nearly 70% of sales coming from that region.” [Detroit Free Press, 10/22/2004] “Plans” is available at www.michigandems.com/plans.html. To view documention, click here. ### Hey Dick you wouldn't if Guv Jen have the courts to pull your ads? Due to the fact the information you used in them came from your ass.

ABC's Path to 9.11 is partly based on information from Bush PR offical

Media Matters - ABC's Path to 9/11 partly based on information from Bush administration PR official ABC's Path to 9/11 partly based on information from Bush administration PR official Marc Platt, the executive producer of ABC's upcoming two-part miniseries set to air on September 10 and 11, titled The Path to 9/11, has said that "every scene" of the film "is based on information from either the 9/11 [Commission] Report ... or the books The Cell (co-written by the former ABC News correspondent John Miller) and Relentless Pursuit, written by Samuel Katz." However, in addition to co-writing The Cell: Inside the 9/11 Plot, and Why the FBI and CIA Failed to Stop It, Miller is also a member of the Bush administration, serving as the assistant director of public affairs for the FBI, as blogger Digby has noted. As Media Matters for America has documented, the film has recently been heavily criticized for its reported factual inaccuracies, inconsistencies with the 9-11 Commission report, and misrepresentations regarding the Clinton administration's counterterrorism policies.

Bush's toy dog Blair won't set date for exit...

Blair won't set specific date for exit - Yahoo! News Blair won't set specific date for exit By BETH GARDINER, Associated Press Writer 23 minutes ago Prime Minister Tony Blair, his reputation in Britain badly damaged by his refusal to break ranks with President Bush, gave in Thursday to a fierce revolt in his Labour Party and reluctantly promised to quit within a year. Blair, whose popularity began sinking when he committed his nation to the U.S.-led war in Iraq three years ago, had long resisted calls to publicly set a timeframe for his departure from office. He feared such an announcement would make him a lame duck and sap his remaining authority. But ultimately, the foreign leader best known to Americans could find no other way to end days of public turmoil that were severely damaging Labour, which has been in power for nearly a decade but now trails the opposition Conservatives in the polls. "I would have preferred to do this in my own way," Blair said, as he conceded that the party's annual conference this month would be his last. Next year's conference is scheduled for September 2007. He refused to set a specific departure date, saying, "The precise timetable has to be left to me and has to be done in the proper way." Blair appeared to have struck a deal with his expected successor, Treasury chief Gordon Brown, who signaled his support in a statement minutes before Blair spoke to television cameras at a north London school. The key question is whether the prime minister's exit strategy will be detailed and speedy enough to satisfy the impatient Labour legislators who forced his hand. Early signals were that it would buy the 53-year-old Blair time — but not much. He's eager to reach the 10-year anniversary of his 1997 assumption of office, which would be in May. White House spokesman Tony Snow said Blair and Bush still had a lot of work to do together. "He's a valued ally," Snow said. "And at this point, we're not sitting around writing encomia for Tony Blair. We're instead busy working with him." With the outbreak of the Iraq war in 2003, Blair began to lose the iron control he once exercised over his party. Long derided by critics as the U.S. president's "poodle," he suffered a further blow at July's G-8 summit in St. Petersburg, Russia. An open microphone caught a chat in which he seemed embarrassingly subservient to Bush, who greeted him by shouting "Yo, Blair!" Anger over his handling of this summer's Mideast fighting and anxiety over the party's slide in the polls fueled the rank-and-file's impatience for him to leave quickly, or at least to say when he planned to go. Blair's refusal to call for an early end to the Israel-Hezbollah fighting in Lebanon was the final provocation for many once-loyal supporters. It served as yet another reminder of his close alliance with Bush — a friendship widely detested within the Labour Party — and stirred bitter memories of Blair's decision to commit Britain to the Iraq war despite intense public opposition. That conflict is the root of his political problems, and continued bloodshed in Iraq keeps it in the headlines. The war has severely damaged his credibility and was widely seen as the reason Labour suffered a sharply reduced majority when he led it to a third straight election win last year. Blair promised before that vote that he would not seek a fourth term. A resurgent Conservative Party with a dynamic young leader, David Cameron, has added recently to his woes. Cameron, benefiting from Labour's troubles, said the government was at war with itself. "What's happened today isn't going to end the uncertainty," he said in a statement. "It will probably only add to the paralysis. And frankly Britain deserves better than this." Brown's statement, though, seemed aimed at showing Labour remained united. Opening a children's sports tournament in Glasgow, Scotland, Brown said that although he has had questions about Blair's plans, he would support his decisions. "When I met the prime minister yesterday I said to him ... it is for him to make the decision," said Brown, who looked relaxed and cheerful. "I will support him in the decisions he makes." Chris Bryant, who organized a letter in which 15 Labour lawmakers called this week for the prime minister's resignation, said he was encouraged. "I hope we can get on with an open and transparent process of appointing our new leader sooner rather than later," he said. Eight junior officials quit Wednesday rather than remove their names from the letter. Their revolt had raised the possibility that Labour's eventual change of command would be rancorous and messy — reminiscent of Margaret Thatcher's abrupt, involuntary departure from office in 1990 at the hand of rebels in her Conservative Party — rather than the "stable, orderly transition" that Blair has long promised. The prime minister apologized on Labour's behalf for the tumultuous week, which also reportedly included shouting matches with Brown. "With everything that's going on here and in the world (it) has not been our finest hour," Blair said. The two men, now fierce rivals, jointly overhauled Labour in the 1990s, dragging it to the political center and making it electable again after 18 years in opposition. Political legend says they struck a deal about the party's future at a chic north London restaurant shortly after then-leader John Smith died suddenly in 1994. Brown would stand aside and give Blair a clear shot at the top job, the gossip goes, if Blair committed to step down midway through a second term as prime minister and let his old competitor take the job. Both have refused to comment on the rumor, but more than a year into Blair's third term Brown and his allies were clearly growing impatient. Eager to prevent the eventual handover from getting even uglier — and throwing the elections expected in 2009 to the Tories — many party heavyweights strongly backed Brown as the next Labour leader and prime minister. "I have no doubt that when the time comes next year, the party will choose Gordon to succeed Tony — and it's right that he should," said Peter Hain, Blair's secretary for Northern Irish affairs. Theories about the exact timing for a leadership change abound. Speculation focused on May but Blair's spokesman said widespread guesses about a specific date were "just plain wrong." Brown, 55, keeps a low public profile. Politically, he has been described as a brilliant thinker who has kept a steady hand on Britain's previously fickle economy in his role as Treasury chief and masterminded Labour's landslide election wins in 1997 and 2001. But he lacks Blair's gregarious nature and polish and some Labour supporters worry he won't score as well with voters.