"Path to 9/11" Writer defends accuracy of his screenplay

[FormerDittoHead]

"My sin was to write a screenplay accurately depicting Bill Clinton's record on terrorism."

http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110008958

[Bozita]

1. Exactly what's expected from the WSJ -- My reply is a Darrin Bell toon

[LynneSin]

2. That's ok, I won't watch ABC again

:shrug:

I'll just listen to the Eagles games on the Radio when they are on ESPN

[The Backlash Cometh]

3. Ohhhhh, he is so sued.

I remember Clinton said of Kerry about the 2004 election, "A deer caught in the headlights." I hope Clinton remembers that and goes into this lawsuit with a clear vision. We need him to do what he could not or would not do in the 90s. He needs to go on the attack. Someone has to. We would have backed Gore and Kerry if they had tried back when they could have, but, perhaps the Dems were still too controlled by the DLC. That's all changed now, and the time is right. We have the numbers to support anyone who is willing to challenge the right-wing liars.

[mazzarro]

4. This Should Not Be Allowed To Cool Off

The outrage we felt against the crappy fake-u-mentary should not be allowed to dissipate anytime soon. ABC, the screen writer and the executive producer should all be made to bear our outrage somehow.

[kaygore]

5. I agree but they are counting on most people forgetting and then

going back to watching ABC and other Disney owned media and entertainment. They see Democrats as toothless and weak willed.

[FormerDittoHead]

9. It's really worse than that...

They are counting on the global warming equivocation to kick in "SOME say.... but OTHERS say...."... and for the movie, complete with all parts to be:

1) shown *complete* on Pay Per View
2) released *complete* on HBO, Showtime, etc ("See what all of the the controversy was about!")
3) released *complete* on DVD to be sold at Sam's, Walmart, et for $8.00

I agree that a lawsuit is in order, and the longer one waits to 'get opinions from lawyers' the more elections will pass... Seven years isn't quick enough, I don't care how much Bill Clinton, et al would eventually stand to gain...

[roseBudd]

6. his sin was to whitewash the Aug. 6, 2001 PDB Bin Laden Determined

to Attack inside US

[Judi Lynn]

7. These congenital liars are crying out for real confrontation, it's clear!

From the Huffington Post:

Early on, Cunningham had recruited a young Iranian-American screenwriter named Cyrus Nowrasteh to
write the script of his secretive "Untitled" film. Not only is Nowrasteh an outspoken conservative, he is also a fervent member of the emerging network of right-wing people burrowing into the film industry with ulterior sectarian political and religious agendas, like Cunningham.

Nowrasteh's conservatism was on display when he appeared as a featured speaker at the Liberty Film Festival (LFF), an annual event founded in 2004 to premier and promote conservative-themed films supposedly too "politically incorrect" to gain acceptance at mainstream film festivals. This June, while The Path to 9/11 was being filmed, LFF founders Govindini Murty and Jason Apuzzo -- both friends of Nowrasteh -- announced they were "partnering" with right-wing activist David Horowitz. Indeed, the 2006 LFF is listed as "A Program of the David Horowitz Freedom Center."

Since the inauguration of Bill Clinton in 1992, Horowitz has labored to create a network of politically active conservatives in Hollywood. His Hollywood nest centers around his Wednesday Morning Club, a
weekly meet-and-greet session for Left Coast conservatives that has been graced with speeches by
the likes of Newt Gingrich, Victor Davis Hanson and Christopher Hitchens. The group's headquarters are at the offices of Horowitz's Center for the Study of Popular Culture, a "think tank" bankrolled for years with millions by right-wing sugardaddies like eccentric far right billionaire Richard Mellon Scaife. (Scaife
financed the Arkansas Project, a $2.3 million dirty tricks operation that included paying sources for
negative stories about Bill Clinton that turned out to be false.)
(snip/...)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/max-blumenthal/discover-the-secret-right_b_29015.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cyrus Nowrasteh is a Iranian-American who was born in Boulder, Colorado, and grew up in Madison, Wisconsin. <1> (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0637493/) His "family had to flee Iran when it was taken over by Islamic fundamentalists." <2> (http://www.libertyfilmfestival.com/libertas/index.php?p=462)

Nowrasteh "attended New Mexico State University on a tennis scholarship, but later transferred to U.S.C. to study in their renowned School of Cinema."

Among his most recent writing and producing credits are "The Path to 9/11" (2006 Docudrama), a 6-hour miniseries to be shown September 10 and 11, 2006, on ABC, and "Into the West" (2005), a TV miniseries. Other credits include the Paramount/Showtime production The Day Reagan Was Shot (2001); Showtime's 10,000 Black Men Named George (2002); "the independent 1996 Sundance hit, The Interview, "Nikita" (1997) (which was "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." <3> (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0637493/bio)

On Michael Moore
"To quote Team America, he’s an out of control socialist weasel (laughs). Listen. I’m probably more of a libertarian than a strict conservative. In my writing and directing, I don’t want to just be a conservative version of Michael Moore. I’m here to tell a good story first and foremost - and that’s why I can navigate the networks and get my work produced."—Interview, June 9, 2005.
(snip)

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Cyrus_Nowrasteh

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Cyrus Nowrasteh

[vickitulsa]

8. Did anyone read the responses to the WSJ opinion article at their site?

WOW! I did -- but not until AFTER I'd written my own response, which was lengthy (of course, it's me!) but also very even-handed and specific on my complaints about the movie.

I avoided ranting or taking a tone that would get my comment trashed before they even read much of it, but I didn't pull punches about the DISinformation presented in the first part of the film that I managed to make myself watch. I even reflected in broad terms the reactions of other Dems here at DU who were participating in a thread as we tried to give "The Path to 9/11" a fair hearing, but of course without giving any names or even screennames -- just called you guys "other Dems who watched it with me."

I wanted them to know I wasn't speaking ONLY for myself but also for at least a small group of other Dems who did our best to watch the clearly biased first hour of the program.

I doubt they will post any but perhaps a paragraph or two (if that) from my response, and if they edit that to make me look "hysterical," I swear I will badmouth the WSJ forevermore from here to as far as I can reach with my words! I even warned them against doing that -- so there's even less chance there will be even ONE post in their comments section for that article that reflects anything except a wholly supportive view.

I did look up info on the writer, Cyrus Nowrasteh, before trying to watch his movie, as I also mentioned in my comments to the WSJ. Because I'd done that, I was doubly shocked that he seemed to have done so little genuine FACT CHECKING before writing his screenplay. He had previously won at least two writing awards, for "10,000 Men Called George" (I think I've got that title right) and "The Day Reagan Was Shot."

I just cannot understand how someone who takes his responsibilities seriously when writing about history would have made the blatant "errors" he did on his latest work. Considering the seriousness and significance of 9/11 HISTORY, looks like he would have taken way more pains to assure his screenplay's accuracy than he did.

I only read about ten comments to Nowrasteh's article posted at the site, but it appeared to be all there have been so far or at least all they've "approved and edited." Not a single one of them was in the slightest bit critical of the writer or the movie, and in fact every one of them praised him -- and even ABC/Disney! -- and all but catcalled all Dems. One commenter even compared Democrats (or progressives or liberals, I can't remember how he put it) to "Islamofascists"! Said both groups are "oversensitive and didn't want to hear the truth" or somesuch BS.

What a TOTAL CROCK! I once had a small article published in the WSJ and I've seen them publish pieces critical of * and his thugs, so I hadn't yet placed them on my Absolute Shitlist of "never again to be viewed by me" publications. Now they've been added to that list, right under ABC and Disney!

What I'm hoping is that Nowrasteh himself gets to read my comments and decides to reply to me -- personally to my email addy, if I'm lucky. I would love nothing better than to get a serious conversation about his work going so I could do whatever may be possible to help him understand why so many reacted as they did -- with horror and anger -- to his latest writing effort.

Ya just never know.... What if I could help him learn a bit more, prompt him to do some further research into the realities of 9/11 "history" for himself, and the result was that he woke up to the truth!? Imagine the impact it might have if he, the very one who wrote that damn thing, was to come out later and admit he'd got it wrong on some important points and even apologize for those errors??

I'm not holding my breath waiting to hear from him, of course, but we have to try everything we can to reach those who can still THINK at all and get them to do some more of it. Critical thinking is what might save us in the end, and far too few people who CAN still do it actually DO do it. That's something we here at DU know all too well.

[FormerDittoHead]

10. There is no case for "errors"... There were NO "errors"...

I wrote this before at DU, but I should point out again that if the items in question were indeed errors, then such errors would be made on both sides of the politcal fence.

For example, in the movie they could have had a scene showing Bush being told about the possiblity of them flying hijacked airplanes into buildings but then expressing his wish for them to "bring it on" and that it would give him an excuse to sell his war in Iraq...

Not ONE thing in the list of "errors", or "artistic license" can be said to slant against the Republicans.

There were NO ERRORS.

THIS IS PROPAGANDA AND LIES.

[vickitulsa]

12. You did notice I kept putting "errors" in quotes, right?

Now that I've learned more about Nowrasteh than I knew before, I'm pretty well convinced that in spite of his protests to the contrary, he's a conservative sort of guy who has found a nice little niche for himself in the entertainment industry.

Considering how few others could fit into his category and also do a quality job of creative writing, he's almost got a corner on the market from that slant. He's getting really big writing assignments and is directing now as well. He's profitting, hugely, and gaining recognition.

I suspect he's very pissed at how much flak came flying out of the woodwork at his latest effort -- huge criticism, just when he had thought he was accepted and loved in the "mainstream" of America! Now just look what has happened ... doggone, someone has gone and messed up his little world! They've pointed out what a biased, slanted viewpoint he took on a very sensitive subject that harbors deep and powerful emotional impact for Americans. He turned "history" on its head and was called on it.

Notice the defensive piece he wrote for the WSJ didn't address ANY of the complaints against his work, not really. He just conjured up yet more spiteful tripe about those who were criticizing HIM! How DARE they!

"My only 'sin' was to tell the truth..."

Yeah, RIGHT, Mr. Bigshot Writer-Director-Liar! Go tell it to someone who'll buy that load of crap....

[FormerDittoHead]

13. HUH?

I was trying to ADD to your message... Was I contradicting what you wrote?

While your prior message addresses FACTS, I was outlining, however, the false LOGIC of the people suggesting these were errors.

PS: You put "errors" in quotes ONCE. You're not being attacked.

[vickitulsa]

14. OK I gotcha now -- meaning I understand you now --

Not "I gotcha!" as in "You're wrong and I caught you." :)

Actually, you'll probably get a laugh out of this, but I just spent the last 20 minutes or so reading almost the ENTIRE THREAD that you linked in your sigline!

Yup, can you believe that? It was both a fascinating read and a bit of a masochistic experience, I must say. I usually don't spend that long in threads where misunderstandings and repeated arguments go on for so long, but I wanted to see if it finally "arrived" anywhere.

Not certain I can say I know that it did, but I learned a lot along the way so it was worth my time. I'm just discovering how useful the Search tool here at DU is and how much I enjoy reading archived threads from way before I joined up.

As to my mistaking your intent, I'm not accustomed (yet) to other DUers responding to my posts by picking up and "adding to" what I say as you did. Not so smoothly anyway.

After reading your linked thread, it seems others mistook you the same way I did, though. Not saying you shouldn't do that, only that it threw me as it has apparently thrown others at times.

And I should add that I didn't re-read and re-think what you'd said before replying, which was also my mistake.

I make a lot of mistakes, btw. Seems to be part of my life, if not part of living for everyone. (I can't make a claim for what life's like for everyone -- I can only guess at that.) I know I'm mentally tired and need to stop posting for awhile when I find myself taking things wrong or trying to explain myself repeatedly a dozen different ways in order to avoid misunderstandings. <whew! mops sweat>

I didn't even realize TPT9/11's defenders WERE saying "those were mere errors" about the blatant lies in the film! Are some of them really trying to put that forth as a defense? Bizarre....

I mean, I can see it as a disinterested person's unenthusiastic defense, maybe. But for a "believer" to even admit to as much as "errors" or simple mistakes in their prize propaganda film kinda surprises me.

I have to say this about you after having read that other thread you linked, though, FormerRushFan: You have the patience of Job when it comes to trying again and again to explain what you mean! :) Especially (apparently) when it comes to your speaking as a former Rush fan would speak, so as to better inform us on how we might converse with such folk.

But to think that you actually went back and read thru my entire post again to see how many times I put "errors" in quotes is amazing. I'll accept your count; it just seemed to me that I'd put it in quotes a lot. Maybe I did that in another thread. :hi:

I've probably spent too much time on DU in the last few days, mainly with my hair on fire trying to get someone, anyone, to read an excerpt from Berlin Diary by William Shirer that I've been talking about. So many even here on the DU I have come to love so much still don't seem to understand that * is indeed copying Hitler's early moves almost exactly as he attempts to put himself above prosecution while at the same time consolidating his power. That one excerpt from Shirer's diary in 1940 makes it clear to me that the present-day American fascists know precisely what they're doing when it comes to changing laws to protect themselves and permit their violence against others, covering all they do with propaganda that is well prepared beforehand, and timing the acts of their agents provocateur with their read of the mood of the people with uncanny cunning.

Here's that excerpt, btw:

http://www.datasync.com/~davidg59/shirer.html

Thanks for your reply, FRF. Sometimes I need straightening out. :)

[FormerDittoHead]

11. To Richard Ferrari: Fuck your "Personal Character"!

If you check out the URL in my OP, on the bottom, there are responses.

Check out Richard Ferrari's:

"I do think that weaknesses in our system were exposed regardless of the party in power but it seems to me that the personal character of those involved is even more important than their academic or professional qualifications. I did find character wanting throughout most of this event.

(to the writer of this piece of lies and propaganda) You did the country a great service. I only hope those who can do something about this pay attention (i.e.: be brainwashed), i.e., the people."

Did you get this line?

"personal character of those involved is even more important than their academic or professional qualifications"

No thank you, Mr. FerrariAsswipe. I'd rather have people who know what the fuck they're doing than the THIEVES AND MURDERERS who PROJECT this "personal character" you refer to...

Fuck your "Personal Character", Mr. Richard Ferrari of East Granby, Conn. The blood of over 100,000 Iraqis and over 3,000 American troops is on the hands of you and your "personal character" brainwashed assholes.

[samsingh]

15. he can't critisize us for critisizing him

such hypocrasy would be very repug like