CBS has cancelled its "truthful" anti-Reagan hit piece

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Shi Huangdi
"God forbid that any portrayal of the GOP's mythical superhuman demigod be anything less than a GOP propanda piece of non-stop praise, with any unflattering references edited out."

CBS's film had Reagan refering to himself as the Anti-Christ and saying about AIDS: "Those who live in sin die in sin"

A fair portrayl wouldn't have been a problem. Having Reagan say he is the Antichrist is.

But the thing is, is that Reagan is homophobic -- but yes, CBS shouldn't have had their "Reagan" "say" something he never actually said.

[Jack_www]

For all of you who think the movie wont air and how it is stoping free speach, I heard on the radio today that CBS will show the movie on showtime instead.

[Giancarlo]

Originally posted by Comrade Tassadar


Republicans pride America for its free speech, yet when something appears that they do not like...They wish to silence it so that nobody may hear it.

How.....Soviet

Hey the goverment wasn't forcing them to cancel it.

And people have a right to protest against bull**** when they see it. And this "series" was exactly that.

[Sava]

And this "series" was exactly that.

how do you know?

[Lefty Scaevola]

Originally posted by Sava
how do you know?

Because you disagree with that conclusion, therefore it must be correct.

[Giancarlo]

Originally posted by Sava
how do you know?

Oh, I saw that opinion on Fox News and adopted it as my own.

[Caligastia]

[Gatekeeper]

Originally posted by Jack_www
For all of you who think the movie wont air and how it is stoping free speach, I heard on the radio today that CBS will show the movie on showtime instead.

My rights have been violated! I don't get Showtime! I wanted to see it, FREE, on CBS! I can't go on! My life is RUINED!

Gatekeeper (oh well, at least it's showing up somewhere, rather than nowhere)

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Fez


Oh, I saw that opinion on Fox News and adopted it as my own.

[Giancarlo]

What is wrong with Fox news? It is balanced... And one of the most reliable IMHO.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Fez
What is wrong with Fox news? It is balanced... And one of the most reliable IMHO.

[Ned]

What happened here illustrates that something fundamental has changed in America and perhaps the world. News of the CBS project began to leak and be reported on internet sites such as Drudge. People who read the reports spread the word. Talks shows, both left and right, began to discuss. The controversy spread to the major TV news networks, primarily competitors of CBS. Person after person who knew Reagan or was in his administration were interviewed and denounced the reported content of the movie as pure lies and defamation. Nancy Reagan was purported to be mortified because she was called Madam Fuhrer. She was further protrayed as a pill popping drug addict that controlled the US government through astrology.

CBS was flooded with protest. Boycotts of CBS and CBS advertisers were organized. Obviously, the advertisers were concerned. Many inside CBS were concerned, including the Chairman of the Board.

The crescendo of protest apparently grew so loud and the concerns of this CBS management and legal staff so great that they chose simply to cancel airing the movie.

Although this does show that Reagan remains very popular with the American people, it also shows the power of the Internet and talk radio to communicate directly to the people and to provide a forum for the people to express their outrage not only in words on the Internet or talk radio, but also in terms of protest letters and boycotts. This is new. Only 10 years ago, the media was largely controlled by a few networks and a few major newspapers. The average folk did not have direct access to express their views except in polite op-ed pieces which many times could never express the level of anger of the people because of heavy editing.

The recall of Gray Davis and the election of Arnold Schwarzenegger was another such phenomena of popular protest. The anti-Gray Davis campaign was organized on the Internet. Thousands upon thousands of angry and pissed-off citizens volunteered to collect signatures on petitions. The organizers had 2 million signatures collected in a very short time and were able to submit the petition well short of statutory deadline.

What does this is all mean? It clearly shows the stranglehold of opinion by the elite leftist media that prevailed in the United States for so long has been ended. The people are expressing their views, strongly. The left must be shaking in their boots.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by notyoueither


Which system? The one where only artists and corporate honchos get to express themselves? Or the one where everyone gets a say whenever they want to have a say?

Transparent bull****. "Everyone" gets a say whenever they want to have a say in someone else's production.

And how offensive that the people who invest the money, and operate the performance and business side of the enterprise, should have the gall to insist that they control their work product, and let the "market" (i.e. viewership) decide for them selves. Damned inconsiderate free-marketeers, not taking the needs of society into proper consideration.

Ah yes, and "only artists and corporate honchos get to express themselves" - like there is anything preventing anyone from putting together an alternate production and making the case that we should chisel the faces of those four losers off of Mt. Rushmore and put Reagan up instead.

Funny, do you advocate giving "everyone" a say in your business or profession and your work product prior to completion or publication, regardless of whether they are investors or employees or have a direct stake in it?

OK, here you go. Since we don't want anyone to scream "censorship" let's form two private organizations with commercial and popular backing to threaten boycotts and other private commercial retaliation.

To represent God-fearing, patriotic, real American values, we have the Committee to Represent America Properly. For those stinking, whiny leftist heathen, we have People Opposed to Offensive Productions.

Each will "gently suggest" that all screenwriters, authors, playrights, actors, musicians, artists, producers, directors, theaters, galleries, etc. submit to each organization all future plans to be reviewed for wholesome, unoffensive content. Only when both organizations are satisfied will the proposals be approved to proceed as is, with no modifications unless also approved by both organizations. Government can't participate in this, so the two organizations will just have to enforce their "creative participation" by threat of commercial coercive tactics and private blacklists. Stay tuned, on every channel and in every theater, 5000 variations on the theme of The Brady Bunch reruns.

[Caligastia]

I agree Ned. Have you seen this article? I think you'll find it very interesting.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by Ned
What does this is all mean? It clearly shows the stranglehold of opinion by the elite leftist media that prevailed in the United States for so long has been ended.

If only the brownshirts and Bolsheviks had the internet, how much more effectively would they be able to communicate and mobilize. And yes, prior restraint of publication is to be praised.

The people are expressing their views, strongly. The left must be shaking in their boots.

Or the right strutting in theirs,

And the best part, is we'll never know how much of the purported script was really part of the script, and how much was forgery, if any. Nor will we know how much of the initial script was ever intended for the final production. But those are all minor side issues, the true issue is that we must never be critical of True American Values^TM and those icons who (at least for public consumption) personify them.