60 Minutes Caves to Pressure from White House on Siegelman Story...
By Nicole Belle Wednesday Feb 06, 2008 9:16pm
We've done posts on Don Siegelman before. The former Alabama governor was convicted of corruption on shaky grounds and imprisoned and kept from speaking out or appealing the verdict in an unbelievable story of Republican cronyism and amoral partisanship. Now it looks like the strong arming continues...all the way to the corporate offices of CBS. After all, it worked so well with Dan Rather...
Well folks, seems that 60 Minutes is postponing (read "killing") its Siegelman story. The excuse I am told for this lapse in ethics is that the network needs more time to vet the whistle-blower, Dana Jill Simpson. You see, the reason the network suddenly needs more time to vet Simpson is that the White House has launched a direct campaign inside CBS to discredit her and just to make sure the dirt sticks, they have called in some favors too. I am told that Senator Jeff Sessions has been instructed to help the White House discredit Simpson as part of his "Senatorial" duties. Nice system of government we have here, eh?
So, two things are going to happen now. The first is, we will be including what 60 Minutes did not report as part of the Raw Story series on the case. Instead of 5 installments, we will now have 6. Second, all of you as citizens of this nation must voice your concerns about this situation to CBS. You want a free press? Then fight for it!
ADDRESS:
60 Minutes
524 West 57th St.
New York, NY 10019EMAIL: 60m@cbsnews.com
PHONE: (212) 975-3247
UPDATE: Don Siegelman's birthday is coming up. Mark Crispin Miller has been in contact with him and says his spirits are low. You can send him a card of support via the address here. (h/t MBH)
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This press isn't free. It's bought and paid for..
The acorn of government doesn't fall far from the tree of the people. I went shopping today and was struck by just how scummy my fellow "citizens" are.
Roughly half of them voted for Bush, one assumes.
Gee, maybe CBS should do the opposite and cover the pressure they are getting to kill this story and watch their ratings go up.
sshhhhhhh.................maybe they won't notice.
We have a movie called Fastfood Nation.
Somebody should make Scumbag Nation and clean up.
Perhap a Senate Ethics investigation of Jeff Sessions miss use of his office in this matter????
It's time to play hardball with these clowns, NOW!!!
When I click on the link to send an e-mail to 60 minutes, I get an "invalid recipient" message.
"Nice system of government we have here, eh?"
Are you really naive enough to think that it works differently anywhere else?
whomever1 @ 7:
so do i.
Tom @ 8:
Well that statement floored me.
You like Soviet Style Government, do ya?
Liberal democrat, have known Don for over thirty years, but he took the money.
I hope Dana Jill Simpson's spouse isn't a CIA NOC Officer. The Bushies have demonstrated in the past that they would commit treason to retaliate against whistle blowers.
joe cantwell @ 9:
Here is a direct comment submision page.
I sent this note:
When did you become our equivalent to Pravda? Why can't you be fair to Don Siegelman? I guess Tim Russert isn't the only one Dick Cheney owns.
Tom @ 8:
Nave, mainly. Naive, no, knave.
Kinda like Jeffrey Wigand all over again.
:::::
And quite possibly Canadian, eh?
You gotta love it when the right points to criminally run despotic regimes and says, "So what? Look at them?"
I am reminded of a trial at King of Prussia, PA where some activists (including the late Philip Berrigan) were convicted of damaging a nuclear weapon in protest of (you guessed it) nuclear weapons.
At sentencing the Judge said' "If this were Russia you would get ten years! I am sentencing you to ten years!"
This was later overturned on appeal.
Email sent, thank you for alerting us to this
I can't understand how you think we are going to have our votes counted?
Why are we bothering with another phony election dog and pony show.
Doesn't this story pretty much tell us all we need to know?
It sure does me.
America is a historical blip.
Yellowbird @ 20:
So is my life. Should i give up now?
Simply incredible.
Yes, it did work so well with Dan Rather.
The "memo" was fake and discredited the whole investigation into the FACT that bush really was AWOL.
No soldiers from the unit he should have been in for his last year of service remember him. One of them said: "Of course we would remember him - a son of a CIA director!"
My letter to 60 MInutes:
I am increasingly frightened by the situation in our country where a news network would fail to report on a legitmate story based on pressure from the government. Is it indeed time to blow the whistle on the demise of truth? Is it time to turn off CBS and turn to the blogs for truth? Shame on you CBS, suckling on the corporate and political teats of oppression and corporate priorities! You are a cowardly or bought bunch. I am not anticipating an intelligent response so if you want to surprise me, feel free. Otherwise know that I will use my influence to tout your corrupt irrelevance as best I can. I don't even recognize my once precious CBS News or 60 Minutes. This story is preposterous. Are there Republican guns to your heads? This will come back to haunt you. Read some Mark Twain. You people are a disgrace to yourselves and to journalism. These days journalism equals paid advertising for propaganda.
Jim Neill
[deleted--please don't put identifying personal information on public forums]
It certainly can't be from a lack of morals in the administration. They don't have any.
CROCK OF SHIT
I've contacted CBS 60 Minutes to let them know of my disgust with this. I also informed them that i was contacting their advertisers and have so far e-mailed 4 of their sponsors to say i will no longer use their services if they continue to advertise on CBS 60 Minutes. I am also sending e-mails to my friends to advise them of the same. If we all did the same, things would soon change. There is less than a year to before the ugly gnome in the WH is out of power so please contact CBS and let them know of your displeasure. There may be a whole new ballgame in January of 2009 so they may well listen.
No need to worry. I'm sure our mighty democrats will come to the rescue.
cbs is afraid of a lame duck,widely disliked president. what cowards.
Sessions is guilty of railroading Sigelman as much as Rove and the AG. the Evil involved here is amazing. 7 years for the exact same behavior Sessions does routinely.
bushco is very busy today. I just came from reading Scott Horton, who happens to be driving the Siegleman story. But today he reports that NYT attached a qualifier/disclaimer on a critical article THEIR reporters wrote about Pakistan and Gitmo. The reporters are considered the best in that part of the globe. The editors in NY have spine issues much like the producers of Sixty Minutes. Obviously bowing to intense pressure from guess who?
Bush/Cheney rule: If the truth hurts, make a new truth.
I've followed this story pretty closely,and just e-mailed 60 Minutes the following:
So. 60 Minutes caved on the Siegelman story due to White House pressure (according to Lisa Alexandrovna of the blog, At Largely.com).
Why not get it over with, and allot the entire hour to Andy Rooney?
Actually, that's unfair to Rooney. I read his WW2 memoir. He told a story on himself toward the book's end. Very near VE day, he had been transferred from Europe to the Burmese theater as a reporter for Stars and Stripes. He was assigned to write a story about the introduction of helicopters in that theater. The army hauled one high up the Burma Road to what they deemed a good place to launch, but hadn't considered that it could not fly above a certain elevation because the air was too thin. Rooney never filed his story, he wrote, not realizing the army's blunder was the story, and a funny one to boot. FUBAR, and all that.
There's nothing funny about the Siegelman story, of course. Quite the contrary, it's very sinister. Made more so by White House obstructionism, which, in turn, is now a huge part of the story. But only if it's reported. That's the catch. You've got to report on the White House involvement, down to the brass tacks, if you mean to do a good job. And frankly, that's a big "if" in a the minds of a lot of people.
If you don't understand, go ask Andy. He'll surely be in a good mood this week, with the Giants having won the Super Bowl. He'll explain what it's all about.
jeez... david hyde pierce looks terrible these days...
I already saw this drama. It's called the Insider. Different players but same story.
It worked with Dan Rather? What worked with him?
Get over it. Dan Rather ran a story with fake evidence, and tried, quite lamely, to cover it up. It worked that Dan Rather was fired for violating journalistic ethics. Oh, I forgot, those standards don't apply when criticizing Bush. Sorry.
killeshin @ 26:
Hitting the MSM where it hurts is the only way to go. Contacting the networks is futile. The sponsors are the ones making money from their ads on the networks. If people threaten them economically, they just might do something about it.
For every one E-mail, there are a thousand pissed off potential customers who never say a word.
free press? you're kidding right?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuBo4E77ZXo
Hey amused I can't find anyone critical of Bush on CBS.
I mailed them. Thanks for including the contact info.
fix the email link to sixty min.
Ignorance and corruption, my child's inheritance, but he has to work for his own tears. I hoard mine greedily so numb I am to the endless waves of bull shart that engulf my contemporary political landscape.
But wait, American Idol is here.
What can I say. It's the usual despicable behavior we've come to expect from the Bush administration and the republicans in general. How low can these people go? And of course our worthless media is either too cowardly or too lazy to do their job.
I have always enjoyed this site and again would like to thank you for the role that you play in keeping us informed. I have just sent this email to 60 minutes and would encourage everyone to follow suit.
Dear Sirs,
I have always considered 60 minutes to be one of the finest investigative news shows and have been an avid viewer. As a 52 year old business executive and father of four, I take pride in the institutions that make America great.
It is for this reason that I am dismayed that 60 minutes and CBS would allow political pressure to compromise your journalistic integrity. I see this as a continuation of the pattern of failure of our press to perform the functions that are vital to this nation if we hope to maintain our freedoms.
Your decision to not air the story on the prosecution of Don Siegleman has convinced me that 60 minutes and CBS has lost sight of what the proper role of the free press should be. You can consider me a former viewer of any shows airing on CBS, and I will now be more comfortable in choosing to get my news from other sources, primarily the foreign press such as BBC and other sources less prone to manipulation.
I consider myself an opinion leader within my work, social and neighborhood communities and am never shy to express my opinions. (This is something CBS should maybe work on.) You can be certain that I will not hesitate to share my views regarding CBS and work to influence the views of others that I care for. Because you see, while CBS may have lost sight of what is meant by the "free press", I have certainly not lost sight of my right to and the role of "free speech".
Sincerely,
Richard Burton as Dick Cheney:
Torture all of the thought criminals!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=3Ze77D3Yw70&feature=related
Dick Cheney's personal Forced Labor Prison Camp for THOUGHT CRIMINALS in Hanna Wyoming...Swift Luck Greens:
http://www.democracyforums.com/showthread.php?tid=297
Latitude: 41.92
Longitude: -106.521944
http://www.ringnebula.com/project-censored/2007/2007-story14.htm
This story illustrates how close we are to the edge.
The real scandal of the Federal prosecutors is not the ones who were fired...
it's the ones who passed muster with this administration and stayed.
...
The Ass clown of America orders CBS to discredit the truth ..again?--WTF-People.Why are people still suck-in this little awol cowards dick.Hey CBS,wal-mart has a sale on balls,get-some.WHY-IS EVERYBODY scared OF THIS PUSSY OF A MAN.Oh thats right,you just love some AWOL-COWARD COCK.Keep up the good cocksucking cbs,hope you choke to death.
Siegelman was convicted by a tainted Montgomery jury (one said he thought Siegelman was guilty before the jury was even seated) in 2006, sentenced by a biased judge, imprisoned two states away even though there's a fed prison in Montgomery and is still in prison awaiting a ruling on his release pending appeal. There is still no transcript from the two-year old trial, the judge’s responsibility, making it impossible for the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta to move on the case.
Glynn Wilson at The Locustfork Journal says the CBS story is not dead, according to 4 sources. The producers are waiting until it can air in the top slot (where more people will see it). I hope he's right. Letters of concern to CBS can't hurt.
Attorney General Michael Mukasey was grilled Thursday by U.S. Rep. Artur Davis (D-AL), getting the AG on record re the inappropriateness of Karl Rove to consult with U.S. attorneys in the prosecution of a governor.
So what? I dont' believe much of anything that CBS does anyway.
I KNOW for a fact that the reporters for 60 Minutes do hatchet jobs on entire groups of people.
They lie, twist and distort in order to titillate and make the wretched viewers salivate like a bunch of drunken monkeys.
There is not a single "news outlet" that can be trusted to do anything more than fill its pockets and off-shore bank accounts.
Media manipulaton and control are features of fascism. Enjoy! Remember, stay passive! Corporate cooperation (aka support) is also a feature of fascism. Enjoy! Remember, stay passive! Just sit back a let it continue to wash over America and then everywhere else! Passivity is your role in this tragedy. So far Americans are oscar worthy in this role! Too bad no one will like the ending. Hint. It's messy.
I don't think that Jeff Sessions will get involved this time around in the White
House efforts as some earlier reports had indicated that he may have been part of the whole initial affair..
Everyone must email CBS and express your disgust with them. The only way that we are going to have a free press is to demand it!
These current sagas playing out before us like Siegelman and Sibel Edmonds must come to the front and be heard.
Shouldn't that read immoral partisanship because amoral partisanship isn't really that bad.
thanks for the update on this. I just sent CBS my 2 cents.
Everyone, please stop. I'm from Alabama, and while Don Siegelman was probably not guilty of this, he was definitely guilty of something. He's a terrible example of a Democrat, and we can do better. Don't waste your time fighting to keep this corrupt, good-old-boy out of jail. Siegelman was corrupt, corrupt, corrupt, and the reason the response in Alabama is so weak is because just about everyone knows it.
Please don't waste your time on this. Let Siegelman rot in jail until he's just a memory. If you want to focus on something, focus on finding new, better Democrats to push new ideas. Don't slap new tires on an old, corrupt machine and tell everyone that it's something different.
Please call them! I just did and the lady was VERY upset that people were calling. I think this will have some small effect.
Forget about calling these traitors, Cheny himself has told American people it is just a matter of when, so now we wait. You see we already know The white house so wants a u know what to go off, they have actually delivered it to our enemies. Which actually could be anyone. Don't bother calling WH either they are not taking any phone calls. Halliburtains PR firm will be glad to deny everything and admit to nothing.
Tom @ 8:
JonfromAL - It does matter that he was railroaded by the Justice Department, egged on by Karl Rove. If he was guilty of other things, he should have been indicted and tried on them. In this case one judge dismissed it for lack of evidence and the (hand picked by Karl Rove) US Attorney went venue shopping. I have occasionally driven over the speed limit. Does that mean that a cop can stop me when I am NOT speeding and give me a ticket for running a red light, because after all, I am guilty of something?
".. while Don Siegelman was probably not guilty of this, he was definitely guilty of something".
That statement pretty well sums up the intellectual firepower Americans tend to associate with the people of Alabama.
Because it exists elsewhere, does that make it right? Kind of sounds like the argument - man has waged war since the beginning of time. Does that mean we should turn the other cheek, stay silent, finance it, and perpetuate it generation after generation?
What has been done to Siegleman is horrific.
Excellent post! This is one of the biggest stories of all time. Happening during the 2000->2006 fascist reign of the GOP where they controlled the House, Senate, executive, judges, DOJ, etc...showing what it was like in Nazi Germany when Hitler threw his opponents in jail.
JonfromAL @ 53:
BULLSHIT! So, in America we throw people in jail b/c they're "guilty of something"?
Let's throw blacks in jail...because "they're probably guilty of something"...
I'd like to see Andry Rooney blow the lid on the conspiracy. Just for once... I'd like to see him get the big news bit. People wouldn't be expecting it. His tapes probably don't get previewed anyhow. It would be a cool parting gesture.
I don't know where Dana Jill Simpson is employed but I would suggest she get in touch with Keith Olbermann and MSNBC.
Think strategically, will you? The Democratic party in Alabama is in bad shape to start with, and now you want to start an effort to get a corrupt good-old-boy released from prison? Let me tell you, that will turn things around for the Democrats in the state. Maybe next we can all start a campaign to confiscate every gun in the state, because that will win just about as many friends.
If you ever wonder why the Democrats consistently lose in the South, it's because you people want to show up and fight for sinking ships instead of building new ones. Siegelman was corrupt to the core, don't waste resources trying to "clear his name." Just move on.
If you want to put effort into something, why don't you ask why they're not investigating Jeff Sessions like they did Siegelman. That's the ONLY thing that you should be working on. Let Siegelman go, there is no winning that one, unless you're just dying to see the Republican press release before an election saying "Dems fight to save corrupt ex-governor."
Siegelman laid down with dogs, and he eventually got fleas. There's no reason we should all get fleas along with him. There are plenty of other dogs out there.
FUCK this Bushit America without Freedom or Justice !
Tom @ 8:
So Tom, are you saying that American Citizens should expect their Government to be no different than any other banana republic?
JonfromAL @ 53:
Wow! Folks from Alabama really are the inbred idiots everyone already thinks they are!
Shared Humanity @ 42:
Clap, clap, clap, clap . . .
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