‘24′ Producer Pulls Endorsement Of Anti-Muslim DVD ‘Obsession’
‘24′ Producer Pulls Endorsement Of Anti-Muslim DVD ‘Obsession’
In recent weeks, newspapers reaching 28 million households nationwide (although primarily in swing states) have been carrying an advertising supplement containing the DVD “Obsession.” The film features “graphic images of terrorism, video of anti-American speeches from Mideast television and comparisons with Nazi Germany.” According to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the people interviewed in “Obsession” “constitute a veritable who’s who of Muslim-bashers,” including someone who said last year, “Islam is not the religion of God — Islam is the devil.”
The “anti-Muslim” film has launched protests around the country. Although a few papers refused to carry the DVD, the ones who did have received hundreds of angry phone calls and cancellations over the propaganda. “It’s among the heaviest reaction I’ve gotten to anything,” said Ted Vaden, public editor for The News & Observer in Raleigh, NC. Protestors have picketed the Oregonian’s offices with signs reading, “Hate — Not in Our Town.”
A pro-Israel think tank, the Endowment for Middle East Truth, has already pulled out of the project. Now, Howard Gordon, the executive producer of the Fox show “24″ has announced that he is also withdrawing his endorsement of the film:
After being contacted by a number of people whose opinions I respect and after reviewing Obsession with their criticisms and concerns in mind, I have asked the film makers to remove my endorsement from the Obsession website and from any future promotional materials. While I remain committed to the film’s essential message — that the hate-mongering promoted by radical Islamism presents a real threat to western values of tolerance and pluralism — I also appreciate that the goal of co-existence and tolerance is not being served by films like Obsession.
A shadowy nonprofit called the Clarion Fund — whose purpose is to address “the most urgent threat of radical Islam” — has spent millions distributing “Obsession” in battleground states and refuses to disclose its board members or funding sources. This month, Clarion is set to release “The Third Jihad,” about “the threat of radical Islamists right here in America.”
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Obama campaigns Keating 5 web video
http://www.keatingeconomics.com/
October 6th, 2008 at 12:33 pmOT:Obama Campaign Hits Back At McCain With A Keating 5 Web Video!
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&refer=&sid=aY.Vd2e8Yyjg
October 6th, 2008 at 12:33 pmWell that’s certainly a courageous stance, Gordon…
Withdraw your endorsement of a bigoted hate video only when there’s a public outcry.
October 6th, 2008 at 12:36 pmI fear the domestic terrorists on Wall St. far greater than Muslims.
October 6th, 2008 at 12:37 pmI got one in the mail.
October 6th, 2008 at 12:37 pmIt came to my PO Box in Colorado.
Woo Hoo! If Barack Obama brings up the Keating 5 scandal at tomorrow nights presidential debate poor old Johnny McAngry will surely go bonkers!!!!!! I believe America will hear the sound of Johnny McCorruptions sphincter seizing up!
“Say it ain’t so John!”
October 6th, 2008 at 12:37 pmI got the DVD in the mail as well, it came to my home. I I I don’t live in a swing state either, I’m in Texas.
October 6th, 2008 at 12:39 pmMore fear and smear (by association) from the dope Busch backers.
Busch could or should have stopped 9/11 when he had been warned.
¶ AIO
October 6th, 2008 at 12:41 pmHaven’t seen the video… but doesn’t it seem like “Obsession” is a title borne of projection?
After all, it’s the right who seems obsessed with “Islamic radicalism”.
October 6th, 2008 at 12:41 pm‘Obsession’ is an interesting word / mindset.
America’s financial markets are ‘obsessed’ with profit.
That same Wall St obsession, now failing, is coming into your living rooms & your bank accounts.
America is obsessed with greed. Some Muslims are obsessed with Allah.
Much of what Muslims find objectionable about the West is greed.
Bin Laden’s objective was to see the great financial institutions of the West fail.
Who’s really winning the war on terror here, anyway?
October 6th, 2008 at 12:42 pmThe makers of this flick should be sued for their part of keeping alive a harassing environment against muslim-Americans. Talk about tyranny of the majority.
October 6th, 2008 at 12:44 pmThe entire Republican Slime Machine is in panic mode. They realize that their golden opportunity to impose their mindset on the American People is going down in flames, so now they’re throwing anything and everything hoping that something will stick.
October 6th, 2008 at 12:46 pmwithdrawing endorsement?
so what. it’s already out there.
shouldn’t one inspect the product before endorsing?
i’m not impressed.
October 6th, 2008 at 12:47 pmA man in Austin, TX threatend a mosque with a bomb. I wonder if he got the DVD?
http://www.kvue.com/news/top/stories/100608kvuebomb-km.e6ad9bde.html
October 6th, 2008 at 12:49 pmThere is a new Jew in town, and his name is “Islam”
October 6th, 2008 at 12:53 pmAnd try as they might, newest polls have Obama +10 in Virginia.
Contrary to what conservatives would have us believe, the wealthier the state (or commonwealth), the bluer it becomes.
I am so sick of the hate/fear message. ENOUGH!
I WANT MY COUNTRY BACK!
PEACE
October 6th, 2008 at 12:54 pmTypical hate and fearmongering from the REICH……….now all we need is for McPalin to give us a speech or two in front a a bonfire full of books.
October 6th, 2008 at 12:54 pmstateofthedivision Says:
A man in Austin, TX threatend a mosque with a bomb. I wonder if he got the DVD?
October 6th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
______
Doesn’t look like it. According to the story, the “bomber” was a sometime worshiper with some sort of personal gripe against the mosque itself. It doesn’t look like a hate crime.
October 6th, 2008 at 12:56 pmAnd all this “sky is falling” hysteria from the Clarion Fund isn’t because “radical Islam” isn’t any bigger a threat today than it was yesterday, but the threat that McCain might not get elected is.
They will foment hatred, promote bigotry and fear, and even incite violence (remember the Ohio mosque where BABIES got gassed?) to catapult their propaganda. And they don’t even care about the carnage.
October 6th, 2008 at 12:56 pmI want to know who this “Clarion Fund” is.
October 6th, 2008 at 1:00 pmThe Clarion Fund is nothing more than a hate group – exactly like the Ku Klux Klan.
I’d love to see a list of its members.
October 6th, 2008 at 1:00 pmI got TWO copies of the thing in the mail on Saturday…
October 6th, 2008 at 1:01 pmLeftside Annie Says:
The Clarion Fund is nothing more than a hate group – exactly like the Ku Klux Klan.
I’d love to see a list of its members.
October 6th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
and their addresses.
October 6th, 2008 at 1:01 pmFrom their website:
For general information and
screening requests:
info@clarionfund.org
(888) 610-2221 or (646) 308-1230
For media and press only:
media@clarionfund.org
(646) 308-1202
I suggest you contact them and make your feelings known. I’m going to.
October 6th, 2008 at 1:03 pmThanks Hussein Toasterhead, I missed that fact. Peace.
October 6th, 2008 at 1:06 pmrepublicanism is nothing more than post-modern facism. peroid.
October 6th, 2008 at 1:06 pmthe right is
desperate,
desperate,
desperate.
*
October 6th, 2008 at 1:07 pmTranslation of Howard Gordon’s remarks:
“After being contacted by a number of people whose opinions I respect…”
– (after being contacted by a number of people who have money they might be interested in investing in my projects if I wasn’t such a hateful jerk)
“…and after reviewing Obsession with their criticisms and concerns in mind…”
– (and after reviewing Obsession while they twisted my arm behind my back)
“…I have asked the film makers to remove my endorsement from the Obsession website and from any future promotional materials.”
– (I have asked the film makers to remove my endorsement because it’s come to my attention that this is not a good career move for me)
“While I remain committed to the film’s essential message…”
– (While I want the fans of “24″ to know I still support hateful bigotry and blatantly exploitative jingoism)
“…that the hate-mongering promoted by radical Islamism presents a real threat to western values of tolerance and pluralism…”
– (that the hate-mongering promoted by a few misguided crackpots can be inflamed by our counter-hatred into a significant movement, enabling us to capitalize on fear indefinitely)
“…I also appreciate that the goal of co-existence and tolerance is not being served by films like Obsession.”
October 6th, 2008 at 1:09 pm– (I also appreciate that films like Obsession are so offensive that it’s p!ssing off people with money, and money is what matters.)
Leftside Annie Says:
The Clarion Fund is nothing more than a hate group – exactly like the Ku Klux Klan.
I’d love to see a list of its members.
I had read somewhere that Rev. Hagee was affiliated with them. I don’t recall if it was an editorial or a letter from a reader in our paper or what, so I can’t comment on the reliability of the source. But I wouldn’t be surprised if Hagee was in cahoots with the group. Meanwhile, if anyone gets a copy of the member list, please post it!
October 6th, 2008 at 1:10 pmWhen are they gonna make a video Called “Radical Christofascists and their Extremism”?
October 6th, 2008 at 1:11 pmO/T: Is this a Bush depression or is this a Bush-McCain depression? Or is it a Bush-McCain-Gramm depression? You decide…
October 6th, 2008 at 1:24 pmWell if you spend much time watching “Christian” TV, you’d think that Obsession was a truly main-stream media product. Although I haven’t seen it, and have no plans to view it, I would bet it does not go nearly as far as main stream “Christian” TV does.
Would someone PLEASE look into taking away the tax exempt status of these “Christian” TV networks that are a 24/7 GOP commercials.
October 6th, 2008 at 1:27 pmThe timing of this is funny. This has been going on for what a month or so now and then scarah starts saying that Obama is palin around with terrorists?
October 6th, 2008 at 1:41 pmSo, he waited until 28 MILLION copies were distributed, before asking them to remove his endorsement?
I don’t think I can stand to stomach another season of “24.”
October 6th, 2008 at 1:41 pmI never watched the show “24″ because of its implied message
October 6th, 2008 at 1:47 pmthat torture “works” and thus supports bushs use of it.
I think that Obama should use mccain’s vote against the
anti-torture bill to show that he really supports the use of it.
Hey, it’s just a ReichWing thing you know, fear, hate, smear, bigotry, greed, corruption, you know, nothing to get upset about….
…I do so hate all Republiscum.
October 6th, 2008 at 1:47 pmDid Daryll croak? I want to ask him why Jesus let the DOW crater just before the election. Just doesn’t seem right. Now the old man with the face falling off and Bible Spice don’t have a chance in Hell.
Did all the regular trolls spoil the pelt? Or just don’t want to admit that they and their Repugnicunt butt buddies are the absolute worst thing that has ever happened to our country?
October 6th, 2008 at 1:53 pmlurker Says:
…and then scarah starts saying that Obama is palin around with terrorists?
October 6th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Palin around with terrorists? Like he’s winking at them and flirting with them and refusing to answer their questions? Or is he just selling them on eBay?
October 6th, 2008 at 1:59 pm“Obsession” is not only a movie based on a stupid premise but it is really boring. If the right-wing can’t do any better they should look for different jobs.
October 6th, 2008 at 2:17 pmA little late in the game?!
October 6th, 2008 at 2:20 pmhussein toasterhead
October 6th, 2008 at 2:30 pmWell it was a spelling error I liked as I do your response.
My son got a copy of this in the mail. Lives in Florida and a registered Independent. He refused to watch it. I’ve watched about 10-15 minutes and had to turn it off. It is absolutely designed to promote fear (and the resultant intolerance and hatred) in the American people. It is absolutely just like (except the technology differences) what Hitler’s regime did with the Jews. I guess they are betting that fear will beat reason….again.
October 6th, 2008 at 2:43 pmThe Clarion Fund was founded by the same people who suffered under the the Nazis. Ironic, indeed. As for those who founded either the production or distribution of the film, that would be very important to know.
October 6th, 2008 at 2:48 pmI got a copy and I live in Michigan. Some of my neighbors did too. Do what I did: break the DVD and send it back to them at: The Clarion Fund, 255 W. 36th Street, Suite 800, NY, NY 10018. If everyone did that, this so called “Fund” would be overwhelmed and have to hire someone just to dump the DVDs back to them.
October 6th, 2008 at 2:50 pmIf you get one, can you complain to the local postmaster about receiving hate mail?
October 6th, 2008 at 2:53 pmNanlichi @#39 ~ I’m surprised our lil rapturous buddy has been out of print for a while. He’s takin a lickin, but isn’t ticken much these days.
Perhaps he sees the handwriting on the wall and is slinking back to rural Indiana to hide under the baby deer heads mounted in his dad’s basement.
October 6th, 2008 at 2:55 pmI received one in the mail a couple of weeks ago. My husband scratched out my mailing info and wrote return to sender on it and back in the mail box it went.
October 6th, 2008 at 3:01 pmIt looks like this DVD may be responsible for instigating violence: less than a week after it was distributed in Ohio, a chemical irritant was sprayed into a mosque where about 300 people were praying. It was sprayed through the window of the mosque’s NURSERY. And because there were no words spoken during the attack, it’s not being classified as a hate crime.
More at Feministe, Racialicious, and Sepia Mutiny.
October 6th, 2008 at 3:19 pmNo hate crime because no words were spoken? How would they react if this happened to a church or a temple?
A Jewish paramilitary group trains in the Catskills with no apparent concern.
October 6th, 2008 at 3:45 pmRUCerious,
Better late than never I guess for my response, I had to attend to the funeral of my 401k. Maybe Bro Daryll realized somewhere along the line that the supposed “job” he has is worth too much to risk spending company time disseminating hate.
Or maybe somewhere there’s another bunk bed with a corpse in tennis shoes.
October 6th, 2008 at 4:14 pmyes we wouldn’t want Howard Gordon or the new season of 24 to be associated with this film…at least not anymore right? By the way, how many more times do you all think FOX will push back the new season of 24? I heard October…then November…now we must wait for the next administration I guess
October 6th, 2008 at 4:31 pmThe DVDs are mailed to registered Republicans and Independents – the bleeding heart liberal Democrats might be a waste of postage as they are not likely to be scared into voteing for McCain/Palin anyway :)
Organizations like the Clarion Fund do spread fear and hate against Islam and Muslims, but they also spread Islam itself, and also more knowledge of Islam among the general population – something Muslims never do themselves.
Most of the new American converts to Islam were Republicans, Texas and the South mainly (no definite numbers, just the CNN and BBC reports), mosques can hardly keep up and they create a need for larger mosques that the same DVDs and anti-Islamic propaganda make hared to build.
“The Third Jihad” is even more fear and hate, but with the internet around everyone can Google Islam and get more information and lots more people actually will- so it does spread paranoia and make the lives of American Muslims harder, but at the same time it does spread Islam.
This is not new, it is how Islam has spread since it started, Rome knows it first hand becuase it is how many of their former colonies became Muslim.
I’m not saying America will become Muslim, I like it just the way it is, but when the Religious right finally figure out why there are so many new Muslim coverts in the swing states, I hope they stop with those DVDs and “24’s and America becomes a bit more secular and tolarant.
Sorry for the rant, it’s been on my mind for a while.
October 6th, 2008 at 7:49 pmDouble the cost to mail this out for them. Use REFUSED: RETURN TO SENDER on the CD. I just did.
October 6th, 2008 at 8:11 pmWas Obsession produced by Zionists?
October 7th, 2008 at 1:42 amJust like the cold war when everyone who didn’t agree with the U.S. was either a communist or a communist sympathizer. toki This poor crazy guy spent half a decade being tortured because a bunch
of stupid politicians araç sorgulama were sure the NVA
was in bed with the Russians (minimal help) and/or the Chinese (ancient enemy of the vietnamese). ssk sorgulama You would think he would have learned from others’
mistakes. Guess not. Republicans need an enemy. key ödemeleri This
century it apparently will be all Muslims, health all of whom must
be alQaeda operatives.
February 28th, 2009 at 7:56 pm