Martin Franks, who is the executive Vice President of CBS has defended showing this documentary uncut. He was quoted in the AP as saying, "We don't think it's appropriate to sanitize the reality of the hell of Sept. 11th…It shows the incredible stress that these heroes were under. To sanitize it in some way robs it of the horror they faced."
In response to this come the white hats. The American Family Association and its three million brainwashed members are ready to fight. "This isn't an issue of censorship. It's an issue of responsibility to the public," said Randy Sharp, director of special projects for the AFA. According to the AP, they are “a 29-year-old organization that promotes the biblical ethic of decency.” Seems the biblical ethic of decency involves censoring history and bullying. Sharp has promised that the AFA will flood the FCC with complaints should "CBS decide to break [the law]."
It is against FCC policy to respond to complaints about a show before it is aired. The FCC does not stop shows from airing, it only responds to legitimate complaints from viewers, but you have to actually see the offending show first . How exactly have these 198,000 people been offended by something that has yet to air? If they are complaining about the previous showings, they are about four years too late.
I saw this documentary four years ago. I do not remember the cursing. I do not remember anything that was said by anyone in it. I do remember the thumping sound that went unexplained for ninety minutes before someone said it was the sound of jumpers hitting the ground. That stands out very strongly in my memory to this day.
If you are watching this and the only thing that bothers you is the language being used by the firefighters and police officers who are dying to save people, you have issues beyond anything the FCC can help you with. Your heart is too cold and your vision too narrow and I feel for you.
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Article comments
1 - Brent
The American Family Association and its supposedly secular doppelganger the Parent's Television Council operate within a climate of fear. It's not helped by increased fines and FCC definitions of "indecency" and "obscenity" that are just a hair above "I'll know it when I see it." And in related news the PTC has ordered its brainwashed acolytes to bombard the FCC with protests because Helen Mirren and Calista Flockhart said "ass over tit" on the Emmys. This is the sort of BS that makes those of us outside the United States (I'm a Canadian where you can say just about anything on TV) shake our heads and wonder about the US as a nation.
2 - Dave Nalle
May I just say 'Fuck the AFA and the Biblical donkey they rode in on".
Dave
3 - Phillip Winn
This is just bizarre. The AFA surely has better things to do.
4 - Mark Schannon
It was an incredible, thoughtful, and, to the extent possible, tasteful documentary. One of the best I've ever seen. Screw the jerks who don't want to see it, but screw the CBS affiliates even more who are running scared.
what a pathetic country this has become.
In Jameson Veritas
5 - Mike
"The AFA surely has better things to do."
That, sir, is where you are gravely mistaken. They most surely DO NOT have anything better to do.
Remember: the "uproar" over JJ's boobie was, in reality, 26 people sending in multiple copies of 3 letters. It was SO OFFENSIVE, that only 3 people found it worth the time to actually send in their own letter. In reality, no one really gave a shit.
The whackos at the AFA and the PTC certainly do not have something better to do than complain about hearing the words "tits" and "ass" They will continue to contaminate our programming and censor our media for us until someone stands up to them.
I've started sending "Compliments" letters to anything that the PTC or AFA says should be complained about. I thank the network for not wasting their time on useless censorship, then encourage the FCC to ignore the PTC and the AFA. Maybe my one letter can cancel out one of the complaints?
6 - Brad Schader
The best part of the JJ affair was that on the Monday following the Super Bowl the FCC had gotten no complaints. Tuesday no complaints. Wednesday it was on a website to complain and Thursday the FCC was flooded.
Not only was it not many people, but it was people who did not even see it.
7 - Andy Dabydeen
For fucks sake!
8 - Christine
I totally agree. What cursing? who cares. I'm a Christian and a mom, but this did not bother me a bit. What was disturbing is the reality of it all. I watched it for the first time last night, I sat there glued to the tv, crying like a baby. I don't remember it affecting me this much in the past.
This documentary shows it how it was - raw & uncut, we deserve to see it, to know what happened.
I hope they air it again.