Your Jizyah Dollars at Work

If any issue deserves an appearance by the Ranting Man, this one does.

Most readers have heard about the suppression of the PBS documentary “Islam vs. the Islamists”. PBS funded the documentary, but balked when they saw the final product: “This isn’t the truth about Islam! Islam is a religion of peace — this must be right-wing neocon hater propaganda!”

So they cancelled any airing of the film on public television. Also, since PBS controls the distribution rights, they can prevent it from being shown anywhere else.

But there is a small loophole: the producers can screen the film in limited-audience private viewings. Christine of Vigilant Freedom has issued an urgent alert: members of Congress can see the film tomorrow evening, and she wants everyone to write their congressbeing and insist that he or she attend.

Dymphna has already written our congressman, the Hon. Virgil Goode of the Fifth District of Virginia. She used the online contact form, so she has no precise record of what she told him. But she reports that her points were approximately as follows:

• I told Rep. Goode that it was important that either he or a few of his staff attend the PBS documentary that the American taxpayer was not permitted to see.
  
• I said it was reprehensible of them to have it produced and not only refuse to air it, but also to refuse to allow the producers to let it be seen either. If we pay for something, we ought to be permitted to see it.
  
• I reminded him that these were the same group who sold their donor list to the Democratic Party a few years ago.
  
• A part of the media owned by taxpayers should have to honor their part of being publically funded by not dictating what could be seen and what couldn’t.
  
• Then I rhetorically asked: “CAIR anyone?”
  
• I also said that this issue is every bit as important as protecting our southern borders…

Here’s what Christine says:

Contact your Congressman to attend April 25 screening of “Islam vs. the Islamists”

Please contact your Senator or Representative and ask them to attend a special showing Wednesday, April 25, 2007 at 6:30 pm in Room 2247 Rayburn House Office building of the documentary “Islam vs the Islamists,” about the struggle by moderate Muslims against Islamist extremists. This is the documentary that PBS has blacklisted and that liberals and CAIR are trying to keep from EVER being shown on any network.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has not released distribution rights to the producers, and they are under great pressure from Islamist groups to ban the documentary from ever being shown. The producers are able to do small showings such as this one tomorrow in Congress, and if you can convince your representatives or their staff to attend, CPB may release distribution rights so this excellent documentary can be seen around the world.

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We all ask why the voices of moderate Muslims are silenced by the extremists, and this documentary answers that question. We cannot permit far left bureaucrats in PBS and the Islamist Lobby groups in Washington DC to silence all voices. Below is some sample language for an email, fax or phone call to your representative. You can find your Congressional representatives’ contact information here.

Dear Congressman/Senator:

I want to bring your attention to an important event on April 25, at 6:30 pm for you and your staff.

The documentary “Islam vs the Islamists,” banned by PBS, will be shown Wednesday, April 25, 2007 in Room 2247 Rayburn House Office Building at 6:30 p.m. This taxpayer-financed documentary, on the struggles by moderate Muslims against Islamist extremism, was dropped for left-wing political reasons from a television series that aired last week on more than 300 PBS stations nationwide.

Please do not permit PBS to blacklist this documentary on moderate Muslims in the U.S. and overseas. Moderate Muslims are the very people we are trying to protect and encourage. The film itself has been viewed by numerous film professionals and their reviews are uniformly extremely positive. Based on what I’ve read and heard about the documentary, I hope that you and your staff will find it educational and eye-opening.

The producers of the film, ABG Films, are trying to obtain distribution rights from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Please direct CPB to release the distribution rights. As a U.S. taxpayer who helped fund this documentary, I would like to be able to see it and to let others worldwide see it. Please do not let PBS stand in the way of freedom of speech and journalistic integrity.

Event: Showing of CPB-funded, PBS-banned documentary: “Islam vs. the Islamists”
Time: Wednesday, April 25, 2007 - 6:30 pm
Place: 2247 Rayburn House Office Building

Regards,
[Your Name]
Congressional District
Contact info

Please consider also contacting the Corporation for Public Broadcasting directly to request that they release distribution rights for “Islam vs. the Islamists” to ABG Films, the producers of the documentary. Contact info is below:

Ombudsmen
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
401 Ninth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20004
http://www.cpb.org/ombudsmen/

Patricia Harrison, President and CEO
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
401 Ninth Street, NW
Washington, DC
http://www.cpb.org/contact/contact.html