Thursday, September 02, 2004

SORRY -- THERE'S ONE SET OF LAWS FOR US GOOD PEOPLE AND ANOTHER SET FOR YOU SATAN-WORSHIPPING DEMOCRATS

Fox News says that a pro-Bush DVD may be coming to a church near you in time for the election:

President Bush  prays, he consults scripture; he even plans services on Air Force One when he isn't able to attend church on the ground.

So says a new documentary that points out that yes, Bush is a religious man, and many of his core supporters find that one of his most endearing traits.

"I think what they like about this man -- and what seems to scare other people -- is his faith," said David W. Balsiger, producer of "George W. Bush: Faith in the White House."...

Balsiger said he expects more than one million DVDs of his film, which documents the role of faith in the president's life and in his leadership, to be in circulation in the next few months, and he hopes it will "go head to head" with the DVD release of Michael Moore's anti-Bush documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" on Oct 5....

Aside from distributing the film through secular channels like Wal-Mart, Balsiger said it will be available at thousands of churches, religious organizations and bookstores....



From the IRS:

Organizations described in section 501(c)(3) of the Code that are exempt from federal income tax are prohibited from participating or intervening in any political campaign on behalf of, or in opposition to, any candidate for public office. Charities, educational institutions and religious organizations, including churches, are among those that are tax-exempt under this code section.

These organizations cannot endorse any candidates, make donations to their campaigns, engage in fund raising, distribute statements, or become involved in any other activities that may be beneficial or detrimental to any candidate....


So, is anyone going to uphold the law in this case?

This appears to be a clear violation of the law, yet the people who made the film seem not to care. Meanwhile, other film companies are trying so hard to be careful that they may be deciding not to do things that are perfectly legal. Will it shock you if I tell you these movies are not right-wing?

Warner Brothers has decided not to distribute the director David O. Russell's new antiwar documentary when it re-releases his 1999 Gulf War movie, "Three Kings," this fall, judging it "totally inappropriate" to do so in a political season, a studio spokeswoman said....

The studio's decision reflects a heightened sensitivity by media companies over movies that may be construed as partisan. Sony recently backed out of a deal to distribute the DVD of "The Control Room," a documentary about the Arab news channel Al Jazeera.... Earlier this year the Walt Disney Company became part of a cultural firestorm when it declined to distribute Michael Moore's anti-Bush documentary, "Fahrenheit: 9/11," saying it was too political.

...unlike Mr. Moore's film, the Russell documentary does not endorse or even mention either presidential candidate....

Warner Brothers ... ask[ed] its lawyers if the documentary might run afoul of Federal Election Commission regulations, or constitute a so-called soft money political contribution. Though the legal opinion was unclear, the studio decided not to release a film that might be construed as partisan ahead of the election....


Warner planned to include the documentary as an extra on the DVD of Three Kings. Presumably Warner plans to advertise the Three Kings DVD on TV, and I'm guessing that Warner doesn't want to advertise the movie during the campaign if the DVD has "partisan" content -- even though the "partisan" content may not be explicitly partisan and even though the ads don't have to say anything about the documentary.

Meanwhile, I assume the makers of the Bush doc will do whatever the hell they feel like doing.

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