A powerful group of veterans for Kerry filed suit an FCC complaint

on October 22nd.

Veterans Institute for Security and Democracy


Veterans Institute Files Formal FCC Complaint Against Sinclair Broadcasting Group; Recommends Opportunity for Response and Public Discussion

WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 /PRNewswire/ --

WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Yesterday, the Veterans Institute for Security and Democracy announced its filing of a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission against Sinclair Broadcast Group. This is the first complaint filed with the FCC against the Sinclair Broadcasting Group.

The complaint alleges that Sinclair Broadcasting Group's plan to air the video, "Stolen Honor," is a political attack on Senator Kerry and his Vietnam war record, and not a bona fide newscast. FCC policy prohibits a broadcast station from airing an attack on one candidate without giving the supporters of opposing candidates the right to demand an equal opportunity to express their views.

More...

http://news.corporate.findlaw.com/prnewswire/20041021/21oct2004124731.html

And here's their website

Web site: http://www.veteransinstitute.org/

sorry for the length, this is two seperate emails together..

Oct. 21, 2004
LADIES & GENTLEMEN:

We won an at least partial victory!
Read the following from Cooper Brown, and my appended message below.

D*** & K*****

----- Original Message -----

From: @aol.com

To: k@cox.net ; @hotmail.com ; @comcast.net

Cc: @gsblaw.com ; @gsblaw.com ; @kininc.com

Sent: Thursday, October 21, 2004 3:39 PM

Subject: e-mail support letters

D --You should by now have received from our attorneys the complaint and Dick's declaration in msword or wordperfect format. In follow-up to our phone conversation this afternoon, when you send the complaint out to the veterans this evening, please advise them that their mission has been accomplished with respect to effort to let the FCC know of their support for the Veterans Institute complaint, and that they should at this point cease and desist from any further e-mail letters. Sinclair Group this afternoon invited the Institute's president, Dick Klass, along with Bobby Muller of V.V.A.F. to participate in the taping of a discussion segment (which also then took place this afternoon) that will be incorporated into their showing of "Stolen Honor" now renamed "A POW's Story" -- that will air Friday evening in Sinclair affiliate TV markets around the country (you have that list already). The vets should watch the program, and judge whether the program is reasonably fair. If anyone wishes to comment following the showing, they should send their comments to the FCC with copy to the Veterans Institute, at vets@veteransinstitute.org (BUT WITHOUT COPY TO THE SINCLAIR ATTORNEYS).-- Cooper

NOTE FROM :

Ladies & Gentlemen:

We unfortunately shut down the Sinclair attorney’s servers with the volume of mail you all sent to the FCC, Cc to them. They’re alleging harassment. While I certainly regret any inconvenience experienced by their law firm, in truth, the limitations of their hardware certainly don’t constitute harassment; rather, it suggests that those who take on the veterans of this nation should have the computing power to keep up with a legitimate response. The now several thousands of us who responded have done so in the legal and legitimate attempt to join onto a legal action. Indeed, we have all stood up individually to name ourselves as interested parties intending status as co-plaintiffs. So indicating to the Defendant's advocate seemed appropriate to me.

Further communications to the FCC should exclude courtesy copies to the Sinclair Broadcasting Group’s attorneys. That courtesy has interfered with their capacity to conduct normal business, a regrettable fact. I can certainly appreciate the unfortunate inconvenience experienced by them.

THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR IMMEDIATE RESPONSE!

D** & K*****

I am removing names to protect the brave at this point. I can only tell you that these are the most bravest vets and their loved ones I have met in a long time to do what they did.

Here's a copy of the letter that they put together for all the vets and the families to send to Sinclair and their attorneys...


-----Original Message-----
From:
Sent: Wednesday, October 20, 2004 5:49 PM
To:
Subject: Sinclair Suit Plaintiff Action (!V)


NEXT STEP IN COUNTERING SINCLAIR BROADCASTING:

We have a shot now of hammering Sinclair Broadcasting by individually indicating our intentions to become co-plaintiffs in the suit brought against Sinclair Broadcasting by signing onto the letter below.

The letter below is a modified version of the original Beyond Vietnam letter which we all endorsed. Please do the following:

1. copy the following text;
2. paste the text onto a new e-mail letter;
3. sign with your name an address at the end of the letter;
4. copy the FCC addresses from the letter (above the letter as addressees) into the TO block;
5. copy the FCC firm contact addresses to the Cc; block;
6. copy the Veterans Institute for Security & Democracy onto the Cc block at vets@veteransinstitute.org
7. press send and have the satisfaction of nailing the lid once and for all on these folks

Any questions, feel free to e-mail back to
Also, I will be forwarding an abbreviated copy of the lawsuit to each of you tomorrow. The full complaint is available on request.

As always, thank you for your partnership!

D & K

LETTER TO FCC
_________________________________________

Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20554

Attn:
Michael Powell, Chairman
Michael.Powell@fcc.gov
Commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein
Jonathan.Adelstein@fcc.gov
Commissioner Kathleen Q. Abernathy
Kathleen.Abernathy@fcc.gov
Commissioner Michael J. Copp
Michael.Copp@fcc.gov
Commissioner Kevin J. Martin
Kevin.Martin@fcc.gov

Cc: Veterans Institute for Security & Democracy
Vets@veteransinstitute.org
Communications Counsel for Sinclair Broadcast Group
bfaber@sbgnet.com
Kathryn.Schmeltzer@shawpittman.com
Robert Baker, Media Bureau
Robert.Baker@fcc.gov

Dear Commissioners:

I am writing in support of the Complaint filed October 19th, 2004 by the Veterans Institute for Security and Democracy, and to urge you to act immediately. I also seek to intervene as a co-complainant in the Veteran Institute’s Complaint. Sinclair Broadcast Group should not be allowed to use a federally issued broadcast license to promote its own partisan views and to unfairly influence the outcome of a hotly contested Presidential election.

First there were the attacks on Senator John McCain, which were later proven false. Then there were the attacks on Senator Max Cleland, also later proven false. Now there are the attacks on Senator John Kerry, which are now, at every turn, being proven false.

The personal attacks on Senator Kerry’s record of distinguished military service in Vietnam do not serve our nation, or its people in making informed presidential election decisions any more than would attacks on President Bush for what he did to get into the National Guard during the Vietnam War, or what he may or may not have done while in the Guard.

For veterans such as ourselves, this year’s election would be better served if President Bush were to account to the American public, as Commander-in-Chief, for the loss of respect of the United States among our historical allies; for the loss of respect of our military due to the mishandling and abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib; for the ever-increasing number of dead and wounded soldiers returning from Iraq with no end in sight; and for his administration’s failure to live up to this nation’s obligations to its veterans.

As a veteran, I care deeply about preserving our democratic values. One of the most important of those values is that broadcast stations treat political candidates and campaign issues fairly. I urge you to uphold this right, and grant the Veteran’s Institute’s Complaint without delay.

It is time we moved Beyond Vietnam!

___________________________

Signature


Address:


****I salute every one of the vets who stood up and took action. You saw the results tonight. Sinclair not only learned all of us were out there but they learned the meaning of real soldiers.

:toast:

On behalf of all those who have opposed this unfair attempt at influencing the most important presidential election of our lifetimes, I thank you and your fellow veterans for standing up to these representatives of the powerful, monied interests of this country. Corporate America has been trying for years to purchase our democracy and without the steadfast dedication of people like you, would long ago have succeeded.

You fought for our country once. I thank you for doing so again. Keep up the good work and know you have lots of supporters behind you!

It is a couple and I don't know who the countless others were who shut down the Sinclair attorney's email servers because the emails I got were always blinded out group sends. I am not a vet but the adult child of a two tours of duty Army CSM, one tour in Korea. I joined on as dependent to support the cause, especially the parts about moving past Viet Nam and getting answers to the questions that are listed in the letter that went to the FCC. I admire these people for sure ...our Vets.

Pastyass Rove and the rest of those losers that Bush hangs out with should be so damn ashamed. And so should the NRA.