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Investigate 9/11? Never Mind, D.H.S. Is On!

When it was reported that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney were planning to limit their (private) testimony before the 9/11 investigation commission to 1 hour, commission member and former Watergate prosecutor Richard Ben-Veniste pointedly said, “…three thousand people died in the bloodiest attack on American soil in history… many people think the president and vice president can be more generous with their time, given the importance of the subject.”Now it just so happens that the president has been generous with his time, along with Secretary of Justice John Ashcroft, when dealing with Hollywood helpers such as the Trinity Broadcasting Network. TBN is co-producing a show called D.H.S, which bills itself as a behind-the-scenes look at the war on terror from deep inside the bowels of the Department of Homeland Security. Having gotten a whiff of what the show’s all about, the pair are said to be delighted to offer authoritative soundbytes- not surprising, considering that TBN is:

“…a Christian faith channel where the biggest star is bible-thumper Jan Crouch, a big haired gal with a grim smile that would wither flowers. Ms. Crouch is related to Mathew Crouch, an executive producer of the pilot for D.H.S.”

According to the Globe & Mail, on-line discussions of the show’s pilot have noted the underlying “Christian message.” The Christian connection seems to have influenced the casting. The paper reports that among the show’s “noted thespians” we find leading lady Alison Heruth Waterbury, a “businesswoman-actor” committed to Christian charities as well as to the LA County Sheriff’s “…quest to have an extra state tax to help fund the fight against terrorism.”

Meanwhile, the romantic lead will be played by Timothy P. Cavanaugh, “…some square-jawed guy who has appeared in a variety of action flicks,” says the paper, adding, “…you won’t have caught them at your local multiplex but you may find them in the bargain bin at the video store — such titles as Final Payback (1999), Shadow Warrior (1996) and Caged Fury (1989).”

Project CEO Joseph Medawar is an experienced film producer, “investment banking counselor,” and theme park baron previously partnered with none other than the Prince of Monaco, when the latter was looking to become an entertainment and theme park baron too. According to the D.H.S. site, Medawar is a co-chair of Los Angeles’ ADG, which is apparently “…responsible for one of the most exclusive residential development projects in the world, Beverly Park.” More to the point, his Steeple Productions is leading the making of D.H.S. and also lists the surprisingly versatile Cavanaugh as its “director of development.”

In Hollywood’s world of illusion, authenticity is prized above all else. The implication is that such an action-adventure series can actually prove educational and informative- that is, that it can act as a replacement for more traditional news sources- if only it is close enough to “reality.” Thus, the producers claim that “…no other television series has ever had such access and clearance at the highest levels of real-life counter-terrorism agencies: The White House, Dept. of Homeland Security, FBI, EPA, California State Counter Terrorism Units, LAPD, LAFD and the Los Angeles and Orange County Sheriff’s Departments.”

The producers promise that “the series will educate, inform, and inspire the average citizens around the world about America’s front-line defence/offence against those who have declared war on the U.S. and our democratic allies.” Medawar himself drew a direct connection between his show and the somewhat similar K-Street on HBO: “…it has become a passion to educate the public through a series taking two agents… [who] put themselves on the line to serve this great country of ours and to protect us from the threat of terrorism.” We’re all lucky that he was able to so nobly volunteer to quench this “passion” himself.

On the website one can get all the details, see the attack helicopters, look at boats going fast, and even watch a preview. Or, if you want to skip the preview, the Boston Globe describes it thus:

“…a trailer for the show opens with a voiceover from a Bush speech delivered after the Al Qaeda attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. It then asks, ‘How do we know… that we are truly… safe?’ before jumping through fast-cut images such as satellites, car chases, a 911 center, explosions, fighter jets, evacuations, a gun-toting jihadist, and Osama bin Laden.”

The show’s producers have been pro-active in training their agents, er, actors:

“..Series co-star Alison Waterbury — who said her preparation included a three-day course at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Georgia and a trip to Israel, where she witnessed a suicide bombing — added that the cast received a photograph back from Bush and a short note of encouragement and that they briefed the president’s wife during a recent trip to California.”

D.H.S. backers’ attested coziness with the powers-that-be has raised not a few eyebrows. Also disconcerting is the program’s scheduled premier date, before the elections in September. According to the Globe, Medawar “…dismissed any suggestion that the show has a political agenda, but said he is a staunch Bush supporter.”

Funnily enough, however, his Steeple Productions also gave $21,200- the maximum legal amount- to the triumphant campaign of The Governator. In addition Medawar glibly cites California Republican congressman Dana Rohrabacher as a “great ally” who “started the introduction to President Bush.”

The television show’s mix of patriotism, war, and religion is bound to disturb those who fear America has been turned into a Medieval-style military theocracy under the reign of George W. Bush. And CEO Medawar is not exactly helping to dispel these fears:

“‘…I think [Bush] is a great man, and he’s done an unbelievable job for our country. He’s a man of faith. He believes in God.’

One poster for the series uses a picture of Bush and his Cabinet members with their heads bowed in prayer. Medawar said Christianity will be a central element of the show, whose trailer has an agent saying, ‘Hey Johnny, do me a favor — say a prayer,’ as he runs into a hostage situation.”

Viewers might also want to pray that sometime before the season’s final episode, the D.H.S. sleuths get to the bottom of the 9/11 mystery, considering that their real-life counterparts can’t seem to do so. After all, there might just be enough shoc
king disclosures there to warrant a whole second season.