SILVER SPRING, Md., Sept. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- With President Bush's announcement yesterday on the transfer of suspected terrorists held by the CIA at secret foreign prisons to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a wide ranging panel of experts representing the Administration, Congress, family members of 9/11 victims and former lawmakers all weigh in with opinions, options and perspectives at special live town meeting at Discovery Communications World Headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, Sunday, September 10 at 9:30 PM ET/PT following the broadcast of KOPPEL ON DISCOVERY - THE PRICE OF SECURITY on Discovery Channel at 8 PM ET/PT.

Participants will include Paul McNulty, Deputy Attorney General of the U.S.; Rep. Chris Shays, Chairman of House Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threat and International Relations; Tom Ridge, Former Secretary of Homeland Security; Gen. Tony Zinni, former Chief, CENTCOM; Ted Olson, former Solicitor General, member of Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board; Gov. Tom Kean, Chair, 9/11 Commission; Lee Hamilton, Vice- Chair, 9/11 Commission and Jamie Gorelick, former Deputy Attorney General and Member, 9/11 Commission.

The President announced yesterday the transfer of the last 14 suspected terrorists held by the CIA at secret foreign prisons to the military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, and asked Congress to clarify the rules for the War on Terror before they recess for the November mid-term elections. This sets off a debate that will be at the center of the Koppel town meeting this Sunday evening.

The Koppel town meeting will provide the first opportunity since the President's remarks for civil liberties advocates to question government officials on these issues. Bush's proposed courts, outlined in draft legislation sent to Congress Wednesday, would allow defendants to be prosecuted with evidence they are not permitted to see, as well as evidence obtained through coercive interrogations that fall short of torture.

The live town meeting immediately following THE PRICE OF SECURITY special provides a high-tech forum for viewers to ask policymakers questions about the state of security and civil rights in America through koppelondiscovery.com. Starting on Tuesday, September 5 and continuing through the live broadcast on September 10, people can submit questions via the website.

Also at the live town meeting, Ted Koppel will release results of a Discovery Channel/TIME magazine poll that asked Americans what individual liberties they are willing to give up -- or not give up -- in the name of national security. This poll is a follow-up to one that was taken by TIME magazine soon after the September 11 attacks.

Discovery Communications, Inc. is the leading global real-world media company. Discovery has grown from its core property, the Discovery Channel, first launched in the United States in 1985, to current global operations in 170 countries and territories with nearly 1.4 billion cumulative subscribers. DCI's over 100 networks of distinctive programming represent 27 network entertainment brands including TLC, Animal Planet, Travel Channel, Discovery Health Channel, Discovery Kids, Discovery Times Channel, The Science Channel, Military Channel, Discovery Home Channel, Discovery en Espanol, Discovery Kids en Espanol, Discovery HD Theater, FitTV, Discovery Travel & Living (Viajar y Vivir), Discovery Home & Health and Discovery Real Time. DCI's other properties consist of Discovery Education and Discovery Commerce, which operates more than 100 Discovery Channel Stores in the U.S. DCI also distributes BBC America in the United States. DCI's ownership consists of four shareholders: Discovery Holding Company (NASDAQ:DISCA) (NASDAQ:DISCB), Cox Communications, Inc., Advance/Newhouse Communications and John S. Hendricks, the Company's Founder and Chairman.

Source: Discovery Channel