- Fahrenheit 9/11: Why the Far Right is Trying to Keep Americans
From Seeing It and the Lies, Frauds and Deceptions They're Using
-
- By Anthony Wade
-
- OpEdNews.com
-
- Is there any doubt left in America about the shamelessness on the
right? I have read all week long about Michael Moore’s new film
Fahrenheit 911. I read about how there was a Republican PR machine
behind a bogus grass roots website that was making threats to theater
owners. I read, and responded to, a ridiculous hatchet job by
Christopher Hitchens. I read about how there is now a documentary
being made called “Michael Moore Hates America”. I thought, wow,
there is really going to be a split in this country over this
documentary. Now that I have seen it I am left wondering only one
thing. How in the world can any reasonable thinking person see this
movie and not be completely stirred, and wish to move toward changing
the road we have gone down over the past three years?
-
- I have heard the arguments and they simply do not fly in the face of
the realities of this picture. Is this propaganda? The dictionary
defines propaganda as “information that is spread for the purpose of
promoting some cause”. Michael Moore has made it abundantly clear
that his goal is to enlighten people to the corruption of this
administration, in the hopes of regime change, starting at home. To
that end, this movie is, no doubt, propaganda. However, so are the
attempts to smear him, the attempts to use McCain-Feingold to shut
down the advertisement of this film, and all of the rhetoric coming
out from the right, who despicably are using the soldiers for their
political benefit. Propaganda is at the heart of all things political.
Does that mean the movie loses value? Of course not, that would be
silly.
-
- The issue then becomes, is the movie accurate? Do the Saudis own 7%
of this country? Does the President’s family have deep ties to the
Bin Laden family? Did the President arrange for the Bin Laden family
to be flown out of this country on 09/13, while there was a ban on
flights, and then lie about it for two years? Have they made the
billions of dollars from the Saudis that Moore asserts? Did the
Taliban meet with GW Bush in the late 90s to discuss a pipeline
through Afghanistan? Did GW Bush sit in that classroom reading My Pet
Goat while we were under attack? Did he use macho tag lines, while
soldiers were dying, such as bring em on and we’re gonna smoke em
out? Did the White House really turn over the President’s military
records with the name of James Bath crossed out with marker? Did the
Patriot Act get passed without being read? Did that mother lose her
son in Iraq? Did those children die, and are they still dying in Iraq?
Did Halliburton make billions upon billions of dollars in no-bid
contracts from this war? Did Dick Cheney used to run Halliburton? Is
that profiting, from a war, which some are calling war profiteering?
Was the man GW Bush named to run Afghanistan, Hamid Karzi, a
consultant for Unocal, the same company that wanted that infamous
pipeline? Is there more than one Senator who has a kid in Iraq right
now? Did Bush spend 42% of his first year on vacation? Did he not read
the intelligence briefings, which may have tipped him off to 9-11?
Were the soldiers lied to about how long they would be in Iraq? Is the
predatory nature of recruitment for the armed services aimed at
minorities and the poor? These are just some of the facts asserted in
this movie and I challenge anyone to actually prove any of these
wrong. I understand that the right desperately wants to prevent the
American people to connect the dots, but that does not take away from
the credibility of the film. They can parse words and confuse the
issues but at the end of the day, these are facts and they are not
disputable.
-
- Having established that it is propaganda, as is everything in
politics and that this movie deals with the truth, where does that
leave us? It leaves us wondering why there are so many people on the
right who are trying so hard to minimize the amount of people seeing
this movie. To summarize:
-
- The PR firm that handled the Recall Gray Davis effort and the
banning of The Reagan's miniseries, started a website, pretending to
be a “grass-roots” effort to stop this film. Efforts included
harassing theater owners, including threats.
-
- In response to this documentary, there is now in development, a
documentary called “Michael Moore Hates America”, which is an
obvious attempt to smear him, and thus take away some of the
legitimacy from this movie.
-
- A conservative group, Citizens United, has filed a complaint to stop
advertising for this movie, using the campaign finance laws.
Ironically, the ads wouldn’t be in violation, even if it is found to
have substance, for another two months.
-
- Right wing pundits and assassins, such as Hitchens are dispatched to
discredit the film, before it even opens.
-
- This is a lot of effort to try and stop you from seeing this movie.
You have to ask yourself why? Is it so bad that you might get a
dissenting opinion from this movie to counteract the daily spoon-fed
media drivel? Why would so many people, go to such extreme lengths to
stop you from seeing this film?
-
- To hear some of these people explain it, they are angered at Moore’s
film, as a statement against the soldiers fighting the war in Iraq.
The reality of course couldn’t be farther from that. Not only did
Michael Moore dedicate this film to those soldiers, but also he brings
up the most salient point of this movie towards the end, about these
brave young men and women. To paraphrase, he asks how ironic it is
that those people who are raised in the poorest areas, with the least
opportunity, are the first ones to jump at the chance to defend the
way of life that perpetuates that cycle, and all they ask in return is
that they are not sent into harms way, unless it is absolutely
necessary. Considering all of the reasons this President has said we
went into these wars have proven to be false, I am afraid we have
broken that covenant.
-
- This movie is not anti-soldier. Moore understands that they are
simply trapped in a bad policy. They are trapped in a war that was
based on lies, and is now too big business to simply back out of. He
poignantly captures the grief of a mother who lost her son in this
war, for nothing. No, I am sorry, but if you go to this movie with an
open mind, you will come out of it a better person, but be prepared to
not like what you hear about your country.
-
- This movie is not anti-soldier, it is anti-war profiteering. There
are a lot of people mobilizing to prevent you from hearing that
message. They stand to make a lot more money from these wars
continuing. They think if they wrap themselves up in the soldiers,
smear Moore as unpatriotic man who hates America, then they can keep
you from seeing the truth. It is time for you to stand up and say that
you can make your own mind up.
-
- Go see the movie, but be prepared to weep. This nation continues to
weep, and it needs it quite frankly.
-
- Anthony Wade is an independent writer from New York. Email to takebacktheus@gmail.com
|
Enter
Your E-mail address to Receive OpEdNews
Newsletter