Sunday, June 27, 2004
Roger's diary entry:
It's been a long time since I've been this excited about a movie. I saw it yesterday, and I wasn't disappointed.
I'm talking about Fahrenheit 9/11, Michael Moore's critical look at the Bush administration. Moore charges that Bush did little to prevent the attacks; then used them as an excuse to invade Iraq, when the two had nothing in common. He also criticizes the media and democrats who didn't have the professionalism or courage to question the propaganda spewing out of the White House.
It was so frustrating for me a year or two ago as the talk of war against Iraq escalated. The Bush administration had skillfully conned the majority of Americans into thinking that Saddaam and Osama were buddies. Bush ranted about the threat Saddaam posed to America, when in fact he never threatened America nor had the means to attack us if he wanted to. Bush played on our fears so that we would let him do whatever he wanted if it meant we were safer.
I am a man of facts and reason, and I like to see the evidence. I wasn't hearing any, so I wasn't convinced Iraq had to be invaded. Sure, Saddaam was bad, but war is hell, and I knew the US military could be directly responsible for killing thousands of innocent civilians while trying to save them from their dictator. And every time a stray bomb ripped off the arms of a child, or slaughtered an entire family, or took out a school, Iraqis would have one more reason to hate America. Wars never go as planned, nation building rarely works, and Iraq was not a threat to America. Why in the hell would we invade them? Everything about this plan told me that this would enrage the Arab world, increasing the risk of terrorism, exactly the opposite of what Bush wanted.
Or maybe it's EXACTLY what Bush wanted! In times when our security is threatened, Americans have always been willing to give up civil liberties and give the president more authority. By keeping us afraid, Bush keeps a lid on criticism. Look at how many people believe you shouldn't criticize the government when you are at war. Presidents are more likely to be reelected during a war. The media goes along for the ride because they don't want to appear unpatriotic.
Look at the color coded threat advisory from the Homeland Security Department, currently at yellow, which means "significant risk of terrorist attacks." Is it realistic to expect it to ever go to green (low risk)? And what are we supposed to do differently at yellow rather than green? Not go to sporting events? Not go to the mall? No, they say we should "go about our normal business." They say if we change our behavior, that the terrorists have already won. What do we do if it goes higher, like it's done a half dozen times since it was introduced? They say "don't do anything different." Look at their web site (http://www.dhs.gov). It's right there. The only purpose of the threat advisory is to keep us afraid.
There's a bumper sticker that says "When Clinton lied, nobody died." Clinton lied about an affair, and he was impeached by the House. Thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, have now died because of Bush. Look at the facts:
- In the months leading up to 9/11, Bush did almost nothing to address the terrorist threat. Bush's antiterrorism task force never met. Not once. He did nothing about a memo that landed on his desk called 'Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S.' Rumsfeld issued a memo September 10, 2001 that listed his top seven priorities. Terrorism didn't make the list.
- Since 9/11, Bush hasn't been able to think of anything but terrorism. He told the world "If you're not with us, you're against us." Well, what happened? The whole world is against us.
- Bush says he's for a democratic system, but he constantly defies the United Nations, acting instead like an arrogant cowboy. If he truly believed in democracy, he would listen when the majority of nations say something.
- Bush constantly blurred the lines between terrorism and Iraq, when the two had nothing in common.
- He punished those countries that opposed the war by saying their companies couldn't bid on rebuilding projects.
- Speaking of rebuilding projects, many of them were simply handed to corporate buddies of his, and were never part of an open bidding process.
- Bush supports paying private contractors in Iraq $80,000 - $100,000 a year for driving trucks, but felt that paying $20,000 to our troops was too much. So he cut their pay.
- Bush promised that weapons of mass destruction would be found, but none have.
- Bush promised that that Iraqis would greet us a liberators, but they haven't.
- Bush promised that the rebuilding of Iraq would pay for itself through oil sales, but it hasn't. Not even close.
- Bush says that terrorists are jealous of our freedom. It's bad enough that Americans are gullible enough to fall for it, but it's worse that the president would even spout off such an ignorant statement.
- Bush makes blanket condemnations of countries, making it difficult to have a serious dialog with them. His famous "axis of evil" quote damaged relations with North Korea, Iran, and Iraq.
- While Bush blindly focuses on a non-threat like Iraq, he largely ignores the much greater threat of North Korea, who probably already has nuclear weapons.
- This list doesn't even include Bush's other terrible deeds, like his dismantling of environmental protection laws.
But I feel hopeful that the tide is turning against this administration. Americans are finally realizing they have been duped. And Moore's movie will help bring this country's political pendulum back toward the middle from the right edge where it's been hovering.
Please see this movie, no matter your political persuasion. But don't think it will be fair and balanced, because it's not. It's an opinion piece, so take his statements with a grain of salt. The value in Fahrenheit 9/11 is in its ability to get people discussing politics again. So, go see this movie, and talk about it with your friends. And by all means, VOTE!