What's Wrong with Fahrenheit 9/11?

VDH ^ | July 28, 2004 | Joey Tartakovsky

[quidnunc]

Michael Moore claims that Bush is manipulating the American people. But who is manipulating whom?

In one of the best-known scenes from Fahrenheit 9/11, President George W. Bush is captured on film appearing more concerned about his skill at golf than his leadership in the war for civilization. Speaking to a throng of reporters, President Bush remarks, “I call upon all nations to do everything they can to stop these terrorist killers. Thank you. Now, watch this drive.” These three phrases alone seem to many incontrovertible evidence that Bush, insincere about the threat of al Qaeda, merely mouths boilerplate that looks robust in the morning papers. It makes for great sneering. Now, as it turns out, President Bush was talking not about al Qaeda, but Hamas, which had suicide-bombed in Israel hours before. But don’t expect the movie to mention such a detail, for here Bush looks silly, and this is the great purpose of Fahrenheit 9/11.

Instead of addressing Bush’s policies in any honest or serious-minded way, the film’s tactic is ridicule. In the golfing section, and in many others — the exit flight of the bin Ladens, Bush’s “vacation” time, or Bush sitting in the Florida classroom on the morning of 9/11 — writer-director Michael Moore presents an apparent malfeasance to cause outrage. Most of the sniping is cheap and petty, inflating an unglamorous remark here or an ill-advised action there into a high crime. In every one of these cases, there is a perfectly reasonable explanation.

-snip-

[UCANSEE2]

What's wrong is that Michael Moore was LAMPOONING.

Bowling for Columbine. LAMPOONING (satirizing) the situation to make a buck.

Fahrenheit 9/11. LAMPOONING (satirizing) to situation to make a buck.

BUT, the DEM PARTY leaders saw a tool that could be used, and they used it. RELABELLED it a DOCUMENTARY.

Michael Moore doesn't care. He just wants a buck, and fame.

I hope he wallows in it.

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

What's Wrong with Fahrenheit 9/11?

It knowingly, calculatingly offers up lies -- demonstrable lies; lies beyond all hope of honest and rational rebuttal -- and insists that they are truths.

And does so either for mere, mean profit (best case scenario)... or else simply to help bring about the destruction of the West (most likely motivation, based upon his own poisonous public belchings).

Other than that, however...? S'allright, I guess. :)

[Sola Veritas]

Excellent article! Thank you for bringing it to our attention. Below I post another excerpt from the article that I think really pegs what Moore has done:

"No one has challenged Michael Moore’s right to “reveal” the consequences of President Bush’s decisions as brutally as he wants. But this is not what he does. He seeks to embarrass Bush by culling choice footage from hundreds of hours of recording, cutting-and-pasting them in unflattering ways, and then spicing it with wild innuendo and cinematic manipulation. If any one of us were on camera on a daily basis, speaking on record about a half-dozen issues, we’d have quite a blooper reel as well. Fahrenheit 9/11’s unforgiving character assassination is corrosive to civil democratic culture. If everyone behaved this way towards their political opponents, and if every important issue were simplified to the point of absurdity, normal political processes would break down. Fahrenheit 9/11 thus resorts to the oldest, nastiest trick in the book: attack Bush’s character, not his policies; impugn his motives, not his arguments. It’s hard to ignore how relentlessly personal this movie is. All this, even as there remain few matters more in demand of partisan discretion and common decency than terrorism and war."

[MamaLucci]

Here's an editorial I wrote that was printed in my local newspaper, in response to a woman in town pleading with people to see Moore's ("important") film.

I read with interest XXXXX XXXXXXXXX's plea for everyone to watch Mike Moore's propaganda film, "Fahrenheit 911." ("That Movie' should be a must-see for everyone.") Perhaps Ms. Sheridan is vying for a position as an editorial page writer for the New York Times? Nowhere else has Mr. Moore's op-ed hit piece been taken quite so seriously, except maybe in France. I will point out just a few of the myriad lies or distortions laid out in Moore's movie.

The now-famous film clip of President Bush making a comment about terrorism, while golfing, is completely misleading and taken out of context. The viewer is left with the impression Mr. Bush is talking about al-Qaida terrorists. A check of the entire tape, however, reveals the truth that Moore left on the cutting room floor. The president was talking about an all-too-common suicide bombing in Israel.

Moore claims in his movie that President Bush arranged special flights to get the bin Laden family out of America following 911. The truth is, former terrorism czar and Bush critic Richard Clarke admits the decision was his and his alone, and the 9/11 Commission report supports his claim. You could look it up.

Moore also claims the only reason the United States invaded Afghanistan was to build a pipeline. Trouble is, the pipeline has not been built, and there are no plans for one.

For a variety of reviews and information on Moore's film, go to centigrade911.com. Here's a Michael Moore quote, from April of this year, to keep in mind if you do go to see his film: "The Iraqis who have risen up against the occupation are not "insurgents" or "terrorists" or "the enemy." They are the revolution, the minutemen, and their numbers will grow -- and they will win."

My name

My town

[Sola Veritas]

"The Iraqis who have risen up against the occupation are not "insurgents" or "terrorists" or "the enemy." They are the revolution, the minutemen, and their numbers will grow -- and they will win."

Michael Moore should no longer be able to use the claim that he is exercising "free speech." He is indeed falsely yelling "fire" in a crowded theater. He actions are at the least libelous and at the worse treasonous. If president Bush is reelected, I hope there is a reconing.

[MamaLucci]

Imagine......Michael Moore said that, just a few months ago, and the rats OPENLY embraced him at their convention. If the GOP has any PR acumen at all, they will use this "Democrat film maker"'s quote OVER and OVER and OVER again.

[wasnova]

And it will always be called a "Documentary" by our press. Ridiculous.

By the way, the timing on the "Berger release" (being just before the convention) seems to have worked-out well for 'ol sandy boy; the story seems to have already been forgotten by the major players...

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

If you liked Farenheit 911 you will LOVE...

TRIUMPH OF THE WILL.
THE ETERNAL JEW.(Der Ewige Jude)
Jud SuB (Jew Suss)
BIRTH OF A NATION
BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN
Oktyabr (October) 1927

[Taka No Kimi]

Here in New Zealand, a TV movie reviewer said that this movie made him "laugh, but most of all it made (him) angry."
Boy, did he check the facts? My own politics aren't exactly in line with Bush, but libel is libel. And he sure gets angry easily about stuff that's none of his business.

[Restorer]

Soon, ten percent of this country will have seen this movie.

Doubtful. At $7 a ticket, that would mean $210M in sales. Since the movie's at around $110M and unlikely to go a great deal higher, that would mean only about 5% of the population.

Some have undoubtedly seen it more than once, so the real percentage is lower.