Posted on 07/02/2004 10:03:19 AM PDT by churchillbuff
ASHLAND, Ore. Whooping and hollering greeted Michael Moore's statement that his virulently anti-Bush film "Fahrenheit 9/11" beat out Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ."
"I think Jesus had something to do with that," said Moore during Monday's meeting at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Ore., part of a national event sponsored by MoveOn.org. Comparing the initial attendance stats for the two films and accentuating the one or two measures by which, says Moore, "Fahrenheit" edged out "Passion" Moore boasted: "I've been feeling for a month He's been very upset at the [selling of] that movie. So I think it was His own little payback this weekend."
A self-described "practicing Catholic," Moore said his film barely nosed out "The Passion," but what surprised WND columnist and talk show host Bob Just, who attended Monday's meeting and recorded it, was the wild cheering at the news.
"You definitely felt the hostility in the room toward traditional Christians," said Just, a former liberal, now-conservative Democrat and also a Christian. "At one point, Moore boasted that his film so infuriated one man that he threw his shoe at the image of George W. Bush on the screen."
"Hot Enough For You?" screamed the headline of one campus flyer. "Then Organize." Moveon.org's flyer was even more blunt: "Michael Moore wants to know: Are you ready to turn up the heat on George W. Bush?"
The Oregon campus meeting Just attended was billed as a "House Party." Local attendance was estimated at several hundred people, but according to Moveon.org, nationwide there were enough people connected online that night to fill a football stadium.
"In living rooms and meeting halls across America," proclaimed the flyer, "we'll be joining Michael for a live, interactive, on-line discussion of his film. You'll also be give an opportunity to make a real difference in this election, by joining in an intensive voter registration and education drive."
Most of Moore's conversation was geared toward taking not only the presidency this fall, but perhaps even Congress as well.
A large screen displayed the computer hook-up as the audience looked on. At several points the transmission went down or became garbled.
Students and others who came for the promised "open discussion in film rhetoric" were first heavily pressured to join the Moveon effort. Each audience participating was asked to collect its group leader statistics and upload them in the computer, which flashed the results by locality. Likewise, each group was called on to recruit more people and expand its numbers.
"Take that day off on November second," Moore exhorted. "And take, you know, take five non-voters to the polls. You know who they are. They're your friends, your family members, people you go to school with. Just commit now to convincing them. Tell them, you're at work or whatever, it's at noontime, tell them, 'Hey, let's all, come on with me. I'll buy everybody lunch,' you know, or if it's at night, you know "free beer for everybody that comes vote with me right now!" You know, just get creative. Do whatever it is you gotta do!"
Republicans, says Just, have been trying recently to write off the "Gore-Moore left" as a "coalition of the wild-eyed." But, "it is more serious than that. All you have to do is see Moore's movie and you'll know you've entered into an alternate reality," adds Just, who has a masters degree in film from NYU Institute of Film and Television.
In fact, even reputable liberal pundits are stepping forward to denounce "Fahrenheit's" inaccuracy, from Christopher Hitchen to Ellen Goodman to The Washington Post's Richard Cohen.
"Moore's depiction of why Bush went to war is so silly and so incomprehensible that it is easily dismissed," Cohen wrote in yesterday's Post. "As far as I can tell, it is a farrago of conspiracy theories. But nothing is said about multiple U.N. resolutions violated by Iraq or the depredations of Saddam Hussein. In fact, prewar Iraq is depicted as some sort of Arab folk festival lots of happy, smiling indigenous people. Was there no footage of a Kurdish village that had been gassed? This is obscenity by omission."
Hitchens called the film a "sinister exercise in moral frivolity, crudely disguised as an exercise in seriousness," while Newsweek joined in this week with a headline, "More Distortions from Michael Moore."
"But remember this," Moore told the youthful audience, which filled the Brit Ballroom on the Southern Oregon campus. "The other side, they are organized! And they're really, I mean, they are historically, uh, much better at this than we are. They are up at the crack of dawn, uh, trying to figure out what group of Americans they're going to hurt today."
I keep wondering how much of his movie profits (if any) is going up his nose.
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Considering Jesus Christ holds the universe together despite what chaos and calamity is instigated by man, Moore's quote might be more accurate than he suspects.
In comparison to "The Passion", Moore's elation over his claimed attendance victory numbers will be interesting in comparison to the final tally come Judgment Day.
I wonder which event will have more eternal consequence...(I lied,..I really don't wonder too much at all.)
You know, they can only get so mad. There's a limit to what they can throw at movie screens. After a certain point, the point at which they decide to vote for Kerry, their anger is largely wasted. Even if they direct it toward making other people even angrier than they are, it's all wasted after a certain point. The undecided middle is not going to be swayed by rabid lunatics--these are the thoughtful people.
Pride goeth before a fall, and a haughty spirit before destruction.
The mills of God grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine.
The Dems are using Moore to do three things: pump up the left (now that Dean's persona non grata), sway 'moderates' and 'undecideds', and paint conservatives as right wing Christian radicals. By using Moore as a surrogate, the Dems can avoid finger pointing and name calling, yet get their point across in an entertaining way.
If you listen carefully to their rhetoric, it isn't just the standard stuff...it's 'WE'RE RELIGIOUS, TOO!!!, we just don't believe religion should be part of PUBLIC POLICY!!!, and we don't believe in mixing church and state...WE BELIEVE IN THE CONSTITUTION!!!.
In this way they can sound sooo reasonable and sooo moderate and sooo compassionate while painting Bush-Cheney as right wing loonies.
He's still putting full-page ads in the Times as if it were a coming blockbuster.
Moore is the new Big (and I mean Really Big) Brother .....
Except that Jesus isn't laughing. He cares when even the least of us turns into a lard-encased, venom-spewing cretin.
The problen for the Moore film is that it was all front loaded by the "Hate America" crowd. Moore has added 400 more theaters this week, but the revenue numbers have stayed where they were when the movie was on about 800 screens. Now, with just about 1200 screens, the revenue has remained at the 800 screen level. I would say this film is toast after one week. Just like Bill Clinton's book was supposed to make Clinton the big name through the summer, in fact, the summer of Bill Clinton has lasted all of about one week. Both Moore and Clinton are headed for the black hole of obscurity! Look for the Clinton tome to drop from the top of the Amazon.com list within the next few weeks.
That little move is torn right outta Clinton's "Act Like A Moderate Candidate (then veer left if elected like I did) Playbook." He and Hil calculatingly duped religionists by carryng Bibles to church on Sunday. Musta killed the evil duo.
Our work is cut out for us. Kerry's made Big mistakes in this particular area. For one, he naysayed The Passion of the Christ film-----when all of Christendom was in its thrall.
We will broadcast that message across the land and derail Kerry's carefully-laid plans to co-opt the religious vote.
Illegal in most states. But since when do Dumbocrats have to pay attention to election laws?
Proverbs would be a great place for him to start reading.
Now wouldn't THAT be something? Michael Moore giving his life to the Lord, and asking for forgiveness...!!
I wonder if we started an effort to pray for his salvation...
You make perfect sense, dammit.
I hope the public will see thru the charade.
Moore's only hours away from buying a Camero, a ranch in Waco, some illegal automatic weapons and preaching about Seals in the Bible.
Stick around, next week Michael Moore will declared he's god.
Moore's only hours away from buying a Camero, a ranch in Waco, some illegal automatic weapons and preaching about Seals in the Bible.
Onyx, dear lady, is this not the most perfectly vomitous thing you have ever read?
I was speaking figuratively.
So am I.
I truly fear the next 4 years if, God forbid, W loses.
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