Posted on 09/15/2004 8:39:25 AM PDT by batter
Controversial filmmaker and anti-Iraq war activist Michael Moore is coming to Utah.
Moore will speak at Utah Valley State College on October 20th -- just before the presidential election.
"TO GET HIM TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE ELECTION TO COME TO UTAH TO OUR COLLEGE, I THINK IS A BIG DEAL AND IT'S REALLY EXCITING FOR US."
But some students are not as excited to see the filmmaker --- who is best known for the documentary Fahrenheit 9-11 -- which heavily criticizes the Bush administration.
Jordan Gunderson, UVSC Student: "HE DOESN'T REPRESENT THE VALUES THAT WE HAVE HERE ON CAMPUS, SO I DON'T KNOW WHY WE SHOULD PAY FOR SOMEONE'S AGENDA TO COME, WHEN HE SHOULD PROBABLY COME FOR FREE."
Moore will speak at noon on the 20th.
Students will be able to hear him free -- but others will have to pay.
Of course this is on a Monday. There is no way I can get out of work for it either!
Whoever chooses to go be sure to read up on this: Fifty-nine Deceits in Fahrenheit 911 (Click on the link to the actuall page for all 59) - I suggest that you pick out a few of the best points so that you can nail his 'followers', should you be confronted. Also, remember to wear nice clothes (let's differentiate ourselves from the liberal slob crowd).
"TO GET HIM TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE ELECTION TO COME TO UTAH TO OUR COLLEGE, I THINK IS A BIG DEAL AND IT'S REALLY EXCITING FOR US."
Really? What's so exciting to here a one sided smear speach from a guy who doesn't give two craps about the country you live in? I hope some students have the guts to stand out in protest of this, I have a feeling there will be.
Hey Provo, be warned - if you feed him, you'll never get rid of him.
Moderator,
My bust, missed the profanity.
Mea Culpa.
'Fahrenheit 9/11' director steaming up Utah County
Maybe Utah is back in play.
OK, maybe not. But two weeks before the presidential election, maverick filmmaker Michael Moore will break away from the swing-state Bush-bashing circuit to speak at Utah Valley State College - one of the most conservative campuses in one of the most conservative counties of one of the most conservative states in the country.
Some segue.
Political invective aside, it may be the first time that a sitting American president gets lashed, lambasted and lampooned from the podium of Orem's David O. McKay Events Center.
"He went to the Republican convention," UVSC spokesman Derek Hall said. "This has got to be a friendly place compared to that."
Don't count on it.
Joe Vogel, vice president of academics for UVSC's student government, helped persuade the student council to blow its entire $50,000 lecture budget to lure the activist moviemaker.
Since announcing the "Fahrenheit 9/11" director's Oct. 20 visit, Vogel has felt the heat. He has been barraged by scathing e-mails and buried in handwritten letters protesting Moore's appearance.
Flint, Mich., this ain't.
"Maybe I need a couple of bodyguards," Vogel joked.
With phones ringing wildly in the background Tuesday, student body President Jim Bassi acknowledged that the community is upset, "but we expected this."
"It's a viewpoint that isn't introduced in Utah often, if ever."
Count Sean Vreeland, a UVSC senior and Army reservist who spent five months in Afghanistan, is among those who plan to boycott the documentarian turned cult figure.
"For this uneducated, sophomoric-level guy, this fascist coming to speak to these students . . . the priorities are definitely skewed," he said. "And I think it's wrong."
J.C. Smoot, a member of the College Republicans who worked on Jon Huntsman Jr.'s gubernatorial campaign, said the campus is "kind of in disbelief."
"I don't know how big of a welcome Michael Moore will get coming to Happy Valley," he said.
Free admission should entice UVSC students, while the public will be asked to fork out $5 to $10 to see who Hall called the "most polarizing" speaker the school has ever invited.
Moore follows guests such as Bill Bennett, Barbara Bush, Alan Keyes, Gordon B. Hinckley and even the Dalai Lama in addressing the 8,000-seat arena.
Vogel expects an intense setting - and the college expects sizable protests - because of the timing of the visit, but "do I think he's going to swing the vote in Utah? Probably not."
Nonetheless, Zachary Fraser, a senior working for the Provo Angels, thinks attracting someone of Moore's caliber is positive for the fast-growing school. "There's no doubt he is a big name right now," Fraser said. "From the perspective of putting UVSC on the map, I think it's great."
Even so, Stan Lockhart, former Utah County Republican chairman, criticized the school. "Michael Moore has slandered the president in every way possible and here they are bringing him to speak two weeks before the election," he said. "It's regrettable that they use it for political purposes."
Vreeland said the bigger sin is spending $50,000 when the library "is in shambles" and student fees could be used for much-needed parking.
"Parents paying [for their children's college] ought to know this is where their money is going," he said. "It doesn't make sense to spend my hard-earned money on a non-educated, negative person."
"They'll be shocked by some things and I think it might make them question some things," Vogel said. "It's good for college students to have an open mind. If nothing else, by bringing Michael Moore here, that will be accomplished."
He's got balls as big as his fat head going to UTAH of all places!
$50,000??? What a waste of good money. and what a bastard he is for accepting the money. I can't wait to see the look on Vogel's face when Bush kicks Kerry's butt in Nov,I'm sure the school will think twice about pulling that stunt again.
I agree, this shouldn't come from student body funds unless the majority want it.
I was hoping you'd say something like, "There ain't enough room in this town for the both of us."
Print out a whole bunch of those 59 deceit articles and hand them out outside of the Moore event. You guys need to Freep the living heck out of that event.
Let's use this tread as an organizational thread for the Utah freepers. I really want to go, but am 99% sure that I can not get out of work for it.
What are some sign ideas? We need to be careful not to go 'over the top' with the signs or else the media will portray us as loopy as he is.
Sure MM needs another 50 Grand to prepare for his next attack on America. I heard one of his school chums exclaim that he was a fat blowhard as a school student, and hasn't changed over time. I don't have a difficult time believing what he said. Then I hear people say "all you have to do is watch and you will be convinced", and I say no I won't, I know what kind of person he is, and what kind of stuff he is shoveling, and no amount of information to the contrary is going to change truth or the facts in the case. Why waste my time. Too bad some have to punish themselves and others by wasting money and time and may still not get it.
Here's the direct link to the 59 Deceits page
On the left side of the page there is a link to a "Four Page" summary sheet which could be handed out or used as a quick counter-point refernce for the press or his entourage.
Here's the direct link to the 59 Deceits page
On the left side of the page there is a link to a "Four Page" summary sheet which could be handed out or used as a quick counter-point refernce for the press or his entourage.
Pretty busy this morning, just have time to check in for a minute or two once in awhile, but I'll get with you later. I almost certainly will be going to this if someone will organize a FReep.
Thanks for the post. I just emailed my family in the Utah Valley. I have a nephew that's a student at UVSC.
A wish I was going to be in Utah ping!
C'mon up, we've got plenty of room :-)
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