Farenheit 9/11
Tonight I met up with a group of folks, 8 of us in all, to have dinner then see Farenheit 9/11. For those of you out there that haven't heard of this, it's Michael Moore's documentary about Bush, the war on Iraq, Terrorism and much much more. I added a handy link in the title to the movie's website if you'd like to see a trailer or find out more about it. I also just read some news blurbs on Michael Moore's website about how the demand for the film was so high opening night in NYC that they decided to show the film all night long! As it was they were showing it every 45 min.
I loved this film for so many reasons. It touched me, made me laugh out loud, shocked me at times, and made me understand some things so much more than I had before. It's hard to describe everything that happened in this movie since there was so many points made, and I really think people need to see it for themselves and take away what they will from it.
A few movie points:
- The Bush Family's connection to the Bin Laden Family
- The Bush Family's connection to Saudi Arabia
- The senseless and needless killing of Iragi Civillians (very emotional)
- Poor families being pushed into enlisting since there are no other jobs for them
- The manipulation of the last election, and why Gore should have won
- Families who lose children over in Iraq
- Haliburton, Enron, The Carlyle Group and so many other companies in this war for profit
I could go on all night! Just take some time and go see it. Some of my friends wondered what it would be like to see this film in an area or with a crowd that isn't particularly pro-democrat or liberal. I'm not sure that anyone who wasn't that would go see the movie in the first place. There was definitely moments of applause and cheers during the film that made you realize exactly where most of the people in that theater stood.
I didn't vote for Bush in the last election and I sure as heck am not going to vote for him in the next election. I voted for Gore, not Nader or any other candidate. While I understand the points of view of folks voting for people like Nader or other candidates, I want Bush out of the white house so badly that I can only vote for Kerry in the next election. Absolutely.
Also, another point brought up tonight. Why does this film have an R rating? It totally didn't deserve it. There was nothing in that film that we hadn't already seen on the internet or on the news. Oh and remind me never to watch Fox News again, amongst other things. Yeeesh. Watching that film made me afraid for America. Afraid about who controls this country and how much money is changing hands at that level. Very afraid. If this film isn't showing in your area it will come out on DVD in September. If it is showing, get off your butt and go see it! Sorry for the sparse commentary. Tomorrow's an early morning, and I'm not one to argue politics, particularly at 1 something AM...
Synopsis of the movie from the Farenheit 9/11 website:
"One of the most controversial and provocative films of the year, Fahrenheit 9/11 is Academy Award-winning filmmaker Michael Moore's searing examination of the Bush administration's actions in the wake of the tragic events of 9/11.
With his characteristic humor and dogged commitment to uncovering the facts, Moore considers the presidency of George W. Bush and where it has led us. He looks at how - and why - Bush and his inner circle avoided pursuing the Saudi connection to 9/11, despite the fact that 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudis and Saudi money had funded Al Qaeda. Fahrenheit 9/11 shows us a nation kept in constant fear by FBI alerts and lulled into accepting a piece of legislation, the USA Patriot Act, that infringes on basic civil rights. It is in this atmosphere of confusion, suspicion and dread that the Bush Administration makes its headlong rush towards war in Iraq ?and Fahrenheit 9/11 takes us inside that war to tell the stories we haven't heard, illustrating the awful human cost to U.S. soldiers and their families."
I spent about 5 years living in Flint, Michigan when I was in elementary school. I can't believe how much its changed since I was there, when it was a thriving community with jobs. It's povery stricken now with an official unemployment rate of 17% and as one woman in the film stated, a rate that's actually closer to 50%. Unreal. Most of the kids in that town wind up enlisting as a means to get to school or a better life. Now those kids are over in Iraq being killed for no reason. That's something everyone should think about and be aware about.
Be sure to visit the website for the film. It has some great resources on there.
I loved this film for so many reasons. It touched me, made me laugh out loud, shocked me at times, and made me understand some things so much more than I had before. It's hard to describe everything that happened in this movie since there was so many points made, and I really think people need to see it for themselves and take away what they will from it.
A few movie points:
- The Bush Family's connection to the Bin Laden Family
- The Bush Family's connection to Saudi Arabia
- The senseless and needless killing of Iragi Civillians (very emotional)
- Poor families being pushed into enlisting since there are no other jobs for them
- The manipulation of the last election, and why Gore should have won
- Families who lose children over in Iraq
- Haliburton, Enron, The Carlyle Group and so many other companies in this war for profit
I could go on all night! Just take some time and go see it. Some of my friends wondered what it would be like to see this film in an area or with a crowd that isn't particularly pro-democrat or liberal. I'm not sure that anyone who wasn't that would go see the movie in the first place. There was definitely moments of applause and cheers during the film that made you realize exactly where most of the people in that theater stood.
I didn't vote for Bush in the last election and I sure as heck am not going to vote for him in the next election. I voted for Gore, not Nader or any other candidate. While I understand the points of view of folks voting for people like Nader or other candidates, I want Bush out of the white house so badly that I can only vote for Kerry in the next election. Absolutely.
Also, another point brought up tonight. Why does this film have an R rating? It totally didn't deserve it. There was nothing in that film that we hadn't already seen on the internet or on the news. Oh and remind me never to watch Fox News again, amongst other things. Yeeesh. Watching that film made me afraid for America. Afraid about who controls this country and how much money is changing hands at that level. Very afraid. If this film isn't showing in your area it will come out on DVD in September. If it is showing, get off your butt and go see it! Sorry for the sparse commentary. Tomorrow's an early morning, and I'm not one to argue politics, particularly at 1 something AM...
Synopsis of the movie from the Farenheit 9/11 website:
"One of the most controversial and provocative films of the year, Fahrenheit 9/11 is Academy Award-winning filmmaker Michael Moore's searing examination of the Bush administration's actions in the wake of the tragic events of 9/11.
With his characteristic humor and dogged commitment to uncovering the facts, Moore considers the presidency of George W. Bush and where it has led us. He looks at how - and why - Bush and his inner circle avoided pursuing the Saudi connection to 9/11, despite the fact that 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudis and Saudi money had funded Al Qaeda. Fahrenheit 9/11 shows us a nation kept in constant fear by FBI alerts and lulled into accepting a piece of legislation, the USA Patriot Act, that infringes on basic civil rights. It is in this atmosphere of confusion, suspicion and dread that the Bush Administration makes its headlong rush towards war in Iraq ?and Fahrenheit 9/11 takes us inside that war to tell the stories we haven't heard, illustrating the awful human cost to U.S. soldiers and their families."
I spent about 5 years living in Flint, Michigan when I was in elementary school. I can't believe how much its changed since I was there, when it was a thriving community with jobs. It's povery stricken now with an official unemployment rate of 17% and as one woman in the film stated, a rate that's actually closer to 50%. Unreal. Most of the kids in that town wind up enlisting as a means to get to school or a better life. Now those kids are over in Iraq being killed for no reason. That's something everyone should think about and be aware about.
Be sure to visit the website for the film. It has some great resources on there.
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Great post. I was going to write up a post but I think I'll just comment on yours and then put a link to it on my blog. First I enjoyed the film for all the reasons anyone should enjoy a documentary. It reinforced things I already suspected but was too lazy to investigate myself; like that Bush stole the 2000 election. It also surprised me with information that I did not know, like how at the senate hearing on the fairness of the Florida vote counting and how when members of the communities that where affected by the not counting of votes, petitioned to have a recount done, they were all denied because not one senator would sign or back their argument. What the fuck happened to the democratic senators on this day, Like our own Barbara Boxer? Un-F'ing-believable! This is why I voted for Nader in the 2000 election and I will probably do the same this time around. The argument that Nader cost Gore the election and therefore is responsible for Bush's election > The lax security that allowed the 9/11 attacks > The war in Iraq > and the general F'd up state we now find ourselves in is just a load of shit. The reasons Gore lost the election are
1. He was a shitty candidate who only got the nomination because he was the vice president and there was no other democrat even remotely popular enough to challenge him. The democrats figured (incorrectly) that anyone could continue the momentum that got Clinton into the Whitehouse.
2. The Electors of the state of Florida were stolen by the republican governor (Jeb Bush).
I do not believe that the President or the Republican party is solely responsible for allowing the 9/11 attacks or for the war in Iraq. I believe that our government as a whole and our two-party system is what brought us to where we are now. I have voted and will continue vote for a new alternative in government representation. I wonder to myself now what would have happened if there had been a Green Party senator in that session where people from those Florida districts needed just one senate signature to force a recount of the results in Florida? I may have voted for the democratic presidential candidate if Howard Dean had won the nomination but with John Kerry, who voted in favor of the invasion, I don't see how anything will change in regards to our presence in Iraq. He's already stated that he wouldn't pull troops out of Iraq. We are there now, we'll probably stay there for years to come and the number of dead US soldiers and Iraq civilians is going to get higher. Oh and there shouldn't be any question about whether Al-Qaeda is in Iraq. They are and we brought them there. I'm just glad I'm not an Iraqi. Sucks to be them!
BTW: You are so not going to get up in time to make your morning workout. ;j
1. He was a shitty candidate who only got the nomination because he was the vice president and there was no other democrat even remotely popular enough to challenge him. The democrats figured (incorrectly) that anyone could continue the momentum that got Clinton into the Whitehouse.
2. The Electors of the state of Florida were stolen by the republican governor (Jeb Bush).
I do not believe that the President or the Republican party is solely responsible for allowing the 9/11 attacks or for the war in Iraq. I believe that our government as a whole and our two-party system is what brought us to where we are now. I have voted and will continue vote for a new alternative in government representation. I wonder to myself now what would have happened if there had been a Green Party senator in that session where people from those Florida districts needed just one senate signature to force a recount of the results in Florida? I may have voted for the democratic presidential candidate if Howard Dean had won the nomination but with John Kerry, who voted in favor of the invasion, I don't see how anything will change in regards to our presence in Iraq. He's already stated that he wouldn't pull troops out of Iraq. We are there now, we'll probably stay there for years to come and the number of dead US soldiers and Iraq civilians is going to get higher. Oh and there shouldn't be any question about whether Al-Qaeda is in Iraq. They are and we brought them there. I'm just glad I'm not an Iraqi. Sucks to be them!
BTW: You are so not going to get up in time to make your morning workout. ;j
Although Michael Moore didn't talk about it in his film, there were votes that Nader took in the Florida election that could have helped Gore win regardless of the discounted votes that caused him to lose. I understand why you might want to vote for Nader but a vote for Nader in my opinion is a vote for Bush. You're splitting the vote of the democratic party and if a lot of folks vote like you, the democrats won't have the votes it needs for Kerry to win and for Bush to be gone.
You know what though... California is a democratic state. So vote for Nader because CA will go to the democrats anyways. Just like in Virginia, its a Republican state. So no matter what my dad or stepmom votes, that state always goes to the Republicans. That's the electoral college for ya.
You are fooling yourself. First a vote for Nader is not a vote for Bush, it's a vote for Nader, just that. The lesser of two evils is still evil. If you don't vote your conscience then you are doing the whole democratic process a disservice. Second, electing a democratic president is not going to get us out of Iraq any sooner. I think no matter who the next president is he will go down in history as having lost the war in Iraq. Finally, you're absolutely correct in that no matter what I vote, California will go to the democrat but I will vote anyway because I consider my vote a form of protest of the two party system and having lost will give me the right to bitch and moan all the way until the next election. Yeah!
It's true. Voting for Kerry is voting for the lesser of the two evils. I'll give you that. But I still hate Bush more and I'd still rather have the lesser of the two evils then the most evil one of all being President. Screwy logic I know but that's what works. I know that without trying to make change, change can never happen but people are so very set in their ways, its tough to change the process that we have in place. I'm not sure what it's going to take really. But then again I'm still somewhat surprised about who we have for Governor too. Not that his competition in the last election was good enough to stand up to him, but it was still surprising.
