I felt like it was two movies. It started out being a documentary on the cronyism and greed
but then became this anti-war thing. The first part was good, it got you mad, but the anti-war
part of it was emotionally devastating.  I couldn’t stop crying.  The woman who lost her son was
no different than any republican conservative, (except for the fact that she obviously wasn’t a racist).
If any Bush conservatives do suck it up to see the movie, they’ll totally relate to her.

Moore’s gift is he manages to find the perfect person to make his point. In the Columbine movie,
it was the kids with the bullets still in them. In this one, it was the mother of a dead soldier.  She’s a gem.

It’s the morning after and I STILL feel like crying.

I was listening to Howard Stern the other day and one of the guys, I think it was Gary, said that he
had been on the fence about voting for Bush, but after seeing the movie he had a reason to vote against him.

I guess that pretty much says it all.

-the Vidiot

I managed to see it a the only theater in Boston showing it, The Loews on the Common.
The first 3 shows were sold out but I managed to squeak into a matinee today; the screening room was packed!
 
I won't put any spoilers in here, only to say, this has to be one of his best and hardest hitting documentaries yet,
and I have collected every work of his so far that's on video and in print.
 
I can see why the radcons do not want the masses to see this film. Unlike the Rovian tactics of faking photos
(Kerry and Jane Fonda) Moore just presents the awful truth; it's like holding up a highly polished mirror in front
of the Bush gang, that clearly shows how ugly, corrupt and downright patholical they are.
 
As with all of Michael's work, I laughed, I felt like crying, I wanted to throw my shoe at the screen.
It was like an hour and a half ride on the Superman roller coaster at Six Flags New England.
 
I went to see it alone, but I'd recommend going with friends or loved ones, as you're going to want
to talk about this film after you've seen it.
 
I can't wait for it "hopefully" to be released on video, as it is definitely something I want to add to my video collection.
I want to go see it again in the theater after the crowds have thinned out a bit. I hope it stays around for a long run.
 
The only dark note: I was talking with a guy and his wife while we waited to get into the theater. He saw it last night
and was seeing again, this time with his wife. He asked me if I heard that the right wing is already in the process of
producing "10" documentaries for release late this Summer and Fall, all aimed at discrediting Michael Moore.
 
The bottom line! see it!
God bless Michael Moore.
 
Shalom, Ray
 
John Bigboote's Area51
"If it's out there, it's in here"
http://users.rcn.com/bigbooty/

In Houston, we laughed at the Smirking Goober every time Moore showed him lying, pandering,
or just being his old idiot self. We laughed at everything Moore showed about Bush's "base"
except at the point where Michael Moore mentioned Houston as the center of the BFEE.
hen we all sorta shut up. That's our hometown he was showing up as the homebase where
men plan to profit from the death of others.

Our audience never booed the president. He is literally beneath contempt. The only time we booed
was when Britney Spears smacked her gum and said we should "trust the president completely."
We weren't booing her politics, I don't think, only her foolishness. But for the most part we just sat quietly, shocked.

For some in the audience it was shock at seeing all the facts finally put forth. For me, I was shocked
to finally see someone put out in public all the stuff I've been reading on Bartcop, Democratic Underground,
Common Dreams, and just a few other alternate sources.

I don't think I learned anything new at Farhenheit 9/11, but it was gratifying to see
so many people in "Bush Country" see the truth laid out so eloquently.

=====

Bucky Rea,
A Brown Bag Blog
http://www.brownbagblog.com

Farenheit 911: Stunning!

At 3:25 Saturday afternoon, in Lubbock, Texas, the theater is full!
Several moments of stunned silence.....you could hear a pin drop.

Moments of comic relief were welcomed, and Moore delivers with deadpan dead-on accuracy.
Not a whole lot in it that I did not know already, but seeing it all tied together simply takes my breath away.
 
A wealthy, powerful family reaching across this nation and across the world, is using the military might
of the Great United States of America as its own mercenary force.
 
Nothing but jaw-dropping.
 
And the willing young men and women who they are using to do their work are coming out of the ghetto,
barrio, trailer parks, and broken down neighborhoods in cities like Flint, Michigan. I look at the faces of
this same type of young boy sitting in my classroom. These are the ones that will be going.
 
This is huge, criminal, evil. They dare not bring on a draft.
Will we sit by and let this continue? My heart shudders thinking

ab

I just came from seeing F/911. First, superlatives....brilliant, shocking, horrifying, amazing, got a standing O
from the audience and for good reason. Excellent information (although any reader of BartCop knows most
of this information already). But there's something about seeing it on film......makes it even scarier.

But also the emotions --- I am overwhelmed. Yes, I laughed (the kind of laugh that one has when sharing an
open secret about a third person who is an idiot - wink wink nudge nudge). Yes, I cried. Damned good thing
I'd picked up some extra napkins with the $3.00 hot dog. In fact, even after I left the movie and was driving home,
as I thought about Mrs. Lipscomb, I cried again. I still feel like crying. I feel an immense sadness at her loss and the
losses of so many other families. Such a terrible waste and for no good or decent or even vaguely just reason.
I feel sad for my country, too.

But what I am more than anything is ANGRY. I got angrier with every passing moment of the film. It got to the point
that every time I saw bush on screen, I muttered "fucking asshole", only I got louder each time. I was angry before the film,
but it is so powerful in it's images, the sounds, the obvious evidence of the incredible HUBRIS of the bush family and the
administration, I felt my blood pressure rising with each scene. Angry doesn't really even begin to say it. I am almost
breathless with anger and indignation, yes, and I consider it a righteous anger. That the bush family can do what they've
done simply proves, to me, there is no god. No just god could allow these people to thrive.

Everyone should see this film. Challenge all the monkey mailers out there to see it THEN come into the chat room to debate.
I hope many millions of people see this film. I can't imagine anyone with even an ounce of brains being able to defend bush
and company after seeing it. It is, in my view, one of the most important films ever.

I WANT TO SCREAM AT BUSH "BURN, MOTHEREFFER, BURN". If he were here, I'd slap him as hard as I could
(and I consider myself a pacifist). It is unreal that he hasn't been impeached yet. It is unbelievable that the bushes and their
evil greedy cronies get away with so much and with so little outrage from most Americans. That's why I love your site.
You keep swinging, bart, HARD. We need you more than ever.

It's time to take back our country.
We might be able to do that with Michael Moore's (and your) help.
thanks

sarah aka ducks

I saw the movie last night in Warwick RI at the 10PM show.  It was sold out.  So was the previous show.
From the looks of the line, the midnight show was, too.

It's a very funny, disquieting, and, most importantly, deeply moving film.  The contrast of an Iraqi woman's agony
over her lost family and home and an American mother trying to come to terms with her grief over her lost son
are among the most moving and wrenching scenes I've experienced in a film in my 57 years.

Audiences members openly wiped tears from their eyes.
At the end, the entire crowd spontaneously burst into applause.
Here's to the truth!

PV

Hey Bart!
I saw Fahrenheit 9/11 in Spokane, WA. It was playing
at  the Riverpark Square theater downtown, the only
place it was showing in a city of 200,000. I had to
park a mile away and make my way through a downtown
crowded for the annual Hoopfest. I went to a 1 PM
matinee and it was packed!

After watching it, as I walked back to my car, I
couldn't shake the imagery from my mind. The scenes
with the lady from Michigan who lost her son in Iraq
were nothing less than heartwrenching, her loss is the
loss of us all. As she read his last letter home
damning Bush, the audience broke out into applause.
The images of the Iraqi women grieving for her dead
family tore my heart out as well, as did the Iraqi man
screaming at the camera after loading a dead Iraqi
child onto a truck.

The scene where the roadside bomb went off made me
flinch although I had previously seen that footage on
TV. The gasps of horror throughout the audience was
louder than I had ever heard in a movie theater,
because the horror was real and not scripted.

Moore has created an agitprop tour-de-force. I have
always been against the Thief-in-Chief,and for me
personally, I didn't learn anything that I didn't
already know but coming out of the theater I was more
angry at the media that soft-pedalled the incompetency
of the Shrub Junta and for acting as cheerleaders for
this goddamned war. I also felt angry at my fellow
Americans who have theri heads in the sand and are
oblivious to what is going on over there in Iraq,
preferring to drown it out with ESPN and mindless
entertainment.

In closing, this movie is a must see. When it comes
out on DVD in September, everyone should get a copy
and show it to everybody else that hasn't seen it.

Thanks!
Marty in Spokane

Dear Bartcop,

    I saw Fahrenheit 9/11 on Friday night in Tom DeLay's home district of Sugar Land, TX.
HUGE crowd inside the theatre, by the time it started the only seats left were in the very front.

    Now, I CANNOT stress this enough, but it is the duty of every American to see this film.
Whether you are a liberal or a conservative, you will learn a lot.  Michael Moore does have
an agenda (he said so on The Daily Show Thursday), but he doesn't start drawing conclusions
until after he gives the facts, and the facts are irrefutable.

    I saw this film and I wanted to vomit.  It is painful to think of what the SOB Bush and his
band of thugs have done to this great country.  And Michael Moore gives you ALL the facts:
the Bush-Saud-Bin Laden links, the ineffectiveness on 9-11, the ties to Big Oil, the botching
of Afghanistan, the rush to invade Iraq, and the human costs of it all.  Moore knows how to hit
all the big spots, and he knows how to show you the emotional toll all of this is taking on all of us.

    I would like to specifically mention two moments in the film.  The first, following the credits,
recounts the events of the morning of 9-11.  The attacks are not shown, they are heard against
a black screen.  Yes, the sounds of the first jetliner hitting the WTC (from the French documentary
filmmakers), and then the sounds of the second jet hitting the other tower.  I think it is more powerful
to do it against a black screen.  We all have our memories of that morning.  We all felt the horror,
the fear, the helplessness.  And it is vividly brought back by doing it in the dark.

It has been nearly three years since the attacks, but it still feels like yesterday.  The second moment
was when Lila Lipscomb, a woman from Flint, MI, who lost her son in Iraq, goes to Washington DC
and the White House.  She lost her son in April this year, and she goes to the white House to get
some sense of release.  After speaking to a woman who is protesting the war, a right-wing monkey
tries to deride Lila for being anti-war.  There is a verbal confrontation.  The monkey tells Lila,
"Blame al-Qaeda".  Lila walks away and notes that this monkey is just another one of the walking blind,
someone who has no idea of the truth.

    The film got a LOUD ovation after it ended.  I am glad I saw it opening night.
And it should be everyone's duty who sees this movie to get someone else to see it,
and then they should get someone to see it, and so on.

Daniel in H-Town

I saw Fahrenheit 911 yesterday with other Tulsa liberals.  It was
wonderful!  There was applause all through the movie, and a standing
ovation at the end, even though Michael Moore wasn't here to see it.  He
showed many things that the general public is not aware of, and he
connected the dots between the Bush family and the Saudi royal family,
including the Bin Laden's.  I was surprised to learn that the Bin Laden
family was a major investor in Harkin Petroleum, and the Saudis have
investments in many U.S. businesses amounting to hundreds of billions.
Of course, 15 of the 19 terrorists on 9/11 were Saudis.  There's lots
more.  This is a must-see film, and take a friend who may be on the fence
politically.  This will open their eyes to the corruption bordering on
treason and the blatant arrogance of this administration.

sanitee

Hey Bart.
Saw F-911 last night IN TEXAS and it was sweet!

The film, without question, is a comedy -- a comedy starring a bunch of clowns who've fooled a country
into thinking that this war is just and that 9-11 happened "out of the blue."  Great choice of music, incredible
irony, a blatant display of hipocrisy from our "leaders" ... no, not hipocrisy ... downright lies.

Someone in the news had said that this film will make you angry -- angry at Bush or angry at Michael Moore.
Well, in Dallas, I was prepared to hear right-wingers attending under the cloak of curiosity, making snide remarks
and even booing.  You know, there were one or two who grumbled and said "this is bullshit" but they were VERY few.

There wer also 4 Dallas police officers throughout the night "eyeing" the crowds.  I just grinned.  One thing about
the loud right -- they only function in numbers.  By themselves, they're meek and harmless.  If there were any,
I didn't hear them.  They were overwhelmingly silenced by the loud laughter, applause and yes, another standing-O
when the movie concluded.  The audience applauded at every chance, starting with the throwing of an egg at the
presidential limo during the inauguration "parade."

Shots of Bush getting his hair done before he addressed the nation was priceless.  You saw the smirk for what he is
-- CLUELESS!  Paul Wolfowitz putting a comb to his mouth, spitting on his hand and combing that greasy coiffe
was even funnier.  There was Condi, Colon, Cheney ... all caught in lies lies lies.  The Saudi connection to Saudi Arabia
and the BFEE connections to oil money are made perfectly clear, in language that even the indifferent could understand.
The most moving part was the saga of a military mom who was so proud of her military family -- how she, as a self-proclaimed
conservative democrat -- believed that it was a moral and patriotic obligation to serve and how seeing the protesters hurt her
and the troops.  That was, until she learned that her son was killed in Iraq.  Boy did her face and attitude change.

Typically antagonistic, funny, facetious, Michael Moore has created a movie that doesn't disappoint.  People outside the
theater were asking (both before and after) about the movie.  I took every opportunity to let them know that once they
see the movie, they will be very angry -- even angrier -- at GWB.  Shows have been sold out, the theater was full
(though showing it on only one screen will prove to be a mistake by the movie house owners).  There are some graphic
war images -- as they should be -- and the sighs, gasps, tears from the audience told me that the movie had made an impact.

The best?  Deep in the heart of Texas, a standing ovation for a film that hopefully has awakened the conscience of
the clueless, reaffirmed the mission for this November's ouster of this fool.  The detractors, critics, character assassins
have their guns loaded.  Right-wing talk radio here has been all over this movie, trying to discredit it big time ... but you
can hear a quiver in their voices.  They are SCARED.

I didn't want to give you a scene-by-scene description because you will have seen the movie by the time you read this,
but I want to let you know that even here in Texas, the lines are long, the movie theaters are full, the audience is engaged
and hopefully awakened.  THIS movie will be bigger than we think.  If the FEC is looking at this (at the behest of the GOP)
as a possible violation of campaign finance laws if the commercials for it are shown, we know it has touched the right nerves
-- hopfully rattled them.

I'm going to see it again this weekend.
Got to take new friends each time.

Thanks Bart.
Mike in Dallas

 A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to F911
 
I am a fan of your site and would like to submit this as a review of not only the film but as a definition of patriotism:
 
On Saturday, my husband and I, excited to see F911, left our kids with a babysitter and traveled the 50 miles
to the nearest Cineplex. We live in a Podunk town but were relieved to see that the film was playing in  Davenport, Iowa,
across the border from Illinois.

When we arrived, 40 minutes early, we saw a local news crew, a young man and woman, standing outside the theater,
obviously waiting to get people as they came out of the noon showing of F911.

"Let's go in and then come out again and pretend we saw the movie. We can give it a great review," I joked to my husband,
who didn't particularly care for the idea.  Instead we picked up our tickets, grabbed a hot dog and waited for the movie to let out.

When some people finally came out, we looked at their faces trying to gauge their reaction to the film. Their expressions
were undistinguishable. But when a young couple were wrangled outside by the news crew, I rushed out the door hoping
to hear what they would say about the film.  From the distance, I saw the woman mouth the words, "really great movie."
While it's not technically a movie, (film would have been a better word) I was happy to report back to my husband.
"They gave it a good review."

After our hotdogs, we wandered outside having still a few minutes to kill.
The two news people were standing idly nearby, having picked the wrong exit to set up shop.

"What are people saying about the film?" I called out to them. (I am not shy)
"They like it," said a burly young kid, holding the camera.
"I'm not a huge fan of Michael Moore," I called back, "but I am betting this film will be great."
"Why do you think this film will be great?" The kid asked.

"Because George W. Bush is the worst president in the history of the United States," I called back.
The words, "not a  huge fan of Michael Moore," and "worst president in the history of the United States"
seemed of great interest to them. The young news anchor began to approach us.

"Are you liberal?" She asked me.
"Very liberal." I told her. (And thanks to the internet, no longer afraid to admit it.)
What ensued was a conversation about why Bush was such a bad president, the "liberal media,"
Cheney's F-bomb, and how Gore has gone over the edge.

After a few minutes it became obvious that they were Bush fans.
"He's the most secretive president ever, even worse than Nixon," I said.
The young woman was not convinced. "All President's are secretive," she stated.
"He lies," I said.

Again, she was not deterred. "All Presidents lie," she argued summoning Clinton's ghost and his lies about sex.
"No one died over Clinton's lies," my husband said.

I told them that unlike a majority of people, I was a news junkie who got my news from the internet.
"The internet?" The guy asked incredulously.

I told him I had no other choice because television news was a joke. Fox had pulled it so far to the right it was no longer news.
"But the media is liberal," he said, citing the poll conducted recently that says most reporters are liberal.
"Are you kidding me? Have you read Eric Alterman's What Liberal Media?"

In addition, I assured him that while reporters may be liberal, their editors weren't. "A majority of those editors
and newspaper owners are conservative. And the right wing echo chamber has bashed the media, labeling it as left
so often, that reporters are now reporting to the right of center just to prove them wrong," I told him.
"Liberal media is a myth. It does not exist."

"What about the New York Times?" He countered.
I laughed. "Did you read the Time's mea culpa a few weeks ago?"
It was clear he had not.

"They were forced to apologize for their drumbeat leading us into this war. Judith Miller used Chalabi and little else as her source."
Once again the young woman, bless her heart, chimed in.

"A lot of newspapers used Chalabi as their source," she said. (The fact that a lot of people did things was apparently just fine with her)
"Not in the same capacity that Judith Miller did," I told her.

They were clearly out of their league arguing with my husband and I. I am sure they did not even know who Judith Miller was.
After more discussion, the young cameraman seemed uncomfortable and said they should go.
"Maybe you should get on the internet and get more informed," I told him before going into the Cineplex.
"Maybe I'll do that," he said bitterly.
"I hope so," I said sweetly.
My husband and I talked about the exchange. It was clear that they were not informed about what was going on
in this country. They were taken in by the right wing propaganda and had little interest in the truth.

"Sometimes it's a burden to know so much," I told my husband. "But I do what I do because I love my country
and I don't want to see it destroyed by Bush."

After the film, during which I laughed, I cried, and cried and cried, and got angry, my husband said.
"I guess I hate Bush a little more."
"Not me," I said sadly. "I hate him just the same."

What made Michael Moore want to do this documentary? That is the question people should ask.
What made my husband and I argue with two apparently clueless young people?
It is not because, as some would have us believe,  Michael Moore hates America.
On the contrary. Michael Moore is a great patriot. A great American.

My husband and I didn't seek out a heated discussion because we hate America.
We do so because we love our country and because we can't believe in the age of the internet,
and films like Moore's, there are still people so ignorant as to what is happening in their own country.
When the credits began to roll, people began to applause the film. In a moment of passion, I yelled out. "Vote John Kerry."
My husband smiled and shook his head.
"That took guts," he said.

I disagreed. No, it was love.
The same love that made me argue with those young kids and shout out to the people in the theater is the
same love I imagine  that Michael Moore must have felt when he made his film. It is a passion for our country,
a need to preserve democracy for our children, and the weariness and burden that comes with knowing too much.
 
Sincerely,
S. DeV
Illinois

A REVIEW OF FAHRENHEIT 9/11
By Heather
Phoenix, AZ
http://houndog2.blogspot.com

 You usually don' think of Arizona as a bastion of liberalism.   You think stately saguaro cactus,
the Grand Canyon and Barry Goldwater - Mr. Conservative.  However, after attending last night's
premier of Michael Moore's film "Fahrenheit 9/11" I have renewed hope that Arizona is coming
of age and becoming more liberal as the weeks wear on.

Our initial plan had been to go the Esplanade and get French pastries at Au Petit Four before the movie.
We were planning on attending the early showing thinking we wouldn't have a problem getting seats after
our bellies had been stuffed full of Napoleons.  I went to purchase the tickets online Thursday evening and
discovered that the early show was sold out but they had added a show in 2 theatres at 10:10.  I quickly got
my tickets and was instructed to get there 45 minutes early as the response to the movie had been overwhelming
and they were expecting a large crowd.  The husband and I definitely wanted to sit together so we got there at 9:30.

We were ushered to the line for the movie and it stretched outside and down the building.
We were at the "oh my God" corner.  As people came around the corner and saw the length
of the line they would all say "oh my God".

It was unlike anything I have seen - there were blue shirts galore as requested by Moveon.org.  There were
people in Kerry buttons,  "Lick Bush 2004" shirts, t-shirts with political statements and smiles upon all the faces
that came to get in line.  The 105 degree heat of the Phoenix night didn't deter anyone.  We all stood together
as one unified force with our common disgust at the Bush Administration.  Many us voiced our pleasure at seeing
such a turnout for this movie.  We anxiously waited being ushered into one of the 2 theatres to see it.  The husband
and I found excellent seats and the crowd was full of activist passing out literature and the demeanor of the theatre
was one of excitement and concerted anti-Bush fervor.

The movie began and it took a few minutes for the crowd to settle down.  Many were already shouting out loud
"Bush is a Fascist" and "Vote Kerry".  It took a few minutes and many shushes to get the capacity crowd quiet and focused on the film.

As the movie opens with the voice over of Moore saying he dreamed of the coup in Florida there were lots of laughs
and cheers.  It then goes into the cronies behind the Bush "win" in Florida and there were several gasps from the crowd
as the players were introduced and their connection to the Bush family explained.  I hadn’t seen before was footage of
the ratification of Bush’s election by the U.S. Congress. An election can be debated at the request of one senator and
one representative; 10 representatives rise to challenge it, but not a single senator. As Moore shows the challengers,
one after another, we cannot help noting that they are eight black women, one Asian woman and one black man.
They are all gaveled into silence by the chairman of the joint congressional session - Vice President Al Gore. The urgency
and futility of the scene reawaken old feelings for those who believe Bush is an illegitimate president and brought disgust
from the moviegoers.  It's a powerful scene.  It made me feel so ashamed of our elected officials.

Moore follows that up with reports of the threats of terrorism being communicated and in a very funny scene states
how Bush did what he thought best for America - to go on vacation.  The crowd gasped when the narration explained
how he was on vacation 42% of the time during his first year in office.  The scenes of him on his ranch, fishing and
playing golf while the Go-Go's song "Vacation" plays in the background is almost as funny as the quotes by Bush
himself talking about how he liked to go "dig in the dirt and look for bugs".  It was funny but also sad and illustrated
how out of touch and clueless the man really and truly is.  Malapropisms aside - we get a glimpse into how he works
and thinks - which is not often.

  It then moves to a black screen as the attacks of Sept. 11 occur and you hear only the sounds of the fateful day.
When images are then brought back we see only the faces and reactions of those on the ground and the aftermath.
The footage is beautifully shot and is extremely moving.  Without seeing the carnage the feelings of violation come
back and we realize how much that affected us all.

The following footage of Bush reading "My Pet Goat" to kindergartners is worth the ticket price alone.  You see him
sitting there for 7 minutes with a look of confusion knowing full well that he hasn't the slightest clue in the world what do to.
His handlers weren't with him.  He sat and stared at the kids and the look of sheer "DUH" on his face speaks volumes.
It also makes you wonder - where were his handlers? Where was the Secret Service?  Where was his BRAIN?
Was it still on vacation?

As an avid Buzzflash, Bartcop, DemoUnderground, Observer and other left wing websites I thought I had a grasp of
the magnitude of the cronyism.  I thought I knew how far this reached and my gut feelings bordered on being tin foil hat.
This movie illustrated to me how very little I really knew.  Moore examines the military records released by Bush to
explain his disappearance from the Texas Air National Guard, and finds that the name of another pilot has been blacked out.
This pilot, he learns, was Bush’s close friend James R. Bath, who became Texas money manager for the billionaire Bin Ladens.
As he showed up person after person affiliated with the Bush family and the Bin Ladens and the Saudis my mood was reflected
in the gasps and groans from the crowd.  Even more sickening was the how Just 6 weeks after 9-11, The Carlyle Group,
of which Bush Sr., Bush Jr., Baker and Cheney all were affiliated, filed to take subsidiary United Defense public and in
December made a one day profit of $237 million dollars.

I had no idea how much Saudi Arabia factored into this equation.  Or the Bin Ladens.  When the footage of the December 1997
visit by the Taliban delegation led by Mullah Muhammad Ghaus was presented it was unbelievable.  To think that Unocal had
brought these people in to talk business - knowing full well how they had harbored Bin Laden was a powerful message.
The further explanation of the oil pipeline through Afghanistan and how Kharzai himself had acted as a consultant for Unocal sickened me.

Most striking for my husband and I was the fact that there were FEWER troops sent to Afghanistan than there are police
officers in Manhattan.  Not all the boroughs of New York - just Manhattan.  That was a true indicator that this administration
never had any intention of going after Osama or dismantling the Taliban.  The pipeline was their only incentive to go in there
and once their puppet was propped up in power they shifted their focus to the bigger prize - Iraq.

The footage of Iraq was extremely powerful.  The scenes of happy Baghdad children and families before the "Shock and Awe"
only pointed out how heartless and wrong this war is.  The scenes of our young soldiers enjoying themselves at first is disturbing,
but as it goes on and their enthusiasm turns to frustration we realize how easily they are manipulated by the military.

Moore points out the recruiting techniques of our military - something those of us with sons in their late teens and early
twenties already knew.  However, them trolling the poor sections of Flynt, MI looking for the unemployed was truly revolting.
Of course it all makes sense when the numbers of soldiers needed to complete the occupation of Iraq is presented to us.

Perhaps most chilling is the mother who states early on that as a worker for a job referral service she suggests to many young
unemployed men and women that the military gives them a terrific opportunity to travel and get an education.  This is something
she had suggested to her own children.  One of her children had successfully fought in Desert Storm and she had a son who
was in the service and was going off to Iraq.  We see her talk of her pride of service by her children and how the protesters
are offensive to her.  However, we see firsthand her disillusionment and grief when her son is killed in Iraq.  As a mother of
a 19-year-old boy this hit me especially hard.  As she cried and read her last letter from her son there was not a dry eye in
the theatre.  So powerful was that image - an image that the Bush administration doesn't want us to see.  Later in the film
we see this same mother in Washington, D.C going to the White House to make sense of it all for herself.  As she sees a
protestor and is accosted by a right-winger telling her it's "all staged".  Her tearful response to the right-winger of "my son
DIED there....in Karbala" only to be told it was Al-Queda's fault is very moving.  It shows the magnitude of a mother's
grief and the extent of the ignorance of the America people as to why/who we are fighting in this war.

While some complain about Moore's lack of objectivity, others say the movie follows a tradition in documentary films
that shuns balance in favor of a strong point of view, a trend that has reemerged in recent years in part due to low-cost
digital filmmaking. Rick McKay, Emmy-winning director of "Broadway: The Golden Age," called documentaries a
"last bastion" of free speech.  Joel Bakan, co-writer of "The Corporation" and author of the Free Press book on which
that movie is based states it well.  "[Moore] does a brilliant job of taking a lot of information that's already been out there
and packaging it in a way that it's really hard to refute some of his arguments.   "Dissident documentary-film culture
... is kind of like Jell-O. The more you try to suppress it and push it down ... the more it's gonna ooze out between your fingers. "

The ooze is George W. Bush himself.

After the movie was over, the shell-shocked crowd left the theatre under the watchful eye of the police on duty.
More pamphlets and literature were handed out.  People gathered and many of us stood, shell-shocked, smoking cigarettes.
Mothers cried, young men yelled “Vote Bush Out”, upscale Democrats shook their heads in disbelief.  Our bond was great
– we had all witnessed a powerful piece of work by Michael Moore.  What we had seen was Moore more cautious here
than in the past, and we got an op-ed piece, not a standup routine.  This movie had changed us all.  Let us all hope that
more people see it and are changed for the better as we were.  The young men outside the theatre were right – we need
to vote Bush out.  Our democracy is at stake.

By Heather
Phoenix, AZ
http://houndog2.blogspot.com

EXCELLENT.AAAAA+ MUST SEE!!

Based on 100% facts and the documents to back them up.I already knew a good bit
of the documentary subjects.  But one fact interested me. The connection of James R. Bath,
Bush's guard duty buddy,in all of this.  Very interesting.

No untruths or conjecture in this film.I will return to see it again tomorrow and to hand out
"Anybody But Bush" bumper stickers. My wife loved it as all the ones attending did also.
I had cold chills after the film.  Everyone stood up and gave it a standing ovation.

I looked back over the crowd  after the film had ended.I noticed a mix of all, older (retired?),
blacks, whites, hispanics, young and singles/couples. A makeup of all.
This country has had enough.

Thanks Bartcop for your great site.
IPOC

Bart,
Viewed the first showing of the film at 1:00 pm. on Friday. The audience was filled to capacity.
As we arrived at the theater, a notice flashed that the seven and nine o'clock shows were already sold out.

This is, of course, Massachusetts.  As the film rolled on silent tears fell throughout the mixed age audience.
Nothing was new to me but the presentation created a one-two punch right to the gut.  Astonishing to see
first time footage of Bush's limo being pelted with eggs on the day of his Inauguration; to see Al Gore preside
over the Senate as minority Reps begged for just one senator's signature to discuss and delay the Supreme
Court's ruling given Florida to Bush; to see Bush sit in that Florida classroom for a full seven minutes after
learning that the second plane had hit the World Trade Center (the rest of the country in bits and pieces);
to see Prince Bandar and footage of handshakes and smiles of Pappa Bush and Jr. with the royal Sauds.
The audience clapped and roared at the end.  Many stood stunned.  Thank you, Michael Moore!
If it opens just one closed mind, it will be worth all the effort.
Nancy DuPont

It is a very powerful movie and, I think, very effective. For me, however, I was left fairly depressed after watching it.
It just emphasizes how sad a time this is for our country.  It reminded me of how I felt when the invasion of Iraq started.

The movie was not as harsh as I expected.  Based on preview publicity, I expected to see Moore bludgeon Bush.
Maybe it is because I am used to an even more incendiary style (you).

ha ha

I thought Moore could have been harder on Bush, and maybe I would have liked that,
but the subtle approach he uses is very effective.

The movie has a lot to say about the military.  For the most part,  Moore is very supportive and positive about the military.
He points out that their service is a gift to all of us.  And as part of the bargain we agree not to send them into action unnecessarily.

There are some gung ho soldiers who are allowed to speak for themselves.  Some of their comments do reflect badly on the
military and its attitude.  But, it is the soldiers themselves talking; not Moore.  There are many more soldiers who are shown in
a favorable light, whether in action, off duty, or wounded. The movie does criticize Democrats as well as Republicans.

For me, one of the most uncomfortable scenes was at the very beginning,  watching the proceedings from the House
of Representatives, when there was not one senator who was willing to sign on to a complaint about the election results.

Not one.
Moore vividly depicts the cowardice of the Senators.

Either I forgot that or I never knew it happened.
- as if my "respect" for senate Democrats could possibly get any lower...
 

And I know that John Kerry was one who could have stepped up, but didn't.
I am sorry he didn't (it won't affect my vote) but, although Kerry is not named,
I wonder how many of Moore's critics will acknowledge that some of the earliest
and harshest criticism in the movie is directed at John Kerry?

Kerry has a bundle of flaws, to be sure, and I'm not in the mood to list them,
but at least he's not hell-bent on invading countries, killing people and stealing their assets
 

Now that I've seen the movie, the criticism I read and heard was truly nit picking.
Even if the critics are right about any of their criticism, it doesn't detract from the overall theme
and tone of the movie. Moore presents a mountain of facts.  The dispute of any one of them
does little to diminish the whole.

I guess I "liked" the movie.
Everyone should see it, and I hope it accomplishes what Moore set out to do.
But, I "liked" it only as much as I can like a movie that I wish had never needed to be made.

PLD

My wife and I just went. I can only hope the experience stays with everyone who sees it,
and they remember it on election day.  I hope anyone that isn't registered to vote is inspired to.

Even now I'm still somewhat numbed by the spectacle of seeing the things I've heard about and read,
in a barrage of videos.  I actually started to cry at least three times.

Hearing the WTC attacks in a dark theater was just as, or possibly more disturbing than seeing it.
You don't realize the screams, sobs, and chaos, when you're seeing the jets hit, because the visual
is so powerful. Cry number one.

When you see screaming Iraqis burned with Napalm or a pile of dead children in the back of a truck,
you find yourself questioning our so-called high morals. Cry number two.

The mother who encouraged her children to enter the military, and doubles over from sobbing after
her son's death... right in the middle of our nations capital, are images that every neocon should be
required to see. Cry number three.

 Don't get me wrong and think that this movie is a deathfest, Mr Moore has the ability to make you chuckle,
just when it seems you can't take anymore. It's literally a rollercoaster ride, and the first movie I've seen since
Apollo 13, where people cheered and applauded when it finished.

Everyone should see it.
Encourage the undecided, and even your republican buddies.

I love this country, but anyone who thinks we are unconditionally right all the time, needs a wakeup call.

P.S.  "I'd Love to Change the World" by Ten Years After is only in the commercials.
Michael in Denver
 

Yeah, that's my biggest complaint about it - the song promised, but not delivered.
Seems that should have been Mike's big message.

 I'd love to change the world
 But I don't know what to do
 So I'll leave it up to you
 

Sidebar:
One other thing, try to take this is the spirit I meant it...

I could never make a movie this good.
I could never make a movie as well as Michael Moore,
but I think I could've made this film a little better.

I didn't care for the "cuteness" like with the "smoke 'em out," old black & white western movie.
Sure, it make Bush look stupid, but it took attention away from the fact that Bush swore on the
Ground Zero rubble that he'd get bin Laden and then backed off so he could rape Iraq.

On the other hand, MM could do 5 hours on Halliburton, 5 on Enron, 5 on 9-11, 5 on Bush crimes, etc
5 on Florida 2000, 5 on the Iran-Contra felons that Bush put in charge of our security etc, etc,
The film he made was amazing, I just thought of a tweak or two that might've made it better.

And it was everything i was hoping it would be. Moore presents the information in his usual comical way but
the subject is so serious it is quite a combination of emotions as you watch it all unfold. It was much more
emotionally intense than I had thought it was going to be. Serious tear jerker potential here. Also there is
some sequences of pretty dramatic war footage. War is a horror to witness and Moore taps into that quite a
bit. The most graphic footage is bunched together so it is possible to close your eyes and miss the rough
stuff. But then you are missing the point. War has consequences. And it is important to see an
u-sanitized version of 'collateral damage'.

The movie starts off with a surreal account of the 2000 election. Footage we never saw of the congress
presiding over the public outcry that followed the election is awkward to watch since it is Gore himself
who presided over the session. An interesting and very dramatic sequence.

Michael moore, has been under intense scrutiny in past films has very little on camera time. There are only a
few instances where Michael Moore himself gets on camera for his shenanigans. This time he lets the footage
speak for itself. And it does just that. This film will be so hard to discredit for just that reason. How can you
call Moore a liar for showing footage of Bush acting the fool on camera? All Moore is doing is making this
candid version of Bush public. It is Bush's fault for saying these foolish things while cameras roll.

Michael Moore has gotten his hands on footage that Bush must have wished was never shot. Very funny stuff.
We see Bush candidly goofing off to the camera moments before he sobers up and the cameras go live and he
launches into his sober speech to lead a country to war. Can similar footage most likely be found of  any politician
if you go through enough films scraps? Sure. Is the points he makes any less potent for knowing that? Not at all.
Bush just needs to watch his behavior when cameras roll. Consider it a free bit of advise from Moore to the President.

Moore documents the connections between Bush family and the royal Saudi family very well. He does not jump
to conclusions, rather states facts that are a matter of public record to make his point.

He also does a clever bit of his own detective work that is really quite thoughtful. I wont go into
details on that since it is a serious spoiler. lets just say Moore had documents in hand that Bush and the
white house most likely didn't know he had.

The footage of iraq is extremely intense. Here are kids not old enough to drink, yet immersed in this
war. They are growing up very fast out there. One trooper recalls sending in a napalm strike and moments
later watching citizens run out of the area that was hit, some of them with most of their faces missing.
Many of them are quotes as saying they will no longer support bush after this war.

The sequence near the end following a mother and the experience she has had sending a son off to war and
hearing of her death is a tear jerker.

All in all the film was very powerful. Both extremely funny and sobering, it is a bit overwhelming in the amount
of information you are presented with, and if I did not already know much of it, it could be overwhelming.

People trying to debunk this film will have a much harder time of it than they did with, say Bowling for
columbine. Moore learned from that experience and this time he simply lets the footage of bush do its job.
You see bush and his cabinet on film acting like you have never seen them. It's both comical and sad.
The film is both informative and sobering. Is it biased?   Hell yes. But all the facts are there. He is not
making anything up. Just putting in your face the unfortunate sequence of events that have taken place
over the last few years. I believe the film will do well indeed. It is a powerful tool indeed and presented
at just the right moment. My hat goes off to Moore for this one.

We wont get fooled again.

- Jordan
http://www.thefreespeechzone.net

I loved the film...I felt that Michael Moore has articulated my anger perfectly...
Only one thing I would have wished...that Moore could have spoken out about
the damage being done to the environment as a result of the Bush policies,
but hey, that's a whole other movie!!!

Thanks,
J Russ

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