So Agent J and I took the plunge and headed into San Francisco this morning to catch the 10:30am showing of Fahrenheit 9/11. Yes, really the 10:30am showing. While the rest of the city was parading or watching parading (hint, its Gay Pride weekend here), we were sweating it out in the Metreon with that meddling man, Michael Moore and his latest blockbuster documentary. I say "blockbuster" with some assurity, because it is already setting records all round, and with its limited supply of theaters we figured sneaking in, early in the morning undercover of Gay Pride we would avoid a long wait or a sell out. And so we did - but we were there 40 minutes early, and by the time the movie started the very large theater was almost full, even at what should have been prime brunch, or gay pride watching time for most San Franciscans.
"So, after 112 minutes, what's the scoop on Fahrenheit 9/11?", I hear you asking.
Well, it's going to take a while to fully expound on my thoughts, but here goes.
All in all I would say I was impressed - I think Moore did a bang up job on this documentary and made extremely good use of the viewers attention and his opportunity to make a statement about Bush's term in office thus far. I feel confident that he did his homework well and has stuck to very well supported facts. This has left us with a work containing a great deal of objectivity and little for detractors to say other than "(hands over ears, shaking head) wah, wah, wah, its all lies, its all lies". That is, nothing substantial at all. Sure, there are some subjective opinions in Fahrenheit, but they are simply based on the facts presented, basically boiling down to "if we've been told all these lies, and the only tangible gain from invading Iraq is profits for Bush's buddies - what does that say about the legitmacy of the invasion of Iraq, our nation's response to 9/11 and ultimately the legitimacy of the President to represent us?".
In essence, the release of Fahrenheit tells exactly the story of the Emperors New Clothes - Bush and the Neocons are parading a pack of bare faced lies all around the world and Moore is the little boy politely pointing out the fact. It is up to us all to look, listen and scream in his support.
And that's ultimately the message I got from Fahrenheit: No matter who you are, where you are, whether you're white, black, old, young, in the military, in the media or have just been one of those countless millions who quietly acquiesced without comment or thought - its okay to admit a big mistake has happened. Its okay to demand things change. Its okay to admit you, we and the whole country were mislead and through fear of the unknown allowed ourselves to be mislead.
So now what?
Now what indeed. Fahrenheit starts out with the question "Was it all a dream?" referring to Bush's election. If the widely documented disenfranchisement of tens of thousands of black voters in Florida had never happened, if Gore hadn't taken it lying down, if even one single senator had back congressional dissent over Bush's confirmation at President, if... And as I walked out of the theater into the Metreon I felt as if I had left a dream of sorts. A dream in which every bald faced lie spoken by Bush was exposed as such, every single deception pulled off by his cabinet* was seen through with complete transparency, every one of the billions of dollars his profiteering buddies make in Iraq was given back to the Iraqis and every single person that has been killed there was not dead and that 9/11 had never happened so that Bush might just have continued to vacation his way into notoriety instead of invade, mame and kill his way into infamy.
But alas as I left I also felt like I'd left the dream like a bubble bursting. Even in San Francisco, California - the ground zero of dissent, fear and loathing for Bush. All around were secret Bush supporters who truly believe what I had just seen was made up propaganda lies with no element of truth and no idea worth cherishing. If I felt this here, how much worse could it be in middle and southern America? Could the examples of ordinary hardworking yet gullible Americans who saw the error of their judgment be found all over this country having seen this movie? Or will disbelief in Fahrenheit and Michael Moore hating be seized on as just another opportunity to polarize the people by use of fear. Fear that the truth will destroy America and that recognition of our errors and simple humility are weak and unpatriotic?
I did my marching long ago and know where I stand, but I still don't have an answer to "Now what?", but then again, that was never a question that Moore offered to answer in Fahrenheit 9/11. In a way, the answer should really be obvious. If we really live in a democracy then the future of the country is in our hands. Therefore we must exercise that right to change its future and kick out the liars, profiteers, war mongers and the misleader in chief.
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