Esoteric Bowl

I’ve never been a big Michael Moore fan. He has always struck me as being arogant, crass, and somewhat of a know-it-all. His heart and politics often seem to be in the right place, but he has a knack for putting his foot in his mouth when he discusses the issues.

Politically, I agree with Moore. But all too often Moore seems comfortable in practicing the methods taken from the Rush Limbaugh approach; misspeaking and distorting the facts for the sake of the cause. I’m uncomfortable with that. Such methods not only hurt his cause, but they wound mine.

With that said, I’m looking forward to seeing Moore’s film, Fahrenheit 9/11. I realize before seeing the film that Moore has an opinion and his documentary is an expression of that opinion. To Moore’s credit, he openly admits his political bias and points out that the film is his arguement for why George W. Bush should not be given another term as president. Moore isn’t claiming the film to be gospel, but rather his opinion. I can live with that.

There has been a lot of talk surrounding this film, and that’s a good thing. The more dialog concerning our politics, the better. Perhaps if there had been an open dialog all along, we would not find ourselves in the mess that we are in, nor would Moore have felt compelled to make this film.

I do find it somewhat puzzling to see some republicans on television protesting this film. They claim to be appalled by Moore’s shock and awe methods, so much so that they have developed websites which denounce the film and villanize Moore. They claim to be outraged that Moore has lied in the film and has distorted the truth.

Excuse me?

It’s difficult for me to believe that it’s lies in general that republicans have a problem with. After all, if it were lies that upset our right-wing friends, then surely republicans would be somewhat angered by that whole WMD thing in Iraq. If it were lies that made republicans blood boil, then surely some of the countless lies that Bush & Company have told the world would bother them just a little bit.

Alas, it’s not lies that these republicans have a problem with, but rather expressed opinions which conflict with theirs. It has become common practice of the republican machine to attack those that disagree with their policies. Time and again we have seen Bush, Dick Cheney, and the rest of the republican crew smear and attack those that disagree with them. They have gone so far as to leak the name of a CIA Operative in the name of politics. When Cheney recently told senator Patrick Leahy to go f**k himself, it only magnified how this administration considers those that hold opinions which differ from their own.

No, it’s not lies or distortions in a movie that these republicans have a problem with. Rather it’s the exposure of the lies that Bush has told the world that is the cause of their anguish and anger.