Life Is Not Purgatory
Tuesday, July 13, 2004
Wait, Watch and Worry
Michael Moore is an excellent filmmaker, and without question with both Fahrenheit 9/11 and Bowling for Columbine being such great successes he has brought political discourse to mainstream theatre. If his intention was to spark debate and prompt the undecided voters into engaging themselves into the political process – it is likely that he has succeeded. If his intention was to film a documentary from a journalistic viewpoint, with even a modicum of objectivity – that was a dismal failure. I’ll bet the former was his intent.
Even if you take the entire film with a grain of salt, or even as much salt as one could swallow there is still sufficient potency left in the movie to cast doubt upon the current miserable failure as President of the United States of America.
The thing with Michael Moore is that he is a master of context, and while not one thing in that movie will likely be provable as false, certain parts are most definitely taken out of context, and used to portray a very, negative image – not to say that these images are incorrect, however. But for every moment of Bush looking like or speaking like an idiot, there is an image or sound bite of him saying or doing things that the American people can respect.
However, most frightening is the recent report that the US Department of Homeland Security is making preparations to delay the November elections in the case of a terrorist strike against the US that would interfere in the electoral process. Postponement of elections for the good of the nation was done before, in Germany, in the 1930’s and with the wonderful USA Patriot Act in force in the US, shades of that former regime are becoming all too frequent.
So join me in hoping that my worst case is just that, and that the Bush Administration will not be given another opportunity to pillage from the rest of the world, once has been more than enough. Until then all we can do is wait, watch and worry.
Michael Moore is an excellent filmmaker, and without question with both Fahrenheit 9/11 and Bowling for Columbine being such great successes he has brought political discourse to mainstream theatre. If his intention was to spark debate and prompt the undecided voters into engaging themselves into the political process – it is likely that he has succeeded. If his intention was to film a documentary from a journalistic viewpoint, with even a modicum of objectivity – that was a dismal failure. I’ll bet the former was his intent.
Even if you take the entire film with a grain of salt, or even as much salt as one could swallow there is still sufficient potency left in the movie to cast doubt upon the current miserable failure as President of the United States of America.
The thing with Michael Moore is that he is a master of context, and while not one thing in that movie will likely be provable as false, certain parts are most definitely taken out of context, and used to portray a very, negative image – not to say that these images are incorrect, however. But for every moment of Bush looking like or speaking like an idiot, there is an image or sound bite of him saying or doing things that the American people can respect.
However, most frightening is the recent report that the US Department of Homeland Security is making preparations to delay the November elections in the case of a terrorist strike against the US that would interfere in the electoral process. Postponement of elections for the good of the nation was done before, in Germany, in the 1930’s and with the wonderful USA Patriot Act in force in the US, shades of that former regime are becoming all too frequent.
So join me in hoping that my worst case is just that, and that the Bush Administration will not be given another opportunity to pillage from the rest of the world, once has been more than enough. Until then all we can do is wait, watch and worry.
