I'm Climbing Up Those Walls Again

Well, I'm finally seen Fahrenheit 9/11. Since you all know me to be a devout liberal, it will come as no surprise when I proclaim it is a movie that needs to be seen by every person in America. Some of you might drag yourself to the cinema to see it. Others of you, the ones that are apathetic towards politics, probably won't go see it, but that won't stop me from making my case.

I don't care if you don't follow the news, but if you vote, you need to see this movie. You can't lose either way. If you already agree with most of the points being made, it'll intensify your emotions and give you a deeper sense of purpose by the time you leave. If you aren't informed enough to have an opinion, it'll at least open some doors for you, in any direction you wish to go. If you are a staunch Republican, then you can see what the other side is thinking, and re-enforce what you believe. It isn't a boring documentary, trust me, it doesn't drone on... the images keep you fixed the screen.

It is a recap of the past 4 years, starting with George W. Bush's 'win' in Florida. Then, we are taken to scenes of Bush's constant vacationing during the first half of 2001.

Later, we are treated to a black screen as we hear the sounds of 9/11 all over again. Moore doesn't need to show us the images of the planes hitting the towers, because we can remember them perfectly on our own. We see the shock on Bush's face when he is finally informed, during a visit to an elementary school. He continues to sit there in front of a class of children, for 7 minutes, looking a bit worried. Moore takes us back to his roots, and reveals the many ties the Bush family has with the Bin Laden family. Did you know that Bush Sr. still does business with the family in Saudi Arabia, even after 9/11?

We are taken through the fall of Afghanistan, after it is revealed that the US was attempting to open further channels between our government and the Taliban in the year before 9/11. We even had a Taliban ambassador tour DC.

Slowly but surely, the camera moves in the direction of Iraq. Moore pretty much skims the surface on the failed intelligence in going to war, mostly because we know the rest from TV and the newspapers. However, he does a fine job of revealing how rich a lot of people are getting off of this war. We are treated to footage of big executives talking about how much money they are going to be made. You almost forget that it is real.

Briefly, Moore begins to show our soldiers as being hicks who seem to enjoy the killing, but he quickly abandons that approach when he begins to talk to the families of soldiers who died. You see some of the more violent scenes from the war, the ones that were too racy to be shown on CCN or Fox. They can hit you pretty hard. Much of the focus is around a middle-aged mother who lost her son when his Black Hawk helicopter went down. At the end of the movie, we are as bewildered as she is. Why are we sending these people to die?

Please, if you don't pick up another newspaper or watch a minute of CCN again, see this movie. I really can't argue any more, but it has at least refueled my tanks, and I'm ready for a very bitter campaign this year.