Hari Seldon
June 26th, 2004, 02:10
I have just watched Fahrenheit 9/11 – and I would encourage everyone to see this. It presents a disturbing picture of our policy in Iraq, and our policy in the Mid-East in general, albeit with Michael Moore’s slant. Moore clearly has an agenda here (he doesn’t hide that fact) but the film presented some information that I had never seen reported before, and some policies that I believe are quite disturbing.
Know that conspicuously absent from the film is any reference to Senator John Kerry – and his (and the Democratic party’s) complicit support of the war effort, and his (Kerry’s) lack of support for minority concerns regarding the contested Presidential election results (no Senators – Democrat or Republican – appeared to support the minority US Representatives in the joint session to approve the election results) which Mr. Moore implies is responsible for our current conflict.
Why do we allow former Presidents of the United States to represent private corporations as paid consultants/board members/etc with foreign or domestic institutions. Once a President, they maintain the title and salary until death, but they no longer represent the interests of the general populace of the USA. Allowing Presidents to speak seems appropriate (ie NRA, Habitat for Humanity, etc) but not dealing with foreign governments/businesses (Carter’s visit to Castro/Cuba, Bush’s visits to Saudi Arabia.)
The apparent intelligence failures or oversites leading up to September 11 are staggering. Ashcroft telling the head of the FBI to not report/discuss terrorist threats shows extremely poor judgement, especially in light of subsequent events. Not questioning family/associates of bin Laden before allowing them to leave the US in the immediate aftermath of Sept 11 seems criminal, or at least negligent.
The arrogance our government has shown in pursuing the war in Iraq on what appear to be weak premises/intelligence is disappointing, and I believe tarnishes our international reputation and moral footing.
The nepotism and duplicity our government has shown in granting contracts, political appointments both domestic and abroad is sickening.
The thread dealing with the Flint woman and her son in the military (and the family history of military service) is touching, but I think reflects the realities of conflict and the naïveté she has regarding military service. She shows no remorse about other families losses/injuries – only reassess her attitude when faced with her own loss. This reinforces the feeling that we need to be certain the goal in armed conflict is appropriate and obtainable before committing such valuable resources.
I don’t pretend to think that the intrinsic faults in our system are unique to the current administration, but I come away from this film with a feeling that we are failing to govern correctly, and need to pursue a more responsive and circumspect government.
Some of my own observations. This is a film that sets out to paint President Bush in the worst light possible, and succeeds. There is no rebuttal or opposing view presented. Like I said, I encourage everyone to view this film with an open mind, and expect to find things that surprise and shock you.
Know that conspicuously absent from the film is any reference to Senator John Kerry – and his (and the Democratic party’s) complicit support of the war effort, and his (Kerry’s) lack of support for minority concerns regarding the contested Presidential election results (no Senators – Democrat or Republican – appeared to support the minority US Representatives in the joint session to approve the election results) which Mr. Moore implies is responsible for our current conflict.
Why do we allow former Presidents of the United States to represent private corporations as paid consultants/board members/etc with foreign or domestic institutions. Once a President, they maintain the title and salary until death, but they no longer represent the interests of the general populace of the USA. Allowing Presidents to speak seems appropriate (ie NRA, Habitat for Humanity, etc) but not dealing with foreign governments/businesses (Carter’s visit to Castro/Cuba, Bush’s visits to Saudi Arabia.)
The apparent intelligence failures or oversites leading up to September 11 are staggering. Ashcroft telling the head of the FBI to not report/discuss terrorist threats shows extremely poor judgement, especially in light of subsequent events. Not questioning family/associates of bin Laden before allowing them to leave the US in the immediate aftermath of Sept 11 seems criminal, or at least negligent.
The arrogance our government has shown in pursuing the war in Iraq on what appear to be weak premises/intelligence is disappointing, and I believe tarnishes our international reputation and moral footing.
The nepotism and duplicity our government has shown in granting contracts, political appointments both domestic and abroad is sickening.
The thread dealing with the Flint woman and her son in the military (and the family history of military service) is touching, but I think reflects the realities of conflict and the naïveté she has regarding military service. She shows no remorse about other families losses/injuries – only reassess her attitude when faced with her own loss. This reinforces the feeling that we need to be certain the goal in armed conflict is appropriate and obtainable before committing such valuable resources.
I don’t pretend to think that the intrinsic faults in our system are unique to the current administration, but I come away from this film with a feeling that we are failing to govern correctly, and need to pursue a more responsive and circumspect government.
Some of my own observations. This is a film that sets out to paint President Bush in the worst light possible, and succeeds. There is no rebuttal or opposing view presented. Like I said, I encourage everyone to view this film with an open mind, and expect to find things that surprise and shock you.