Garvey's Ghost: Black Talk

Fahrenheit 9-11

So I finally saw the documentary. Well done. Let me take on some of the critism of the film. First off Many critiques pointed to the fact that Moore didn't state that Senator Kennedy (I believe it was him) actually had a child in the military. Instead he used the Senator's bewildered look as exclamation point behind his point that none of the Senators wanted to sign up their kids ( or more likely didn't want to deal with Moore). Well before that particular senator Moore repeatedly states that only 1 Senator had a child in the military. He said it at least three times so unless you have ADD how could you not remember that only one Senator had a child in the Military.

Next was a critique that I saw at Alternet that Moore indulged in racist imagery to make his point about the so called 'coalition of the willing." Well I saw it, And I got the point and I don't think it was racist. yes it did use stereotypes but it wasn't racist why? because Moore took an equally "low" blow at Denmark with a national lighting his Weed pipe. Was that racist too? Methinks the white reviewer was trying to win "multi-culti" points. I don't give out those types of points.

What I did appreciate about the film was how Moore humanised the Iraqis. It was a stroke of genius to show the lives of Iraqies as they may have been right before the "bombs went over Baghdad." Yes, believe it or not people actually lived normal lives under Saddam. Not all, and that doesn't excuse Saddams behaviour, but it's an outright lie to make it seem like Iraq was like say.. Haiti, prior to the US bombing them for 10 years. Saddams stupidness aside, Iraq had one of the highest living standards in the Middle East prior to the Gulf Wars.

I do wish Moore spent more time on the recruiting techniques of the military and done as he had done in Bowling for Columbine where he took a long view of the racist nature of gun control. Perhaps though, Moore just didn't have the time. It is very evident to me that Moore had to ruch the film. There is very recent footage in the documentary and having done a documentary trying to get everything in somehow can be painful. But it's a credit to Moore that though Republicans have problems with him, they have not thus far shown Moore to be lying in the material he produced. He caught UNOCAL out there and well as Enron and Haliburton. If Kerry and Edwards are unable to capitalise on the PR bonanza that F-9-11 is then they don't deserve to sit in the White House.