Surprise, surprise, neocon groups are chomping at the bit, trying to intimidate theaters into pulling Michael Moore's new movie "Fahrenheit 9/11," winner of the Palm D'Or at Cannes and uber critical of the current administration's handling of the mass murder on September 11th. MoveOn.org is trying to organize people into a mass attendance of the premiere on June 25th in order to break the record for a documentary premiere and send a message to Bush and his minions that we are PAYING ATTENTION to what they do. Please click on the link to check it out!
June 21, 2004
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Slow Adventures in Slothville 
Here’s the difference between us and them. If a very pro-war documentary was coming out, would you try to block it? I wouldn’t. I may disagree with the viewpoint and even go so far as to protest in front of the theater but I would not attempt to suppress it. Ah…there’s the word, “suppress.” That is exactly what they are trying to do. Here is a very old, beaten, stretched, and haggard concept: Freedom is not freedom if it only means you are only “free” to agree with everybody else. Criticism does not equate treason Ms. Coulter, and pointing out flaws in policy is not giving aid and comfort to the enemy Mr. Hannity. If you feel strongly enough about a issue, protest, protest, protest. Don’t take away my FREEDOM to make up my own mind.
According to the NYT, Michael Moore hired a crack team of fact-checker commandos to go over F.911 and has since edited out parts of the movie that couldn’t be confirmed by multiple sources.
Comment by Avuncular 1 — June 21, 2004 @ 5:00 pm
I’ll be seeing the movie first chance I get anyway… assuming it hasn’t been suppressed by the nutsos out there. Hey, Sloth! Great sidebar! Yer awesome.
Comment by Michael — June 21, 2004 @ 5:56 pm
i cant wait for the public to see it. Here in Australia, we watched the events re the Movie Fareinheight 9/11, unfold with a mixture of utter disbelief and disgust.
The current Bush government doesnt even seem to realise that they are slowly but surely leaning towards the whole “censorship” of free speech and on to propaganda.
The Bush government is really taking on attributes of the countries that it goes to war with, and yet proclaims they are freeing people! hahahaha, would be funny if it wasnt so atrocious.
And god, Bush would have to be one of the STUPIDEST people I have EVER seen or heard. I cannot believe that he is the American President sometimes, really.
Anyway, that felt better. Thanks Sloth for you interesting words on Bush.
I’ll be back to read more. Very clever and insightful!
– Crayon
Comment by Crayon — June 21, 2004 @ 11:09 pm
I just heard (hearsay) that Michael Moore is being sued by Ray Bradbury for his plagiarized use of the word Fahrenheit in the title of his movie.
I’ll also be one of the first to see the film.
Comment by NotCuredYet — June 22, 2004 @ 10:12 am
I can’t wait to see it either. I think it’ll be a hit here in Canada. Our former Prime Minister Jean Chretien is looking pretty smart now for not joining Bush in Iraq.
Comment by Mark — June 22, 2004 @ 10:17 am
Anne Coulter is distilled, concentrated evil.
Ok, anyway, Dastard – the concept may be stretched and haggard, but it still hasn’t sunk in for most people. The tide seems to have turned a wee bit, but right after 9/11 when we couldn’t even speak our minds without being called unpatriotic by formerly normal people I was starting to get really scared. It was like everyone had gone crazy – and I guess they were “terrified” – I was more afraid of our own citizens and their mob mentality than I was of more terrorist activity. People get backed into a corner and are so quick to forget that the whole POINT of Democracy, of the 1st amendment, of living in a “free country” which we are so proud of, is that PEOPLE ARE ALLOWED TO EXPRESS THEIR OPINIONS. We are required to let the KKK march down the street in pointy hoods in a Southern town but I can’t say that I believe the war in Iraq is wrong? What the fuck is that??? People get scared and suddenly they are throwing their rights and freedoms onto the bonfire. To me, that is terrifying.
Michael – I know it will be showing in your town, it’s the small towns in the fly-over states that I’m worried about. Cannes was the best thing to happen to F. 9/11 and a finger (or two! dirty!) in the face of Disney.
Crayon – thanks for visiting my site – I am going to be on your side of the globe in a few days and I will try to find that cafe in the church you wrote about. If I find it I’ll let you know when I get back.
Bush is someone who I can’t even look at. He makes me shudder with disgust. If he comes on the television I change the channel. I watched the State of the Union and had to run screaming from the room several times. He is not only an intolerant, homophobic, misogynist. He is not only an arrogant, entitled prick. He is someone with the power to make each of our lives a little or a lot worse by restricting our reproductive freedoms, by sending our children to war, by cutting funding for public schools and by destroying the environment. His presidency is a scourge and Washington D.C. needs to be scrubbed clean.
Whew! You thought you were on a rant. I’m feeling a bit rabid…
Comment by Sloth — June 22, 2004 @ 10:19 am
NotCuredYet – I googled that and couldn’t find anything about it. I’m confused about how someone could own the word Fahrenheit. Doesn’t that seem odd? Thanks for stopping by – I’ve been to your site too but I don’t think I’ve commented.
Mark – yeah, remember when America was all mad at you guys for not helping us? Remember when some politician over there had to resign because she called Bush an imbecile or something like that? Well, there was at least a small contingent over here that was very thankful to your lovely country for holding out and being stoic in the face of all the shrill screaming coming from the White House.
Comment by Sloth — June 22, 2004 @ 10:28 am
Slothie: I almost didn’t do that freedom rant yester day becuase it wasn’t anything that hadn’t been “said” before (just like the comment you are reading now), but I needed to say it, at least for my own bad self. If people don’t express what meaning a word like “freedom” has for them then you run the risk of someone else telling you what meaning that word has for you. They like to change the meaning. American, Freedom…Torture.
Mark: I love Canada. You guys make Sourpatch Kids. (any disparaging comments I have ever made or will make about Canada or Canadians is meant in the spirit of friendship and cooperation…but you need to have some different sized coins from us).
AC: We can’t believe “dubbya” is the American president either.
NCY: Here’s the latest about the Bradbury/Moore conflict:
9/11’s Moore Calls Bradbury
Legendary SF author Ray Bradbury told the Associated Press that filmmaker Michael Moore called him to say he was “embarrassed” after Bradbury complained that Moore’s upcoming political documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 improperly co-opted the title of Bradbury’s classic SF novel Fahrenheit 451. Bradbury is demanding an apology from Moore and wants the new documentary to be renamed.
Moore called Bradbury on June 12, Bradbury told the wire service. “He suddenly realized he’s let too much time go by,” he said.
Joanne Doroshow, a spokeswoman for Fahrenheit 9/11, said the filmmakers have “the utmost respect for Ray Bradbury,” the AP reported. “Mr. Bradbury’s work has been an inspiration to all of us involved in this film, but when you watch this film you will see the fact that the title reflects the facts that the movie explores, the very real life events before, around and after 9/11,” she said.
Bradbury said he would rather avoid litigation and is “hoping to settle this as two gentlemen, if he’ll shake hands with me and give me back my book and title.”
Comment by Avuncular 1 — June 22, 2004 @ 10:55 am
This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
Comment by Avuncular 1 — June 22, 2004 @ 11:07 am
Dastard – you are such a Dastard!! I am deleting one of your comments because it accidentally posted twice.
Comment by Sloth — June 22, 2004 @ 12:20 pm
Sloth,
As usual your posts are timely, informative and dead on. I love Michael Moore and I cant wait to see this new movie. “The temperature which freedom burns”. Lets BURN this asshole BUSH and get him out of office.
Keep up the excellent posts.
Comment by Vadergrrrl — June 22, 2004 @ 3:35 pm
Thanks! Can’t you just zap him with the Death Star or something?
Comment by Sloth — June 22, 2004 @ 4:18 pm
Don’t they know they are just making us want it more? Stupid bushers.
Comment by Jamie — June 22, 2004 @ 5:42 pm
Am amazed that it came to little old Laramie–was planning on having to go to Denver to see.
As per the Bradbury bungling–one of my profs made the very astute note of copyright law where after the first 14 years, even if the copyrights are bought up again all parodying or similiar titles are free and open to the public. Not that I think Moore’s parodying in any sense but it is a similar situation perhaps.
Comment by Nerdygirl — June 30, 2004 @ 4:50 pm