Fahrenheit 9/11

So I just returned home from seeing Fahrenheit 9/11 and it was truly well done. Not fair and balanced, but at least it didn't claim to be.

To tell the truth I found myself crying at numerous times throughout the movie. The first time it caught me by surprise. Right before the opening credits, Moore sets the scene on September 10th, 2001 as Prince George goes to bed in Florida. And it all seemed ridiculous. And it makes me immensely sad and angry. My country, the greatest country that has ever been, is such an easy and obvious target for mockery. We should be proud of who we are. What has happened to us?

Sure there was selective editing and yes it was biased. But that doesn't change things. George Bush is royalty, he's the king's spoiled son who is smooth enough to get over repeatedly. I have no doubt that Bush runs the country as a CEO, delegating and letting his deputies argue out their decisions before he sides with one. He just has horrible judgment in his deputies and doesn't understand morality as I understand it. Understand this (talking to you Mr Jarvis), it's entirely possible to despise this guy without thinking that he's either a moron or evil. Life's been too easy, predictable and behind closed doors for him.

Moore handled 9/11 itself brilliantly. Avoiding gore or graphic images. He shows the pain that those of us who have lived through these events deal with. The pain, shock, fear, anger and visceral hatred that we experienced.

We see how Bush tried repeatedly duck the 9/11 inquiries and hear from a widow of one of the victims of 9/11. The poor women talks about how without some closure to the attacks, she can't think of what she'd be living for in 5 years. And she thanks the camera and walks away.

Moore meanders through his story about the Bush's relationship with the Sauds and really sounds like a xenophobe. As if being Saudi makes one inherently evil. This is the section that I really had a problem with and my sister, Lee, said exactly what I was thinking. The movie continues (and I won't give a complete play by play) to talk about how this country has now been paralyzed by fear a lot of that through the administration's manipulations. That paralysis by fear helped the president to dupe us into invading Iraq.

And this is where I felt pain. Seeing this young poor soldiers sent off to a war that is unnecessary. Losing their lives. Losing their souls. Moore speaks of how Bush's immoral act of sending these boys to war has caused them to lose parts of their souls. Horrible. Young men and women (disproportionately minorities) who signed up with the military to see the world and go to college; put into a no win situation.

It's a sad time for this country. I hope we pull through.