Michael Moore Is Turning Up the Heat

By Dr. Theodore Mangrove

What does it all mean?

If you think Michael Moore was unabashedly outspoken in his last documentary Bowling for Columbine and in his Oscar acceptance speech at the 2003 Academy Awards Show , you ain’t seen nothing yet! Moore’s next documentary, titled Fahrenheit 911 , takes on the subject that the American media was too scared to talk about: the connections between the oil-rich Bush and Bin Laden families.

In an interview with Variety magazine, Moore said “the primary thrust of the film is what happened to the country since September 11 and how the Bush administration used this tragic event to push it’s agenda.”

The documentary also delves into the long history of the Bush family doing business with Saudi oil sheiks, including the Bin Laden family. Much of the money that Osama Bin Laden used to finance his Al-Queda terrorist organization came from American oil contracts, including contracts with George W. Bush’s oil company Arbesto and Dick Cheney’s energy company Haliburton. When “President” George W. Bush moved to freeze the assets of companies that did business with terrorists, he seemed to forget about his own dealings, as well as those of his vice-president. George Bush Sr. had dealings with Mohammed Bin Laden (Osama’s father) going back decades. When Bush Sr. was head of the CIA he used his influence to provide military equipment and training to his friend’s son Osama Bin Laden who was a revolutionary in Afghanistan.

Yes, the Afghan training camps of Al-Queda were built and financed by the Bush family. And this isn’t some far-fetched conspiracy theory, it’s a matter of public record. Perhaps the irony of it all is just too much for the American media, or perhaps they just don’t see a way to spin it into a profitable ratings.

Many production companies were lining up to fund Moore’s new film after Bowling for Columbine pulled in over $40 million. Surprisingly, the company that’s backing it is none other than Icon, the production firm of staunch republican Mel Gibson. Apparently Gibson was more swayed by money than politics, as he was willing to put up $10 million to finance the left-wing Fahrenheit 911. White House press secretary Ari Fleischer reported that Bush thought Gibson’s backing of the film was “disgraceful” (his actual words probably included some sort of expletive).

Since the Oscars, sales of Moore’s book Stupid White Men and pre-sales of the Bowling for Columbine video have skyrocketed. Moore ascribes the success of these and the deal for his new film to the fact that he is willing to say what nobody else will say. He says “The majority of Americans agree with me, see the economy in the toilet, and didn’t vote for George W. People are now realizing that you can question your government while still caring about the soldiers.”

There are few voices of dissent in America as the media has fallen into the hands of a small group of conservative corporations. Essentially, there is no longer mainstream journalism in the United States. What used to be called the journalism is now a completely commercial enterprise that fails to report what is actually happening and fails to take a stand on anything except what the White House tells them to. The muckrakers of the past are now banished to the fringe media such as political magazines or websites that only reach a tiny percentage of people. For the majority of Americans, “support our troops”, “freeway chases” and “shopping tips” is what passes for news.

Whether one agrees with his politics, Michael Moore stands as one of the last bastions of democracy in the American media.

More information on Michael Moore can be found on his website: http://www.michaelmoore.com/