53.Moore claims that only one Congressman has a child in
Iraq.Actually,two do.(Democratic Senator Tim Johnson of
S.D.,and Republican Rep.Duncan Hunter of California.)
Also,John Ashcroft has a son on a naval ship in the Persian
Gulf.
54.Fahrenheit deceptively cut the footage of Rep.Mark
Kennedy to make it look like Kennedy rebuffed Moore ’s
request to help enlist Congressional children.In fact,
Kennedy said it was a good idea,and offered to help.
55.Fahrenheit shows Rep.Michael Castle walking past
Moore.But Rep.Castle is childless.
56.Based on Census Bureau data,Congressional families are
more likely than other families to have children serving in
Iraq.
57.Moore calls Flint,Michigan,“my hometown.”In fact,
he grew up in Davison,a much wealthier and much whiter
suburb.
58.In Fahrenheit ,Moore pretends to support our troops.
But in fact,he supports the enemy in Iraq-the coalition of
Saddam loyalists,al Qaeda operatives,and terrorists con-
trolled by Iran or Syria-who are united in their desire to
murder Iraqis,and to destroy any possibility of democracy in
Iraq.Here is what Moore said on April 14,2004,about the
forces who are killing Americans and trying to impose totali-
tarian rule on Iraq:“The Iraqis who have risen up against
the occupation are not ‘insurgents ’or ‘terrorists ’or ‘The
Enemy.’They are the REVOLUTION,the Minutemen,and
their numbers will grow —and they will win.”Do you really
think that someone who wants Iraq to be ruled by Islamist or
Ba ’athist tyranny,and who deliberately kills innocent civil-
ians with car bombs,is like the American Minutemen?
59.As reported in the trade journal Screen Daily ,affiliates
of the Iranian and Syrian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah
are promoting Fahrenheit 9/11 ,and Moore ’s Middle East
distributor,Front Row,is accepting the terrorist assistance:
“In terms of marketing the film,Front Row is getting a boost
from organizations related to Hezbollah which have rung up
from Lebanon to ask if there is anything they can do to sup-
port the film.And although [Front Row ’s Managing Director
Giancarlo ]Chacra says he and his company feel strongly that
Fahrenheit is not anti-American,but anti-Bush,‘we can ’t go
against these organizations as they could strongly boycott the
film in Lebanon and Syria.’”(Nancy Tartaglione,“Fahrenheit
to be first doc released theatrically in Middle East,”Screen
Daily.com,June 9,2004.The story is discussed in Samantha
Ellis,“Fahrenheit 9/11 gets help offer from Hezbollah,”The
Guardian (London),June 17,2004.)
Slate.com (6/24/04)followed up on the story,and reported:
“Gianluca Chacra,the managing director of Front Row
Entertainment,the movie ’s distributor in the United Arab
Emirates,confirms that Lebanese student members of
Hezbollah ‘have asked us if there ’s any way they could sup-
port the film.’Chacra was unfazed,even excited,about their
offer.‘Having the support of such an entity in Lebanon is
quite significant for that market and not at all controversial.
I think it ’s quite natural.’”
Do you think it ’s patriotic to accept help from a terrorist
organization which has killed and kidnapped hundreds of
Americans,which works with al Qaeda and other terrorists,
and which is currently aiding the killing of American soldiers
and Iraqi civilians?American patriotism can include present-
ing honest arguments against a particular American military
policy.Hateriotism is the spreading of vicious lies against
American soldiers and in favor of tyrants.
It ’s not unpatriotic to criticize a war or particular wartime
policies.But how many patriots do you know who take aid
from terrorists who kill Americans?
This essay comes from the Independence Institute,a think-
tank in Colorado which is founded on the principles of the
Declaration of Independence (www.independenceinstitute.
org).The author,Dave Kopel,is a life-long Democrat who
endorsed and voted for Ralph Nader in 2000.He supports
some but not all aspects of the current war on terror. |
