Deceit: Part 3
38.Rep.Porter Goss says he has an “800 number,”and the
Fahrenheit caption says “He ’s lying.”Goss does have a toll-
free number,although the prefix is 877.
39.Moore say Saddam ’s Iraq “had never murdered a single
American citizen.”In fact,Saddam paid for terrorist bomb-
ers in Israel who murdered Americans,along with people of
other nationalities.Saddam also sheltered the American-kill-
ing terrorist Abu Nidal,and the bomb-maker for the 1993
World Trade Center bombings.
40.In addition,Saddam ordered assassination attempts
against former President Bush and against U.S.diplomats in
the Philippines.
41.Moore claims that the Saddam regime “never threatened
to attack the United States.”In fact,in 1997 the regime
publicly ordered:“American and British interests,embassies,
and naval ships in the Arab region should be the targets of
military operations and commando attacks by Arab political
forces.”On the first anniversary of September 11,Saddam's
regime called for suicide attacks on Americans.
42.Moore claims that there was no connection between
Iraq and al Qaeda.In fact,there is an extensive record of
collaboration although —as the September 11 Commission
announced —there is no proof that Saddam participated
beforehand in al Qaeda attacks on America.
43.Fahrenheit shows Condoleezza Rice saying,“Oh,indeed
there is a tie between Iraq and what happened on 9/11.”The
audience laughs derisively.Here is what Rice really said on
Nov.28,2003:
"Oh,indeed there is a tie between Iraq and what happened
on 9/11.It ’s not that Saddam Hussein was somehow him-
self and his regime involved in 9/11,but,if you think about
what caused 9/11,it is the rise of ideologies of hatred that
lead people to drive airplanes into buildings in New York.
This is a great terrorist,international terrorist network that
is determined to defeat freedom.It has perverted Islam
from a peaceful religion into one in which they call on it
for violence.And they ’re all linked.And Iraq is a central
front because,if and when,and we will,we change the
nature of Iraq to a place that is peaceful and democratic
and prosperous in the heart of the Middle East,you will
begin to change the Middle East...."
44.Moore portrays pre-liberation Iraq as a happy nation
of kite-flying and weddings.In fact,a sixth of the popula-
tion had fled Saddam ’s tyranny.The United Nations and
Amnesty International condemned “the systematic,wide-
spread and extremely grave violations of human rights and
of international humanitarian law by the Government of
Iraq,resulting in an all-pervasive repression and oppression
sustained by broad-based discrimination and widespread ter-
ror.’’
45.The only Iraqi casualties which Moore shows are civil-
ians,although military casualties far outnumbered civilian.
46.When showing pictures of buildings being blown up,
Moore does not reveal that many of them were military
buildings,and civilians were never allowed anywhere near
them.
47.A humorous sequence making fun of tiny countries in the
Iraq liberation Coalition does not even mention the major
countries in the Coalition,such as the U.K.,Australia,Italy,
and Japan.
Not a deceit,but mean-spirited and exploitive:The foot-
age of the funeral of U.S.Air Force Maj.Gregory Stone at
Arlington National Cemetery appears without his family's
permission,and over their vehement objection.Major Stone
strongly believed in the Iraq mission,as does his family.
The footage of Massachusetts National Guardsman Peter
Damon,who is undergoing therapy at Walter Reed Army
Medical Center is also used without his permission.
48.Despite Moore ’s claims,American media have not been
mindlessly supportive of the Iraq war.For example,Peter
Jennings has been extremely critical.The evidence that
Moore offers to portray Jennings as a war supporter is a clip
of Jennings reporting in April 2003 that Saddam ’s army had
collapsed —which was true.
49.The scene of American soldiers making fun of a man
underneath a sheet is not torture of a prisoner of war.They
are making fun of a drunk who passed out in the street.
50.Moore reports that Bush proposed closing some
Veteran ’s hospitals.But he also proposed opening other
veteran ’s hospitals.
51.Bush once opposed renewing a special bonus of $75/
month for soldiers in “imminent danger zones.”Moore
claims that Bush proposed cutting combat soldiers ’pay by
1/3;but a soldier's pay and benefits is over $27,000 per year,
even at low enlisted grades.
52.While making false claims about a Bush pay cut,Moore
omits the fact that Bush sought and won a 3.7%military pay
raise in 2003.
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