CNN, ABC, and the BBC. I remember seeing
at least one of those news clips when it was first broadcast. For
the most part, Moore does not seem to be fabricating anything, but merely
interpreting public data in a way that demonizes George W Bush. Interpretation
is the key Moore's case is based entirely on circumstantial evidence
which, as every fan of crime fiction knows, is open to interpretation.
Bush's supporters are trying to explain away everything in terms that make
Bush look like a saint but which spin is more plausible? Ultimately,
Fahrenheit
9/11 is no more irrefutable than a prosecuting attorney's opening speech.
In
terms of craft, the film is a great achievement. It would not surprise
me if Moore goes down in cinematic history with Sergi Eisentien and Leni
Riefenstahl as a master of propaganda. Fahrenheit evokes laughter,
tears, and rage the lodestones of both entertainment and politics.
One particular sequence stands out for it's artistry and also because it
explains the film's title.
When
the film presents the World Trade center attack, Moore shows none of the
familiar footage of the towers burning and collapsing. Instead, the
screen goes dark and the soundtrack plays a confused mixture of cries,
police radio calls, rumbling, and sirens. After a few seconds, images
of the aftermath begin to appear on the screen. Among them are long-held
shots of the New York sky, filled with millions of office documents from
the towers, fluttering down with the ashes. This image of smoke and
paper probably suggested Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, a tale of
book burning and dictatorship. In a story that appeared in the June
23-29 issue of Metro Silicon Valley, Moore was quoted by author
Geoffrey Dunn as saying "Fahrenheit 9/11 is the temperature at which
freedom
burns." While we can all hope that this statement is mere liberal
rhetoric, evidence is accumulating which suggests that it is the terrible
truth.![10x5 Page Background GIF Image](../../Images/10x5_Page_Background.gif)
Letters to the Editor
[Response to Intolerable
in Any Denomination, July 2004, page 1]
A
thought on modifying the noise statutes to accommodate religious announcements:
Do
not.
There
is too much noise in our environment to allow any more.
If
you grant a variance for one religion, you must also do it for all religions,
sects, and cults. I am sure there are many groups that would like
to announce their presence to their neighbors aurally, loudly, and repeatedly.
Expect protests by non members or unauthorized aural broadcasts by the
irate.
To
the protest that a voice may not be heard above the ambient noise (for
instance traffic noise), you should reply that the less intrusive technology
of a paging system would be sufficient to inform all believers without
intruding upon the serenity of non believers. A paging system could
simultaneously trigger every believer's pager. These systems have
been used for decades to remind people of meetings, appointments, etc.
If they complain that their religion does not use technology, then remind
them that loudspeakers are technological.
Sir James the Bold
The
CIA Ate My Homework Well, I see that the "blame it all on the CIA"
organ grinder is running full tilt. Oh please give me a break!
President Bush, along with his henchmen, Cheney, Rumsfeld and the Neocons,
made it clear to George Tenet what was wanted "evidence" of a Saddam/Al
Qaeda plot and WMDs (but they didn't ask explicitly, for heavens sake!
Got to preserve that plausible deniability.) and Tenet delivered.
Then, when the whole thing went sour, the poor man fell on his sword.
So
now we get to listen to Bush cry crocodile tears for a while, not to mention
the bogus high dudgeon of Republican Senators and the sniveling of the
Democrats (enough to make me hurl), until the whole thing blows over:
unless, of course, Iraq really goes South; then the tears
will be real. (Actually, the families of killed and wounded soldiers
and Iraqi civilians are crying real tears already. We do well to
remember that.) Do I sound angry? I am. I hate
this sort of manipulation. It's been going on since the beginning
of the Cold War heck, since the beginning of the Republic. Presidents
want to pursue sleazy foreign policy adventures that they could never sell
on the merits. So, they lie and connive and create fait accompli
in order to get their way. Dizzgusting!
John C.
Please use the enclosed envelope to send a contribution.
I prefer cash. For checks or money orders, please inquire.
For PayPal payments, use frontiersman@ida.net.
frontiersman@ida.net |
Frontiersman,
1510 North 22nd Drive, Show Low, Arizona 85901
Also see Pharos at http://www.ida.net/users/pharos/ |
August 2004
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