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Especially troublesome is the appointment of Lane McCotter by Atty. Gen. Ashcroft, one more reason why Ashcroft is the most dangerous cabinet officer since Ed Meece and James Watt.
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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. 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
John C.
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Acknowledgments My thanks to the following: Sir James the Bold, SantaClara Bob, Lady Jan the Voluptuous, Joseph, of Northridge, California, and Sir Donald the Elusive. editor
Fabric Freak
Dear Fabric Freak I don't know of anybody who raises moes. A little lemon and seltzer will remove those pesky ink stains after you've been fingerprinted. Martha Stewart
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