marcosolo, 28. Januar 2004 um 19:01:44 MEZ

You Say Deserter, I Say More Dessert... by Michael Moore

January 27, 2004

Friends,

I would like to apologize for referring to George W. Bush as a "deserter." What I meant to say is that George W. Bush is a deserter, an election thief, a drunk driver, a WMD liar and a functional illiterate. And he poops his pants. In fact, he "shot a man in Reno just to watch him die."

Actually, what I meant to say up in New Hampshire last week was that "We're going to have Bush for dessert come November!" I'm always mixing up "dessert" and "desert" -- I'm sure many of you have that problem.

Well, well, well. As George W. would say, "It's time to smoke 'em out of their hole!" Thanks to my "humorous" introduction of Wesley Clark 10 days ago in New Hampshire -- and the lughead way the no-sense-of-humor media has covered it -- there were 15 million hits this weekend on my website www.michaelmoore.com

Everyone who visited the site got to read the truth about Bush not showing up for National Guard duty.

The weird thing about all this is that during my routine I never went into any details about Bush skipping out while in the Guard (it's not like it's the biggest issue on my mind or facing America these days!) I was just attempting my best impersonation of that announcer guy for the World Wrestling Federation, asking the cheering crowd if they would like to see a smackdown ("debate") which I called "The Generaaal Versus The Deserterrrr!!" (You can watch it here: www.michaelmoore.com -- hardly anyone in the media has shown this clip because viewers would suddenly see the context of my comments.)

When the press heard me use that word "deserter," though, the bells and whistles went off, for this was one of those stories they knew they had ignored -- and now it was rearing its ugly, truthful head on a very public stage. Without a single other word from me other than the d-word, they immediately got so defensive that it looked to many viewers like they-the press-maybe had something to hide. After all, when I called Bush a deserter, how did they know I wasn't referring to how he has deserted the 43 million Americans who have no health coverage? Why didn't they assume I was talking about how Bush is a deserter because he has deserted the working people of this country (who have lost 3 million jobs since he's taken office)? Why wasn't it obvious to them that I was pointing out how Bush had deserted our constitution and Bill of Rights as he tries to limit freedom of speech and privacy rights for law-abiding citizens?

Instead, they have created the brouhaha over Bush's military record, often without telling their audience what the exact charges are. It seems all they want to do is to get Clark or me -- or you -- to shut up. "We have never investigated this and so we want you to apologize for bringing it up!" Ha ha ha.

Well, I'm glad they have gone nuts over it. Because here we have a Commander in Chief --who just took off while in uniform to go work for some Republican friend of his dad's -- now sending our kids over to Iraq to die while billions are promised to Halliburton and the oil companies. Twenty percent of them are National Guard and Reserves (and that number is expected to double during the year). They have been kept in Iraq much longer than promised, and they have not been given the proper protection. They are sitting ducks.

What if any of them chose to do what Bush did back in the early 70s -- just not show up? I've seen Republican defenders of Bush this week say, "Yeah, but he made up the time later." So, can today's National Guardsmen do the same thing -- just say, when called up to go to Iraq, "Um, I'm not going to show up, I'll make up the time later!"? Can you imagine what would happen? Of course, none of them are the son of a Congressman, like young Lt. Bush was back in 1972.

Today, MoveOn.org has put together it's response to this issue, and I would love to reprint it here. It lays out all the facts about Bush and the remaining unanswered questions about where he went for many, many months:

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Here are what appear to be the known facts, laid out recently in considerable detail and documentation by retired pilot and Air National Guard First Lt. Robert A. Rogers, and in a 2003 book, "The Lies of George W. Bush," by David Corn.

1. George W. Bush graduated from Yale in 1968 when the war in Vietnam was at its most deadly and the military draft was in effect.  Like many of his social class and age, he sought to enter the National Guard, which made Vietnam service unlikely, and fulfill his military obligation. Competition for slots was intense; there was a long waiting list. Bush took the Air Force officer and pilot qualification tests on Jan. 17, 1968, and scored the lowest allowed passing grade on the pilot aptitude portion.  

2.  He, nevertheless, was sworn in on May 27, 1968, for a six-year commitment. After a few weeks of basic training, Bush received an appointment as a second lieutenant - a rank usually reserved for those completing four years of ROTC or 18 months active duty service. Bush then went to flight school and trained on the F-102 interceptor fighter jet. Fighter pilots were in great demand in Vietnam at the time, but Bush wound up serving as a "weekend warrior" in Houston, where his father's congressional district was centered.  

A Houston Chronicle story published in 1994, quoted in Corn's book, has Bush saying: "I was not prepared to shoot my eardrum out with a shotgun in order to get a deferment.  Nor was I willing to go to Canada.  So I chose to better myself by learning how to fly airplanes."  

3. Sometime after May 1971, young Lt. Bush stopped participating regularly in Guard activities. According to Texas Air National Guard records, he had fewer than the required flight duty days and was short of the minimum service owed the Guard.  Records indicate that Bush never flew after May 1972, despite his expensive training and even though he still owed the National Guard two more years.

4. On May 24, 1972, Bush asked to be transferred to an inactive reserve unit in Alabama, where he also would be working on a Republican senate candidate's campaign.  The request was denied. For months, Bush apparently put in no time at all in Guard service.  In August 1972, Bush was grounded -- suspended from flying duties -- for failing to submit to an annual physical exam. (Why wouldn't he take this exam from a doctor?)

5.  During his 2000 presidential campaign, Bush's staff said he recalled doing duty in Alabama and then returning to Houston for still more duty.  But the commander of the Montgomery, AL, unit where Bush said he served told the Boston Globe that he had no recollection of Bush - son of a congressman - ever reporting, nor are there records, as there should be, supporting Bush's claim.  Asked at a press conference in Alabama on June 23, 2000 what duties he had performed as a Guardsman in that state, Bush said he could not recall, "but I was there."

6. In May, June and July, 1973, Bush suddenly started participating in Guard activities back in Houston again - pulling 36 days at Ellington Air Base in that short period.  On Oct. 1, 1973, eight months short of his six-year service obligation and scheduled discharge, Bush apparently was discharged with honors from the Texas Air National Guard (eight months short of his six-year commitment).  He then went to Harvard Business School.

Documents supporting these reports, released under Freedom of Information Act requests, appear along with Rogers' article on the web at democrats.com.

In the absence of full disclosure by the President or his supporters, only the President and perhaps a few family or other close associates know the whole truth.  And they're not talking.  

Bush was apparently absent without official leave from his assigned military service for as little as seven months (New York Times) or as much as 17 months (Boston Globe) during a time when 500,000 American troops were fighting the Vietnam War.  The Army defines a "deserter" -- also known as a DFR, for "dropped from rolls" - as one who is AWOL 31 days or more: www-ari.army.mil.

Well, there you have it. Someone got some special treatment. And now that special someone believes he has the right to conduct a war -- using other not-so-special people's lives.

My friends, I always call it like I see it. I don't pussyfoot around. Sometimes the truth is hard to take. The media conglomerates are too afraid to take this on. I understand. But I'm not. That's my job. And I'll continue to do it.

And when I'm wrong, like the thing about Bush pooping his pants, I'll say so.

Yours,

Michael Moore

 

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marcosolo, 24. Januar 2004 um 14:16:19 MEZ

George W. Bush, A.W.O.L.

George W. Bush, A.W.O.L.

In last night's Democratic Presidential debate in New Hampshire, broadcast on the Fox News (Nusciance?) Channel and ABC's Nightline, Peter Jennings went after Wesley Clark -- and me -- because I said I want to see Clark debate Bush... "The General vs. The Deserter." www.michaelmoore.com

Jennings, referring to me as "the controversial filmmaker," asked if Clark wanted to distance himself from me and my "reckless" remark. Clark would not back down, stating how "delighted" he was with my support, and that I was entitled to say what I wanted to say -- AND that I was not the only one who had made these charges against Bush.

The pundits immediately went berserk after the debate. As well they should. Because they know that they -- and much of the mainstream media -- ignored this Bush AWOL story when it was first revealed by an investigation in the Boston Globe (in 2000 -- www.michaelmoore.com). The Globe said it appeared George W. Bush skipped out in the middle of his Texas Air National Guard service -- and no charges were ever brought against him. It was a damning story, and Bush has never provided any documents or evidence to refute the Globe's charges.

George W. Bush was missing for at least a 12 month period. That is an undisputed fact. If you or I did that, we would serve time.

Senator Daniel Inouye, Democrat of Hawaii and a World War II veteran, joined with Vietnam vets Sen. Max Cleland and Sen. Bob Kerrey to challenge Bush on the gaps in his military record. "The question is, where were you, Governor Bush? What would you do as commander-in-chief if someone in the National Guard did the same thing? At the least, I would have been court-martialed. At the least, I would have been placed in prison," Inouye said www.michaelmoore.com.

The Washington Post www.michaelmoore.com , the New Republic www.michaelmoore.com , and others also presented the evidence that Bush had fled from duty.

The most comprehensive piece I've seen was on Tom Paine.com with all the relevant links and documents www.michaelmoore.com .

There are far more important issues to deal with in this election year. Poor Peter Jennings. What was he doing on Fox? All that seems left of his Canadianess is the way he pronounced my name ("Michael Moooore"). The question he posed to Clark was typical of a lazy media looking for a way to distract the viewers from the real issues: the war, the economy, and the failures of the Bush administration. But if they want to really get into the issue of Bush and his "service record," then I say, bring it on! The facts are all there, including the empty flyboy suit.

Yours,

Michael Moore mmflint@aol.com www.michaelmoore.com

PS: This is the second time I've been thrown into a New Hampshire presidential debate. Four years ago, Republican Alan Keyes was asked why he jumped into Michael Moore's mosh pit to the music of Rage Against the Machine. Now THAT was an issue of substance!

PPS: You can read the exchange between Jennings and Clark here:
www.michaelmoore.com .

 

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marcosolo, 15. November 2003 um 01:33:34 MEZ

That's stupid, white man!

Von Markus Deggerich

Harry Potter war gestern. Eine Woche nach dem Verkaufsstart seines fünften Abenteuers muss der bebrillte Zauberer zur Seite rücken. Buchhandlungen machen Platz für den Magier Michael Moore, dessen drittes Buch in Deutschland ab Freitag wieder hochgestapelt wird.

In der "Zeit" grüßte er vergangene Woche mit einem Vorabdruck seines Vorwortes schon mal alle Deutsche guten (Un)Willens. Und davon gibt es viele. Durch "Stupid White Men" ist Michael Moore in den Augen vieler Deutschen der beste Amerikaner seit John F. Kennedy, schrieb das US-Magazin "Publishers Weekly". Dieses Buch verkaufte sich in Deutschland besser als in den USA - fast 1,1 Millionen Mal im ersten Jahr. Nun fragt er: "Dude, Where's My Country?" (Mann, was hast du mit meinem Land gemacht?) Moore nimmt wieder seinen Lieblingsfeind ins Fadenkreuz: George W. Bush. Auf dem Umschlag reißt er plakativ eine Saddam-Statue mit Bushs Kopf vom Sockel - ohne allerdings das Ende der offiziellen Kampfhandlungen gegen seinen Lieblingsgegner zu erklären. So wie Bush Saddam brauchte für die Legitimierung seines Feldzuges, braucht Moore den US-Präsidenten als Katalysator, um seine Thesen zu ventilieren. Er will den Regimewechsel in Washington um den Untergang der amerikanischen Demokratie noch aufzuhalten, den Bush und seine "Konzern-Kumpel" unter dem Vorwand der Terrorbekämpfung vorantreiben.

Auf über 200 luftig bedruckten Seiten kalauert er in bekannter Manier ohne allzu große Mühe auf Recherchen oder überprüfbare Fakten zu verwenden: "Bush hat kein Mandat von mir, ich hab ihm nicht gesagt, er solle das Böse bekämpfen." Das stimmt. Aber wer hat Moore das Mandat für ein weiteres Buch erteilt? In dem Fall sind wir Deutschen das Tätervolk: Wir haben Moores Bücher und Filme zu Kassenschlagern gemacht, da kann er gar nicht anders als "Reloaded" und "Revolutions" auszurufen. Immerhin bedankt er sich dafür, indem er uns diesmal nicht nur vor Bush schützen will, sondern auch vor uns selbst.

"Jetzt wird alles immer weniger"

"Ihr Deutschen habt doch immer gesagt: "Wir sind füreinander verantwortlich", schreibt er und kommt zu der seltsamen Erkenntnis: "Deshalb gab es bei euch die Krankenversorgung, die Ausbildung und überhaupt alles, was alle brauchen, umsonst. Aber jetzt wird das alles immer weniger." Das ist zwar falsch, aber, hey, schmeichelhaft.

Moore hat schon immer Fakten gerne etwas freier interpretiert, wenn das seiner Wahrheitsfindung diente. So verfährt er auch in dem neuen Buch nach dem Motto "Moore and more", um uns zu erklären: "Es ist, als ob ihr euch in uns verwandelt, in ein Volk, das glaubt, dass die Reichen immer reicher werden müssten und alle anderen ihnen den Arsch küssen sollten. Ach, kommt schon, ihr Deutschen, ihr wisst es doch besser!"

Stimmt, wir sind Besserwisser. Deshalb haben sich in Deutschland in jüngster Zeit ein paar Medien die Mühe gemacht, Moores Thesen und Behauptungen zu überprüfen, die er zum Ausgangspunkt seiner unterhaltsam formulierten Tiraden macht. Von der "Welt am Sonntag" bis zur "Süddeutschen Zeitung" werden dem Oscar-Preisträger dabei wenig schmeichelhafte Zeugnisse ausgestellt: Shame on you, Mr. Moore.

Markenhaus Moore

Moores Selbstinszenierung, die den Charme seiner Filme prägt, wird in seinen Büchern zum nervtötenden Daueralarm. Im ironischen Plauderton referiert er unstrukturiert und redundant seinen Bericht zur Lage der (US-)Nation im einzelnen und der Welt im besonderen. Aber zwischen gut gemeint und gut gemacht besteht ein Unterschied. Seine Fangemeinde wird das nicht weiter behelligen, für sie ist jede Neuerscheinung aus dem Markenhaus Moore eine Erscheinung - und Trost.

Moores Resonanzboden ist die Ohnmacht, vielleicht auch Faulheit, der westlichen Linken. Er dient als unterhaltsamer Kronzeuge für ein bereits vorhandenes Weltbild, als Zitatelieferant - und es macht natürlich mehr Eindruck, wenn man beim US-Bashing einen Amerikaner zitieren kann. Aber warum findet man dann nicht die Bücher von Susan Sontag oder Noam Chomsky in den deutschen Bestsellerlisten? Weil sie nachhaltige Kopfarbeit leisten. Moore bedient den bequemen Bauch und weiter oben allenfalls noch das Zwerchfell. Das ist manchmal tragisch und oft bedenklich, weil er viele richtige Ansätze hat, um sich dann eitel zu verfaseln und zu verrennen. Er entlässt seine Gegner und die Attackierten damit aus der Pflicht, sich mit Argumenten zu beschäftigen: That's stupid, white man.

Moores Präsentation des neuen Buches gleicht einer Tournee: Deutschland (be)sucht den guten Amerikaner. Auf großen Bühnen wird er ab Sonntag sein politisches Kabarett abspulen, in mehreren Städten ausverkauft trotz Zusatzterminen. Der amerikanische Patient, aus viel Fleisch und heißem Blut, trifft auf die deutsche Wellness-Welle der Willigen. Die Geister, die er rief, werden magic Moore auf Händen tragen. Harry Potter kann noch viel lernen.

 

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