h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

<< Was he really trying to say that the whole Iraq invasion was dreamed up to profit a few defence manufacturers?>>

The film aside, that's one very good theory!

It hasn't been on TV here, though I seriously wish it would be (in 10 years, maybe.)

<< Instead of getting mad at W, their teachers, their pastor or whatever, they get mad at Moore.>>


Asteroid Lil, there's a right wing talk back host here in NZ (whose sister was born in the USA, they lived there when he was 3 for a few years, and so he just missed out on being an American and is very bitter about it), and he shows exactly that reaction!

Firstly, I have to say that I'm no Michael Moore fan. I found Bowling for Columbine irritating because he had good points that he didn't ever follow up on properly (Canada and no gun crime, for example) to then go on to do things like make cheap shots at Charlton Heston. He has the attention span of a 5 year-old with ADD. He should let the facts speak for themselves, but he HAS to grandstand. Ugh.

For the first half of F911?thread=Firstly, I have to say that I'm no Michael Moore fan. I found Bowling for Columbine irritating because he had good points that he didn't ever follow up on properly (Canada and no gun crime, for example) to then go on to do things like make cheap shots at Charlton Heston. He has the attention span of a 5 year-old with ADD. He should let the facts speak for themselves, but he HAS to grandstand. Ugh.

For the first half of F911 I felt kind of the same; "Yes, the president is an incompetant fool, we know. Corrupt, in with the Saudis, wow." It was better than that, but then I have to say when MM gets to the topic of Iraq he does a spectacular job. It is both infuriating and moving, it nearly bought me to tears with anger and remorse. If Moore had made this film solely about Iraq, it would have been far more powerful. Zagreb, please see it.

About 17 minutes in, Moores naration...

* On September 11th 2001, nearly 3000 people including a colegue of mine, Bill Weems, were killed in the largest foreign attack ever on American soil. *

>>>largest foreign attack ever on American soil<<< Sure about that Mr. Moore?

The whole film would have been better if Moore had not stretched for humor IMO. Did the film serve the 2,973 that died, no.

If you want a learning experience, I would say you read:

* CHAIN OF COMMAND
THE ROAD FROM 9/11 TO ABU GHRAIB *
By Seymour M. Hersh
ISBN: 0-713-99845-8

I am making a note of that book, Jab...

>>>largest foreign attack ever on American soil<<< Sure about that Mr. Moore?

Didn't 9/11 eclipse Pearl Harbour w.r.t. number of casualties? What other foreign attack was "larger"?

MM is a comedian first, and a documentary maker second, you have to remember. There are some impulses he cannot resist. That's what makes his films so entertaining/infuriating.

And concerning the argument about invading Iraq for reasons having to do with oil and profits, you should read "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man" by John Perkins. For many years, Perkins was a leading econometric analyst with a very large corporation. His unofficial brief was to produce the data that would bring about WMF loans to poor countries so that they could develop an industrial infrastructure which companies like Bechtel would build, thus pocketing the dollars that the WMF had given to the poor country. And that isn't the worst of it.

Endotherm: In a Moore throw-away line way...

* Well, I guess the white man showing-up, was a pretty big attack on American soil, from a native Ameican point of view. *

Easy to make Moore type remarks. You mentioned Japan's attack in WWII; a few people (IRL) I've asked, said the same, mor tha 9/11, when asking what was the bigest attack on American soil.

At first I thought about it too. Did he mean to say "American mainland?" Then the thinking of what others have there been? So yes I did wonder why it did'nt get a mention, even just to dismiss it from a 'body count' point. Then Moores use of the word foriegn is worth thinking about.

This set the scene for the rest of the film for me. I wished he had just let more of the evidence speak for itself. Watching people 'off script' what a joy.

Your right about Moores stlye. I can take it in short doses, when he 'guest' on other shows. Though Moore as a film maker, he's got a great future in a 1 hour photo booth. What no Oscar Mr. Moor, shame.

Asteroid Lil.

This...
http://www.johnperkins.org/
bloke?

An book's * ISBN number * is always handy.

Yes, that's the bloke. I cross-checked the author's name by googling for the book title before I posted, and thought others would find the book the same way. Sorry not to have supplied more specific information for you.

Mostly I enjoyed the film. I don't watch Moore to see a balanced point of view, and frankly anybody who does is missing the point rather badly.

For the record, I thought his exploration of the economic links between Bush and the Saudi's was a point well worth making (though personally I'd have like to see him go after the fact that the Bush family fortune was made by trading with Hitler long after we all knew wat was going on in Europe). I also thought his point about exactly who is generally recruited into armies that are sent to fight wars for economic purposes was well made, albeit it hasn't changed since Vietnam. The footage of the dead soldiers mother and the Iraqi woman outside the White House was electric film-making.

I'm interested to see what he does next. The threatened hatchet job on Blair would do nicely.

I'm hoping he'll rip into the Ohio voting experience.

Ateroid Lil, It was more a case of knowing what a pain my local book shop is, * http://www.radioandtelly.co.uk/blackbooks.html * has nothing on them. Plus the Library ordering bod's take thier time.

Simple matter of...

* Key in * Address
http://www.johnperkins.org/index.html


* Click * Books & tapes
http://www.johnperkins.org/books_and_tapes.htm


* Click * Order now
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1576753018/qid=1097523761/sr=1-5/ref=sr_1_5/102-0702587-0993756?v=glance&s=books


*Click* Search inside this book
http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/1576753018/ref=sib_dp_pt/103-4533175-8135032#reader-link


*Click* Back Cover
http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/1576753018/ref=sib_rdr_bc/103-4533175-8135032?%5Fencoding=UTF8&p=S08C#reader-page


To get to:
ISBN: 1-57675-301-8

<>

That'd be