Michael Moore will be on O'Reilly Factor and Aaron Brown TONIGHT!!!! (2/19/01)

[Danospano]

O'Reilly starts at 8pm Eastern Time on Fox News
Brown starts at 10pm Eastern Time on CNN

Here's a letter he sent out making the announcement....

I'm With Stupid and Today Is the Day -- A Message from Michael Moore

2/19/02

Dear friends,

Today is, frankly, a day I thought I would never see. It is the day my book goes
on sale to the public. That should be a simple event, as it happens every day
with dozens of books that find their way to the bookstores of America.

But eight weeks ago it appeared as if this might never happen for my book,
"Stupid White Men." In those dark December days, as I was told that "changes had
to be made," I was left to wonder if the 50,000 copies that had already been
printed were well on their way to some big shredder in Pennsylvania. That was
the option I was given -- rewrite the book and "tone down your dissent," or face
the prospect of your book being "pulped."

I refused to change a word and the publisher backed down. And thus, today, you
are able to read my book, uncensored. What an odd thing to say in a free
society! "We have decided that you can now read Mike's book!" I have had a small
taste of the New Order in which we now live, and, folks, I gotta say, I don't
like it one bit. The only good thing to come out of it is that they made a big
mistake trying to silence the wrong guy.

I had suggested to my publisher that maybe they should slap a sticker on the
cover of my book reading, "APPROVED BY THE OFFICE OF HOMELAND SECURITY." I
think any organization that is, in and of itself, an illusion meant to create a
false sense of safety, should at least have its own seal with a gummy back.

Can you keep a secret? This book is already at #1 on the expanded Amazon
Nonfiction Bestseller List, and I got word today from two regional book
distributors that the demand has been so high they are out of books! They were
so desperate for more copies that they contacted the author directly (as if I
had a few spare boxes of them out in the garage!).

I don't want the Axis of Uber-Evil -- Bush/Cheney/Ashcroft -- to find out how
well the book has been doing before it even goes on sale, as they must continue
to believe the media mantra of, "ALL Americans are behind George W. Bush!" and
"Hail W, for it is you who has the HIGHEST approval ratings ever!"

Let them take heart in that nonsense (who wouldn't tell a stranger, a
"pollster," who has called you at home at 9 o'clock at night and asked you if
you "APPROVE" of your "President," just as you were looking out your window and
noticing that your neighbor, Fasoul Hussein Abdulah -- you know, the friendly
guy who owns the 7-11 down the street -- is being hauled away by the Men In
Black! "Damn straight I approve of Mr. Bush!" you scream into the phone...).

The longer they keep believing their "ratings," the larger our numbers will
grow. Sunday's Zogby Poll already had Bush at his lowest rating since before
9-11. Trust me, it only gets better from here on out, and you are welcome to
mark "Stupid White Men Day -- February, 19, 2002" as the beginning of the end
for Kenny Boy's boy.

So, today, I begin my month-long book tour across the country. If you'll recall
from the film I made of my last outing, "The Big One," this can be one wild
ride. It can also be no picnic. I am not going to make a movie this time.
Instead, I am going to keep a simple diary on the road -- and I am going to make
this diary open for you to view on my website.

I promise to be as honest as I can, and I won't be pulling any punches. If the
Motel 6 sucks in Syracuse, you'll hear about it. The diary -- "My Stupid Life:
Mike's Book Tour Diary" -- can be read or heard (depending on what kind of
equipment you have) by going to www.michaelmoore.com anytime after tonight.
Please mark it and check it out each day as I think you'll find it mildly
interesting and sincerely libelous.

Tonight, I will be going on "The O'Reilly Factor" on the Fox Nudnick Channel to
be interrupted -- I mean interviewed -- by its host, Bill O'Reilly. The fun
begins at 8pm ET/PT, and you have to be part of the cable elite to witness this
historic meeting of what hath become of Ireland's once great sons. At 10pm ET/PT
tonight, you can catch me with Aaron Brown on CNN.

Finally, I want you to know that I will be looking forward to only one thing
during this entire book tour -- Opening Day of the 2002 Major League Baseball
season! Why? Because that is the day I am asking George W. Bush to resign. And I
want the resignation to take place right in the middle of Enron Field in Houston
during the 7th-inning stretch of the Astros-Brewers game. I've asked if I can
throw out the first pitch at 4:05pm CT.

I mean, can there be a more perfect way to end the madness -- Bush, Lay, Mike,
Texas, America's Favorite Pastime, and the visiting team from a Blue State owned
by the Commissioner of Baseball (who will hand over his job to the
ex-"president" as the fans sing "Da Do En-ron-ron Da Do En-ron")?

C'mon, George, are ya listening? Just step up to the microphone and go out like
Gehrig! Opening Day, April 2, 2002. Yoooou're Ouuuuuuuut!!!

Yours,

Michael Moore
Author, "Stupid White Men"
Disputed Gold Medal Winner, Ice Dancing

 

[Diamond The U2 Patriot]

To words Micael will learn..

"Mince meat"
Dont mess w/ Mr ORielly.

Db9

 

[Achtung Bubba]

Actually, Moore was quite articulate.

It's pretty clear that he supports confiscatory taxes and price controls, confirming my belief that he's against capitalism - and he actually insinuated that 9/11 was in part caused by the fact that federal agents were investigating President Clinton...

...which, naturally, means that the Republicans are to blame. The fact that Clinton's administration was so full of scandal to begin with is apparently irrelevant.

And when O'Reilly asked what Moore was politically (a socialist, etc), Moore evaded the question completely.

Bottom line is that my assertions about Moore's political beliefs were confirmed, despite the fact that he was quite evasive about them.

 

[melon]

Well, without me neither defending nor condemning Moore, I tend to believe he believes in "progressive" capitalism. The Progressive Era of the early 20th century was very skeptical of business and believed that government regulation was the only way to make capitalism fair. At the time, you must remember, we had huge problems with monopolies, child labor, environmental wastefulness, utility instability, etc. Regulations, to the progressives, were the only way to keep business from destroying everyone and everything. Seeing the economic climate of the late 19th century, I'm inclined to agree.

I do think it is a bit harsh to call Moore completely anti-capitalist, but I do think he disagrees with capitalism in its current form, which relies heavily on the deregulatory, laissez-faire capitalism made popular by Ronald Reagan in recent times. Price controls and "confiscatory taxes" (I have a feeling this is a reference to the windfall profits taxes, which were only taxed on businesses with excessive profits; hence, the incentive was to pay your labor more and to invest in your company infrastructure to avoid the tax) were mainstays of the 1960s and 1970s. Seeing what Reaganomics did to Flint, MI, an automotive city, in the late 1980s is really what got Moore going to what he is today. He probably wants to go back to the regulatory climate of his youth; the days when union auto workers were just as wealthy as businessmen. Now those were the good old days...

Melon

------------------
"He had lived through an age when men and women with energy and ruthlessness but without much ability or persistence excelled. And even though most of them had gone under, their ignorance had confused Roy, making him wonder whether the things he had striven to learn, and thought of as 'culture,' were irrelevant. Everything was supposed to be the same: commercials, Beethoven's late quartets, pop records, shopfronts, Freud, multi-coloured hair. Greatness, comparison, value, depth: gone, gone, gone. Anything could give some pleasure; he saw that. But not everything provided the sustenance of a deeper understanding." - Hanif Kureishi, Love in a Blue Time

[This message has been edited by melon (edited 02-19-2002).]

 

[Danospano]

I didn't see Aaron Brown's show, but I caught The O'Reilly Factor. My thoughts aren't too complimentary, because Moore didn't seem to validate his argument. I almost whole-heartedly agree with his stance on most issues, but he didn't seem to articulate his viewpoint. Maybe he's a better speaker when he has his ideas written down. He seemed nervous and unsure of himself. Poor Michael....I still stand by you, but you could have been more persuasive in your arguments.

 

[Diamond The U2 Patriot]

He did better than I thought he would..

Db9

 

[Achtung Bubba]

Moore was also on the Daily Show this evening.

He did much better, to the surprise of absolutely no one. Kinda easy to look good when you're asked NOTHING difficult, and when every ridiculous word you say is taken at face value.

Wonder if that would happen if, say, Pat Buchanan was on the Daily Show.

Oh, and he yet again alluded to the idea that the GOP's investigation of Clinton allowed the 9/11 attacks to occur, to an appalling round of applause.

(Again, Clinton's not responsible in the least for his own behavior.)

(And I also wonder: if we're attacked again, does ANYONE think Moore will actually criticize the current time-consuming investigations into the Bush Adminstration?)

On a related note, Moore's Gethsemane reference was quasi-explained. Apparently, Bush denied Lay the way Peter denied Christ. UNFORTUNATELY, Christ predicted the denial during the Last Supper - in the upper room - and Peter denied Christ outside his trial. NEITHER occured in Gethsemane.

Of course, what do I know? I'm not as wise as Mr. Moore.

(There, I didn't call him an idiot, even though he is several tacos short of a combination plate.)

 

[melon]

Originally posted by Achtung Bubba:
Oh, and he yet again alluded to the idea that the GOP's investigation of Clinton allowed the 9/11 attacks to occur, to an appalling round of applause.

Well, I'm not going to agree with this, because I think this is too much of a leap, even with Moore. However, I agree that the investigations were ridiculous and deflected from actual governing. Rather than legislating, our Congress during Clinton's second term did absolutely nothing. Clinton was forced to constantly defend himself over a sex scandal of all things. Last I heard, sex wasn't illegal, but then it just became a game of technicalities and partisan politics. Then the impeachment proceedings that everyone knew would be voted on party lines...but the time and money were wasted anyway. Of course, Congress had every right to investigate all that, but there is such a thing as a Pyrrhic victory. We lost a lot--over $60 million spent on Kenneth Starr's investigations alone--to gain absolutely nothing. And, like expected, they didn't even win.

And, yet, these same Republicans don't want to investigate Bush's ties with Enron, which, objectively do look very suspicious...at least worth investigating. "Investigations" don't immediately mean "guilt," BTW. As usual, though, the partisan colors shine through.

Melon

------------------
"He had lived through an age when men and women with energy and ruthlessness but without much ability or persistence excelled. And even though most of them had gone under, their ignorance had confused Roy, making him wonder whether the things he had striven to learn, and thought of as 'culture,' were irrelevant. Everything was supposed to be the same: commercials, Beethoven's late quartets, pop records, shopfronts, Freud, multi-coloured hair. Greatness, comparison, value, depth: gone, gone, gone. Anything could give some pleasure; he saw that. But not everything provided the sustenance of a deeper understanding." - Hanif Kureishi, Love in a Blue Time

 

[Achtung Bubba]

Whoa, there.

Let's recall what the sex scandal was all about: a sexual harassment suit. As I recall, the weight of that charge was MORE than enough to warrant the sideshow that was the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings.

In fact, the charge of sexual harassment is a serious chage against any politician - if he's a Republican, that is.

During that lawsuit, Clinton perjored himself - then proceeded to lie to the American public, his own staff, and Congress through the special council. He lied to all three branches of government and the American people, and in the cases of the civil suit deposition and the Congressional investigation, HE LIED UNDER OATH. That last bit was serious enough to have the man disbarred from his own home state AND will keep him from ever presenting a case before the Supreme Court.

Was the Republican investigation a "witch hunt"? Maybe, but had Clinton not been a sexual predator, or had he not lied under oath, it would have quickly evaporated.

(And make no mistakes: if a CEO of a company, a military general, or a church leader had a 20-something intern give him a blow job in his office, he would be rightfully branded a sexual predator. Surely, Clinton qualifies for the same ignominy.)

...also recall that this scandal was one of the more recent in a VERY long line of scandals: Whitewater, Vince Foster, cattle futures, ad nauseum.


Beyond that, I haven't seen that many Congressional Republicans say there SHOULDN'T be an investigation into Enron. If it leads to damning information about the White House, we'll have to see, but I suspect many Republicans will follow through and continue investigating. In terms of partisan colors "shining through" this isn't analogous to Democrat after Democrat sacrificing their opposition to sexual harassment and their commitment to ethics to save the career of that lying, lecherous crap-weasel of a president.

 

[Diamond The U2 Patriot]

Well said Bubba.
Last time I checked Clarence got a promotion and Bubba's(Impeached Former Pres. Clinton) STILL searching for a legacy.

That was funny about M Moore and a combination plate.
Michael is fast becoming the queen of one liners, snappy answers, and sound bites.
The man has little substance and is full of himself, attempting to dictate his doctrine of forced compassion.
He is a terrific comedian though.

Db9

[This message has been edited by Diamond The U2 Patriot (edited 02-22-2002).]

 

[Spiral_Staircase]

Originally posted by Achtung Bubba:
...that lying, lecherous crap-weasel of a president.

Whoa, there.
Terms like "lecherous crap-weasel", while essential to making a good argument, have been leading to closed threads lately...and rarely convince anyone that Clinton is a "crap-weasel" (can someone find a picture of that online?). Post what you like, I just thought I'd share my opinion.

------------------
Real Saturday Morning Conversation
(a play in one act.)

Spiral: (to wife) What are you watching?

Spiral's Wife: Digimon.

THE END

 

[Achtung Bubba]

I came across the LLCW comment in an OLD article by Jonah Goldberg of National Review Online, and I was just waiting for a good moment to use it.

That said, it may have been out of line, but how serious can one take an insult like "crap-weasel"?

 

[melon]

Originally posted by Achtung Bubba:
that lying, lecherous crap-weasel of a president.

I swear you've described every president since Nixon, with the possible exception of Carter.

Melon

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"He had lived through an age when men and women with energy and ruthlessness but without much ability or persistence excelled. And even though most of them had gone under, their ignorance had confused Roy, making him wonder whether the things he had striven to learn, and thought of as 'culture,' were irrelevant. Everything was supposed to be the same: commercials, Beethoven's late quartets, pop records, shopfronts, Freud, multi-coloured hair. Greatness, comparison, value, depth: gone, gone, gone. Anything could give some pleasure; he saw that. But not everything provided the sustenance of a deeper understanding." - Hanif Kureishi, Love in a Blue Time

 

[Diamond The U2 Patriot]

Carter had hemmoroids.

db9

 

[Danospano]

Carter had a conscience.

 

[speedracer]

Originally posted by Achtung Bubba:

lying, lecherous crap-weasel

Jonah Goldberg obviously stole this from the Shakespearean Insult Server.

[This message has been edited by speedracer (edited 02-25-2002).]