Second Negative

The Burning Bush

The thought occurred to me last week that Austin might not be the best city in which to gauge reaction to the new Michael Moore documentary, “Fahrenheit 9/11”.

In the middle of what is surely one of the most conservative states in the nation, lies the most progressive and cultured city in the Southwest. An anonymous poster described it as “an oasis of liberalism, anarchism, leftism, nihilism, and many other isms in a state that is for the most part an inhospitable desert to anyone to the philosophical left of George W. Bush.” I’ve always found it particularly amusing that state officials, elected by mostly conservative voters, are sent to work in the devil’s backyard.

I’m an Aggie (I swear) but SXSW won’t be moving to College Station (or any other city in Texas) any time soon. If any of the festivities hinted at a gay or lesbian affiliation, the new Republicans on campus would organize a “Straight Pride” parade right down Texas Avenue. I’m not kidding.

But I digress. This is supposed to be about the movie. Based on the press I’d read in the weeks leading up to the release date, and perhaps because of what I’ve read in other books, I might have expected the narrative to delve further into the details of the power relationships that define the Bush family. The focus of the documentary mostly skimmed the surface, but I wasn’t disappointed, as plenty of the most damning evidence was included. There was certainly plenty of humor, mostly arising from candid moments caught on tape. I might never erase from my mind the image of Paul Wolfowitz (Deputy Secretary of Defense) putting his comb in his mouth before using it to slick his hair to one side. It probably didn’t help that he spit in his hand to finish the job.

The personal stories will probably stay with people the longest. The patriotic lady in Flint, Michigan who lost her son in Iraq was particularly emotional. Having encouraged him to join the military to escape their economically ravaged town, she blamed herself for not understanding what Bush was leading us into before it was too late. A large portion of the audience was in tears as she read the last letter her son sent home, only a week before his death. In it, he questioned why they were in Iraq, and prayed that Bush would be voted out of power. Her husband, who quietly comforted her throughout the interview, commented at the end, “he’s dead…and for what?”

There is plenty more I could discuss about the movie, but I only intended to offer my commentary, not a review. I’d encourage anyone with an open mind to go see it. Michael Moore doesn’t hate America, as a soon to be released documentary would have you believe. He loves it so much that he’s not afraid to say that something is wrong.

There was a loud and nearly unanimous round of applause as the credits rolled. I found myself wondering who would have thought four years ago that this might be the most important election of our lifetime?