Bush by numbers: Four years of double standards

News: "1 Number of Bush administration public statements on National security issued between 20 January 2001 and 10 September 2001 that mentioned al-Qa'ida.
104 Number of Bush administration public statements on National security and defence in the same period that mentioned Iraq or Saddam Hussein.
101 Number of Bush administration public statements on National security and defence in the same period that mentioned missile defence.
65 Number of Bush administration public statements on National security and defence in the same period that mentioned weapons of mass destruction.
0 Number of times Bush mentioned Osama bin Laden in his three State of the Union addresses.
73 Number of times that Bush mentioned terrorism or terrorists in his three State of the Union addresses. "


By Graydon Carter

Guardian Unlimited Books | Once upon a time in America

Guardian Unlimited BooksAmerica is fired up about this year's election like never before. Michael Moore fills cinemas, the candidates are at each other's throats, and the country's artistic community is taking to the streets. As protest reaches fever pitch, nine American novelists tell Robert McCrum of their hopes and fears for their nation's next chapter

Sunday September 5, 2004
The Observer

It is 9 August 2004, 30 years to the day that Richard Nixon left the White House in disgrace. Carl Hiaasen is fishing for baby tarpon in the shallow waters in front of his house on the Florida Keys. The bestselling author of Skinny Dip, Strip Tease and Stormy Weather remembers that day only too well. He had just started as a cub reporter with Florida Today, a local newspaper, and was assigned to do vox-pop interviews with Miami voters. 'You know,' he says, apropos of our conversation about American politics a generation after those momentous weeks, 'it's even worse now.' Hiaasen's lure snakes out across the water. There's a splash and a vicious swirl as the fish bite.
'Worse than - ?'

'Worse than Watergate.'

In the brutal humidity just south of Key Largo, with shiny, air-conditioned SUVs purring up and down the Overseas Highway beyond the house and wealthy summer trippers tucking into surf 'n' turf menus the size of small peace treaties, it is hard to imagine anything close to the creepy chill of Watergate, still less the creepy goons who perpetrated it, but here's the scoop: Carl Hiaasen is not alone.

PittsburghLIVE.com : "Fahrenheit 9/11" in Crawford County Yanked

Saturday essay - PittsburghLIVE.com: "Much fuss is being made of a nonprofit community theater's decision to pull a scheduled screening of Michael Moore's 'Fahrenheit 9/11' in Crawford County. Of course, pontificating pundits for John Kerry are calling it 'censorship.'
What got most noses out of joint was a decision by the board of the Academy Theatre in Meadville to postpone the scheduled screenings this weekend until after the Nov. 2 election because of outcry over the film's anti-Bush political slant. Then the committee that runs the film series decided to yank the film entirely. That reason? It's coming out on DVD in October, so by screening it thereafter the movie would, ahem, lose its impact.
Hogwash. More than 60 years later film houses still screen 'Casablanca,' and that's readily available on DVD. Of course, we're comparing a classic to something that has the same credibility as 'Plan 9 From Outer Space.'
A teacher of political communication at Edinboro University tells the Post-Gazette the whole matter smells like censorship. What, again? Isn't this road getting awfully rutted by toadies for Kerry? "

Hollis man admits tossing egg at Bush motorcade

The Union Leader and New Hampshire: "LaSalle said he and Boyd went to the corner specifically to protest Bush’s arrival, and offered no apologies for his decision to throw eggs at the motorcade.

LaSalle said he had recalled footage from Michael Moore’s recent movie, “Fahrenheit 9/11,” which showed the newly elected President’s limousine getting pelted by eggs as it made its way en route to inauguration ceremonies.

“It was my decision on the way out of the house to grab some eggs,” LaSalle said.

LaSalle said he and Boyd were treated well at the Nashua Police Department, where they were fed peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches while waiting in separate cells to be interviewed by the Secret Service and police detectives.

During his interview, LaSalle said a Secret Service agent asked him if he had wanted to cause any physical harm to the President to which replied he did not.

“It was never my intention to cause bodily harm to anyone,” LaSalle said.

Both men were released later that night and both are scheduled to appear for arraignment in Nashua District Court on Sept. 10. LaSalle said he plans to admit to the reckless conduct charge, but not to the assault charge."

Associated Press

MoveOn PAC: New TV Ad - RICHARD LINKLATER's "A Real West Texan"

MoveOn PAC: "'When I was asked by MoveOn PAC to join this campaign, I jumped at the opportunity... My ad features Richard, a native Texan from the same part of my home state as GW Bush. To me, Richard represents a lot of traditional, caring folks in this country who feel that the Bush administration has pulled off a great bait and switch: promising 'compassionate conservatism' while undermining the lives of working people everywhere.'
-- Richard Linklater "


Click Title To Watch Video

Every Friday between now and the election MoveOn PAC will be posting a new advertisement by a well-known director... plus a new Jimmy the Cab Driver spot!

You can always view the featured ad of the week on the page, but to access the archives, high-res versions of the ad, pictures from the 10 Weeks concert event and other special features, you must be a MoveOn member.

Weekly Action: Write a letter to the Editor
(Cross Post Letter in this thread)

canada.com network: Republicans pull out the f-word

Entertainment - canada.com network: "NEW YORK (AP) -- You can call Michael Moore a lot of things, and Republicans do. They say the creator of the film Fahrenheit 9-11 is a traitor, a liar and a scoundrel, but inevitably some deploy the last acceptable slur in the American arsenal of insults.
They call him ... a fat man.

Moore, who attended this week's Republican National Convention as a columnist for USA Today, was greeted by delegates who derided him as a 'fat pig.'

The Republicans are "behaving exactly like the third-grade bullies who tormented me as a child," says Marilyn Wann, author of the book FAT!SO? "Any time you invoke the f-word" -- and here she means "fat," not another f-word -- "you're using an incredibly powerful weapon."

"They're thinking this is going to hurt him more, this is going to hurt him as a person," agrees Sandy Schaffer, New York chair of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance.

Moore says he once was skinny, but put on weight in the 1980s when he lived on $99 a week in unemployment and subsisted on cheap, starchy foods. He wants to lose weight, he has said."

Jerry Schwartz
Canadian Press

Michael Moore reschedules appearance, relocates to Carrier Dome - The Daily Orange - News

Michael Moore reschedules appearance: "Love him or hate him, students can experience Michael Moore firsthand - and much sooner than expected.

Moore, the left-leaning writer and creator of the controversial documentary 'Fahrenheit 9/11,' was originally scheduled to speak at Syracuse University on Oct. 17 but will now be speaking in the Carrier Dome Sept. 22 at 7:30 p.m. due to a scheduling conflict with the filmmaker's election-season tour.

'Every seat should be filled on September 22 - whether you want to challenge or cheer Michael Moore you are guaranteed to be charged up for change - in and out of the White House,' said Kenny Rahtz, a representative for Moore.

Moore's appearance is part of the 2004 Syracuse Symposium, an intellectual festival hosted by The College of Arts and Sciences. The theme of this fall's symposium is humor, and Moore was specifically selected to show people the power it can have, said Eric Holzwarth, assistant dean of The College of Arts and Sciences.

'Humor is a mechanism to say things we normally couldn't say,' Holzwarth said. 'Michael Moore is a master who engages his audience. Humor is key to what he does.'"


By Heather Collura
The Daily Orange

USATODAY.com - Protest groups 'empowered' by large turnout

USATODAY.com - Protest groups 'empowered' by large turnout: "NEW YORK - They didn't change the Republican platform, prevent the nomination of President Bush or even make a lot of noise about voting for Democratic nominee Sen. John Kerry. But the half-million or so people who protested during the GOP convention this week didn't come for that.
On Thursday, demonstrators prepared to rally for a final night outside the Republican convention as Bush was to speak inside. Protesters said they'd shown the world that not all Americans agree with Bush and that those who disagree can speak out. 'People are recognizing they need to vote with their feet. They need to be out in the streets,' said Tanya Mayo, 36, national organizer of Not In Our Name, an anti-war group.
The demonstrations were believed to be the largest ever at a U.S. political convention.
On the convention's last day, an AIDS group staged a brief protest in Grand Central Terminal during rush hour, and organizers of Sunday's massive demonstration planned a candlelight vigil during Bush's acceptance speech.
Organizers felt the week's protests were successful in focusing attention on the anti-war sentiment in the country and providing a boost to a movement they say will continue long after the Republican convention."

michaelmoore: A small contribution

michaelmoore: A small contribution: "Even though i really can't afford to, I'm planning on buying several copies of FAHRENHEIT 9/11 and donating them to several local libraries.

Of course, i live in Mass so this really isn't going to make much of a difference in the electoral college, but I'm gonna do it anyway.

Who's with me?"


medallion

USATODAY.com - Why Democrats shouldn't be scared By Michael Moore

USATODAY.com - Why Democrats shouldn't be scared: "NEW YORK — If I've heard it once, I've heard it a hundred times from discouraged Democrats and liberals as the Republican convention here wrapped up this week. Their shoulders hunched, their eyes at a droop, they lower their voice to a whisper hoping that if they don't say it too loud it may not come true: "I...I...I think Bush is going to win."
Clearly, they're watching too much TV. Too much of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Zell Miller, Dick Cheney and Rudy Giuliani. Too much of swift boat veterans and Fox News commentators.

Action heroes always look good on TV. On Wednesday night, the GOP even made an action-hero video and showed it at the convention. There was White House political czar Karl Rove and other administration officials dressed up for "war" and going through boot camp on the National Mall in Washington.

I could only sit there in the convention hall and wish this were the real thing: Rove, national security adviser Condi Rice and Co. being sent to Iraq, and our boys and girls being brought home. But then the lights came up, and everyone sitting in the Bush family box was having a grand ol' hoot and a holler at the video they just saw.

For some reason, all of this has scared the bejabbers out of the Democrats. I can hear the wailing and moaning from Berkeley, Calif., to Cambridge, Mass. The frightening scenes from the convention have sent John Kerry's supporters looking for the shovels so they can dig their underground bunkers in preparation for another four years of the Dark Force."


By Michael Moore
USA Today

MTV.com - News -Andre 3000 Clarifies: He Is Not In New York To Support Bush

MTV.com - News -Andre 3000 Clarifies: He Is Not In New York To Support Bush: "VMAs in Miami and working on their upcoming HBO film in North Carolina, Outkast have been all over the East Coast in the past week. But possibly the most controversial Outkast sighting has been Andre 3000's presence at the Republican National Convention in New York.

Contrary to a rumor that has been spreading faster than Farnsworth Bentley can steal a show, Dre is not attending the convention to support George Bush, or to perform.

'The reason why I'm here [is because] I'm doing a documentary on youth and voting,' Dre said at his hotel Wednesday night. 'I guess people got wind that I was coming here for the Republican convention, [but] they really didn't know the complete story. I wanted to clear it up. You had a lot of people around town, people in the streets, that heard I was supposed to be performing at the convention. A lot of people [are] riled up and upset, and that was never the case. It almost [leads] me to think, 'Who put it out there that I was performing?' I don't know if it was to bring heat to a certain party. I just want to let people know that this is a nonpartisan documentary I'm doing.'"

—Shaheem Reid
MTV News

The Village Voice: Guantanamo on the Hudson by Sarah Ferguson (Andre 3000 pissed)

The Village Voice: Nation: Guantanamo on the Hudson: "At a press conference on Wednesday morning on the West Side Highway—just opposite the warehouse detention center that activists have dubbed "Guantanamo on the Hudson"—activists simultaneously denounced and exulted at the extraordinary number of people who have been arrested protesting the Republican Convention: 1200 on Tuesday, nearly 1800 over the week.

That's the largest number of arrests in the history of party conventions, they noted, and coming on the heals of the hundreds of thousands who marched on Sunday, the strongest show of dissent ever mounted against a president.

But now comes the familiar litany of stories of abuse in jail, people denied access to lawyers, locked up for no reason or held for unnecessarily long stays. Bails have gone as high as $200,000 (for the kid nabbed during Sunday's puppet burning incident), while protesters are being taken to the hospital for skin reactions and asthma attacks from the chemicals and diesel soaked into the concrete floor at the Pier 57 detention center, a former bus depot, where reports are that as many as 40 protesters at a time had been crammed into the 10' by 20' pens covered in wire mesh.

Andre 3000 of Outkast, pissed that a member of his group was still in jail. Earlier today, 55 detainees in Central Booking launched a hunger strike to protest conditions at Pier 57 and their extended detentions. They include several bystanders caught up in the sweeps."


by Sarah Ferguson
The Village Voice

LAUNCH: Green Day Exclusive Video Interview

LAUNCH - Music on Yahoo!: "Fifteen years and seven albums into their already amazing career, Green Day are releasing their most ambitious and important record yet: American Idiot, a full-fledged 'punk-rock opera'/concept album that grapples with such hot topics as politics, religion, and the universal struggle between love and rage. And it rocks harder than anything they've ever done, too! See the trio's Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, and Tre Cool explain exactly why we need an album like this right now:



Exclusive Video Interview/Watch The American Idiot Video

Streaming Street Protest Video: NYC Loves George Bush

> On 8/29/04, over 500,000 protesters marched in NYC against the George Bush Agenda of War. See the street video that captures all the energy and excitement of the moment. From booing republicans, to giant penises and people in costumes.

Go to http://www.riggedproductions.com/
Click film/video
Select: NYC Loves George Bush

If you have a web site or blog, please cut and paste this into your online publication.

AllHipHop.com : Andre 3000 Filming Voting Documentary For HBO

AllHipHop.com : News: "Outkast’s Andre “Andre 3000” Benjamin appeared at the Democratic National Convention and the Republican National Convention to conduct interviews for an upcoming documentary.

The untitled project is being made for HBO and focuses on the rapper’s change from musician to voter registration activist.

Benjamin interviewed John Kerry’s daughters and on Tuesday, he interviewed current President Geoge Bush Jr.’s daughters Jenna and Barbara Bush.

The two mentioned mentioned Outkast and alluded to the group's big hit “Hey Ya” in their convention speech to the Republicans.

“Contrary to what you might read in the papers, our parents are actually kind of cool,” Jenna Bush said. “They do know the difference between mono and Bono. When we tell them we're going to see Outkast, they know it's a band and not a bunch of misfits. And if we really beg them, they'll even shake it like a Polaroid picture.”

Benjamin works with the nonpartisan group "Declare Yourself," the organization founded by legendary TV producer Norman Lear. Benjamin will vote for the first time in November.

"Stuff came up," Benjamin told The Atlanta Journal Constitution in May. “I was out of town, I couldn't see how my vote would matter. It just wasn't that important to me.”

Benjamin said he was enthusiastic about casting his first vote. "

Watch "Ha Ya" MTV's Music Video of the Year Winner

NYC IMC: Andre 3000 Checking Up On Arrested Protesters

NYC IMC: "Andre 3000 from Outkast just went down to 100 Centre st. to talk to people about the situation of the detainees. Then he came over to the IMC space and talked to us about the coverage we've been doing. "

RNC Blog: Wizbang: Bono At The RNC

Wizbang: Bono At The RNC: "Bono paid a visit to the Republican National Convention (posing here with an attendee):"


NEW YORK (Reuters) - U2 lead singer Bono is taking time off from preparing for the release of his band's new album to remind Republicans about AIDS in Africa.
Just as he did in July at the Democratic National Convention in Boston, the Irish activist showed up at the Republicans' confab at Madison Square Garden to use his celebrity cachet to spread the word.

"I'm a non-partisan guy," Bono said during an interview at the venue on Wednesday with Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly.

The rock star's organization Debt AIDS Trade Africa, or DATA, seeks to cut Africa's debt load and enlist the help of the United States in enabling the medicine its drug companies produce to be sent to Africa. Bono and former U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill undertook a high-profile 10-day trip through Africa in 2002 to help raise awareness of such issues.

O'Reilly asked Bono why Americans would want to help Africans who did not practice safe sex. (Reuters)

RNC Babe of the Day Photo Report

Michael Moore.com : Links : A Voice For Choice--a new documentary

Michael Moore.com : Links: "Wax Bush, Vote 2004!"

So say the makers of a new documentary, currently titled “A Voice for Choice.” Emblazoned on tee-shirts and for sale at the filmmakers’ website, www.waxbush2004.com, the WAX BUSH phenomenon has exploded across the country. The filmmakers have sold about 4,000 “WAX BUSH, Vote 2004” tee shirts across the country since early April. And the cool thing is, that all the proceeds have and will continue to fund the documentary film.

While the popularity of Wax Bush Vote 2004 tees points to a sudden national interest in weeding out our government garden, the political waxing and eradication of George W. Bush is resolutely echoed in the millions of voices that stormed the streets in the historic March for Women’s Lives on April 25th. In the largest march on the Capitol in U.S. history, millions of participants from across the nation came to protest Bush’s attacks on women’s reproductive freedoms. Capturing this momentous march and its inspired Wax Bush sentiments is the documentary “A Voice for Choice” by filmmakers, Andrea Buchanan, Denise Plumb, and Sean Cooley.

The documentary travels five different roads to the Washington march, following the diverse and personal stories of a group of young feminist activists from California, an NAACP organized bus from Atlanta, a group of grandmothers and granddaughters from Texas, Catholics, Jews and Muslims sharing a train from New York, and liberal political talk show hosts and Air America Radio employees from NYC. The film also interviews leading politicians, activists and artists who are fighting for a woman’s right to control her reproductive agenda. They include, to name a few, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D), Rep. Jim Greenwood (R), Gloria Steinem, Governor Ann Richards (D), Sheryl Crow, Bill Maher, and the Executive Directors of Planned Parenthood, NARAL Pro-Choice America, NOW, The Feminist Majority, The Republican Pro-Choice Coalition, Catholics for a Free Choice and the A.C.L.U."

BBC NEWS | Passion DVD 'sets R-rated record'

BBC NEWS : Passion DVD 'sets R-rated record': "Biblical epic The Passion of the Christ sold 4.1 million DVD copies on its first day of release in the US.

Fox Home Entertainment said film, directed by Mel Gibson, was the best-selling R-rated film of all time.

Starring Jim Caviezel, the film made $610m (£340m) at the global box office after its cinema release in February.

However, Pixar's animated Finding Nemo still holds the record for one-day DVD sales, selling eight million copies its first day.

There was a massive marketing campaign targeting the DVD at religious groups in the US, with more than six million Christian homes receiving e-mails about its release.

Churches were also offered deals on bulk orders of the film.
"

inner frenchman blog: Secret Service shuts down Michael Moore interview with NPR

inner frenchman: Secret Service shuts down Michael Moore interviews: "This is a transcript of the broadcast the General describes in his letter. Audio is available here (click on Monday, hour 2)

1st clip begins at 31:19


NPR Reporter Andrea Seabrook: Hello Frank. I'm standing here with Michael Moore, the filmmaker who made Fahrenheit 911. Mr. Moore, why are you here?

Michael Moore: I'm here writing a guest column each day for USA Today.

Seabrook: OK, so you have credentials to...

Secret Service Agent Come around here

Seabrook: I'm going to have to join him. They're kicking me out of this exact area but I can go around to...They just asked me to come around to the other side here.

NPR Convention Anchor Fred Stachio (phonetic spelling): Andrea Seabrook on the floor with Michael Moore."

RNC Blog: The Command Post - The Method

The Command Post - The Method: "I'm in the hall just off the floor, blogging from the web phone.... so expect shorter color commentary from me and the speeches etc. from Michelle."

The Budapest Sun Online - Hungarians debate Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11

The Budapest Sun OnlineA DEBATE of prominent Hungarian public figures into the film Fahrenheit 9/11 boiled down to some stark conclusions.

Hungarian daily Magyar Hírlap invited director Nimród Antal, Hungary's ambassador to the United States András Simonyi, and publicist-philosopher Gáspár Miklós Tamás to a discussion in Budapest after the screening of Michael Moore's award winning documentary. "A propaganda film made with sensationalist tools but with a noble goal: The war it protests against is a sordid affair that has to stop," said Tamás, who has repeatedly raised his voice in condemnation of the war on Iraq. "Moore's film does not correspond to my taste either, but as the Americans say, this dirty job had to be done by someone." Tamás argues that Hungarian soldiers on duty in Iraq must return to Hungary."

Michael Moore: Former News Boy of the Week

Michael Moore: Former News Boy of the Week: "NEW YORK Love him or hate him, you've got to hand it to Michael Moore: He's got newsprint in his veins. Everyone knows he once ran an alternative newspaper in Flint, Michigan, and that he's currently writing for USA Today. But did you know that he is, even more impressively, a former News Boy of the Week?

As Ali G might say: Respect.

Yes, it's all there in the latest issue of Rolling Stone, with Moore on the cover. Inside, within the Moore feature, appears a small, faded news clip from his hometown weekly, the Davison (MI) Index. It dates from 1965, and it includes a picture of an already-pudgy Mike under the headline "News Boy of the Week." "

Guardian Unlimited | Michael Moore Returns to GOP Convention

Guardian Unlimited | World Latest | Michael Moore Returns to GOP Convention: "NEW YORK (AP) - Filmmaker Michael Moore returned to the Republican National Convention on Wednesday, two days after he was booed by the crowd in a display that virtually halted the proceedings.
But this time, high above the convention floor, Moore moved from one skybox to another without incident. The spaces used as luxury boxes during sporting events in Madison Square Garden are being used as skyboxes by broadcasters during the convention.
A few passing delegates grumbled about his presence and the attention of the waiting media, but Moore, if he heard, paid no attention. "

By LYDIA SARGENT
Associated Press

USATODAY.com - Don't send more kids to die By Michael Moore

USATODAY.com - Don't send more kids to die By Michael MooreNEW YORK — Tonight, it's show time for George W. Bush, and I can't wait to hear what he has to tell the Republican convention.
It has been a pretty thrilling week so far, my favorite moment by far being the rebellious Bush twins who, in just a few short minutes, delivered on their promise to issue "payback" to their parents and all authority in general.

They revealed their parents' pet name for each other: "Bushie" or "Bushy" — no spelling was provided. They seemed to have embarrassed their grandmother with a joke about the TV show Sex and the City as a place to have sex. And they claimed to have seen their boogieing parents "shake it like a Polaroid picture." That's one picture that took the rest of the night for me to shake out of my head.

Nonetheless, I loved the Bush daughters: They were funny, sassy and free spirits. Back in 1999, they told their father in no uncertain terms that they did not want him to run for president. They wanted their dad at home, they wanted their privacy, and they wanted to go to college in peace. He chose to ignore their pleas — and I guess Tuesday night was their way of saying, "Thanks, Dad."


By Michael Moore


Barbra and Jenna Bush: TimeLine

Boston.com / Shadegg gets ovation for Moore complaint

Boston.com / News / Politics / Conventions / Shadegg gets ovation for Moore complaint: "NEW YORK -- Arizona Rep. John Shadegg got a standing ovation from his delegation Wednesday when he announced that, partly because of their complaints, USA Today had withdrawn convention credentials for film maker Michael Moore.

Shadegg had instructed delegates to call USA Today to protest the paper's decision to hire Moore for the week. When a top executive called him to ask why he was mad at the paper, Shadegg said he responded: ''You're just nuts if you think we're going to buy your paper, when you credentialed kind of the anti-Christ.''

As delegates rose to their feet, Shadegg said he got a return call a few hours later saying Moore's credentials had been revoked.
Shadegg referred to ''Fahrenheit 911'' as a ''crockumentary.''"

Associated Press

ZNet |Imperialism | Interviewing Arundhati Roy

ZNet |Imperialism | Superstars and Globalization: *Sonali Kolhatkar*: The last time I saw you, you were in Mumbai, India. You were on a very big stage and you were speaking to tens of thousands of people at the World Social Forum and you were one of the few people who made a specific suggestion about boycotting a couple of American companies that were profiting from the war in Iraq and you got a lot of applause for it because that was sort of a rare thing – there were mostly platitudes at the WSF. Has anything come of that suggestion?


*Arundhati Roy*: Well I don’t know that anything has come of it concretely but I think people are working on that idea. How exactly it should be done is a difficult issue. But I would just like to repeat the fact that it’s really dangerous for us to limit our protests to purely symbolic spectacle and that we have to begin to inflict real damage and we have to be able to signal to these absolutely heartless multinational companies that they cannot function like this. And if we don’t do that, then we’re going to take a very big hit. We’re just going to be a comical movement of people who like to feel good about ourselves.


*Sonali Kolhatkar*: But you’re also very much a believer in non-violent struggle. How does one hit the empire without using a little violence – and can boycotts be effective?


*Arundhati Roy*: I don’t also want to go around being the Barbie doll of non-violent struggle. To confuse non-violence with passivity is one of the things that’s dangerous. And the fact is that neither am I a person who feels that I have the right, or I am in a place where I should be dictating to people how they should conduct their movements. Personally I’m not prepared to pick up arms now. But maybe I can afford not to, at whatever place I am in now. I think violence really marginalizes and brutalizes women. It depoliticizes things. It’s undemocratic in so many ways. But at the same time, when you look at the massive amount of violence that America is perpetrating in Iraq, I don’t know that I’m in a position to tell Iraqis that you must fight a pristine, feminist, democratic, secular, non-violent war. I can’t say. I just feel that that resistance in Iraq is our battle too and we have to support it. And we can’t be looking for pristine struggles in which to invest our purity. But I feel that for those of us who are prepared to resist non-violently, the economic outposts of empire are vulnerable. These same companies that first did business with Saddam Hussein, then were on the Defense Policy Board advising America to go to war, now are getting huge contracts from the destruction of Iraq, are also the same companies that are privatizing water and privatizing power and so on, in Latin America, in Africa, in India. Therefore we do have a foothold and we can shut them down if we wanted to. "



by Sonali Kolhatkar
and Arundhati Roy

Democracy Now! | Medea Benjamin Dragged off RNC Floor for Unfurling "Pro-Life: Stop the Killing of Iraq" Banner (Video)

Democracy Now! Medea Benjamin Dragged off RNC Floor for Unfurling "Pro-Life: Stop the Killing of Iraq" Banner: "During Schwarzenegger's address, peace activist and Code Pink founder Medea Benjamin was on the floor of the convention. As she was standing less than 20 feet away from Vice President Dick Cheney, she unfurled a pink banner that read 'Pro-Life: Stop the Killing in Iraq.' Security officials quickly approached her and told her to put it away. Medea responded by saying it was a pro-life banner. Minutes later, a Secret Service man came up and asked for her press credentials. She stalled for a few minutes cheering Schwarzenegger along with the Republican crowd.

She was soon surrounded by more security officials. When she realized she was being escorted off the convention floor. Medea Benjamin turned to Vice President Dick Cheney who was sitting 20 feet away and repeatedly yelled 'Stop the killing in Iraq.' Secret service members carried her upside down off the convention floor. "

RNC Blog: Political Wire: About Those Bush Girls

Political Wire: About Those Bush Girls: "Ryan Lizza says the Bush twins introduction of their father last night fell flat:
'I understand that self-deprecation can be a useful political tactic for elected officials. Bush's jokes about himself have always been incredibly disarming, for instance. But I was sort of shocked to see that the conceit of Jenna and Barbara Bush's speech tonight was that they are, well, dumb.

'The reason that self-deprecation works as a rhetorical device is because the person using it has developed at least some level of credibility that cuts against his or her caricature. But if the only thing people have heard about you is that you are a hard-partying, spoiled, not-so-bright, rich kid, well wouldn't it be more useful to tell them a different story about yourself, instead of reveling in your immaturity and ditziness?'

However, Andrew Sullivan thinks differently: 'I have to say I loved it - if only for its authenticity, for the sudden interruption of an actual reality into the sometimes surreal script of this convention.' "


Barbara, left, and Jenna Bush, twin daughters of the president, address the Republican National Convention in Madison Square Garden Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2004 in New York. (AP Photo/Joe Cavaretta)

Moore to speak at Dickinson

Moore to speak at Dickinson: "With Moore's Oct. 6 visit, and Bush's appearances at Village Park last night and at the Army War College in May, Carlisle is doing its share to build Pennsylvania's status as a battleground in the presidential race.
Moore's visit is sure to draw a crowd.

'There is a healthy anti-Bush presence here at Dickinson,' said sophomore Peter Doidge, treasurer for the College Democrats.
But Dickinson's invitation to Moore isn't a sign of partisanship, said Christine Dugan, college spokeswoman. The college is hosting conservative National Review columnist Jonah Goldberg, who will speak Oct. 27.

Alex Stout, a sophomore and College Democrats president, said Moore's approach may rankle, but he raises valid questions about the Bush administration.
'He probably distorted the facts ... but I do think he had a lot of good points. It's really important that the college ... bring radical viewpoints and let students make their own decisions,' he said.

"Not for a minute do I think it was a fair and balanced documentary," said Wayne Winters, a Carlisle High School government teacher. "[But] I enjoyed it in my anybody-but-Bush mode that I'm operating under at this point."

Winters said the movie was loaded with propaganda, but it carried a powerful anti-war message and showed "the human face of the tragic loss of life."

The documentary's more dubious points may amount to simple barb-throwing, but its harm is relative, Winters said.

"It was distortion of facts that led to the war in Iraq and Michael Moore's movie is not killing anyone," he said."


ELIZABETH GIBSON

RNC Blog: Singing Republican Babe Alert

Singing Republican Babe Alert: "Folks, don't forget to watch for Daize Shayne, who's singing tonight at the RNC right before Governator Ahnuld pumps up da croooooooowd. Babe alert, Kevin."


Blog Comment: Daize was terrible on Hannity and Coombs tonight. It was embarrassing that she didn't endorse President Bush. I went to her web page, she can't sing either. I can't believe no one asked her if she even endorsed Bush. She sounded so uneducated. She obviously has spent alot of time at the beach versus reading the newspapers & books. Her political savvy was "nil."



Another RNC Blog Report on the "Babes of the Day"
Taegan Goddard's Political Wire: Washingtonienne Bares All

david rovics blog

david rovics: "i've been in nyc for the past several days for the rnc, and it's mostly been lots of fun. getting somewhat tired of big crowds and hanging out in groups all the time, but it's basically all good and has mostly been lots of fun.

i'm still bummed that the ufpj rally in central park never happened -- there has been no rally at all -- and that i didn't get the chance to sing for 400,000 people or whatever the numbers were. the march on aug 29 was big, but it needed a rally. all those liberals from the suburbs need to get indoctrinated, and a good ufpj rally is a good start. yesterday's poor people's march (kwru) was great, much more fun and festive and rhythmic and diverse, and non-permitted. thousands of people, not sure how many."


Moron (Songs for Mahmud version)
play lo-fi play hi-fi MP3 Lyrics/Story

"David Rovics is the musical version of Democracy Now!"Amy Goodman, host, Democracy Now!

USA Today: The Ebert and McCain show by Michael Moore

NEW YORK — Poor John McCain.
Here's a guy I've always sort of liked, a courageous war hero reduced to carrying water for the Bush campaign. (Related stories: Moore index page)

So it was Monday night, as I sat in the press section — unbeknownst to Sen. McCain — when he switched from pro-war convention speaker to film critic. Out of nowhere, he began to attack my movie, Fahrenheit 9/11, calling me a "disingenuous filmmaker." The problem is, he hasn't seen the movie, a fact he later admitted to Chris Matthews on MSNBC.

I know Republicans are mad that my film may have convinced just enough people to tip the balance in this election. Yet with all the serious issues facing our country, and right smack in the middle of an important speech about the need to catch the terrorists and continue the war in Iraq, McCain decided to turn the convention into the Ebert and McCain Show. He claimed that I portrayed Saddam's Iraq as an "oasis of peace."

Some of the 20 million who have seen the film must have wondered, "Did I miss that scene? I knew I shouldn't have gone out for those Goobers." All I can imagine McCain was referring to was a brief cutaway just as President Bush announces the commencement of the bombing of Baghdad on March 19, 2003. (Click Title for More)


By Michael Moore


Filmmaker Michael Moore reacts to being called a 'disingenuous filmmaker' by Senator John McCain of Arizona during McCain's speech to the delegation at the 2004 Republican National Convention at Madison Square Garden in New York City, August 30, 2004. REUTERS/Gary Hershorn US ELECTION

AP Wire | Michael Moore Plans Return to Convention

AP Wire | 08/31/2004 | Michael Moore Plans Return to Convention: "NEW YORK - Filmmaker Michael Moore said he will return to the Republican National Convention where delegates roundly booed his presence on opening night.

Moore is covering the convention this week as an opinion columnist for USA Today and arrived at Madison Square Garden in time for Sen. John McCain's primetime speech on Monday night.

When McCain alluded to Moore's anti-Bush documentary 'Fahrenheit 9/11' delegates began chanting and booing in the direction of the filmmaker, who was in the media section of the convention hall.
'I now know what the Christians probably felt like walking into the Coliseum,' Moore said Tuesday in an interview with The Associated Press.
Moore, who seemed to relish the tumult, said he would return despite the chilly reception 'because I'm here to cover the convention and I'm here to write about what I see.'

Moore's presence attracted attention from the beginning of his arrival.
According to Mark Benoit, Moore's spokesman, it took Moore and his group almost 45 minutes to get through security checkpoints because of the throng of reporters and television cameras that followed him.

At one point, police officers refused credentialed reporters access into the press stands where Moore was sitting.

'I knew he'd be a celebrity but I was surprised by the extent of both the media coverage and the security reaction,' said Owen Ullmann, Moore's USA Today editor. 'It created more of a disruption than was intended.'

Ullmann initially said that Moore would not be returning to Madison Square Garden. But he later said, in the end, the columnist has 'to speak for himself.'"


MEGAN COSSEY
Associated Press

GOP 2004: Moore Won't Return to Madison Square Garden

GOP 2004: Moore Won't Return to Madison Square Garden: "NEW YORK Following all the commotion last night, Michael Moore will not be returning to Madison Square Garden for the Republican National Convention, E&P has learned. According to editors at USA Today, which is publishing his daily column this week, Moore told them that he was choosing not to return again.

However, they said he would continue to write his daily column and they stressed that in no way did they second-guess their decision to have him write the commentary.

Last month, Ann Coulter, who had been hired by USA Today to write a column at the Democratic National Convention, quit after the editors requested many changes in her first submission.

After entering the Garden Monday night with USA Today credentials, Moore was criticized by Sen. John McCain in his speech, setting off prolonged boos and taunts in the arena."


By Joe Strupp

LJ: Kerry In Tacoma WA Music Video

While not as wittily biting as a Moore creation, I credit him for bringing me in to the use-film-to-oust-bush fold. So last night, I made this music video - with a salute to Moore and F911.



I shook the next President's hand. I think there was, perhaps, some sort of cosmic Kerry force that transferred from his warm hand to mine that absolutely required me to stay up until 5 am and create this music video. I'll do my part to persuade the undecided and this is a lot more pleasant than making calls or knocking on doors.

We were press, taking photos for the Tacoma Daily Index, so we were front and center, not 15' from His Kerryness.

It sure feels warm in his glow. It was indeed a beautiful day in the Puget Sound - a few drops of rain, sun breaks, Commencement Bay on one side, the Tacoma Dome on the other and our next President in between with 20,000 supporters cheering. God, I love America. With Kerry in the lead, the rest of the world might like us again, too.

Watch the music video (4:00)
Streaming or download;
must have Windows Media player

Hi (31 mb download; 1120 kpbs, T1/Cable; 640x480)
Med (16 mb download; 556 kpbs, Cable/DSL)
Low (3.7 mb download; 124 kpbs, Dial-up)

Frankly, not great quality, but small. To download, Right-click and "save target as" to your hard drive. Otherwise, just click the link and it will download in your temp folder

If you enjoyed this, please leave a comment. Otherwise I exist in a vacuum. I also would be so appreciative that you share this with everyone you know.

Forward this link - http://www.livejournal.com/users/dana___/3596.html. The more word of mouth (or ear) about Kerry-Edwards, the better for the US and, by extension, the world. Share freely.

For fun, watch for the Craig Kilborn and Ed Harris look alikes standing behind Kerry while he's shaking hands, "Harris" is secret service and I can only presume "Craig" is a staffer. I'm still not convinced that's not really Craig. And I think "Harris" is so cool, apparent by all the photos I ended up taking of him.


Community: Fahrenheit 911

Mike Takes Center Stage at the RNC (video)

Sen. John McCain drew the biggest response of the evening at the Republican National Convention last night, not for his comments about President Bush or the War in Iraq, but for referring to Michael Moore as a "disingenuous filmmaker."

Unbeknownst to McCain, Mike was right there in the room with him, sitting in the press box as a credentialed USA Today columnist.

When the excited audience turned to Mike and began a chant of "four more years," Mike smiled and flashed the big "L".

Audio: Segment Show
Video: 128k Stream 256k Stream


US Film maker Michael Moore(C) gestures to photographers after US Senator John McCain, R-AZ, called him 'a disingenuous filmmaker' at the Republican National Convention at Madison Square Garden in New York City.(AFP/Jeff Haynes)

peacecandy.com: Dress W and Pull His String

peacecandy.com/gwbush/An interactive Bush dress up doll. Pull his string and listen to him lie and say something stupid.



(Click Bush Dancer)

Democracy Now! RNC Coverage

Democracy Now! has expanded its coverage to two hours a day during the historic RNC in NYC. Great coverage of the protests, and of the RNC. For example did you know that michael moore spoke at the RNC/Antiwar protests sunday? Did you know about the Defend Johnny Cash folks? Democracy Now! informed me of these items. Really an excellent show.



Source: LiveJournal/AntiWar

2 Hour Special Program

• The Battle for New York: 500,000 March Against Bush in Historic Antiwar Protest
• Antiwar Voices Address March: Michael Moore, Jesse Jackson, Fernando Suarez, Charles Barron and More
• Critical Mass: Over 260 Arrested in First Major Protest of RNC
• Gov. Pataki Dodges Question on Saddam-9/11 Claims
• Veteran White House Correspondent Helen Thomas on Iraq: "We've really Damaged Our Psyche, Our Soul, Our Image"
• Crackdown: 400 Arrests as NYPD Unveil New Policing Tactics & Surveillance Methods
• Activists Face 25 Years for Hanging Anti-Bush Banner At Plaza Hotel
• Poor People's Campaign To March Without Permit From UN to Madison Square Garden

HoustonChronicle.com - Convention notebook: Riding in cars with Moore: Republicans may face dilemma

Riding in cars with Moore: Republicans may face dilemmaRepublicans attending their national convention in New York this week will be playing a game of taxi roulette. Sitting atop 100 of the ubiquitous yellow vehicles are signs advertising the paperback version of Michael Moore's best-selling book, Dude, Where's My Country?

The book, published by Warner Books, led him to produce Fahrenheit 9/11, the blockbuster movie critical of the Bush administration.

The taxi advertisements were purchased only for the week of the convention to "let the Republicans know there's another point of view out there if they're interested," said Warner Publisher Jamie Raab.

"This is going to present an interesting dilemma for some Republicans — do I get in the cab or wait for another one?" Raab said. "I think some Republicans will prefer to walk."

Republican National Convention Coverage
Texas Style
News, opinion, blogs, jokes and updates from New York City. Live webcast.

NOTE: Seeking digital snap of NY cab with Dude, Where's My Country

USATODAY.com - The GOP doesn't reflect America By Michael Moore

USATODAY.com - The GOP doesn't reflect America: "NEW YORK — Welcome, Republicans. You're proud Americans who love your country. In your own way, you want to make this country a better place. Whatever our differences, you should be commended for that.
But what's all this talk about New York being enemy territory? Nothing could be further from the truth. We New Yorkers love Republicans. We have a Republican mayor and governor, a death penalty and two nuclear plants within 30 miles of the city.

New York is home to Fox News Channel. The top right-wing talk shows emanate from here — Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly among them. The Wall Street Journal is based here, which means your favorite street is here. Not to mention more Fortune 500 executives than anywhere else.

You may think you're surrounded by a bunch of latte-drinking effete liberals, but the truth is, you're right where you belong, smack in the seat of corporate America and conservative media.

Let me also say I admire your resolve. You're true believers. Even though only a third of the country defines itself as "Republican," you control the White House, Congress, Supreme Court and most state governments.

You're in charge because you never back down. Your people are up before dawn figuring out which minority group shouldn't be allowed to marry today."


Michael Moore, Filmmaker


Filmmaker Michael Moore flashes a messenger pass as he is prevented from entering the floor area during the evening program of the 2004 Republican National Convention at Madison Square Garden in New York, August 30, 2004. Moore was escorted away from the floor area by U.S. Secret Service agents and convention security officials saying that he was wearing the wrong credential. U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) later referred to Moore in his convention speech as a 'disingenuous filmmaker.' REUTERS/Rick Wilking US ELECTION

Michael Moore Joins the Press -- And Gets Some (washingtonpost.com) (Video Clip)

Michael Moore Joins the Press -- And Gets Some (washingtonpost.com)NEW YORK, Aug. 30 -- Michael Moore -- filmmaker, rabble-rouser, citizen -- wandered into a dangerous neighborhood on Monday. As a guest columnist for USA Today at the Republican National Convention, he only wanted to take some notes, he said, to observe.

But from the moment he entered Madison Square Garden, Moore was the one being observed.

For more than two hours, he created a comet's tail of commotion. Holding a rolling news conference as he dragged a clot of some 70 reporters past a growing wave of security officials and hostile conventioneers, Moore came close to disrupting the entire convention.

"Moore, you loser! Get out!" shouted Dan Willard, an alternate Maryland delegate from Rockville.

Others merely scowled if not at Moore then at the traffic jam he created.

Moore, whose anti-Bush film "Fahrenheit 9/11" is a $100 million-plus polemical blockbuster, seemed delighted by the ruckus. It gave him another platform to sound off on a variety of themes: the war in Iraq, the economy, the national debt.

When Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) called him "a disingenuous filmmaker" during his speech, Moore said, "Thank you, John McCain."

No offense taken. Only dollar signs.

"Hey, the film's doing $120 million right now," Moore said. "When McCain mentions it, I have a chance to do $150 million. It just creates more interest, more excitement.

A delegate from Missouri called Moore a "disgrace," a few seconds after asking for his autograph."

McCain's Speech - Video Clip of Michael Moore reference (Click Title)


By Mark Leibovich and Paul Farhi
Washington Post Staff Writers

RNC Protest Pixs Through A Pro-Bush Lens

Ken Wheaton's Photo Blog

Bobby's Blog - RNC Street Protest Video (Ruff Cut)

Bobby's Blog - Just like RiggedProductions.com...only lamer.: "I went to the giant Protest in NYC today and boy was it fun... I just threw together an edit of my footage from the protest, expect a more polished version in the next couple days, but I just really wanted to get this one out there as soon as possible. - Bobby Miller

Hard Working Movies - This Land synopsis

Hard Working Movies - This Land synopsis: "THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND shows that every person can make a difference, even when pitted against the enormous power of big business. This funny and moving documentary criss-crosses the nation, interviewing experts and individuals about corporate influence on American life, hears how people across the country feel their own lives have been affected, and looks at some of the brave, compelling and sometime hilarious ways in which individuals and communities are reacting.

The film features interviews with radio commentator and author Jim Hightower (“Thieves in High Places”); Marc Kasky, a man whose lawsuit over truth in advertising made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court; Sikhulu Shange, a small business owner in Harlem involved in community efforts to support local stores against chains and preserve some of the unique history of his neighborhood; Father Tryphon, a Russian orthodox monk, who fought a coffee giant to keep the name “Christmas Blend” on his monastery coffee; cultural critic Naomi Klein, who talks about the emergence of brand bullies and how they got that way; veteran newsman Jack Newfield; Doris Haddock, who walked across the country at the age of 89 to get corporate money out of politics; Project Censored award-winning author Thom Hartmann, and many others.

In addition to expert interviews, THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND highlights the narratives of many ordinary Americans set against lyrical images of the rural countryside, gritty scenes of inner-city neighborhoods and the stark grand-openings of mega malls, all with the reference to corporate influence. The film interweaves these interviews with location scenics, archival and news footage, photographs and radio program sound bites. What emerges is a rich and informative tapestry about the changing history of corporate power in this country and a startling look at today’s America. Featured throughout the film are portraits of the gutsy and sometimes surprising heroes who are working to improve the conditions of their own lives and the world around them."


Playing during the RNC at the Imagine Festival of Arts, Issues & Ideas, NYC

Lateline - 30/08/2004: Bush has damaged war on terrorism: Clarke

Lateline - 30/08/2004: Bush has damaged war on terrorism: Clarke: "TONY JONES: It's no coincidence that New York has been chosen for the Republican convention.

President Bush, however, got a much warmer reception than I suspect he may have wanted - 100,000 people demonstrating in the streets of New York overnight.

How is that going to play to the American electorate?

RICHARD CLARKE: I think there are very few people in the United States who haven't already decided who they are going to vote for.

About 45 per cent of the American people would vote for George Bush if he ran naked down Pennsylvania Avenue.

And about 45 per cent would vote against him if he came up with a cure for cancer.

So that small amount of people in the middle are trying to decide what to do.

Some of them seeing the radical protests in the New York, might be inclined to vote for Bush.

TONY JONES: Let me ask you this - are you worried at all to find yourself effectively in the same boat as someone like Michael Moore and I suppose, in a way, it is a perennial problem for whistleblowers, that they often get championed by people who are more radical than they are.

RICHARD CLARKE: Well, I'm certainly not in the same boat as Michael Moore.

I mean Michael Moore is a Democratic Party partisan.

I'm not, I'm not in either party.

When the Bush Administration does something right, I'm the first to say that it has done something right.

Unfortunately in the war on terrorism, they've done very little right."



Australian Broadcasting Corporation
TV PROGRAM TRANSCRIPT

Michael Moore.com : How a Movie Can Move the Voting Public (Part 3)

Michael Moore.com : Mike's Message : Mike's Latest News: “Yesterday I E-mailed you after seeing ‘Fahrenheit 9/11,’ introducing myself as a 60 year old white male Republican, who is abandoning that party and supporting John Kerry for President, as the Republican Party has abandoned me and all that this country stands for. Can this party in good conscious claim that it is the party of Abraham Lincoln?

The answer to that question is obvious and in a great sense rhetorical. No!

There must be like-minded people like me (at least I hope so). But even if not, all Americans must take part in this election to rid the country of King George. As never before, the stakes are too high!!!

As an addition to my background that I omitted yesterday is that I am an attorney for 35 years, now practicing as a medical malpractice defense attorney. I started out in 1969 in Army JAG and spent 1 year in Viet Nam from 1970-71, as a captain, mainly in the Saigon area. I was a REMF--look that up in your Funck & Wagnells (sic). I saw no action and checked out a 45 for one day during Tet 1971, when being billeted in Long Binh and not planning to leave the compound, it made no sense.

After a hiatus for Tet, as being the command judge advocate for the 4th Transportation, we resumed our jaunts up and down the Saigon River on the command yatch, past the French Club, with bloody marys in hand (but that is another story).

In your list of ills of the present King George, believe it or not, I can find no quarrel. There is much that needs to be corrected within our country and the current administration who has brought a new meaning to and perfected the art of hubris, must be brought to its knees and get a true taste of reality. Only 4 more months to go before King George is returned to Texas.

I want to help make that a reality. (By the way, do you know Jonathan Demme? We were in the same Cub Scout pack on Long Island together.)” –M.A.B., Irvine, California

Herald.com | Musicians ask show's audience to rock the vote

Herald.com 08/30/2004 Musicians ask show's audience to rock the vote: "Standing against a patriotic background, presenter Sean ''P. Diddy'' Combs, ''officially a resident of Miami Beach,'' scored a hotter reception. Combs, clutching a T-shirt bearing his Citizen Change motto, Vote or Die, urged fans to get to the polls Nov. 2. ``Twenty million young voters are going to decide who the next president is.''

Some say the energy level among artists embroiled in politics is unprecedented.

''Traditionally, artists have always looked at it as a responsibility to express their points of view . . . but I'm seeing a lot more interest from younger people at how this election comes out,'' said Paul Lazarus, director of film studies at the University of Miami.

Amy Lee of Evanescence said she thought the focus on the upcoming election was great, but that the audience showed poor taste during the appearance of the candidates' daughters. ``I thought it was really tacky to boo anyone you don't support. That sucks.''"


BY HOWARD COHEN