Fahrenheit With a Silent H

The first thought that struck my mind was the number of people that misspell the word ’Fahrenheit’. It may seem like a strange question, but I suppose that is indicative of Michael Moore’s intelligence; after all, he does hail from amongst a people that renamed internationally-acclaimed (and globally-loved) “French Fries” to “Freedom Fries” over the whole War on Iraq row…and it would not be an unexpected gesture if they attribute the number 11 to follow the number 9 on the official United States of America counting scheme.

But the entire 2-hour documentary (which seemed – and certainly was – much longer thanks to the previews depicting Colin Farrell as the Greco-Macedonian conqueror Alexander the Gay) had a pretty decent flow of events, almost all linking to the central theme of the movie: Bash the Bush.

Moore’s documentary starts with how Dubya stole the elections in a family-controlled plot and with the help of FOX network, along with the blatant racism of American electoral process and suppression of the rights of the African-American people. The film then takes a lot of time talking about the WTC attacks and illustrating the special relationship between the Saudi royals and the Bush family.

The peak of this angle that diverted my attention momentarily towards my brother-in-law to exchange an amused/shocked/not really shocked glance was the bit of information on Dubya and Saudi Ambassador to the US (aka Deputy Crown Prince) Bandar, sharing a cigar and a drink on the Truman Balcony at the White House, on September 12, 2001. I started wondering how many floggings our dear prince (aptly named after a monkey) would get on his royal rump for a documented crime such as this one…before I realized that the Sharia’ Law was only for non-Saudis, specifically non-Arabs like Pakistani and African. Silly me, I must have missed my Islamic readings on the God-given religious exemptions for Saudis…

The film goes on about various other occurrences that would not be anything new for someone who spends a bit of time watching the news (diversified media outlets), reading, and using logic. There is short but notable footage of when the Texas administration of Governor Dubya welcomed a Taliban delegation in an effort to come to an agreement in making a pipeline from the rich oil reserves of the Caspian Sea, through Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan – an event, as the film noted, only reported by BBC. In an ensuing press conference, a showboat lady of the media wore a burqa in an attempt to demean the dressing code, proceeded to emerge from it complaining about how hot and stifling it was and to question the alleged oppression of women in Afghanistan. The Taliban spokesman, who incidentally spoke in an educated manner and possessed excellent English, responded curtly to the effect of feeling sorry for her husband having to put up with her. Needless to say, the wit caused a collective response by the viewers and ended that sequence on screen.

The second part of the movie concentrated on the Invasion of Iraq. Moore uses approximately a 40-seconds bit to build up a glimpse of the regular, daily lives of innocent Iraqis…which is subsequently interrupted and utterly devastated by the despicable and indiscriminate bombings conducted by American forces…and their coalition, consisting of the formidable powers of Palau, Costa Rica, Romania, and other such fearsome military powers. He shows some of the horrifying effects of war on Iraqis and, in certain scenes, hints at the Abu Ghraib-type of abuse that the US soldiers are routinely doing to Iraqis to humiliate and finish off the people physically, psychologically, emotionally…basically on every front.

The film shows US soldiers playing crude, heavy metal music to charge themselves up with adrenaline as they shoot anyone and anything that moves, regardless of whether it is an Iraqi child, man, or woman. It is almost like they are playing a video game…a game where they are destroying Iraqi lives at will. Each US soldier interviewed has a dazed, brainwashed look on their face, reiterating the standard propaganda that is fed to them, oftentimes stumbling around any time a word greater than two syllables dares to enter their speech.

A particularly powerful and moving scene is when an elderly Iraqi woman, after her house is totally demolished and family members murdered, is crying, shouting, praying for Allah (SWT)’s retribution on those who have caused so much grief on her and her people. Naturally, there are many of those with “knowledge” bursting out of their cerebral seams that would instantly get on the defensive, condemn her, and belch out the automated line of “Islam means peace” in a self-righteous fashion I am not ashamed to say that as I sat in that theatre watching this woman’s anguish and grief, I joined her in prayer…with a slight alteration of including those who do not truly feel and understand the cries of their fellow Muslims, those grossly indulged in a maximized level of selfishness and support the perpetrators, those whose venomous words are as hollow as their hearts and faith, as it does not have an iota of space for mercy towards their fellow Muslims…

The film shows the Iraqi resistance, right after a speech by Dubya claiming that they had achieved victory. It displays the deaths of hundreds of American soldiers and reveals interviews with many of the injured…some with lost limbs, others with permanently-damaged nerves…many condemning Bush & Rumsfeld, asking why they were sent in the first place, others expressing confusion as to why they as “liberators” are facing resistance. The fact is raised that many, if not most, US soldiers in Iraq come from impoverished backgrounds and are laying their lives for the wealthy capitalist rulers back home. It shows how the US Marines manipulate, brainwash, and essentially “sell” the idea of joining the US Military to youth of low income households. There is a parallel tale of a “patriotic” flag-waving Christian American woman who encouraged her children to join the Army…yet gains consciousness and feeling for the Iraqi people once her own son is killed in Iraq. The film also depicts Michael Moore himself approaching various Congressmen so they can enlist their own children to serve in Iraq since, as the documentary confirms, only one Congressman thus far has a child in Iraq.

Oh, and for those who continue to possess even a shadow of a doubt: a final blow of reassurance is dealt with the cameo appearance at one point in the movie by the embodiment of social degradation herself, Britney Spears. Ms. Spears stares blankly at an interviewer and asks viewers on camera to “trust the President (Dubya)” and to support his war. In a world where her brain cells are exchanged to display her body in the most immoral of methods, she is hardly recognized as a bonafide intellectual nor a beneficial ally. Thus, being peas from the same pod, her vouching for Dubya is natural…and in itself reinforces every case against him.

I have two principal criticisms regarding the movie. The first is that instead of questioning who exactly perpetrated the WTC attack, Moore went along with the American government’s official explanation. It is ironic, since his whole documentary exposes them as cheats, liars and purely evil, a group willing to sacrifice their own people and the entire world for their own greed of power and money…so how can they be trusted??

The second criticism was the absence of the most important player in the grand scheme of events: Israel. There is no doubt that the Zionist movement occupies a primary role in the WTC attacks, international anti-American sentiment, terrorism, and plunging the entire world into the chaotic time that we live in. Such a major character being excluded from the movie is simply unfair.

Overall, the documentary is definitely a must-see…if for anything, showing support to a man courageous enough to reveal truth. The movie ended to applause by the audience in the packed theatre, and an even longer line was waiting outside, eager to view Mr.Moore’s latest work of art. I must admit that I was not one who applauded. It was not because I did not appreciate the movie…rather, my thoughts were with those who had lost a sibling, parent, child in Iraq during the two hours I had spent watching the movie…with those who lost a limb, or eyesight, or gave birth to a mutated child as a result of depleted uranium from the effects of American weaponry…with those who were tortured, raped and humiliated by invaders.

My hope and prayer is that this movie will motivate people in seeking information and standing up for justice. Information is knowledge, knowledge is power…and that is something “they” do not wish to share. Granted, Dubya did not seem to have had a deprived childhood, but perhaps he was too busy shooting frogs at his ranch as a youngster to have even read grand literary works such as comic books. Had he done so, he would have learned that in the Spiderman comic book series, Peter Parker was once told by his Uncle Ben that “with great power comes great responsibility”. Responsibility leads to accountability. Power rests in the grasp of irresponsible people, but accountability is something they must face…if not in the worldly life, then on the Day of Judgment. And for some, their trial in the Highest Court presided by the Judge of Judges is sooner than they expect.