Fighting FOR Iraq

[Ivo Skoric]

So, now the U.S. is fighting FOR Iraq, the CNN would have us believe. 
That's how they bill the heavy shelling of bad news that come from 
there daily: THE FIGHT FOR IRAQ. And, if the U.S. is fighting for 
Iraq, then who is fighting against Iraq? Iraqi citizens? Iraq will 
finally be free for Rumsfeld, Chenney, and Halliburton, once all 
Iraqis are dead, following that logic. This is a logic of a brutal 
occupying force, not humanitarian liberators, though. I guess Michael 
Moore will either never finish his film, or will have to start 
another one pretty soon: the supply of media crap simply excedes the 
ability of critical observers to process it.

from Michael Moore........the other side in Iraq 
------- Forwarded message follows -------
Heads Up 
April 14, 2004 
Friends, 
I have never seen a head so far up a Presidential ass (pardon my
Falluja) than the one I saw last night at the "news conference" given
by George W. Bush. He's still talking about finding "weapons of mass
destruction" -- this time on Saddam's "turkey farm." Turkey indeed.
Clearly the White House believes there are enough idiots in the 17
swing states who will buy this. I think they are in for a rude
awakening. I've been holed up for weeks in the editing room finishing
my film ("Fahrenheit 911"). That's why you haven't heard from me
lately. But after last night's Lyndon Johnson impersonation from the
East Room -- essentially promising to send even more troops into the
Iraq sinkhole -- I had to write you all a note. First, can we stop 
the
Orwellian language and start using the proper names for things? Those
are not “contractors” in Iraq. They are not there to fix a roof 
or
to pour concrete in a driveway. They are MERCENARIES and SOLDIERS OF
FORTUNE. They are there for the money, and the money is very good if
you live long enough to spend it.



Halliburton is not a "company" doing business in Iraq. It is a WAR
PROFITEER, bilking millions from the pockets of average Americans. In
past wars they would have been arrested -- or worse. 



The Iraqis who have risen up against the occupation are not
"insurgents" or "terrorists" or "The Enemy." They are the REVOLUTION,
the Minutemen, and their numbers will grow -- and they will win. Get
it, Mr. Bush? You closed down a friggin' weekly newspaper, you great
giver of freedom and democracy! Then all hell broke loose. The paper
only had 10,000 readers! Why are you smirking?  One year after we
wiped the face of the Saddam statue with our American flag before
yanking him down, it is now too dangerous for a single media person 
to
go to that square in Baghdad and file a report on the wonderful
one-year anniversary celebration. Of course, there is no celebration,
and those brave blow-dried "embeds" can't even leave the safety of 
the
fort in downtown Baghdad. They never actually SEE what is taking 
place
across Iraq (most of the pictures we see on TV are shot by Arab media
and some Europeans). When you watch a report "from Iraq" what you are
getting is the press release handed out by the U.S. occupation force
and repeated to you as "news." I currently have two
cameramen/reporters doing work for me in Iraq for my movie
(unbeknownst to the Army). They are talking to soldiers and gathering
the true sentiment about what is really going on. They Fed Ex the
footage back to me each week. That's right, Fed Ex. Who said we
haven't brought freedom to Iraq! The funniest story my guys tell me 
is
how when they fly into Baghdad, they don't have to show a passport or
go through immigration. Why not? Because they have not traveled from 
a
foreign country -- they're coming from America TO America, a place
that is ours, a new American territory called Iraq. There is a lot of
talk amongst Bush's opponents that we should turn this war over to 
the
United Nations. Why should the other countries of this world,
countries who tried to talk us out of this folly, now have to clean 
up
our mess? I oppose the U.N. or anyone else risking the lives of their
citizens to extract us from our debacle. I'm sorry, but the majority
of Americans supported this war once it began and, sadly, that
majority must now sacrifice their children until enough blood has 
been
let that maybe -- just maybe -- God and the Iraqi people will forgive
us in the end. Until then, enjoy the "pacification" of Falluja, the
"containment" of Sadr City, and the next Tet Offensive – oops, I
mean, "terrorist attack by a small group of Baathist loyalists"
(Hahaha! I love writing those words, Baathist loyalists, it makes me
sound so Peter Jennings!) -- followed by a "news conference" where we
will be told that we must "stay the course" because we are "winning
the hearts and minds of the people." I'll write again soon. Don't
despair. Remember, the American people are not that stupid. Sure, we
can be frightened into a war, but we always come around sooner or
later -- and the one way this is NOT like Vietnam is that it hasn't
taken the public four long years to figure out they were lied to. 

Now if Bush would just quit speaking in public and giving me more 
free
material for my movie, I can get back to work and get it done. I've
got four weeks left 'til completion. Yours, Michael Moore <A
HREF="mailto:mmflint at aol.com">mmflint at aol.com</A> <A
HREF="http://www.michaelmoore.com/">www.michaelmoore.com</A>


------- End of forwarded message -------