Move America Forward's Dishonesty Won't Stop Fahrenheit 9/11; Even Conservatives are Giving Positive Reviews and there are More Pro-democracy, Anti Bush Movies Coming By Jackson Thoreau
Many far right-wingers in the United States have never been very creative - or honest. Their latest copycat venture is a rip-off organization of the successful MoveOn.org of the left, called Move America Forward [to the 1950s].
The organization's main goal is to help Bush steal another election this year and keep Americans further in the dark about what their government is doing by pressuring movie theaters not to show Michael Moore's eye-opening, award-winning, thought-provoking documentary, "Fahrenheit 9/11." MAF wants Americans to see a Pollyannish documentary put out by Walt Disney Co., which refused to lets its Miramax division distribute Moore's film because Disney supposedly is a "non-partisan" company. But apparently, if a film emits a politically conservative message, Disney is all for distributing it. And as Clarence Page, a member of the Chicago Tribune's editorial board, wrote in a recent column, "Yet, Disney doesn't appear to mind broadcasting conservative voices like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity on its radio stations like WABC-AM in New York." Yet again, it's puzzling that several Disney executives, including Michael Eisner, donate to more Democrats than Republicans, according to federal election records. I guess Disney is mostly about the money and playing it safe. Page added that most of the people like those involved with MAF "usually complain the loudest about liberal 'political correctness.'" And they hypocritically lie as they accuse Moore and other progressive voices of lying. MAF contends on its Internet site that it is a "non-partisan, not-for-profit organization committed to supporting America's efforts to defeat terrorism and supporting the brave men and women of our Armed Forces." Just how "non-partisan" is MAF? Let's see. Disinfopedia.org, a project of the Madison, Wis.-based Center for Media & Democracy, says at that MAF is a "front organization for the political public relations firm Russo Marsh and Rogers, which has strong ties to the GOP." MAF's Internet address was initially registered to Russo Marsh and Rogers at 770 L Street, #950, Sacramento, Calif. 95814. But the firm later changed that address to a post office box and took off Russo's name after some Web sites and media types exposed the Republican tie. The contact name listed was Douglas Lorenz, advisory board director of the Republican Liberty Caucus, which describes itself as "the conscience of the Republican Party," as if that party has a conscience. Lorenz was also head of the advisory board of the stolen campaign to recall California Gov. Gray Davis and install Republicanazi Arnold "The Serial Sexual Assault Artist" Schwarzenegger. Moreover, I got a copy of MAF's articles of incorporation with the California Secretary of State's office. MAF was incorporated on June 2, 2004, by Siobhan Guiney, who is listed as executive director of MAF on its Web site. The address of the registered office is the exact same one as Russo Marsh and Rogers' address, down to the suite number. But Russo chooses to dishonestly hide that tie on MAF's site that claims MAF is "non-partisan." In the 2001-2002 election cycle, Russo Marsh and Rogers received $2.5 million in payments from Republican politicians, and no payments from Democratic officials, according to Disinfopedia. Sal "Republican" Russo, a partner of the firm who is listed as MAF chief strategist, has contributed only to Republicans like the discredited Trent "I am not a Racist" Lott, according to federal election records. MAF's Internet site also describes Russo as a political consultant who began as a special assistant to Ronald Reagan in the 1960s and worked on only Republican campaigns, including presidential bids by Jack Kemp and Orrin Hatch. Sounds like quite a "non-partisan" group, huh? Melanie "Mega-Mouth" Morgan, a vice chair of MAF's board of directors and one of many right-wing radio show hosts, also gave money only to Republican committees, according to federal records. Among her campaigns was to lead street rallies in the 1990s demanding that Clinton be impeached for lying about a private affair that killed nobody during a wasteful taxpayer-funded, multimillion-dollar investigation forced on us by Republicans and civil lawsuits filed by conservative legal firms. Meanwhile, Morgan hypocritically praised conservative liars like Bush and Cheney, whose lies about Iraq and other matters have resulted in thousands of people being unnecessarily killed. MAF Chairman Howard "Hooligan" Kaloogian is another Republican, a former state legislator who launched the Davis recall, as well as the campaign to censor CBS' movie on Reagan before it was even broadcast. Lew "Uh-Oh" Uhler, another MAF vice chair, is president of the far-right National Tax Limitation Committee and a former California cabinet official under Reagan. Guiney, MAF executive director, is described on the Internet site as having "worked as a legislative advocate fighting for the people against liberal corruption." Are you starting to see a pattern, here? These "non-partisan" Republicans profess to embrace freedom and American values, then want to limit the freedom of people who don't agree with them and stomp on American values like the First Amendment. There is not a single mention of a Democrat or progressive board or staff member on the "non-partisan" MAF's site. If MAF has its way, it will move America forward to the 1950s, where we will have the military draft, the flat-top haircut, bomb raid drills and prayer in schools, further segregation of races, and McCarthyism witch hunts and crackdowns on anyone who doesn't agree with the fascist leaders in power. Internet use will be limited to those who sign an oath pledging allegiance to American fascism and only surf sites that cover right-wing propaganda. The phrase, "liberty and justice for all," in the Pledge of Allegiance will be changed to "liberty and justice for those who can afford it."Fortunately, there are Americans like Michael Moore. And many more Americans are waking up to realize the harm Bush-Cheney and the people behind MAF have caused. "Fahrenheit 9/11," whose site is at http://www.fahrenheit911.com , was the top-grossing film in its first weekend, despite playing in about one-third of the theaters of movies like "White Chicks." The number of theaters doubled for the second weekend, and some six million Americans saw the movie in its first five days.
People who supported Bush in small towns and suburbs throughout the country are rethinking that support after seeing his confusion in the seven minutes after he was told about the World Trade Center attacks, among other tell-tale scenes. A few companies, such as GKC Theatres, an Illinois company which has at least one official who contributed to Bush in 2004, have censored it. But a boycott campaign against GKC is underway, and you can email that company and its president, Beth Kerasotes, at gkccomments@gkctheatres.com . Some reviewers got on Moore's case for jumping to conclusions they could not support, but many reviews have been glowing. Even Roger Friedman from Fox News, known to be more conservative than most outlets, wrote that Moore's film was a "really brilliant piece of work, and a film that members of all political parties should see without fail." I couldn't believe that, coming from Fox, but there it was at http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C122680%2C00.html.
After MoveOn's June 28 national Internet discussion with Moore, which I observed in Visions Bar Noir in D.C., one man suggested the best way to win over conservative or moderate friends thinking about supporting Bush was to show them conservative commentators who leveled criticism at Bush. So there it is. If you know someone thinking of voting for Bush, send him or her that Fox link. And send them this one by Paul Sperry, Washington bureau chief for the conservative World Net Daily, at http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=34930 on how Bush lied about Iraq.
The Ithaca Times wrote an interesting story reiterating the conclusion of The New York Times that "central assertions of fact in 'Fahrenheit 9/11' are supported by the public record." For instance, Moore's contention that Bush spent 42 percent of his first eight months in office on vacation came from The Washington Post, not some left-wing source. The Times also reported that the conservative front group Citizens United, headed by Clinton attacker David Bossie, is trying to get the Federal Election Commission to censor advertising for "Fahrenheit 9/11" by claiming it is a political group and violating campaign laws. Page of the Tribune added that Citizens United produced the racist and highly political Willie Horton ads used by Republicans against Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis in 1988 and the Gennifer Flowers ads against Clinton in the 1990s. Page called Moore's film "funny, shocking, provocative, entertaining and occasionally tear-jerking." Another sign of encouragement is that few mainstream media outlets, not even People Magazine, have bought MAF's lie that it is "non-partisan." They refer to MAF as a "conservative" group.Still, more signs for optimism include the other films out or on the horizon. "The Hunting of the President," a documentary by Harry Thomason and Nicholas Perry about the longtime right-wing conspiracy against Clinton based on the best-selling book, is playing at theaters like Visions in DC. Other locations and info on the film is at http://www.thehuntingofthepresident.com
"The Manchurian Candidate" is slated to be be released July 30 with Denzel Washington and Meryl Streep recast in a Gulf War setting. In September, John Sayles' "Silver City," a satire about a clueless, right-wing, inarticulate politician featuring actors like Richard Dreyfuss and Kris Kristofferson, is set to open. "Team America," a satirical look at the war on terrorism by the "South Park" creators, has an October release. "Bush's Brain" is another documentary based on a book with the same name about the physically and mentally ugly advisor Karl Rove. The film was screened at the Cannes Film Festival but does not have a release date. So what does the right-wing have to offer in the way of films, besides Disney Pollyannish flicks and simplistic Schwarzenegger action movies that stereotype Arabs as terrorists and whose protagonists speak in a nazi accent? There is a film tentatively entitled "Michael Moore Hates America" supposedly in the works by some right-winger with no film credentials whose Minnesota hometown paper described him as a "marketing writer" and found him to be so inconsequential it didn't even get his name right. Is that really the best the right-wing can do? No wonder they have to be reduced to organizing boycotts against legitimate films. Can you spell J-E-A-L-O-U-S-Y? Conservatives should stick to talk radio, where they can just yell louder than most. Jackson Thoreau is a Washington, D.C.-area journalist/writer. The latest book to which he contributed, Big Bush Lies, is available from RiverWood Books of Ashland, Ore., at http://www.riverwoodbooks.com/books/Big-Bush-Lies.html. He can be contacted at jacksonthor@yahoo.com or jacksonthor@justice.com .
