Give Us More Michael Moore

I just watched Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" which he has made available for free on his Facebook and Substack pages leading up to the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks today. 

Drawing connections between the Bush family and the Saudis, including the possible funding of Shrub's oil company by the Osama bin Laden family, the film ponders why when all US flights were grounded after the attacks, bin Laden family members were flown out of the country. Footage of Iraqis killed or maimed by US bombs, servicemen who refused to be sent back to Iraq, and a mother who lost her son in the war are juxtaposed against Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld justifying the war and a conference where Cheney's company Halliburton and others lined up to reap huge profits from the war. 

Moore, who made his name with his film "Roger and Me" where he dogged then-GM chairman Roger Smith, includes a scene in "Fahrenheit 9/11" where he and Marine Abdul Henderson approach members of Congress asking them to send their children to fight in the war at a time when only a single Congressperson had a child in Iraq. Henderson appeared with Moore on a Q&A session after the screening, saying he'd worked for California Congresswoman Karen Bass and on Tom Steyer's presidental campaign, and now is working to get better healthcare for veterans, including substance abuse treatment.  

In an introduction to the film, Moore discusses how difficult it was to get "Fahrenheit 9/11" into theatres until it won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, and recalled being booed at the Oscars for speaking out against "fictitious elections" and the war in 2012. His follow-up film "Fahrenheit 11/9" covers the rise of Donald Trump, who will be hosting a heavyweight fight on today's solemn anniversary. 

Moore has supported marijuana legalization, voting for Michigan's measure to legalize it live on Seth Meyer's show in 2018. He recently posted about the late Ed Asner giving him $500 to encourage his filmmaking early on, and he guested on Good Morning America this morning to talk about 9/11.   

Both "Fahrenheit 9/11" and "Fahrenheit 11/9" are currently streaming for free on Amazon Prime. Joining Moore's Substack page provides access to weekly missives from Moore for free; premium memberships include film showings. His YouTube page features the new film "Planet of the Humans" from fellow filmmaker Jeff Gibbs about our failure to address climate change. Moore wouldn't reveal what the topic of his next film will be, but said it would be something not being properly covered by mainstream media.˙