I posted this on my fb page today because, the remark of the parent supporting the banning of books dealing with race stuck in my head. I shared an article recently about a PA school district that is banning books about the historical experiences of black and other “minority” groups in American history. One of the fathers of a child at the school was quoted as saying that he didn’t want his daughter to be “ashamed of being white.” This controversy over studying and evaluating our past reminded me of the one regarding the planned exhibit on aerial warfare commemorating the 50th anniversary of the dropping of two atomic bombs on Japanese civilians that was planned and subsequent scrapped. Here’s a quote from “Hiroshima in America” by Robert J Lifton and Greg Mitchell. “From the time of Hiroshima, Americans have assigned themselves the task of finding virtue in the first use of the most murderous device ever created. We have found the need to avoid at any cost a sense of moral culpability for this act. These efforts have taken us to the far reaches of moral argument, to the extent of creating something close to an Orwellian reversal. And there has been a cost, one much greater than we wish to recognize.” A small recent example of that cost is the drone attack that killed 10 people in Kabul when water jugs were mistaken for bombs, but the wanton destruction of countries, of human beings both American and the victims of foreign policy with the most brutal weapons ever invented that began with Hiroshima has never ended. Any attempt to confront the dominant myth of American “freedom and equality” domestically or internationally has been blocked. As a result, our country is divided and crumbling. There’s a hole in Uncle Sam’s arm where all the money goes. The “defense” budget devours the wealth while we Americans fight among ourselves for crumbs, for human rights: decent housing, education, healthcare, clean air, water, self determination. According to the ACLU, “Since 1970, our incarcerated population has increased by 700% – 2.3 million people in jail and prison today, far outpacing population growth and crime. One out of every three Black boys born today can expect to go to prison in his lifetime, as can one of every six Latino boys—compared to one of every 17 white boys. How can you talk about slavery in the past and not talk about incarceration today? You can’t. Most Americans of any ethnicity do not benefit from this forced ignorance. We cannot make a better world until we understand how this one came to be. We have more in common with each other than with the powers that only see $$$ in every living thing. Studying history can help us to acknowledge that.
I recall standing in stark horror as I watched the news about Kent State. I had been out of the U.S. Air Force a mere four years at that point. The shock that gripped me then is not gone entirely. The claim was "a car backfired, triggering an instant reaction"; Or, "the soldiers were not to have live ammo".
But the greatest failure: One does not fire their weapon until that command is given, especially where their is no enemy; worse, the guns were pointing at the UNARMED. Oh, I suspect Nixon got his jollies off. He hated demonstrators. The crooked man with the crooked smile.
I had a knot of shame in my gut, that day. My brain recoiled in disbelief. Not my country! Please God, not my country! But, yes, this was and IS my country. We are all the worse off for our sins of killing and outright murder. The trail of blood of the innocents runs thick across the land. But, we will never learn. We will never learn.
Somehow out of all of this we must learn how to be kind again. I thank Michael Moore who has been inspiring me and giving me courage since the 70s. Michael's movie Capitalism a Love Story gave me the necessary tools to save my home from foreclosure he somehow gave me the courage to use them and fight the system. He is a lonely voice of truth that just now us being heard by many. God Bless him.
Over the years, 250+, there have been truth tellers who've put everything on the line to speak truth: Paine, I.F. Stone, Gore Vidal, Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, KPFA, Daniel Ellsberg, et al. In our time we have Michael Moore. It's small company, but he's among giants. Our good luck.
Michael, I am just a couple years older than you, so I remember well the Kent State shootings and I too was on the road on 9-12-01. I drove from S. Calif. to S. Oregon on the I-5, which was almost completely empty except for me. It was an awful day to be traveling 1,000 with my thoughts, not knowing what would follow. I just knew nothing would ever be the same. I have enjoyed your letters this week. I also appreciate your relentless struggle for womens' rights, when almost no other well-known man is willing to do so. More power to you!
I am posting this somewhere where I hope you will read it; hard to find a way to send something to you directly. But I believe you are the only person with the resources as well as inclination, to do a revision of the 1939 or so anti-Nazi satire book called, “Lunacy Becomes Us”. That was a book that simply used the direct quotes of high ranking Nazi officials such as Goebbels, Himmler, Goering, and even Hitler, to ridicule the polices of the Nazi regime using their own words. Hence, the “If this be lunacy, then lunacy becomes us”. One can say, the book is “by” Hitler. I have included a reference to the book below.
My proposal is that you create a film based on this concept, using the lunatic words of Trump, Pence, Miller, Barr, Graham, McConnel, others, that directly demonstrates how lunatic they are; how anti-reality, how destructive, how alienating, their own utterances are. Their self-contradictions, their lies, their bogus promises; generally speaking, it would seem you could make a movie of this (with comparisons to the 1933 book) that would be more impactful than any of your other movies about firearms, GM, whatever. It is clear you believe that Trumpism is truly dangerous to the US and democracy, but you have the means through your artistic and communication talents, to bring this out better to a large number of people, than anyone else.
I remember reading the book as a kid back in 1943 or so, and remember it well even now, almost 80 years later. Clearly, the nature of today’s events parallel the lunacy of the late 1930’s, leading to world-shaking tragedy, and such an effort going on now MUST be curtailed.
“Lunacy Becomes Us” (selections of quotations from Hitler and other Nazis), Liveright, 1939[17]
This one did it and I changed to a paid subscription. How prophetic! I recall thinking and feeling the same way during that week. Yes, some things have changed for the better and we are not giving up the fight. Even in small ways. Here in Lancaster PA our group is hosting a speaker to discuss Moral Injury. I encourage your readers to check her out. You can find info on our webinar and her credentials and new book at https://1040forpeace.org - and maybe join our discussion. Today in our Lancaster newspaper we were able to get an OpEd published and it was printed next to one on the US being an "honest broker" in the Middle East. So we continue!
It is said that remembering disastrous history helps to never repeat it. May it be so. Your letters have reminded us of a horrific time in our country. May the peacemakers lead us to a brighter future. Thanks, Michael.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said words to the effect that one can take what one wants from life, but one must pay for what one takes; pay sooner or later. But if one pays later one must pay compound interest on the debt. As a human being I will try to say something intelligent and not be emotional. What I have experienced during my 82 years of life as a Mexican immigrant living in the what I call Gringolandia USA; having educated myself and receiving a doctorate of law and becoming a poor people attorney. Has made me one sad human being.
But I did learn that Gringos are for the most part a hate filled group of individuals who all believe that they are chosen by their god to enjoy the privileges of their elevated superiority.
By studying the long horror filled history of what Gringos have done to Indigenous people; men, women, and children one must take off the blinders and accept the facts as a mirror into the past that will explain the present. The statistics you presented were correct and yet most will say so what!
"They deserve to be in prison and/ or jail."
I once counted the wars that were started by the gringos; they were over a hundred and that did not include all the slaughter gringos paid for and encouraged in Spanish speaking lands. What politicians call, "Our back yard."
What I or anyone thinks is immaterial. The laws of action and consequence are always in effect. Gringolandia USA is in the midst of its implosion and it is manifested by the attitude of the leaders of the Republican party.
Hatred is the element that drives the gringo mind. And Hatred is a powerful river that has many tributaries all over America. Just listen to the media out pouring concerning vaccinations.
Humpty Dumpty had a fall and all the kings solders could not put him back together again. Nor can America ever pretend that it is the United States. It is the Racists States, and their people do not want to be deprived of their privileges of power.
This attitude of being supreme creatures came over from Europe and is stronger then it ever was.
Thank you for your efforts; eat well, stay healthy.
Thank You Michael, may God Keep You, helping us thru this mad world of darkness by shedding the light of truth on those responsible, as prophets have. Jesus warned against harming anyone, especially children, and covering things up by knowing the evil in us. (Matthew 15:19)
God created Hell for those who make life Hell.
The slaughter of 7 children and 3 adults with water bottles sums up the slaughter of War.
Afghanistan and Iraq could've been avoided if more of us had spoken out like Michael.
President Eisenhower had warned us long before, even before Vietnam. Was he un-American or un-patriotic? Not in the least. Neither is Michael. He's more American and Christian than those who claim to be but say and do nothing or worse, enable the madness.
My heart breaks for those innocent Afghans that were killed in Kabul. May they Rest In Peace. I hope and pray there will be no more senseless wars for a long time.
I'm a 200-pound guy, but it made me cry when I read the names of the Afghanis who were killed and saw that they all had the same last name. Can you imagine how you'd feel if that many of your family members were needlessly killed. Can you imagine the hatred that you'd feel towards those who had committed the act. And, guess what? Even though most of those reading this had nothing to do with killing the Afghanis, we are among those who are hated?
I posted this on my fb page today because, the remark of the parent supporting the banning of books dealing with race stuck in my head. I shared an article recently about a PA school district that is banning books about the historical experiences of black and other “minority” groups in American history. One of the fathers of a child at the school was quoted as saying that he didn’t want his daughter to be “ashamed of being white.” This controversy over studying and evaluating our past reminded me of the one regarding the planned exhibit on aerial warfare commemorating the 50th anniversary of the dropping of two atomic bombs on Japanese civilians that was planned and subsequent scrapped. Here’s a quote from “Hiroshima in America” by Robert J Lifton and Greg Mitchell. “From the time of Hiroshima, Americans have assigned themselves the task of finding virtue in the first use of the most murderous device ever created. We have found the need to avoid at any cost a sense of moral culpability for this act. These efforts have taken us to the far reaches of moral argument, to the extent of creating something close to an Orwellian reversal. And there has been a cost, one much greater than we wish to recognize.” A small recent example of that cost is the drone attack that killed 10 people in Kabul when water jugs were mistaken for bombs, but the wanton destruction of countries, of human beings both American and the victims of foreign policy with the most brutal weapons ever invented that began with Hiroshima has never ended. Any attempt to confront the dominant myth of American “freedom and equality” domestically or internationally has been blocked. As a result, our country is divided and crumbling. There’s a hole in Uncle Sam’s arm where all the money goes. The “defense” budget devours the wealth while we Americans fight among ourselves for crumbs, for human rights: decent housing, education, healthcare, clean air, water, self determination. According to the ACLU, “Since 1970, our incarcerated population has increased by 700% – 2.3 million people in jail and prison today, far outpacing population growth and crime. One out of every three Black boys born today can expect to go to prison in his lifetime, as can one of every six Latino boys—compared to one of every 17 white boys. How can you talk about slavery in the past and not talk about incarceration today? You can’t. Most Americans of any ethnicity do not benefit from this forced ignorance. We cannot make a better world until we understand how this one came to be. We have more in common with each other than with the powers that only see $$$ in every living thing. Studying history can help us to acknowledge that.
I recall standing in stark horror as I watched the news about Kent State. I had been out of the U.S. Air Force a mere four years at that point. The shock that gripped me then is not gone entirely. The claim was "a car backfired, triggering an instant reaction"; Or, "the soldiers were not to have live ammo".
But the greatest failure: One does not fire their weapon until that command is given, especially where their is no enemy; worse, the guns were pointing at the UNARMED. Oh, I suspect Nixon got his jollies off. He hated demonstrators. The crooked man with the crooked smile.
I had a knot of shame in my gut, that day. My brain recoiled in disbelief. Not my country! Please God, not my country! But, yes, this was and IS my country. We are all the worse off for our sins of killing and outright murder. The trail of blood of the innocents runs thick across the land. But, we will never learn. We will never learn.
Unreal Michael Grateful for your being around
Just wanted to say, bless u and so grateful u are here!♥️
Somehow out of all of this we must learn how to be kind again. I thank Michael Moore who has been inspiring me and giving me courage since the 70s. Michael's movie Capitalism a Love Story gave me the necessary tools to save my home from foreclosure he somehow gave me the courage to use them and fight the system. He is a lonely voice of truth that just now us being heard by many. God Bless him.
Over the years, 250+, there have been truth tellers who've put everything on the line to speak truth: Paine, I.F. Stone, Gore Vidal, Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, KPFA, Daniel Ellsberg, et al. In our time we have Michael Moore. It's small company, but he's among giants. Our good luck.
Michael, I am just a couple years older than you, so I remember well the Kent State shootings and I too was on the road on 9-12-01. I drove from S. Calif. to S. Oregon on the I-5, which was almost completely empty except for me. It was an awful day to be traveling 1,000 with my thoughts, not knowing what would follow. I just knew nothing would ever be the same. I have enjoyed your letters this week. I also appreciate your relentless struggle for womens' rights, when almost no other well-known man is willing to do so. More power to you!
I am posting this somewhere where I hope you will read it; hard to find a way to send something to you directly. But I believe you are the only person with the resources as well as inclination, to do a revision of the 1939 or so anti-Nazi satire book called, “Lunacy Becomes Us”. That was a book that simply used the direct quotes of high ranking Nazi officials such as Goebbels, Himmler, Goering, and even Hitler, to ridicule the polices of the Nazi regime using their own words. Hence, the “If this be lunacy, then lunacy becomes us”. One can say, the book is “by” Hitler. I have included a reference to the book below.
My proposal is that you create a film based on this concept, using the lunatic words of Trump, Pence, Miller, Barr, Graham, McConnel, others, that directly demonstrates how lunatic they are; how anti-reality, how destructive, how alienating, their own utterances are. Their self-contradictions, their lies, their bogus promises; generally speaking, it would seem you could make a movie of this (with comparisons to the 1933 book) that would be more impactful than any of your other movies about firearms, GM, whatever. It is clear you believe that Trumpism is truly dangerous to the US and democracy, but you have the means through your artistic and communication talents, to bring this out better to a large number of people, than anyone else.
I remember reading the book as a kid back in 1943 or so, and remember it well even now, almost 80 years later. Clearly, the nature of today’s events parallel the lunacy of the late 1930’s, leading to world-shaking tragedy, and such an effort going on now MUST be curtailed.
“Lunacy Becomes Us” (selections of quotations from Hitler and other Nazis), Liveright, 1939[17]
Gene Meieran
This one did it and I changed to a paid subscription. How prophetic! I recall thinking and feeling the same way during that week. Yes, some things have changed for the better and we are not giving up the fight. Even in small ways. Here in Lancaster PA our group is hosting a speaker to discuss Moral Injury. I encourage your readers to check her out. You can find info on our webinar and her credentials and new book at https://1040forpeace.org - and maybe join our discussion. Today in our Lancaster newspaper we were able to get an OpEd published and it was printed next to one on the US being an "honest broker" in the Middle East. So we continue!
It is said that remembering disastrous history helps to never repeat it. May it be so. Your letters have reminded us of a horrific time in our country. May the peacemakers lead us to a brighter future. Thanks, Michael.
Awsome Michael Thank you so much... Liberty Lincoln Sedona AZ..
Ralph Waldo Emerson said words to the effect that one can take what one wants from life, but one must pay for what one takes; pay sooner or later. But if one pays later one must pay compound interest on the debt. As a human being I will try to say something intelligent and not be emotional. What I have experienced during my 82 years of life as a Mexican immigrant living in the what I call Gringolandia USA; having educated myself and receiving a doctorate of law and becoming a poor people attorney. Has made me one sad human being.
But I did learn that Gringos are for the most part a hate filled group of individuals who all believe that they are chosen by their god to enjoy the privileges of their elevated superiority.
By studying the long horror filled history of what Gringos have done to Indigenous people; men, women, and children one must take off the blinders and accept the facts as a mirror into the past that will explain the present. The statistics you presented were correct and yet most will say so what!
"They deserve to be in prison and/ or jail."
I once counted the wars that were started by the gringos; they were over a hundred and that did not include all the slaughter gringos paid for and encouraged in Spanish speaking lands. What politicians call, "Our back yard."
What I or anyone thinks is immaterial. The laws of action and consequence are always in effect. Gringolandia USA is in the midst of its implosion and it is manifested by the attitude of the leaders of the Republican party.
Hatred is the element that drives the gringo mind. And Hatred is a powerful river that has many tributaries all over America. Just listen to the media out pouring concerning vaccinations.
Humpty Dumpty had a fall and all the kings solders could not put him back together again. Nor can America ever pretend that it is the United States. It is the Racists States, and their people do not want to be deprived of their privileges of power.
This attitude of being supreme creatures came over from Europe and is stronger then it ever was.
Thank you for your efforts; eat well, stay healthy.
Sergio Luis Lopez Cal. Bar no. 55858
Well said Michael about the drone strike. Bad intelligence. Kudos to the N.Y. Times.
Thank You Michael, may God Keep You, helping us thru this mad world of darkness by shedding the light of truth on those responsible, as prophets have. Jesus warned against harming anyone, especially children, and covering things up by knowing the evil in us. (Matthew 15:19)
God created Hell for those who make life Hell.
The slaughter of 7 children and 3 adults with water bottles sums up the slaughter of War.
Afghanistan and Iraq could've been avoided if more of us had spoken out like Michael.
https://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/15/world/nation-challenged-president-president-rejects-offer-taliban-for-negotiations.html
President Eisenhower had warned us long before, even before Vietnam. Was he un-American or un-patriotic? Not in the least. Neither is Michael. He's more American and Christian than those who claim to be but say and do nothing or worse, enable the madness.
Military Industrial Complex Warning:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gg-jvHynP9Y
(3:16)
And yet, Seeds of Hate were planted and have taken root from Dirty Wars and Kill Anything That Moves, even When The Facts Change.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1171395.Seeds_of_Hate
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15814204-dirty-wars
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12292260-kill-anything-that-moves
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22529145-when-the-facts-change
Lost in a Lost World (Moody Blues)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80nUhHofw0U
(4:41)
Lyrics: Let The Light Of Truth Guide Our Lives
https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/moodyblues/lostinalostworld.html
God Bless Michael Moore
My heart breaks for those innocent Afghans that were killed in Kabul. May they Rest In Peace. I hope and pray there will be no more senseless wars for a long time.
I'm a 200-pound guy, but it made me cry when I read the names of the Afghanis who were killed and saw that they all had the same last name. Can you imagine how you'd feel if that many of your family members were needlessly killed. Can you imagine the hatred that you'd feel towards those who had committed the act. And, guess what? Even though most of those reading this had nothing to do with killing the Afghanis, we are among those who are hated?