Oscars 2003
For most of its first two hours, the Oscars managed to pretty much avoid any mention of politics. But as the evening wore on, there were more references to the war in Iraq, with varying responses. Brody's talk was greeted warmly; presenter Susan Sarandon flashed a quick peace sign. Even Academy president Frank Pierson made a mention: "To the Iraqi people, let's have peace soon and live without war," he said to cheers, wishing for a swift end to the war. Michael Moore's acceptance speech, however,
earned applause from some -- but hoots of derision from others. Accompanied on stage by his fellow documentary nominees, Moore, who won best documentary feature for "Bowling for Columbine," wasted no time in lighting into President Bush, the 2000 election and the war in Iraq. "I've invited my fellow documentary nominees on stage with us here in solidarity with me," he said, "because we like non-fiction and we live in fictitious times. We live in the time where we have fictitious election results that elect a fictitious president. We live in a time where we have a man who's sending us to war for fictitious reasons, whether it's the fiction of duct tape or the fiction of orange alerts. ... We have a man sending us to war for fictitious reasons. We are against this war, Mr. Bush. Shame on you, Mr. Bush, shame on you." Moore expanded on his comments with the press backstage. "I'm an American," he said. "You don't leave your citizenship behind when you enter the doors of the Kodak Theatre." He added that expressing opinions is "what I do. I do that in my filmmaking." Asked what he thought of the catcalls, he said, "Don't report that there was a split decision in the hall because five loud people booed." There was some protest activity outside the theater Sunday. Reuters reported a group of about 50 protesters at the intersection of Hollywood and Vine held signs saying, "One more American for peace" and "Bring U.S. soldiers home." At the opposite end of the street, a group supporting the troops waved American flags and had tied red, white and blue ribbons to the barricades.
A Letter from Michael Moore to George W. Bush on the Eve of War George W. Bush 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Washington, DC Dear Governor Bush: So today is what you call "the moment of truth," the day that "France and the rest of world have to show their cards on the table." I'm glad to hear that this day has finally arrived. Because, I gotta tell ya, having survived 440 days of your lying and conniving, I wasn't sure if I could take much more. So I'm glad to hear that today is Truth Day, 'cause I got a few truths I would like to share with you: 1. There is virtually NO ONE in America (talk radio nutters and Fox News aside) who is gung-ho to go to war. Trust me on this one. Walk out of the White House and on to any street in America and try to find five people who are PASSIONATE about wanting to kill Iraqis. YOU WON'T FIND THEM! Why? 'Cause NO Iraqis have ever come here and killed any of us! No Iraqi has even threatened to do that. You see, this is how we average Americans think: If a certain so-and-so is not perceived as a threat to our lives, then, believe it or not, we don't want to kill him! Funny how that works! 2. The majority of Americans -- the ones who never elected you -- are not fooled by your weapons of mass distraction. We know what the real issues are that affect our daily lives -- and none of them begin with I or end in Q. Here's what threatens us: two and a half million jobs lost since you took office, the stock market having become a cruel joke, no one knowing if their retirement funds are going to be there, gas now costs almost two dollars -- the list goes on and on. Bombing Iraq will not make any of this go away. nly you need to go away for things to improve. 3. As Bill Maher said last week, how bad do you have to suck to lose a popularity contest with Saddam Hussein? The whole world is against you, Mr. Bush. Count your fellow Americans among them. 4. The Pope has said this war is wrong, that it is a SIN. The Pope! But even worse, the Dixie Chicks have now come out against you! How bad does it have to get before you realize that you are an army of one on this war? Of course, this is a war you personally won't have to fight. Just like when you went AWOL while the poor were shipped to Vietnam in your place. 5. Of the 535 members of Congress, only ONE (Sen. Johnson of South Dakota) has an enlisted son or daughter in the armed forces! If you really want to stand up for America, please send your twin daughters over to Kuwait right now and let them don their chemical warfare suits. And let's see every member of Congress with a child of military age also sacrifice their kids for this war effort. What's that you say? Y ou don't THINK so? Well, hey, guess what -- we don't think so either! 6. Finally, we love France. Yes, they have pulled some royal screw-ups. Yes, some of them can be pretty damn annoying. But have you forgotten we wouldn't even have this country known as America if it weren't for the French? That it was their help in the Revolutionary War that won it for us? That our greatest thinkers and founding fathers -- Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, etc. -- spent many years in Paris where they refined the concepts that lead to our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution? That it was France who gave us our Statue of Liberty, a Frenchman who built the Chevrolet, and a pair of French brothers who invented the movies? And now they are doing what only a good friend can do -- tell you the truth about yourself, straight, no b.s. Quit pissing on the French and thank them for getting it right for once. You know, you really should have traveled more (like once) before you took over. Your ignorance of the world has not only made you look stupid, it has painted you into a corner you can't get out of. Well, cheer up -- there IS good news. If you do go through with this war, more than likely it will be over soon because I'm guessing there aren't a lot of Iraqis willing to lay down their lives to protect Saddam Hussein. After you "win" the war, you will enjoy a huge bump in the popularity polls as everyone loves a winner -- and who doesn't like to see a good ass-whoopin' every now and then (especially when it 's some third world ass!). So try your best to ride this victory all the way to next year's election. Of course, that's still a long ways away, so we'll all get to have a good hardy-har-har while we watch the economy sink even further down the toilet! But, hey, who knows -- maybe you'll find Osama a few days before the election! See, start thinking like THAT! Keep hope alive! Kill Iraqis -- they got our oil!! Yours, Michael Moore www.michaelmoore.com
Filmmaker Moore brings anti-Bush views to UR campus By Matthew Daneman and John Kohlstrand Democrat and Chronicle (March 27, 2003) — Michael Moore nearly didn’t make a political statement on Oscar night. ‘’The thought crossed my mind that the easy way right now would be to soak up the love,’’ he told a roaring crowd at the University of Rochester on Wednesday night. ’’I would have ridden the high right out of the building to the Vanity Fair party,’’ he said. But, he added, ‘’The other voice (in my head) says, ‘ No, you have a responsibility. People are dying, and they’re dying in your name.’ ‘’ Moore, the best-selling author and Oscar-winning filmmaker, spoke to a loud, appreciative crowd of about 1,000 at the Strong Auditorium. Another 380 watched a closed-circuit feed elsewhere on campus. An additional 200 people crowded outside the building, unable to get in. Moore’s speech Wednesday night was largely political stand-up comedy, poking fun at the Bush administration and the Bush family’s connections to the Osama bin Laden family. ’’We live in a very liberal country. The public is very liberal on the issues. What you have to admire about the (political) right is they have the courage of their convictions. They’re up at the crack of dawn trying to figure out who to screw next,” he said. “Our side, we never see the crack of dawn. They’re up a good three hours before us, getting a head start.” As he walked out on stage, Moore handed his Oscar -- won Sunday for Bowling for Columbine -- to an audience member. “Hey, you want to pass this around?” he asked as the crowd cheered. He added a moment later, “Someone keep an eye on that.” Later, in a cameo appearance, syndicated columnist Arianna Huffington joined Moore to discuss corporate tax loopholes. Outside the auditorium, some protested war and others protested Moore. But the night clearly belonged to Moore, who cast a rock-star-like aura over the UR campus. One woman taped a poster in an elevator she assumed that Moore would ride. The poster implored Moore to autograph it for her Canadian boyfriend. Two other young women asked if they could attend the news conference so they could “flash” Moore -- presumably, for reasons other than his looks. Some of those trying to see Moore were willing to travel to do it. “I think he has good things to say,” said Cindy Eisenberg, who drove from Syracuse to see Moore, only to find his appearance sold out. The fact that Moore spoke out against Bush and the war on Oscar night didn’t bother her, she said. “He won his Oscar. It was his time.” Not everyone agreed. About 20 people outside the auditorium protested the filmmaker’s presence and rallied in support of the war. One sign read: “Shame on you Moore.” With troops fighting abroad, Moore’s scathing Oscar-night speech was unnecessarily divisive, some said. “I don’t want people to look upon people in the United States as separated in this conflict,” said Kent Eyrich, 48, of Perinton. But the Moore protesters were outnumbered by about 70 war protesters who sang “Give Peace A Chance” and “The Star Spangled Banner.” “I think he’s a hero,” said John Annechino, a 19-year-old student from Ogden. As for the war, “ It’s illegal, it’s immoral and unjust.” Others are still making up their minds. Debbie Grodzicki, 19, a UR sophomore from Brighton, who recently saw Bowling for Columbine, was impressed and came to hear Moore. “I’m very confused with all the views on war and wanted to see what he had to say,” she said. Moore did not completely sway her, but, she said, “He seems to know what he’s talking about.”