Syndicating another Michael Moore salvo against the War in Iraq

Cut and Run, the Only Brave Thing to Do

Sunday, November 26th, 2006

Friends,

Tomorrow marks the day that we will have been in Iraq longer than we were in all of World War II.

That's right. We were able to defeat all of Nazi Germany, Mussolini, and the entire Japanese empire in LESS time than it's taken the world's only superpower to secure the road from the airport to downtown Baghdad.

And we haven't even done THAT. After 1,347 days, in the same time it took us to took us to sweep across North Africa, storm the beaches of Italy, conquer the South Pacific, and liberate all of Western Europe, we cannot, after over 3 and 1/2 years, even take over a single highway and protect ourselves from a homemade device of two tin cans placed in a pothole. No wonder the cab fare from the airport into Baghdad is now running around $35,000 for the 25-minute ride. And that doesn't even include a friggin' helmet.

Is this utter failure the fault of our troops? Hardly. That's because no amount of troops or choppers or democracy shot out of the barrel of a gun is ever going to "win" the war in Iraq. It is a lost war, lost because it never had a right to be won, lost because it was started by men who have never been to war, men who hide behind others sent to fight and die.

Let's listen to what the Iraqi people are saying, according to a recent poll conducted by the University of Maryland:

** 71% of all Iraqis now want the U.S. out of Iraq.

** 61% of all Iraqis SUPPORT insurgent attacks on U.S. troops.

Yes, the vast majority of Iraqi citizens believe that our soldiers should be killed and maimed! So what the hell are we still doing there? Talk about not getting the hint.

There are many ways to liberate a country. Usually the residents of that country rise up and liberate themselves. That's how we did it. You can also do it through nonviolent, mass civil disobedience. That's how India did it. You can get the world to boycott a regime until they are so ostracized they capitulate. That's how South Africa did it. Or you can just wait them out and, sooner or later, the king's legions simply leave (sometimes just because they're too cold). That's how Canada did it.

The one way that DOESN'T work is to invade a country and tell the people, "We are here to liberate you!" -- when they have done NOTHING to liberate themselves. Where were all the suicide bombers when Saddam was oppressing them? Where were the insurgents planting bombs along the roadside as the evildoer Saddam's convoy passed them by? I guess ol' Saddam was a cruel despot -- but not cruel enough for thousands to risk their necks. "Oh no, Mike, they couldn't do that! Saddam would have had them killed!" Really? You don't think King George had any of the colonial insurgents killed? You don't think Patrick Henry or Tom Paine were afraid? That didn't stop them. When tens of thousands aren't willing to shed their own blood to remove a dictator, that should be the first clue that they aren't going to be willing participants when you decide you're going to do the liberating for them.

A country can HELP another people overthrow a tyrant (that's what the French did for us in our revolution), but after you help them, you leave. Immediately. The French didn't stay and tell us how to set up our government. They didn't say, "we're not leaving because we want your natural resources." They left us to our own devices and it took us six years before we had an election. And then we had a bloody civil war. That's what happens, and history is full of these examples. The French didn't say, "Oh, we better stay in America, otherwise they're going to kill each other over that slavery issue!"

The only way a war of liberation has a chance of succeeding is if the oppressed people being liberated have their own citizens behind them -- and a group of Washingtons, Jeffersons, Franklins, Ghandis and Mandellas leading them. Where are these beacons of liberty in Iraq? This is a joke and it's been a joke since the beginning. Yes, the joke's been on us, but with 655,000 Iraqis now dead as a result of our invasion (source: Johns Hopkins University), I guess the cruel joke is on them. At least they've been liberated, permanently.

So I don't want to hear another word about sending more troops (wake up, America, John McCain is bonkers), or "redeploying" them, or waiting four months to begin the "phase-out." There is only one solution and it is this: Leave. Now. Start tonight. Get out of there as fast as we can. As much as people of good heart and conscience don't want to believe this, as much as it kills us to accept defeat, there is nothing we can do to undo the damage we have done. What's happened has happened. If you were to drive drunk down the road and you killed a child, there would be nothing you could do to bring that child back to life. If you invade and destroy a country, plunging it into a civil war, there isn't much you can do 'til the smoke settles and blood is mopped up. Then maybe you can atone for the atrocity you have committed and help the living come back to a better life.

The Soviet Union got out of Afghanistan in 36 weeks. They did so and suffered hardly any losses as they left. They realized the mistake they had made and removed their troops. A civil war ensued. The bad guys won. Later, we overthrew the bad guys and everybody lived happily ever after. See! It all works out in the end!

The responsibility to end this war now falls upon the Democrats. Congress controls the purse strings and the Constitution says only Congress can declare war. Mr. Reid and Ms. Pelosi now hold the power to put an end to this madness. Failure to do so will bring the wrath of the voters. We aren't kidding around, Democrats, and if you don't believe us, just go ahead and continue this war another month. We will fight you harder than we did the Republicans. The opening page of my website has a photo of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, each made up by a collage of photos of the American soldiers who have died in Bush's War. But it is now about to become the Bush/Democratic Party War unless swift action is taken.

This is what we demand:

1. Bring the troops home now. Not six months from now. NOW. Quit looking for a way to win. We can't win. We've lost. Sometimes you lose. This is one of those times. Be brave and admit it.

2. Apologize to our soldiers and make amends. Tell them we are sorry they were used to fight a war that had NOTHING to do with our national security. We must commit to taking care of them so that they suffer as little as possible. The mentally and physically maimed must get the best care and significant financial compensation. The families of the deceased deserve the biggest apology and they must be taken care of for the rest of their lives.

3. We must atone for the atrocity we have perpetuated on the people of Iraq. There are few evils worse than waging a war based on a lie, invading another country because you want what they have buried under the ground. Now many more will die. Their blood is on our hands, regardless for whom we voted. If you pay taxes, you have contributed to the three billion dollars a week now being spent to drive Iraq into the hellhole it's become. When the civil war is over, we will have to help rebuild Iraq. We can receive no redemption until we have atoned.

In closing, there is one final thing I know. We Americans are better than what has been done in our name. A majority of us were upset and angry after 9/11 and we lost our minds. We didn't think straight and we never looked at a map. Because we are kept stupid through our pathetic education system and our lazy media, we knew nothing of history. We didn't know that WE were the ones funding and arming Saddam for many years, including those when he massacred the Kurds. He was our guy. We didn't know what a Sunni or a Shiite was, never even heard the words. Eighty percent of our young adults (according to National Geographic) were not able to find Iraq on the map. Our leaders played off our stupidity, manipulated us with lies, and scared us to death.

But at our core we are a good people. We may be slow learners, but that "Mission Accomplished" banner struck us as odd, and soon we began to ask some questions. Then we began to get smart. By this past November 7th, we got mad and tried to right our wrongs. The majority now know the truth. The majority now feel a deep sadness and guilt and a hope that somehow we can make make it all right again.

Unfortunately, we can't. So we will accept the consequences of our actions and do our best to be there should the Iraqi people ever dare to seek our help in the future. We ask for their forgiveness.

We demand the Democrats listen to us and get out of Iraq now.

Yours,

Michael Moore
www.michaelmoore.com
mmflint@aol.com

Britain may have lost the Empire, but...

...they can really enjoy the strength of the pound. We definitely do!

There was an article in the paper this morning that said the US dollar will likely hit $2.00 against the British pound by 2007. £1 is currently valued at $1.93. This is quite a boon for us at this time of year since we will be going to the US and just in time to do the Christmas shopping. We can use our British credit card to pay for things and basically get a 50% discount on everything we buy. We're going to watch the currency exchange values and as soon as it looks like it has reached the high water mark, we'll transfer our £ savings to our US savings account to double our money. Pretty cool!

===Bloomberg's Currency Calculator===

How To Kick Ass

I've been meaning to write about this for a while now, but just haven't gotten around to it. So, here goes...

In the beginning of September, I started taking some martial arts classes at a nearby gym. Towards the end of August, I had an epiphany that I wanted to take some type of self-defense class. Mainly for fitness and to get more "in tune" with my body, but also to increase my self confidence. K jumped on this rare demonstration of interest in exercise from me and found a place just up the road from us: Minnesota Kali Group UK. I was prepared to "think it over" for a while (as I normally do), but before I knew it, I was signed up for an introductory class with Brendan Westwood. When you first go there, he gives you a free 30-day trial and after that, if you like it, it costs between £3.00 - £4.00 per class depending on which plan you are signed up for. Brendan is a great instructor and the classes are a lot of fun, so I signed on as soon as my trial was up. I've been going to two classes per week ever since. I alternate between Panantukan (Filipino Boxing) on Mondays , Jeet Kun Do on Wednesdays, and Kali on Saturdays. He also teaches Muay Thai kickboxing and Grappling, but those aren't really my cup of tea.

Some info about the ones I do take...

Panantukan (aka Filipino Boxing, aka Dirty Boxing) involves a lot of punching, elbowing, low kicks and blocking with the fore-arms. It can be very rapid-fire when you get the hang of it. The "Dirty Boxing" part of it comes in when you get into the head-butting and eye-gouging. Sounds a lot more gruesome than it is and we only practice on focus mitts (no sparring). Here are a couple of videos of the style: Panantukan Intro and Eskrima/Panantukan.

Jeet Kun Do is one of the forms that Bruce Lee practiced. It's similar to Panantukan as far as the types of moves (minus the head-butting and eye-gouging) but is a bit more fluid and kinetic. A lot of the techniques focus on taking out the opponent's means of attack and driving them back. And there's a bit more kicking. Videos: JKD Streetfighting (a bit cheesy and 80s looking) and JKD Trapping.

Then there's Kali. This is basically the same art as Panantukan with the addition of a 3' bambo stick (or two sticks) and sometimes a dagger. A lot of the moves are the same with the exception that you're holding a stick. I really like this class, but it's not much of a work out. It's just very mental and a bit meditative. Lot's of hand-eye-coordination involved. Videos: Dan Inosanto demonstrating Kali and a Police Training video.

I felt like such a numbskull for the first month or so, such a beginner. It was at times frustrating because I just couldn't get some of the moves and then I felt guilty because the person I was training with wasn't getting much of a workout. Now I'm definitely not a "noobie", but certainly not ready to go up against Bruce Lee (even if he were still alive)!

Here's a couple of extra videos that cover all of the above (and more):

FMA/JKD Promo (a bit cheesy)

Behavioral Defense

Nose-rubbing?

I guess this could be construed as rubbing the Republican party's nose in it, but I think it's a nice piece. It really hits the nail on the head about the differences between Conservatives and Liberals. To be honest, we're not on either end of that spectrum. We swing on a narrow-arced pendulum along the Center. Still signed the pledge, though. Anyway, another one from Michael Moore:

Tuesday, November 14th, 2006

A Liberal's Pledge to Disheartened Conservatives ...by Michael Moore

To My Conservative Brothers and Sisters,

I know you are dismayed and disheartened at the results of last week's election. You're worried that the country is heading toward a very bad place you don't want it to go. Your 12-year Republican Revolution has ended with so much yet to do, so many promises left unfulfilled. You are in a funk, and I understand.

Well, cheer up, my friends! Do not despair. I have good news for you. I, and the millions of others who are now in charge with our Democratic Congress, have a pledge we would like to make to you, a list of promises that we offer you because we value you as our fellow Americans. You deserve to know what we plan to do with our newfound power -- and, to be specific, what we will do to you and for you.

Thus, here is our Liberal's Pledge to Disheartened Conservatives:

Dear Conservatives and Republicans,

I, and my fellow signatories, hereby make these promises to you:

1. We will always respect you for your conservative beliefs. We will never, ever, call you "unpatriotic" simply because you disagree with us. In fact, we encourage you to dissent and disagree with us.

2. We will let you marry whomever you want, even when some of us consider your behavior to be "different" or "immoral." Who you marry is none of our business. Love and be in love -- it's a wonderful gift.

3. We will not spend your grandchildren's money on our personal whims or to enrich our friends. It's your checkbook, too, and we will balance it for you.

4. When we soon bring our sons and daughters home from Iraq, we will bring your sons and daughters home, too. They deserve to live. We promise never to send your kids off to war based on either a mistake or a lie.

5. When we make America the last Western democracy to have universal health coverage, and all Americans are able to get help when they fall ill, we promise that you, too, will be able to see a doctor, regardless of your ability to pay. And when stem cell research delivers treatments and cures for diseases that affect you and your loved ones, we'll make sure those advances are available to you and your family, too.

6. Even though you have opposed environmental regulation, when we clean up our air and water, we, the Democratic majority, will let you, too, breathe the cleaner air and drink the purer water.

7. Should a mass murderer ever kill 3,000 people on our soil, we will devote every single resource to tracking him down and bringing him to justice. Immediately. We will protect you.

8. We will never stick our nose in your bedroom or your womb. What you do there as consenting adults is your business. We will continue to count your age from the moment you were born, not the moment you were conceived.

9. We will not take away your hunting guns. If you need an automatic weapon or a handgun to kill a bird or a deer, then you really aren't much of a hunter and you should, perhaps, pick up another sport. We will make our streets and schools as free as we can from these weapons and we will protect your children just as we would protect ours.

10. When we raise the minimum wage, we will pay you -- and your employees -- that new wage, too. When women are finally paid what men make, we will pay conservative women that wage, too.

11. We will respect your religious beliefs, even when you don't put those beliefs into practice. In fact, we will actively seek to promote your most radical religious beliefs ("Blessed are the poor," "Blessed are the peacemakers," "Love your enemies," "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God," and "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."). We will let people in other countries know that God doesn't just bless America, he blesses everyone. We will discourage religious intolerance and fanaticism -- starting with the fanaticism here at home, thus setting a good example for the rest of the world.

12. We will not tolerate politicians who are corrupt and who are bought and paid for by the rich. We will go after any elected leader who puts him or herself ahead of the people. And we promise you we will go after the corrupt politicians on our side FIRST. If we fail to do this, we need you to call us on it. Simply because we are in power does not give us the right to turn our heads the other way when our party goes astray. Please perform this important duty as the loyal opposition.

I promise all of the above to you because this is your country, too. You are every bit as American as we are. We are all in this together. We sink or swim as one. Thank you for your years of service to this country and for giving us the opportunity to see if we can make things a bit better for our 300 million fellow Americans -- and for the rest of the world.

Signed,

Michael Moore
mmflint@aol.com
(Click here to sign the pledge)
www.michaelmoore.com

P.S. Please feel free to pass this on.

What a relief it is!

It has been interesting watching this election from outside the US. We experienced it the same way Americans experience events in Europe: through the square (or rectangle) box in the living room. It gives you a sort of secluded, distilled version of events, whereas if we were in the US, we would have gotten the barrage of info from the various forms of news media as well as hearing/seeing the "word on the street", the conversations in the grocery check-out lane, the fervor at the polling station.

We are completely thrilled to hear the news as the vote-counting is finishing and felt a great wave of schadenfreude watching Bush's press conference yesterday. Ooh, he was piiiiiiiiiiiissed! And didn't do a good job of hiding it. The Republicans got a "thumping" in the House and the Senate. Then the luscious, silky icing on the cake: the war-mongering weasel Rumsfeld resigning! How sweet it is! We're looking forward to seeing how things progress during the next two years and we'll be watching it happen on our rectangular box in the living room.

---

Here's a nice message from Michael Moore on the subject:

LANDSLIDE! ...a big thanks from Michael Moore

November 8th, 2006

Friends,

You did it! We did it! The impossible has happened: A majority of Americans have soundly and forcefully removed Bush's party from control of the House of Representatives and the Republicans have also, miraculously, been tossed out of running our United States Senate. This was done because the American people wanted to make two things crystal clear: End this war, and stop Mr. Bush from doing any more damage to this country we love. That is what this election was about. Nothing else. Just that. And it's a message that has sent shock waves throughout Washington -- and a note of hope around this troubled world.

Now the real work begins. Unless we stay on top of these Democrats to do the right thing, they will do what they've always done: Screw it up. Big Time. They helped Bush start this war, and now they should make amends.

But let's take a day to rejoice and revel in a rare victory for our side -- the side that doesn't believe in unprovoked invasions of other countries. This is your day, my friends. You have worked hard for it. I can't tell you how proud I am to count all of you as part of the greater American mainstream we now occupy. Thank you for all the time you gave this week to get out the vote. Some of you have been at this since the large demonstrations of February 2003 when we tried to stop the war before it started. Only 10-20% of the country agreed with us at that time. Remember how lonely that was? Some people were even booed! Now, 60% of the country agrees with our position. They are us and we are them. What a nice, strange, hopeful feeling.

A woman, for the first time in our history, will be Speaker of the House. The attempt to ban all abortion in the conservative state of South Dakota was defeated. Laws to raise the minimum wage were passed. Democrats were elected to fill Tom DeLay's and Mark Foley's seats. Detroit's John Conyers, Jr. is going to be the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. The Democratic governor of Michigan beat the CEO from Amway. The little township next to where I live in Michigan voted Democratic for the first time since... ever. And on and on and on. The good news will continue throughout today. Let's enjoy it. Savor it. And use it to get Congress to finally listen to the majority.

If you want to do one thing today, send an email or a letter to both of your senators and your member of Congress and tell them, in no uncertain terms, what this election means: End the war -- and don't let George W. Bush get away with any more of his bright ideas.

Congratulations, again! Now let's go find a spine for the Dems to do the job we've sent them there to do.

Yours in victory (for once!),

Michael Moore
mmflint@aol.com
www.michaelmoore.com

---

And a few topical video clips:

Truth and Fiction

What's a midterm election?

Borat on TDS Midterm Midtacular

Beat-box Bush

Election

Please, please, please, please don't let the Republicans win/steal this election!

Interactive Election Map

Neko Case sings to "Reserved but adamant Bristol" at the Carling Academy

We had a really nice day yesterday going up to Bristol. The drive was quite scenic, though long and winding. Experienced something new: a roadside traffic census. About an hour outside Bristol, a couple of police officers diverted us into a lay-by where several people in flourescent yellow vests with clipboards were waiting. One of them came up to our window to ask where we where coming from, where we were going and how often we made the journey. Then they sent us on our way.

Anyway, we got a little lost trying to find IKEA, but eventually, we got there around 4:30. We went straight to the restaurant to have some Swedish meatballs with boiled potatoes and lingonberry preserves. Very tasty! There was even a Swedish family sitting near us. Then we headed into the vast, consumer haven that is IKEA for a one-hour breeze-through excursion. We picked up quite a few things that we needed (such as a laundry basket for £2.49) and a couple of things that we didn't (such as a nice garlic press for £3.99), plus some Kalle's caviar, lingonberry preserves, cloudberry preserves, Abbas pickled herring, and authentic Swedish Fish gummy candy. Our friend Ieuan came away with quite a haul, too; his first trip to IKEA.

Then we loaded our Scandinavian goods into the trunk and headed for Bristol Academy, getting more lost than when we tried to find IKEA. Eventually, we triangulated the venue's position and found a parking garage next to it. Neko's gig was in the upstairs portion of the Academy, in a quite small, narrow room with a bar on one side and a 15'x15' stage tucked into one end. We were a bit taken aback by how small it was, but excited to be able to see her in such an "intimate" venue. We grabbed a bit of floor-space at the very front and waited for the gig to start.

The opening act had been cancelled, so the members of Neko's band came out to play a few songs as an opener (without Neko). I didn't get all of their names because people were cheering and I couldn't hear when they were announced, but her usual stalwarts Kelly Hogan (backing vocals) and Jon Rauhaus (pedal-steel and banjo) were up there with a lead guitarist, double-bass player, and a drummer. After their mini-set, there was a bit of an intermission after which they all came out and played for about an hour and a half. A great mix of songs from all of her albums, but most of them from her new one Fox Confessor Brings the Flood. They opened with "A Widow's Toast" sung a-cappella, Neko and Kelly's voices locked in perfect harmony. I didn't write down the set list, but I've dredged my memory and I think I have been able to recall at least most of the songs, though not in the correct order:

-A Widow's Toast
-Set Out Running
-Margaret vs. Pauline
-If You Knew
-Hold On, Hold On
-The Tigers Have Spoken
-Maybe Sparrow
-I Wish I Was the Moon
-Dirty Knife
-Favorite
-Furnace Room Lullabye
-Buckets of Rain (a Bob Dylan cover)
-Deep Red Bells
-South Tacoma Way
-That Teenage Feeling
-Twist the Knife

They sounded fantastic, though performance-wise, they seemed a bit detached. I suppose they were still jet-lagged since they flew over from the US on the 31st and, in Neko's words, they were "coming down with our obligatory British colds." There were signs around the club stating "This evening's artist has requested that guests refrain from smoking during the performance." Thankfully, this made it a much more comfortable atmosphere (for the non-smokers, anyway). She thanked everyone for being kind enough to refrain from smoking.

Neko commented a couple of times about being miffed that she had missed Halloween, instead being on an airplane "smelling poopie-diaper". Nevertheless, her singing was just as goose-bump making as always. K and I agree that the gig at The Zoo in Portland was better as a whole than this one. Our favorite songs from the night...

K: "I Wish I Was The Moon"
R: "Deep Red Bells" and "Furnace Room Lullabye"

I wonder how the Wednesday night show in London was in comparison. Unfortunately, there was a 9:45 curfew at this gig, so though they wanted to play longer, they had to stop. We thought it might have been a residential noise-oridinance thing, but it turns out it is because they turn the Academy into a dance club after 10pm. A bit disappointing to have the show cut short because of that, but I got over it when I had a chance to meet Neko. She announced that she would head back to the merchandise counter to help sell some CDs and invited fans to come over to say "Hello."

At first I decided I wouldn't and we started to leave the club, but at the door, I had a change of heart and darted back up there. It was one of those decisions where you know you'll always regret it if you make the wrong decision. Hell, there's a chance to meet Neko Case! Time to get over the shyness and just do it!

K and Ieuan hung back while I joined the queue to talk to her. Because I didn't have enough cash to buy a CD or a t-shirt my excuse to talk to her was to ask her to sign my ticket stub. Oop... my turn:

R: Hi! Great set! I really love your music!

Neko: Thanks!

[awkward silence]

R: I saw you in Portland in 2003. At The Zoo.

Neko: Ooh! That was a great day. I had just gotten my new guitar! [smiling and hugging herself]

R: Oh, really? I loved that venue. Cool with the giraffe's in the background.

Neko: I felt sorry for the elephants, though. They were going a bit crazy.

R: Were they? Well, I'm sure your music had a calming effect on them!

Neko: Well, I hope so!

[another awkward silence]

Neko: [pointing at the ticket stub I was holding] Did you want me to sign that?

R: Oh, yes please!

[I hand it to her, she signs it, and hands it back, smiling.]

R: Thanks for coming to England!

[I step away and let the next person have a turn.]

On the ticket stub, in black marker: "Love, Neko". Walking away with K and Ieuan, I describe how much of a dork I was and lamented that I should have thought of something more clever to say. Well, better to kick myself for being a dork than to kick myself for not having the nerve to even try to meet her!

Anyway, we left the Academy and tried to navigate out of Bristol, getting a bit lost again. Eventually, we got back on the appropriate A-road and made good time back to Bournemouth. Home by 12:30.

I fell asleep thinking of all kinds of other witty things I could have said.











Click here for Neko's diary of the UK tour.

Amazing Singer

K and I have both taken a day off today to drive up to Bristol to see Neko Case at the Bristol Academy. She has the most amazing voice. Her musical style is usually lumped in with "alt country", but it's a bit darker, a bit more noir-ish than your standard "alt country" acts. Listen to a bit of her music HERE or watch some clips of her live performances HERE. The last concert we saw in the US before moving to Belgium was Neko Case at The Zoo in Portland. We're really looking forward to seeing her perform live again.

One of my friends from UEA is coming with us. We'll be leaving shortly. It's only a 2 hour drive, but we're heading up early so we can go to the IKEA in Bristol. We need a few "bits and bobs" for the apartment, but more importantly, we need to stock up on some Swedish food. Namely, Kalle's caviar, herring, and Gevalia coffee. And we'll probably grab a quick bite to eat at the IKEA cafeteria, perhaps some Swedish meatballs or gravad lax! Then we'll head over to the concert venue to park the car and maybe pop into a pub for a drink before the show.

Neko! Neko! Neko!