A straight-up lie
A popular statement around MOOREWATCH from Mike’s fans is that there are no lies in F911. Tracking down all of Moore’s claims about financial dealings will take time. However, there is one easy-to-catch lie, and we all know about it already. Mike himself gave us the information needed to catch him in this lie.
In the film, Michael Moore confronts Congressional Representative Mark Kennedy and asks him to help get Congress to sign up their kids for the Army, Marine Corps, etc. Mark Kennedy looks at him funny, and there is a badly-placed jump edit right there. Moore then moves on to asking other members of Congress, who all appear to ignore him and walk away.
And then we get the voiceover:
“Of course, not a single member of Congress wanted to sacrifice their child for the war in Iraq.”
Look at that again. “Of course, not a single member of Congress wanted to sacrifice their child for the war in Iraq.”
Is that factually accurate? Let’s look at the exchange between Rep. Kennedy and Moore, which was provided by Moore himself:
CONGRESSMAN KENNEDY How are you doing?
MM: I’m trying to get members of congress to get their kids to enlist
in the army and go over to Iraq. Is there any way you could help me
with that?CONGRESSMAN KENNEDY: How would I help you?
MM: Pass it out to other members of congress.
CONGRESSMAN KENNEDY: I’d be happy to. Especially those who voted for the war.
CONGRESSMAN KENNEDY: I have a nephew on his way to Afghanistan.
MM: Because there is only one member who has a kid over there in Iraq.
This is Corporal Henderson, he is helping me out here.CONGRESSMAN KENNEDY: How are you, good to see you.
MM: There it is, it’s just a basic recruitment thing. Encourage
especially those who were in favor of the war to send their kids. I
appreciate it.CONGRESSMAN KENNEDY: Okay, bye.
Well, well, well. Look at that. Let’s look closely at this exchange.
MM: Is there any way you could help me
with that?CONGRESSMAN KENNEDY: How would I help you?
MM: Pass it out to other members of congress.
CONGRESSMAN KENNEDY: I’d be happy to. Especially those who voted for the war.
This exchange was edited out of the film entirely, and instead Kennedy’s meeting with Moore is lumped in with all the Congressmen that seemed to be ducking him. Now that could be considered a lie of omission. He made Kennedy look like all the the Congressmen who didn’t stop.
Except that Kennedy not only spoke to him, but he offered to help. He has family in the military, on who, in Kennedy’s own words, is deployed. Not just enlisted, but deployed. He did not say where, but deployed has a specific meaning that doesn’t equal “one weekend a month” in the National Guard.
Cue the voiceover: “Of course, not a single member of Congress wanted to sacrifice their child for the war in Iraq.”
No matter how you try to spin that, it’s a lie. Moore himself admits that there is in fact ONE member of congress with a child in Iraq.
Is it a major, life-altering, call-your-momma lie? No, but most of Moore’s blatant lies aren’t. Stack a hundred of these little lies up, and you got yourself a movie though, don’t you? A sensationalistic campaign attack ad that purports to be 100% truthful.
Well, however minor, I’ve proven here that there is indeed one rock-solid lie in F911. And Moore’s own words, and the release of the transcript with Kennedy, make the case in a way that no one can deny without looking like a fool. Moore lied. Plain and simple. Kennedy was willing to help recruit Congressional member’s children. He has a nephew that is deployed as we speak. Moore himself admits that there is one other Congressional child serving.
That’s out of a base of 550 people, not all of whom have children.
Mikey, I beg of you...get your “war room” fired up and try to dispute this. I’d love to see the good Congressman get up in your face on national television can have you call him a liar to his face. Bottom line, Mikester, if you say no one offered to help, you’re lying. If you admit Kennedy offered to help, which you have...you lied in the film.
I feel sorry for the people you fool with that “Of course, not a single member of Congress wanted to sacrifice their child for the war in Iraq.” crap. Two of them are, and Kennedy was willing to help you recruit. But that blew the screen value of your little piece. Instead of being an HONEST filmmaker and including it...you simply took off the part that didn’t fit what you wanted.
You owe everyone, but most of all Representative Kennedy, an apology.
RSS (Subscribe)