"Michael Moore is joining forces with video store operators in an effort to get as many Americans as possible to see the film before the election. Video stores across the country will be waiving the usual rental fee for 'Fahrenheit 9/11,' beginning on October 26. A recent Harris poll showed that 44% of Republicans who have seen the film gave it a positive rating. 'It isn't possible to view this film and come out saying you are voting George W. Bush,' stated Moore. Moore is currently on a 60-city tour to the 20 battleground states to rally non-voters and slackers, America's majority, to give voting a try, just this once. He's offering clean underwear and Ramen noodles to slackers, which has Republicans in his home state of Michigan calling for his arrest. If you are a video store owner interested in getting involved, please e-mail us at F911ForFree@michaelmoore.com."

Stars and Stripes: " The highest-grossing documentary in movie history, winner at the Cannes Film Festival, hailed in Boston but banned in Kuwait, "Fahrenheit 9/11" never made it to Yokosuka Naval Base theaters - or to any movie theater located on a military base.But the DVD version of Michael Moore's cinematic indictment of the current commander-in-chief and his administration came in the doors at the base video store this week - and went right out again.Employees of the store, operated by Softland Video, said all 22 copies it received Tuesday were checked out that day, and when they came back, they went out again. The movie was available for home viewing last week at most overseas military bases.Francis Anglada, a retired petty officer first class who now works for Morale, Welfare and Recreation, got the last one in stock on Thursday around 11:30 a.m. He'd been waiting a long time to see it, and said it was a "scandal" that it never showed in base theaters."

Michael Moore writes, "Kerry supporters and Bush-bashers should not despair. These Republicans have not made a permanent dent in Kerry's armor. The only person who can do that is John Kerry. And by coming out swinging as he did just minutes after Bush finished his speech Thursday night, Kerry proved he knows that the only way to win this fight is to fight - and fight hard... Kerry needs to trust that his victory is only going to happen by inspiring the natural base of the Democratic Party - blacks, working people, women, the poor and young people. Women and people of color make up 62% of this country. That's a big majority. Give them a reason to come out on Nov. 2."

Michael Moore exhorts Democrats not to be discouraged by the grotesquely overblown coverage of the GOP convention this week: "Exactly what moment was it during the convention that convinced [Dems] that the Republicans had now 'connected' with the majority of Americans and that it was all over? Arnold praising Richard Nixon? Ooooh, that's a real crowd-pleaser. Elizabeth Dole decrying the removal of the Ten Commandments from a courthouse wall in Alabama? Yes, that's a big topic of conversation in the unemployment line in Akron, Ohio. Georgia Sen. Miller, a Democratic turncoat, looking like Freddy Krueger at an all-girls camp? His speech - and the look on what you could see of his strangely lit face - was enough for parents to send small children to their bedrooms. My friends...do not be afraid. Yes, the Bush Republicans huff and they puff, but they blow their own house down."

Michael Moore writes, "I've often found that if I go down the list of 'liberal' issues with people who say they're Republican, they are quite liberal and not in sync with the Republicans who run the country. Most don't want America to be the world's police officer and prefer peace to war. They applaud civil rights, believe all Americans should have health insurance and think assault weapons should be banned. Though they may personally oppose abortion, they usually don't think the government has the right to tell a women what to do with her body. There's a name for these Republicans: RINOs or Republican In Name Only. They possess a liberal, open mind and don't believe in creating a worse life for anyone else. So why do they use the same label as those who back a status quo of women earning 75 cents to every dollar a man earns, 45 million people without health coverage and a president who has two more countries left on his axis-of-evil-regime-change list?... Money."

Matthew Wells: "The Michael Moore media machine received a boost yesterday when the leftwing documentary maker was booed at the Republican convention. The jeers were prompted by one of the keynote speakers, John McCain, who denounced the director of Fahrenheit 9/11 as a 'disingenuous film-maker' from the podium of Madison Square Garden. Presumably overjoyed about the inevitable extra publicity for his movie, Moore laughed and waved from the upper levels of the hall at the booing GOP delegates . As the crowd chanted in unison for 'four more years' of the president, George Bush, he tipped his stars-and-stripes baseball cap, raised his fingers and replied: 'Two more months'. "

Michael Moore writes, "Dear Mr. Bush, I know you and I have had our differences in the past, and I realize I am the one who started this whole mess about 'who did what' during Vietnam when I brought up that 'deserter' nonsense back in January. But I have to hand it to you on what you have uncovered about John Kerry and his record in Vietnam. Kerry has tried to pass himself off as a war hero, but thanks to you and your friends, we now know the truth."

We had to go to a Chinese news outlet to get an unspun version of this story (figures!): Xinhuanet reports: "Distributors of the popular US anti-war documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" accused the US Army of stonewalling efforts to show the film at military bases. The Fellowship Adventure Group, IFC Films and Lions Gate Films said the organization in charge of booking films for 160 US military base theaters was obviously stonewalling because the film is anti-war themed. "We have made all requested materials available to them, but unfortunately, a commitment to show the film has not been made," a Lions Gate spokeswoman said. They noted that the army usually quickly booked a film that has been very successful at the box office. "Fahrenheit 9/11" has grossed over 113 million US dollars so far at domestic box offices. " Now compare this "just the facts" story to the Reuters spin job: http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=565035§ion=news

Reuters: "Porter Goss, Bush's nominee for CIA director, could be his own worst enemy when it comes to making the case that he deserves to lead the U.S. intelligence agency. 'I couldn't get a job with CIA today. I am not qualified,' Goss told Michael Moore's production company during the filming of the anti-Bush movie 'Fahrenheit 9/11.' A day after Bush picked Goss for the top U.S. spy job, Moore released an excerpt from a March 3 interview in which Goss recounts his lack of qualifications for employment as a modern CIA staffer. 'I don't have the language skills. I, you know, my language skills were romance languages and stuff. We're looking for Arabists today. I don't have the cultural background probably,' Goss is quoted in an interview transcript. And I certainly don't have the technical skills, uh, as my children remind me every day: 'Dad you got to get better on your computer.' Uh, so, the things that you need to have, I don't have.' "

" "Fahrenheit 9/11" was shown on prime time Cuban state-run television on Thursday after playing to packed cinemas for a week. In a country with a deep-seated distrust of U.S. governments, the film has generated widespread public interest and added to a recent barrage of official criticism of Bush. Cubans have stood in long lines to buy tickets to see rough DVD copies projected at 120 cinema theaters across the island to unfailing applause. "We hope this film will lead Americans to see the reality of their government, and not only deny Bush reelection but put him on trial for the harm he has done to humanity," said retired worker Armando Rodriguez. Cuban dissidents who saw "Fahrenheit 9/11" praised the United States for its freedom of expression and lamented that such criticism of a president was not allowed in Cuba where the one-party state controls the media.

Guardian: "The success of 'Fahrenheit 9/11' is making Michael Moore's life a bit easier on his next film. With 'Fahrenheit 9/11' becoming the first documentary to cross the $100 million mark at the domestic box office, director Moore expects a smooth path on raising money to make 'Sicko,' his critique of health-maintenance organizations. Moore would not provide details but said financing of his next movie was in the works, thanks to 'Fahrenheit 9/11,' which cost just $6 million to make. 'Clearly, if you make a movie that has this ratio of how much it costs to its gross, you're going to find an easy time making your next film,' Moore said in a conference call with reporters over the weekend. The idea for 'Sicko' stems from a segment Moore did on his 'The Awful Truth' TV show, in which he staged a mock funeral at an HMO for a patient denied an organ transplant he needed to survive. The HMO relented and paid for the transplant."

Reuters: "Filmmaker Michael Moore will bring his antiwar documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" to Bush's Texas hometown on Wednesday and has invited the commander-in-chief to attend the viewing, organizers said. In the parking lot of the Crawford High School football field, Moore is expected to make a presentation about the film to an audience that could temporarily double the tiny hamlet's usual population of 705, according to peace activists who first proposed showing the satirical film on the side of a barn. "This was our original vision, to have a place where people could come to present alternative views," said John Wolf, a bearded 49-year-old from Dallas who bought a wood-frame house in town last year and turned it into a center for activism called the "Crawford Peace House."

BBC: "Michael Moore's controversial film Fahrenheit 9/11 has become the first documentary to make $100m at the North American box office. The film has made $103m since opening a month ago. The previous record for a feature-length documentary was $21.6m for Moore's Academy Award-winning film, Bowling for Columbine. Moore said the American people had gone to the cinema 'to look for the truth'." Michael Moore says "If you had told me when we were going through all the pre-distribution problems with Disney that this film would gross more than any other Disney film this year, I don't even know how to respond to that."

"Republicans initially dismissed 'Fahrenheit 9/11' as a cinematic screed that would play mostly to inveterate Bush bashers. Four weeks and $94 million later, the film is still pulling in moviegoers at 2,000 theaters around the country, making Republicans nervous as it settles into the American mainstream. 'I'm not sure if it moves voters,' GOP consultant Scott Reed said, 'but if it moves 3 or 4% it's been a success.' Two senior Republicans closely tied to the White House said the movie from director Michael Moore is seen as a political headache because it has reached beyond the Democratic base. Independents and GOP-leaning voters are likely to be found sitting beside those set to revel in its depiction of a clueless president with questionable ties to the oil industry... A Gallup survey conducted July 8-11 said 8% of American adults had seen the film at that time, but that 18% still planned to see it at a theater and another 30% plan to see it on video."

Bushevik Howard Kaloogian is pathetically trying to copy the success of Moveon (with 2.9 MILLION members) with his tiny group MoveAmericaForward.org. MAF's ad campaign LIBELS Michael Moore by saying he is "willing to undermine support for the 'War on Terrorism' to selfishly advance [his] shameless political ambitions." (Watch "Beirut, 1983"). Hey Mike, them's fighting words - show them what you're made of!

"Singer Linda Ronstadt was thrown out of the Aladdin casino in Las Vegas on the weekend after dedicating a song to liberal film maker Michael Moore and his movie 'Fahrenheit 9/11,' a casino spokeswoman said on Monday. Ronstadt, who had been hired for a one-show engagement Saturday night at the Las Vegas Strip casino, dedicated a performance of 'Desperado' to Moore and his controversial documentary, which criticizes Bush and the U.S.-led war in Iraq . That dedication angered some Aladdin guests who spilled drinks, tore down posters and demanded their money back, said casino spokeswoman Sara Gorgon. 'We had quite a scene at the box office,' she said. About a quarter of the 4,500 people in the audience got up and left before the performance had finished, Gorgon said." So how come Cheney wasn't thrown out of Yankee Stadium when the fans booed at his picture on the jumbotron? We'd boycott Aladdin, but it's already bankrupt and being sold.

Houston Chronicle: "[Fahrenheit 9/11] is a hit nearly everywhere -- except in the rolling hills near his ranch. But Michael Moore and some peace activists want to change that by screening the film somewhere around Crawford. Even the side of a barn will do, activists say. The movie has brought in $93.8 million. But Waco area theaters in the largest city closest to Bush's spread aren't showing Moore's film. Skip Londos, who founded Friends of Peace, said his group would love to host the movie in Crawford, about 20 miles west of Waco. 'We don't want to play it just for people who already know what it says and already agree with it,' Londos told the Waco Tribune-Herald in today's online edition. 'We want to play it for people who don't read the progressive news wire and that sort of thing ... and encourage some sort of dialogue ... We want to invite anyone who shows a Republican registration card to enter for free.' "

Guardian: "Fahrenheit 9/11, director Michael Moore's unflinching satire on George Bush's administration and the American right, has broken box office records in the UK.It had the best ever opening weekend for a documentary, grossing more than £1.3m. Its nearest rival is Moore's earlier documentary, Bowling for Columbine, which took £157,898 in the equivalent period. In the US Fahrenheit 9/11 has become the first documentary to reach the number one box office spot. At its emotional heart lies the bleak notion that the Iraq war saw the ruthless exploitation of the American working class, particularly its ethnic-minority working class, as cannon fodder."

Michael Moore writes: "I think it's time for those of us who love this country to reclaim our flag from those who would use it to crush rights and freedoms, both here at home and overseas. If you are one of those who love what Bush has done for this country and believe you must blindly follow the president, you should ask yourself some difficult questions about just how proud you are of the America we now inhabit: Are you proud that one in six US children lives in poverty? Are you proud that 40 million adult Americans are functional illiterates? Are you proud that the bulk of the jobs being created are low- and minimum-wage jobs? Are you proud of asking your fellow Americans to live on $5.15 an hour? Are you proud that the rest of the world, which poured out its heart to us after Sept. 11, now looks at us with disdain and disgust? Are you proud of the fact that our president sent our soldiers off to a war that had nothing to do with the self-defense of this country?"

The media is trying hard to put the genii back in the bottle. You'll scarcely hear "Fahrenheit 9/11" mentioned by mainstream media now. And if you put the film or its maker into news search engines like google, you will find them stacked with 80-90% rightwing bashes. It's only being seen by those crazy leftwingnuts, they say. Ha! Even in conservative MILITARY TOWNS, the movie is hot. "This has broken all of our past records," said theater owner Nasim Kuenzel in the base town of Fayetteville. As many as 75% of moviegoers were soldiers or military families.. Natalie Sorton, 25 and married to an infantryman who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, said, "I want to see what my husband is fighting for." Another military spouse had recommended the movie. While Sorton described herself as a moderate Republican, she said "I'm going because from what I heard about ('Fahrenheit 9/11'), it fills in a lot of blanks, a lot of questions we've had about the Bush administration."

Michael Moore writes: "For too long now we have abandoned our flag to those who see it as a symbol of war and dominance, as a way to crush dissent at home. Flags are flying from the back of SUVs, rising high above car dealerships, plastering the windows of businesses and adorning paper bags from fast-food restaurants. But these flags are intended to send a message: "You're either with us or you're against us," "Bring it on!" or "Watch what you say, watch what you do"... I think it's time for those of us who love this country -- and everything it should stand for -- to reclaim our flag from those who would use it to crush rights and freedoms, both here at home and overseas. We need to redefine what it means to be a proud American."

Paul Krugman writes: "Audiences are shocked by the now-famous seven minutes, when George Bush knew the nation was under attack but continued reading 'My Pet Goat' with a group of children. Nobody had told them that the tales of Mr. Bush's decisiveness and bravery on that day were pure fiction. Or consider the Bush family's ties to the Saudis... But what shocks people, I think, is the fact that nobody told them about this side of Mr. Bush's life. Mr. Bush's carefully constructed persona is that of an all-American regular guy - not like his suspiciously cosmopolitan opponent, with his patrician air. The news media have cheerfully gone along with the pretense. How many stories have you seen contrasting John Kerry's upper-crusty vacation on Nantucket with Mr. Bush's down-home time at the ranch? But the reality, revealed by Mr. Moore, is that Mr. Bush has always lived in a bubble of privilege."

Craig Unger writes: "To the Editors of Newsweek: David Rubenstein is one of the founders of the Carlyle Group, not Howard Rubenstein, the public relations legend who is reported to hold that position by Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball(More Distortions from Michael Moore). Carlyle's William Kennard was chairman of the FCC-- not Cannard as Isikoff and Hosenball report. George W. Bush was on the board of Caterair, not Carterair. And most important of all, the long, lucrative Bush-Baker relationship with the Carlyle Group began in 1990, and began to flourish in 1993-- not 1998 as the two Newsweek reporters imply. Isikoff's and Hosenball's grotesque distortion of my book, House of Bush, House of Saud, and Fahrenheit 9/11 is matched only by their failure to master the first rule of journalism: Get the facts right."

Rob Kall of Op-Ed News writes: "Not only is Fahrenheit 9/;11 the number one documentary, ever...it's first weekend, the movie was the either top 5th or sixth movie ever, in terms of average gross per theater. Since it was only shown in 868 theaters, it was highly unlikely that it could reach the total sales of the top fiction-based movies that were released, in their first weekend, in 3600+ to 4100+ theaters. The top opening movie of all time was Spiderman, with $114,844,116, opening in 3,615 theaters with an average gross per theater of $31,768. Titanic, the world's all-time top grossing film, had an opening Weekend gross of $28,638,131, opening in 2,674 theaters with an average gross per theater of $10,709 average).The only movie that grossed in the same $20 to $25 million opedning week range, that came close to Fahrenheit 9/11, was Return of the Jeddi (1983,) with $22,973, the rest in that dollar category ranging from $6800 to $15,000. "

AP: "Fahrenheit 9/11 is jolting public interest in the Iraq war just as the US is dealing with fresh violence in Iraq. We haven't seen anything like this before,' said political scientist Thad Beyle of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 'I can't recall anything this large' coming out during an election year. The movie may attract undecided voters, but analysts say it's too soon to say how it will influence the presidential campaign.' In an interesting testimony to the power of the film, Bush supporters are avoiding even seeing the movie (fear of being shaken by doubt?). However, says Kathleen Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, 'If they are undecided, this type of extended communication is the form most likely to persuade.' Thomas Mann, a political analyst at the Brookings Institution says that the huge popularity of the film actually reflects an existing, and growing, anti-war sentiment."

USA Today writes, "There's one thing about the controversial Bush-bashing documentary most viewers probably will agree on: Key scenes featuring Lila Lipscomb are gut-wrenching and haunting. Lipscomb initially appears, literally, as a flag-waving patriot. Later, when her son Michael Pedersen is killed when his Black Hawk helicopter is downed in April 2003, Lipscomb breaks down as she reads his jaded letter from the front. By film's end, when Lipscomb makes a tearful pilgrimage to the White House, her sorrow - punctuated by a woman who questions her motives - is excruciating... Though Moore has a reputation for being manipulative, Lipscomb says he made sure that she would not be offended by her scenes in the film, offering to remove anything she found troubling. 'Michael was fantastic,' Lipscomb says. 'I hope everyone will see the film. I hope it will open people's eyes and make them begin to ask questions and start speaking up for themselves.' "

Reuters: "Box-office fever for Michael Moore's searing anti-Bush documentary 'Fahrenheit 9/11' climbed a bit higher on Monday as distributors touted record-breaking ticket sales about $2 million more than first reported." The film, already number one at the box office for last weekend, grossed $23.9 million, instead of the earlier estimate of $21.5 million. It is now the highest grossing documentary of all time, and number three for all openings for films for the year (after Shrek 2 and the Passion of Christ). Tom Ortenberg, Lions Gate distribution president, said the film played strongly in big cities and small towns, alike, and in Democratic as well as Republican states."

"There's no question about it, Michael Moore's new film is an all-out assault on the Bush Regime--from its theft of the White House, to its utter implication and embroilment with the perpetrators of 9-11, its real loyalty to the oil-rich Saudi Royal Family, the Bush-bin Laden nexus in the Carlyle Group, and the complete falsity behind the march to War on Iraq. Most importantly, however, Michael Moore's 'Fahrenheit 9/11' chronicles the fates of the victims to this series of atrocities: the victims of 9/11 and their families who demanded but were not (and still are not) able to get answers and thus closure to this event, the US citizens who lost rights and a say in our government, including its elections, the innocent Iraqis dying and being tortured in an unjust war and Occupation, the US soldiers dying and being lied to about the reasons, and the families who lost sons and daughters in Iraq, and without a real shred of justification."

"Bush-bashing became the nation's favorite spectator sport over the weekend as Michael Moore's red-hot documentary 'Fahrenheit 9/11' earned more in its first three days of release across North America than his previous record-breaking movie did in its entire run... [It] opened at No. 1 after selling about $21.8 million worth of tickets in the United States and Canada since June 25... 'Bowling for Columbine,' which nabbed the Academy Award for best documentary last year, grossed about $21.5 million during its nine-month run, peaking at about 250 theaters, according to Moore. That haul was a record for a documentary in regular movie theaters. 'These are mind-blowing numbers,' Moore said during a conference call, 'And the fact that all the predictions that the movie would only speak to the choir and that it would only be those who don't like Bush coming to the movie, I don't think have turned out to be true.'"

"Certified Fresh recognizes and celebrates the best reviewed entertainment products based on the opinions of nearly 700 professional film critics. Movies must receive the approval of at least 75% of the critics reviewing the film in order to be Certified Fresh. Since launching the accolade earlier this year, only seven wide release films have achieved the rating. "This weekend Fahrenheit 9/11 becomes only the seventh wide release film to reach this pinnacle, and becomes the first wide-release documentary to be Certified Fresh by Rotten Tomatoes. Rotten Tomatoes congratulates Lion's Gate Entertainment and Michael Moore on this achievement," Patrick Lee, Rotten Tomatoes' CEO."

One thing that glaringly separates rightwingers from progressives is creativity - or should we say the rightwingers' typical lack of it. Instead of creating art, political platforms, clever campaigns, or literature, they "create" bashes of other peoples' art, platforms, campaigns, and literature. Now, to respond to Fahrenheit 9/11, the rightwing is, true to form, creating a "bash Michael Moore" film festival featuring colossally derivative material dedicated to "debunking" Moore's work. This is definitely a new low in 'derivative art'!

From the Moonie UPI: "The Federal Election Commission declined to rule Thursday on whether so-called documentary films are exempt from federal restrictions on political ads. The FEC' general counsel had recommended filmmakers not be granted a 'media exemption' to rules governing political speech, such as that given to broadcast journalists and others. The commissioners declined to take up the issue... Though the debate focused on the case of filmmaker David Hardy's film, The Rights of the People, the issue of the ads for the Michael Moore film, Fahrenheit 9/11, also comes into play. Moore, an avowed Bush opponent, has made no secret of his desire to see the president defeated in November... By taking no action on the counsel recommendation to deny the media exemption to filmmakers, it left the issue of Hardy's and Moore's film unresolved. If the FEC had agreed with its general counsel, the paper said, Moore's efforts to advertise his film might have faced restrictions."

Michael Moore promised to defend F911 against lying critics, and he's proving true to his word. Clinton-hater Michael Isikoff of Newsweek is attacking F911 over the secret flight of the Saudis in the days after 911, and over the Carlyle Group's enormous profits from 911. Isikoff claims F911 says "bin Laden family members were never interviewed by the FBI." But F911 actually quotes Moore asking Craig Unger about the FBI's interview of the bin Ladens: "So a little interview, check the passport, what else?" "Nothing," Unger replied. Isikoff also claims Carlyle lost money when its $11 billion Crusader artillery rocket system was cancelled in 2002. But Moore responds the "Crusader contract was canceled AFTER UNITED DEFENSE WENT PUBLIC, which is the entire point of the movie." Moore/Truth 2, Isikoff/Newsweek 0.

F911 "turned on the box office heat in its first day in theaters breaking single-day records at the two NYC theaters where it played. The movie, which aims a critical eye at Bush and his prosecution of the war in Iraq, sold $49,000 worth of tickets at the Loew's Village 7 theater, beating the venue's single-day record of $43,435 held by 1997's 'Men in Black.' At the Lincoln Plaza theater, 'Fahrenheit 9/11' took in more than $30,000 to top the $24,013 set by 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' in 2000. A spokesman for Lions Gate Films said the company debuted the movie in the two theaters to help build good word-of-mouth -- friend telling friend -- publicity ahead of the wide debut Friday when it plays in 868 theaters in all 50 states... Fandango.com reported Wednesday that 'Fahrenheit 9/11' was making up 48% of advance ticket sales for the weekend ahead, compared to 11% for 'Dodgeball' and 9% for next week's 'Spider-Man 2.' "

New York Times reporter Philip Shenon, who has covered the federal 9/11 commission for the past year and thus extremely well-informed on the facts of the case, has reviewed Michael Moore's controversial film "Fahrenheit 9/11". His conclusion: Moore's facts are all accurate. It is Moore's presentation and conclusions from the facts that are explosive. However, says Shenon, while the facts presented are shocking, Moore actually left out some facts that could have made the film even more explosive, including Ashcroft's refusal to take commercial flights through summer and fall 2001.

White House officials are so terrified of the revelations in Fahrenheit 9/11 that they are launching a "preemptive strike" and proclaiming it as "totally false" without ever having seen it. Matt "Katie Couric's Sidekick" Lauer, who represents the "Barbara Bush let's not pollute our beautiful minds with reality" media contingent, fills his interview with Michael Moore with petulantly leading questions, and snipes. (This is the same Lauer who simpers and drools when a Bushie is being interviewed). Lauer acts as if it were somehow a dreadful thing that someone would (gasp!) actually make a politically relevant film during an election year - an election that may decide the fate of the US. Much better to offer fashion tips and cooking demonstrations, eh Matt?

Let's not let a handful of well-organized, fascist Freepers undermine America's right to hear and see the TRUTH! Two GOP-backed Bush front groups (Move America Forward and Citizens United) have launched a classic Freeper campaign to try to block Fahrenheit 9/11 from being screened in the US. These groups are highly anti-American and unpatriotic - they are against the two-party system (they'd love to see a government controlled by one fascist party led by Bushcroft), free-speech, and the right of Americans to the truth. THEY MUST BE STOPPED! One way to fight back is to write the Regal Theater nearest you (they are the chain that has agreed to take the movie) and DEMAND that they screen Fahrenheit 9/11 and not yield to pressure! Put your zip code into the search bar and the theaters and their addresses will come up.

Frank Rich writes, "Wasn't it just weeks ago that we were debating whether we should see the coffins of the American dead and whether Ted Koppel should read their names on 'Nightline'? In 'Fahrenheit 9/11,' we see the actual dying, of American troops and Iraqi civilians alike, with all the ripped flesh and spilled guts that the violence of war entails. We also see some of the 4,000-plus American casualties: those troops hidden away in clinics at Walter Reed and at Blanchfield Army Community Hospital in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, where they try to cope with nerve damage and multiple severed limbs. They are not silent. They talk about their pain and their morphine, and they talk about betrayal. 'I was a Republican for quite a few years,' one soldier says with an almost innocent air of bafflement, 'and for some reason they conduct business in a very dishonest way.'"

FOX writes, "It turns out to be a really brilliant piece of work, and a film that members of all political parties should see without fail. As much as some might try to marginalize this film as a screed against President George Bush, 'F9/11' - as we saw last night - is a tribute to patriotism, to the American sense of duty - and at the same time a indictment of stupidity and avarice... The most indelible [scene] is Bush's reaction to hearing on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, that the first plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. Bush was reading to a grade-school class in Florida at that moment. Instead of jumping up and leaving, he instead sat in front of the class, with an unfortunate look of confusion, for nearly 11 minutes. Moore obtained the footage from a teacher at the school who videotaped the morning program. There Bush sits, with no access to his advisers, while New York is being viciously attacked. I guarantee you that no one who sees this film forgets this episode."

Like all corporate/rightwing front groups, this one has a "high-minded-sounding" name: Move America Forward. And like all corporate/rightwing front groups, it sprang up overnight like a toadstool on a rotting log. It's objective: to "freep" theater owners who may screen Fahrenheit 9/11. But Max Blumenthal discovered a key player behind the Freeper curtain is one Sal Russo - the same guy who initiated the California recall. The same guy who was the 2002 campaign manager for {Heritage Foundation Board Member] Bill Simon. He was fired by Simon for overcharging. Far from the phony claims Russo makes that his instant Freeper outfit is only trying to "support our troops, a CA reporter once observed, "Russo is in this to line his pockets. Everybody knows that." [scroll down]

The Star: "Lions Gate Films and IFC Films said Sunday that they will contest the R rating that the MPAA has awarded Michael Moore's documentary Fahrenheit 9/11, which will be released June 25. The MPAA issued the rating because of the film's 'violent and disturbing images and for language.' Lions Gate is asking MPAA head Jack Valenti for an emergency appeal because the film is scheduled to open in less than two weeks. In a statement, Moore said: 'It is sadly very possible that many 15- and 16-years-olds will be asked and recruited to serve in Iraq in the next couple of years. If they are old enough to be recruited and capable of being in combat and risking their lives, they certainly deserve the right to see what is going on in Iraq.' "

"To anticipate and fend off the criticism that already is brewing, Moore has set up a 'war room' populated by former Clinton White House operatives plotting swift counterattacks on Bush supporters who question the film's credibility. To lead the effort, Moore has hired Chris Lehane and Mark Fabiani, former political advisors to Bill Clinton and Al Gore. 'Employing the Clinton strategy of '92, we will allow no attack on this film to go without a response immediately,' Moore said Thursday. 'And we will go after anyone who slanders me or my work, and we will do it without mercy. And when you think 'without mercy,' you think Chris Lehane.' Moore also said he planned to use the film to register thousands of voters, and will stage screenings to benefit antiwar groups set up by families of U.S. troops in Iraq and victims of the Sept. 11 attacks."

BBC: "Fahrenheit 9/11, the controversial film by Michael Moore, has been given a standing ovation by at the headquarters of the Academy Awards. The anti-Iraq war film was shown at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Los Angeles on Tuesday. The 600-strong audience cheered and clapped throughout the film and got to their feet as Moore took to the stage. [Moore] said: "There has been a shift in this country. ... The average American is finally beginning to figure it out. We were duped [into invading Iraq]."I hope this country will be back in our hands in a short period of time." Fahrenheit is shaping up to be a box office blockbuster, predicted to rake in at least $63 million - three times as much as Bowling or Columbine."

Guardian: "Farenheit 9/11 got the cinema distribution deal its director craved yesterday when it was announced that the film will be released in the US on June 25. "Everyone who wants to see it will now have the chance to do so," the director of the Cannes Palme d'Or-winning documentary said. The film will now be handled by a joint venture involving the established independent distributor Lion's Gate, IFC Films, which was behind the 2001 hit Y Tu Mama¡ Tambien, and the Fellowship Adventure Group, a company set up by the Weinstein brothers to distribute the film. With just three weeks before its release date in the US, the film's distributors face a tough task in securing screens and advertising sites." Call your local theaters and demand they show the film!!

"The independent studio Lions Gate Films will distribute Michael Moore's documentary 'Fahrenheit 9/11,' which has gained wide notice for its critique of President Bush and was spurned for distribution by the Walt Disney Company. It will be released on June 25 in about 1,000 theaters.... Harvey and Bob Weinstein, co-chairmen of Miramax, privately acquired the film last week from Disney after Disney instructed them not to distribute the film because of its political nature. The film is critical of Mr. Bush's decision to go to war in Iraq and details the Bush family's ties to powerful Saudi families like the bin Ladens. The film won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival last month."

"Film giant Disney is facing a massive boycott from liberals - following its refusal to distribute Michael Moore's controversial documentary, Fahrenheit 9/11. Furious film-goers are threatening to avoid buying anything from the Disney stable - including books, toys and movies - in protest to their decision to ban subsidiary Miramax from releasing the Palme D'Or-winning film... A petition, which can be found at Democrats.com, reads, 'You are censoring one of the most important filmmakers in America. This is unacceptable in a democracy. As consumers, we are not powerless. We will protest with our wallets - by boycotting Disney products until you agree to distribute Fahrenheit 9/11.' But Disney spokeswoman [and GOP hatchetwoman] Zenia Mucha retorts to The Scoop, 'It's a free country. We have a right to decline distribution. They have a right to do whatever they think is in their interest.'" Join our boycott at http://democrats.com/disney

MSNBC's Jeannette Walls writes, "Michael Moore's controversial documentary may get Disney boycotted after all. Conservatives threatened to boycott the Mouse House last year when it was revealed that the movie company's subsidiary Miramax was funding the Bush-bashing film, 'Fahrenheit 9/11.' Now that Disney is refusing to let Miramax distribute the Palm D'or winning flick, liberals are organizing a boycott against it. 'You are censoring one of the most important filmmakers in America,' reads a petition being circulated by Democrats.com and signed by more than 20,000 people. 'We will protest with our wallets - by boycotting Disney products until you agree to distribute Fahrenheit 9/11.' They're saying they won't buy anything produced by Disney, including its films, theme parks, toys, and TV networks. 'It's a free country,' Disney spokeswoman Zenia Mucha tells The Scoop. 'We have a right to decline distribution. They have a right to do whatever they think is in their interest.'"

Jeffrey Wells writes, "This two-hour documentary is blistering, alarming, disturbing, darkly funny, and -- this really surprised me -- deeply touching. I didn't go this morning expecting to feel choked up, but the ducts were leaking after the lights came up... Moore got to me. Average Joe G.I.'s dying in Iraq got to me. Images of Iraqi women and children being terrorized and slaughtered over there got to me. The thought that young dudes -- guys only a bit older than and not much different from my own two sons -- are biting the dust over there to fulfill the political agendas of a lying, spinning U.S. government is suddenly repulsive...or at least more repulsive than it's ever seemed before. " Join our Disney Boycott: http://democrats.com/disney

"Michael Moore's 'Fahrenheit 9/11,' a scathing indictment of White House actions after the Sept. 11 attacks, won the top prize Saturday at the Cannes Film Festival. 'Fahrenheit 9/11' is the first documentary to win Cannes' prestigious Palme d'Or since Jacques Cousteau's 'The Silent World' in 1956. 'What have you done? I'm completely overwhelmed by this. Merci,' Moore said after getting a standing ovation from the Cannes crowd. 'The last time I was on an award stage in Hollywood, all hell broke loose,' he added with a laugh. Moore won a special award in Cannes two years ago for his anti-gun documentary 'Bowling for Columbine,' which went on to win an Oscar. 'Fahrenheit 9/11' attracted acres of publicity before the festival when Disney, the parent company of Miramax which produced the film, said it did not want to distribute the picture in an election year." Sign our Boycott Disney petition: http://democrats.com/disney

Guardian: "Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 was a barnstorming anti-war/anti-Bush polemic tossed like an incendiary device into the crowded Cannes festival. It included a full-scale denunciation of the links between the Bush and Bin Laden families, the petro-commercial association which allowed dozens of the Bin Laden family to leave the country for Saudi Arabia after 9/11 and which necessitated the Iraq war as a massive diversion. Moore also has queasy new war zone footage of US soldiers humiliating their prisoners while others snap away with their digital cameras.. this was an exhilarating and even refreshing film, especially coming at a time when political commentators on either side of the Atlantic - progressives and ex-progressives alike - are apparently too worldly and sophisticated to be angry about the war. "

"It took five separate screenings to accommodate the press demand to see Michael Moore's heavily anticipated anti-Bush documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 at the Cannes Film Festival yesterday, and when it came to turning up the political heat here, neither the movie nor its maker failed to disappoint. The audience at an afternoon gala screening responded with a 20-minute standing ovation. Festival artistic director Thierry Fremaux told NY Times it was the longest he had ever witnessed in Cannes. A scorching indictment of the current U.S. administration's military engagement in Iraq that colours the entire enterprise as being rooted in the Bush family's business relations with Saudi oil money and members of Osama Bin Laden's family - and featuring some harrowing footage shot by freelance camera crews of prisoner abuse, bombed Iraqi civilians and dead-of-night military raids on Iraqi homes - Fahrenheit 9/11 is a considerably more sober, impassioned and focused film than Bowling For Columbine."

When Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 911" debuted at Cannes on Monday (5/17), viewers were shocked to see what may be the first on-film evidence of abuse of Iraqis by US troops. The scene occurred outside a prison in Samarra. Soldiers in Moore's film were "shown outdoors ridiculing a man covered in a blanket on the ground, calling him 'Ali Baba.' 'It was an older man who was actually drunk, and it was early in the morning, and he was lying on the ground on a stretcher with a blanket over him,' Moore said. In another scene, US soldiers are seen putting hoods on Iraqi prisoners. Moore says it was 'disgraceful' it took freelance camera crews to document such events. 'The American people do not like things being kept from them, and I think what this film is going to do is to peel back the layers so the people can see what is really going on. They are going to be shocked and they are going to be in awe - and they are going to respond accordingly. '"

Michael Moore writes: "I just got word that my new film, 'Fahrenheit 911,' has been selected by the Cannes Film Festival to premiere there in competition next month! This is only the second time in the last 48 years that a documentary has been chosen to be in the main competition (the first being 'Bowling for Columbine' in 2002). The non-fiction film revolution rolls on! I am deeply honored by this announcement, considering it comes from our mortal enemy, the French. This year's jury in Cannes is headed by Quentin Tarantino and also includes director Jerry Schatzberg, Kathleen Turner, Tilda Swinton and others. 'Fahrenheit 911' will be in theaters across the U.S. (and the rest of the world) this summer. More info, gossip and all the juicy details to follow..."

Michael Moore is playing to stadium-sized crowds in the UK as Bush gets ready to descend on the country with his Hitler-like security demands. Moore has a message for Brits: Stop Bush from using the UK as one big photo op stage. "That can happen only in one way, and that's a very large physical presence in the streets of London, letting the American people know the people of Great Britain do not support this war and do not support George Bush. It has to be done in a graphic way, in a physical way; it can't just be said. It has to be done with the images that will be sent back to America because the American media will be there with Bush." Go, Michael! And go, Brits - take it to the streets!

Michael Moore's next movie is "about the Bush family, their extensive connection with the Bin Laden family and the environment within the USA post Sept 11. He has footage of the Bush family dining with the Bin Laden family. It elaborates on the business relationship between the families that has existed for many years. It explores how a Saudi charter plane travelled the US immediately after Sept 11 and how the FBI were pissed that they couldn't interrogate its Bin Laden passengers as they were ferried to Paris. It looks at the way in which the government used the events of Sept 11 to push their own agendas."

Stand up for free speech and support the funders of Michael Moore's new documentary! GOP (Goons of Punishment) thought police - egged on by GOPusa.com members and The Drudge Report - are calling and e-mailing The Walt Disney Company and subsidiary Miramax Film to protest the film company's financing of the latest project by best-selling author and Academy Award-winning filmmaker Michael Moore. Moore's new documentary, "Fahrenheit 911," promises to tell the stories of "two errant sons of different oil men," namely George W. Bush, Jr. and Osama Bin Laden, whose families are linked through the nefarious Carlyle Group. ACTION: Call Disney's comment line to THANK them: (818) 560-2413. E-mail Miramax's marketing department to THANK them: Andrew.T.Robbins@miramax.com

Michael Moore writes, "Take a look at my Oscar 'backlash': -- On the day after I criticized Bush and the war at the Academy Awards, attendance at 'Bowling for Columbine' in theaters around the country went up 110%. The following weekend, the box office gross was up a whopping 73%. It is now the longest-running consecutive commercial release in America, 26 weeks in a row and still thriving. The number of theaters showing the film since the Oscars has INCREASED, and it has now bested the previous box office record for a documentary by nearly 300%. -- On April 6, 'Stupid White Men' shot back to #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. This is my book's 50th week on the list, 8 of them at number one, and this marks its fourth return to the top position, something that virtually never happens. -- In the week after the Oscars, my website was getting 10-20 million hits A DAY (one day we even got more hits than the White House!). The mail has been overwhelmingly positive and supportive."

"He's the top-selling author of 'Stupid White Men' and the filmmaker whose documentary, 'Bowling for Columbine,' was just nominated for an Oscar. Bob Simon reports." Will 60 Minutes leave Mike's toughest comments about the Bush Reich on the cutting room floor? Check it out Sunday, 7pm ET/PT.

Michael Moore's thought-provoking new film takes an unflinching look at why more Americans kill each other with guns than any other people on Earth. "Bowling for Columbine" is an incredible movie and we suggest that everyone see it! Says Michael Moore: "I've been thinking about this issue of violence most of my life: Why, in America, do we have the level of violence that we have? Other countries don't seem to have this [problem], yet people in other countries aren't worse or better than us. So why us? I'm a citizen of this country. I think we're better than this. I know we're better than this. This is one of those problems that we can solve. I honestly believe that, and we can do it in our lifetime. People coming into the film might think this is a movie about gun control. It isn't. It's a movie about you and me and the rest of us as Americans: how we treat each other, how we behave, how we structure ourselves as a society, how we see the rest of the world." Check your local listings!

After the capture of the Washington Sniper, Michael Moore writes, "Thank you, Mr. Heston for this unnecessary carnage. Thank you, Mr. Bush, for supporting Mr. Heston and his group's agenda - which protects only the criminals... If everyone reading this letter (and you now number in the millions) would share this fact with just one person who is thinking of skipping going to the polls on Nov. 5th, I believe that on Nov. 6th, Mr. Bush will have neither the Senate nor the House doing his or Heston's bidding. Americans don't like people who assist serial killers in being able to ratchet up their kills because The Sniper knows that his bullets are prohibited by law from being traced to his gun. That... is what the NRA is all about - and I implore all responsible gun owners and hunters to join with me in putting an end to the NRA agenda once and for all. Don't give Bush his majority on Nov. 5th. [Do] NOT pull a single lever for a Republican on Nov. 5th. Send a message. Do something brave."

The U.K. Guardian points out that Michael Moore's book "Stupid White Men" simultaneously hit the number 1 spot on the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Amazon's bestseller list in 1 week! The book, which is also in its NINTH printing, tells it like it is and labels Shrub as the "thief-in-chief, a trespasser on federal land, a squatter at the Oval Office" - making the Guardian ponder how a book that vilifies someone with such high popularity rankings could be so popular. We can explain it - the polls that reflect Shrub's supposedly high popularity rankings must be pure media-manufactured BUNK.

Filmmaker/iconoclast/troublemaker Michael Moore has just published his newest book, "Stupid White Men." Moore's publisher nearly sent the first 50,000 copies to the shredder, but Moore fought back. Moore will tour the country starting on Feb. 21 in NYC - see http://www.michaelmoore.com/sidebars1/Mike_Tour_0205.html . His book is up to #16 on Amazon even before it began shipping - within easy striking distance of Bernard Goldberg's ludicrous "Bias", now #7.