Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) - full transcript
Following up on 'Bowling for Columbine', film-maker Michael Moore provides deep and though-provoking insights on the American security system, the level of paranoia, fear, uncertainty, false values and patriotism, which all combined together to set a stage for George W. Bush to launch a war on Iraq instead of focusing on getting the real culprit(s) behind the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. This documentary also focuses on how some Saudis were safely and secretly flown out of America while planes were ostensibly grounded after the attacks. Archived film footage, candid interviews with politicians, and an overall waste of public funds for a war that was initiated on false pretension to wit: a weapon of mass distraction - to take the focus away from the real enemy and get Americans glued to their TV sets to watch innocent Iraqis and Afghans getting killed. And a war that would eventually alienate the U.S.A. and it's citizens from almost every country on Earth.
Nothing to be ashamed of.
There's full transparency.
There's nothing about the Patriot Act
I am ashamed of...
...in any way, shape or form.
I have a 1-800 number. Call me.
I'm the guy you call
if there's a violation or an abuse.
If you've got a poster child on this,
I wanna see it.
I'm hired by the people to provide
oversight. I provide oversight.
Trent Lott said,
the day the bill was introduced:
"Maybe now we can do things
we've wanted to do the last 10 years."
No, a dictatorship would be a heck
of a lot easier, no question about it.
I mean, they had all this on the shelf
somewhere.
Ideas of things they would like to do.
And they got 9l11...
...and they said, "It's our chance.
Go for it."
There was an assumption
of the administration...
...that there had to be a surrender
of certain of our rights.
There's troubling definitions
in the bill.
The definition of terrorist,
it's so expansive...
...that it could include people who...
- Like me.
No one read it.
That's the whole point.
They wait till the middle of the night,
drop it in the night, print it in the night.
And the next morning when we
come in, it passes.
How could Congress pass this
Patriot Act without even reading it?
Sit down, my son.
We don't read most of the bills.
Do you really know what that
would entail...
...if we were to read every bill
that we passed?
Well, the good thing, it would
slow down the legislative process.
I couldn't believe that virtually
no member of Congress...
... had read the Patriot Act
before voting on it.
So I decided the only patriotic thing
to do...
... was for me to read it to them.
Members of Congress,
this is Michael Moore...
...I would like to read you
the U.S.A. Patriot Act.
"Section 1:
Section 210 of this code
reads as follows..."
"Section 2703C..."
My job is to secure the homeland.
That's exactly what we're gonna do.
My job is to secure the homeland.
That's exactly what we're gonna do.
But I'm here to take
somebody's order.
That's you, stretch.
What would you like?
- Right behind you.
- I'm gonna order some ribs.
We all know you can't
secure the homeland...
... on an empty stomach.
And in order to remain secure...
... everyone needs to sacrifice.
Especially little Patrick Hamilton.
I'm sure each of us has our own
airport-security horror story.
But here's my favorite.
The terrorist threat that was posed
by his mommy's breast milk.
I thought if I put a little bit on my lips,
that would be sufficient...
...because I'm tasting it.
She looked at me, and I felt like...
...she was telling me, "Chug that."
She goes, "You need to drink more."
And of a 4-ounce bottle,
I wound up drinking...
...2 more ounces of breast milk...
...that then, because it's touched
my lips, has to be tossed.
While homeland security
was making sure breast milk...
... was kept off our planes...
... they were also doing everything
possible to ensure no one...
... could light a firebomb onboard.
- I can bring that on the plane?
- Actually, yes, you're fine.
One too many books of matches.
You can have four books
and two lighters.
When we already have
the shoe-bomber...
...who would have blown up
an airplane...
...if he had a butane lighter,
according to the FBI...
...why would Transportation Security
say it's okay...
...to take four books of matches
and two lighters...
...as you board a plane? I'm guessing
somebody put pressure on...
...to say, "When an airplane lands,
people wanna light up...
...so don't take their lighters away."
Let me see if I got this straight.
Old guys in the gym, bad.
Peace groups in Fresno, bad.
Breast milk, really bad.
Matches and lighters on the plane?
Hey, no problem.
Was this really about our safety?
Or was something else going on?
This is where the Pacific Ocean
meets the shores of Oregon.
Over 100 miles of beautiful,
open coastline on our border.
And, thanks to the budget
cutbacks...
... the total number of state police
protecting it:
One.
Part-time.
Meet Trooper Brooks.
I maybe get a chance to hit
this stretch of highway...
...once, maybe twice a week
during my shifts.
You know, just to even drive up here
and look.
You know, I mean, as far as I know,
there's lots of things they could do.
I don't even wanna suspect,
because it just makes me ill inside.
Back at the state trooper patrol office,
thanks to the budget cuts...
... Trooper Kenyon had to come in
on his day off...
... to catch up on some paperwork.
For the most part, especially during
summer, when people show up...
...this is what they get.
They close the door.
They can read the sign
about the office closure.
It just basically explains
that due to our cutbacks...
...our office is not open
for administrative business.
There's a sign that explains
when the office is closed...
...they can use the phone booth
to get in touch with our dispatch.
Ironically enough, that phone
is a piece of junk.
It doesn't work very well,
so half the time...
...they pick up the phone
and dispatch gets static.
They don't hear anything.
For Tuesday, there'll be
no troop on patrol.
Wednesday, there'll be no troop
on patrol.
Thursday, there'll be
no troop on patrol.
You get calls all the time.
People will call in
a suspicious vehicle...
...or somebody looking suspicious.
And I don't hardly ever respond
to that anymore.
I just don't have the time to do it.
I asked, "How many people do
we have in Oregon...
...on duty tonight?"
And we had eight troopers...
...on for the entire state of Oregon,
working.
I think Oregon is a prime example
that homeland security...
...is not as secure as what people
would like to believe.
Nobody's sent me a manual that says,
"Here's how you catch a terrorist."
If I had that manual, I'd read it.
But I don't. So...
Yeah.
The Bush administration
didn't hand out a manual...
... on how to deal
with the terrorist threat...
... because the terrorist threat
wasn't what this was all about.
They just wanted us
to be fearful enough...
... so that we'd get behind
what their real plan was.
Four minutes.
- Right from the top.
- All right.
- How much time?
- Three minutes.
- Okay, folks.
- Thirty seconds.
- Stand by.
- Fifteen seconds.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five...
...four, three, two, one.
My fellow citizens...
At this hour, American
and coalition forces...
...are in the early stages
of military operations...
...to disarm Iraq...
...to free its people and to defend
the world from grave danger.
On my orders, coalition forces
have begun striking...
...selected targets
of military importance...
...to undermine Saddam Hussein's
ability to wage war.
On March 19th, 2003...
... George W. Bush
and the United States military...
... invaded the sovereign nation
of Iraq.
A nation that had never attacked
the United States.
A nation that had never threatened
to attack the United States.
A nation that had never murdered
a single American citizen.
We're going to find this...
I think this piece of my neighbor.
Young girl, age 20.
I think it's the other part
of her body. That's all.
There is a lot of innocent civilians
that were killed.
There is a lot of innocent civilians
that were killed.
And I think that is because
the U.S. Army...
...we came in, and we knew
it wasn't gonna be easy.
And pretty much at first
shot anything that moved.
When war happens
and fighting starts...
...it's like we're pumped up,
motivated, ready to go.
It's the ultimate rush.
Because you know
you're going into the fight...
...then you got a good song
playing in the background.
And that gets you real fired up.
Ready to do the job.
You can hook your CD player up...
...to the tank's internal
communications system.
When you put your helmet on
you can hear it through the helmet.
This one we listen to the most.
This is the one... When we travel,
we kill the enemy...
Drowning Pool.
"Let the bodies hit the floor"...
...is fitting for the job.
We picked "the roof is on fire"...
...because it symbolized
Baghdad being on fire.
At the time we wanted it to burn
to get Saddam and his regime out.
The roof, the roof
The roof is on fire
We don't need no water
Let the motherfucker burn
Burn, motherfucker, burn
This is a totally different picture here
being pushed into the city.
Urban warfare in a tank.
Civilians.
The civilians...
You don't know who's friendly,
who's the enemy.
This is a lot more real and true
than just a video game.
People thought it was gonna be, "Look
through the sight and shoot." No.
A lot of this is face to face.
Especially riding by after
some of the bombs went off...
...and seeing all the people
on the side of the road bloated up.
And all the smells around you
from the people lying dead, rotted.
It's a lot more gruesome
than you think.
We called in with some artillery
and some napalm and things.
Some innocent women
and children got hit.
We met them on the road,
and they had...
...little girls with noses
blown off. And...
And...
...husbands carrying their dead wives
and things like that.
That was extremely difficult
to deal with. You're like:
"Shoot. What the hell
do we do now?"
The targeting capabilities
and the care that goes into targeting...
...is as impressive as anything
anyone could see.
- Got him.
- Good. Second one.
Get the other one.
The care that goes into it,
the humanity that goes into it.
Honestly, I think we should
just trust our president...
...in every decision he makes,
and we should support that.
You know? And be faithful
in what happens.
- Do you trust this president?
- Yes, I do.
Britney Spears was not alone.
The majority
of the American people...
... trusted the president.
And why shouldn't they?
He'd spent the better part
of the last year...
... giving them every reason
why we should invade Iraq.
Saddam Hussein has gone
to elaborate lengths...
...spent enormous sums...
...taken great risks to build and keep
weapons of mass destruction.
Saddam Hussein is determined
to get his hands on a nuclear bomb.
Nuclear weapon. Nuclear weapon.
Nuclear weapon.
Active chemical munitions bunkers.
Mobile production facilities.
We know he's got
chemical weapons.
He's got them. He's got them.
He's got them.
Huh, that's weird.
Because that's not what Bush's
people said when he first took office.
He hasn't developed capability...
...with respect to weapons
of mass destruction.
He's unable to project conventional
power against his neighbors.
We're able to keep arms from him.
Military forces haven't been rebuilt.
Saddam Hussein aids
and protects terrorists...
...including members of al Qaeda.
There was a relationship
between Iraq and al Qaeda.
Saddam. Al Qaeda.
Saddam. Al Qaeda.
Saddam. The al Qaeda. Saddam.
Saddam. Saddam. Al Qaeda.
It's only a matter of time
before terrorist states...
...armed with weapons
of mass destruction...
...develop the capability to deliver
those weapons to U.S. Cities.
We're giving you facts
and conclusions...
...based on solid intelligence.
He's a man who hates America.
This is a man who cannot stand
what we stand for.
There's willingness
to terrorize himself.
He hates the fact, like al Qaeda does,
that we love freedom.
After all, this is a guy that tried
to kill my dad at one time.
They got people to believe there was
a threat when in fact there wasn't one.
You get told things every day
that don't happen.
It doesn't seem to bother people.
The Democrats were there to put
a stop to all these falsehoods.
I'll vote to give the president
authority he needs.
United States is prepared to lead the
coalition of the willing that will do it.
When I say we will lead
a coalition of the willing...
...to disarm him if he chooses
not to disarm, I mean it.
- Who's in that coalition of the willing?
- You will find out who's in it.
The coalition of the willing.
Roll call.
The Republic of Palau.
The Republic of Costa Rica.
The Republic of Iceland.
None of these countries has an army,
or for that matter, weapons.
So it looked like we'd be doing
most of the invading stuff ourselves.
- Then there was also:
- Romania.
The Kingdom of Morocco.
Morocco wasn't officially
a member of the coalition...
... but according to one report, they did
offer to send 2000 monkeys...
... to help detonate land mines.
These are men of vision.
The Netherlands.
And I'm proud to call them allies.
Afghanistan.
Afghanistan?
Oh, yeah. They had an army.
Our army. I guess that's one way
to build a coalition.
Just keep invading countries.
Yes, with our mighty coalition intact,
we were ready.
One could almost say
it's the mother of all coalitions.
Fortunately, we have an independent
media in this country...
... who would tell us the truth.
The rallying around the president,
the flag and the troops has begun.
And we're gonna win!
You have to be with troops
to understand the adrenaline.
I want you to know,
I think Navy SEALs rock.
The pictures you're seeing
are absolutely phenomenal.
When my country's at war,
I want my country to win.
Iraqi opposition has faded
in the face of American power.
What you're watching here is truly
historic television and journalism.
It was absolutely electrifying.
They had to strap me in with my
camera at the back of the plane.
An awesome, synchronized
killing machine.
There is an inherent bias...
...in the coverage of the American
press in general.
Am I slanted and biased?
You damn well bet I am.
But one story the media
wasn't covering...
... was the personal story...
... of each and every soldier
who was killed in the war.
The government would not allow
any cameras...
... to show the coffins coming home.
That kind of story is a downer...
... especially when you're getting
ready for a party on a boat.
My fellow Americans...
...major combat operations
in Iraq have ended.
In the battle of Iraq...
...the United States
and our allies have prevailed.
Get out of the way!
Move! Move! Move! Move!
162, the number of troops
killed by hostile fire.
- 244 U.S. Troops...
- 384 U.S. Troops lost their lives...
- Total killed, 484.
- Died in the line of duty, 500...
631 American troops...
More than 825 troops
have been killed in Iraq.
The largest number of American
military deaths since Vietnam.
There are some who feel like
that if they attack us...
...that we may decide
to leave prematurely.
They don't understand,
if that's the case.
Let me finish.
There are some who feel like
the conditions are such...
...that they can attack us there.
My answer is, bring them on.
The United States was planning
on walking through here...
...like it was gonna be easy and all.
But it's not that easy
to conquer a country, is it?
The renewed battle for control
of Iraq raged for a fourth day today...
...with street clashes in nearly
every corner of the country.
Iraq could become "another Vietnam."
Officials say they see evidence
that Sunni and Shiite extremists...
...might be joining forces.
They're not happy they're occupied.
I wouldn't be happy
if I were occupied either.
Two Japanese aid workers
and a journalist...
...kidnapped by men calling
themselves...
...the Mujahideen Squadrons.
They threatened to burn
the hostages alive...
...if Japan does not withdraw its troops
from Iraq within three days.
What's happened?
They attacked our convoy.
You wanna give us your name?
Hamill, Thomas.
The Pentagon might keep up
to 24,000 troops in combat...
The Pentagon might keep up
to 24,000 troops in combat...
...beyond their tour.
I know our numbers
in the military have gone down.
They talk about retention.
I never expected
to be deployed this long.
I don't think anybody did.
I don't have any clue
as to why we're still in Iraq.
If Donald Rumsfeld was here,
I'd ask him for his resignation.
With the war not going
as planned...
... and the military in need
of many more troops...
... where would they find
the new recruits?
Military experts say three times...
...the 120,000 U.S. Troops
now deployed...
...would be needed to pacify
and rebuild the country.
They would find them
all across America...
... in the places that had been
destroyed by the economy.
Places where one
of the only jobs available...
... was to join the Army.
Places like my hometown
of Flint, Michigan.
I was watching TV one day...
...and they showed some of the areas
that had been hit by bombs.
And while watching,
I got to thinking...
...there's parts of Flint
that look like that.
And we ain't been in a war.
Look at the neighborhood I live in.
Most of them are abandoned.
You know, I mean...
...that's not right.
You wanna talk about terrorism?
Come right here. President Bush,
right here. Come right here.
He knows about this corner.
I e-mailed him.
At the end of January of '04...
...the unemployment rate
in Flint was 17 percent.
But you have to take
into consideration as well...
...that when your unemployment
runs out you're no longer counted.
I would say that we're close
to at least 50 percent...
...not working or underemployed.
Because being underemployed
is just as dangerous.
My family has gone through
the welfare system...
...when it was Job Central.
In the mid-'80s I came through
the job training partnership program.
I went to a secretary school.
Years later, I'm executive assistant
to the president of the agency.
Interesting.
My mother used to tell me
all the time:
"Why do you always go
for the underdog?"
It was because the underdog
is who needed me.
People that don't have anything,
that's who I have to fight for.
And that's who I have fought for
my entire life.
I started taking my children
and telling my children:
"The military is a good option.
I can't afford to have you
go to college. I can't pay your way.
Financial aid will not help you."
So I, as a mother,
started teaching my children...
...about the options
that the military could do.
They would take them
around the world.
They'd see all the things that I,
as a mother, couldn't let them see.
It'd pay for their education that I, as
their mother and father, couldn't pay.
The military is a good option
for kids in Flint.
The military is an excellent option
for the people of Flint.
How many of you have a friend
or a family member in the service?
Anybody currently serving
overseas?
- A brother of mine.
- My cousin.
Yeah, cousin.
- Where's your brother?
- Iraq.
Germany.
My cousin got shipped off
to Iraq, like, three days ago.
Dang.
There's, like, an Army
or Navy recruiter...
...or Marines recruiter up there
almost every week...
...in the lunchroom recruiting
students at the lunchroom.
There are people with a calling.
Most serve one weekend a month
and two weeks a year.
Earning money for college.
Protecting their community.
In the Army National Guard...
...you can.
I'm going into the Air Force.
I'm gonna take a year off
after high school.
And then make a career. I wanna be
an aircraft maintenance technician.
I ran into a recruiter, and there
was something I noticed about it.
And this is kind of on another...
I noticed it was odd.
More like he was hiring me
than recruiting me for the Army.
It was the way he approached me.
I was in Borders Books and Music.
He came up like he was handing
us a business card.
He had business cards
made for the Army.
Meet Marine Staff
Sergeant Dale Kortman...
... and Sergeant Raymond Plouhar.
They are two of the many recruiters
assigned to Flint, Michigan.
They're very busy these days.
Look, he's running away already.
- He's seen us coming.
- Yeah.
What have we got here?
- Need a little gangster.
- Yeah.
We're heading over
to the Courtland Mall right now.
They decided not to go
to the wealthier...
... Genesee Valley Mall
in the suburbs.
They have a hard time
recruiting young people there.
Instead, they went
to the other mall.
- Let's go in through Mervyn's.
- In through Mervyn's.
And then we'll walk straight down
and straight back and then go down...
Gents, you know
we're looking at you, right?
You guys ever think
about joining up?
I thought about going to college
and playing basketball.
- You any good?
- Yeah. Especially basketball.
Good. You can play ball
for the Marine Corps.
Travel around the world
for the Corps basketball team.
- David Robinson was in the military.
- Oh, was he?
Yeah, you can definitely hook it up.
Right now somebody out there wants
to be a Marine but has no idea how to.
- Where you work at?
- I work at KFC.
- Sweet. Hook us up with deals.
- Yes.
They're waiting to get recruited.
I was gonna try a career
in music or something.
Career in music? Maybe we can
get you a career in music.
Let the Marines go for it.
I'm sure you know who Shaggy is.
- You know anything about him?
- Yeah, he's the Jamaican singer.
How about a former Marine?
- Oh.
- Did you know it?
You need to know discipline
if you're gonna get into music.
Especially discipline
with the money.
If you make a million, you need
to manage that money.
Come to the office, we can talk...
...show you everything
about the Marines.
- A plan?
- What you got going this afternoon?
How about tomorrow?
10:00 Monday morning?
- That sounds pretty good.
- You want me to pick you up?
It's better to get them
when they're in ones and twos...
...and work on them that way.
Ladies, ready to join up?
Green hat right behind us.
- Looks young. He's young.
- Yeah.
We got two over here...
...right over by the red van.
You go that way, I go this way,
we corner them.
- You're in the ninth grade?
- Yes, sir.
Man, you look older
than ninth grade.
All right, here's my card.
You ever thought about
being a Marine, man?
I've thought about it.
I've got a wife and kid now.
Even more reason to join up.
What I want to do, man...
...is get information from you
so I can scratch you off my list...
...saying I've talked to you, and
you're not interested. Is that cool?
What's your name? Phone number?
What's your address?
Add another one to the list.
However, one would love to have
that chance to experience college life.
You know, stuff young people
can do without having the risk...
...of dying in the process,
I guess I can say candidly.
The holidays add a bit more friction,
as opposed to just another night...
...in the fact we wanna give our guys
a little time off, time to relax.
However, we are in a combat zone,
and my soldiers do recognize that fact.
Everybody's a little bit
nervous about it, I guess.
We're professionals.
We're gonna take care of you.
I promise.
Every house here has the right
to have weapons.
Maximum, one AK-47.
We always expect the targets
to be armed.
Rock 'n' roll.
These are fucking bolt cutters.
This goddamn thing
to pry doors open.
Pop this in there...
Hey, Adele, just hold up.
No, no, no, no.
Where's she going?
- I'll go with her.
- Where's she going?
She's gonna call him.
She's gonna call him? No, no, no.
Where is he at right now?
Not on the phone.
Not on the phone.
Is he in the house?
Is he in the house?
- Passerelli! Passerelli!
- Is he in the house?
He is? He is in the house? Where?
- This is him?
- Get up there, second floor!
Watch out. Go, go, go!
Watch out, Adele, watch out.
I have one coming up.
That's Suheib Al Douri?
- What's your name?
- Suheib.
- This is Suheib. Yeah.
- This is Suheib.
- This is Suheib?
- Yeah.
Stand him up. Get up.
Tell them to calm down, please.
We will not be long.
We appreciate your cooperation.
This is the target.
Suheib Al Douri. Bring him out.
We have to, as you go back
to the old saying...
...win the hearts and minds
of the people. That's our job.
We have to... We have to bring the...
The ideal of democracy
and freedom to the country...
...and show them that the American
people are not here to rule Iraq.
I start doing evidence turn-in.
That process takes about three hours.
So that's gonna be it for the night.
That concludes Christmas Eve.
Merry Christmas, PRT.
Merry Christmas.
Santa came to Iraq
just for you guys.
Trying to keep skies
clear for you, Santa.
Do you consider yourself
a proud American?
Absolutely.
I'm an extremely proud American.
I'm probably more proud...
...than the average Joe.
When I put my flag out,
I can't allow it to touch the ground.
Because I know the lives that were lost
and the blood that was shed...
...so that I could be here
and have a flag.
- How often do you put the flag out?
- Every single day. Every day.
I started when my daughter
was in Desert Storm.
I had the same flag...
...flying on my front porch
and the same yellow ribbons.
Praying and hoping every day
that my child would come home safe.
And everybody's child
would come home safe.
- And she did.
- And she did.
Have other family members
been in the military?
Absolutely. Uncles, aunts...
...cousins, brothers, father.
- Very strong military family.
- Very strong.
My family was...
My family is what I consider...
...part of the backbone of America.
It's families like mine.
And it's not just my family.
There's hundreds of families,
millions of families...
...that this country was founded
on their backs.
I have been known to be
a conservative Democrat. Yeah.
That's what you consider
yourself? Yeah.
- Yeah, it's a great country.
- It's a great country. A great country.
The cross that I choose to wear
is a multicultural, multicolor cross.
That's because I believe that all
God's people come in many colors.
And my family itself is multicultural.
You have a daughter
who went into the military.
Then your first-born son,
in the military.
That's quite a gift to the country
from your family.
So having a son in the Army,
pretty proud thing.
Oh, you know what? He made it.
What was your reaction to protestors
during the Gulf War or Vietnam?
I always hated the protestors.
I always hated the protestors.
It was just a slap in my face.
It was just like they were
dishonoring my son.
And I burned in my soul
to tell them, "You don't understand.
They're not there because
they wanna be there."
But then I came to understand
they weren't protesting the men...
...and women there. They were
protesting the concept of the war.
I know I'm a soldier,
and I'm here to do a job.
I've been a soldier for a while.
Once you have to go
and do your job...
...and you see the things
that you see...
...I was saying, there's some
disillusionment in that.
Battalion commander fully
expects us to be...
...attacked in some type of way...
...before we get to FARP Shell.
I know that so far
it's been pretty calm.
Not much has happened.
But be aware that it can,
and it probably will.
They're beginning to organize
themselves, just in neighborhoods.
The kids get together a lot.
Well, I can't say kids...
...but guys about 17, 18...
...starting to come together.
They hate us.
Why, I'm not really sure.
Immoral behavior
breeds immoral behavior.
When a president commits
the immoral act...
... of sending otherwise good kids
to war based on a lie...
... this is what you get.
Hey, is he ticklish?
Don't tell me you don't know.
To have these people
shoot at us, kill us, blow us up...
...whatever, means they can.
And I don't understand it.
We're trying to help these people,
and it seems...
...they don't want our help.
"Get out of here!"
The minute something goes wrong,
"Why weren't you here?
Why didn't you do this?"
You know, it's...
I hate this country.
You know, you... I feel
that a part of your soul...
...is destroyed in taking another life.
Yeah, that statement is very true.
You cannot kill someone
without killing a part of yourself.
If you get called up...
...will you go back to Iraq?
- No.
What repercussions
do you face if you don't?
Possible jail time.
That's one possible thing.
- Are you willing to risk that?
- Yes.
Yes, I...
I will not let my person...
I will not let anyone...
...send me back over there
to kill other poor people.
Especially when they pose
no threat to me and my country.
I won't do it.
This is an impressive crowd.
The haves...
...and the have-mores.
Some people call you the elite.
I call you my base.
While Bush was busy
taking care of his base...
... and professing his love
for our troops...
... he proposed cutting combat
soldiers' pay by 33 percent...
... and assistance to their families
by 60 percent.
He opposed giving veterans...
... a billion dollars more
in health-care benefits...
... and he supported
closing veteran hospitals.
He tried to double the prescription
drug costs for veterans...
... and opposed full benefits
for part-time reservists.
When Staff Sergeant Brett Petriken
from Flint...
... was killed in Iraq on May 26th...
... the Army sent his last paycheck
to his family...
... but they docked him for the last five
days of the month he didn't work...
... because he was dead.
They say they're not gonna leave
any veteran behind...
...but they're leaving all kinds
of veterans behind.
To say we're forgotten,
I know we're not. But missed? Yes.
Yes. There's a lot of soldiers
that have been missed...
...that have been skipped over.
Didn't get the proper coverage
they deserved.
There's a death toll, but not
showing the injured or amputated.
- I still feel like I have hands.
- Yeah.
And the pain is like my hands
are being crushed in a vise.
But they do a lot to help it...
...and they take a lot
of the edge off it.
It makes it a lot more tolerable.
I was injured in late April
on patrol in Baghdad.
A couple of guys come out
and ambushed us.
I got nerve damage
and stuff like that.
I've got a lot of pain.
I'm constantly in pain.
I take a lot of morphine...
...to help with that and stuff.
I'm doing...
Doing... You know, just readjusting.
Getting life back on track.
You know what I'm saying?
I'm not gonna do what it is
that I did before.
I was a Republican
for quite a few years.
And...
...for some reason, they...
They conduct business
in a very dishonest way.
I'm gonna be incredibly active
in the Democratic Party...
...down where I live once I get out.
I'm gonna definitely do my best...
...to ensure that the Democrats
win control.
Iraq, Baghdad, I didn't know
anything of those things.
And we were in the hallway
in the upstairs of our house...
...and he was crying and said
that he was really scared.
And he didn't want
to have to go to Iraq.
So we had a conversation about,
sometimes some fear is healthy...
...because it keeps
our senses about us.
That's when he told me
he hadn't told anybody else.
But he knew he was going
to Baghdad.
We were... As everybody,
we were glued to the TV.
Just glued, completely glued
to the television...
...in hopes of seeing
a glimpse of him.
"Can't you please go to
where the helicopters are?
Can't you please let us see him?"
Then that night,
it was about 10 something...
...I went upstairs to the bedroom.
I was in bed, flipping the channels
with the remote.
All I heard was, "Black Hawk down,
South Central Iraq."
What I can tell you at this hour
is that last night...
...the Army did, indeed, lose
a Black Hawk helicopter.
We are being told by officers
on the ground...
...that there were six occupants
inside the Black Hawk.
The next morning
I got up, and I said:
"You push those sad thoughts
out of your mind.
Okay, Jesus,
I need you to come in.
I need you, Jesus.
You gotta help me through this."
The Army called me, and I remember
getting on the phone and him saying...
Asking me was I Lila Lipscomb,
and I said, "Yes."
And he said, "Mother of
Sergeant Michael Pedersen?"
And I remember
dropping the telephone.
And all I can honestly say
that I remember...
...is, "Ma'am,
the United States Army...
...the secretary of defense
regretfully informs you..."
That's all I know.
The grief grabbed me so hard...
...that I literally fell on the floor.
And I was alone. I didn't
have anybody to pick me up.
So I literally crawled
over to my desk...
...and was hanging on.
And I remember screaming:
"Why does it have to be Michael?
Why did you have to take my son?
Why is it my son you had to take?
He didn't do anything.
He wasn't a bad guy.
He was a good guy.
Why did you have to take my son?"
L... I... I... I'm...
I can't imagine what it must be like
to lose a son or a daughter...
...or a husband and...
Or a wife, for that matter.
And I... It pains me.
Do you have his last letter?
It was mailed March 16th...
...but I didn't get it until probably
a week before he was killed.
"Hello. Hey, Mama.
Well, sorry I haven't
been able to call.
They took the phone
seven days ago.
I got the letter and box.
That is so cool.
Your first grandson came...
...the same day your oldest son did.
How is everyone? I'm doing fine.
We are just out here in the sand
and windstorms waiting.
What in the world is wrong
with George?
Trying to be like his dad, Bush.
He got us out here
for nothing whatsoever.
I am so furious right now, Mama.
I really hope they do not
re-elect that fool, honestly.
I am in good spirits,
and I am doing okay.
I really miss you guys.
Thanks for the Bible...
...and books and candy.
I really look forward to letters
from you guys.
Well, tell all the family hello
and that I am doing fine.
We don't expect anything
to happen any time soon.
I cannot wait to get home
and get back to my life.
Tell Sputnik congrats...
...and I'll see my first nephew soon...
...as soon as I get back
to the States.
Hope you guys are doing okay...
...and keep sending the mail.
It makes getting through
the days easier.
Well, I am on my way to bed...
...so I will write you guys soon.
I love and miss...
...all of you guys."
I want him to be alive...
...and I can't make him alive.
But your flesh just aches.
You want your child.
It's out of sync.
A parent is not supposed
to bury their child.
I feel... I feel sad for my family...
...because we lost our son.
But...
...I really feel sorry
for the other families...
...that is losing their kids
as we speak.
And for what?
L... I don't...
That's the...
I guess the sickening part.
For what?
You've heard a lot
about Halliburton lately.
Criticism is okay. We can take it.
Criticism is not failure.
Our employees are doing
a great job.
We're feeding the soldiers.
We're rebuilding Iraq.
Will things go wrong?
Sure they will. It's a war zone.
We're serving the troops
because of what we know...
...not who we know.
Let me tell you about Halliburton,
the company I ran.
I'm proud of what I did at Halliburton.
The people are proud of what
they've accomplished. I, frankly...
...don't feel any need to apologize...
...for the way I've spent my time
over the last five years...
...as the CEO and chairman
of a major American corporation.
This is also an attempt
to divert attention...
...from the fact they have
no energy policy.
And as the secretary of energy said,
"We were caught unawares."
In the middle of the war, Microsoft,
DHL and other corporations...
... invited Halliburton
to a conference...
... to figure out how much money
could be made in Iraq.
Having worked this...
...effort, even since before the...
The invasion...
...the liberation of Iraq started.
You, industry, are definitely
a vital part of that effort.
We appreciate your interest
in this. We need you.
Lots of you are small businesses
and struggling:
"How do we get a piece of this?
You big guys are gonna get it.
The rest of us will have subcontracting
capability or none at all."
USTDA is for you.
Once that oil starts flowing...
...and money coming,
gonna be lots of money.
It's the second-largest
reserve of oil in the world.
No question of how much
money's there.
I've been getting complaints
from Iraqi firms and American firms.
The lack of transparency,
the corruption.
I think the profits American companies
are making, the main companies...
...are so overwhelming.
I mean, when you have a line item
for a million dollars...
...and you subcontract it out
for 50 or 60 or $ 70,000...
...that's a huge profit.
It's the American taxpayer
that's gonna pay for that.
And it's gonna get better.
Start building relationships.
Because it's gonna get
much better...
...as the oil flows
and their budgets increase.
Good news is, whatever it costs,
the government will pay you.
War is always good
for certain companies...
...that are in the war...
The business of war.
We're very proud.
Supporting U.S. Government
and military.
The real heroes of the campaign
and the reconstruction...
...are the men and women
of the U.S. Armed Forces.
We're proud of being any part
we can in supporting them.
Halliburton delivers hot meals,
supplies, clean clothing...
...and communications
to our soldiers...
...so they can be
a little closer to home.
It's a girl!
Halliburton. Proud to serve
our troops.
I just read in the paper
Halliburton got another contract.
- Halliburton got another contract.
- That's right.
Which is not being...
...contested at all.
Because nobody knows.
Well, it's in the paper,
so somebody knows.
But that's after it happens,
after the fact. It's too late.
The United States is now a major
player in the Iraqi oil business.
American troops
guard the oil fields...
...as Texas oil workers
assess their potential.
It's a safe environment to work in.
We don't feel any risk.
We feel we're being well protected
here, or we wouldn't be here.
It's no secret. I mean...
...I make anywhere between
2 and 3000 a month.
A Halliburton employee
out here driving a bus...
...can make between 8 and 10,000
a month. Explain that one to me.
For 40 hours a week.
Driving the same
two-and-half-mile route.
Go figure.
Where's the justification in that?
There's no other single area
of the world today...
...with the opportunity
for business, new business...
...similar to the opportunity
that's available today in Iraq.
The president went in,
did what he did.
We're supporting him
and our troops.
We wanna make sure
that the efforts and the lost lives...
...wasn't for no reason.
If it wasn't for the oil,
nobody would be there.
Nobody would worry about it.
Unfortunately,
at least for the near term...
...we think it's gonna be a good
situation, a dangerous situation.
Good for business,
bad for the people.
Today on the news,
Rumsfeld was saying...
And Wolfowitz was saying:
"The Iraqi people are much,
much better off.
Isn't it better that we
got rid of Saddam...
...and now the Iraqi people
can do what they wanna do...
...and really be free?"
Will they ever be free?
No, they'll not be free.
And where are the weapons
of mass destruction?
It was a... We were duped.
We were really duped.
And these poor people...
...the young men and women
who are being killed there.
- It's unnecessary.
- That's a disgrace.
- That's it. No more.
- That's a disgrace.
They died in a just cause,
for defending freedom...
...and they will not
have died in vain.
Lila had called to tell me
she was coming down from Flint...
... to Washington, D. C.
To attend a jobs conference.
On her break, she said
she was going to go...
... and pay a visit
to the White House.
Bush killed children. Iraqi children.
- My son, killed.
- Killed my people in Spain, yesterday.
- Lies kill people. Your children too.
- Yes, my son.
They have no business to do
in Iraq now. They're killing...
...all these young Americans.
- Yes.
For what? For oil.
Bush is a terrorist.
- No, he isn't. This is all staged.
- Yes, he is.
- This is all staged.
- My son.
- Where was he killed?
- You tell me my son is not a stage.
- Where was he killed?
- He was killed in Karbala.
April 2nd. It's not a stage.
My son is dead.
There are a lot of other people too.
Blame al Qaeda.
What did that woman yell at you?
That I'm supposed
to blame the al Qaeda.
The al Qaeda didn't make a decision
to send my son to Iraq.
Ignorance that we deal with,
with everyday people.
Because they don't know.
People think they know...
...but you don't know.
I thought I knew, but I didn't know.
I need my son.
God, it's tougher than I thought
it was gonna be...
...to be here.
But it's freeing also...
...because I finally have a place...
...to put all my pain
and all my anger...
...and to release it.
I guess I was tired of seeing people
like Lila Lipscomb suffer.
Especially when, out of
the 535 members of Congress...
... only one had an enlisted son
in Iraq.
I asked Corporal Henderson of
the United States Marine Corps...
... to join me on Capitol Hill...
... to see how many members
of Congress we could convince...
... to enlist their children
to go to Iraq.
Congressman, I'm Michael Moore.
- Hey, Michael. How are you doing?
- Good.
- John Tanner, from Tennessee.
- Very nice to meet you.
- What y'all doing?
- I'm here with Corporal Henderson.
- United States Marine Corps.
- Corporal, I was in the Navy.
- 1968 to '72.
- Okay.
We had Marines guarding the base.
- You have kids?
- Yeah.
Is there any way we can
get them to enlist...
...and go over there
and help out with the effort?
- I've got all the brochures.
- One of them has got two children.
See, there's not many congressmen
that have kids over there.
In fact, only one. You know.
So we just thought maybe they...
- You guys should send your kids first.
- That's right.
- What do you think about that?
- I don't disagree.
You don't? Oh, good.
Well, take some brochures.
- At least take a Marine brochure.
- Thank you.
- Pass it around.
- Yeah, well...
Encourage the fellow members
if they're for the war to get behind it.
- Send their own.
- Thank you.
Thank you, sir.
Thank you very much.
Congressman? Michael Moore.
- How you doing today?
- Good.
I'm trying to get members of Congress
to get their kids to enlist in the Army...
...and go over to Iraq.
Congressman.
Congressman.
Congressman Castle?
Congressman Castle?
Congressman. Congressman.
Congressman Doolittle,
Michael Moore.
I was wondering if...
Is there any way to...?
Of course, not a single member
of Congress...
... wanted to sacrifice their child
for the war in Iraq.
And who could blame them?
Who would wanna give up
their child?
Would you?
Would he?
I've always been amazed
that the very people...
... forced to live in the worst
parts of town...
... go to the worst schools
and who have it the hardest...
... are always the first to step up
to defend that very system.
They serve so that
we don't have to.
They offer to give up their lives
so that we can be free.
It is remarkable, their gift to us.
And all they ask for in return...
...is that we never send them
into harm's way...
... unless it's absolutely necessary.
Will they ever trust us again?
He had used weapons.
We know where they are.
Around Tikrit, Baghdad
and east, west, south and north.
There is a tie between Iraq
and what happened on 9l11.
The struggle can only end...
...with their complete
and permanent destruction.
We wage a war to save
civilization itself.
We did not seek it.
But we will fight it,
and we will prevail.
George Orwell once wrote...
... that, "It's not a matter of whether
the war is not real or if it is.
Victory is not possible.
The war is not meant to be won.
It is meant to be continuous.
A hierarchical society
is only possible...
... on the basis of poverty
and ignorance.
This new version is the past...
... and no different past
can ever have existed.
In principle, the war effort
is always planned...
... to keep society
on the brink of starvation.
The war is waged by the ruling group
against its own subjects.
And its object is not the victory
over either Eurasia or East Asia...
... but to keep the very
structure of society intact. "
There's an old saying
in Tennessee.
I know it's in Texas,
probably in Tennessee.
Fool me once...
...shame on...
Shame on you.
You fool me,
we can't get fooled again.
For once, we agreed.
There's full transparency.
There's nothing about the Patriot Act
I am ashamed of...
...in any way, shape or form.
I have a 1-800 number. Call me.
I'm the guy you call
if there's a violation or an abuse.
If you've got a poster child on this,
I wanna see it.
I'm hired by the people to provide
oversight. I provide oversight.
Trent Lott said,
the day the bill was introduced:
"Maybe now we can do things
we've wanted to do the last 10 years."
No, a dictatorship would be a heck
of a lot easier, no question about it.
I mean, they had all this on the shelf
somewhere.
Ideas of things they would like to do.
And they got 9l11...
...and they said, "It's our chance.
Go for it."
There was an assumption
of the administration...
...that there had to be a surrender
of certain of our rights.
There's troubling definitions
in the bill.
The definition of terrorist,
it's so expansive...
...that it could include people who...
- Like me.
No one read it.
That's the whole point.
They wait till the middle of the night,
drop it in the night, print it in the night.
And the next morning when we
come in, it passes.
How could Congress pass this
Patriot Act without even reading it?
Sit down, my son.
We don't read most of the bills.
Do you really know what that
would entail...
...if we were to read every bill
that we passed?
Well, the good thing, it would
slow down the legislative process.
I couldn't believe that virtually
no member of Congress...
... had read the Patriot Act
before voting on it.
So I decided the only patriotic thing
to do...
... was for me to read it to them.
Members of Congress,
this is Michael Moore...
...I would like to read you
the U.S.A. Patriot Act.
"Section 1:
Section 210 of this code
reads as follows..."
"Section 2703C..."
My job is to secure the homeland.
That's exactly what we're gonna do.
My job is to secure the homeland.
That's exactly what we're gonna do.
But I'm here to take
somebody's order.
That's you, stretch.
What would you like?
- Right behind you.
- I'm gonna order some ribs.
We all know you can't
secure the homeland...
... on an empty stomach.
And in order to remain secure...
... everyone needs to sacrifice.
Especially little Patrick Hamilton.
I'm sure each of us has our own
airport-security horror story.
But here's my favorite.
The terrorist threat that was posed
by his mommy's breast milk.
I thought if I put a little bit on my lips,
that would be sufficient...
...because I'm tasting it.
She looked at me, and I felt like...
...she was telling me, "Chug that."
She goes, "You need to drink more."
And of a 4-ounce bottle,
I wound up drinking...
...2 more ounces of breast milk...
...that then, because it's touched
my lips, has to be tossed.
While homeland security
was making sure breast milk...
... was kept off our planes...
... they were also doing everything
possible to ensure no one...
... could light a firebomb onboard.
- I can bring that on the plane?
- Actually, yes, you're fine.
One too many books of matches.
You can have four books
and two lighters.
When we already have
the shoe-bomber...
...who would have blown up
an airplane...
...if he had a butane lighter,
according to the FBI...
...why would Transportation Security
say it's okay...
...to take four books of matches
and two lighters...
...as you board a plane? I'm guessing
somebody put pressure on...
...to say, "When an airplane lands,
people wanna light up...
...so don't take their lighters away."
Let me see if I got this straight.
Old guys in the gym, bad.
Peace groups in Fresno, bad.
Breast milk, really bad.
Matches and lighters on the plane?
Hey, no problem.
Was this really about our safety?
Or was something else going on?
This is where the Pacific Ocean
meets the shores of Oregon.
Over 100 miles of beautiful,
open coastline on our border.
And, thanks to the budget
cutbacks...
... the total number of state police
protecting it:
One.
Part-time.
Meet Trooper Brooks.
I maybe get a chance to hit
this stretch of highway...
...once, maybe twice a week
during my shifts.
You know, just to even drive up here
and look.
You know, I mean, as far as I know,
there's lots of things they could do.
I don't even wanna suspect,
because it just makes me ill inside.
Back at the state trooper patrol office,
thanks to the budget cuts...
... Trooper Kenyon had to come in
on his day off...
... to catch up on some paperwork.
For the most part, especially during
summer, when people show up...
...this is what they get.
They close the door.
They can read the sign
about the office closure.
It just basically explains
that due to our cutbacks...
...our office is not open
for administrative business.
There's a sign that explains
when the office is closed...
...they can use the phone booth
to get in touch with our dispatch.
Ironically enough, that phone
is a piece of junk.
It doesn't work very well,
so half the time...
...they pick up the phone
and dispatch gets static.
They don't hear anything.
For Tuesday, there'll be
no troop on patrol.
Wednesday, there'll be no troop
on patrol.
Thursday, there'll be
no troop on patrol.
You get calls all the time.
People will call in
a suspicious vehicle...
...or somebody looking suspicious.
And I don't hardly ever respond
to that anymore.
I just don't have the time to do it.
I asked, "How many people do
we have in Oregon...
...on duty tonight?"
And we had eight troopers...
...on for the entire state of Oregon,
working.
I think Oregon is a prime example
that homeland security...
...is not as secure as what people
would like to believe.
Nobody's sent me a manual that says,
"Here's how you catch a terrorist."
If I had that manual, I'd read it.
But I don't. So...
Yeah.
The Bush administration
didn't hand out a manual...
... on how to deal
with the terrorist threat...
... because the terrorist threat
wasn't what this was all about.
They just wanted us
to be fearful enough...
... so that we'd get behind
what their real plan was.
Four minutes.
- Right from the top.
- All right.
- How much time?
- Three minutes.
- Okay, folks.
- Thirty seconds.
- Stand by.
- Fifteen seconds.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five...
...four, three, two, one.
My fellow citizens...
At this hour, American
and coalition forces...
...are in the early stages
of military operations...
...to disarm Iraq...
...to free its people and to defend
the world from grave danger.
On my orders, coalition forces
have begun striking...
...selected targets
of military importance...
...to undermine Saddam Hussein's
ability to wage war.
On March 19th, 2003...
... George W. Bush
and the United States military...
... invaded the sovereign nation
of Iraq.
A nation that had never attacked
the United States.
A nation that had never threatened
to attack the United States.
A nation that had never murdered
a single American citizen.
We're going to find this...
I think this piece of my neighbor.
Young girl, age 20.
I think it's the other part
of her body. That's all.
There is a lot of innocent civilians
that were killed.
There is a lot of innocent civilians
that were killed.
And I think that is because
the U.S. Army...
...we came in, and we knew
it wasn't gonna be easy.
And pretty much at first
shot anything that moved.
When war happens
and fighting starts...
...it's like we're pumped up,
motivated, ready to go.
It's the ultimate rush.
Because you know
you're going into the fight...
...then you got a good song
playing in the background.
And that gets you real fired up.
Ready to do the job.
You can hook your CD player up...
...to the tank's internal
communications system.
When you put your helmet on
you can hear it through the helmet.
This one we listen to the most.
This is the one... When we travel,
we kill the enemy...
Drowning Pool.
"Let the bodies hit the floor"...
...is fitting for the job.
We picked "the roof is on fire"...
...because it symbolized
Baghdad being on fire.
At the time we wanted it to burn
to get Saddam and his regime out.
The roof, the roof
The roof is on fire
We don't need no water
Let the motherfucker burn
Burn, motherfucker, burn
This is a totally different picture here
being pushed into the city.
Urban warfare in a tank.
Civilians.
The civilians...
You don't know who's friendly,
who's the enemy.
This is a lot more real and true
than just a video game.
People thought it was gonna be, "Look
through the sight and shoot." No.
A lot of this is face to face.
Especially riding by after
some of the bombs went off...
...and seeing all the people
on the side of the road bloated up.
And all the smells around you
from the people lying dead, rotted.
It's a lot more gruesome
than you think.
We called in with some artillery
and some napalm and things.
Some innocent women
and children got hit.
We met them on the road,
and they had...
...little girls with noses
blown off. And...
And...
...husbands carrying their dead wives
and things like that.
That was extremely difficult
to deal with. You're like:
"Shoot. What the hell
do we do now?"
The targeting capabilities
and the care that goes into targeting...
...is as impressive as anything
anyone could see.
- Got him.
- Good. Second one.
Get the other one.
The care that goes into it,
the humanity that goes into it.
Honestly, I think we should
just trust our president...
...in every decision he makes,
and we should support that.
You know? And be faithful
in what happens.
- Do you trust this president?
- Yes, I do.
Britney Spears was not alone.
The majority
of the American people...
... trusted the president.
And why shouldn't they?
He'd spent the better part
of the last year...
... giving them every reason
why we should invade Iraq.
Saddam Hussein has gone
to elaborate lengths...
...spent enormous sums...
...taken great risks to build and keep
weapons of mass destruction.
Saddam Hussein is determined
to get his hands on a nuclear bomb.
Nuclear weapon. Nuclear weapon.
Nuclear weapon.
Active chemical munitions bunkers.
Mobile production facilities.
We know he's got
chemical weapons.
He's got them. He's got them.
He's got them.
Huh, that's weird.
Because that's not what Bush's
people said when he first took office.
He hasn't developed capability...
...with respect to weapons
of mass destruction.
He's unable to project conventional
power against his neighbors.
We're able to keep arms from him.
Military forces haven't been rebuilt.
Saddam Hussein aids
and protects terrorists...
...including members of al Qaeda.
There was a relationship
between Iraq and al Qaeda.
Saddam. Al Qaeda.
Saddam. Al Qaeda.
Saddam. The al Qaeda. Saddam.
Saddam. Saddam. Al Qaeda.
It's only a matter of time
before terrorist states...
...armed with weapons
of mass destruction...
...develop the capability to deliver
those weapons to U.S. Cities.
We're giving you facts
and conclusions...
...based on solid intelligence.
He's a man who hates America.
This is a man who cannot stand
what we stand for.
There's willingness
to terrorize himself.
He hates the fact, like al Qaeda does,
that we love freedom.
After all, this is a guy that tried
to kill my dad at one time.
They got people to believe there was
a threat when in fact there wasn't one.
You get told things every day
that don't happen.
It doesn't seem to bother people.
The Democrats were there to put
a stop to all these falsehoods.
I'll vote to give the president
authority he needs.
United States is prepared to lead the
coalition of the willing that will do it.
When I say we will lead
a coalition of the willing...
...to disarm him if he chooses
not to disarm, I mean it.
- Who's in that coalition of the willing?
- You will find out who's in it.
The coalition of the willing.
Roll call.
The Republic of Palau.
The Republic of Costa Rica.
The Republic of Iceland.
None of these countries has an army,
or for that matter, weapons.
So it looked like we'd be doing
most of the invading stuff ourselves.
- Then there was also:
- Romania.
The Kingdom of Morocco.
Morocco wasn't officially
a member of the coalition...
... but according to one report, they did
offer to send 2000 monkeys...
... to help detonate land mines.
These are men of vision.
The Netherlands.
And I'm proud to call them allies.
Afghanistan.
Afghanistan?
Oh, yeah. They had an army.
Our army. I guess that's one way
to build a coalition.
Just keep invading countries.
Yes, with our mighty coalition intact,
we were ready.
One could almost say
it's the mother of all coalitions.
Fortunately, we have an independent
media in this country...
... who would tell us the truth.
The rallying around the president,
the flag and the troops has begun.
And we're gonna win!
You have to be with troops
to understand the adrenaline.
I want you to know,
I think Navy SEALs rock.
The pictures you're seeing
are absolutely phenomenal.
When my country's at war,
I want my country to win.
Iraqi opposition has faded
in the face of American power.
What you're watching here is truly
historic television and journalism.
It was absolutely electrifying.
They had to strap me in with my
camera at the back of the plane.
An awesome, synchronized
killing machine.
There is an inherent bias...
...in the coverage of the American
press in general.
Am I slanted and biased?
You damn well bet I am.
But one story the media
wasn't covering...
... was the personal story...
... of each and every soldier
who was killed in the war.
The government would not allow
any cameras...
... to show the coffins coming home.
That kind of story is a downer...
... especially when you're getting
ready for a party on a boat.
My fellow Americans...
...major combat operations
in Iraq have ended.
In the battle of Iraq...
...the United States
and our allies have prevailed.
Get out of the way!
Move! Move! Move! Move!
162, the number of troops
killed by hostile fire.
- 244 U.S. Troops...
- 384 U.S. Troops lost their lives...
- Total killed, 484.
- Died in the line of duty, 500...
631 American troops...
More than 825 troops
have been killed in Iraq.
The largest number of American
military deaths since Vietnam.
There are some who feel like
that if they attack us...
...that we may decide
to leave prematurely.
They don't understand,
if that's the case.
Let me finish.
There are some who feel like
the conditions are such...
...that they can attack us there.
My answer is, bring them on.
The United States was planning
on walking through here...
...like it was gonna be easy and all.
But it's not that easy
to conquer a country, is it?
The renewed battle for control
of Iraq raged for a fourth day today...
...with street clashes in nearly
every corner of the country.
Iraq could become "another Vietnam."
Officials say they see evidence
that Sunni and Shiite extremists...
...might be joining forces.
They're not happy they're occupied.
I wouldn't be happy
if I were occupied either.
Two Japanese aid workers
and a journalist...
...kidnapped by men calling
themselves...
...the Mujahideen Squadrons.
They threatened to burn
the hostages alive...
...if Japan does not withdraw its troops
from Iraq within three days.
What's happened?
They attacked our convoy.
You wanna give us your name?
Hamill, Thomas.
The Pentagon might keep up
to 24,000 troops in combat...
The Pentagon might keep up
to 24,000 troops in combat...
...beyond their tour.
I know our numbers
in the military have gone down.
They talk about retention.
I never expected
to be deployed this long.
I don't think anybody did.
I don't have any clue
as to why we're still in Iraq.
If Donald Rumsfeld was here,
I'd ask him for his resignation.
With the war not going
as planned...
... and the military in need
of many more troops...
... where would they find
the new recruits?
Military experts say three times...
...the 120,000 U.S. Troops
now deployed...
...would be needed to pacify
and rebuild the country.
They would find them
all across America...
... in the places that had been
destroyed by the economy.
Places where one
of the only jobs available...
... was to join the Army.
Places like my hometown
of Flint, Michigan.
I was watching TV one day...
...and they showed some of the areas
that had been hit by bombs.
And while watching,
I got to thinking...
...there's parts of Flint
that look like that.
And we ain't been in a war.
Look at the neighborhood I live in.
Most of them are abandoned.
You know, I mean...
...that's not right.
You wanna talk about terrorism?
Come right here. President Bush,
right here. Come right here.
He knows about this corner.
I e-mailed him.
At the end of January of '04...
...the unemployment rate
in Flint was 17 percent.
But you have to take
into consideration as well...
...that when your unemployment
runs out you're no longer counted.
I would say that we're close
to at least 50 percent...
...not working or underemployed.
Because being underemployed
is just as dangerous.
My family has gone through
the welfare system...
...when it was Job Central.
In the mid-'80s I came through
the job training partnership program.
I went to a secretary school.
Years later, I'm executive assistant
to the president of the agency.
Interesting.
My mother used to tell me
all the time:
"Why do you always go
for the underdog?"
It was because the underdog
is who needed me.
People that don't have anything,
that's who I have to fight for.
And that's who I have fought for
my entire life.
I started taking my children
and telling my children:
"The military is a good option.
I can't afford to have you
go to college. I can't pay your way.
Financial aid will not help you."
So I, as a mother,
started teaching my children...
...about the options
that the military could do.
They would take them
around the world.
They'd see all the things that I,
as a mother, couldn't let them see.
It'd pay for their education that I, as
their mother and father, couldn't pay.
The military is a good option
for kids in Flint.
The military is an excellent option
for the people of Flint.
How many of you have a friend
or a family member in the service?
Anybody currently serving
overseas?
- A brother of mine.
- My cousin.
Yeah, cousin.
- Where's your brother?
- Iraq.
Germany.
My cousin got shipped off
to Iraq, like, three days ago.
Dang.
There's, like, an Army
or Navy recruiter...
...or Marines recruiter up there
almost every week...
...in the lunchroom recruiting
students at the lunchroom.
There are people with a calling.
Most serve one weekend a month
and two weeks a year.
Earning money for college.
Protecting their community.
In the Army National Guard...
...you can.
I'm going into the Air Force.
I'm gonna take a year off
after high school.
And then make a career. I wanna be
an aircraft maintenance technician.
I ran into a recruiter, and there
was something I noticed about it.
And this is kind of on another...
I noticed it was odd.
More like he was hiring me
than recruiting me for the Army.
It was the way he approached me.
I was in Borders Books and Music.
He came up like he was handing
us a business card.
He had business cards
made for the Army.
Meet Marine Staff
Sergeant Dale Kortman...
... and Sergeant Raymond Plouhar.
They are two of the many recruiters
assigned to Flint, Michigan.
They're very busy these days.
Look, he's running away already.
- He's seen us coming.
- Yeah.
What have we got here?
- Need a little gangster.
- Yeah.
We're heading over
to the Courtland Mall right now.
They decided not to go
to the wealthier...
... Genesee Valley Mall
in the suburbs.
They have a hard time
recruiting young people there.
Instead, they went
to the other mall.
- Let's go in through Mervyn's.
- In through Mervyn's.
And then we'll walk straight down
and straight back and then go down...
Gents, you know
we're looking at you, right?
You guys ever think
about joining up?
I thought about going to college
and playing basketball.
- You any good?
- Yeah. Especially basketball.
Good. You can play ball
for the Marine Corps.
Travel around the world
for the Corps basketball team.
- David Robinson was in the military.
- Oh, was he?
Yeah, you can definitely hook it up.
Right now somebody out there wants
to be a Marine but has no idea how to.
- Where you work at?
- I work at KFC.
- Sweet. Hook us up with deals.
- Yes.
They're waiting to get recruited.
I was gonna try a career
in music or something.
Career in music? Maybe we can
get you a career in music.
Let the Marines go for it.
I'm sure you know who Shaggy is.
- You know anything about him?
- Yeah, he's the Jamaican singer.
How about a former Marine?
- Oh.
- Did you know it?
You need to know discipline
if you're gonna get into music.
Especially discipline
with the money.
If you make a million, you need
to manage that money.
Come to the office, we can talk...
...show you everything
about the Marines.
- A plan?
- What you got going this afternoon?
How about tomorrow?
10:00 Monday morning?
- That sounds pretty good.
- You want me to pick you up?
It's better to get them
when they're in ones and twos...
...and work on them that way.
Ladies, ready to join up?
Green hat right behind us.
- Looks young. He's young.
- Yeah.
We got two over here...
...right over by the red van.
You go that way, I go this way,
we corner them.
- You're in the ninth grade?
- Yes, sir.
Man, you look older
than ninth grade.
All right, here's my card.
You ever thought about
being a Marine, man?
I've thought about it.
I've got a wife and kid now.
Even more reason to join up.
What I want to do, man...
...is get information from you
so I can scratch you off my list...
...saying I've talked to you, and
you're not interested. Is that cool?
What's your name? Phone number?
What's your address?
Add another one to the list.
However, one would love to have
that chance to experience college life.
You know, stuff young people
can do without having the risk...
...of dying in the process,
I guess I can say candidly.
The holidays add a bit more friction,
as opposed to just another night...
...in the fact we wanna give our guys
a little time off, time to relax.
However, we are in a combat zone,
and my soldiers do recognize that fact.
Everybody's a little bit
nervous about it, I guess.
We're professionals.
We're gonna take care of you.
I promise.
Every house here has the right
to have weapons.
Maximum, one AK-47.
We always expect the targets
to be armed.
Rock 'n' roll.
These are fucking bolt cutters.
This goddamn thing
to pry doors open.
Pop this in there...
Hey, Adele, just hold up.
No, no, no, no.
Where's she going?
- I'll go with her.
- Where's she going?
She's gonna call him.
She's gonna call him? No, no, no.
Where is he at right now?
Not on the phone.
Not on the phone.
Is he in the house?
Is he in the house?
- Passerelli! Passerelli!
- Is he in the house?
He is? He is in the house? Where?
- This is him?
- Get up there, second floor!
Watch out. Go, go, go!
Watch out, Adele, watch out.
I have one coming up.
That's Suheib Al Douri?
- What's your name?
- Suheib.
- This is Suheib. Yeah.
- This is Suheib.
- This is Suheib?
- Yeah.
Stand him up. Get up.
Tell them to calm down, please.
We will not be long.
We appreciate your cooperation.
This is the target.
Suheib Al Douri. Bring him out.
We have to, as you go back
to the old saying...
...win the hearts and minds
of the people. That's our job.
We have to... We have to bring the...
The ideal of democracy
and freedom to the country...
...and show them that the American
people are not here to rule Iraq.
I start doing evidence turn-in.
That process takes about three hours.
So that's gonna be it for the night.
That concludes Christmas Eve.
Merry Christmas, PRT.
Merry Christmas.
Santa came to Iraq
just for you guys.
Trying to keep skies
clear for you, Santa.
Do you consider yourself
a proud American?
Absolutely.
I'm an extremely proud American.
I'm probably more proud...
...than the average Joe.
When I put my flag out,
I can't allow it to touch the ground.
Because I know the lives that were lost
and the blood that was shed...
...so that I could be here
and have a flag.
- How often do you put the flag out?
- Every single day. Every day.
I started when my daughter
was in Desert Storm.
I had the same flag...
...flying on my front porch
and the same yellow ribbons.
Praying and hoping every day
that my child would come home safe.
And everybody's child
would come home safe.
- And she did.
- And she did.
Have other family members
been in the military?
Absolutely. Uncles, aunts...
...cousins, brothers, father.
- Very strong military family.
- Very strong.
My family was...
My family is what I consider...
...part of the backbone of America.
It's families like mine.
And it's not just my family.
There's hundreds of families,
millions of families...
...that this country was founded
on their backs.
I have been known to be
a conservative Democrat. Yeah.
That's what you consider
yourself? Yeah.
- Yeah, it's a great country.
- It's a great country. A great country.
The cross that I choose to wear
is a multicultural, multicolor cross.
That's because I believe that all
God's people come in many colors.
And my family itself is multicultural.
You have a daughter
who went into the military.
Then your first-born son,
in the military.
That's quite a gift to the country
from your family.
So having a son in the Army,
pretty proud thing.
Oh, you know what? He made it.
What was your reaction to protestors
during the Gulf War or Vietnam?
I always hated the protestors.
I always hated the protestors.
It was just a slap in my face.
It was just like they were
dishonoring my son.
And I burned in my soul
to tell them, "You don't understand.
They're not there because
they wanna be there."
But then I came to understand
they weren't protesting the men...
...and women there. They were
protesting the concept of the war.
I know I'm a soldier,
and I'm here to do a job.
I've been a soldier for a while.
Once you have to go
and do your job...
...and you see the things
that you see...
...I was saying, there's some
disillusionment in that.
Battalion commander fully
expects us to be...
...attacked in some type of way...
...before we get to FARP Shell.
I know that so far
it's been pretty calm.
Not much has happened.
But be aware that it can,
and it probably will.
They're beginning to organize
themselves, just in neighborhoods.
The kids get together a lot.
Well, I can't say kids...
...but guys about 17, 18...
...starting to come together.
They hate us.
Why, I'm not really sure.
Immoral behavior
breeds immoral behavior.
When a president commits
the immoral act...
... of sending otherwise good kids
to war based on a lie...
... this is what you get.
Hey, is he ticklish?
Don't tell me you don't know.
To have these people
shoot at us, kill us, blow us up...
...whatever, means they can.
And I don't understand it.
We're trying to help these people,
and it seems...
...they don't want our help.
"Get out of here!"
The minute something goes wrong,
"Why weren't you here?
Why didn't you do this?"
You know, it's...
I hate this country.
You know, you... I feel
that a part of your soul...
...is destroyed in taking another life.
Yeah, that statement is very true.
You cannot kill someone
without killing a part of yourself.
If you get called up...
...will you go back to Iraq?
- No.
What repercussions
do you face if you don't?
Possible jail time.
That's one possible thing.
- Are you willing to risk that?
- Yes.
Yes, I...
I will not let my person...
I will not let anyone...
...send me back over there
to kill other poor people.
Especially when they pose
no threat to me and my country.
I won't do it.
This is an impressive crowd.
The haves...
...and the have-mores.
Some people call you the elite.
I call you my base.
While Bush was busy
taking care of his base...
... and professing his love
for our troops...
... he proposed cutting combat
soldiers' pay by 33 percent...
... and assistance to their families
by 60 percent.
He opposed giving veterans...
... a billion dollars more
in health-care benefits...
... and he supported
closing veteran hospitals.
He tried to double the prescription
drug costs for veterans...
... and opposed full benefits
for part-time reservists.
When Staff Sergeant Brett Petriken
from Flint...
... was killed in Iraq on May 26th...
... the Army sent his last paycheck
to his family...
... but they docked him for the last five
days of the month he didn't work...
... because he was dead.
They say they're not gonna leave
any veteran behind...
...but they're leaving all kinds
of veterans behind.
To say we're forgotten,
I know we're not. But missed? Yes.
Yes. There's a lot of soldiers
that have been missed...
...that have been skipped over.
Didn't get the proper coverage
they deserved.
There's a death toll, but not
showing the injured or amputated.
- I still feel like I have hands.
- Yeah.
And the pain is like my hands
are being crushed in a vise.
But they do a lot to help it...
...and they take a lot
of the edge off it.
It makes it a lot more tolerable.
I was injured in late April
on patrol in Baghdad.
A couple of guys come out
and ambushed us.
I got nerve damage
and stuff like that.
I've got a lot of pain.
I'm constantly in pain.
I take a lot of morphine...
...to help with that and stuff.
I'm doing...
Doing... You know, just readjusting.
Getting life back on track.
You know what I'm saying?
I'm not gonna do what it is
that I did before.
I was a Republican
for quite a few years.
And...
...for some reason, they...
They conduct business
in a very dishonest way.
I'm gonna be incredibly active
in the Democratic Party...
...down where I live once I get out.
I'm gonna definitely do my best...
...to ensure that the Democrats
win control.
Iraq, Baghdad, I didn't know
anything of those things.
And we were in the hallway
in the upstairs of our house...
...and he was crying and said
that he was really scared.
And he didn't want
to have to go to Iraq.
So we had a conversation about,
sometimes some fear is healthy...
...because it keeps
our senses about us.
That's when he told me
he hadn't told anybody else.
But he knew he was going
to Baghdad.
We were... As everybody,
we were glued to the TV.
Just glued, completely glued
to the television...
...in hopes of seeing
a glimpse of him.
"Can't you please go to
where the helicopters are?
Can't you please let us see him?"
Then that night,
it was about 10 something...
...I went upstairs to the bedroom.
I was in bed, flipping the channels
with the remote.
All I heard was, "Black Hawk down,
South Central Iraq."
What I can tell you at this hour
is that last night...
...the Army did, indeed, lose
a Black Hawk helicopter.
We are being told by officers
on the ground...
...that there were six occupants
inside the Black Hawk.
The next morning
I got up, and I said:
"You push those sad thoughts
out of your mind.
Okay, Jesus,
I need you to come in.
I need you, Jesus.
You gotta help me through this."
The Army called me, and I remember
getting on the phone and him saying...
Asking me was I Lila Lipscomb,
and I said, "Yes."
And he said, "Mother of
Sergeant Michael Pedersen?"
And I remember
dropping the telephone.
And all I can honestly say
that I remember...
...is, "Ma'am,
the United States Army...
...the secretary of defense
regretfully informs you..."
That's all I know.
The grief grabbed me so hard...
...that I literally fell on the floor.
And I was alone. I didn't
have anybody to pick me up.
So I literally crawled
over to my desk...
...and was hanging on.
And I remember screaming:
"Why does it have to be Michael?
Why did you have to take my son?
Why is it my son you had to take?
He didn't do anything.
He wasn't a bad guy.
He was a good guy.
Why did you have to take my son?"
L... I... I... I'm...
I can't imagine what it must be like
to lose a son or a daughter...
...or a husband and...
Or a wife, for that matter.
And I... It pains me.
Do you have his last letter?
It was mailed March 16th...
...but I didn't get it until probably
a week before he was killed.
"Hello. Hey, Mama.
Well, sorry I haven't
been able to call.
They took the phone
seven days ago.
I got the letter and box.
That is so cool.
Your first grandson came...
...the same day your oldest son did.
How is everyone? I'm doing fine.
We are just out here in the sand
and windstorms waiting.
What in the world is wrong
with George?
Trying to be like his dad, Bush.
He got us out here
for nothing whatsoever.
I am so furious right now, Mama.
I really hope they do not
re-elect that fool, honestly.
I am in good spirits,
and I am doing okay.
I really miss you guys.
Thanks for the Bible...
...and books and candy.
I really look forward to letters
from you guys.
Well, tell all the family hello
and that I am doing fine.
We don't expect anything
to happen any time soon.
I cannot wait to get home
and get back to my life.
Tell Sputnik congrats...
...and I'll see my first nephew soon...
...as soon as I get back
to the States.
Hope you guys are doing okay...
...and keep sending the mail.
It makes getting through
the days easier.
Well, I am on my way to bed...
...so I will write you guys soon.
I love and miss...
...all of you guys."
I want him to be alive...
...and I can't make him alive.
But your flesh just aches.
You want your child.
It's out of sync.
A parent is not supposed
to bury their child.
I feel... I feel sad for my family...
...because we lost our son.
But...
...I really feel sorry
for the other families...
...that is losing their kids
as we speak.
And for what?
L... I don't...
That's the...
I guess the sickening part.
For what?
You've heard a lot
about Halliburton lately.
Criticism is okay. We can take it.
Criticism is not failure.
Our employees are doing
a great job.
We're feeding the soldiers.
We're rebuilding Iraq.
Will things go wrong?
Sure they will. It's a war zone.
We're serving the troops
because of what we know...
...not who we know.
Let me tell you about Halliburton,
the company I ran.
I'm proud of what I did at Halliburton.
The people are proud of what
they've accomplished. I, frankly...
...don't feel any need to apologize...
...for the way I've spent my time
over the last five years...
...as the CEO and chairman
of a major American corporation.
This is also an attempt
to divert attention...
...from the fact they have
no energy policy.
And as the secretary of energy said,
"We were caught unawares."
In the middle of the war, Microsoft,
DHL and other corporations...
... invited Halliburton
to a conference...
... to figure out how much money
could be made in Iraq.
Having worked this...
...effort, even since before the...
The invasion...
...the liberation of Iraq started.
You, industry, are definitely
a vital part of that effort.
We appreciate your interest
in this. We need you.
Lots of you are small businesses
and struggling:
"How do we get a piece of this?
You big guys are gonna get it.
The rest of us will have subcontracting
capability or none at all."
USTDA is for you.
Once that oil starts flowing...
...and money coming,
gonna be lots of money.
It's the second-largest
reserve of oil in the world.
No question of how much
money's there.
I've been getting complaints
from Iraqi firms and American firms.
The lack of transparency,
the corruption.
I think the profits American companies
are making, the main companies...
...are so overwhelming.
I mean, when you have a line item
for a million dollars...
...and you subcontract it out
for 50 or 60 or $ 70,000...
...that's a huge profit.
It's the American taxpayer
that's gonna pay for that.
And it's gonna get better.
Start building relationships.
Because it's gonna get
much better...
...as the oil flows
and their budgets increase.
Good news is, whatever it costs,
the government will pay you.
War is always good
for certain companies...
...that are in the war...
The business of war.
We're very proud.
Supporting U.S. Government
and military.
The real heroes of the campaign
and the reconstruction...
...are the men and women
of the U.S. Armed Forces.
We're proud of being any part
we can in supporting them.
Halliburton delivers hot meals,
supplies, clean clothing...
...and communications
to our soldiers...
...so they can be
a little closer to home.
It's a girl!
Halliburton. Proud to serve
our troops.
I just read in the paper
Halliburton got another contract.
- Halliburton got another contract.
- That's right.
Which is not being...
...contested at all.
Because nobody knows.
Well, it's in the paper,
so somebody knows.
But that's after it happens,
after the fact. It's too late.
The United States is now a major
player in the Iraqi oil business.
American troops
guard the oil fields...
...as Texas oil workers
assess their potential.
It's a safe environment to work in.
We don't feel any risk.
We feel we're being well protected
here, or we wouldn't be here.
It's no secret. I mean...
...I make anywhere between
2 and 3000 a month.
A Halliburton employee
out here driving a bus...
...can make between 8 and 10,000
a month. Explain that one to me.
For 40 hours a week.
Driving the same
two-and-half-mile route.
Go figure.
Where's the justification in that?
There's no other single area
of the world today...
...with the opportunity
for business, new business...
...similar to the opportunity
that's available today in Iraq.
The president went in,
did what he did.
We're supporting him
and our troops.
We wanna make sure
that the efforts and the lost lives...
...wasn't for no reason.
If it wasn't for the oil,
nobody would be there.
Nobody would worry about it.
Unfortunately,
at least for the near term...
...we think it's gonna be a good
situation, a dangerous situation.
Good for business,
bad for the people.
Today on the news,
Rumsfeld was saying...
And Wolfowitz was saying:
"The Iraqi people are much,
much better off.
Isn't it better that we
got rid of Saddam...
...and now the Iraqi people
can do what they wanna do...
...and really be free?"
Will they ever be free?
No, they'll not be free.
And where are the weapons
of mass destruction?
It was a... We were duped.
We were really duped.
And these poor people...
...the young men and women
who are being killed there.
- It's unnecessary.
- That's a disgrace.
- That's it. No more.
- That's a disgrace.
They died in a just cause,
for defending freedom...
...and they will not
have died in vain.
Lila had called to tell me
she was coming down from Flint...
... to Washington, D. C.
To attend a jobs conference.
On her break, she said
she was going to go...
... and pay a visit
to the White House.
Bush killed children. Iraqi children.
- My son, killed.
- Killed my people in Spain, yesterday.
- Lies kill people. Your children too.
- Yes, my son.
They have no business to do
in Iraq now. They're killing...
...all these young Americans.
- Yes.
For what? For oil.
Bush is a terrorist.
- No, he isn't. This is all staged.
- Yes, he is.
- This is all staged.
- My son.
- Where was he killed?
- You tell me my son is not a stage.
- Where was he killed?
- He was killed in Karbala.
April 2nd. It's not a stage.
My son is dead.
There are a lot of other people too.
Blame al Qaeda.
What did that woman yell at you?
That I'm supposed
to blame the al Qaeda.
The al Qaeda didn't make a decision
to send my son to Iraq.
Ignorance that we deal with,
with everyday people.
Because they don't know.
People think they know...
...but you don't know.
I thought I knew, but I didn't know.
I need my son.
God, it's tougher than I thought
it was gonna be...
...to be here.
But it's freeing also...
...because I finally have a place...
...to put all my pain
and all my anger...
...and to release it.
I guess I was tired of seeing people
like Lila Lipscomb suffer.
Especially when, out of
the 535 members of Congress...
... only one had an enlisted son
in Iraq.
I asked Corporal Henderson of
the United States Marine Corps...
... to join me on Capitol Hill...
... to see how many members
of Congress we could convince...
... to enlist their children
to go to Iraq.
Congressman, I'm Michael Moore.
- Hey, Michael. How are you doing?
- Good.
- John Tanner, from Tennessee.
- Very nice to meet you.
- What y'all doing?
- I'm here with Corporal Henderson.
- United States Marine Corps.
- Corporal, I was in the Navy.
- 1968 to '72.
- Okay.
We had Marines guarding the base.
- You have kids?
- Yeah.
Is there any way we can
get them to enlist...
...and go over there
and help out with the effort?
- I've got all the brochures.
- One of them has got two children.
See, there's not many congressmen
that have kids over there.
In fact, only one. You know.
So we just thought maybe they...
- You guys should send your kids first.
- That's right.
- What do you think about that?
- I don't disagree.
You don't? Oh, good.
Well, take some brochures.
- At least take a Marine brochure.
- Thank you.
- Pass it around.
- Yeah, well...
Encourage the fellow members
if they're for the war to get behind it.
- Send their own.
- Thank you.
Thank you, sir.
Thank you very much.
Congressman? Michael Moore.
- How you doing today?
- Good.
I'm trying to get members of Congress
to get their kids to enlist in the Army...
...and go over to Iraq.
Congressman.
Congressman.
Congressman Castle?
Congressman Castle?
Congressman. Congressman.
Congressman Doolittle,
Michael Moore.
I was wondering if...
Is there any way to...?
Of course, not a single member
of Congress...
... wanted to sacrifice their child
for the war in Iraq.
And who could blame them?
Who would wanna give up
their child?
Would you?
Would he?
I've always been amazed
that the very people...
... forced to live in the worst
parts of town...
... go to the worst schools
and who have it the hardest...
... are always the first to step up
to defend that very system.
They serve so that
we don't have to.
They offer to give up their lives
so that we can be free.
It is remarkable, their gift to us.
And all they ask for in return...
...is that we never send them
into harm's way...
... unless it's absolutely necessary.
Will they ever trust us again?
He had used weapons.
We know where they are.
Around Tikrit, Baghdad
and east, west, south and north.
There is a tie between Iraq
and what happened on 9l11.
The struggle can only end...
...with their complete
and permanent destruction.
We wage a war to save
civilization itself.
We did not seek it.
But we will fight it,
and we will prevail.
George Orwell once wrote...
... that, "It's not a matter of whether
the war is not real or if it is.
Victory is not possible.
The war is not meant to be won.
It is meant to be continuous.
A hierarchical society
is only possible...
... on the basis of poverty
and ignorance.
This new version is the past...
... and no different past
can ever have existed.
In principle, the war effort
is always planned...
... to keep society
on the brink of starvation.
The war is waged by the ruling group
against its own subjects.
And its object is not the victory
over either Eurasia or East Asia...
... but to keep the very
structure of society intact. "
There's an old saying
in Tennessee.
I know it's in Texas,
probably in Tennessee.
Fool me once...
...shame on...
Shame on you.
You fool me,
we can't get fooled again.
For once, we agreed.