Friday, September 2nd, 2005
Dear Mr. Bush:
Any idea where all our helicopters are? It's Day 5 of Hurricane Katrina and thousands remain stranded in New Orleans and need to be airlifted. Where on earth could you have misplaced all our military choppers? Do you need help finding them? I once lost my car in a Sears parking lot. Man, was that a drag.
Also, any idea where all our national guard soldiers are? We could really use them right now for the type of thing they signed up to do like helping with national disasters. How come they weren't there to begin with?
Last Thursday I was in south Florida and sat outside while the eye of Hurricane Katrina passed over my head. It was only a Category 1 then but it was pretty nasty. Eleven people died and, as of today, there were still homes without power. That night the weatherman said this storm was on its way to New Orleans. That was Thursday! Did anybody tell you? I know you didn't want to interrupt your vacation and I know how you don't like to get bad news. Plus, you had fundraisers to go to and mothers of dead soldiers to ignore and smear. You sure showed her!
I especially like how, the day after the hurricane, instead of flying to Louisiana, you flew to San Diego to party with your business peeps. Don't let people criticize you for this — after all, the hurricane was over and what the heck could you do, put your finger in the dike?
And don't listen to those who, in the coming days, will reveal how you specifically reduced the Army Corps of Engineers' budget for New Orleans this summer for the third year in a row. You just tell them that even if you hadn't cut the money to fix those levees, there weren't going to be any Army engineers to fix them anyway because you had a much more important construction job for them — BUILDING DEMOCRACY IN IRAQ!
On Day 3, when you finally left your vacation home, I have to say I was moved by how you had your Air Force One pilot descend from the clouds as you flew over New Orleans so you could catch a quick look of the disaster. Hey, I know you couldn't stop and grab a bullhorn and stand on some rubble and act like a commander in chief. Been there done that.
There will be those who will try to politicize this tragedy and try to use it against you. Just have your people keep pointing that out. Respond to nothing. Even those pesky scientists who predicted this would happen because the water in the Gulf of Mexico is getting hotter and hotter making a storm like this inevitable. Ignore them and all their global warming Chicken Littles. There is nothing unusual about a hurricane that was so wide it would be like having one F-4 tornado that stretched from New York to Cleveland.
No, Mr. Bush, you just stay the course. It's not your fault that 30 percent of New Orleans lives in poverty or that tens of thousands had no transportation to get out of town. C'mon, they're black! I mean, it's not like this happened to Kennebunkport. Can you imagine leaving white people on their roofs for five days? Don't make me laugh! Race has nothing — NOTHING — to do with this!
You hang in there, Mr. Bush. Just try to find a few of our Army helicopters and send them there. Pretend the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast are near Tikrit.
Yours,
Michael Moore
www.MichaelMoore.com
P.S. That annoying mother, Cindy Sheehan, is no longer at your ranch. She and dozens of other relatives of the Iraqi War dead are now driving across the country, stopping in many cities along the way. Maybe you can catch up with them before they get to DC on September 21st.
This is an interesting discussion on MM. I think he’s presenting his views as entertainment because unfortunately that’s how to send your message out to as many people as possible and have them understand it.
And socialists shouldn’t be feared. In Canada we have many democratically elected, high profile leftist politicians who are well respected. We rely on them to give us the other side of things. However, they are also the reason some US politicians have labelled Canada as a communist country.
I think people here separate what MM says from how he says it. Yes, he’s a showman and yes, his language is highly biased, but there is truth underneath it all. I don’t think you’re evil! But in many eyes of the world, you are who you elect. Having said all this, Canada and the US are headed toward a major trade war over a number of issues and things are getting strained.
Interesting times!
Lenora
Excellent, cutting comment. Some will say that Michael Moore is always a ‘pain in the butt’ for the present administration (he is not a lover of the Republican Party!)….but he does raise issues and is courageous enough to run with them. In my country people like him are the ‘norm’. We have many critics of our own government’s actions (past and present) and some of those are members of Mr Blair’s political party. I am a ‘fan’ of Michael moore. I guess that makes me -to use an American perjorative- a Liberal.LOL. Well, I shall not be ashamed to wear such a lable. Thank you so much for posting this copy of Michael Moore’s “open letter”. Very well done.
lokutus x
Although I might not be a close ally of president Bush, taking political advantage of this disaster does not simply make my stomach turn, it also makes me ask if mr. Moore does this for profit. It does not testify a fondness for the people affected by this horrible tragedy.
HI Lenora,
thank you for reading and posting and sending this link, I love it.
yes the governor of LA is a wacko and so is the Mayor, they are on somekind of trip however, it will only get them thrown out of office and good bye to them I say.
I can’t believe how the world views the US now, and thanks to Bush as usual.
If we got attacked right now there would be total distruction the govenment is vacant now of any help since the Iraq people are more important then their own lands here.
Thanks for caring and sharing,
Eve
He does NOT do this for profit he does this to help open eyes to the situations the Pres closes his eyes to.
MM is the only one willing to stand up and be heard, he doesn’t hide under rocks mumbling, he invests his own monies into his documentries and from his last email he is working on another doc about exposing the huge drug companies and trying to show WHY the Americans have to go to Canada to get affordable drugs.
Just think… if more were like M.M. exposing and standing up for what is OUR RIGHTS.
I think it’s horrible that our Pres uses fine young Americans to protect his investments in Iraq.
Eve
HI Briar,
Nice to see you again I have missed you too 🙂
You are correct in what you stated here but one fact about the PRES and the LA flood, he took the money that was suppose to be used for the LEVEE and sent it to IRAQ, this was stated on the news and this is why so many people are upset with him since the money was there for that reason and he decided to take it back and send it to Iraq.
As an American I know how strong we are and how giving we all are to anyone in any nation however, there are limits to how much we can give in the dollars sense and this is where the government has to step in.
These poor people had homes and jobs and bank accounts and now they don’t even have ID to prove who they are and if the mexicans wanted to they could now come over the border and claim they were from New Orleans and really take advantage of the situation. Does the govenment think of this too ? NO.
Look how the locals down in Arizona are doing their own border patrols due to Bush not giving them the funds to provide police to do it. Bush has runned down this country and I thank God he can’t run again..
I agree.. God bless us all.
Stay in touch you are missed.
Love
Eve
HI Lokutus,
Thank you for reading my post and commenting, and wearing the lable.
It’s nice that M.M uses the freedom of speech we are all suppose to have here in USA.
Your fan,
Eve
Hi Lenora,
Are you still having problems seeing and posting??
you may email me at [email protected] this might work better? 🙂
Eve
Hello Eve,
MM appears to be the targeted punching bag of conservatives because his views are the most widely disseminated (i.e. commercial) of the so called “liberal” camp. He’s attacked because he’s a threat. What I find interesting (as a Canadian quiety observing your great country) is that there is a quite an abundance of alternative thought in America that is in depth, intelligent, and free on the internet.
One of my favorite of such websites is the daily newsletter, “CounterPunch” ing. I hope the lessons that need to be learned are learned. Americans should be angry and I hope things turn around for you soon!
Your neighbor in Vancouver
Lenora
The levees that caused the flooding broke after the hurricane. if the levees had been intact mroe people could have escaped danger and it would have been easier to provide assistance. I’m not a fan of the President but you really can’t blame the hurricane on him 🙂
Although I don’t (ever) speak to the President’s defense it is the Mayor’s responsibility to assist and Governor’s responsibility to call in the National Guard, not the President. The Governor should have called in the Guard. Knowingly most of Louisana’s NG is in Iraq at the moment the Governor should have nonetheless been more attentive to the people of the parishes unable to flee. Alot of folks outside of the region do not know what a “Parish” is. It is not related to church but is somewhat like a county or town. Alot of the poor folk who had no method to evacuate were not in the city proper ( and therefore not the responsibility of the Mayor) they do not drive, own cars or are raised to stay behind and take care of the infirmed or just wait for help. You would have to understand where these people are coming from… the conditioning over time and their thought process. Their mayor and Governor should understand them better than anyone else.
The President after not seeing the guard there within 24 hours should have then stepped in and said I have to help “my” people…isn’t he everyone’s president??? He did not.
I can’t imagine how it is to be without food or water or bathroom facilities or giving birth under an overpass or fearing for your life and your family’s. We take so much forgranted.
I think people in general are amazing and perhaps this will truly bring all Americans closer together. Realizing WE have to help each other.. the government isnt going to do it for us. There are people all over the country offering their homes for people to rebuild lives. These folks will not be able to go home any time soon. as a nurse friend of mine told me… I have no home.. no job.. no ATM card.. No job = no money = no food or shelter. She was taken 50 miles away to a hotel and has to leave now… No.. the hotel is not offering a FREE place to stay with food included. She is an example of someone who is not what we would consider poor by any standard. yet, she can not go into a store and buy milk. She knows she now has to leave her home locale and relocate until the time comes when there are not only places to live but places to work back “home”
Many local officials are at fault as well as individuals for bad decisions. after the dust settles hopefully they will not be re-elected.. hmmm how can these folks even vote come november.. ugh… not to bring humor into this but the term “broken chad” comes to mind 😡
God Bless us all even if we are bitter and opinionated or just an idiot 🙂 At least we have the freedom to say so.
Peace
~Briar~
Hello Eve,
I posted a comment to this article and it has mysteriously disappeared. Your journal page lists me as the last poster but my post is completely gone! I’m too sleepy at the moment to regurg, but I just wanted to say that there are many more where MM came from and there is a healthy alternative voice in America that is intelligent, in-depth, and free on the internet. Have you read CounterPunch, at http://www.counterpunch.com? It’s all about New Orleans right now. You all have every right to be angry and disappointed with your government and I hope things turn around for you soon! (and hope my original post turns up again)
ciao from a canadian friend,
lenora
HI Lenora,
I see your first post and I did reply to it as well, I did take a sneak peek at the link you posted and when I have more time I will read the site in detail.
Thank you for posting again and your well wishes are taken to heart.
Sleep well my Canadian friend,
Eve
In this case, I happen to agree with MM and most of what he said. I got quite eloquent in my own journal over this same issue. Stop by and read it if you get a chance.
K4
HI Stephan,
Thank you for bringing this to light with me. I didn’t know how Europeans view his movies.
Did you see 911? that MM made, it was very enlightening and he really did use his own money to make his films and he doesnt send to many emails infact, since the election I have only rec’d 2.
One stated he was working on a new doc for exposing the large drug companines. I can’t wait to see that one.
If you did’t see 911 please try to just to see my point of view on him ..
He isn’t affraid to speak his mind to anyone in the government and now a days this is great since most don’t want to do anything but complain.
Thank you for caring enough to post again, I love hearing the views of others in differnt countries this is how we all learn .
What else can you share 🙂
Eve
Bravo.
Moore simply looks like anyone else trying to expand his audience and thereby his own profit. He does not have to charge money for this to make money on it. This is an obvious example of how politics should not be mixed with entertainment. In Europe, his films are used by socialists as “evidence” of the US being evil. This is why I am concerned. As a European liberal. He makes money on this. And he clearly has socialist sympathies.
Whatever Mr Moore’s motivations might be, I do agree with all the points he makes in this letter. Unfortunately, I don’t really have words to express myself on the subject at the moment.Anyway, I just thought I’d write a comment here and try out the new Opera in the process. I don’t actually like it that much so far. It hasn’t been very friendly to me.
Hi Briar,Thank you for posting and reading I have missed you very much. I did reply to your post here however, I don’t see it today.You are so right in feeling upset as we all are and now I am feeling so much love for the people of the US and outside the US who have offered the US help in some way or another.Everyone sees the US as self sufficent however, we are not we are human like everyone else and this government has it’s mind on outside the US where his money is made not inside where it should be.Thank God for the strength of the American people whom are opening homes and volunteering to help .God Bless humanity.LoveEve
Dear Eve, I see yours is among the ‘most popular’ current blogs. Well done -you deserve to be there. You always write in an informative and caring manner, drawing our attention to important ‘issues’ and inviting responses. Best wishes,lokutus
Dear Eve, I see yours is among the ‘most popular’ current blogs. Well done -you deserve to be there. You always write in an informative and caring manner, drawing our attention to important ‘issues’ and inviting responses. Best wishes,lokutus