We went and saw Fahrenheit 9/11 this past weekend, having to settle for a theater in Greenbelt as our first choice, the AFI, was sold out for the entire weekend. While Greenbelt wasn't sold out, the theater was over 3/4 full and the audience responded to the movie well (including the very vocal fellow behind us whom was clearly incensed by a number of the scenes).

Leading up to the invasion of Iraq, the media kept saying that Bush would "make his case" against Saddam to the American people. I see Fahrenheit 9/11 as what follows at a trial after the prosecutor has stood up to make their case: Michael Moore is the defender of America and his movie is his rebuttal to the lies, emotional manipulation, and half-facts that Bush et al. presented. Is Moore above a little emotional manipulation and half-facts himself? Unfortunately, no--but in a jury trial, where the jury is the American people, this is the only way to counteract what's already been presented by the other side. To complain about Moore that he isn't "a better man" is to ignore the very serious issue that's at trial here: the reputation and continuation of democracy itself. That sounds overblown, but given the Patriot Act, the possibility of an ongoing occupation of Iraq, and a never-ending "war" on terror, sometimes overblown is reality.

If you supported Bush--if you believed his case--as a conscientious member of the American jury, you owe it to yourself to at least hear the opposing lawyer. To make up your mind without doing so is to deny a basic principle of American justice.

As a postscript on the amazing popularity of this film, I have to point you to this entry at Michael Moore's web site, where he quotes an email from my buddy Matt who tried to see the film last night and wrote to Moore on my suggestion today:

My wife and I tried to see a 7 p.m. showing of Fahrenheit 9/11 last night, July 1, in Bethesda MD. Imagine my surprise when I found that the show was completely sold out! On a Thursday! Almost inside the Beltway!

So we had to settle for Spider-Man 2 up the street (plenty of empty seats in *that* theater).

Ain't that cool?