The Thumbnail Book Reviews
by John Q McDonald --- 8 March 2002
by Michael Moore
With the Enron and Worldcom debacles still being played out in the halls of Congress and falling farther out of the media's coverage, Americans will remain cynical about the structure of power in our government. Money clearly rules. And the rules are clearly written in the interests of Money. There are numerous recent events that would make any patriotic American cynical. The "election" of "president" Bush in 2000, Enron, and even shady aspects of the war in Afghanistan (Note how large oil companies are arranging to built a pipeline there. And why were the Saudis allowed to fly members of the bin Laden family out of the US before they could be asked any questions by the FBI?). Anyway, well before September 11, Michael Moore was asking these questions as he penned a book that very nearly never got published. From the creator of the landmark grouchy movie Roger & Me, and the television show The Awful Truth, comes this angry and provocative book. Moore delves not very deep into the structures of the Bush administration to find numerous connections to corporate interests. He was writing about Kenneth Lay before he became a household name. He lambastes the Florida election confusion, and is quite convincing in his assertion that the election was effectively stolen. The Democrats don't escape his biting wit, though, as he goes after their wishy-washy attempts to sound "more Republican than thou". Finally, Moore's examination of Ralph Nader's Green Party candidacy is revealing and goes far to explaining much of what Democratic losers complain about. Moore's writing is witty and often hilarious. But don't buy this book for its humor. OK, buy it for its humor, but buy it also because it is a provocative and motivating call to pay attention to how this country is run and what we all can do about it. Concerned about Moore's powerfully partisan point of view? Flip to the extensive notes referring to the original, and reputable, sources for his many detailed assertions. This book belongs on the bestseller lists. Michael Moore is, perhaps, our one true public patriot. He cares deeply about the health of our country, and pulls no punches in its defense. Thank god for librarians.