George W. Bush, the current occupant of the office of President of the United States, is basing his reelection campaign against Senator John Kerry on taking things Kerry says out of context and twisting them to mean what he would like us to believe Kerry means. Bush should appreciate Michael Moore’s documentary Fahrenheit 9/11, because of Moore’s judicious use of editing to portray Bush and his cronies in the worst possible light.

It’s easy to expose Bush by putting the context back and showing what Kerry actually said. It makes the president look awfully bad, but that’s the price you pay for lying so blatantly. If he were smarter, he’d probably be a little more subtle about it. Fahrenheit 9/11 isn’t at all subtle, but it’s also filled with context and burgeoning with examples of misconduct and deceit.

Most of the content of the movie is now common knowledge, and much of it came to light thanks to Michael Moore. We lost our questioning free press somewhere along the way, and it now takes outsiders to do the job journalists are supposed to be doing. Thank goodness there are some people willing (nay, eager) to take on this task. This movie raises as many questions as it answers, and that’s a very good thing.

Since not everyone is going to see Fahrenheit 9/11, and since I watched it tonight and it’s fresh in my mind, I’d like to tell you what you’re missing. I’d like to think of it as a public service. You’re welcome.

This movie tells us, dramatically and in detail:

• how the 2000 election was stolen from the voters.

• how George W. Bush neglected his duties before 9/11.

And that’s just before the opening titles! If you keep watching, you might learn:

• how Bush and Ashcroft ignored specific pre-9/11 warnings that named Osama bin Laden and referred to his use of hijacked airliners to attack the United States.

• how Bush failed to react to the news of the World Trade Center attacks for several minutes after being informed of them.

• how the administration helped members of the bin Laden family leave the U.S. in the first few days after 9/11.

• about Bush’s business relationship with the bin Ladens and the Saudi royal family at the time when his only claim to fame was that he was the president’s son.

• how Bush investments benefited from 9/11.

• how George W. Bush tried to prevent investigations into 9/11 and suppressed information related to his relationship with the Saudis.

• how the administration played up phantom terrorist threats to engender fear in the American people and keep them from questioning government actions such as the USA Patriot Act, and eventually the invasion of Iraq.

• how the administration has used the Patriot Act to suppress free speech and peace activism.

• about their blatant disregard for human life, both civilian and military.

• how the administration lied about Iraq’s supposed weapons of mass destruction and ties to al Qaeda, exaggerated Saddam’s ability to attack, and misled the U.S. people about its own intention to build a coalition.

• how the war became a windfall for Halliburton and other companies closely associated with administration officials.

• and much more.

This administration knows there is no immediate threat, at least none they can do anything to prevent. You can tell this by the holes in both enforcement of airport security and vigilance at possible entry points. There is a whole agenda behind everything they do, and it has little to do with what they’re telling us. You can’t come away from this movie feeling good about the direction the country has taken in the last four years.