Fifty-six Deceits in Fahrenheit 911

As we go through the long list of lies and tricks in Fahrenheit 911, keep in mind that Michael Moore has assembled a ?war room? of political operatives and lawyers in order to respond to criticism of Fahrenheit 911 and to file defamation suits. (Jack Shafer, ?Libel Suit 9/11. Michael Moore?s hysterical, empty threats,? Slate.com, June 12, 2004.)

Of course if his staff contacts National Review Online and points out any genuine errors in this report, the errors will be promptly corrected. Conversely, because Moore has a paid expert staff which is monitoring criticism of the movie, it is reasonable to assume that?unless NRO has specifically retracted some item in this column?every factual statement in this column has been tacitly conceded to be legitimate by Moore and his staff.

In this report, I number Moore?s deceits. Some of them are outright lies; some are omissions which create a false impression. Others involve different forms of deception. A few are false statements Moore has made when defending the film.

Dave Kopel has an extensive, researched list of errors from Moore's Fahrenheit 911; it's good reading from a thorough scholar. The tidbit about Moore's "trained attack lawyers" ready to file libel lawsuits against critics is just the icing on the cake. As usual, though, I don't recommend actually paying to watch the movie, even if your intent is to criticize. It's a waste of your time and the money goes straight to Moore whether you like him or not.

If you absolutely must descend into this sewer of filth, I suggest a four-pack: get Moore's movie, get the rebuttal, and get the original book and movie that Moore is referencing with his title.