Fahrenheit
911 Like the 911 Commission Speaks Volumes About America
By
Dr.
Wunmi Akintide
WUMIONE@aol.com
When it
comes to turning huge disappointments and terrible tragedies into
appointments and huge opportunities,
America
leads the world without any iota of doubt. I had thought the 911 tragedy
was a huge setback for God's own country, and for a country that I have
had cause and conviction to describe in all of my works and writings in
this column, as the new Canaan. May be, the new Jerusalem that the Holy
Scriptures have predicted may be a more appropriate word to use here. I
cannot help but wonder why theologians don't talk much about that New
Jerusalem and which country in our world, truly fits that bill as we
speak. I don't know about you. The more I get to know
America
, and her amazing history and evolution, the more I am convinced
America
is that country. I must hasten to add, however, like a good many of you,
that I also do know something about
Sodom
and Gomorra.
There are a
few things happening here that might lead many to see some elements of
those two cities in the new Jerusalem. I must confess that I do see that
as well. But when all is said and done, and when you remember that good
and evil are often two sides of the same coin, you have to understand
why
America
is never going to be perfect. You will, for ever, look in vain and
probably die in frustration like the hunter keeping a night vigil with a
view to catching the crab. If you are looking for the perfect human
being or a Utopia country in this universe, you will have to wait a long
time. Your quest may, indeed, boil down to the precept that everything
made by man and even things made by God can be infinitely improved. You
are never going to find one perfect society or country. You are just
going to have to make do with what Millie Jackson had eloquently said
best in one of her famous albums, "making the best of a bad
situation" and just picking one country as the leader, based on the
aggregate of her strength and weaknesses. The best you can do is just
compare and contrast, look at the record and the relativities, and just
make up your mind like I am doing in this write-up. I could be wrong or
right. What is important is that I am neither shy nor ashamed to share
my thoughts and conviction regardless of whether or not you do agree or
disagree with me. You really don’t have to agree with me. Mine is only
a viewpoint among a legion of views. You do me a big favor, however, by
even reading my views, talk less of accepting it as the gospel truth.
It is my
plan, if I can spare the time, to do a series of articles on this
subject, because there is no way I can cover, in one or two articles, my
true reflections, and what I take away from Fahrenheit 911 and the newly
released report of the 911 Commission. I am, therefore, going to focus,
first and foremost, in this opening salvo, on the controversial new
movie by Michael Moore. I have gone to see the movie two times already,
and I still look for more opportunities to see it. I intend to purchase
the DVD edition of it, as soon as it hits the market, so I can watch it
as often as I need to, as I do more analysis of it for future articles.
The first
thing that strikes me in looking at that movie is the inescapable
similarities I see between Michael Moore and a Nigerian compatriot
scholar and genius named Wole Soyinka, the first Nigerian Nobel Peace
Laureate in Literature who has recently turned 70. Both Mike and Wole
are geniuses in their own right, and they are both award-winning
intellectual juggernauts who have been able to profoundly influence the
world with their uncanny minds and works of art. I see "the man
died" written so many years ago by Wole Soyinka and many of his
marvelous works and productions, in the same light as I view Fahrenheit
911, and some of Michael Moore’s previous works in Theater Arts. The
two giants are a whole world apart in their background. But they have
both earned themselves world recognition, in the way and manner, they
have used their powerful minds and individual convictions to influence
or shape politics in their two countries.
I urge
those of you who have never seen Fahrenheit 911 to do yourself a favor
by going to see the movie at your earliest convenience. You will be glad
you did. Don’t get discouraged by the Republican propaganda machine or
crocodile tears about the movie and the suggestion that it is a
misrepresentation of the political reality of
America
under the current Administration. I totally disagree with that
characterization of that movie. It is an amazing piece of work,
brilliantly put together and factually synthesized. The dots are clearly
marked out, as they should, and the audience or the viewer is left to
simply connect the dots the way they think fit. If the movie is sheer
blackmail and defamation of character as the Republicans would have us
believe, who ever feels blackmailed, know their rights and should pursue
it to the extent possible under the Law, if they think they have a case
against Michael Moore.
In making
this observation, I cannot help, but take off my hat for a system of
Government that has allowed that movie to see the light of day, at a
time like now. I throw my salute to a Government that has allowed the
film maker and the brain behind the movie, to still be able to walk the
street today, without any fear that somebody who is so aggrieved about
the amazing movie, is either going to stalk him or send hired assassins
to put a gun to his head, like they would have done in my own country,
Nigeria, in a heartbeat. I recall the recent confession by General
Yakubu Gowon at a symposium marking the 70th Birthday of Wole Soyinka,
and how his military Government had decided to quickly put Wole Soyinka
out of circulation for more than two years for daring to display the
same kind of courage and patriotism that Michael Moore had displayed in
Fahrenheit 911. General Gowon, one of the best military to ever rule
Nigeria
, was very generous and candid in his praise of Wole Soyinka when he
openly admitted what his Government had done to Wole Soyinka. Given
today‘s political climate in Nigeria, Wole Soyinka would easily have
been assassinated. Period. As a matter of fact, Sani Abacha did try to
take him out, like he and IBB had done to countless dissenters they
could not silence. Dele Giwa was one. M.K.O. Abiola was another, and the
last and not the least among several Nigerians who have been so murdered
was uncle Bola Ige, the Chief Law Enforcement Officer, whose
assassination had remained a mystery till tomorrow, even though his so
called bosom friend is still Head of the Government in power. Bola
Ige had taken the bullet, so to speak, defending his friend and his
policies and thereby making too many enemies in the process. With a
friend like that, nobody needs an enemy! I dare say. Michael Moore if he
were a Nigerian, would be considered a dead man walking. There is no way
he would have been spared. Only in
America
!
Michael
Moore is lucky to be born and operating here in
America
where Freedom of Expression is not just a political slogan, but a fact
of Life, all things considered. I saw the movie at the Green Acre
shopping Mall in
New York
. That movie is so powerful that half the audience could not hold their
tears just like I could not hold mine, because the movie had told the
story of 911 in much the same way like the 911 Commission had told it,
with candor, but with different emphasis and imagery of the story behind
the story that the silent majority of Americans are never supposed to
know about. Michael Moore had laid it all out, in simple but powerful
language that ordinary people can understand. His genius lies in the
fact that the scenes were not acted by actors putting themselves in the
shoes of the people they want to mimic. The scenes were done by the very
individuals currently holding the positions in Government, making it
down to earth, and incredibly authentic and truthful. The more people
see that movie, the harder it becomes for people to buy the thrash being
peddled around that Bush was a Julius Caesar and that the war in Iraq
was a war of necessity, and that Osama Bin Laden was enemy number one
before and after 911 as far as this Administration was concerned. That
is going to be a tough sell regardless of how you cut it. It is even
going to be worse and tougher for American current and future allies to
ever accept the premise for the War. It makes Saddam Hussein looks more
like a victim and a scapegoat more than a heartless despot and butcher
that he really was to his people. That was a masterful job.
Piecing
together those scenes to give it a holistic rendition or narrative was
in, of itself, a masterpiece. Perhaps it is too early to start singing
the praise of those, who may not have liked the movie, for their being
so tolerant of criticisms like those we have witnessed in that movie.
Since the movie has just been released, there is no telling what those
who are aggrieved that the cat may have been let out of the bag, may
still want to do to seek revenge. We are just going to wait and see. But
knowing America, as well as I do, the Republicans, if they feel as
strongly as they appeared when the movie was first released, may also be
planning a rapid response of their own, to counter the aftermath of
Fahrenheit 911, and the irreparable damage it may have done to a
President who enjoys keeping his choices and moves closer to his chest
like no other American President in recent memory. The nation is still
four months away from the Election. So much water can still pass under
the bridge between now and then, and there is no telling what this
President, as the incumbent, may yet do, to pull a fast one on his
opponent. But the mere fact that the movie is still being seen all over
the country and worldwide marks out
America
as special under the sun.
Here in
lies the beauty of American political divide that is worth paying
attention to. There are geniuses like Michael Moore on both sides of the
isle who may be planning how best to respond to the challenge thrown by
Michael Moore and people like him, and there are many in this country.
You listen to Americans like Bill Maher, even Ted Turner and Don Imus,
Rush Limbaugh, and you have to wonder what a country.
America
offers politics at its best, believe me. Why? Because there are far too
many in this nation who have already reached the self actualization
stage in the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs construct while much of the
rest of the world is still at the first or second stage in that level or
spectra of needs. There is really no basis for comparison between
America
and much of the world, I might add. The release or the leakage of the
gaffe or blunder committed by the former Security Adviser to the Bill
Clinton Administration, Sandy Burger, some ten months ago, may have been
used as a measured response to the Michael Moore’s movie, for
all you know, or just a scandal thrown out there by the Republicans
to muddy the waters a little bit, as the preparations for the Democratic
Convention goes into high gear in Boston, this weekend. Both major
parties will do that in
America
as they struggle to edge out each other for electoral gain. There is
never a shortage of talents in both parties, and that is why who ever
emerges as the major party candidate, has gotten within him or her, what
it takes to be a President. If Kerry wins, and he just might win from
the look of things today,
America
’s future and security are guaranteed, trust me. As a matter of fact,
things can only get better, as some of those policies that put
America
in a cul-de-sac are immediately jettisoned, and the nation is put back
on course, with all hands on the deck. There is no permanent enemy or
friend in American Politics. There is only one permanent interest, that
America
remains the "numero uno" come rain or shine, and regardless of
who becomes President, be it Democrat or Republican. The choice is
always going to be between the two major political parties, regardless
of how you cut it. I love that.
It is
beautiful that the Democratic nominee, John Kerry and his running mate
John Edwards are acting very polished and presidential by not joining
the fray or even commenting on the movie or seizing that opportunity to
jump all over George Bush and Dick Cheney, for their portrayal in that
movie which speaks volumes on the way the Republicans do business in
general, and how Capitalism works around the world. The more you see
John Kerry and John Edwards, the more you have got to like and respect
them for their decency, discipline and decorum in this election. I
actually believe that John Kerry rightly believes in his heart that if
he wins, which is very likely, he well might find himself, doing some of
the things that George Bush is being pilloried for, today.
That was
one big blunder that George Bush Junior had made on coming to office. He
had so much badmouthed his predecessor in office, so much so, that he
had put himself in a box on taking over the White House. Some of those
things are coming back to hunt him today in very profound ways. But he
has started correcting those mistakes, perhaps too little too late, when
he started praising Bill Clinton, now that the truth has dawned on him
that he himself lives in a glass house, and therefore must not throw
stones, like he was doing before. It was the same lesson that the 911
Commission had mastered when they chose never to engage in the blame
game, but to look forward to the future rather than looking backwards
Engaging in the blame game would never have produced a totally
bipartisan report. Only in
America
again!
When you
are President of America, there are things you can, and cannot do or
say, even though you are the most powerful man in the world. The checks
and balances exist to limit those powers. Nobody in this Election circle
understands that better than John Kerry. More than 20 years after his
return from
Vietnam
the unflappable senator is no longer the angry young man he was. He has
been mellowed by experience and age, and like George Bush before him,
the man is more than ready to be President of the greatest country on
Earth. Like his look-alike, Abraham Lincoln before him, the junior
senator from
Massachusetts
is going to win in November and win big, because majority of Americans
understand that terrorists are not after
America
, like George Bush wants us to believe, because they hate the American
notion of Freedom and the American ways of Life. As a matter of fact,
the rest of the world want to embrace American ways of life. The Indian
movie industries and stars are gradually following American trends and
hip hop Culture. Who does not like
America
? The whole world wants to emulate
America
. Who does not like a winner? Nobody.
There are
many in the
Middle East
and
Africa
, two of the regions I know best, who can kill to come live in
America
and to come share of the New Jerusalem dream and values. It is not true
that some of these embattled individuals do not appreciate American
freedom. They, sure, do. What they are scared to death about, and what
they do not appreciate is the way the Bush Administration wants to
launch, pursue or impose American values on other cultures. The rest of
the world wants to see some level of mutual respect or some modicum of
evenhandedness in the way and manner American handles the ongoing
Palestinian/Israeli conflict, as a model for future conflicts around the
world. They want
America
to assume her role as a leader, but never as a conqueror or a slave
driver, but really as a "primus inter pares", first among
equals. They know, like we all do, that it is absurd or silly or even
foolhardy for any of the 192 members of the United Nations like Vanuatu,
Papua, New Guinea or Gambia or Costa Rica to mention a few, to ever
equate themselves with America, even if they all recognize America as
the "numero uno" without any question. But that self-serving
equivocation or denial or rationalization massages their ego and
nationalism in ways that Presidents like George Bush don’t quite
understand. That is the problem. Abe Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, FDR, Harry
Truman, JFK, even Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George Bush Senior and
Bill Clinton to mention a few American presidents, fully understood that
concept, and so will John Kerry.
Fahrenheit
911 and the bipartisan 911 Commission Report have spoken volumes on the
greatness of America, and why America will continue to lead the world
for a long, long time to come. The New Jerusalem is already here. Only
those with inner eyes can see it, though. The Bible does not lie. If God
has said it, it, sure, must come to pass. There is more to the greatness
of America, however, than just the fact that she was God’s own country
like are told. It is a great society because of men like Michael Moore
and the founding fathers who had crafted the American Constitution, and
the generation of Americans that abide by it, and use it as a moral
compass and as an article of faith for more than 200 years.
I rest my
case.
Dr. Wunmi Akintide.
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