WAR ON WHOM? 

By Michael Moore, AlterNet 
September 14, 2001 

I am on the road tonight, the only way to get out of L.A. and back 
home to our daughter and our friends in New York City. Oddly enough, 
I have never driven across this vast country. My wife and I have now 
stopped in Flagstaff for a few hours sleep before moving on. 

The sorrow and anger builds across America. Talk radio tonight was 
filled with calls for carpet-bombing every Arab country. Many want 
revenge, blood. But a surprising number of people have called for us 
to not add to the killing of more innocent humans. The rest stops and 
the convenience stores along the way were filled with quiet, solemn 
people, many of whom, like us, can get home no other way than by this 
four-day trip. 

Our daughter is fine, mostly frightened by my desire to fly home to 
her rather than drive. Once again, I was outvoted 2 to 1. This is 
nothing new.

We have learned of more people we know who have lost their lives. 
Bill Weems, who worked as a line producer for us this year, was on 
the flight from Boston that crashed into the World Trade Center. He 
was such a sweet and decent soul. Such senseless madness. 

The children of New York who are orphaned tonight ... what do we say 
or do? I will do my part -- anything, something -- as soon as I get 
to New York. But it will never be enough. 

The firefighters of New York: they are on every other block, every 
day, and they are your best neighbors. Sitting out on the sidewalks 
in front of the fire stations, a good word and a kind smile to all 
who pass ... now, 350+ of them gone, having risked their lives to 
save the victims of a carnage they soon became part of. 

A good friend from Flint is a clerical worker at the Pentagon. I have 
heard no word about her condition. I have tried contacting her family 
to no avail. Her son, Malcolm, worked on our show. I cannot find him. 
I keep getting tears in my eyes. Once she gave me a tour of the 
Pentagon, took me everywhere, and got such a kick out of taking me 
around this building I used to march on. Will our mutual friends who 
know Barbara, and know how she is, please write me? Please. 

The man who occupies the White House cried today. Good. Keep crying, 
Mr. Bush. The more you cry, the less you will go to that dark side in 
all humans where anger rages to a point where we want to blindly 
kill. Your dad's and Reagan's old cronies -- Eagleberger, Baker, 
Schultz -- are all calling for you to bomb first and ask questions 
later. You must NOT do this. If only because you do not want to stoop 
to these mass murderers' level. Yes, find out who did it. Yes, see 
that they NEVER do it again.

But GET A GRIP, man. "Declare war?" War against whom? One guy in the 
desert whom we can never seem to find? Are our leaders telling us 
that the most powerful country on earth cannot dispose of one sick 
evil f---wad of a guy? Because if that is what you are telling us, 
then we are truly screwed. If you are unable to take out this lone ZZ 
Top wannabe, what on earth would you do for us if we were attacked by 
a nation of millions? For chrissakes, call the Israelis and have them 
do that thing they do when they want to get their man! We pay them 
enough billions each year, I am SURE they would be happy to 
accommodate your request. 

But I beg you, Mr. Bush, stay with the tears. Go today to comfort the 
wounded of New York. Tell the mayor, a guy most of us have not liked, 
that he is doing an incredible job, keeping the spirits of everyone 
up as high as they can be at this moment. Being there for a city I 
believe he loves, his own cancer still with him, he goes beyond the 
call of duty. 

But do not declare war and massacre more innocents. After bin Laden's 
previous act of terror, our last elected president went and bombed 
what he said was "bin Laden's camp" in Afghanistan -- but instead 
just killed civilians. Then he bombed a factory in the Sudan, saying 
it was "making chemical weapons." It turned out to be making aspirin. 
Innocent people murdered by our Air Force.

Back in May, you gave the Taliban in Afghanistan $48 million dollars 
of our tax money. No free nation on earth would give them a cent, but 
you gave them a gift of $48 million because they said they 
had "banned all drugs."

Because your drug war was more important than the actual war the 
Taliban had inflicted on its own people, you helped to fund the 
regime who had given refuge to the very man you now say is 
responsible for killing my friend on that plane and for killing the 
friends of families of thousands and thousands of people. How dare 
you talk about more killing now! Shame! Shame! Shame! Explain your 
actions in support of the Taliban! Tell us why your father and his 
partner Mr. Reagan trained Mr. bin Laden in how to be a terrorist! 

Am I angry? You bet I am. I am an American citizen, and my leaders 
have taken my money to fund mass murder. And now my friends have paid 
the price with their lives. 

Keep crying, Mr. Bush. Keep running to Omaha or wherever it is you go 
while others die, just as you ran during Vietnam while claiming to 
be "on duty" in the Air National Guard. Nine boys from my high school 
died in that miserable war. And now you are asking for "unity" so you 
can start another one? Do not insult me or my country like this! 

Yes, I, too, will be in church at noon today, on this national day of 
mourning. I will pray for you, and us, and the children of New York, 
and the children of this sad and ugly world.