Moore, Mike, Moore!

My oh my, Michael Moore keeps getting himself in trouble, doesn't he? Last night, accepting his Oscar for his excellent documentary Bowling For Columbine, Moore lambasted George W.Bush for waging war in Iraq. "Shame on you, Mr. Bush!" Moore thundered. "Shame on you!" While many in the theater cheered, many others booed. An overnight poll showed that seven out of ten viewers at home disapproved of Moore's comments.

Needless to say, I'm appalled at the negative reaction to Moore's comments. But what strikes me as particularly galling about the reaction to Moore's comments is that most viewers, either at home or in the hall, seemed to expect him to hold his tongue and be diplomatic. Did these people actually expect Moore to keep quiet, especially when Americans are dying for a cause the White House can't even articulate, let alone justify, to the rest of the world? Michael Moore is angry at Bush, and he has every reason to be; Bush has ruined the economy, forced his personal beliefs down people's throats, and given tax cuts to the wealthy, and now he wants to consolidate his power with this dirty little war of his. Moore represents the losing end of American society, which includes minorities, labor, the poor, and anyone with a brain. Obviously, he has to take his lumps at a time like this. But Moore is not one to do so in silence!

As far as I'm concerned, Moore not only has a right to speak out against Bush, he has an obligation! I couldn't be happier that he's doing so, and I hope he keeps it up! You go, Mike!