This page was last updated on July 17, 2004.

Movie documents sources; Jonas M. Rushman; Beaver County Times; July 16, 2004.

Based on this and a previous letter, "spew" is a favorite word of Mr. Rushman.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

"In rebuttal to the Thursday letter written by Michael T. Rubino criticizing Michael Moore's movie 'Fahrenheit 9/11,' he should check into the facts the movie presents.

"Mr. Moore did, unlike most right-wing spews.

"When the average American was still unable to catch a flight in the days after Sept. 11, 2001, 28 members of the bin Laden family were allowed to board a plane and leave the country by special permission of the White House."

[RWC] Richard Clarke himself took responsibility for this.  If you'll recall, Mr. Clarke was the darling of Bush bashers because of his book and his testimony before the 9/11 Commission.  Mr. Clarke provided this testimony long before Moore released his movie, yet Moore chose not to correct the movie.

"The 9/11 commission has determined there were no links between al-Qaida and Saddam/Iraq, nor were there WMDs as President Bush has assured us.

"Meanwhile, Vice President Cheney is still crisscrossing the country spewing about how he knows the ties and WMDs were there and the commission is wrong.

"More lies from the administration.  If we had a dollar for every lie this administration has told, we could pay off the enormous debt this administration has created.

[RWC] Regarding Iraq/al-Qaida links, Mr. Rushman must have read a different version of the report.  The report agrees there were links, just no direct evidence of collaboration on the 9/11 attacks.  The Bush administration never claimed 9/11 collaboration.

Coalition forces were attacked with chemical weapons -- mustard gas and sarin -- in May 2004.  Though they were only a couple of shells, are we to believe they are the only WMD shells in Iraq?

If we had a dollar for every claimed but unproven lie, we'd all be rich.

"If you are interested in facts with documented sources, check out the documentary "Truth and Lies of 9/11."  As the material is presented, the movie pauses to display the source of the information.  Most sources are unclassified government documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act."

[RWC] This is no documentary, unless you consider a filmed lecture to be a documentary.

"Since the Patriot Act has eviscerated the First, Fourth and Sixth articles of the Bill of Rights, I'm sure the Freedom of Information Act is next.  I know how dearly this administration loves its secrets."

[RWC] When will the Patriot Act critics provide some proof of their wild claims?  The Patriot Act is not an executive order; Congress had to approve it.  98% of senators and 83% of representatives voted for it, including 69% of Democrats.  If the act is so nefarious, why did so many Democrats support it?

"God help us all if the Bush/Cheney team steals another election."

[RWC] You have to feel sorry for the wackos.  The Democrats tried to steal the 2000 presidential election, but when they failed they blamed -- and still blame -- Republicans for what Democrats themselves attempted.  It's like a thief blaming the victim for a failed robbery.

© 2004 Robert W. Cox, all rights reserved.