Moore On AC360: "This Kind Of Antagonism & Bullying & Lying About People ... Makes Me Very Sad"

[Turborama]

Run time: 05:23 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sftS83E8t1Q   Posted on YouTube: September 14, 2010 By YouTube Member: MOXNEWSd0tCOM Views on YouTube: 489   Posted on DU: September 14, 2010 By DU Member: Turborama Views on DU: 2548

 
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9129284">This Picture From Michael Moore's Blog Says It All

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=9129177&mesg_id=9129177">Michael Moore: Thousands of True Americans Respond to Call for Donations to Islamic Center

TRANSCRIPT:

COOPER: Michael, I don't know if you saw this. In an interview with National Review Online, Newt Gingrich is now saying that -- and I quote -- "only if you understand Kenyan anti-colonial behavior can you begin to piece together what President -- President Obama's actions." Does this make any sense to you?

MOORE: Yes, it makes sense to me in the sense that Mr. Gingrich has a problem, a real problem. If he's -- if he's concerned about anti-colonial attitudes, I have a document for him to read. It was written in 1776 by a bunch of radicals. And he probably wouldn't like them either.

COOPER: What do you think...

MOORE: The whole Kenyan thing about this was really -- I mean, this is injecting the racial thing. You know, I'm a Catholic. Newt just converted to Catholicism. This is what I mean by religious extremists. They exist in all religions.

And now, unfortunately, we've got one -- we've got a number -- we've got O'Reilly, too. We've got five of the nine justices of the Supreme Court. But every religion has this kind of extremism, and I'm sad to hear Newt talk like this.

COOPER: I want to talk about an essay you wrote about whole situation with the Islamic center, a proposed mosque a few blocks from Ground Zero. You wrote that you don't want the mosque to be built near Ground Zero. You want it built on Ground Zero. A, are you really serious, and if so, why?

MOORE: Of course, I'm not serious. I'm making a point, which is that -- that their religion, Islam, was defiled by 19 murderers who killed 3,000 people. And if 200 years from now somebody kills 3,000 people and said they did the in the name of this guy from 200 years ago named Michael Moore, I sure hope somebody will go and put a statue of me or some of my books or something, at the site where this crime took place so that people would know that my name got hijacked by these -- by these killers.

What we're building on Ground Zero now, which, you know, I know you're aware of this. The remains of nearly 1,100 people still haven't been identified or found. What are we doing building another big monument to commerce where we're going to conduct business? Why isn't that a peace park? Why aren't all faiths represented or no faiths or any -- I don't understand why we've allowed this to happen.

And if -- you know, if the bigots want a Muslim-free zone in Lower Manhattan, they've got a problem, because over 60 Muslim- Americans died on 9/11 at the World Trade Center, and some of their remains are still there. So they're every bit as American as you are I or anyone else, and I'm tired of bigotry.

COOPER: But you're characterizing anyone who oppose this as a bigot. In your blog and your essay, you actually kind of talk about bullies and thugs. But there's plenty of Americans who aren't bullies, or thugs, or bigots who just feel, you know what? There's something about this that doesn't sit right with them.

MOORE: Right. And when Martin Luther King wanted to have a march in Cicero, an all-white suburb of Chicago, a lot of people said, "This doesn't feel right. Why are you doing this here? It's just going to upset a lot of people who otherwise support you. Why are you going to bring black people and march through the white neighborhood?" You know?

I mean, this is an old story for us as Americans. You know, the Confederates, in order to whip up hatred of Lincoln, put out this rumor that he was a Catholic, because that was really a bad thing back then.

And -- and when FDR did all of the great social programs he did, his opponents said that he was a Jew. In fact, they had a name for him, Jewsovelt.

This kind of antagonism and bullying and lying about people, has been going on for as long as this country, and it makes me very sad.

COOPER: This was, though, supposed to be a project that was going to bring various religions together, sort of evolved into that. But I mean, at this point, given all the sensitivity over it, given all the emotion over it, isn't that kind of impossible? I mean, even the imam now says that, had he known there was going to be this uproar, he wouldn't have done this.

MOORE: Well, I think he said he said he wouldn't have done it this way. I hope he doesn't back down. I hope he still builds it. I really support it. Most good-hearted Americans support it. I've got to believe that they do, even though the polls show something else.

COOPER: Michael Moore, thanks.

[liberal N proud]

1. K&R

[molly77]

7. Karl Rove and the entire bush/cheney

debacle called the republican party has been co opted by tapping into america's core racism.They are so blatant , they are turning off the racists. The KKK has not worn sheets because they were proud for the general public to know who they were.

The Nazi movement is alive and well, different name, different language. Hitler promoted a clean environment and healthy lifestyle. WE are a knock off. bush pushed shopping as an answer to 9/11. Our govt. pushes dirty air, water and food supply. Hitler targeted Jews, gays and gypsies. WE target brown people who have oil in their soil. History will show our current US govt is much more of a threat than Hitler ever was.

[JDPriestly]

2. Forgiveness is the core of Christianity.

When Christ was suffering on the cross, he forgave his enemies, those who had crucified him, and asked God to forgive even the man on the neighboring cross who was being punished for a crime.

Forgive them, for they know not what they do. -----

It seems to me that including a place at which Muslims may pray and ask for forgiveness at or near the 9/11 Memorial site is entirely appropriate. And it would seem to me that Jesus would want us to forgive. I don't understand the uproar over the Muslim community center a few blocks from 9/11. I do not understand how someone can claim to be a true Christian and not forgive. And above all, I do not understand how someone can claim to be a true Christian and not be willing to forgive people who happen to be Muslim and did not participate or support the attacks on 9/11 and at other times and places.

The meaning of Easter is not the suffering -- it is the resurrection -- and the forgiveness. I understand the meaning of the resurrection to be in part that Jesus was able to transcend his anger, that through forgiveness and love, he overcame death.

I question whether Newt Gingrich truly grasps how difficult it really is to live according to the teachings of Jesus. He needs to spend some time in prayer -- perhaps in a monastery in which monks devote all of their lives to prayer and to forgiveness. I am assuming that such places exist.

[Name removed]

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[wial]

8. Americans grow up damaged

We spend huge amounts of time in front of TVs, on the Internet, playing computer games, shopping, failing to interact with the world or other people directly. We don't meet each others' eyes when we pass on the street, turn our backs on neighbors admiring our gardens. Our education system was gutted by Reagan and we've been taught to hate even more than our natural inclination by massive PR campaigns backed by huge amounts of money.

It's small wonder we're incompetent at universal (hardly uniquely Christian or even human) skills like understanding and forgiveness.

As for Newt, there's something blocking him. Some trauma from childhood no doubt. He's so fixed in his injured ego though, there's probably no reaching him.

[JDPriestly]

10. I remember seeing an early video of him with his mother.

She was, shall we say "a character."

[bertman]

3. Very eloquent, Michael. Rec. nt

[Hissyspit]

4. Thanks, Turborama.

Sad that Moore has to explain this.

[Land Shark]

5. kick for talking american sense. nt

[Name removed]

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