I was truly amazed as I began watching Moore's movies because of how far off the criticism from the right was of their content. The first one I saw was Bowling for Columbine which had been portrayed to me as this anti-gun movie. It was the obvious inference because the Columbine incident had so polarized the sides in that issue. I was so surprised then when I found that Moore's final conclusion in the film was not that guns had caused the massacre and the escalating violence in America but that we Americans had one component other countries with tons of guns and violent movies and video games didn't have....overwhelming fear.

I had no clue that a country like Canada had nearly as many handguns as the US but just a fractions of the gun violence. Moore may have had the idea that the guns were the problem at the beginning of his project but it seemed clear to me at the end that he had changed his mind about it. I think what gave the film it's anti-gun reputation was Moore's blindsiding of Charlton Heston at the end. Of course any attack on Moses and the pres of the NRA just has to be an attack on all conservative values and our precious guns. I simply saw it as a slap back at one of our nation's true assholes, someone too full of himself and his ideaology to spare Colorado a very visible and in-your-face NRA convention when the ground still contained the blood of students and teachers.

I'm sure, like you feel Chris, that most Moore critics have never seen his films, instead basing their opinions on Consevative talk show hosts and internet blogs. How could they not enjoy his idea from his movie "The Big One" that our country, to get more respect in the world, needs to have a new image and title. He pointed out we have a wimpy name - "The United States of America". How could we possible compare with a title like "Great Britain"? He suggested we rename ourselves "The Big One" and have as our new national motto, "We Will, We Will Rock You". Sure sounds like a macho idea to me. I haven't laughed that hard in years, certainly Rush Limbaugh has never done that to me.