A Letter from Michael Moore

...along with my comments in brackets...


"We have made it through the Dark Ages and here we are, in one of the most redemptive moments history has ever witnessed. Barack Obama is our best hope to get it right, to heal our national soul, to reach out to the rest of the world with an olive branch instead of shocking brutality. [Actually, Ralph Nader, Cynthia McKinney, Ron Paul or Dennis Kucinich would have been more suitable for this role given they were the only candidates for presidency speaking about such things as the bank cartel, the federal reserve, the stupidity of having a currency not backed by gold, the deeply dire situation much of our nation's infrastructure is under, the crimes committed by the former administration, the damaging effects of NAFTA and the WTO, etc. etc....]

I want to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you who has worked to make this day happen. For many, the madness goes back, not eight years but twenty-eight years, to the tragic day Reagan was sworn in to dismantle our precious "government of the people" and our beloved way of life. [I'd say more like 50 years.]

To all of you who have spoken up and spoken out, who have written letters and marched for peace, for all of you who never gave up, you are the true heroes today. Many of you have suffered great economic losses. Some of you have endured a loved one being shipped overseas to senseless and shameful wars, and thousands of you have seen those loved ones returned home, no longer alive. It has been a heartbreaking time. [Our entire history as a country has been one of heartbreak. Freedom, in it's purest form, has yet to be achieved for We The People.]

But the sun comes out at noon today. The disgraced outgoing president will slide out the side door and head to Crawford to sell the Hollywood set known as the Bush "ranch" before he settles down in an exclusive neighborhood in Dallas. I would encourage Mr. Bush to issue one final pardon before noon today -- his own. He had better issue a blanket pardon for all crimes that may have been committed since 2001 by himself, Cheney, Rumsfeld and the whole gang. Serious laws were broken, a war was concocted on a lie, and now, please, justice must be carried out. [Don't count on the Obama administration do carry out any of that justice. He's already announced he will not be pursuing that agenda, or did you miss that little comment? What do you surmise we do now, Mike?]

So let us move forward and fix the horrible mess we are in. We are fortunate to have a new president who is smart and kind and committed to serving his country. Take a moment today and think about what you can do to join him in helping him do his job. We're all in this together. Our country has been so profoundly wrecked by an administration who decided to mug our constitution and then steal what they can for their Wall Street cronies on the way out the door.

Here is my plea: Let's not leave Barack Obama alone to clean up the mess. As he takes his oath today, please take one yourself -- to work harder than ever to end these wars, create universal health care, save our planet, end poverty, increase knowledge and establish a true government "of, by and for the people" (instead of "of, by and for the lobbyists, the bankers, and the war profiteers"). [Well if you wanted that kind of a government, you wouldn't have voted for Obama. And for the McCain voters, you wouldn't have voted for him either. If you had done your homework and checked out the groups, both government and private, that Obama has been a part of, the people he has been using as advisors, seeking for counsel, you could not in good conscience have voted for him for you would have seen we were going to continue to see a government of the bankers, the lobbyists and the war profiteers. Who do you think $$ backs Obama? You see Mike, I did my homework. I didn't rely on the mainstream media, left or right. I kicked off my leftist liberal boots (while never ever in my LIFE wearing conservative republican books) and got down to business. I voted for Nader. I release any and all responsibility from here on out in terms of what happens to this nation now. That responsibility, I put on you and all others who voted for business as usual, both Republican and Democrat while continuing to dismiss me and folks like me. I sent you quite a few letters, Mike. If they were read, the words obviously went ignored. That being said however, if....when (always the optimist I am) you do further awaken, I will be more than willing to point you in the direction of the research I engaged myself in. Perhaps at that time I would be willing to work together at removing the ongoing, appointed, elitist, dollar/ass kissing business-as-usual folks in D.C. and democratically electing real leaders.]

On a personal note, it's no secret that I have had to suffer an avalanche of hate and attack as I stuck my neck out to simply do my job. Some day I will tell you what the true cost of this has been for me, but not today. Today is a time for celebration and optimism and hope. I'm glad we all lived to see this incredible moment. And I thank each of you for your support of my work and your dedication to our democracy. [I hear ya, although my level of anomosity I received for speaking out against Obama mania or anything challenging the left and right was nothing compared to what you have had to endure. I offer my sincerest empathy and compassion to you and your family for whatever ugliness you have faced simply for speaking your truth. It's deeply saddening that one still cannot speak their truth without risking such attack. Forget the american patriotism diatribe. It is against the deepest fabrics of our beings to throw hate and threats against those with whom we disagree. It's easy to engage in. It's even celebrated. An evening journeying through the internet and television reminds us of this celebration. Respect even in the midst of strong differences. We can do it. It is a lesson for all of us to embrace and vow to do better on.]

12:01pm can't come soon enough! Happy Inauguration Day! [It came. It went. Let's move forward to our tomorrow's with eyes and mind wide open while remembering to carry respect in our hearts, actions and words. Happy day to you.]