government

Michael Moore really lays it on the line in this book. He challenges the Bush administration to answer some tough questions which have been boiling up recently. For example, did you know that the Bush family has close personal ties with the bin Laden family? It seems hard to believe, but it's true. Do you know why we haven't put more pressure on Saudi Arabia for their support of terrorists? It's because the Bush family is also close friends with the ruling Saud family. Remember Enron? Well, Ken Lay, the CEO of Enron, hasn't been charged with any crimes. Could this be because he is a close friend of George W. Bush? Are you starting to see a pattern? It's a cozy little world, isn't it? Too bad you aren't a part of it.

My favorite chapter is th eone in which he outlines how to stop terrorism. Creating a PR department in the White House isn't one of the solutions. Already people can't trust what the White House says, of the create a PR department to churn out propoganda, then it will just decrease people's confidence in what the government tells them. The real solutions are things like treating our allies like allies and not like enemies. Stop taking care of dictators and strongmen in third world countries. And at least pretend to care about people's lives in third world countries (even better--actually CARE). There is a lot of arrogance in our current foreign policy, and everyone notices that but us.

Also Moore goes after the filthy rich (as usual). These rich are becoming richer and richer at the expense of everyone else. He goes on to show how these rich have set up a system in which average people protect the priveledges of the rich because they dreat to be rich themselves someday, but the system is rigged. The dream is still there, but the reality is different. It's becoming more and more difficult to enter into the new aristocracy of the hyper-rich. How much longer will it take for people to see the reality of the situation?

Well, this book is an entertaining and enlightening read. If you enjoyed Moore's other books, you shouldn't hesitate to pick this one up. Also, he give advice in his last chapter for action you can take to help change this administration. Check it out and do what you can do to make this country and world a better place.

A great book - written in Michael Moore's classic style - funny, hard-hitting and thought provoking. Although a few reviewers pointed out that some parts of the book are "over the top," Moore's observations are based on big grains of truth.

For example, his chapter "Oil's Well That Ends Well," may seem far-fetched, but the big grain of truth is that the days of cheap oil are coming to an end. If you don't believe the environmentalists, check out sources such as the BP Statistical Review (www.bp.com) or IHS Energy (formerly Petroconsultants), the largest consulting firm to the oil industry. Many experts agree that world oil production will likely peak within the next few decades. The result will be rising energy costs, which will have a major impact on the U.S. economy - an economy that currently imports almost 60% of its oil from foreign sources.

The Bush administration seems to be addressing this issue by using military might to secure the richest oil deposits in the world. And when one considers what would happen if oil stopped flowing into the U.S. economy, $87B starts to look like a reasonable price. However, this strategy is ultimately unsustainable. Whether we like it or not, global deposits of cheap oil are being drawn down. We need leadership and public debate to understand the economic/social impacts and to develop alternative strategies.

Moore raised the oil issue in Chapter Three with a dialogue between "Anne Coulter Moore" and her "Great-Grandpa." Moore had me laughing out loud, but the lack of in-depth analysis made it easy to dismiss this chapter as "over the top." However, his points are based on some uncomfortable truths, and to be fair to Moore, an in depth analysis is really the subject of another book (e.g. Hubbert's Peak: The Impending World Oil Shortage).

I'm giving him a Five Star rating. I think he's got another best seller here.

This book was as intelligent as the movie with the like name. You would have to smoke a bowl of pot to think either one has any redeeming value. Don't waste your money.