[Will]

AT, I'm glad that you finally saw it. You really don't have to agree with the man's politics to get something out of the movie. Besides the conspiracy theory bits, which have been getting the most knee-jerk reaction out of some conservatives, the central thesis of the film has recieved hardly any comment. This is an unfortunate theme through his films, I think. People get so worked up over his style of blindly going through any possibilities imaginable (eg. intro to Bowling for Columbine, where the shooters went bowling before going on the rampage, therefore bowling is evil... etc), that the actual Messages of the film get lost in an endless debate over the meaningless details.

You hit on one of what I think are two core Messages of the film, that war has a very high human cost, ignoring all the money that has been funneled into it. The images from the war are considered very shocking to many Americans, I think from the distinct American media practice of putting a facsade over everything. Any other country in the world would have seen, and did see, the pictures of the killed, wounded, and mourners in their media outlets. American media went for the "flashier" shots from a jet's undercarrige camera, or a splash screen of an American flag, or crowds cheering soldiers. The other stuff doesn't make people feel good, and it's a distinctly American belief that everyone should Feel Good, All The Time, No Matter What.

The other part of the message was where the true strength in America lies. It's with the Ugly American (referring to the engineer in the book of the same name), the working people who form the bulk of the armed forces, and the ones who have some kind of decency, helping others instead of just themselves. They are presented in contrast to the very rich Bush Administration officials, and the very rich corporate directors, who call the shots because they have the money, and thus, presumably, the power. Kerry fits in this group too, although IMHO, it's a bit different since he married into money rather than being born into it like most are.

You have the things that are important to you, I have things that are important to me, and those form our choices. And I hope with you that whichever one ends up "winning" truly is the best one.