Moore encourages students to vote
The majority of Americans have shifted away from the right, Michael Moore said to a crowd of 8,000 supporters and protesters at Utah Valley State College Wednesday afternoon.
“Only two more weeks of George W. Bush,” Moore said, “It’s tough knowing it’s almost over.”
As part of Moore’s Slacker Uprising Tour, UVSC was the 35th stop out of the 60 cities in 20 states. The purpose of the tour, Moore said, is to rally non-voters and slackers, which compose the majority of America, to try voting this election year on Nov. 2.
“We just want you to try voting, just this once,” Moore said to the sold-out auditorium. “How cool would it be to wake up on Nov. 3 and see Utah colored in blue? That would send the strongest message to Republicans. Because when you’re in Utah, you believe in miracles.”
Moore said the majority of Americans are not supporting the war and have “shifted away from the politics of hate.” Moore’s speech was received with mixed emotions ranging from standing ovations and cheering to heckling and condemnation rising from the audience.
Moore threw Ramen Noodles and clean underwear, slacker essentials Moore said, into the audience for those students who stood up and said they didn’t vote in the last election.
Rosanne Barr, a Utah native, was Moore’s surprise guest and is the “voice of working women and the working class,” Moore said.
Barr gave a satiric stand-up comedy performance, jesting the Republican parties with such comments as referring to the American youth as the “manipulated masses of the future.”
“I’m really proud of you guys and I’m proud to be here,” Barr said.
Moore said, with the recent controversy of his appearance, he was proud of the UVSC students for not backing down when threatened with lawsuits, death threats, threats of recall, bribery and extortion.
“I’ve never seen a more dedicated group of young people for the first amendment,” Moore said.
Moore said he commends the UVSC student body for believing students should be presented all points of view and “because they have this radical idea that Utah is still part of the United States of America.”
Moore said he was upset the students of UVSC had to endure death threats and lawsuits in relation to the first amendment, which should be upheld.
“You don’t use our courts to prevent someone from speaking to those who want to hear them,” Moore said about a pending lawsuit that has been filed against the school, “who the hell are you?”
Several individuals were escorted from the auditorium during Moore’s presentation for posing possible threats. One individual, standing in the third row with his coat bunched in his arms, was asked to leave by Moore.
“If you point something at me in the third row it’s hart to concentrate,” he said.
The Bush administration has done harm to the nation, Moore said, and American’s are realizing that. The majority of Americans do not support the war in Iraq, he said, and want stronger environmental protection, equal pay for men and women and raising the minimum wage to a “livable wage.”
“We will not treat you the way you’ve treated minorities while you’ve been in power,” Moore said about the Republican Party. “When we bring our sons and daughters home from Iraq, we will bring your sons and daughters home from Iraq.”
In completion of the three presidential debates, Moore said Sen. John Kerry performed well in comparison to President George W. Bush.
“Let’s not get too cocky here,” Moore said about the outcomes of the presidential debates favoring Kerry, “but it was pretty cool.”
In light of the success the Democrat Party is having, Moore said he is concerned with the performance of the American media. Prior to the war in Iraq and during the aftermath of Sept. 11, the media didn’t ask the hard questions or demand evidence, he said, and instead went along with what the government presented as the truth.
“The media have done such a poor job of informing us of the truth,” he said. “Our free press did us such a disservice before the war in Iraq. It was one of the most disgusting things I’ve seen in my life.”
Before the truth came out about there being no weapons of mass destruction, the majority of Americans supported the war, Moore said, but now 54 percent of America are against the war because they have access to the truth.
“A true democracy cannot survive if the electorate is not informed,” he said.
Shelia Langford, a senior at Utah State University majoring in speech communications, said she was impressed with Moore’s speech and glad it wasn’t canceled.
“I think what impressed me the most was that he was so honored by the students of UVSC, both Jim and Joe, what they did, they had a lot against them,” Langford said. “They believe in freedom of speech, it wasn’t that they believe in Michael Moore or they support Bush, so much as they believe in letting people see both sides. They stood for what was against them, all of the threats that they had, and that means a lot to me.”
Ben Ackerman, from Lehi, said he came to the lecture because Moore is a good influence for the country and said he agrees with his point of view.
“He says a lot of stuff you don’t here around here,” Ackerman said. “I think that would have been a joke [if Moore was canceled].”
Protesters outside of the venue stood in the rain to prove their point of discontent with Moore’s appearance.
One protestor, David Paulsen, said he his pro-Bush and doesn’t agree with Moore. Paulsen said he did see Moore’s lecture and is glad it wasn’t canceled because he supports the freedom of speech for all points of view.
“It’s a good thing, maybe not for Republicans,” Paulsen said about Moore’s appearance at UVSC.
-kcashton@cc.usu.edu
Members of the audience watch some campaign ads Michael Moore created to mock the Republican Party. (Photo by Michael Sharp)