Am I confused about your role as editor of The Sun or have you zigged into promoting national political discussions in your July 14 opinion piece?

I had thought you, the editor, and The Sun, are chartered to serve the Sunnyvale scene of local politics, local accomplishments, local problems and citywide specific needs—not a forum for your, or anyone else's, national political trivia.

It is of no concern to me whether you are democrat, republican, libertarian or simply "politically agnostic." It does concern me that you distract the interests and energies of Sunnyvale residents while preaching your beliefs about the upcoming national election. You are clearly inviting unworthy diatribe to The Sun's limited opinion-page space at the expense of our city's needs for discourse of local issues.

You should be ashamed to have so dropped the editorial ball by not representing the interests of Sunnyvale's local scene with your talented writing. The well-being of the vast majority of Sunnyvale residents rests right here in Sunnyvale's government, transportation infrastructure, parks, schools, employment, etc., not in Washington, D.C. Please serve us properly in the future!

J.W. Rowe

Sunnyvale

Creating such movies in wartime is treason

In response to your article on Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11, I must say that you disappointed me, although I am not surprised by your liberal response to the movie.

May I suggest to all who might read this rebuttal that we must not lose sight of who our real enemy is. We must not lose sight of the thousands of Americans who lost their lives in the real 9-11.

For people to actually believe all the garbage in this movie makes me sick to my stomach. As far as I'm concerned, anyone who makes a movie like this during a war should be tried for treason. I am not saying that the current administration is perfect, but we have succeeded in destroying one of the most brutal dictatorships the world has ever known.

As for all you liberals out there, let me assure you that if the same situation arises again somewhere in the world, I would be in support of doing it again.

I think everyone should ask themselves, "What is more important to me? My country, my freedom, my liberty or the happiness of someone who wants to kill me and my family and is determined to destroy our great country?" Long Live the United States of America!

Mark Zigerelli

Sunnyvale

Fahrenheit omits Iraqi suffering under Saddam

Your conflicting opinion of Fahrenheit 9/11—you said—was that of an enlightened liberal, although it was one-sided, manipulated images, etc. Well, Moore did call Americans the dumbest people on the planet.

So, to answer just some of your sophomoric observations: There were no scenes of Baghdad, no rape, no murder, no prisons, no mass graves of over 30,000 people. Instead, the happy cavorting of children and grandmothers.

It doesn't show liberated Iraqis bringing down the marble statue. Instead, we see a building being blown up. Incidentally this building was the site of the Iraqi ministry of Defense. Not too much kite flying here as this area was off limits to Iraqis. Baathist war crimes and repression is not mentioned once.

There was the video footage of the burial of US Airforce Major Greg Stone at Arlington Cemetery; however, the family was shocked to learn of it's inclusion in the film and Greg's mother called Moore "a maggot that eats off the dead."

Fahrenheit shows an interview in Walter Reed Hospital to point out the ravages of war. They got the video from NBC Nightly News. Soldier Peter Damon objected vehemently to this inclusion in the "documentary" for public consumption as he did not give permission.

Moore manipulates his "documentary" by focusing only on the points he wants to make. He is very selective about who he depicts. He does not show the Iraqis suffering under Saddam. If you remember, Goebbels also was able to make propaganda films to manipulate the Germans.

Moore believes that America is a terrorist state and the Americans use of force is evil. He says that Iraq under Saddam was fine until America began terrorizing it. He funds Hezbollah a terrorist organization that is actively organizing the showing of Fahrenheit in the Middle East because it slams America.

Your opinion piece disingenuously admits what Moore does and then gets all dewey-eyed and emotional, which is exactly the reaction he wished.

If we were fighting the Civil War today, and Lincoln was President, Moore would be behind bars for being a traitor and casting aspersions on his country. Too bad.

Micki Falk

Sunnyvale

Movie may get undecided
out to vote in election

I just read your opinion piece on Fahrenheit 9/11, and I wanted to say thank you. I think you did an excellent job capturing the key impact that the movie has left with many people who have seen it.

I know you did for me. I was weeping during the movie when they showed the impact of our bombs on the innocent Iraqi people (especially the children), for the mother in Flint who lost her son in the war, and for the U.S. soldiers that were disabled or lost their lives in the war. If only more people would be open to seeing this movie (especially on the Republican side) I think they might see some of the real and true devastating impact this war is having on innocent civilians in Iraq and on our troops.

It's too bad we are so polarized in this nation these days that we are not willing to see or accept truths about this war. The good news is that many people are seeing this movie, and are being enlightened to what is really going on. Hopefully, many of the undecided voters out there are seeing this film and it helps motivate them to go out and vote in the November election.

Mark Philips

Sunnyvale

Moore had high-powered group screen 'Fahrenheit'

Regarding your comments in the July 14 issue of The Sun on the validity of Michael Moore's movie, Fahrenheit 9/11: [According to a New York Times article on June 20, Moore hired outside fact-checkers, led by a former general counsel of The New Yorker and a veteran member of that magazine's fact-checking team, to vet the film.] And Moore says he stands ready to sue anyone who calls him a liar.

This is in agreement with all else I have ever learned about the man. I deeply admire him, as a sort of antithesis of a Dubya. Thanks for your article.

Les Tremayne

Sunnyvale

Moore going over the top helps balance the voices on the right

Your opinion piece about Fahrenheit 9/11 was balanced and to the point. I also saw the movie and left deeply moved. Why don't we hear about Iraqi casualties? Why are our soldiers given extended tours of duty? Why was the Secret Service harassing Michael Moore's film crew?

The Bush administration has the media on its side exclusively. We need more balance in our media. If Michael Moore goes over the top, good for him. There are multiple voices on the far right who are over the top. We need more voices on the other side so that our country can find a comfortable middle ground.

Don't let voices of censorship cripple our democratic ways.

Mary Boyle

Sunnyvale

Opinion piece on 9/11 Þlm not
insightful nor is it appreciated

In choosing to discuss Fahrenheit 911, you could not have chosen to dive into more divisive waters. I'm a liberal Democrat, too. And I find Michael Moore's movie irresponsible, reckless, manipulative, and manna for the weak-minded.

The "masterful juxtapositions" you refer to are strong images attached to intellectually and factually bankrupt ideas that ultimately lead some of you to think that the U.S. President is friends with our enemies and ultimately behind 9/11.

Of course you were moved. The film is emotionally charged and disarming. The terror group Hezbollah has expressed interest in distributing the movie in the Middle East and it's easy to see why. The movie is perfect recruitment tool for them—and for the ignorant and radicals among us who would rather sit in a movie theater than read a truly informed opinion like Bernard Lewis.

Michael Moore is not liberal and he is not a democrat, at least not in the traditional sense of the words. He is a radical provocateur and your opinions of his film are not insightful or appreciated.

Did Michael Moore show you any images of the estimated one million Iraqis murdered under Hussein's regime, and tens of millions of other Iraqis devastated by that? Of course not.

He wanted to manipulate you to be moved against your own government. And it worked.

Greg Maltz

Sunnyvale

Full-page Christian ads in the
Sun offensive to many readers

I am a 22-year Sunnyvale resident and a regular reader of The Sun.

I am getting increasingly uncomfortable about your recent string of full-page "come to Jesus" religious ads.

I find them offensive. If I wanted to hear this preaching, I would go to church. I choose not to.

I fully understand the issue of free speech and no doubt you make needed revenue from these ads, but by continuing this on an ongoing basis, it seems to me you are subverting the purpose of your newspaper—to be a general, very local source of news, events, business ads, not a religious publication.

By accepting these ads, would you also accept ads for Jews who support Israel's current policies and Jews who do not, and Muslims who condemn other religions and those who do not, and Hindu's who promote their beliefs and what about Scientologists and Buddists and on and on and on—where would you end it?

Yours is not a religious publication, and I do not believe most people in the community wish it to become one, so by continuing week after week publishing a Christian ad, you end up—however inadvertently—supporting one religion to the exclusion of others.

Please re-consider running these ads. There are plenty of other places, venues—religious ones—for this person or group to run their ads in, so you are not taking away their free speech.

You are however deciding for the rest of us that you wish to display and promote a particular set of religious beliefs and I do not believe you have community consent or consensus for that role.

Debra L. Doucette

Sunnyvale