Sources
Introduction
Prologue
Chapter 01
Chapter 02
Chapter 03
Chapter 04
Chapter 05
Chapter 06
Chapter 07
Chapter 08
Chapter 09
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88

 
TAZARA ... a journey by rail through world-history © KJS / 2009
Michael Moore www.zombiechatter.com
CHAPTER 38  



It was not our intention to invite Mr. Colt as well. Instead, someone is entering our rolling stage who is — how should we describe him? — a type like out of a Western saloon, massive, never to ignore, a lumberman’s shirt is hanging over his trousers, a baseball cap on the somehow greasy hair, in the face a brushy beard.
We welcome the man who, in front of a recording camera, opened an account in a bank’s branch in a little town in North America and who received in return a gun as a gift.
Michael Moore, it is this scene that opens your documentary which made you an Oscar-winner and the recipient of countless other awards.


„I wanted to show how easy it is to get a weapon in my home country. When I was a little boy I was given by my father already a membership-card of the National Rifle Association.“

The „National Rifle Association“ is an U.S.-American organisation, which trains the safe handling of weapons and which, especially, defends the right to own weapons privately. The NRA was founded shortly after the American Civil War had ended by officers of the Union who were shocked how badly soldiers of the Union had been trained in shooting. They took as an example the British „Rifle Association“ which was founded in 1859. The NRA calls itself the oldest civil rights organisation of the United States of America; according to their own statistics there are some four million two hundred thousand individuals and some ten thousand seven hundred associations members.
What objection do you have against an organisation of sporting riflemen, Mr. Moore? In Germany, local rifle associations are marching through villages and towns every year …


„… With guns carved out of wood, as far as I know! And above all, German rifle associations are very much restricted in their activities; they fall under tough weapon-regulations and limitations regarding children and youth as well. You don’t get there a gun for free once you open a bank account.
At home, in the U.S.A., two pupils of the Columbine High School in Littleton shot in 1999 twelve other pupils, one teacher and themselves. It was this school-massacre which caused my investigation into the fact that in the United States of America the rate of crimes committed with weapons is higher than in any other democratic state like in Germany, France, Japan, Great Britain, Australia and especially in Canada.“

What do you try to tell us with the title „Bowling for Columbine“?

„Well, it was disturbing that the Columbine-massacre was mainly explained by the fact that both boys who had committed the crime had listened to the tunes of Marilyn Manson. Introducing the fact that both were bowling before I simply forwarded the question whether it would not make sense to make bowling responsible for their crime.“

It is now known that both had actually tailed the bowling-course — it’s a pity for the title, of course … But somehow did we also miss the conclusion of your documentary. You argue the higher rate of weapon-based crime in the U.S.A. cannot be connected to the fact that there are a great number of weapons available, the reason: as many weapons if not even more would also be available in Canada.
You introduce other reasons and reject them at the same time: the violent suppression of the Indians in the past would not be a valid argument since other nations with similar violent background would have a lower crime-rate today; and you give as examples Germany (Nazi-period), Japan (massacres in China during World War II), France (torture in Algeria). Also militarism, racism, aggressive forms of unjust social organisation — all this will be introduced but declared as invalid. Much space is given to reflections about the U.S.-American media-landscape with its focus on violation and crime, which may contribute to a general feeling of fear.


„Well, that is perhaps the answer of my film: we in the U.S.A. are living in a culture of fear.“

But then we like much more an observation noted by a critique of your presentation:

In one instance, an interviewee shrugs the shoulder acknowledging ignorance; Moore shrugs the shoulder as well: one moment one would like to freeze. But before one can be impressed the stream of pictures continues, the moment is forgotten.

Mr. Moore, you are in a hurry, the next stage is waiting. Where will it be?

„In the venerable London Palladium-Theatre. I am going to tell a British audience something about my next documentary, titled ‚Fahrenheit 9/11‘.
The film focuses among others on the business-relation of the family of President Bush with Arab businessmen, especially with those who belong to the Bin-Laden-family. I am describing the policy of my government following the destruction of the World Trade Centre in New York on 11th September 2001, known in short under: ‚nine-eleven‘ or ‚9/11‘.
And before you ask again: the title of my film quotes the novel ‚Fahrenheit 451‘ by Ray Bradbury and the movie with the same title by François Truffaut. They referred ‚Fahrenheit 451‘ to the temperature which burns paper; well in my context is ‚Fahrenheit 9/11‘ the temperature that burns freedom …

By the way, my researchers came up with a little story, which I did not use in the film. But it may be of interest to your Russian guest here, and I don’t mean Mr. Trotsky …
When your invention, Mr. Kalashnikov, turned sixty, a couple of books were published. The author of one,
Michael Hodges, tells an anecdote with regard to Osama bin Laden’s first ‚AK47‘: it is said that this particular carbine was taken as booty from Palestine fighters during the 1982 attack of the Israelis against positions in Lebanon. This weapon was then handed over via the CIA to Bin Laden when he was fighting in Afghanistan against the Russians, but still supported by the American Secret Service. Well, it is said that it is this ‚AK47‘ which he presented in his first video after ‚9/11‘.“

Thanks, Mr. Moore, and we are adding a bit more to that topic „bad weapons“ — „good weapons“.
The American magazine „Movies and Methods“ describes the function of the rifle in the film „Winchester ’73“ as a somehow „godly object“ which in a changing world stands for something being „constant, perfect and beautiful“ to be compared with the kind of „weapons in mediaeval romantic“ which alone by being present would show human behaviour.
Well, this reminds us of the rather positive role which Karl May has dedicated throughout his work to your rifle, Mr. Henry, as a weapon which cannot be handled by the Evil.



German version available on DVD!
Audio presentation by the pointsman, animation & video-clips!
Acces RBO's web-shop by clicking on the radio!
 
Continue TAZARA-Index
Correct the Pointsman

web page hit counter

web page hit counter