Movie-Maker's Hatred for U.S. More and Moore Obvious

A pro-family icon and former presidential candidate believes it is apparent that filmmaker Michael Moore hates America and Americans, and that the producer-director of "Fahrenheit 9/11" must consider himself a "citizen of the world."

Gary Bauer is chairman of American Values and the Campaign for Working Families. He says there is growing proof that Michael Moore really hates America, even though his anti-Bush propaganda film made nearly $20 million over its opening weekend. The pro-family spokesman cites, for example, a New York Times writer who documents in his column the filmmaker's frequent anti-American sentiments expressed before foreign audiences.

For instance, Moore is quoted in The London Mirror as saying that Americans are "possibly the dumbest people on the planet," whose "stupidity is embarrassing." And speaking to a Cambridge audience, he once stated, "You're stuck with being connected to this country of mine, which is known for bringing sadness and misery to places around the globe."

And Bauer notes that the filmmaker's low opinions seem to be reserved for his countrymen, while he seems almost admiring of the terrorists killing U.S. soldiers in Iraq. On his website a few months ago, Moore referred to them as "the Minutemen" and predicted that "their numbers will grow, and they will win." Meanwhile, he has joined some others in the media in highlighting the Abu-Ghraib scandal and generally characterizing America's military sons and daughters as "barbarians."

Bauer suspects that Moore, if pressed, would reveal that he has been influenced by one of the newly developing trends among the far left in the United States, that of professing to be a world citizen. The conservative activist says people who belong to this group vehemently "despise their own country and their own traditions."

And Bauer worries that Moore may be successful in spreading that influence, and that some uninformed Americans may be affected by his so-called documentary. "There will be some people who are just confused and will just get sucked into the hype of the movie," he says. "On the other hand, those are exactly the kind of people who generally don't vote on election day."

The conservative spokesman finds the initial box office success of "Fahrenheit 9/11" amazing, he says, especially considering that the anti-Bush film is earning Moore millions in a capitalist country he obviously despises. "It's really amazing," he says, "Michael Moore's documentary was obviously a big hit over the weekend, but there's a growing body of evidence that this man does hate his country and basically hates his fellow Americans."

However, Bauer says he is sure, if Moore hates the United States so much, that there are plenty of citizens who would not hesitate to hold the exit door open for him as he leaves.