I think I'll enjoy this book.
Shame on you, Mr. Bush!


Michael Moore

RELEASE NOTES:

Will send it to Germany today

Thank you Sobergirl!!!!!

This books picks up on one of the very last sentences in Fahrenheit 9/11 "Will they ever trust us again?". The book is a collection of voices from either current Iraq soldiers, their families or elder veterans talking about their support for Michael Moore and their doubts about the war in Iraq. I know that a lot of people simply refuse to belief Moore and and can't imagine that he actually gets supported by people in the military. But I think this is very hard to prove because right now it is just a huge taboo to talk about negative views on the war in Iraq coming from soldiers.
I just browsed through amazon.com customer reviews of "Will They Ever Trust Us Again?" and I wasn't surprised about how DIFFERENT all of those are. Either Moore got streight 5 star reviews or lowest 1 star reviews. The critisising reviews all basically complain about the fact that Moore handpicked the letters. He should have included the opposite opinions as well. But then we HEAR statements of support for the war in Iraq constantly! It is Moore's book that actually offers the other side of the coin!

RELEASE NOTES:

enjoy!

I'm not sure when this arrived as I've been away for the last week. A nice surprise in my mailbox though. Thanks Geegal!

An often sad and always poignant collection of letters from soldiers in Iraq, their families and veterans of previous wars sent to Michael Moore that show Gulf War 2 to be the poorly conceived, badly organised, built on lies war that it really is. There's really not much I can say that can do the writers' hardships and views the justice they deserve so I will just recommend that you all read it as soon as possible and perhaps your view of the war, Bush or at least the US military will change.

International Bookray order

1. niana (Netherlands)
2. Xanocas (Portugal)
3. pam99 (UK)
4. Squirk (UK)
5. Grorser (Canada)
6. amberC (Australia)

If anyone else wishes to join, they can be added to the end of the list.

RELEASE NOTES:

Posted to niana in The Netherlands.
Enjoy!

Just found this book on my doorstep (thanx to JonA & RoyalMail). It looks just as interesting as I thought it would be. 1st in line TBR!

This has been an intense and thought-provoking read. I feel sad for these soldiers & their families. How it must hurt to understand you've been misled & not being able to get out. I can't imagine what I would do.

Something else: this book finally answered one Question for me: WHY on earth did the American people vote for George Bush in the last election?
As I see it now, they did it because the alternative was even worse. They had to choose between two evils. The first option being the conviction the US/western world is surrounded by vicious terrorist but the government is taking care. The second option is of course the realization George Bush c.s. send these kids to war based on an outright lie. The realization the government does not care about their lives & their health, but sees the superrich as their backbone. When I turn off my cynism and allow myself to feel, I'm hurt - and I'm not even American.

Maybe 'we' should try to view the aggresive-dumb-warloving-blind-ultrapatriottic-rednecks in that sense: as people who desperately are trying to avoid this pain.... And help them to see the truth. *feeling too sugary* And rub it under their noses, again and again!

=====
I'll send it to Xanocas in Portugal.

Arrived today.

Finished reading today at the beach.

It was a nice read; well, not so nice, because of the theme.

It's really sad to read those emails from soldiers and from soldiers' families. It's really sad to know those soldiers' feelings about the war and about what they're doing. It's really sad to know that they were misled.

However, it's hard to believe that so many people were misled, wrong, foolished by their president. Ok, the american media was not impartial, but the american people is grown up and can acquire information elsewhere.

So, I don´t see the american people and the american soldiers as they are portrayed by the book: as poor people who were deceived.

I hope that all ends well (I know that's not possible, because, as we say in Portugal, something that borns broken late or never will be mended - the translation is not very good - sorry).

All in all, I liked the book.

PS. - I've already read Stupid White Men, Dude, Where's my Country and I've seen Fahrenheit 9/11. It's scares the hell out of me to think and know that the person/people who command the world are like that.

arrived yesterday, thanks! Looks like a good read.

Read it in one sitting on the train yesterday, a very moving book.

Others on the ring may be interested in this site:

http://www.justice4gordongentle.org/

Military families aren't as well organised here in Scotland as they are in the US, but Gordon Gentle's mother Rose (who lives about a mile away from me) has run a good campaign demanding an inquiry into her son's death. I was involved in a rally last year and we had two ex-US marines come over to speak, their stories were amazing.

Just waiting for an address and this'll be on its way.

sorry, sorry, I've had the address for about 10 days and just haven't been able to get to a Post Office (this is a local holiday weekend). It will be on its way on Tuesday, *promise*!

Arrived safely. Two other ring books arrived at the same time, but I think I'll be able to race through this one.

Many thanks!

A very good book - it's so interesting to read the views from soldiers out in Iraq, from veterans and soldiers based elsewhere in the world. This gives a much more rounded view of the US forces, and who do you believe? Some parts were so incredible that they outraged me, so I can't imagine how the soldiers feel putting their lives on the line. The most incredible thing is that they're still out there, Bush is still president and the Iraq war seems to have gone silent over here in the UK (apart from the odd bomb reported on the news) and has Blair really got off Scot free?

Off to Grorser today.

Many thanks Sobergirl and JonAzrael!

This arrived yesterday. It will jump the queque and be next to be read.

Will report back once read.

We're embarrassed by how long we have had this book. Have found it hard to sit and read at one go - it seems to work better when one reads just a letter or two at a time.

A good compilation of letters and viewpoints.

Will PM amberC and get this bookring back on the rails. Sorry at the delay. We did enjoy the book.

arrived safely today. the flower stickers on the package are very pretty.

A quick read. I would have liked more of the personal stories of the men and women who are/have been in Iraq and their families, and less promotion of Michael Moore's films and previous books.

I was looking foward to this book, but my 'uh-oh' antenna went off reading the introduction, which was very "well everyone with any sense agrees with me" by Michael Moore. The letters then seemed to be "Michael Moore, you are right, and i am writing to you to tell you you are right". Which is very boring. As AmberC said, it would have been much more interesting if there had been some background on the letter writers. To me, this became a long list glorifying Moore rather than a true insight into varying views within the ranks of those serving in Iraq.

RELEASE NOTES:

left with the other 'give away' books near the return shute