Kynn Bartlett drove down to San Diego recently to see Michael Moore promote his latest book. The night ended going up late and at the end of the night the police were called to empty out the auditorium he was speaking in. Moore posted a description of what happened on his web site. In return, Kynn posted a report of what he witnessed. As he puts it:
Because I was there, I feel I have to tell the story as I saw it -- as it really happened. Don't get me wrong, I am a big supporter of Michael Moore, I love his book, and I have great respect for his courage. But unfortunately I have lost some of that respect for him based on his actions on Friday night, and his rather incomplete (and inappropriately inflammatory) description of the so-called RAID. I think the public record needs more than Michael's view on events.
As far as the reports of the night went, I have to say that I was pretty disturbed by how Moore was presenting the events of the night. His writing was much more inflamatory And by reading his report you get a much different view then you do from what Kynn wrote. He seemed to be making a much bigger deal about this then was necessary. Yes, there were problems with how the night was planned. Yes, maybe it could have been better organized. No, the police probably didn't need to be called. But, it certainly didn't sound like a 'raid'.
Based on these two accounts of the night. Michael Moore comes off as being a bit self-centered and rude. I find it rude that he shows up to an event people invite him to, and then when it is time for things to be over doesn't respect their request to wrap things up. He doesn't respect the people who have to wait around for him to finish so that they can do their jobs. And in the end, he uses it to create specticle. This isn't about his politics, it's about how you treat other people.
One of my reasons for posting this was that it helped remind me of something I have a tendancy to forget. There's usually more then one side to a story. Question everything.
