Where's My Country?, Dude

To the person from Kilgore, Texas:
Never have I heard such a mindless and uneducated tirade! Unfortuneatelty, what you do not seem to realize, is that despite your bigotry, everyone has the right to vote and decide how the U.S. is run.
By the way, blue color workers built the country! Also please note that you should not be so quick to decide what God has in mind for everyone. For someone who is so Christian, you sure do seem to have a lot of hatred and bigotry boiling up inside you. I don't think that God would be too pleased.
As for this book - people should take it for what it is. A man's opinion about some very controversial topics - that's it. People are entitled to an opinion and he published his. Big Deal!

You know when someone has not read "Dude, Where's My Country?"... (like the authors of that terrible money spinning anti-Moore book who stuck a picture of him on their cover to make a buck... why can't they use their own faces?? HUH... Tell me Why $$$$$!!) .....when they start to complain about the lack of facts in this book. Let us be clear here for a moment - this book has 10% of it devoted to resources at the back which YOU can check up on. The font on those pages is actually half the size so 20% of this book has sources noted. Moore provides us with a fully comprehensive bibliography. So for the phoney self-proclaimed democrats who say yeah they like Moore, but his facts are wrong, you have obviously NOT READ THE BOOK or even checked out that bibliography, period.
This quite comical, page turning (don't you just read Moore's book completely as soon as you open the first page!) political satire begins by asking George W Bush several questions that he has not yet answered in relation to 9/11 and these are important - like his ties to the Bin Laden family and why he let members of the Bin Laden family flee America after 9/11 - many good questions that have still not been answered by the man are put forth by Moore. Then Moore goes through the lies before 9/11 and after, citing all the major whoppers that Bush served up for us. We get a few pages on the up and coming oil crisis (very important to learn about and a pity there was not more about such an important issue and the backbone of the Iraq war). Moore then brings up the theme of FEAR again, which he covered in Bowling for Columbine, but brings it up here because since Bowling, Bush just hasn't stopped with the fear... nor have the media. He is merely showing us predictions that continue to come true with this administration. We then get 16 easy ways of how to stop terrorism by starting in the home. Like in Stupid White Men, Moore gives us a prayer to recite in hope that the bad guys in government have heart attacks tomorrow. It is all just so well written and so funny yet tragic that this is the way the government has opted to treat its own people. He then writes a piece about Bush's tax cuts for the rich while leaving the poor without any. Probably the best chapter is near the end. It is called "How to talk to your conservative brother in law" and had me in hysterics. After this chapter we get the low down on how to remove Bush from power.
All in all this is the prequel for Fahrenheit 9/11 and certainly mandatory reading for catching up on the whole question of just who will be in Government come 2005. For this Moore says we need to get Bush out, which means at this time voting for Kerry probably. However many critics have mistaken Moore's support for Kerry as being Moore's final agenda. This is not correct. Moore repeatedly states that a GREEN party would be stronger than the Democrats and is aiming for a 2008 Green win! This can be done by either forming a coalition between Democrats and Greens or the Greens going for it themselves. This is a good idea because already the Democrats see Kerry as the liberal front of their party; however there are not many good Greens and especially not really good ones like Moore.
The bottom line is that the man writing this book could very well be on his way to the White House sooner than most people think. This guy is not only the new poster boy for a new American government but he has, virtually on his own, defined how politics will be shaped in the 21st century! Imagine President Moore giving his State of Union address via your theatres or producing documentaries and programs to help educate everyday Americans about their own political system and how you can help make things better. Moore makes politics interesting for us! If that is not the single most important quality of a leader then what is? Thank this man for helping wake up America. Get him into the Oval Office and there will be no stopping what America can do to help the rest of the world. With this man in charge it is possible that we just might see a year's Military spending being diverted to converting 3rd world countries into 1st world nations. This is the man that we all need to represent us. He loves life and people. Go on Republicans - get a heart and try a bite from THE UP AND COMING NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA's Twinkie bar.

Every American should read this book and 'Stupid White Men'.
Michael Moore does his homework and makes interesting and thoughtful suggestions in this new book. Oprah for President? I love the idea! The chapter written by 'God' is good, too.
As an Australian who observes the United States from the outside, I find Moore's observations both frightening and hopeful. Frightening, because they show the United States as it is - smug, arrogant, stupid and brutal, and hopeful because the majority of Americans seem to be liberals at heart (even though it is only in the United States that the term 'liberal' is regarded as pejorative).
Tories, rednecks, rabid capitalists and The Looney Right will hate this book even though few of them will ever bother to read it. It strikes me that a number of comments about this book have been written by people who haven't actually read it!
Mike, you're my hero!

The beginning of Dude, Where's My Country? contains more scary Saudi/Bush facts in the vein of his film, Farenheit 911. Once you get through these dense yet disturbing "Whoppers," the book takes off.

Moore looks at how big, rich corporations have been not only treating their workers badly, but outright deceiving them. Before reading Dude, I had never heard of "Dead Peasants Insurance." DPI is when companies secretly - without notifying the employee or his family - take out a large cash policy that goes one hundred percent to execs' wallets. Moore says that the conservative media news channels were in cahoots with the corporations during the stock market boom of the early '90's. Pundits urged middle-class investors to keep their money in stocks, even though the market was tanking, and owners were secretly pulling out all their own stock.

Moore then says that middle-class Conservatives are fooling themselves if they think the wealthy Republicans will ever let them join them at their trough. Moore of course hoped to unseat Bush in the 2004 election, but we all know that didn't happen. This is a must-read eye-opener for every American. I don't agree with everything Moore says, such as when he pretends to have God include a chapter in his book. In "God's" chapter, God shrugs his shoulders at abortion and actually calls a fetus a fetus, a baby a baby. In the next breath, the big G says that He doesn't care who has sex with whom. But if a fetus is a fetus, then male and female reproductive organs are what they are, as well. I don't appreciate Moore airly speaking for God.

Basically the author criticism of President Bush for his attitude to the war and his so-called fight against international terrorism. In a critical irreverently also a number of actions that have led to worsening the average American citizen, increasing the gap between rich and poor. All their arguments are properly supported by references. Easy to read and highly entertaining. One thing is the U.S. government and other American citizens, which widely applauded.

Michael Moore has paid his dues and established a level of credibility that is practically unmatchable.
Anyone who has been paying attention since his movie Roger and Me first appeared in cinemas and ordinary working class Americans got to see someone from their largely ignored ranks make an impact in the world of the beautiful people, will not be suprised at the amount of books he's selling.
I can think of no-one liberal and definitely not conservative who has made this kind of effort to connect with 'regular guys' and represent their thoughts and feelings to the world at large.
From a purely intellectual standpoint it would be easy to criticise the Message from God chapter and all the Mike's Militia stuff as self serving. But that would be to miss a singularly significant point - this is NOT a book for intellectuals.
This is a book that is aimed at those that Mike knows best - regular people! That's not to say this is not an intelligent book; mixed in with the populist language and the odd rant are a great many well researched and challenging facts as well as some well framed and pointed questions.
Michael Moore's gift is in creating humorous easily digestible vehicles for important information, which frankly would have little hope of being accessed otherwise. This is a book that you can read in a day but will give you something to think about for many months to come. Buy it, give it to friends and family for Christmas and don't leave out that conservative brother-in-law.

It's amazing how many people in these reviews rage against Michael Moore's weight. I don't think they read the title. The title isn't "Dude, Where's My Hamburger?" Moore has more weighty topics to discuss here than food or his waistline (he's recently lost 50 pounds, by the way, for all those hatemongers who can't seem to think about or address the actual content in this book). He's virtually resurrecting a vision of America that puts the people in charge and jettisons the powerful, truly bloated and obese people out of their commodious seats of power and security. In their place should be all the working stiffs who currently prop up these corrupt greed machines with their labor, their votes, and their children's lives. In effect, he's trying to breathe life into the Democratic party, which always touted itself as the party of the people. And he's trying to educate a public that's being lied to every day by the big right-wing media machine now in place in the nation.

One of the best parts of this book was his reminder that fear has gripped the land, an overwhelming fear that is being used to fulfill an extreme right-wing agenda. FDR said we have nothing to fear but fear itself, and indeed, we should be greatly afraid of how fear is being disseminated from our industrial/military government and our cynical, ignorant president. That fear is driving us away from our rights and away from our senses. It's blinding us to the dirty politics that Bush practices, the lies he constantly tells, and the nasty money connections which trigger too many of his thoughts, words, and deeds. Bad boy, Bushie!

I thank Michael Moore for his love of America. He loves this place so much that he took the time and trouble to write this book and to remind us all about who should be in charge here.

Great stuff, Michael. Just watch your back because lots of people hate you. They hate you because you're telling the truth, something that's a big threat to their personal agendas.

Moore's latest is worth reading. There are things in it that are about right, or at least make you think, as well as some shots that are quite badly off the mark. He spends a long first chapter trying to insinuate that there is no such thing as a terrorist threat to America, and 9/11 was carried out (by appointment?) by the Saudi Air Force. This may cause some people to dismiss him out of hand (wrongly) as a conspiracy nut. Let's have Moore on corporate shenanigans, his strong suit.
By the way, sad fantasies about Canadians are beside the point. What does the 'reviewer' below think he is up to? "Gord, Third World King" has appeared here word for word several times before. Apparently the writer is so proud of it that here it is again - twice. It makes no more sense now than it did the first time, and whatever else it is it isn't a review. He should try to think of a different loony tune.

I find it very interesting that many Americans can slam Michael Moore and other liberals as being unamerican in today's day and age.
Although much of what Michael Moore has to say in this book, and in his previous book "Stupid White Men", must be taken with a grain of salt they are provaccative and generally valid. Is it not at the core of being an American to uphold the Constitution and the right to free speech? Is it not absolutey the right and duty of Americans to examine and question the actions of their leaders? Otherwise it would seem that just following whatever a leader says without question only leads to the downfall of that society and there are plenty of examples throughout history to prove that. The kinds of treatment and behaviour that occur to people like the Dixie Chicks and other Americans of prominence for speaking their mind in a very American fashion are frankly appauling. How far are you from the days of blacklists? Not very.
This book is thought-provoking and full of Michale Moore's signature wit and humour. Some of the points may be exaggerated and over-simplified but it is nonetheless a good read and a focused commentary.
I have no doubt that many will read this and slag the "socialist" country in which I live, but honestly this is the view that many people outside the borders of the United States have.
The viewpoint presented here is absolutely crucial to the survival of the American condition and rich culture of questioning leaders that date back to your founding fathers and what they intended your great country to be.

Michael Moore is a brave , brave man. A bearded dove in the land of hawks. I first experienced MM's brand of seat-of-the-pants-pissing-in-public honesty when i watched "Bowling For Columbine". Since I am not American in any sense of the word (I temporarily work here), I am free of the stigma or loaded-ness of terms like "Liberal" , or "Democrat". I don't care about what label to give Moore , nor do I waste my time delegating him to the "Right" or the "Left" or the "Middle".
His insight is remarkable largely because he shows the ability to rise above the lies he's force-fed by the White House and its mouth-pieces , aka the "media". After all, he's been through the same stuff that most Americans have, and he comes from the same cultural "stock". Sure, a lot of Americans will BenedictArnold him...but wait!
The deciding factor in divining if Bush's actions are FOR or AGAINST the country is merely the timeline you will consider. In the short term..say, until the next elections, his actions, while causing widespread massacre may make him popular in the eyes of a nation scared into thinking their lives are in danger.
In the long term, the US is merely creating a sort of "401k of Hatred". Bush and the media have somehow convinced everyone that their (anti?)terror policies only took birth on 9/11. Not true...the US has been bombing innocents for many many years. That will take its toll.
Moore specifically exposes the fact that the Bin Ladens and the Bush family were, essentially, bed-mates. Going for Bush's jugular, he outlines several public lies , that he calls "Whoppers", that directly conflict with other offcially stated "facts". Gives accounts of areas where Bush's past and family creates a conflict of interests with his current position - that of the Pres.,thereby rendering all his actions highly suspicious.
Moore's next film "Fahrenheit 911" appears largely to be a film of this book.
Here's a big concern. Are the people who NEED to read these books reading them? Or, are the stupidly hypnotized masses gazing at Bush with adoring eyes as their "wartime president" who will kill the evil guys and restore the golden age of America? Get real, people. Bush and co. are only perpetuating the violence by taking what is not theirs and going where they are not wanted. Simple plot for simple-minded people? maybe.

Mr. Moore starts of by detailing the indirect connections between the family of OBL and George W. Bush. The Bin Ladens were heavy investors in the Carlyle group, which finances weapons sales to Saudi Arabia, which that government uses to terrorize its people. Bush Sr. was seen laughing with Bin Laden's brother at a Carlyle meeting the day before 9-11. Saudi investments in this country, he notes, are crucial for keeping our economy afloat. The Carlyle group is stacked by mostly ex-Republican politicians such as Bush Sr. The law firm of James Baker, another Carlyle consultant, is representing the Saudi government in the lawsuit against it by the families of the 9-11 victims. The Bush administration blacked the sections on the Saudis and 9-11 in its report to Congress.
Bin Laden's family has officially disowned Osama,.yet he still has access to the family fortune and seems to be getting money from them. Six months before 9-11, a tape shows several members of OBL's immediate family at one of his son's wedding. The big surprise in all of this is two-dozen Bin Laden family members were allowed to fly out of the country in the days after 9-11 when all flights were grounded. Similarly several family members were allowed to fly from Florida to Kentucky to join other family members looking at horses. No law enforcement detained them to question them about OBL and 9-11. Moore suggests that the appalling perfection of 9-11 couldn't have been executed by the ill Bin Laden in his cave. The hi-jackers might have been professionals from the Saudi military and were funded by the Bin Laden sympathizers in the Saudi royal family.
He has a section where talks about Unocal's efforts to get the Taliban to agree to build a pipeline across Afghanistan to transport Central Asian gas. Zhalmay Khalizad, the new UN ambassador to Hamid Karzai in Kabul, was then on the Unocal payroll on advocated doing business with the Taliban. Karzai is also a former Unocal employee.
He goes into a discussion of Iraq. He notes the 1994 report of the Senate banking committee, which detailed the massive aid given by U.S. corporations to Saddam to build his WMD arsenal with the approval of the Reagan-Bush Sr. regimes. He quotes former Reagan administration official Howard Teicher that Reagan told Saddam that the U.S. would give him whatever he needed to defeat Iran. He notes that the Reaganites wrecked a 1988 house sanctions bill against Iraq because it would interfere with U.S. business opportunities. He notes that the inspectors and the IAEA said that aluminum tubes being used by Iraq to make small rockets but Bush quoted them as saying that Iraq was trying to make centrifuges to make uranium. Then there were the supposed mobile labs. At one point Rumsfeld claimed to have found two of them after the fighting ended but they turned out to be facilities for making hydrogen for hot-air balloons.

He notes that while Colin Powell was bamboozling at the UN with evidence such as documents constructed by Tony Blair's PR people from a graduate student's paper from 1991, British intelligence leaked to the BBC that there was no evidence of a Saddam-Bin Laden connection. They had tried to be friends at one point just before the first Gulf war but Saddam is a secularist and Bin Laden is an extreme fundamentalist and Bin Laden was upset by the invasion of Kuwait. Similarly with the other supposed Iraqi-Al Qaida link of Ansar Al Islam. That group called Saddam an enemy and was in Northern Iraq out of Saddam's jurisdiction. Nobody was able to find their supposed weapons factories.
He has a good section about the raging anti-French cretinism. He notes that Fox news kept showing Jacques Chriac meeting with Saddam back in the 70's but neglected to show Rumsfeld meeting with Saddam as Reagan's envoy in 1983., he coalition of the willing seemed largely to consist of the governments of such countries and not their people. Opposition to the war was around 70 percent in Australia, Japan and Italy. In Spain only 13 percent supported the war on condition that the UN oversaw it. In Turkey 94 percent opposed the war. In this country, many people believe that Saddam took part in 9-11. Half in a poll thought incorrectly that one or more of the 9-11 hijackers were Iraqi (most were Saudi). The Bushies had them so scared out of their wits that at one point during the war, a quarter in a poll thought that Saddam had already used WMD against our forces.
He notes how Americans were bamboozled into buying up their remaining savings in stocks to vastly over-inflate the economy. He talks about a bill in congress to limit pensions for blue-collar workers because poor working conditions will cause such workers to die sooner. He talks about companies who secretly buy life insurance policies in the name of their employees, then when the latter die, pocket all the money. Moore quotes a study that at one superfund toxic waste site there were disproportionately high rates of cancer, asthma, respiratory sicknesses, etc. The tax to fund a superfund to clean-up toxic waste was passed in 1980; it was not renewed in 1995. By 1999 taxpayers were splitting the costs of clean up with the superfund; back in 1994, the superfund covered 80 percent of it.

He notes that according to the department of labor workers in unions make an average of $717 a week compared to $573 a week for those not in unions. Since the early 80's, the income of the richest one percent has gone up 157 percent; that of the Middle class only 10 percent. Since 1980 states have seen a 157 percent increase in money spent on prisons.; their spending on education has gone up only 32 percent. Half the people don't bother to vote. He shows how many Americans endorse "liberal" positions on many issues.

Author/filmmaker/political pundit Michael Moore has a number of things working against him. For starters, he looks a bit like a slob. While one wouldn't think that this should have anything to do with the political message being put forth, politics has proven to have as much to do with image as substance. Second, he has become scourge of the conservative movement by attacking issues and causes near and dear to the conservative heart (Big business in "Roger and Me", the National Rifle Association and gun ownership in "Bowling for Columbine", both well-received documentaries). Third, he has a reputation for framing facts to fit his agenda. Finally, his self-serving speech at the 2003 Oscars did nothing to endear him to those who are already wary of him and his message.

Let's address these strikes. As mentioned above, image counts for a great deal. The neo-conservative movement powered by Fox News puts on this image of professional, button-down commentators who give you the unbiased truth. A nice suit does not mean that the person is honest anymore than Moore's baseball cap and jeans means his a dishonest, clueless individual. Where it comes to be the scourge of the conservative movement, Moore should be applauded. In post-9/11 world, where a spate of conservative mouthpieces of emerged all across the airwaves to discourage dissension of any kind, Moore's boat rocking is relevant and necessary. As far as framing the facts to fit his agenda, well there is no political commentator out there who doesn't do this. You think Bill O'Reilly or Ann Coulter don't do the exact same thing in the conservative literary rants? It's the nature of beast in this genre. The only strike against Moore that sticks is his performance at the Oscars. It was unnecessary and seen by most (including his strong supporters) as self-serving and self-promotional. Yet, everyone in the public eye has had moments like those, so let's digress.

So, what is the purpose of all this background? It's to set the table for this review of Michael Moore's latest book, the highly relevant and important "Dude, Where's my Country?" Don't let the goofy title throw you off and make you think of bad Ashton Kutcher movies (is there such a thing as a good Ashton Kutcher movie?). "Dude, Where's my Country?" tackles the most important issues to face this country since that horrible Fall day in 2001. Since that time, we've been encouraged to not question President Bush and his administration on any aspect of his 'War or Terror'. We're not to question the civil rights destroying legislation that is being passed; we're not to question the connections of the Bush family to parties who may have been complicit in 9/11 (Moore does not, for any moment, imply that Bush had anything to do with that awful day the way many revisionists damn Franklin Roosevelt for Pearl Harbor. He mere highlights the fact that 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi and that Bush's cozy ties with them may very well provide a real hindrance in this war.); we're not to question the many wars that Bush has started or is threatening to start in the name of National Security; and, of course, we're certainly not supposed to question the shady business dealings that have destroyed the economy in the past two years or the strong connections these business CEOs have to the Bush Administration. Fear powers this current government and Moore seeks to break its hold on the people to they can return to doing what makes this country great (questioning dissenting, striving for change).

Now, it may seem like this book serves as just a hatchet job against the Bush administration and conservatives in general. To take that view and avoid reading this book for that reason is a mistake because you will be missing many of the very salient points made by Michael Moore. Moore is here to help remind the public that post-9/11 legislation like the Patriot Act and its yet-to-be-passed successor, Patriot Act II, are the biggest threats to personal freedoms since the ethnic internments during World War II and are the most shameful pieces of 'patriotic' legislation since the Alien and Sedition Acts during this country's infancy. Moore reminds us that this war with Iraq (which I personally support because I believe in the end result of removing Saddam Hussein) was started under false pretenses and done so by sticking a big middle finger up at the rest of the world that opposed military action. Even more important is Moore's reminder of evil actions wrought upon America by corporate big wigs such as Ken Lay, Jeffrey Skilling, and Bernard Ebbers upon the public. These corporate CEOs, who are already rich beyond relative standards (just witness the fact that the average British CEO makes 24 times what his average employee makes, while U.S. CEOs make 411 (!) times as much as the average worker), still felt the need to squeeze a dime wherever they could and swindled the public, defrauded their own employees, and generally destroyed corporate trust in general just to horde more in the wealth among the fewest people possible. Relations with Bush and Cheney have, of course, prevented any real action from being taken against these men or restitution being given to the employees whose life savings where eradicated. Michael Moore calls these men the 'real terrorists' and he may very well be right.

"Dude, Where's my Country?" asks the questions that few are brave enough to ask and tackles issues that few wish to address. Moore does this all while never once getting sanctimonious or belligerent. He takes a generally upbeat approach to his topics and his belief that there are solutions. Michael Moore, you are to be applauded for your efforts with this book.

"Dude Where's My Country" is not your average political science book by any means. And Michael Moore is not your average political scientist, as you may have found out from reading his previous hit "Stupid White Men...". The thing that is easy to like about Mike Moore is his humor. This book is quite simply one of the easiest books to read on the subject. It's light, it's satirical, and it's very personal.
"Dude Where's My Country" is far from being flawless, however. While he brings up very good points in his endless rants against the rightwing society of corrupt businessmen, his style becomes a little redundant, and you may begin to realize that the only thing really keeping you interested is the stuff that isn't exactly politics.
However, I should not be one to forego the amount of political information that really is inside of this book. There happens to be one chapter where he simply laments about a futuristic world where the lack of oil has caused an insane amount of people to die. Needless to say, it's rather dumb. But other than that, left-wingers that really want to know more about the Bush administration will be delighted to take in these heavy dosages of character assassination (though in a completely justifiable format).
Moore doesn't hold any punches, and that's what a lot of people are going to love about this book.

Coming off his ultra-controversial Oscar acceptance speech during the awards show, Michael Moore booms back with his new work, "Dude Where's My Country?"

The reinvigorated Michael Moore tends to be a preacher and somewhat of a demagogue. Both of these traits do not affect anything his hard work produces because he digs for dangerous and well-hidden facts, revealing them through mainstream sources including the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and the New York Times in "Dude Where's My Country?"
The first chapter of the book roars off the page with incredibly damaging evidence of the current president's ties to Saudi Arabian wealth. Bush and Bin Laden families have monetary ties in business ventures, and United States agencies helping Bin Laden family members escape retribution after the terrorist attacks on September 11 are extraordinary pieces of information.
Michael did his work, now give him his due.
The book slowly fades out and begins to drag on through the latter chapters, but this only happens because the first two chapters are so demanding of the reader's attention. Michael Moore writes very creatively on one of his dark futuristic dreams and also plays God in one chapter. He references George Orwell quite a bit, and brings the reader into what he plans to do with his "very own tax-cut."
Moore not only shouts profanely out loud in his book and on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, but also goes through his usual rants on the United State's participation in developing nations' coups and over-thrown democracies around the world.
The book summarily finishes with Moore informing his readers and relieving the stress that America is not as liberal as the liberal tends to believe. Moore suggests how to deal with the conservative brother-in-law and how he believes the current president will be removed from office.
Yes Michael Moore can be offensive toward more conservative readers and those who only wish they may possible be able to raise even the slightest bit of the hell he raises... he now officially becomes the people's muckraker.
Moore pledges this to be his last published book, but will still release another documentary on the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.

While Moore tosses out the zingers one has come to expect in his books, this one fails to build a very strong argument against Dubya and the crony capitalist world he comes from. I sensed alot of anger in this book, but very little humor, as Moore vented his rage against the machine one more time. However, he does bring to light many dubious features of our runaway capitalist economy such as the "Dead Peasants Insurance" many corporations take out on their employees. Shades of Gogol as these companies collect on life insurance premiums, unbeknown to the unlucky stiff, after the employee has kicked the bucket. However, I think Moore has gone over the edge when he presumes the voice of God in his condemnation of Dubya's presumed messianic role in saving America from those who would seek to destroy it.
Moore is no longer the lone voice in the forest as Dubya has spawned a virtual book industry around him, pro and con. This has to be the most written up presiding president in history. I don't think even Kennedy garnered this much attention while he was alive. I think it would have behooved Moore to have taken more time in piecing together this book, presenting a stronger argument, rather than simply building on his infamous Oscar speech.

It's amazing how many people in these reviews rage against Michael Moore's weight. I don't think they read the title. The title isn't "Dude, Where's My Hamburger?" Moore has more weighty topics to discuss here than food or his waistline (he's recently lost 50 pounds, by the way, for all those hatemongers who can't seem to think about or address the actual content in this book). He's virtually resurrecting a vision of America that puts the people in charge and jettisons the powerful, truly bloated and obese people out of their commodious seats of power and security. In their place should be all the working stiffs who currently prop up these corrupt greed machines with their labor, their votes, and their children's lives. In effect, he's trying to breathe life into the Democratic party, which always touted itself as the party of the people. And he's trying to educate a public that's being lied to every day by the big right-wing media machine now in place in the nation.
One of the best parts of this book was his reminder that fear has gripped the land, an overwhelming fear that is being used to fulfill an extreme right-wing agenda. FDR said we have nothing to fear but fear itself, and indeed, we should be greatly afraid of how fear is being disseminated from our industrial/military government and our cynical, ignorant president. That fear is driving us away from our rights and away from our senses. It's blinding us to the dirty politics that Bush practices, the lies he constantly tells, and the nasty money connections which trigger too many of his thoughts, words, and deeds. Bad boy, Bushie!
I thank Michael Moore for his love of America. He loves this place so much that he took the time and trouble to write this book and to remind us all about who should be in charge here.
Great stuff, Michael. Just watch your back because lots of people hate you. They hate you because you're telling the truth, something that's a big threat to their personal agendas.

During the 2004 presidential election, the forces of the Neo-Con Right went after Michael Moore with venomous, frothing lips. One reviewer on this very site compared Michael Moore to the bombastic Rush Limbaugh. This is not surprising since Moore seems to be the only one who can-or is willing to-expose the Right for what it is: corrupt, immoral, and unconnected to the reality of American life. What is surprising is that the Neo-Con Right seemed to have been somewhat successful in its campaign against Moore, surprising because Moore is not the one who is breaking the law.

Alas, the fate of the messenger...

It has been fascinating to watch Moore evolve from a keen observer and satirist into a voice against the darkness. "Dude, Where's My Country?" is full of wit and humor, but from each page drips the terror of the Bush dynasty. This is as complete an exposé of George W. Bush as one will find anywhere, a literal primer for his impeachment. Unfortunately though, the other half of the country won't read it-the Neo-Cons have done such a thorough job of impugning Moore's character that even those only moderately on the right assume that this book is nothing more than accusation and innuendo. Nothing could be farther from the truth: Moore's facts are documented, and his chain of reasoning is rock solid. I do not agree with all of Moore's beliefs. "Belief" is the key word here, his facts are incontrovertible. My disagreement with some of Moore's beliefs does not exonerate George W. Bush or the Neo-Cons from the wrongs they have committed or the laws they have broken. This is the greatest lesson Moore has for our right-wing neighbors and Bush supporters: disagree with Liberal beliefs if you will, but don't ignore facts and don't support law-breaking and corruption just to get back at us.

Like its predecessors Downsize This! and Stupid White Men (The number one bestselling nonfiction book of 2002, Dude, Where's My Country? doesn't waste any time getting to the point. In 2000, democracy was overthrown by plutocracy nepotism. Less than a year later 3,000 people lost their lives, and as a result, more are dying every day.
Mike has more responsibility with this book now that all eyes are on him. When Downsize This! came out, fans of Roger and Me flocked to the book store. When Stupid White Men came out, those same people went to the book store, but were greeted by a line of disillusioned youth. Now, will millions of books sold all over the world, and the number one highest grossing (Oscar winning) documentary under his belt, to Mike, "the whole world is watching."
Dude, Where's My Country? begins with a little back story on the release of Stupid White Men, which contains more than a few laughs. But then it's down to business, and the humor takes a backseat to outing the "Thief in Chief" as a corporate criminal with strong ties to the bin Laden family. I suspect he will go into greater detail of this in his next documentary, "Fahrenheit 9/11," but it isn't hard to tell that Moore means, ironically, war. However, that isn't to say the book is a dry, political ranting. As the name suggests, Dude Where's My Country? packs plenty of laughs and humorous observation, including a dream in which Mike is 100 in a post-armageddon America, and tells his great-great granddaughter (who is named after someone very Un-Mooreish) how things got that way.
As I write this, Dude, Where's My Country? is number one on the the store.com item ranking, which just goes to show that maybe Mike is onto something with his idea of a "liberal paradise." Maybe we're there, and just don't know it.
This is required reading for any fan of Moore, Moore's ideas, of student of poltics. Unfortunately, the people who really SHOULD read this book, probably won't.

"dmcycloid" wrote a review of this book after reading one page. He asks for an analysis of why terrorism is not this country's #1 killer: maybe if he had flipped the page he would see statistics showing even suicide is more a threat to Americans than terrorism. Read the whole book, then review it.
The book is a kick in the rear to us all- war supporters, p.c. liberals, everyone. Pay special attention to the chapter detailing what you should say to your conservative brother-in-law. The reason I became a liberal is that it felt right; the reason I STAYED a liberal is outlined in this chapter.
The other chapter to read twice is his final one. DO THE THINGS HE LISTS AT THE END! Michael Moore has had it with people who think this place is going to get better by sitting at home! This includes you! However, Moore doesn't provide much in the way of contact info for those who want to get off their couches. So, for all those who want to know how to get involved, please see the final chapter of Palast's "The Best Democracy Money Can Buy".

You gotta love the guy for speaking his mind! Moore tackles Bush country post 9/11, with his razor sharp wit and hilarious commentary.What I wonder is how anyone who reads this book would ever vote for Bush in the next election. Beyond the war in Iraq, Moore's accounting of Bush's relationship with Ken Lay of Enron would be enough to want to boot him back to Texas.Some points are outdated just by new information,like his writing that Jessica Lynch was treated hospitably while in captivity, when we now know she was raped.Overall this is a thorough primer for people unhappy with the direction of the country, the war, and what our leaders are telling us is true. Have they found the weapons of mass destruction yet? Wasn't that why we were over there in the first place?

This book was basically an early script for "Fahrenheit 9/11," and Moore's rants tend to be more easily digested in 90 minute cinematic form. But when you sit down and read them, Moore frequently becomes strident and shrill.

Problem is, I probably agree with 90% of the book. So if you can read beyond the sophomoric poop throwing and dig into the meat, you'll get some insightful incitement. Moore clearly loves this country, even as he preaches socialist doctrines (like universal healthcare...but this is bad, why?). And now that we have Georgie Boy doing more flip flops than a full squadron of Olympic Gymnasts ("I'll fire anyone connected with the CIA leak...oh I mean anyone CONVICTED of being connected to that pesky news article, it's OK Karl, you're safe..." Is is just me or was that a greater act of treason than anything the repugnant Ann Coulter defines as such?), it makes Moore's theories on why the current administration only loves the fat cats all the more convincing.

And why hasn't anyone at Enron gone to trial yet? And how come Osama isn't in Git'mo? And why aren't those 9/11 Commission blacked out Saudi Documents available? These are all questions that need to be asked, and bless Moore for keeping the irresponsible parties' feet to the fire.

Recommended for a more nuanced read, would be Al Franken's "Lies." Also more convincing than "Dude" is Moore's collection of soldiers' letters, "Will They Ever Trust Us Again." In that book, you hear from the men on the front line who have become jaded as they realize what duplicity has booked them into the Baghdad Hotel for extended stays, and does so without the vitriol.

Funny and necessary.
Michael Moore is a court clown in the kingdom of democracy. In owing no allegiance to what he calls "the church of the Left" Moore is able to skewer mealy-mouthed and spineless Democrats as well as the right-wing radicals now running the country (into debt and into the ground).
Most of the mainstream media is rightward tilted (huge media corporations courting huge corporate advertising, hardly a socialist environment) so It's amazing to me that Moore is allowed to get away with saying the things he does. He must sell a lot of books to keep the corporate masters at bay.
Is there anything groundbreaking here? No. As long as your paying attention and reading something other than People or TV Guide (or the New York Times for that matter) then none of this is new. The long standing business relations between the Bushes and bin Ladens are there for all to see. The drumming of fear into Americans (Terrorists! Looky!) to divert them from having civil liberties stripped from them is there every morning. The stealing of the 2000 election is a proven fact and, no, we WON'T get over it.
Read Moore and get out and vote. Dude, it's OUR country!

aspires to the level of TSOG by Robert Anton Wilson, or Kingdom of Fear by Hunter S. Thompson, capturing the healthy cynicism many of us have developed over the past few years with humor and a nice dose of combative sensationalism (to match the chosen weapons of mass deception from the "Right.")
When the hypocritical, sinister likes of Bill O'Reilley and Rush Limbaugh threaten to usurp the last remnants of critical thought right out of our God blessed American brains, along comes a Franken or a Moore to refreshingly restore balance. Call it Yin Yang politics. It ain't perfect, but it's a lot of fun. Opposing sides duking it out to stimulate an economy left floundering by Enron greedsters and equally demonic bureaucrats.
Hail to the Thief.

While many "patriots" will sit and tell you that it's unpatriotic to question our country and unpatriotic to stand for seperation of church of state, I have news for all of them: Those are the two foundations that this nation was built on!
This book is well written, FACTUAL, and meant to liberate any person that is brave enough to recognize that they are being oppressed by those with "power". It takes a brave person to admit that, and an even braver person to do something about it. Moore, I mean you!
And anyone claiming that this book is full of lies? Well I hate to say it, but all his sources are clearly documented for you, right there in the back of the book...that's right, it's all scary because it's all true.

This essay is worth every pfennig, as it accomplishes what our censored, dumbed-down news media has repeatedly failed to do: It explains, in very readable, well-researched prose, how the 911 horror has been misused by political and corporate leaders to camouflage the recent unraveling of decades of social and economic progress for America, not to mention its world respect; and how most Americans are decent, progressive people who DO NOT support the highly destructive acts perpetrated in their name. While Moore's quips and jibes at times toe over the line into polemics, his sharp, practical thinking, common sense and common decency, and stiff dose of sanity in an insane time more than compensate.
I found this book to document what I already suspected regarding the facts of America's recent destructive course. I found it also to reassure me that I and my contacts in the US have not suddenly turned villainous, though might be faulted for our apparent tolerance of leaders who have. Please consider buying this book to show support for its views, then donate it to the local public library so others can share, as I just did.

I wasn't that impressed with Stupid White Men -- most of the book was just a rant -- but after I heard Michael Moore speak I bought this book. It is much more fair and balanced -- if that isn't an insult nowadays -- than Stupid White Men.
This book is loaded with well-cited facts supporting Moore's arguments and suggestions, including some pretty flattering comments about conservatives. Moore nicely ties together humor and preaching, including a great chapter written by "God." Anyone who calls this book a "rant" hasn't read it.
I won't repeat all the substantive stuff you'll see in the other reviews; I'll just say that if you're concerned about the future of this country, READ THIS BOOK !!

There are plenty of positive reviews to read about Michael Moore's newest book, so I'll leave you to read them, as I would only be repeating what others have written. With that said, I want to make a few points about those who choose to bash Moore and anything left of the extreme-right.
1. Have you noticed that the critics inject a wise crack into every argument they make against this book? Sometimes, a wise crack is the only remark they make. Cant they at least make an intelligent argument?
2. Many of them have never even seen the book, never mind read it. Thats understandable, as I probably wouldn't want to read a biography of Bush. However, the difference is, I wouldn't criticise Bush's book without first reading it.
3. I blame most of the negative reviews of this publication on the relentless conservative talk-show hosts who smuther their easily-led audience with hatred and dissent for ANY view that does not follow their Christian-based thinking. These gullible people, in turn, are mobilized to censor the offensive material. You saw what they did to the Reagan movie CBS was going to air.
4. The dissenters who want to censor material like this are also the ones who claim to be Patriots and Protectors of The Constitution. I guess they forgot to read The Constitution, specifically the First Amendment.
5. In true religeous fashion, the far-right tries to sway public opinion with fear, intimidation and sheer McCarthyism. When they cant convince the rest of us that "their way" is the only way, they resort to threats and violence.
Anyway, open-minded people: enjoy this book. Critics: fear this book; it's something you're good at.

Moore's book was at times downright DISTURBING to me--and not in the Molly Ivans "I can't believe the astonishing facts I'm reading!" way. No, more like "I'm a bit worried that Moore has gone off the field."
I'm a Moore FAN who's met the man several times, visited with him, and read all his books (I just finished this one today; I'm one of those rare reviewers who actually READ the books before submitting a review). But this book seems to offer us a lot of what we already knew, a hefty dose of NEW research, but wrapped in the decoration of conspiracy theory.
For example, Moore excels at researching and documenting his grievances about Bush's handling of terrorism, war, the conomy, the envioronment, civil rights, etc. Moore has been taken to task before about playing loose with facts, so he covers himself well by offering us specific sources for each claim this time. At least the facts won't be as easy to dispute.
But Moore sways a bit too flexibly toward his own dastardly conspiracy theories, and that nudges him toward rhetoric that becomes ever-more aggressive and shocking, rather than cunning and witty as when he's at his best. He'll cite Michael Savage as an example of conservative hate speech that "liberalism is a mental disorder," but a few pages later joke about no effective mental health treatment being developed for conservative thinking. He'll title a book "Dude, Where's My Country?" to complain that conservatives have stolen the America he once knew, and then climax the book with a chapter about how conservatives are a minority in an America that really prefers liberal social agendas.
One chapter troubles me deeply. I'm not a fundamentalist about religion, but Moore interrupts his book to include an entire chapter written by "God," ostensibly to "set us straight" about how God wants us to think. Even when I agree with some of the thoughts Moore suggests in that chapter, I am more uncomfortable than amused with the daunting arrogance of presuming to possess God's own voice, for the sake of telling us that God's voice endorses Michael Moore's will. Such a tactic smacks of the very attitudes Moore is condemning among Bush's allies.
It's an excellent book for people needing fast facts with their relevant sources. It won't present new concepts, but it will help liberals make their routine arguments with better data.
One final thought: Beware of ANY reviewer here who's obviously never read the book, and yet posts a review simply as an opportunity to advance a personal political view, bash their ideological adversaries, or post a personal message about how great Bush is/how bad Moore is, etc. Any review that either supports or criticizes this book should be investigated by the readers for evidence of insight into the book's actual content, and not just the writer's own personal rhetoric published to the store.

This book is worth the wait.
Michael Moore calls out George W. Bush on his connections with the bin Ladens and the Saudi Royal Family, offers advice on talking to conservatives, offers his support to Gen. Wesley Clark, and is funny throughout the whole book.
- He wonders why the bin Ladens were allowed to fly out of the country when the rest of the nations planes were still grounded.
- He wonders why nobody blames Saudi Arabia for 9-11, since most of the terrorists were from there. Maybe even funded by members of the Royal Family.
- Moore wonders why Oprah is the only TV show to show footage of Rumsfeld shaking hands with Saddam Hussein back in the late 80's.
Much more......
Highly Recommended!!!

Have you wondered what it would be like to combine the scariest horror film and the funniest comedy? That is what Moore does. I gasped and laughed, snickered and shuddered, and couldn't wait to read the next chapter.

This book was exhaustively researched. It is jam-packed with so much detail, complete with cited references. Yet it is also easy to read. I gobbled up this book like it was a single kernel of popcorn.

It was written in 2003, before it was widely accepted in America that Dubya was a charlatan and quite possibly our worst president ever. Perhaps the most shocking aspect of it is to see now how all of that played out, how the economy got worse and worse, the war kept on going, CEOs used $100 million of the bail out money to give themselves a bonus, etc.

If you have only seen his movies and never read his books, then you don't know the half of it.

Who else but Michael Moore could capture the outrage and anger of the Left while still being hilarious at the same time? Who can bring up such verboten topics like East Timor, Cuban Exile terrorism, and Bush's cozy ties with Saudi Arabia and still find his way into the mainstream media??
Michael Moore has proven that he is a wise politically as well as wildly entertaining -- Attacking the Democrats , urging them to be more progressive, while at the same time seeing the greater need in ousting Bush as well.
Not being content with speaking to the choir as some are he insists on the need to for like-minded folks to reach out to our apolitical and yes, even conservative friends and relatives. While also being able to look at America's crimes but still affirming his love for his country and that his criticisms are there because he knows we can do a lot better.
Bravo Micheal Moore! Keep on fighting the good fight!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Bought it this afternoon as a gift for my boyfriend and I ended up reading the whole thing in one sitting.
Moore is funny, blunt, and deeply concerned about the current direction of our nation. Ever wondered what to say to your conservative in-laws? Ever feel like you're the only liberal in a country of conservatives? Do you wish someone would have the courage to ask Bush and his adminstration some tough questions? Michael Moore to the rescue!
This book will depress you, then make you feel hopeful, and finally, encourage you to take action in 2004. Please note, if you are not of a liberal bent or leaning in that general direction...this book may irritate you and will probably confirm your suspicions that we're all a bunch of wackos. But maybe you should give it a try anyway.

This book strikes the pefect balance between satire and political discussion. Michael is hilarious but also gets you thinking about all the rights we are losing since September 11th and why we are at war.
This book kept me laughing but also made it hard for me to sleep at night.
This book was as hilarious as "Downsize this" but a lot less 'ranty' than "Stupid White Men."
I highly recommend.
PS: Shame on the crowd for booing Michael Moore at the Academy Awards - that was his moment and he had a right to say what he wanted.

Ok... we all know hollywood is good for two things. pretending to be someone else, and pretending to know politics. Moore is a pro. Unlike some other reader's reviews though, i knew i would not agree with him. It wasnt my point to read something i agree with. I got it to see how a "actor" could do writing a full book, 90% make believe...
It's a riot, but not the type Moore wanted. If you are one who can laugh off political propaganda, read the KCNA news and definatly buy this book. You'll be rolling around on the ground laughing to no end. In Saving private ryan there was a scene where a german soldier was screaming on a loudspeaker "the statue of liberty is kaput!", well that's what this book is all about.

Micheal Moores' latest offering was informative at some level but very repetitive. It's not one of the best literary works around but does get the message across.

His anger towards the bush administration is quite evident & at times even graphic, he does a wonderful job at Bush-bashing but then again how hard is that? I have to admit, he is bold for tackling a subject matter as controversial as that but then again he had good reason to.

Some parts of the book were exaggerated - well maybe for an unembellished effect - at times it seemed as if he was pushing the envelope as far as it could logically go; it did work for some parts & others were plain outright amplification.

He kept his paragraphs short and sweet, kept his sentences shorter and sweeter. He was more concise as opposed to cryptic. But I couldn't help but wonder - solely based on his writing technique - if he can have his work published so can I. It's a while before I realized the amount of research that had gone into it.

If you are like me -a person who watches the movie before reading the book- then you would find the book boring at times, especially with the many repetitions.

Overall the book is relatively appealing although I wouldn't go to the extent of saying it was gripping. The writing style, although it was easy to read; it did feel a tad amateurish, however the book was informative & an eye opener.

Three stars for the research & one more for the boldness & subject matter.

This is a great book that shows how the corporations are really screwing us over and how bush did some crooked things.it is a wake up call to people in America that hey we got to stop letting the rich screw us over u know. this is a must read for all people who are tired of the rich screwing people over and want to do something about it.

A Michael Moore product - film, tv show, or book - is always an amusing, often frustrating, mixture of populism, dissent, and self-promotion. In such ramshackle films like "The Big One" and "Bowling for Columbine", he frequently shifts tack between what he wants to say and how much he wants you to see him saying it (in Michael Moore's world, he is the medium AND the message) that he often neutralizes himself: witness his uncomfortable interview with Charlton Heston where he inadvertently makes you feel a bit sorry for the old right-wing gun-nut or his disastrous Oscar speech
So its a bit of surprise to see how well "Dude, Where's My Country" actually reads. Michael has toned down his own presence and has actually researched (or had some research assistant research) more of his facts. Although there's not a whole lot that's new here, Moore's approach - mixing caustic wit with jeremiads against the Bush family and administration's connections with everyone from the bin Laden family to the Enron crooks - provides a handy, easily readable guide to why the Unelected President should be bounced next year. Compared to "Stupid White Men", this book is remarkably cogent and well argued and, even, fair - his chapter on the limitations of the modern left is revealing (he should be introduced to Russell Jacoby). Moreover, "Dude" shows Moore lurching toward some sort of understanding as to why the right has become so vitrolic and hateful and, in a chapter on "arguing with your right wing brother-in-law", actually gets beyond name-calling and postulates a reasoned approach to arguing with a right-wing fire-breather. This is far, far more than Al Franken offers in "Lies" in which, at times, he is almost as scurrilous as his targets.
Michael Moore - The Voice of Reason? (It troubles my sleep.) Compared with Molly Ivins, Joe Conason, and especially Paul Krugman, "Dude, Where's My Country?" is a small course rather than a full meal; Moore doesn't really cut very deep or tell you anything you already didn't know from reading the Nation or salon.com But he has the ability to stir you up and get you laughing and mad as hell at the same time. Now, let's just hope ESPN doesn't offer him a commentator job....

I usually go for books with classier cover art and titles, but you aren't supposed to judge a book by its cover, right? I found this at a friend's house and devoured it in two settings because it was so well done.

Moore asks some very basic questions that we should all be asking about Bush and his administration. His style makes the content very accessible.

Moore got the reader outraged, and then he concluded the book with a dozen concrete steps that we can take to get rid of the conservative administration (volunteering, putting up a poster). Moore provides statistics proving that the majority of us are liberal, but we've been tricked into thinking "liberal" is a negative and wimpy word. The end of the book validates all of Moore's arguments by provided a plan of action for interested Americans.

He certainly made me get more involved in the 2004 election year. I really hope we learned out lesson in 04 and mobilize even more in 2008 for change.

Reading what that person said about the IRA makes me want to get sick all over his narrow-minded features. His view is that the IRA attacked the UK for no reason as if British paratroopers were not putting bullet holes in Catholic adults and children to keep them under control in the North. I guess it is okay for the British government to sanction murder on the streets but not okay for some Irish rebels to hit back? The British government should be lucky to see an end to the violence. The arrogance of little peeved waa-waa kenny wanting the IRA to now fully disarm, after years of non-terrorist activity, should also be met by the UK defense forces doing the same thing. Care to disarm YOUR force in the North and at home kenny-wenny?
It is not even on the table is it?
What are you going to do with the thousands of dead irish catholics murdered at the hands of the British army? Hide them behind the couch?
The concession has been made by the IRA so face up to your job boy and move on.
It is narrow-minded people like this that cause terrorism to continue. Thank God that Tony Blair would snubb him down for making those kind of comments.

i am very disgusted at all the negative feedback about this book. i, unfortunately, have not read this latest addition but i would prolly like it as much as i did the documentary and all the other books mike has written. You Americans get so caught up in yourselves its hard for you guys to actually see whats going on around you... mike is standing back from being american and telling the USA what is really is like... facts or no facts... its his opinion and he is entitled to have one... isn't that one of your constitition thingys.... freedom of speech. Allow the man to speak for Christ sakes... obviously he's making a point.... you're reading his novels and going to see his movies... he is a good man with good thoughts and realizations. you guys are just mad becuz he does have the balls to say it while you sit at home drinking your beer and playing with your guns. i am also disgusted with the way you americans feel towards canada... what the hell did we do to you??? canada is the BEST country to live... we have our differences with our political leaders but we deal with it and not whine and cry about it. If you want bush out of there... VOTE him out... jesus christ... you do have that power you know!!! open your mind when you read or see a book/movie that mike has made/written... don't get sooo serious about it... read it and enjoy it instead of trying to investigate. with every book you read do you go and investigate all the facts or information in other novels....noooo i dont think so.... soo don't do it with this one... its entertainment with a dose of intelligence... thats all
CANADA RULES!!!!!!!!!!!
[email protected]

I can understand why most alleged conservative, right wing wackos would not pick up this book and give it a fair reading but rather write a spiteful review (One star only) based only on the author's reputation and their entrenched ideological dittohead mentality. What I don't understand is why the reviews are published by non-readers and why a few one stars are submitted and listed several times.
I actually read the book and found it to be, besides obviously satirical, written in a style that I think is meant to dig at the unmovable ideologues who mimmick talk radio, and it succeeds brilliantly.
With Michael Moore you know what you are getting, so why expect anything else. In humor there is always a grain of truth, otherwise it would not be funny, and Moore's book is at times very funny. As the saying goes: "the truth hurts." Of course at times Moore beats the dead horse, but what I found interesting is that he seems to have mellowed a bit from his previous books, and if his critcs actually gave it a thorough reading they would find that he supports a number of conservative ideas, and that he is not "just another liberal", but rather someone who isn't afraid to ask the hard questions.
Overall I liked what he had to say while not agreeing with everything, especially his take on the unattainability of the American Dream, but here again he IS entitled to his opinion.
Before I finished reading the book I happened to be listening to Clear Channel radio one morning and heard Glenn Beck pleading with listeners not to read this book. His diatribe sounded almost panicky, as though he was terrified that a plague had been let loose on the planet, until I realized that his book, "The Real America" was released at about the same time and Moore's book was.... well kicking his book's butt. I can't say that I have ever heard a more obvious expression of professional jealousy over book sales and the apparent paranoid need to have his (Beck's) book reach bestsellerdom. My question would then be: What are ideological conservatives so afraid of? That people might start thinking for themselves?
I recommend this book, but I also recommend "The Real America". Moore is a more polished author, but Beck has a few good things to say about family, morality and patriotism too, and that is why we have freedom of speech, so all sides have the opportunity to be heard.

Michael Moore, thank goodness we have people like him around. He tells it like it is to the dismay of stupid rich white men everywhere, and often does it in a way that makes you laugh, something Politicians need to learn how to do. Some people like the person who gave the book a 1 star, just don't get it, Michael Moore has been criticizing abuse of power whenever he sees it, inlcuding during the Clinton years(see the film THE BIG ONE), as the poor reviewer doesn't understand.
IF you liked Studid Rich White Men, you will love this one, the insights are truly disturbing and will wake anyone with a heart up to the twisted and corrupt things that are going on in the White House under the Bush Administration. Highly Recommended.

This review is intended as a brief response to another review, "#1 Traitor to the US", posted December 16, 2003.
4 points:
1. A US citizen complaining about US policy, or about abuse of governmental power, is not a traitor. The Framers held the view that unquestioning allegiance to a principle or nation was the source of much tyranny in the world. Indeed, this is largely why they sought to establish a democracy instead of another monarchy. Plurality, both in powers and in ideas and in voices, was the promise of democracy. Despite much contemporary urging to set aside your conscience and support your nation no matter what path it takes, such urging is exactly what the US government was established to defeat. And indeed, the blunder of Vietnam is a lesson on this very point. It took 4 US administrations to realize what the American people had figured out for themselves (the latter guided by the courage to question the decisions their leaders were making): the installation of democracies is a delicate process, and cannot always be achieved by force. Nations need to embrace democracy, largely by choice, if and when they mature enough to recognize its value; democracy cannot be waged.
2. Our country was founded on the premise that, e.g., life and liberty are not "privileges", but fundamental rights. You suggest otherwise when you claim freedom of speech to be a privilege, and that Moore is abusing that privilege. Unlike privileges, rights cannot be abused; only exercised. Also, America is not "one of the very few countries that has the freedom of speech". The far majority of contemporary non-theocratic nations recognize that freedom of speech is a fundamental right, just like we did in our Bill of Rights. This recognition has become something of a rite of passage for nations maturing to a point where they themselves recognize the essential safety that allowing multiple points of view provides.
3. A majority of religious traditions, including my own, would fault Moore for *not* speaking out as he has. This is because pointing out injustices (such as deliberate intention to mislead others, and suspension of the rule of law to further one's own agenda, both of which mounting evidence suggests President Bush has had and done), especially perpetrated by those who would claim to be doing our bidding, is not for us a right, much less a privilege, but a solemn duty.
4. I rated this book 4 stars because I think it rates 3 stars on content, but 5 on courage. Moore does have a fondness for the soapbox, and for speculative thinking. Still, there does need to be a counterweight for the many highly uninformed "neoconservative" books in circulation, many of which attack or distort the very principles that founded this country -- e.g., equating freedom of speech with treason. Ironically, the constitutional principles some neoconservatives attack are what protect their speech, and allow their books publication.

Reading what that person said about ETA makes me want to get sick all over his narrow-minded features. His view is that ETA attacked Spain for no reason as if Spanish death squads were not putting bullet holes in Basque adults and children to keep them under control in the North. I guess it is okay for the Spanish government to sanction murder on the streets (Guernica) but not okay for some Basque rebels to hit back? The Spanish government should be lucky to see an end to the violence. The arrogance of little peeved waa-waa pepe wanting ETA to now fully disarm after years of resistance should also be met by the Spanish defense forces doing the same thing. Care to disarm YOUR force in the North and at home pepe-wepe?
It is not even on the table is it?
What are you going to do with the thousands of dead Basque victims murdered at the hands of the Spanish army? Hide them behind the couch?
The concession has been made by Batasuna so face up to your job boy and move on.
It is narrow-minded people like this that cause terrorism to continue. Thank God that Michael Moore would snubb him down for making those kind of comments.

I agree with Michael Moore's politics. I just feel that "Dude, Where's My Country" contains way too much "filler ranting" as I like to call it. "Stupid White Men" seemed to contain many more frightening facts and touched on a broader range of issues. If you've read "Stupid White Men," I suggest upgrading to something like Chomsky. This is a bit light in the content department.
And for the conservatives who keep posting dummy reviews just to change the book's overall review score: please get a clue. You are entitled to your opinion but when you come off as being lazy and stupid, you only perpetuate the stereotype that conservatives are lazy and stupid. Present your point of view responsibly or no one will bother listening to it.

I read my uncles copy while visiting him last weekend. Although I am only 12, I can spot a mean spirited person a mile away. Where does he get off that getting rich in this country is impossible and that you might as well give up? I read up on Michael Moore. He's rich. He also doesn't have a very good reputation with former employees, is notoriously cheap, doesn't even tip etc. Just the kind of role model we need for this country. Plus all the 9/11 stuff? Oh brother. I have chosen this book for a book report. The assignment is to find a political themed book, present the contents, summarize and then give an opinion. I cannot give it my recommendation. Its just more inaccurate propaganda from this buy. I am sure many people will buy it and make him richer. What a hypocrite. He reminds me of all those foaming at the mouth conservatives talk show guys. He's just another self promoter getting rich off of movie and book deals. A gas bag. My best friend thinks he's a doofus.

The author covers many diverse topics in a book designed to retrace the losses in jobs, home affordability and the education system of the early 1950s and 1960s. The population in the U.S.A. grew to well over 280MM. In NYC, the population grew from 8MM to 10MM in the span of a few decades. This population increase has
placed added demands on the public infrastructure. In addition,
the purchasing power of the dollar has eroded considerably since the 1950s. It is now approximately a nickel on the 1950s dollar.

Health care costs have risen despite the fact that life expectancy in the USA is about the level in Cuba and behind the wealthier countries of Asia. It's difficult to take full advantage of the plethora of medical choices available globally because the protocols in the United States are limited. Conventional medicine is favored, as well as, methodological approaches employed by the government agencies. Within the past decade, the government has begun to review more rigorously the areas of alternative and complementary medicinal approaches.

The Asian economies began a significant growth cycle in recent decades. Our technology got to be more sophisticated with greater gains in engineering throughput. Energy technologies did not advance to the point of making solar energy commercializable.
Until the energy technologies progress to a point of independence, every Administration will be required to have
significant contacts with the OPEC countries and constituencies.
At some point (maybe by mid-century), the world economy will
be free of foreign oil dependence. The next critical issue will
be the replacement of foreign oil production with some other
industry in order to maintain the economic stability of the
OPEC countries. Otherwise, pockets of structural poverty will
develop on a more permanent basis along with the political
instability.

In addition, the population of the United States is greying . Life expectancy is on the rise and the baby boom of the 1950s and 60s has slowed significantly. The public infrastructure has been declining and the new construction barely has kept up with the need for more modern facilities. The home of the 50s could be purchased for $20T. That same house in today's market is worth well over $250T . Despite the significant price increases in
housing, many will inherit homes and personal wealth from family.
Those in the preferred position to inherit substantial legacies
will be homeowners with an equitable position far into the future.

The real estate gains due to holding value do not benefit
younger workers starting out with little equity, purchasing power
or other resources. The classic financing techniques which
benefit big and small businesses are not necessarily known or
employed by a plurality of American home purchasers.

As a result, the working class saves less and has less. This is not necessarily a permanent phenomenom. There are possibilities
for uplifting the working class. First, education needs to be
kept affordable and available. There needs to be a renewed
emphasis on training for blue collar workers and other highly
skilled professionals. Our university system tends to emphasize academic training/preparation instead of professional training
and workplace training. Accordingly, the system of rewarding
the professorial staff tends to reward pure academics rather than people with professional and industry experience. This aspect needs to change if the society is to benefit from the existing
knowledge base in industry, the professional cores and small business people.

Utilization of a consumption tax would help to transfer wealth to the working class. Much of America remains underbuilt and mass transit systems need to be developed to transport people to areas where land mass is still plentiful. Work-at-home scenarios could
alleviate some of the chronic crowding of roads, major transit
system bottlenecks and the imbalance between child care needs
versus existing facilities and funding constraints.

Housing codes should be liberalized to take advantage of
manufactured homes and granny flats as a cheaper alternative.
The small business sector has been a growth area for the past decade or more. The government needs to subsidize small business with outright grants instead of loans alone.

Many of our government programs are unknown to the lower and middle class. The government needs to provide more outreach to instruct people as regards how to apply for the various programs available to the poor and working class. There should be more accountability for private pension funds with greater participation by the account holders in fund decision-making
and Board of Director activities.

The rebirth of the manufacturing sector begins with the identification of consumer needs, purchases and preferences. The government has instituted enterprise zones to encourage business growth. Component part manufacturing, assembling and product development are all areas where American manufacturers have historical strengths. Both the public and private sector must develop a partnership to satisfy business needs with outright grants and assistance as necessary.

Our collegiate education system is still the strongest ace.
Primary and secondary education could benefit from support gained through partnerships with the professional core of engineers, physicians, scientists, actuaries and a plethora of technical specialties too numerous to list. These constituencies have the knowledge and expertise. The challenge is to structure the education system administratively so that it can benefit from the technological knowhow already present in the economy.

Rebuilding a growing country will take time; however, the
resources and knowhow are in place in the current economy.
The strategic constituencies with the resources need to be
engaged constructively so that the society as a whole can benefit
from the considerable knowledge base created over generations.

The author posed some perplexing questions for the country at large. Somewhere in the paragraphs above lies an answer with
a practical implementation process.

Michael Moore
Dude, Where's My Country?
Publisher: Warner Books
Date: October 2003
I must say that from the first time I heard of Michael Moore, I was intrigued by his rare fervor and passion for politics and the media. He had a way of getting his messages across, no matter what it took, and I respected him for that, because he had guts that I hadn't seen in a very long time. This was at the time of "Bowling for Columbine," and after a short while, it was with his other novel, Stupid White Men. When Dude, Where's My Country? came out, I knew that reading it was at the very top of my to do list. I wondered what he could possibly cover in this novel, that he hadn't touched in his first one. Soon after delving in, I understood where he was trying to go with this book. He always is informative in an entertaining manner, of course, this book is no different, but it seems that this novel takes a deeper look into many of the problems he wants to address today. Not without throwing around light humor, he throws statistics to back these "problems" and facts to back up "solutions" to the problems. If his goal was to shed light upon some serious issues in our society and government, and maybe even "liberate" (even though he may dislike that word) a few people, he accomplishes that goal fully. The article is pretty convincing at parts, most of the time when trying to be negative and point out what our government has done wrong in the past and present day. He seems less convincing at those parts when he talks about what we actually need to physically DO to address the problems. Most likely because most of the text is directed towards pointing out the wrong, not what needs to be done in the future, except for getting Bush out of the president's seat. But then again, I guess that is enough of a goal in itself. He also sounds not convincing because his thoughts may jump to a few conclusions, only because he expects that every point he makes his valid and therefore, 100 percent true. This is not to say, that he doesn't make loads of points, with logical movements and clear conclusions. And he may appear slightly biased, but that's because well, Michael Moore is! He doesn't speak his mind and write novels, make movies, to be objective and factual. He does this to show his opinion, to persuade, and show the country what is good, in his opinion of course. All along the course of doing this, he raises many intellectual questions for the reader to ask him or herself. One could ask who is benefitting from these so called tax cuts? Where is the extra money going towards? A billionaire's new car, house, or dog? Why are the Republicans making the bulk of decisions when we live in a liberal society (according to Moore)? Who will be the one to step up to Bush for this upcoming election? Why are we being terrorists when if we weren't, we could stop terrorism? Why won't Oprah/50 cent/Tom Hanks/General from Arkansas (aka Wesley Clark) run for presidency? Why are we relinquishing our freedoms? Why are we controlled by our fears? Why do so many countries hate us? Why do so many other countries give better benefits? What are we doing to OUR country? He gets readers to ask and ponder all this, while adding in bits of pop culture to make the reading a little more appeasing to the ones who aren't the scholars. He spells things out pretty clear, using lament terms for the average politically aware Joe Shmoe, or Jane. He even posts the notes and citations right along with the text, making the reading easy and sources clearly visible. His book is thoughtfully smart, humorous as ever, and clever as always. It is a fine piece of work for political debate, and an even better piece of stand up comedy. Whatever you do, go pick this book up and just read it, you don't have to agree with it, but read it, for your well-being.

Michael Moore offers a great boon to people around the world who work with other cultures. Long puzzled by the glaring inconsistencies of their assertions, many peoples struggle to comprehend the roots of American policies. Many American statements reflect their unconcealed loathing of cultures unlike their own even while mouthing pious phrases about "freedom", "equality" and "democracy". Moore's thesis of a regime driven by fear thus strikes a familiar chord. Most individual Americans abroad are looked upon kindly, if not with some level of affection. Yet the expressions of American leaders seem in sharp contrast to hesitant tourists or aid workers and educators travelling or working in other lands. A nation driven by fear under a duplicitous ruler at least clears away some of the mystery.
Moore makes clear that within their own borders, Americans are being divested of rights they once considered unassailable. While personal freedoms are in decline, other forces, chiefly business and extractive industries, are running rampant, not only within the United States, but in other nations through an American-driven "globalisation" process. Other cultures view these newly acquired powers and expressions with familiarity. After all, as Moore notes, these are the trappings of any dictatorship throughout history. Now that Bush's regime is following the British pattern of using military force to bolster economic adventurism, the image of America to foreign eyes is clarified further. Hypocrisy, at least, is being shed for the realpolitik of conquest. Bush, using the WTC attacks much in the way Hitler used the burning of the Reichstag, is simply repeating well-known history.
Those who suffer, or have suffered, such regimes, are fully aware that any dictatorship never resides solely in the power of one man, but in the cabal surrounding and protecting him. The self-interest born of ideology blinds the cabal's members to long-term impacts of their policies and enactments. Moore's primary focus in that respect is the question of a sustainable environment. He might have considered further the staggering debt to the American people, and their economic allies, these policies are generating.
Moore's flights of fancy make entertaining reading, bringing smiles at his more outrageous suggestions. The idea of Saudi forces engineering the WTC attack has plausibility, particularly in light of his description of bin Laden lugging a dialysis machine through the Afghan mountains. His suggestion that America's "psychological sweetheart", Oprah Winfrey, be installed as president, however, strikes one as a desperation move. Resistance to repressive regimes often lead to such measures, and we shouldn't be critical of Moore's.
In one sense, he offers hope for his readers in other countries. Oppressive regimes must be overthrown from within - to impose a new government from an outside force is simplistic thinking. The issue is timing - can the American people eject their dictator before his power, and that of his cabal, is too firmly consolidated? The mechanism is there, Moore asserts, it takes only the will of the populace to overthrow their illegally esconced leader. He would await the election, but recent exposure of Bush's fallacies in launching his crusade against Iraq suggest the time is ripe for public impeachment proceedings. Such an act would bring immense hope to people around the world suffering similar oppression. Moore's book is worthy reading for bolstering that desire, if nothing else.

Whenever I read a political book I always come to the store.com's review section to read what others have to say about the book. It's so easy to tell the hate-filled conservatives from the easy-going liberals. The liberals generally like books written by authors from the left (no big surprise there). However, they often have criticisms about some of the author's ideas and express their opposition in a calm and intelligent manner. Wingers, on the other hand, write reviews that make them seem like ravings lunatics or psychopaths (which is what they accuse the liberals of being). They sound like Coulter, O'Reilly and Limbaugh - shouting down those that disagree with them and resorting to name-calling. As Moore says in his book, they sound frightened - acting the way children do when they get angry and scared. It's so easy to tell that these ignorant few who do not know how to spell or know basic rules of grammer have not read the book. They write two or three sentences filled with venom and bitterness but have no real criticism of the book iteself.
I enjoyed this book as much as 'Stupid White Men' but not as much as Moore's movie 'Bowling Columbine.' In all of his criticisms of Bush & Co., he never once accepts part of the blame for the Greens taking enough of the vote away from Gore so that Bush could "win" the election. Yes, the Democrats are sometimes as bad as some Repulicans, but they also gave us people such as Wellstone and Feingold. I whole-heartedly agree with Moore that the number one priority for 2004 is to get rid of Bush. As the slogan from democraticunderground.com says "Anyone But Bush 2004." I agree that Clark is an interesting guy to watch and is pretty much saying all the right things and it would be great to see his ad campaigns call Bush to task for going AWOL during Vietnam.
The only real problems I had with the book were the "fantasy" chapters. I'm not religious so I don't care if he pretends to be god, I just think there's a more effective way to get the same point across than lapsing into fantasy. As another reviewer mentioned, he does a great job of using credible sources to back up what he says, unlike Coulter's bogus "footnotes" that she is so proud of. Too bad that so many of them have been found to be bogus sources.
I'm also glad to see that Moore's book is being read by folks from abroad - the rest of the world needs to know that most Americans do not support the Bush agenda no matter what his ratings are this week.

Michael Moore is a profoundly talented comedian with a heart of gold, the nerves of a narcissist, and a brain that has a nice clunky sound but is in serious need of repairs.
This book is furious and fun and furiously funny. It also represents the political immaturity and narcissism common in the progressive and left-wing radical movement just as sanctimonious fascism is common in the right-wing. Mr. Moore - and others like him - often sound like they have a problem with authority more than that they are driven by a vision that contains the hope of humanity.
Many of Mr. Moore's utterances in this book sound like the self-entitled rage that comes from abused adolescents towards neglectful or authoritarian parental figures. Much of Mr. Moore's admittedly inspired rant has the exact tone of a man whose insane simplifications exist to fill an existential void.
What Mr. Moore lacks is a profound sense of the tragedy of history - a sense that comes from contemplating the enormous complexities of the political universe and a necessary immersion in great literature. He does not seem to understand that the will to power is common to all of us and that if you scratch a liberal you will find a closet aristocrat.
For that reason and many others I say that Michael Moore is no true contender for power. He spends his time courting Hollywood liberals - the most ignorant of the ignorant - and preaching to a choir.
His heart, however, is made of gold and it is true that God is on the side of the progressives. But the deeper question must be asked - are the progressives on the side of God?
History, in the most rutheless manner possible, will be the judge.

Michael Moore might not be the best researcher out there, and he may not be the most eloquent writer, but no one provides a more unclouded, non-selfish diagnosis of today's problems than he does (and what's more, he doesn't insult your intelligence by tossing the word "traitor" around like a dirty rag).
Books like Moore's are absolutely vital in times like these. He doesn't have all the answers--but he does have a clear-cut image of what the problem is. When other political writers flat-out lie (like Ann Coulter) or ignore certain uncomfortable truths (like Al Franken), Moore calls it as he sees it, which is as close to purely honest as you're going to get. This is someone who doesn't have an ulterior motive--he actually wants to change society in a way that he thinks is beneficial. And if he thinks that someone is hurting the "good" of society, he will criticize them, whatever their party.
Words can't describe how valuable this book is--except the words in the book itself. If you care about anything in the entire world, read this book.

There are really no words to describe this book. Why? Because anything I write won't give this book the praise it deserves. No words I type can express my gratitude for what Michael Moore has done, and continues to do. The funny thing is he does it so simply. Both Stupid White Men, and Dude do one thing so perfectly: Tell the truth.
In todays world that is a priceless thing. Dude starts out and finishes in such a funny, yet truthful way. I picked this book up and I couldn't put it down. There were times when I had to literally pry my self away from it to study for some midterms. Moore presents the truth in such a enlightening, entertaining way that when I picked the book up I would be consumed by it. The next thing I knew, 3 hours would have passed.
Dude is what every Non-fiction book should be: an Honest, Precise, Funny approach at what every American needs to know: The Truth. So if you are considering buy this book. . . PLEASE DO! You will Laugh, You will Cry , and you will love every singe thought that Michael Moore has to say( well maybe not cry).

Michael Moore could somehow string his bleeding-heart sentiments to something bearing weight.
Michael Moore seems to suffer from the same problem that Ann Coulter does: I'm sure there are somewhat valid arguments hiding in his writing, but they are totally obstructed by his continual ethos and pathos, rather than logos. Moore writes with emotion, and in when most of what we read, see, and hear is swayed by bias (either left *or* right), it's time to open the stand to something a bit more fair. Moore continually rants and raves, sometimes to the point of incoherency, about the Rightist "faction" in the United States, without any support.
So, big deal. Moore can equate the Iraqi war's justification with the purchase of a Whopper. If he spent half the effort making coherent arguments that are supported by fact and logic, rather than spewing bile at Republicans and conservatives, this book might be worth reading.
Like the balance of Moore's film and written ventures, he continually appeals to the emotion of the reader. While his ideas are not without their merits, he spends so much time trying to make "funnies" and win the reader over with his easily-read style, there's absolutely no substance to the book.
It seems as if he's attempting to write a high-brow book for a low-brow audience: He's idealistic and hypocritical. When he carries on with endless banter about how the September 11th attacks could have been prevented, but then goes on to slam the rise in national defense spending. Skewed? Most assuredly. How can he complain about an attack when he lobbies to cut the funding to prevent another one? Much like his film "Bowling For Columbine," Moore presents fictionalized "facts" in order to cater to his own agenda.
Sur le finalement, Moore paints his readers into a liberal-esque corner. His ideas aren't fundamentally flawed, but reading his writing is boring - and the feeling is that he simply tries too hard to get his reader to slam the book shut and say "WHY THIS MR. MOORE IS CERTAINLY RIGHT!" Rather than proposing a way to change things, he instead spends the balance of the time - besides slamming his opposers - complaining. If he actually presented some theories on how to fix things, instead of simply telling readers things that they already know, this book would be vastly better.

Moore gives some good opinions in this book. I don't agree with the liver problems of Bin Laden though. This is pretty wheack in my opinion. There are interesting connections to Bush and other people. Moore also does not stick to one party, he criticzes the democrats as well. Like in Stupid White Men , Moore does not cuddle up to one political party, but points the bad parts of both parites. If only more people could be less ideological in their political books.

Michael Moore is the liberal's response to Rush Limbaugh and countless other blind Bush supporters. He dares to question everything done by the White House and documents it with factual sources. For those who claim he's just anti-Bush, he takes shots at Clinton once in a while too, but worthwhile ones dealing with political decisions and not personal ones. He boils down the stuff we should be reading into something that we should know, interspersed with humor to make the dread of the knowledge a little easier to take. For example, he clearly lays out the financial connections of the mid-east oil interests with Bush's Texas companies and Cheney's Halliburton history for anyone too confused by all the mid-east royal families to piece it together from Wall Street Journal articles themselves.
Read it with an open mind and then do the research yourself. And don't believe everything you hear on television because you'll learn they have their own interests. Thanks Mike, and keep the books coming!

Eight years back, Michael Moore wrote "Downsize This: Random Threats from an Unarmed American." In those days, despite the much-better economy, there was still a lot to complain about. Mike went on and on about hypocrisy of the Religious Right, evil corporations dominating the world, and even a few of Clinton's more embarrassing moments.
Now, times have changed. A terrible error in the Florida ballot system caused an even more terrible Texas governor to become President. The White House is once again dominated by conservatives. Mike's mad! And you don't want to see Michael Moore when he's mad!
As this book opens, Mike wastes no time attacking G.W. Bush. Unfortunately, Mike's rage takes over, and as a result, the first chapter or so is not his funniest work. But don't you worry, it gets better!
This book is not just an attack on Bush. His corporate cronies, oil contractors and right-wing propagandists are also targets. Come to think about it, everybody who's done wrong gets the Moore treatment. As a matter of fact, in one chapter, "Oil's Well that Ends Well," all of humanity is indicted for its lack of foresight.
Sadly, Mike's anger prevents this book from being his funniest work, but what inadequacies in the humor department are made up for by being a very compelling book. By the end of the book, Mike has made clear his message: it's up to us to stop Bush! Only we, the American voters, have that power.
Whatever you are: Democrat, Republican, Green, Liberatarian, Independent, or otherwise, I urge you to read this book!