Is Michael Moore a Winner or a Whiner?

Michael Moore (“I’d Like to Thank the Vatican ... “ Commentary, March 27) describes not being able to see anyone booing him during his controversial speech at the Academy Awards and explains away the loud boos heard by millions of people on television by claiming that when someone had the temerity to disagree with his remarks, “the majority in the balcony -- who were in support of my remarks -- started booing the booers.” We’re supposed to believe this? A supporter would have cheered.

No, Mr. Moore, the boos were aimed at you because you were on stage, venting your political spleen. Rational, moral and well-meaning people -- even the elite of the entertainment industry -- can and do disagree about the war, for a wide variety of reasons.

A maker of documentaries, who purports to depict reality rather than fiction in his work, should not allow his own ego or opinions to render him blind to the truth even if he finds it unpleasant. That truth is, not everyone agrees with Moore, and whether one supports the war or not, Moore’s remarks at the Academy Awards were in amazingly bad taste.

Erik Gunderson

Manhattan Beach

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Another young man, Joseph Swift, made the mistake of going to church in Los Angeles on March 23 and ended up senselessly paying for it with his life. Thank you, Michael Moore, for bringing the issue of America’s twisted love affair with guns to the screen. Thank you also for your continuing courage and efforts to speak up for the rest of us who, in some way, be it class, race, gender or religious beliefs, make up the portion of America (the majority) that the wealthy don’t want to hear from.

Though we live in a great country, if it completely understood the meaning of democracy you’d be held up as one of its finest patriots.

Roland Poindexter

Marina del Rey

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Besides lambasting President Bush, Moore could have taken a moment to condemn the Hollywood community for its glamorization of gun violence. That’ll be the day.

Lois Tannenbaum

West Hills

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I want to thank Moore for speaking the truth. He deserves a standing ovation. Many Americans are supporting this war because they believe all the big lies coming from our unelected officials in the White House. Maybe they believe these lies because they can’t handle the truth. This war is immoral, illegal, unjustified and terrible.

Leonor Fontes

North Hollywood

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How ironic that Moore brands the Bush presidency as fictitious (citing as his only evidence the elderly Floridians who mistakenly voted for Pat Buchanan) while supporting his own biased and contrived film as a work of nonfiction.

Apparently, in Moore’s world the definition of the word “fiction” includes whatever he disagrees with. Moore then goes on to claim that his views are in the mainstream and that the majority in the Kodak Theatre agreed with him, despite all evidence to the contrary.

Please don’t waste any more of your valuable editorial space on the views of an individual with so little credibility.

Paul Cunningham

Encino

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Bravo, Michael Moore. Truth-telling amid the fog of screaming, blood-thirsty warmongers gets the label of “unpatriotic.” To those in the media and their followers who would deny the right to dissent and speak out in this American democracy, let them be reminded of the statement of Samuel Johnson on April 7, 1775: “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.”

David Goldenberg

Laguna Niguel