Truth & Credibility

I just finished watching Michael Moore's anti-gun anthem: "Bowling for
Columbine." I have a hard time trusting his credibility for that
documentary because of one single shot in it.

The shot in question happens early in the documentary during a montage
of suicides and shootings that clearly serve as testimony against gun
ownership. The shot is as follows: a man is being led by police down
some public place when out of nowhere another man comes and shoots him
in the head. Appalling violence. Shameless use of a very unique
situation in which the shooter was acquitted. I remember the sequence
because some years ago, I saw the news report about that incident. The
shooter in that short segment was the father of a child whom the
prisoner had attacked while breaking into their house while the child
was alone. I don't remember the specifics of the crime, but I do
remember that the father took the law in his hands out of grief for
the damage done to his child. Michael Moore's use of that clip in his
documentary is irresponsible and disrespectful to that family. I found
myself struggling to filter what parts of the documentary I believed,
since I agree with his views about the level of firearm related crimes
in our country. Mr. Moore misses the point that the truth is enough to
shed light on an obvious problem in our country. There is no need to
add by either omission of facts or embellishment, the Truth is solid
on its own merit. Credibility however, is flimsy at best. I enjoyed
"Fahrenheit 911," but I remember that watching it I also had the same
problem; discerning when I am being "sold" a point of view from being
told the Truth.

I ask Michael Moore to use his resources more responsibly, he is no
better than those he accuses of lying when he embellishes the events
he documents with his outrage. He should channel that outrage to show
the unadulterated truth. When he does that, his credibility will be
restored and trusted. Each documentary can stand on its own merit,
but he must not resort to the misleading devices he is so fond of.

You can't make Charlton Heston look nuttier than he obviously is.