108 thoughts on “Mailbox is full”

1. tooootally off track…
   Come to australia!
   (trying to think up some reason for the Wheaton-meister to visit, failing dismally.. do we even have conventions here…?)
   sorry i gotta go ride me a kangaroo down to the sea to watch them im’grants come take all thajobs… i wish there was someone here making people think about the stuff going down here… grr. *sigh*

2. Please don’t feed the trolls.

3. At last someone recognized Mike’s work on TV Nation! I always dug that show and was thrilled when I caught Awful Truth for the first time. Then I got really pissed when I realized that I’d missed his trip to Louisville for the Humana bit, since I was living there at the time. It got absolutely NO local press before, during, or after the show aired. Completely ignored.

4. Mike Harris,
   You were right, it didn’t take me longer than 5 minutes to find the offending comment on Google groups. Here’s the FULL paragraph that was posted on his website, prior to his self-censorship:
   —
   “Many families have been devastated tonight. This just is not right. They did not deserve to die. If someone did this to get back at Bush, then they did so by killing thousands of people who DID NOT VOTE for him! Boston, New York, DC, and the planes’ destination of California–these were places that voted AGAINST Bush!
   Why kill them? Why kill anyone?”
   —-
   So I was wrong — he didn’t say that the tragedy was lesser because Republicans were killed; rather, he thinks the tragedy was greater because it was non-Republicans who were killed. Not to mention his foolish suggestion that this was done “to get back at Bush.”
   Who was going to be eating crow, again?

5. are we familiar with the concept of satire?

6. Re: The Michael Moore paragraph from Google.
   I’ve read and re-read the above paragraph.
   I’ve tried to read it with different viewpoints in mind.
   I’m sorry, all I see is a post made by a person so utterly affected and confused by a catastrophic event that he tried to do what any of us would do: put in terms that he was familiar with to help us begin to understand it.
   Were any of us thinking very straight immediately after it happened?
   Flame me if you want, but that’s how I view it.

7. Steph W said: “By the way, I don’t remember if it was the first episode or not, but watch for the episode with the witch hunt. The mob scenes at the end were actually filmed in Madison, WI. I was in there somewhere, but I’m not onscreen at all. It was a fun time though. About a thousand people out on the library mall chanting “Legislators! Fornicators!” and a few other things. It’s a shame that more of it didn’t make it into the piece. But it was a blast to shoot!!!”
   I, in fact, was also there, with Steph and her brother, Brian (another Broom Street Theater playwright). It did kick ass.
   As far as Michael Moore goes, sometimes I agree with him, sometimes I don’t, but he always makes me laugh and, more importantly, think.
   Look, he’s good at his job, and his job ISN’T to always agree with me–his job is to be a satirist.

8. Hey Wil,
   My husband and I love Michael Moore. I loved his ‘TV Nation’ show too, I was so disappointed when they pulled it. I especially enjoyed the episode where the auto executive changed his own oil, it was great.

9. Dammit, Fenaray-you stole my thunder! 🙂
   I was going to mention that because that whole segment on TV Nation was awesome! He tried to various CEOs to come out and do mundane, everyday things associated with the products their companies made. I think he tried to get Jack Welch (CEO of GE) to change a light bulb.
   I was working at Ford Motor Company at the time. It was the pre Jacques Nasser days when the CEO was a well-respected, good humored person named Alex Trotman. He was the only guy to take Michael Moore up on it, and he came down and changed the oil in a car.
   Ford was literally buzzing after that episode-positively I might add! Trotman gained a lot of respect from many, many Ford employees then.

10. I hate to see anyone get sterio typed for having an honest opinion.
    I dont have anything negative to say about Michal Moore, I liked roger & me.
    It would be nice to know that if I did happen to have a different opinion, I wouldnt be sterio typed as a hater, idiot, or hate spewer.
    Of course if it was about George Bush it would be ok to say any thing you wanted.
    Freedom of Speech, Yeah Baby!

11. I didn’t see Roger and Me, but did get to see several episodes of his t.v. series. I really enjoy his style, and especially the way he mixes comedy and real in-your-face activism. Also was pleased that he noted, several times, that Canada has a lot to offer (i.e. health care). He likes it up here, apparently…wonder if we could convince him to relocate? Hey, while I’m at it, why don’t all of you move up here – there’s lots of room…Cheers.

12. Please understand, I’m not trying to curtail anyone’s right to free speech or opinion — why is that the predictable knee-jerk reaction whenever someone is criticized? Feel free to explain Mr. Moore’s comment however you like, although I think labeling it as satire is extremely weak. I’m not saying all his work is worthless due to one comment, but I don’t like the guy anymore than your average WWDN poster likes, say, John Ashcroft.
    Bluesman, I’d agree with you if people weren’t so quick to label people on the *right* as idiots and hate-spewers whenever their opinions are different. There’s a double-standard.

13. On another topic which I hope will make sense.
    Since someone mentioned John Ashcroft I just wanted to ask if anyone else wonders about his conflict of interest? I mean his wife was one of the people killed in the attacks. Is it really a good idea to have this guy in charge of part of the response? I don’t want to get flamed or anything and I am not saying he should lose his job. I just think it might be a good idea to have someone else as a backup to make sure he is not doing anything too extreme. I also want to make it clear that I think it is sad he lost his wife and that if he is feeling vengeful it is understandable. I’m just not sure he should have free reign to do whatever he wants.
    Just my thoughts.

14. I think (I may be wrong) that you’re thinking of Ted Olson, who is the solicitor general. His wife, Barbara Olson, was killed in one of the planes. I’m pretty sure Ashcroft’s wife was not killed in the WTC attack.
    I also think it was probably a mistake for me to bring up Ashcroft. 🙂

15. I may owe wil an apology; I do realize that someone else could have come on here and typed in thier name as “wil” and put in the first entry on this thread.
    I know wil claims to be a civil libertarian and I should give him the benefit of the doubt.

16. & since you brougt up the cost of this site/bandwith (once again), why dont you post the address & your account number where anybody that wants to can mail a few buck to them towards your account.
    Im sure this site would support itself that way and that way it wouldnt seem like you were asking for money.
    The problem with making this a pay site is that it will only work if you hit it big as an actor/entertainer & if that happens you wont need the cash.

17. In the interests of honesty, and because I respect you, bluesman (even though you’re wrong :p ), I *did* put that up.
    You are correct in what you said, and I can totally see how it can be considered a double standard.
    Well, it is, and I really can’t defend it.
    I have noticed that the discussion has been completely civil, though, and very mature.
    I guess I wasn’t interested in providing a place for the newbies, who have flooded this place in the last few days, and who are not up to speed on how we all act like grownups here, to go on and on, calling him names.
    But you’re right, and I’ll own up to it.
    Damn you. 😉

18. Hey there BurntHombre-
    (Hang on-putting on flameproof suit)
    I think the issue was that any debate on this whole thing was founded on making sure we knew exactly what was said before we decided that Michael Moore was great/sucks. Unfortunately it did seem to degrade into a I’m right/you’re wrong type thing.
    I’m totally in agreement with you that labelling that comment as satire is extraordinarily weak, but I also disagree in that it was a consciously politically motivated comment made to place blame, particularly because from what I can see, it was made very shortly after the attack at a time when we were all trying to make sense of things in our own ways.
    There’s been a lot of craziness on these boards in the last few days, starting with the abortion debate we had, then the “Valentine’s Day Massacre” of Wil, so I think there may be a residual sensitivity to some things. I’d hate to think that we can’t handle criticsm or other opinions from other people, but I do sense the remains of a still charged atmosphere laying around. Regardless, if you’re starting to feel like you can’t post because you have a different opinion, then we’re definitely doing something wrong here.
    And just to make sure it doesn’t happen again: you’re absolutely right, it was Barbara Olson, not John Ashcroft’s wife.
    (Flameproof suit off-if it’s safe) 🙂

19. Oops sorry, I don’t know how I got those two mixed up. My bad. And people wonder how urban legends get started.
    Here I am a news junkie and I read/view all kinds of information programs and yet somehow I still thought it was Ashcroft’s wife. In my defense, I am Canadian (boy that sounds bad) and we don’t get as much programming about that whole mess as you guys probably do in the States. Oh well I now return you to regularly scheduled programming.
    Oh and actually on topic. About Michael Moore, even if you don’t always (or even often) agree with him at least he is someone who gets your mind working.

20. I think everyone here that is a Michael Moore fan would be interested in knowing how his newest bok was almost threatened with destruction if he didn’t give up his First Amendment Rights.
    http://michaelmoore.com/2002_0205.html

21. Gaea said: “About Michael Moore, even if you don’t always (or even often) agree with him at least he is someone who gets your mind working.”
    I completely agree. There is a conservative talkshow host named Dennis Prager, who I often listen to, and rarely agree with…but he always makes me think.
    Thinking is a good thing.
    I think.

22. I’m not a big fan of blind liberal politics. Frankly anyone who stands on one side and chooses one extreme with every issue is a moron. However, does anyone remember TV Nation from 1995? I have every espisode on tape. I hate the politics but love the gags – seeing jeanine garrafalo invade greenwich connecticut from the ocean was just amazing. Michael moore is to comedy what rage against the machine is to music. They are masters of their mediums, but their message stinks.

23. We do actually, get all the U.S. news here in Canada, if not on local stations then on CNN.
    Just wondering, am I, a newbie, somehow not conforming to what you do on this site? I have tried to use only polite language, even during the abortion debate. Please inform.

24. http://jeff.oasismag.com/stories/storyReader$13

25. Off-topic and tangent:
    Gaea, you might have been thinking of Ashcroft and death in the same thought because he lost the gubernatorial race in Missouri to a dead man. His opponent was killed in a plane crash after the filing deadlines for the election. The voters of Missouri, even with this in mind, still didn’t choose to elect Ashcroft as governor.

26. hey, does anybody know where i can see a trailor of it online or video clips? i couldn’t find it where i live and i don’t want to purchase it without getting a sneak preview.
    thanks.

27. hey, does anybody know where i can see a trailor of it online or video clips? i couldn’t find it where i live and i don’t want to purchase it without getting a sneak preview.
    thanks.

28. I must also admit that I have been known to listen to people I disagree with not only to think, but to hear “their side” of the issue as it is often something that has merit.
    amellia

29. Wil,
    Im glad we agree. You know how much it upsets me when theres/there’s controversy.
    Now come on over here and give me a hug.

30. Look, I’m from Flint, MI, and Michael Moore and I don’t really care for Michael Moore. I respect him as a filmmaker/ TV producer, but the guy doesn’t always tell the whole truth. If you wanna take this up with me, email

31. Hi Wil
    Another first-timer for you, not even from the US.
    You wrote: Gaea said: “About Michael Moore, even if you don’t always (or even often) agree with him at least he is someone who gets your mind working.”
    My suggestion: For Michael Moore, substitute Wil Wheaton. That’s why I come here…….
    Doing a great job,Wil,whatever a minority say, donators or not ! Take sterling ?

32. >> [email protected]
    Anyone else find it ironic that Michael Moore’s email addy is AOL?
    How much more New World Order/corporate can one get?
    Hey, Mike…
    Why not support some of those smaller ISPs trying resist the light-bending vortex of AOL/Time Warner or Microsoft?
    And you’d better be composing that email on a Linux box. Or Mac OS X, at the very least.

33. I can’t weed through all 80+ comments to see if anyone mentioned this, but the book Spike, Mike, Slackers & Dykes by John Pierson has some really good stuff about how Michael Moore’s film Roger and Me came to be released. Quite the interesting character.
    Incidentally the book has a lot of other great stuff about the birth of indie cinema (mostly mid-80s to mid-90s but with some earlier background as well) if you’re so inclined to read that sort of thing, and includes commentary from the amazing Kevin Smith (Mallrats-era).

34. Off topic again, here’s a VERY 80’s pic of Wil that’s for sale on Amazon.
    http://s1.amazon.com/exec/varzea/glance-browse/Y01Y1575175Y4296853/ix=fixed-price&rank=%2Ditm&fqp=org-unit-id%014%02site-org-unit-id%014%02status%01open%02title%01wil%20wheaton&sz=50&pg=1/15/89/qid=1013200941/ZS=1-15/102-8020943-8887352#image
    I’m always frightened by the pics of me from that time period so I’m glad I’m not famous and those will never have reason to appear in public.

35. Oo.
    That pic is going on my hard drive.
    Photoshop bait.

36. Yeah the show was good, don’t always agree with his solutions to problems but he does make you think. If you get the chance try and get a copy of ‘Pets or Meat’ the follow-up to Rodger and Me.
    This may also be the only DVD I ever personally show up on, I am the Republican in the audience in episode 2 (actually the first episode shot, they shot two episodes that day).

37. Speaking of Photoshop I think Wil should replace the Twin Peaks cover on his page with this “photoshopped” one from http://www.worth1000.com/view.asp?id=4&image=3591&cid=73&eid=1639&view=and see if anyone notices. (note: the page does not always load, try refreshing a few times)

38. In addition to the Read, Listen, Watch, etc. I wanna see a Photoshop spot where Wil’s monkeys create masterpieces which feature our fearless host as the subject matter.

39. Or rotate that portrait in the upper left corner with different variants of same.

40. Kind of like they do at aintitcool.com on occasion.

41. glorfindel, are you talking about his statistics from roger & me?
    i loved that movie because i’m a big car nut, and therefore, hate gm. but when i found out about all the staged scenes and false info he pawned off as true, i lost a lot of respect for him.

42. I do agree with “paulthebrit”. I come here because
    this site makes me think ..and NO! contrary to
    the “trolls” remark…it isn’t always about
    Spudnuts!
    I love this site for its originality, the depth
    of the discussion’s, its warmth AND the beloved
    characters.The humor,wit and sarcasm are a lovely
    fringe benefit.
    Mr.Wheaton(sir)you are doing more than your share
    to have “Peace prevail on Earth.” I mean you put
    up with all of us dontcha? And if we can all get
    along..well most of the time…there is HOPE for
    the big blue ball after all.

43. Sorry..forgot something. I admire Mr. Moore because he isn’t afraid to “BE” outside the box.
    Perhaps he’s not answering his email because he
    went to take his wife out!! oww..
    Something else..in my younger days..nevermind
    when..I had such a crush on “Wesley” that my signif. other used to call him “Wetley”!!
    …thats enough for now.

44. LOL FUN!!!!

45. BurntHombre … sorry, no eating crow here. He didn’t say what you claim he said. And at that point, none of us knew who the hell had bombed the WTC and Pentagon, and some sort of retaliation against the President of the United States personally sure was a possibility.

46. Monster Boner spurted: “Frankly anyone who stands on one side and chooses one extreme with every issue is a moron”
    wow, where else could you go on the Internet and hear such well written and intelligent phrase from someone called “Monster Boner”
    now who wants to give Monster Boner a kiss?
    I think Im gonna go rent a bevis and butthead movie

47. Cmon, you know you love my name. And while the way I put my first argument was simplistic, the thinking behind it is obvious. When people immidiatley take one side in an issue without thinking of the cirumstances, they are are not doing the smart thing. Let me explain my problem with liberals. Liberals are most of the time very well-intentioned people who always want to take the high road, unfortunatley at the expense of others.
    For example, during the 60’s it was the piece written called “silent spring” which sparked the debate over the use of DDT. It was theorized that DDT caused the death of certain birds. So after the uproar and pressure from our more liberal citizens, DDT was banned and manufacturing of it stopped. Up until then, DDT was the only insecticide safe to use around humans. Soon after it was banned, the death rate in africa and India skyrocketed due to malaria.
    It was figured that close to two million people had unnessesarily died from malaria after their supply of DDT was cut off. All because we were worried about the effect DDT had on a certain type of bird.(which was never proven) Another great example is the boy scouts. Many liberals are now taking away the use of schools from boy scout troops since they will not allow gay men to be scoutmasters.
    Nice principle, but the boy scouts are one of the oldest youth organizations. They were also one of the first ever organizations to integrate races and have received many awards for their community service. They have done more to contribute to society than any of their naysayers, but still are blown off as a relic of conservative ideals.
    Actions such as these have only reinforced my suspicisions that most liberals have not had the life experience to form valid opinions.

48. I think what you mean to say is “most liberals have not had MY life experiences, and thus are unable to conform to MY valid opinions, which of course, makes them incorrect and invalid”

49. Micheal Moore is an AOL user!? WTF

50. Mike, you didn’t even *know* what Mr. Moore really said until I was kind enough to inform you. Case closed, you’re dismissed.

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