Filmmaker Michael Moore expressed his opinion on Twitter about Clint Eastwood’s war film, ‘American Sniper’ -based on the life of the late Chris Kyle — calling snipers “cowards” and setting off a storm of criticism over his tweet…. While comments about the film on Twitter have been contentious, Moore’s tweet has garnered the most criticism and attention. Moore wrote, “My uncle killed by sniper in WW2. We were taught snipers were cowards. Will shoot u in the back. Snipers aren’t heroes. And invaders r worse.”…. Driven by conservative outrage aggregator Twitchy, many rushed to attack Moore, calling him names, questioning his patriotism, while making the usual comments about his weight. While some tweets were brief, — calling Moore “idiot” or “moron,” or worse — others used the full 140-character Twitter limit to call out Moore.
I’ve learned that if there’s one thing in this world that can be counted on, it’s the Conservative predilection for faux outrage. Voice an opinion construed as anything less than saluting that flag and praising all that America is and stands for, and you can bet that you’ll soon find yourself engulfed in a maelstrom of hypocritical Conservative anger and chest-thumping.
In this case, anything other than lauding Chris Kyle as an American hero is thought to be treasonous and anti-American…and anyone voicing such opinions is thought well-deserving of being pilloried. That the target of the latest load of Right-wing calumny is Michael Moore only ups the ante. And if there’s one thing Conservative do well, it’s stoop to cheap personal insults in the guise of an argument.
First of all, Moore didn’t actually call snipers “cowards.” While he didn’t fall over himself in praise of them, he said that he was taught that snipers were cowards…and if he believes that, it’s his right. He has a very personal reason for that…not that the Conservatives attacking care about anything but hewing to their marching orders.
Townhall editor and Fox contributor Katie Pavlich insisted that Kyle served as a sniper in the Middle East to protect Moore’s 1st Amendment rights, writing , “Chris Kyle was a sniper so you could spew vile, untrue, pathetic words like that @MMFlint. You’re welcome. You should be saying THANK YOU.”….
Alex Freeman took a slightly more reasoned approach, writing, “Michael Moore’s tweet is just plain offensive to our servicemen. Chris Kyle risked his life for his country- nothing cowardly about that.”….
Isn’t is odd that those who so strongly defend the 1st Amendment right go ballistic when someone actually uses those free speech rights to voice an opinion they disagree with? Free speech and expression means exactly that- it’s not applicable only to speech that meets with the approval of the Far Right.
Chris Kyle didn’t serve as a sniper to protect Moore’s 1st Amendment rights. Our security was never at risk from Iraq, and to assert otherwise is as offensive as it is intellectually dishonest. Chris Kyle served in Iraq because that’s what his orders told him to do. It’s what soldiers do. It wasn’t about protecting our freedom or defending the Homeland or any other propaganda-laden reason. Kyle had a job to do and he did it; how well he did it is another argument for another time.
Conservatives must know they can’t win on substance, because their default when it comes to Moore is to go directly for the easy target- his weight.
Other went directly for the “Michael Moore is fat” jokes with Breitbart writer Katie McHugh slamming both Moore and actor Seth Rogen — who was also taking flack for comparing American Sniper to the movie “that’s showing in the third act of Inglorious Basterds” — for their weight, while pointing out that Sniper star Bradley Cooper had to be in excellent shape to portray Kyle in the film.
McHugh wrote, “It’s unlikely that either Moore or Rogen, both of whom of grossly overweight, are familiar with the grueling regimen Cooper endured in order to respectfully represent the deceased Chris Kyle. It’s equally unlikely that either of them would have volunteered anything to make a sacrifice on behalf of veterans.”
McHugh should be ashamed for targeting Moore’s weight instead of making an actual argument…which would be WAY too much work. If there’s one thing the trolls at Breitbart are about, it’s lazy yellow journalism. Cheap shots, personal insults, and absurd emotional arguments based on propaganda and talking points are their stock in trade. That holds true for most of the other Conservatives attacking Moore. They can’t defeat him on the substance of their argument, because they have no argument…unless you count self-righteous outrage and fat jokes as debating techniques.
A “communist piece of fat garbage?” OK, you win…how could I POSSIBLY hope to counter such brilliant, insightful logic?
I don’t know that Chris Kyle was a hero, and I don’t know that he wasn’t. It’s not a description I would use, but I appreciate his service and his commitment to his fellow servicemen once he returned to civilian life. “Hero” is a term that gets tossed around far too frequently these days. While Kyle did his job, I’m not certain that makes him “heroic.” Despite what Elizabeth Hasselbeck might think, what snipers do isn’t “incredible.” It’s killing, and there’s nothing remotely incredible or heroic about it.
Michael Moore didn’t call Kyle a “coward.” Not that Conservatives particularly care about the truth when there’s some high-grade Liberal bashing to be engaged in.
