I, like probably most of you, have seen Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11. Its title is a parody of the title of Ray Bradbury’s great science fiction novel, Fahrenheit 451. This temperature 451° Fahrenheit, is the combustion point, incidentally, of paper, of which books are composed. The hero of Bradbury’s novel is a municipal worker whose job is burning books. And on… return to article
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Reader Comments (488)Hey Mike, that’s why we don’t let 16 year olds vote. You are not mature enough to understand the things that go on around you fully… fuck it, neither are 18 year olds… raise the voting age to 45. ;) But really Mike, just remember that luckily, you will be stting this election out.
Posted by Ryan Conover on Sep 11, 2004 at 5:10 PM Oh yea, and no one takes Canada seriously because you guys don’t really DO anything. You just sort of hang out way up there in the cold like our attic… no revolutionary war… plus your free healthcare caused my mother’s cousin’s child to wait so long to be attended to in an emergency room that her appendix burst and she died, probably because some guy had a nasty cough or someone cut their finger… honestly the pride in being Canadian seems as funny to me as the pride on being Puerto Rican… I mean, why?
Posted by Ryan Conover on Sep 11, 2004 at 5:15 PM “here is how much sense you make: (D)=Democrat (T)= Terrorist Leader…”
This is to silly to even respond to.
Posted by fitzrite on Sep 11, 2004 at 6:42 PM Ryan, you’re brainwashed and quite evidently ignorant to other countries. You guys only wish you had our healthcare, everybody here is satisfied with it. By the way, our hockey team rules!!!!!!! Canada actually has done a lot and invented tons of things, you should do a little research…...
Posted by Andria on Sep 12, 2004 at 6:06 PM Most Americans are so ignorant and brainwashed. They really think this is the best country on earth when most of them have never even been anywhere else.
I got news for them—the US is NOT the best country on the planet. I would put it about eighth or ninth.
Here’s my personal estimation of the best places to live, in terms of social justice:
1. Sweden
2. Denmark
3. New Zealand
4. Holland
5. France
6. Canada
7. England
8. U.S.
Posted by fitzrite on Sep 12, 2004 at 7:13 PM I think you have them listed in order with the highest taxation as number one, down the list, although you forgot Finland. When looking at the “best” country to live in, you have to look at all facets and what the people who live there think of their own country, in order to decide what’s best.
The grass is always greener….and so on.
Posted by Gabe on Sep 12, 2004 at 8:23 PM Hmmmm—I didn’t notice that correlation! But, yeah, you’re probably right.
Taxes are the price you pay for living in a civilized society. I’m tempted to think it might be worth 50 percent of my paycheck to live in a country with no poverty, no homeless people, very little crime, free health care and free higher education!
I’m speaking of Sweden—if only it weren’t so damn COLD!
Posted by fitzrite on Sep 12, 2004 at 10:09 PM The answer is not to move, but take steps to change the system where you are. Even if you moved to Sweden today, and even if it didn’t have cold winters, you would not be eligible to enjoy what a citizen of that country enjoys in benefits.
I moved to Spain and lived there for 2 years. The first 4 months were hell for me as temperatures reached 115 F. in the shade. We took salt pi;lls to help thin the blood. By the time September rolled around, we were sitting in an outdoor cafe with sweaters on, while the Swedish tourists were dipping in the “warm” waters of the Mediterranean.
If you move to a colder climate, your blood thickens and you don’t feel the cold as you would as a short term visitor. All things are relative.
Don’t know where you live, but my spot in Canada is very comfortable all year round. I would not, under most circumstances, entertain living in Saskatchewan or Ontario, not even the Maritimes. Too friggin’ cold, in winter.
Posted by Gabe on Sep 12, 2004 at 10:20 PM “The answer is not to move, but take steps to change the system where you are.”
No offense intended, but that is laughable—you can’t change the US because it is full of ignoramuses who are all too willing to accept fascism in the name of patriotism.
The only REAL solution is to vote with your feet—go someplace that is ALREADY reasonable.
Judging from your weather, I’d guess you live in or near Vancouver?
Posted by fitzrite on Sep 12, 2004 at 10:48 PM About 2.5 hours by car and ferry North of Vancouver on the mainland coast. A totally unique ecosystem, different from anything else in BC. Not crowded, either, unless you consider the herd of deer that live on the property….
Give me an email address and I’ll email you the URL where you can see the area…I’m a photographer. I don’t want mine to be spidered by the spammers, but hopefully, you have an aol or hotmail address.
Posted by Gabe on Sep 12, 2004 at 10:55 PM fitzrite@comcast.net
hope i don’t get death threats from the neo-brown shirts.
Posted by fitzrite on Sep 13, 2004 at 12:20 AM So, Mike, let me get this straight. You think the rest of the world hates us because they found out there are some people here who DON’T want to drop bombs on them?
Posted by Gloria on Sep 13, 2004 at 12:23 AM gloria,
wow, that’s pretty clear thinking! cuts right through the b.s., doesn’t it?
Posted by fitzrite on Sep 13, 2004 at 12:27 AM Dear Mr. Vonnegut,
As a librarian, I thank you for your comments about librarians. As a Christian, I would ask that you get to know a few more Christians who live their faith before holding up Hitler as an example of a Christian. And I ask that you not give up on the human race. There are still many good people out there. Thank you again for your article, and I am glad that there is a forum to respond and discuss.
Posted by Tracie on Sep 13, 2004 at 4:50 PM Vonnegut is a humanist for sure.
This world would be a much better place without Christian AND Muslim fanatics killing each other. One side is as bad as the other in my opinion. This has been going on for literally a thousand years—one ill-conceived crusade after another.
I wish they would all kill each other, but ufortunately they’re determined to drag the rest of us into their idiotic Armageddon—whether we like it or not.
Karl Marx was right about one thing: religion IS the opiate of the masses.
Posted by fitzrite on Sep 14, 2004 at 12:05 AM Canadians are still funny. I don’t mean any real harm, I like Canada, but ya have to admit, you guys are pussies. ;)
Posted by Ryan Conover on Sep 14, 2004 at 5:11 PM Jesus, what an ignorant thing to say. How many Canadians do you actually know? What is your sample size?
Canadians probably think Americans are assholes. I can see why.
Posted by fitzrite on Sep 14, 2004 at 10:25 PM Ken
Sorry everyone is pouncing on you, but you were first to comment on KV’s letter, so that’s how it goes.
A few points; 58,000 voters were taken off the Florida voter rolls by Katherine Harris beause they supposedly were ex-felons. However, thousands of people were taken off the rolls simply because they had similar names, mostly Democrats. Greg Palast’s book, THE BEST DEMOCRACY MONEY CAN BUY, lays it out quite clearly, along with numerous other articles. THIS IS ILLEGAL and is considered voter fraud. Recently, a list of Florida convicts to be purged put out by Republican operatives lists only African American convicts and conveniently left out almost any mention of Hispanic voters. Why? Because the Cuban population of Florida is mostly Republican. Hm, not too suspicious.
The focus on undervoters and chads in Florida ignores the wider issue of manipulation by Republicans.
Last Summer, I believe it was in Texas, do you remember the story about all those Democrats hiding out in hotel rooms and the Republicans sending police officers to bring them back? It was because Republican representatives had randomly decided to gerrymander the electoral districts just 3 years after it had been done last time, specifically so they could take over the districts that were controlled by Dems. Nothing illegal, but it is a sign of desperation and if the Dems ever did it, I am quite sure that the republicans would be howling for blood. It sounds like a banana republic to me and is unworthy of what this country supposedly stands for.
When conservatives like Rush Limbaugh comment that abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib was nothing worse than a college prank, when consevatives say that Kerry was a traitor when he spoke the truth about war crimes in Vietnam, when they say that Bush will protect us when we were attacked on 9/11 under his watch, it truly makes me ill that these people are running this country.
They have attacked the constitution, have turned worldwide sympathy for us into worldwide hatred and have already lost the so-called war on terror by focusing on Iraq. Just an aside; terror is a a TACTIC, not an enemy and you cannot defeat a tactic, contrary to what that fool in the White House thinks.
Feel free to contact me if you want to have a real discussion, I’ve got a lot of things you need to read.
Posted by John on Sep 15, 2004 at 2:47 PM By the way to the ignorant loser who said Canadians are “pussies,” you should look at yourselves, who look for an excuse to shoot someone and look what you so-called courageous idiots did to the prisoners in Iraq!!! You should be ashamed to call other nationalities “pussies!!!” Our hockey players can rough your team to bits by the way!!!!
Posted by Andria on Sep 15, 2004 at 8:31 PM Please don’t lump all Americans in with the current crop of jingoist jerks. Some of us have some sense.
Posted by fitzrite on Sep 15, 2004 at 9:49 PM It’s a damn shame Ryan Conover doesn’t follow his own advice. Then again, he’s one of those liberal elitists who thinks it’s his job to save “us” from “ourselves”...that is, when he’s not taking the wrong end of a Maglite flashlite up the ass.
Posted by Brian Flores on Sep 16, 2004 at 6:45 PM I never put electrodes on anyone’s genitals. I’m ashamed that those soldiers represented my country, but then again I’m ashamed that they were ever in Iraq in the first place. Personally, I vote, and I certainly didn’t vote for Bush, so I don’t feel particularly responsible for the abuses or for shooting someone. But seriously, it’s not like anyone ever takes into consideration Canada’s position on anything. Imagine any country in this world saying, “Well that’s a good idea, but I dunno, Canada doesn’t think it is… let’s rethink our position…” It doesn’t happen… sorry!
Posted by Ryan Conover on Sep 18, 2004 at 12:29 PM http://vonnegut.meetup.com/1/
1st in EASTERN EUROPE!
Posted by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. meetups now MOSCOW, RUSSIA! on Sep 20, 2004 at 4:09 PM Baby, I’m A Rolling Stone / LS
I’m shouting incantations
Into the telephone
Sugar Boy Joe sucks rat’s milk
But there’s no dial tone
AT&T could fix it
But the switch is on
They’re all my buddies
I’m a Rolling StoneThank-you is a dirty word
Everywhere I go
I make my liv’n on the street
Cause that’s all I know
Baby you need a daddy
But your daddy’s gone
Maybe the kid can comfort you
I’m a Rolling StoneBaby ain’t you look’n sharp
As a heart attack
Call’n you is worth a dime
But I want a nickel back
Baby you better hone your chops
If you got chops to hone
You know I love my little girl
Baby I’m a Rolling Stone
Posted by The Karma Bandit on Sep 23, 2004 at 3:39 PM Thank you Mr. Vonnegut! So many times, we as librarians feel like we are bashing our heads against a wall in the endless fight against censorship, thought-police, and those that continually try to control the free highway of access to information. The core of America is comprised of our freedoms. When we jeopardize them, we become that which our founders sought to escape. I will always continue to fight for intellectual freedom
Posted by Rachel on Oct 1, 2004 at 8:41 PM Bravo Vonnegut. Collectively, the Bush Administration personifies greed, corrupt politics, and an insatiable hunger for power. W. is a fool and a failure. When did diplomacy become a weakness? Our military efforts are unconscionable. How further can W. demonstrate that he is an incompetent and inhumane leader? Mr. Vonnegut, I couldn’t agree with you more. I am twenty years old and I possess a far greater understanding of leadership than our president.
Posted by Kristi on Oct 2, 2004 at 4:56 AM While suturing a laceration on the hand of a 70-year-old Texas rancher (whose hand had caught in a gate while working cattle), a doctor and the
old man were talking about George W. Bush being in the White House. The old Texan said, “Well, ya know, Bush is a ‘post turtle’.” Not knowing what the old man meant, the doctor asked him what a post turtle was.The old man said, “When you’re driving down a country road and you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that’s a post turtle.”
The old man saw a puzzled look on the doctor’s face, so he continued to explain, “You know he didn’t get there by himself, he doesn’t belong
there, he can’t get anything done while he’s up there, and you just want to help the poor, stupid bastard get down.”
Posted by fitzrite on Oct 18, 2004 at 4:41 PM i like bush, we shood kill all the countries like irack. someone said canada. i think we shood kill them too. ken sounds like a smart guy. if i were that smart i’d attack people for having oposing views too. thats why im voting for bush and i hate gays and i hate jews and blacks and abortion.
hey, maybe ken is that guy on jeapordy who wins every night. maybe thats why he so smart. BUHS ROCKS!
Posted by fred on Oct 29, 2004 at 3:08 PM let’s kill all them inteleckshuals too. they suck because they make the rest of us look stoopid. i like bush cuz he’s a regular guy, like me.
Posted by fitzrite on Oct 29, 2004 at 4:39 PM Fred,
Man, do you need some serious help. First get out of your bloody bubble and explore other countries and culture yourself, before you say dunbasss shit, and perhaps educate yourself. Learn how to spell while your at it LOSER!!!!!!!!! (Iraq is spelt with a “Q” at the end not a “K.”
Posted by Andria on Oct 29, 2004 at 8:05 PM Andria,
He’s kidding. It’s a joke. He’s pretending to be a Bush supporter and insinuating that all Bush supporters are as stupid as he is, which of course most of them are. Get it?
Posted by fitzrite on Oct 30, 2004 at 1:58 PM -
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