Your Thoughts Exactly

Fahrenheit 9/11 has triggered nationwide discussion and debate unlike any other film since The Passion of the Christ.  The value of a national debate over the issues raised by writer/director/producer Michael Moore knows no bounds, as over the last three years, until recently, any criticism of the Bush administration has been condemned as unpatriotic and treasonous.  For that, we are indebted to Moore.  However, much of the debate has been distracted by disputes over the veracity of the facts and arguments in the documentary.  Though not completely unwarranted, this is a weak excuse to avoid the real issues broached by Moore.  Moore certainly could have averted these extraneous exchanges without diminishing the central tenets of Fahrenheit by making it straightforward and error free, but many critics have gone far beyond typical bounds of reason in an attempt to discredit both the man and the film.  Dave Kopel, of the Libertarian thinktank the Independence Institute, takes on such a task, and succeeds in stretching logic and rationality to previously unknown lengths.
 
Kopel composed a list of 59 deceits he believes are in the movie, and often refers to Moore’s own fact-check site to display his poor defense of the issues in question.  And he is right – Moore does a poor job defending his film, simply relying on the truth that he presents (in almost every case) actual facts in Fahrenheit.  Kopel, however, argues that making a factual documentary requires more than just getting the facts right – the film must not mislead the audience, through clever arrangement of the facts and editing of actual footage, to believe something that is false.  I agree with Kopel, and Moore should be ashamed of the instances in which he, while not lying, deceives his viewers – especially since most of his arguments would remain convincing without his spin.  The problem is Kopel has picked out deceits that just are not there.  He often complains that Moore only presented one side of an issue.  Well, that’s what one often does when trying to convince others of one’s view.  Though an argument is stronger when counter-arguments are given and proven unconvincing, they are not necessary for a valid, factual and honest argument.  Still, there are some instances where leaving out opposing facts turns Moore’s point into a deception, and these are noted. 
 
Kopel’s deceits have been cited all over the web (Independence Institute calls it one of the “top ten most linked to articles on the web”).  While he offers some valuable critiques, the majority of his article is deceptive in itself, attempting to convince the reader that Moore has deceived us in instances where there is no such deceit.  Having little better to do with my time, I have gone through Kopel’s piece, “deceit” by “deceit,” and described where he has gone astray.  Thus I present to you The Many Deceits of Dave Kopel.
 
Beginning tomorrow I will post these deceits in groups of roughly 15 over the course of the week, so check back to see the latest additions.  Kopel has listed 59 deceits, plus 5 “bonus deceits.”  I have given Kopel a deceit budget of 64, presented each of his deceits and described, in instances in which he is wrong, why he is wrong, and subtracted an appropriate value from each one.  The total deceit budget remaining will be summed at the end of the posts.  Enjoy.