Random Michael Moore Deceits [#42]

Lila Lipscomb

Fahrenheit 911, the movie that launched a thousand threads. I've read nearly every criticism and defense of the movie at least a dozen times.

Except.............

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Except for one segment. I would guess that most everyone would agree the least impeachable scene of the movie would be the Lila Lipscomb segment. How could anyone find a single criticism of that one genuinely human moment of the movie? Well, the segment has never really sat well with me, but due to the sensitive nature of the subject, everyone has found it difficult to examine for fear of coming off as heartless, yet I was curious about the life of Lila's son. We didn't learn very much about Sgt Michael Pederson from the movie.

It's been well documented that Moore manipulated the story line by editing the scenes to look like they met before her son, Sgt. Pederson was killed in battle. Whether or not Moore did this intentionally is not the point right now - what is important is the effect it had on the movie as a whole. It added to the desired effect of the film about how the death of a son in battle transforms a person.

However, it is crucial to remember that the upbeat, strong, patriotic Lila scenes were filmed after her son was killed. This reality is lost on Carrie Rickey, of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who wrote this about the scene:

"we share her conversion experience from flag-waving, yellow-ribbon-tying soldier's mom into a woman who finds solidarity with protesters in front of the White House."
Read it here Rickey criticizes the rest of the film , except for this scene, which many call "the emotional center" of the film.
The Guardian UK interview mirrors Ms. Rickey's sentiments in its interview.

"The power of Lipscomb's story lies in the sharpness of the U-turn she made and her eloquence in speaking about it."

That distortion, added with the absence of any more than just a passing detail about Sgt. Pederson left me with more questions than answers. For those of you like me who are wondering, Sgt. Michael Pederson was a loving father, a 7 year veteran of the Army who had just re-upped for another 7. He loved to work on cars and had a great sense of humor. He was a patriot, he was a hero. He was loved by his friends and his family and he will be missed by all of us.

To learn these details and more about the life of Sgt Michael Pederson, I began by Googling his name. Nearly every article was actually dedicated to Lila rather than to him. As a veteran myself, it stung me that one of our national heroes was being overshadowed by his mother. This man gave his life in service to his country,yet she is the one that illicits 11,500 Google hits. Her son, our national hero, only 906. I think that speaks volumes to the distorted perspective contained in this entire subject. Sgt. Michael Pedersen should be the one with 11,500 Google hits.

I also learned from my research that Lila is now on the lecture and magazine interview circuit. She's been handed the gift of relevance and fame from Michael Moore and she's trying to make the most of her 15 minutes. Now, please understand that I do not in any way wish to blame her for taking advantage of her newfound "gift". She is a grieving mother who has admittedly found an outlet. Good for her, but......

Now that she has her soapbox, she's taken to subscribing to every conspiracy theory ever concocted and waxing endlessly to anyone who will listen.

For example,"

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