Bush Family Fortunes

And tells about it on camera, loud and clear! Anyone who views this DVD knows why the American TV networks didn't air it: too much truth, too much documentation, too much honesty. I live in Asia and have friends living in Europe. This program was shown on TV on those two continents, but not in N. America.

Why? Because it also tells exactly how the 2000 election was stolen - gives the names of the people involved, the companies involved, and lets us know that the contracts for this infamy were given out months in advance. What's keeping them from doing it again? This DVD should be viewed by all Americans.

Living in our modern world I was able to snag a copy off of the internet, it was shown on BBC 3 and what Greg Palast calls the electronic Berlin Wall is and was still in effect Americans weren't lucky enough to get a peek; until now.

Greg Palast exposes the charmed life of George Dubya Bush through his dealings with the Texas air national guard through the theft of the White House in 2000 and does so with snarky commentary AND documented proof.

I recommend this to everyone, no matter what your political leanings are it's important to know both sides of the story.

Along with Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" and "Bush's Brain" about Bush advisor Karl Rove, this excellent one-hour DVD appears to complete an eye-opening trilogy of pertinent documentaries about concerns raised in continuing the Bush administration for another four years. Each has its shortcomings, mostly around the veracity of some of the findings, but this one by journalist Greg Palast seems more grounded than the other two and consequently less caught up in its own hyperbole. Perhaps that's because it was first produced for the BBC where a non-American audience was trying to make sense of Bush's rise to prominence, his imperialist and economically insensitive policies and the extremist feelings he seems to induce in this country.

Much of this material has been covered in "Fahrenheit 9/11", but his approach is quite different. Palast also does not focus as much on Iraq since his film was made earlier than Moore's. What he does cover is still quite intriguing, beginning with Bush's admittance into the Texas Air Guard, which effectively ensured he would not see active duty in Vietnam. Among those interviewed regarding that mysteriously unrecorded period are people who claim that Bush didn't even show up for duty. Palast even one-ups Moore by finding an official who swears that any incriminating evidence in Bush's file was shredded to avoid making the then-Governor of Texas look anything but heroic. The controversial 2000 Florida election results are covered in this film as well. Moore had powerful footage of African-American members of Congress being turned away for their pleas to invalidate the results. Palast, on the other hand, takes great care in providing some seriously damning evidence providing documents (included as part of the DVD extras) which prove that many legitimate voters were prevented from casting their ballots based on false accusations of a criminal past. The majority of these voters were not coincidentally African American and Democrat, and their numbers outdo the margin by which Bush defeated Gore by a fairly significant amount. A telling moment occurs when Palast tries to have a Florida official account for this alleged and obviously illegal act, and the man leaves the room in a huff and refuses to look at the documentation or answer his questions. Finally, like "Fahrenheit 9/11", much time is spent investigating Bush family ties with the Saudi royals and the bin Laden family. Palast traces the same money trail that Moore does connecting Bush's business endeavors back to Saudi investment money and bin Laden capital specifically.

Chances are high that if you are a staunch Republican that you will avoid this DVD, which would be a shame since the evidence is powerfully presented here in a dry journalistic style. Having myself read "Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against Kerry" to get an alternative perspective on John Kerry's leadership, I think it's fair to take a look at this film to see the other side. The DVD also includes a very enlightening interview with Palast on how he compiled his information. Strongly recommended viewing before you vote.

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