Bowling For Truth
The Unhappy Cast of Bowling
People featured in Bowling For Columbine, as well as those related to its message have voiced their opposition to Moore's manipulation of them to serve his dishonest views.
Nichols' Brother Sues 'Columbine' Director
James Nichols, the brother of Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols, says he was tricked into appearing in the documentary "Bowling for Columbine," according to a federal lawsuit filed against filmmaker Michael Moore.
Nichols also alleges in the lawsuit, filed Monday in Detroit, that Moore libeled him by linking him to the terrorist act.
Nichols accuses Moore of libel, defamation of character, invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress. His lawyer is asking for a jury trial and damages ranging from $10 million to $20 million on each of nine counts, the Detroit Free Press reported.
A message seeking comment was left Tuesday with Moore's publicist.
In the film, Moore asks Nichols for an interview and steers the subject from the Oklahoma City bombing to gun ownership. Nichols tells Moore he has a gun under his pillow, and Moore asks Nichols to show him.
In the lawsuit, Nichols, who lives in Decker, said Moore misled him about the purpose of the interview.
"Bowling for Columbine" won the feature-length documentary Academy Award earlier this year.
Robert Pickell - Sheriff interviewed
Robert Pickell is the Sheriff of Genese County, Michigan. He was in Bowling for Columbine (BFC) only briefly, about 30 seconds. In an interview, Pickell, who was in the CIA for five-and-a-half years, says: "The movie was disrespectful to this country and our leaders."
He is particularly upset by one specific scene which shows airplanes crashing into the World Trade Center, accompanied by this text: "Sept. 11, 2001: Osama bin Laden uses his expert CIA training to murder 3,000 people." This assertion is so loony a reviewer in the N.Y. Times (10/11/02) called it "idiocy... hardly worth engaging."
Mark Taylor - Columbine Victim
"I am completely against him (Moore). He screwed me over," said Mark Taylor, who with Richard Castaldo was featured in the Kmart segment that resulted in the removal of bullets from the retailer's shelves nationwide.
"He completely used us to make a buck."
Taylor contends Moore wasn't upfront about his intentions when the three visited Kmart's headquarters in Troy, Mich. Taylor said he was led to believe the visit would involve a talk with the chairman about enforcing policies on selling ammunition to youth and improving gun safety.
Even with bullets still lodged in his body from the April 1999 shooting, Taylor remains supportive of gun ownership. Moore made it appear the opposite, Taylor said.
"I had no idea what Moore's agenda was. And he had an agenda. He had it all planned out, completely," Taylor said. "I believe that every American has the right to have a gun. We should have the right to protect ourselves."
Taylor said people are placing the blame on him for Kmart pulling the bullets, and the film burned bridges between him and the National Rifle Association, whose philosophies he supports.
Richard Castaldo - Columbine Victim
Wheelchair-bound from the incident, Richard Castaldo agreed Moore could have been more upfront about his intentions when visiting Kmart.
"He said he was making a movie, but wasn't too clear on what it was about," Castaldo said.
(Despite Moore's dishonesty - unlike Taylor, Castaldo said he didn't feel "used," and felt the pulling of ammunition was a positive outcome.)
Ann M Kechter - Mother of slain Columbine student
(not featured in BFC)
From the Rocky Mountain News: "Recently, a co-worker asked me if I had seen the movie Bowling for Columbine yet, I told her absolutely not! My answer surprised her, given the fact my son, Matthew, was one of the 13 murdered during the deadliest school shooting in our country's history. I explained to her that prior to the public release of the movie the families of the injured and dead were invited by Michael Moore to attend a preview screening. How thoughtful.
Our family and others considered attending because we were genuinely interested in his message to the public regarding gun control and school violence.
However, once we discovered he was going to charge us admission we refrained from doing so.
It's laughable that Moore attempts to portray himself as an anti-establishment liberal who is the voice of the common folk, when in fact he is no better than the greedy capitalists he shuns. Maybe now that he has made millions of dollars off the blood of our children he could toss a DVD or two our way to view."
Charlton Heston - President of the NRA
Why in the world would Charlton Heston let an idiot like Michael Moore inside of his house to interview him and film part of the layout of his home? When asked this question, Bill Powers, a spokesman for Heston would say only: "I won't spend 30 seconds talking about Michael Moore."
It's obvious Heston is not concerned with Michael Moore's defamation of him and wishes not to waste the energy on countering his propaganda.
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(1) Despite what both boys say, speaking to the Canyon Courier from his New York office, Moore said he made his agenda well-known to the youths. "That's very odd to hear that," Moore said. "What part isn't clear? We were there to try and get the bullets off the shelves. That's why we were there. That's why they decided to go."