Michael Yon on the difference between a technically illegal—yet acceptable—lifting of a photo, and Michael Moore's theft of one of his own signature image (the one that, by the way, graces the cover of his Yon's new book, which I just bought):

When someoneÂ’s grandmother disseminates the photo of Major Beiger cradling a dying girl in his arms, I allow the usage because I feel she is trying to share the human tragedy. When Michael Moore puts that same photo on his web site, alongside images of George Bush, John McCain and Hillary Clinton, the clear implication is that FarahÂ’s death is their fault.

That is a misrepresentation of the facts on the ground, as well as the story of the photo. Farah was killed by a suicide car bomb in Mosul on May 2, 2005. Major Bieger and other soldiers literally risked their own lives to save many children and adults that day, but Farah didnÂ’t make it.

Michael Moore apparently does not understand – or refuses to acknowledge – the moral distinction between a man who would murder innocent people, and a man who would sacrifice himself to save them. The photo, as I took it, is the truth, but Moore uses it – illegally – to convey falsehoods. His mind is that of a political propagandist who sees Farah’s death not as a human tragedy, but a tool.

Yon is one of the great journalists of our age. He points out to his angry readers that this situation must be handled in a legal fashion, but I have no problem citing this as one more example in which Moore uses powerful images to tell flagrant lies.

This—like splicing together words from different Charlton Heston speeches to make it sound like he said things he never said—reflects upon Moore. Not on whatever topic he has chosen to lie about that day.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 04:57 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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