Fahrenheit 9/11 is coming to a theater near you on June 25, and we must use this opportunity to pack the theaters to affirm the First Amendment, in particular, freedom of speech, which was trampled by the private Disney Corporation when it refused to allow the producer, Miramax, to distribute this movie before the November election, forcing a Canadian company, Lions Gate, and IFC, to distribute it, which they have done to some 700 theaters, and counting.

You can view these theaters at http://www.f911tix.com/. Not all of the theaters are listed yet, but daily, more seem to be added. This is the biggest attack by the fascists on any movie since the anti-Communist witchhunters attacked the labor film, “Salt of the Earth,” hounding it out of the big theaters in the 1950s. We must never allow that to happen again.

If you look in your local newspaper on June 25 and do not see Fahrenheit 9/11 listed at your local movie theater, call them and ask them to show it. Bush’s friends are trying to intimidate theater owners into not showing it, as the fascists did to “Salt of the Earth.” The theater owners need to hear from the supporters of Fahrenheit 9/11.

Like any movie, this one probably has its weaknesses, but that is no longer relevant. Our defense of the First Amendment and our determination to shut down the fascist terror being perpetrated by the Bush Administration and their Democratic Party supporters of the war in Iraq and fascism at home, exemplified by their support of the “Patriot” Act, must prevail if we are to prevent the next obvious step in this fascist juggernaut, namely concentration camps for anyone who has an intelligent thought, much less does an intelligent deed. If you are bothered by the air conditioning in the theaters as I am, bring a wool sweater which I always do. If you do not like the loud sound, plug your ear, as I do, or wear earplugs. My mother does not like the sound of popcorn crunching, but she will have to endure that, and she will. Her neighbors will have to endure someone telling her what the picture is that matches the dialogue since she is legally blind. Fortunately, she knows English, although it is not her native language. If your neighbor needs a translation from English, and you can provide it, please do so. Please make sure the people in wheelchairs can get into and out of the theater, and enjoy the movie. Some of us, of all ages, still cheer the good guys and boo the bad guys; please do not ask us to shut up. We will try to keep it to a minimum but the excitement is overwhelming.

This is a country of 290 million people, so we should do what we can to get 200 million people to see this movie. I can assure you, the question at the social scenes after June 25 everywhere will not be what movie did you see but did you see THE MOVIE? This is an historic event in and of itself; let us make it a watershed event so that there are grandchildren to hear that we stopped fascism in America in 2004, thanks to our solid, massive turnout for Fahrenheit 9/11.

As labor says,

Solidarity forever!