Hundreds of people living in Sonoma County, Northern California, attended dozens of house parties June 28 where Michael Moore spoke via a live internet simulcast. They were among over 55,000 people to attend Moveon.org's "Turn Up the Heat" gatherings in over 4600 locations where the film "Fahrenheit 9/11" was discussed.

"I have not been politically active before," our host Howard explained beneath towering redwoods at his Sebastopol countryside home to 30 neighbors. "My partner and I were emotionally raw after seeing the film, so we decided to open our house, even to strangers, for healing. We need to get active to save this democracy."

The evening began by people introducing themselves, why they came, and which parts of the film were most compelling. "Bush lied," one person noted. "I'm here because I do not want to be afraid anymore." Another added, "Michael Moore did it. He hit it. There was hardly anything new to me in the film, but it painted the larger picture. Now we need to register people to vote Bush out."

As we were going around the circle with the community-building introductions, the voice of Moveon.org co-founder Eli Pariser, 23, came over the computer, where we were viewing a map of house gatherings lighting up around the nation. Moveon.org is a grassroots internet group with over two and a half million members. Pariser encouraged listeners to "turn the momentum from the film into action."

People were invited to ask questions in the interactive format. Moore then responded to some of the questions. "A cross-section of Middle America came out to see the film," he observed. "Anyone on the fence fell off during the movie. People came out of the film disgusted. They left saying, 'Why wasn't I told this? Why did I not see these images?'"

Moore used devastating footage from the archives of the television networks that was excluded from the evening news. So the media is angry at him. "They are embarrassed that they were outed on the big screen. The footage does not lie. They are going to come after me." In recent days a series of stories in the mainstream media have been trying to discredit Moore and his award-winning and record-breaking documentary.

Moveon.org will follow the house parties with July 11 phone parties. Hosts and participants were recruited at the movie parties. At that national event people will bring cell phones and call non-voters in 18 swing states to encourage them to register to vote. At our Sebastopol gathering a woman invited everyone to a July 4 block party at which she and neighbors will raise funds for the main candidate opposing Bush.

The film seems to have been successful with three distinct groups: the more than 50% of Americans who do not vote, some of whom will now vote; the undecided; and those already opposed to Bush and the Iraq War. These opponents can slide into depression and become passive, but the film has activated many of them.

"The other side is well-organized," Moore noted. "These people are not going to give up the White House without a fight. Our payoff will be that the country will be back in the hands of the majority."

Following Moore's comments, we returned to our self-introductions and film memories. "This film is a tutorial to our sleep-walking nation," our host Howard noted. "We need to break our reliance on the mainstream media."

Among the reflections on the movie were the following: "It made me speechless." "I heard a lot of sobbing in the theater." "If Bush gets re-elected, I'm out of this country." "I try hard not to be angry, but I am angry." "Arrogance and rampant violence are the hallmarks of this administration." "Grief transcends nationality." "The most political thing I have ever done is vote. Now I am scared and will become active."

Others commented as follows: "The movie was full of good information." "I'm so glad that I went to see it with a group of friends." "There are too many facts in this film to discount them all." "I was struck by all the voices of soldiers who see the folly of this war." "The film reveals how thorough and systematic Bush's deceit has been."

In addition to the adults present, the group had the playful two year old daughter of a local candidate for City Council who entertained us with unicorn sounds. A young and articulate boy spoke on behalf of his generation about the need to get Bush out of the White House. People identified with both the American mother in "Fahrenheit" from Flint, Michigan, who lost her marine son in Iraq, and with the wailing Iraqi mother.

The group was focused for nearly two hours of listening and conversation before moving outside to the redwood deck for Sonoma County wine, local plums, cake, cheese and dips. Phone numbers and email addresses were exchanged.

In addition to this house gathering, since seeing the movie on the afternoon of its opening on June 25, this writer has attended another Sebastopol house gathering focused on discussing the film and a birthday party, house warming, and vacation send-off where the film was the main topic of conversation.

Fourteen-year-old Joshua Canning spoke to me at a salmon bake about the film's scenes that moved him, "The US is dropping bombs on people's houses. Kids watch as every person they have known and loved gets blown up. What have they ever done to us? Then these kids become the terrorists. I can understand how they feel. Think about it. How would you feel if a bomb landed on your house and every person you have known is all blown up. For no reason. You did nothing to them and now people are being killed everyday for nothing. How would you feel ?"

Dr. Shepherd Bliss, sb3@pon.net, teaches Communication at the University of Hawai'i at Hilo. His recent contributions to books include an essay in "Shattered Illusions: Analyzing the War of Terrorism" and a poem in "An Eye for an Eye Makes the Whole World Blind: Poets on 9/11."

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