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Michael Moore.com : Mike's Message : Mike's Latest News: "October 8th, 2004 2:11 pm
Moore's tour raising eyebrows, ticket sales

Salon

Oct. 8, 2004 | SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Bush-bashing 'Fahrenheit 9/11'' director Michael Moore is bringing his 60-city Slacker Uprising Tour to Utah, a famously Republican state. Not only that, he's going to one of Utah's most conservative towns, Orem, where his scheduled Oct. 20 appearance has many so-called Happy Valley residents fuming.

'It's really a major offense -- a slap in the face to the citizens of this valley,' asserts Kay Anderson, a real estate broker who, waving a cashier's check, offered student leaders at Utah Valley State College $25,000 to rescind Moore's invitation.

'We won't be bribed,' said Jim Bassi, student body president, who said the brouhaha guaranteed Moore a sold-out performance. 'We spent $40,000 on Barbara Bush four years ago, and nobody raised an eyebrow about that.'

Meanwhile, 9,000 tickets have been sold for Moore's upcoming appearance at the University of Arizona, organizers said.

Moore will appear at the university Monday. Tickets have sold for $5 each.

Fernando Ascencio, director of the Speakers Board of the Associated Students of the University of Arizona, said Wednesday the ticket sales will cover the filmmaker's $27,500 speaking fee, rental of McKale Center and other expenses.

Moore, a supporter of Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, is touring the country and imploring ``slackers'' who usually don't vote to head to the polls this year, saying they could make the difference in the presidential race.

Republicans at the college have petitioned the student government to host a pro-Bush speaker of equal celebrity before the Nov. 2 election.

Moore also shot back at Republicans on Wednesday after they requested that the filmmaker be prosecuted for offering underwear and food to college students in exchange for their promise to vote.

'It's ironic that Republicans have no problem with allowing assault weapons out on our streets, yet they don't want to put clean underwear in the hands of our slacker youth,' Moore said. 'The Republicans seem more interested in locking me up for trying to encourage people to participate in our democracy than locking up bin Laden for his attacks on our democracy.'

The Michigan GOP on Tuesday asked four county prosecutors to file charges against Moore, citing an election law provision that prohibits a person from contracting with another for something of value in exchange for agreeing to vote.

As of Wednesday evening, no prosecutions had been announced.

During Moore's program, habitual nonvoters are invited on stage to pledge to vote. First-time student voters are offered gag prizes such as clean underwear.

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