[None of the Above raw #32]

Raw footage for the documentary "None of the Above," an in depth ethnographic look at non voters during the 1996 presidential election. This video features interviews with Michael and Holly Bowser of Morro Bay, California. Bowsers #2.

00:00Copy video clip URL This tape begins with some footage from inside the Bowser home in Morro Bay, California. Journalist John Callaway sits down with Holly Bowser and interviews her about her education and family background. The Bowser children can be heard in the background watching television in their living room. This lasts for several minutes.

04:24Copy video clip URL Cut to a shot of Holly and her son Israel sitting down in their front yard. The two look through a number of drawings Israel made in school. As Israel loses interest in the drawings and runs inside to grab a few other books, Holly talks about the neighborhood in detail. Other neighborhood children are seen walking around the Bowsers’ home. The documentarians continue to talk with Holly and Israel for several minutes. Holly eventually goes inside to look for a baseball and bat. The documentarians speak with Israel, who is enthralled by the camera, for a few minutes. Israel’s brother Cassidy makes his way outside as well, but isn’t as amused by the camera. The two sit and wait for their mother to arrive with the baseball equipment. Holly eventually makes her way back out to the boys. She, her three sons, and a group of neighborhood kids then play a game of baseball together. This lasts for several minutes.

35:01Copy video clip URL Quick cut to a shot of Michael Bowser at this kitchen table. Over a cigarette and a glass of wine, Bowser speaks with Callaway about his views on the government, voting, and a number of other political issues that have affected his decision to not take part in the election process. Callaway first asks Bowser about his belief in the work of NASA. He cites the importance of research and development in the NASA agency and how much it has affected society for the better. He goes on to talk about the U.S. military. “I believe the military has got a time and a place and I think that anybody who serves in the military is getting a good start in life, a good grounding in life. There’s very real things that the military can do for us. R&D [Research and Development] is one of them.” Bowser then refers to the military as a deterrent to crime.

39:51Copy video clip URL Callaway asks Bowser about his views on both the Vietnam and Cold Wars. Bowser questions whether the cold war threat was actually real. He then goes into detail about when he may have lost his faith in government. He states that as a child and teenager, he truly believed in the government, specifically when John F. Kennedy was in office. He recalls his memories of the Kennedy assassination and his disbelief that something like that could happen in America. He also talks about his memories of the 1968 Democratic National Convention and Watergate. “Dick Nixon I thought was one of the least viable personalities that I’d ever seen.” Bowser talks about voting for George McGovern in the 1972 election and not ever voting since. When asked why he hasn’t voted in over twenty years, Bowser states, “Hadn’t been anything to vote for since. I just, at that point I completely lost faith in it. I mean, if you don’t vote you’re not part of the system and then you’ve got nothing to say. And then I figured well, okay, that’s fine with me. I don’t want to say anything about it. I really don’t. You guys don’t need me. I really honestly believe that no matter what I feel, anything that they’re doing is not going to reflect it.” Bowser then goes on to talk about the subjects of abortion and gun control, and government interference in both issues. Bowser also talks about the possibility of being a Libertarian, but goes on to say that he believes he’s a Democrat. He goes on to address the lunacy of the war on drugs and believes that all drugs should be legalized so the government could tax the industry. Callaway and Bowser go on to talk about Medicare and social security in the country. This lasts for several minutes.

01:00:58Copy video clip URL Tape ends.