Michael Moore - Hardly a Progressive Thinker

Michael Moore's most recent piece is "How the Democrats Can Blow It" (see it at "alternet.org" or at Moore's webiste). In it, he says that Dems should not demean McCain if they wish Obama to win. Moore calls Republican tactics like "swiftboating" a "cesspool" that "they swim in". At the end of this diatribe, he casually refers to Nader-supporters as "crazy".

How does Moore expect anyone to take him seriously? The attacks on Obama have been no better and no worse than what has been done to Nader by Moore's own precious party, the Demoncrats. Scurrilous attacks are scurrilous attacks regardless of where they come from.

Calling people who HAVE spines and who work for democracy, peace, single-payer health care and sustainable energy "crazy" people is not a particularly effective way to win them over.

Every time this porcine "progressive" speaks of his ex-patron in such disrespectful terms, I am saddened to see so many absorb his bilious effluent.

Moore's worst crime against the truth is his own "swift-boating" of Nader insofar as the 2000 election is concerned. He does it subtly at the end of this piece. This propaganda is every bit as bad as anything the right has thrown at Obama. In a way, its worse because Obama has access to corporate media to respond whereas Nader has no reasonable access.

Here are some facts about 2000 that people may use to better judge Moore's own "cesspool tactics":

1) There were TEN candidates on the ballot in Florida in 2000 (six other candidates beside Bush, Gore, Nader and Buchanan). They ALL exceeded the magic vote total of 537. Using Demologic, this makes them ALL "spoilers"! Can you name even one of these "bastards who gave us Bush"? Do you know one of these "egomaniacs who handed it to the neo-cons"? Have you thanked any of these candidates (besides Ralph) for "destroying our country"? Why was Ralph the ONLY one singled out by the corporate media and unprincipled Demoncrat operatives like Moore? Anyone who frightens the little sissies in the corporate media that much must be having quite an impact.

2) Gore refused to fight for 57,000 black voters who were illegally disenfranchised by the Bush machine in Florida. Thats roughly 106 times more votes than he would have needed to reverse the results of the election! In "Fahrenheit 9/11" we actually see Al Gore banging his little gavel, refusing to hear the pleas of black congressional reps fighting for their constituents. Is Al Gore a) a racist; b) a scumbag: or c) just a dumb f*ck?

3) Nationally, in 2000, EIGHT MILLION Democrats voted for GEORGE W BUSH! Only about 700,000 Dems pulled the lever for Ralph. Why don't these idiots clean up their own pro-war yard before yelling at us about ours?

4) I have a spine so I vote on principle. I understand those who SAY they vote for Democrats "strategically" (thats French for "without spine"). But, those who say this seem painfully unaware that there are 39 safe states, places where even sheep farmers from "Shane" would be voting independent or third party. A vote for either corporate puppet in these states is the poster child for "throwing your vote away".

Moore backed Nader without reservation in 2000, He has NEVER explained why he betrayed us and joined the fake left. He continues to suggest that Bush is Nader's fault. Bush is AMERICA'S fault. Michael, and it is high time you stop trying to pin it on a guy who has spent his entire life fighting battles on our behalf.

The 2006 "transition" shows us exactly what to expect when voters are dumb enough to trust the Democrats! Nothing. Nader supporters are not the crazy ones. We want democracy and we are willing to work at it for as long as it takes. We don't support candidates who accept corporate money. It may take several decades for the mainstream to grok this, but as long as we're out here fighting a TRULY principled battle, we will eventually win. Democrats lose ... even when their candidates win.

The Michael Moore Film Few Will See

I recently returned from Ontario where my mother had a Cochlear implant done compliments of the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP). The latest figures from the National Association of the Deaf state that these implants cost from $40,000 to $60,000 dollars in a U.S. hospital including follow up and diagnostic (Wikipedia says $45,000 to $75,000).

How much did my mother's implant cost her ...... ?

If you've seen the new Michael Moore film, "Sicko", you already know the answer. Not a single dime. In fact, my mother was going to complain about the $30 she had to pay for two prescriptions as she left the hospital but I stopped her.

The movie along with the surgery showed me was what the sad truth really is. My Canadian mother's taxes cover her health benefits, almost entirely, as there is very little that is not covered by the provincial health plan in any Canadian province. My mother lost all her hearing in her right ear in December of last year and, six months later, she has been diagnosed, treated, given surgery and is expected to be fully recovered in a few weeks. Thats about par with the waiting period in the U.S. for those who can afford the operation.

She paid a smaller percentage of her pay last year federally and provincially than I ever have since returning to the U.S. almost 20 years ago. I pay about 30% of my salary in taxes and she pays about the same.

I know how this is possible and its the one thing that I wish Moore's film would have focused on, why can't WE have great health care, too? How can we PAY for it?

We need to start by voting for people who will cut Pentagon spending by small amounts. Ben Cohen has pointed out that if we just stripped the FAT (15%) from the Pentagon budget, we could fully fund education, give health care to all uninsured children and repair social security. If taking that 7.5 cents per tax dollar collected away from the military industrial complex would result in so much good, what would happen if we took away 15 cents or 30 cents???

Free health care for all, no starvation or homelessness, alternative energy research and production, free college for all, a living wage for all .......

Moore's film is great! Its shows the average American how flawed and corrupt our system is (I have a feeling we all already know that). But then, it gets truly powerful as it shows Joe Moviegoer the Utopian (by comparison) systems in France and Britain and Canada and Cuba. When put side by side with our immoral, greedy, evil, murderous system of health "care", eyes are opened that hopefully will stay that way. Go see it. The fact that "Sicko" is not getting the kind of press that "F911" got should show us that Moore is hitting a home run and TV's "silent" partners don't like it one bit.