Crooks & Liars Welcomes Michael Moore with Exclusive Video!
By Nicole Belle Saturday Jul 21, 2007 2:05pm(guest blogged by Howie Klein) With an C&L exclusive video clip: Canadian Waiting Room
Download | play QT Canadian Waiting Room
At a time when the job approval rating for Bush is closer to a quarter than to a third, progressive-minded Americans are reaching out for some common sense leadership. Congress' job approval indicates that most people don't feel that they're getting what they crave in terms of truth-telling leadership from that direction either. And with a corporate media complicit in everything the public has come to distrust about the Bush Regime, it is hard to know which way to turn. But there's a reason why of the top 5 grossing documentary films of all times, 3 were made by filmmaker/activist Michael Moore. In the minds of millions of people in this country, generally people who have freed themselves from the chains of ideological dictates from the corporate media, Moore has earned the kind of trust people crave in the public forum.
The interests of the corporate right-- in politics and in media--demand that this trust be dissolved and annihilated. Independent, charismatic figures who can speak to and for the working people of America are destroyed, the old fashioned way (John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, John Kennedy, Jr., Paul Wellstone) or more subtly, in a less messy way, the way they did it to Howard Dean, the way they're trying to do it to Barack Obama, John Edwards... and, of course, Michael Moore.
Michael is more dangerous to the entrenched Establishment than almost anyone else in America because he can focus a great many people on a pressing national issue and stimulate independent thought, emotional identification and anger. Their pathetic attempts to denigrate him and silence his message-- as in the case this month of CNN's corporate doctor Sanjay Gupta-- have failed miserably. And this afternoon everyone here at Crooks & Liars is very, very proud to offer an opportunity to our community to chat live and unfettered-- meaning no Wolf Blitzers-- with a man we admire and respect and who we all owe a great deal for his heroic, incisive and hilarious rage against the machine. Brothers and sisters... Michael Moore.
Please hit the comments button to join Michael in the live C&L forum.
(Nicole: We ask that all participants keep their posts on topic and respectful of our guest. Please use the Open Thread for general discussion. Our site team will be deleting any post that does not fall within that policy without comment.)
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Michael,
Are you aware of the hit piece authored by Kurt Loder of MTV wherein he called you...
He also used a film called "Dead Meat" as a counterbalance to Sicko. This film was produced with funds from right-wing think tanks like the Manhattan
Institute, and.premiered in 2005 at the Liberty Film Festival, which is co-owned by ultra-right wing provocateur David Horowitz.
I documented this in an article at News Corpse, the Internet's Chronicle of Media Decay. I think it's shameful that MTV's news anchor would perform such an overt hatchet job.
Hello, Michael. Thank you for spending time with us today. :)
Michael - no comment, just a big "Thank you!".
Michael,
When asked recently about your next project, you said:
I must not be smart enough, cause I can't figure it out. Can I have another clue?
I would love to see you do a documentary on the media that addresses the risks to democracy posed by consolidated media enterprises and the chumminess of
journalists and politicians. Your recent squabble with Wolf Blitzer underscores the need for an expose of this field where, no matter how often you're wrong, you still get a seat at the pundit's table - and the seating assignment is strictly controlled by such a small, elite group of corporatists who are catering to politicians.
As the artist and author responsible for News Corpse, I think the media is issue #1 because all other issues depend on an honest, open, and diverse media to keep citizens informed and engaged.
I really can't wait to see you take this issue on. And keep up the good work. You are a national treasure.
Michael, greetings and THANK YOU.
It seems the small guy, even when phoning in to their representatives just doesn't have a big enough voice. Besides having the people speak and demand form ... how can we get our representatives to LISTEN and ACT? (Currently, just to get our Congress to stand up to the abuse of power is a huge effort.)
Thanks for all you do. You are a patriot.
baby jesus would love to see a documentary on baby jesus and the like and their collective effect on humanity
baby jesus would also love to see something done on the work of Ernest Becker
baby jesus is a big fan
Michael, welcome to C&L. You're a real inspiration to so many of us in these dark times. God bless you and keep you. In SiCKO you were kind of ambivalent about Hillary's current run for the presidency. Is there anyone running you're feeling especially good about? Any candidates running for House of Senate seats you're particularly excited about-- not just in terms of healthcare alone but in terms of all the issues that concern you (and all of us)?
I work in a big inner city hospital and I see what goes on, and how patients get poor care and get hurt. Thanks for bringing things to light!
Hi Michael, thank you so much for stopping by and chatting at C&L. Thank you for all of your documentaries and your pursuit of the truth.
Michael, why are Fox and CNN not reporting nightly about Canadians dropping dead in the streets because of the lack of medical care?
I have audio of me confronting the PResident fo the Galen Institute the night before she testified before Congress. The Galen Institute is a major anti-universal care health policy hack shop... She went on the Jim Bohannon show and made the claim that in MAss, where they mandate health care, they cover hair replacement... I immediately called because I knew the whole story. As the host and the audience groaned at the welfare state's excess, I waited on hold. A moment later I was on the phone with her and I called her dishonest for making that claim without noting that the only people who's hair replacement is covered are kids with cancer who have lost their hair and women who need wigs after being treated for breast cancer... The reason I bring the story up is that it is a perfectly documented microcosm of exactly how disgustingly corrupt the anti-universal health care people are... how low they will sink to make their point. She epitomizes the my justifications for hating republicans.
Mr. Moore:
Your film is stunning. I found myself moved to tears frequently, and never more so than in the firehouse scene in Cuba when, for a brief moment, there was a sense of the lost opportunity, after 9/11, for global brotherhood and solidarity. Your film is a timely reminder that when citizens are given a chance to talk to one another without the filters of politicking, punditry and media, they almost instantly find common ground.
It has been so long since I've seen anything of the scope of your film argue for a sense of the commonweal. The moment when you pause and ask permission to ask the question, "Who are we?"...well, it literally took my breath away.
SemiPundit @ 12:
What are talking about? They are reporting that. They're lying, but they're reporting it.
Why is Medicare/Medicaid/Charity paperwork worse than advanced cancer, two months of radiation, several courses of chemo, 10 hours of surgery performed by two surgical teams followed by a second surgery and ongoing health care problems + bankruptcy?
I mean really. I get sent to collections on a regular basis, because I forget to update my financial info, every three months, even though being on SS disability for the last 6 years pretty much determines my financial situation…day in and day out.
Hey Mr Moore,
According to Box Office Mojo, "SiCKO" has had a $19.1 million domestic gross so far. Has that met or exceeded your expectations? And since the production budget is listed at $9 million does that include advertising as well? Finally, how well do you hope it will do in France and the UK when it is released in September?
Hey Mike. What advice would you give to somebody who's studying to be a documentary filmmaker in college right now? Are there any mistakes you've made that you'd warn against?
Thanks. I'm looking forward to seeing "SiCKO"... it just opened in my local theater this weekend and I'm hoping to see it soon.
Mark @ News Corpse @ 4:
I second this. Please aim your vorpal lens next at the mainstream media. It is their collusion, timidity and/or laziness that covers up so many issues, not just health care, but the Iraq War, poverty, environmental degradation, and so much else on that long train of abuses...
As someone who both works in and works around the corporate media in this country, do you feel there is any on-air arena where truth trumps spin and if so, where?
Hi Michael,
I just want to say thank-you so very much for standing up and speaking truth to the criminal elements that have seized our country.
The incredible efforts made by the wing nuts to marginalize you is a testament to how powerful your work is. I enjoyed seeing you in San Diego a couple of years ago b4 the election.
Best regards and please never stop - we are behind you 100%.
Doug Coull
Vista, CA
Michael, thank you!
Having worked in the EMS field for the last twenty years, I have come to realize that we have "socialized medicine" in an extremely inefficient manner, that being the reactive emergency medical services. I hope your film takes us one step closer to getting out of denial of this and moving to a more efficient system
Michael, first, thank you so very much. Your dedication to pursuing the truth is remarkable.
Second, although I find myself tongue-tied and unable to formulate a profound question, I hope that some day you will make a documentary on the Americans who stood up for liberty and the Constitution during our dark days, such as the days of McCarthyism, the Nixon reign, and of course the worst of all, the bush regime. I am thinking that perhaps you could feature outstanding patriots such as Murrow, John Dean, and of course Russ Feingold.
Bless you, Mr. Moore. Keep up the good fight.
Arlen @ 16:
Arlen, go this weekend. There's a contest for people this weekend and you can win an all-expenses-paid trip to Paris, London or Toronto (3 places with universal health care)
One other thing: I think those that are agitating for a Michael Moore expose on the United States media are really hitting a terrific note... They are so eminently mockables - there's nothing funnier than the profoundly stupid carrying on with an air of aloof smugness... I could name names, but pictures work so much better...
Mike, loved SICKO!
I watched the entire battle with you on CNN (Comunist News Network) and you crushed Wolf and Gupta. If you get on again, will you still push them to do thier job? Will they ever have you on again? I love how you said "Everything in Farenhiet 9/11 turned out to be true" and they would not touch that with a ten foot pole.
Do you think that the MSM will ever do thier job and tell the real news or did you just catch them off guard, and they will be monitoring thier guests a little more closely now!!
Good job!!!
miss_kitty @ 14:
BTW my cancer was so advanced because I couldn't afford the doctor when I had a job. I got the ever-popular 'ER diagnosis'
Michael will be on shortly...Give him some time to read through your questions...Thanks and have fun!
Welcome Michael, to C&L. And thanks to all the C&Lers for such great questions right off the bat!
Mr. Moore, thank you for your film. It's high time somebody exposes the health-care system for the failure it is. Here is my question:
Here in Canada, our healthcare system does mean that we get to see a doctor...eventually. Wait lines are huge, with 4 months being standard for an MRI. Ralph Klein, former Alberta Premier, suggested a "third way", a mix of government-funded and corporate clinics, so thyat those who could pay could get the treatment they needed, and save government money, as it tended to those who cannot afford to use the private clinics. Would you endorse this idea? Why, and why not?
Thank you for your time.
I’ve taken my health care into my own hands for years. It was the only way I could regain my health. One of the things that really concerns me, is the systematic destruction by the FDA, corporations and government of our ability to make choices, like alternative health care options, for instance. How can we move toward a “wellness” model in this country instead of one just based on fixing the “ills”?
Thank you Michael, for bringing the dialogue front and center!
Margaret
Welcome Michael Moore! I will be lurking on this conversation today...
Plus, I second the Mark at News Corpse on a documentary on the media...
Thank you for chatting Mr. Moore. I was wondering what you thought about the sysem they came up with in Mass. It seems to me that instead of working with these insurance companies to lower prices (why is that never discussed) and come up with a better system, they have hand-delivered every resident of that state to these companies doorsteps.
Why is it that we balk at "social health care" yet we do not mind being forced into what should be voluntary programs. Why do people not see the fact that people in the healthcare industry will do ANYTHING they can to make sure their profit margin never drops a percentage point, no matter how many people have to die, or live impoverished for that to happen?
Hey Michael!
First of all- is this thing working?? Is this happening?
Second- I saw your flick on Friday night. By far your best, and dare I say most important work to date. Something must be done to get the people with the purse strings who control our country OUT OF POWER. It is a travesty how this system doesn't work, and for nothing more than money.
Third- So, um... What, or who, is next for you?
Thanks man!
Jake
Dear Michael, Hi
I sent you a few emails last year about the health care/HMO's and never got a response.
I recently sent an email to your mmflint AT aol account and have not got an answer yet.
Are you coming to Europe (sweden, norway or denmark) by any chance?
if yes, what is the best way to get in touch with you?
Michael,
My mother is a utilization review manager at a not-for-profit psychiatric hospital in a deeply red state. She is also a dyed-in-the-wool conservative who is supportive of your efforts in SICKO! I've shared White men and other..., Fahrenheit 911 and Hightower's works with her. She has been minimally receptive to all of these other publications, but she is completely supportive of SICKO.
I just wanted to share with you further evidence that you are on the right track. This issue spans the divide of politics, now we need only to span the divide which isolates the willfully ignorant.
A heartfelt thank you,
Meg
Mr. Moore,
What has happened to the White House press corps? Why are they all completely unable to ask a tough question and follow it up? Even Helen Thomas wastes her questions by asking things which give Snow/Bush room to wiggle? There are more than enough questions,direct and probing, that would require direct, factual responses, but instead everyone seems to ask things like, "How does the President feel about...?" and so on. They need to be relentless in asking questions, and they need to realize that the White House has nothing but contemp for the press, so they should treat the White House accordingly.
mike,
thnx for the response
i went to the theater to see the movie...but then watched it again, streamed on the net (wont give out the site....but im sure most here know about it)
i was amazed that it was the master
funny how the gov goes after kids downloading music, but i havent heard a peep about this blatant piracy
as for a story about the hell of healthcare....a few months ago, my 5 year old niece suffered a broken leg (through no fault of her own) my sister spent an entire day getting the leg casted.....an entire day!!!!....first to the primary, then to the specialist, then to the xray tech, then to the hospital
and they effed up the cast, causing a blister on my nieces heel, causing her to not walk properly
the cast had to be removed and then recasted...and now she has to go through months of therapy
and my sis is fully covered
shoot....i could write volumes on how the system is trying to kill both my parents, prescribing meds that cause more harm then they do cure
and as noted in yesterdays open thread, newscaster pete wilson died from a heart attack during a hip replacement surgery....why? because they didnt detect arterial blocage before the surgery was performed
Your CNN piece was so cool that I posted it on webpage on myspace. I've never, ever seen anyone tell off a TV station so well. My only question is, why don't we see that more often? Are you the only one with the guts??
I think one of the under-covered aspects of the healthcare debate (dealt with in Sicko's fear/submission section) is the terrible psychological cost of making people afraid to change jobs, quit, move, or seek new opportunities because they fear losing their coverage. It is a recipe for frustration, breakdown, family conflict and pessimism. The cumulative effect of a nation wedded - by force of fear - to jobs they don't like, is substantial.
It's not as easy to see as severed fingers, but it can be just as disabling.
Hi Micheal, I think your Sicko movie was awesome. I'm Canadian and live in Windsor, the community you visited a couple of times for your documentaries, including this one. I'm a big fan of yours and hope Americans will get universal health care soon. Up here, it seems our government (Liberal and Conservative) are slowly chipping away at it and trying to privatize it, against the wishes of the Canadian public. If Americans get universal health-care, the less pressure up here from corporate interests to privatize our system. We need to build a strong progressive/liberal movement to fight the good fight. Thanks for all your great work. Cheers.
Lesley @ 355:
OMIGOD, Michael Moore may be a hero to Canada as well as the US.
Have all your friends go see Sicko.
Hey Mike, thanks for another movie that gets people talking about important things!!
also, thanks for your thick skin. you were out there getting swatted while a lot of leadership was telling us to 'choose our battles'.
my question is about Bush telling the justice department what it can and can't do and things like that. Feingold is talking about another 'censure' resolution and the 'choose our battles' crowd won't even THINK about impeachment.
what's your gut feeling about making people aware of these issues in a big and obvious way?
thanks for the memories!
George @ 300:
Let me be blunt. We Americans get some pathological kick out of beating up those who are less fortunate than ourselves. We do indeed punish the poor for being poor. We have structures in place that guarantee that they will never climb out of their poverty. It's not an accident. And it is a very black mark on our soul.
The problem isn't even that it is news as entertainment -- it has always been that way. The problem we face to day is news as propaganda. That is not unique to our times, but what is unique is the single ownership so it is all propaganda from from the same side. There are so few Michael's and so many of everybody else. It is not even surprising anymore that Wolf Blitzer began his career as a lobbiest for AIPAC, or that Sanjay Gupta was an advisor to Hillary Clinton. (I did not know that until looking it up just now...)
Nate @ 346:
Mike, I have read a few other people's suggestions as to what you should do for future documentaries. While I appreciate the idea of exposing the ills of biased media, TV programs like the Daily Show and Colbert Report are already at the front lines of this battle, along with brilliant documentaries like Outfoxed. Here are a couple of my own ideas:
1. US support for Human Rights abusers. From Pinochet to the Contras, Salvadorian death squads and the School of the Americas, this is a trend that too few Americans seem to recognize. For decades, US politicians have targeted many third-world nations, especially in Latin America and the Far East. Generally, US financiers receive lucrative contracts with the tyrants whom we help to install in these nations. Human rights and social services inevitably plummet, while our new "teacher's pets" make out like bandits.
2. Election fraud. There is a mounting body of evidence of (mostly Republican) corruption in the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, as documented by Robert Kenny Jr. and Co. in Rolling Stone magazine. Thanks to corrupt politicians like Ken Blackwell and lobbying from Diebold Corp, most people do not realize how serious this is. If we do not defend the right to free, fair and safe elections (i.e., hack-proof, with recountable printed ballot records), it is safe to say that the GOP will have destroyed the very foundation of Western civilization. I appreciate the attention you gave to this issue in the opening segment of Fahrenheit 911, but there is more work to be done on this subject. Unless there is a widespread movement to restore the integrity of the US electoral system, our once-proud nation will devolve into plutocracy.
Thanks putting out Sicko.
Most people don't realize what is going on with the health industry until they do get sick.
We lost my mom 10 years ago to cancer, Multiple Myeloma. My dad had insurance, but still had to sell my grandfather's farm that my mother inherited, where they had planned to retire to, in order to avoid filing bankruptcy because the insurance refused to cover so much And my father made a very good living, upper middle class, with "full coverage" insurance.
Thank you again for bringing this very important issue to the front of the national debate.
Concerned in CA @ 173:
Ok, fellow Americans -- you're not going anywhere! You have to stay here and help me clean up this mess! What makes you think the Canadians and the Brits want us, bringing over our loudmouth ignorant happy meal eating asses? No, we have to stay here and get this country back in the hands of the people who own it -- the citizens.
Michael Moore @ 366:
I'm living this life^^^!
Mark @ News Corpse @ 1:
I guess it doesn't help being first.
I'd still like to know your opinion of the Loder article and even the quite positive review you received from Roger Friedman at Fox News: Sicko Gets Thumbs Up From…Fox?
It's a topsy turvy world, isn't it?
Captain America @ 347:
It would be great to see you do a documentary on the media, Michael. There's alot of info about the media at Columbia Journalism Review www.cjr.org and specifically ownership at http://www.cjr.org/resources/index.php.
What do you think?
(And my earlier post at #191 should have said Sept 29 Healthcare Not Warfare -National March on the White House.)
What is equally interesting is how little the Canadian media is doing to cover and counter the nonsensical spin in America about our health care system.
Mike,
Thanks by the way for the shout out for student loan debt, and the societal purpose it serves...by the time you get educated enough to be "enlightened", they practically own you, and there is virtually nothing you can do about it. I'm 50K in hock for my MS.
V V
sangemon @ 350:
Oh? If Michael Moore is at the front of the line with a Sign it WILL Be Televised....stop thinking so negative...that is what has held us back this far!! Power to the People!!! We have to stand up and stop taking this laying down. Enough is Enough. Corporate America is rich enough...and the rest of the world thinks that the American People are rich and greedy too...we NEED to take back our image from Corporate America and show that we are good people and we still have the courage to stand up for what is right. Period.
Okay. This is the single most valuable thing for me tonight. My husband and I were seriously looking for jobs in Europe and Canada after the 2004 elections, and we still have waves of wanting to walk out of it. But you have given me Heart!! We will not leave you to do it yourself.
Thank you, Michael.
michael, i believe tv media peoples salaries should be made public like professional athletes. also the amount of money they have saved in tax cuts under this adm, except for keith olbermann who is the only true journalist on tv.
Garry Wise @ 375:
It's a matter of content. Preaching to the choir in Canada and telling them what they know is redundant. It's the American media that should be correcting that spin, but we know how much of that is happening...
Michael Moore @ 371:
I agree, what makes America great is that we stay and fix what is wrong with it. we don't run...American never run. We really need to fix it from the ground up.
Michael Moore @ 371:
Hear Hear! And to all those who suggest we leave so they can have the Idiocracy that they crave my question would be, "And who would be left if everyone who attempts to fix our problems flee? How would you eat?"
Michael Moore @ 371:
Hear hear! I, for one, don't intend on letting the neo-con scum win this way. I plan on being a stinging gadfly on the rump of society until they pull my barbed tongue out of my cold, dead mouth.
Ew. Bad metaphor, but you get my drift.
Hi Michael,
Excellent work! I have a friend in nursing oncology that describes Canadian health care as follows:
Is this true?
Thank you for all of your important work.
Hi Michael,
I’m a medical student, a future pediatrician, and a member of the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) and we have been working on Universal Health Care for quite some time. We even had Dennis Kucinich as a speaker at our most recent national convention. My question to you is what can the “younger” adult generation, and students - particularly health profession students - do to really change the health care scene in the U.S.? Most of us who bring it up in our “morning report” with our supervising doctors generally laugh this offll.. just before we have an informative “lunch” with the pharm rep.
Also, we had Dr. Sanjay Gupta at our past national convention, but needless to say we won’t bring him back again!
Hope you answer my question. And thanks for making documentaries that tackle the “big boys”… instead of making documentaries about pinguins, you take on General Motors and HMOs.
Garry Wise @ 375:
What for? It's not as though myriads of Americans watch CBC anyways, and Canadians aren't the ones that need convincing. If you'd try to argue to us that it's worth it for us to start having to pay for health care, we'd laugh until our kidneys exploded, then undergo free dialysis. ;)
Garry Wise @ 348:
Every so often, a troll or paid industry 'commenter' turns up on blogs and forums, pretending to be a Canadian. You can always tell they aren't because they inevitably say something like "in our socialist government" or "in a socialist country like ours".
When was the last time you heard a Canadian refer to his or her country as 'socialist'? LOL
Hi Michael, hope you won't mind faults I could do in this message as my first language is French because I'm from Québec in Canada. I first wanted to thank you for your movie which I've saw just fifteen minutes ago. I think that it's your best one and can only hope that the next one will be better.
I've saw your movie with my mom which suffer from chronical back pain since seven years.So Sicko rejoined us a lot to know that if she lived somewhere else she may had to endure even more pain then today. But I hope that one day, doctors will find a way to cure her and I must say that they are on a good way.
Thanks to you, I've learned to appreciate the health system of my country. In fact... Maybe I'll wait two or three hour before to be served in an emergency but hey, I will be served. The only thing that's sad about our system is the exodus of qualified doctors that it's create, especially in Québec. As you may know, doctors from Quebec are often tempted to go in other countries like yours to exercise their profession where it pays more. (because in fact, they aren't as well payed as the doctor we saw as you were in London. It leave us who stay here with a problem that I hope will be solved soon as it keeps my mom waiting for a treatment she would have quickly if she was in United States and had the means to buy it.
The part in Cuba was a masterchief and it reminded me of the strong links of friendship which is typical of latin culture. I've experimented in Dominican Republic where I passed two weeks living with the low class people of there. I keep wondering why should we stay in cage made by politicians deciding who shall be our friends and who shall be our enemies. That over-used and old-school socialist threat is, in my opinion, ridiculous.
I sincerly hope that your movie will get the right people to move theirselves and do something as no man on earth should endure what we saw in your movie.
I'm seventeen and I also want to become a filmmaker. Your movies are a great inspiration to me and I hope that one day I shall make a movie half as good as yours. Keep up the good work and never forget that we're a big bunch behind you, supporting you!
Thanks for all! May you live a long life evenr If you're supposed to live three years less than me! ;p
Thanks C&L for hosting this, and thanks Michael Moore for answering questions.
I don't understand how the transition to Universal Single-Payer Health Care will work in the USA. What will happen to all those jobs for people who sit in cubicles and deny claims? Won't the entire state of Connecticut dive into a recession, with all the insurance companies there?
I ask in a kidding way -- but won't we need to re-educate and re-employ an army of people now engaged in denying the insured their health care?
Thanks again for coming by today --
Vitam Vas @ 243:
Hahahahaha! I am so used to all the noise by now, I know the smart people can look it all up for themselves and see that every single fact in my movies is true. But those who try to smear me and my films only do so because they are AFRAID to debate me on the ISSUES i am raising. Not one of them can justify 18,000 Americans dying every year because they don't have health insurance. They don't dare talk to me about that. So they try to distract the public with a lot of B.S.
Hi Michael, thank you for the work you do and the message you bring to the conversation about true community values and the common good. Taking on our dysfunctional health care system and the corporate greed of the pharmaceutical industry required talent and guts. Along with common sense, you encouraged action. You are a true patriot!
Michael, I write a blog for my local newspaper's community website. I'm also a huge fan. I've also produced my own newspaper, a temporarily defunct rag.
It takes balls to do the kind of work you do, and I think that you've taken a remarkable amount of heat over things that you shouldn't have had to. For example, I know that you are proud that you are the first person to come up for a standing ovation to be booed on your way down.
And you were dead-on right at that time.
How did you fall into the career you chose? I don't agree in labeling you a "guerilla film maker", because I think that's unfair. You're just getting people on film at their candid worst moments to prove a point. How did you first do that? How did you get the courage to first do what you're doing?
Frank P @ 384:
No.
Michael Moore @ 321:
I think this is an indication of how clueless Hollywood types are about the effect that "downloading" (in quotes because it's their meaning of the term, not mine) has on the sale of their product. If they were to provide an easy way to download their films and TV shows in a lower-resolution, non-DRM open format, they would probably see their sales increase, even if they gave away the low-res versions. Few of us want to spend $9 per person (or more) for a movie ticket without having some idea whether they like it or not. The clip offered with this chat is a case in point, as is the attempt to torpedo your film by secretly permitting it to be downloaded.
Sorry for the OT rant, but all the nonsense they've put consumers and software writers over this is for the birds.
Mr. Moore,
The bush administration has said they would veto any bill regarding the health care for children! Why do you think he is to veto any paper document that comes across his desk, even health care for children? What can we do to pound Republican politicians?
Hey Michael,
It looks like Sicko may just edge past BFC in terms of box-office, but it'll be close. How important is it to you that Sicko make more or at least equal amounts of money than BFC or even An Inconvenient Truth (obviously it cannot reach the numbers of F911)? When the film was first released what numbers were the Weinsteins and you hoping for? I know it's a shallow argument, but it seems if Sicko doesn't measure up financially the wingnuts will declare it a failure, even though it's already one of the most successful docs ever released! Thanks for all you do.
Michael,
There has been a long and tired campaign against socialism in this country. Since the 2nd WW, Americans have been fed a line that all social programs are based on Stalinism and are inherantly anti-democratic. But if we look at socialized programs in northern Europe, we see that the opposite is true.
How do thinking Americans respond to 40 years of propaganda against social-democracy?
And thank you for uncovering the truth.
Greetings from a Canadian.
If I were an American I'd be bankrupt, dead, or both. Cardiac surgery. Complications, months in hospital and therapy.
Money out of pocket = $0.00
Keep up the fight Michael.
Hi Michael!
Now that people on the right are as mad at their party as people on the right are at theirs, is it time to say the "N word" again? Isn't this a great opportunity to get behind Ralph Nader who, I think, would get more Rep. votes than Dem?
thank you!
As you know, Michael, Tommy Douglas almost singlehandedly began the movement towards universal health care in Canada.
Your film seems to be having exactly that kind of effect in America. You do old Tommy proud.
I concur, on the person who suggested doing a movie exposing the corporate media.
fight the plutocracy!!!!!
stick it to them MM!!
CNN=pwned!!!
pets or meat...
dude where is my habeas corpus?
Michael, how do get this nation to actually move forward on universal health care. Are any of the candidates, on either side, really prepared to do anything about this and take on the money men from Big Pharma?
Mike--
My parent's friends in AZ refuse to see your movies because they've been brainwashed by conservative talk radio. They "dont' want to give him any of my money"
Is there a way you approve of that I can convince them that they NEED to see this movie? Maybe after they realize you're not the devil they'll consider paying for it, but right now, according to my parents, they refuse to see your movie because they think they'd be contributing to a "liberal" cause.
Your suggestion?
Michael, I'm just curious why you tend to gravitate towards an "emotional" message in your films as opposed to a "statistical" one. Is this a tactic you use simply because the American audience is incapable of reason?
Mike,
Is it stressful on you going up against these big pharm, bought off hacks on every TV interview?
Thanks!
Hi Michael. Just thought I'd let you know that our health care system isn't broken. My neighbor's mother just broke her hip. She was taken by chopper to Reno, about a 160 mile trip from here, and a 320 mile round trip for the crew. She was not informed of any alternative transportation. Since the chopper's corporate headquarters is based in Coos Bay, OR, that's where she was billed from, as tho the flight came from there, but the chopper was located in Reno the whole time. $11,000. So the health care system is working very, very well.........for them. Like I'm telling you something you don't already know. Keep up the good work.
Hey Michael,
It seems your old pal O'Reilly is becoming more and more unhinged these days. His recent attacks on you on-air and in his writing seem truly desperate and totally ignorant. Any chance you can go on his show again and send him over the edge? I think he just needs a little nudge.
Mike,
As a Canadian, I look to the news coverage of the Health Care Issue (CNN, NY Times etc) and I finf extremely frustrating and insulting the biased and dishonest reporting undertaken whenever Canadian medicare is discussed. The US system is described with words such as "free market" and "innovation" while Canada's is tarred with the typical buzzwords "socialized" "rationing" "lack of choice". The fact is, you will find very few Canadians who would trade our health care system for any in the world, and even fewer who find anything attractive in the system we see operate south of the border).
That is why, although I enjoyed your movie, I was more excited by the way in which you attacked CNN's Wolf Blitzer when CNN ran their typically underhanded discussion of government run health care. It was clear he simply could not cope with how the establishment meme was attacked with facts and logic and passion (the phrase "deer in a headlight" is a most apt description of his response). It was very impressive - one can only hope that others continue to challenge the news media's standard lines with equal passion and thoughtfulness (or, more realistically, that those who challenge the elite views are allowed on the air).
I'm taking one more shot at drawing your attention to this question Mr. Moore because I would genuinely love to know what ideas you have, if any for bringing doctors back around to being healers and engaging their help on fixing this problem. If you'd rather not answer it, that's ok... I just wanted to hear your take on it if you had one.
Kelley @ 354:
I hope you're not suggesting I am anything other than a card-carrying, Toronto Maple Leaf loving, proudly liberal/Liberal born and bred Canadian....
'Cause that's what I am....
Michael Moore @ 390:
Michael Moore @ 390:
Typical Conservative ploy. Change the subject when you have no answer. Frank Luntz didn't make a ton of money for nothing.
lindsay @ 237:
Americans, do you realize Canadians do this? I mean, if they live in Windsor and wanna cross the river to go to Detroit for a concert, they take out friggin' insurance! To go to a concert! Now, ask yourself, have you every heard of an American taking out insurance before going to Canada? Never. And why is that? Because we either mistakenly believe that our health carrier will cover us if something happens (read the fine print!) or, more importantly, we know in the backs of our minds that should we befall some tragedy or illness in Canada, we INSTINCTUALLY know that the good hearted Canadian people will take care of us. And they know that the American system will NOT take care of them.
Rob @ 396:
Bill O' does not need any more attention, nor any Moore attention. He will slide off the edge just fine on his own.
Dear Michael,
I'd like to expose the crooks and liars involved with the vulture fund issue.
Rudy Giuliani took 15 million dollars from money earmarked for famished African children.
Okay, how about a compromise? We stay here, and the government can pay us to travel to other countries for medical care?
No?
Michael,
I LOVED the film. I share all my MM films (I have them all) at a local place called the "Theatre Pub" in my home town.
We are in desperate need of a nationalized, not for profit health care system. My personal medical bills are $52 THOUSAND a year ongoing for treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. I am crippled both physically and financially. I can't even afford to replace my bathtub with a shower. Sometimes I have to be lifted in and out of the bathtub. It's embarrasing.
I hope what you are doing makes them change. The people have GOT to join the effort, don't you think?
The congress and the medical lobbies try to divide us. One month we work on health care for children. Then we focus on health care for seniors. Then we think about health care for workers. It never ends.
What we really need is health care for EVERYONE. Don't let them divide and conquer us!
Thanks for a great movie, Michael!
Cujo359 @ 394:
Their bottom line will only be unaffected by piracy if the movie is any good. But because Hollywood execs are fond of force-feeding crap that would only be harmed by word-of-mouth, they get defensive about the easy access.
Mike as someone who has been digonised with MS, and even have Medicare ABD, but I can not afford the co payment of the drug, which is 500$ a month...
Why is it that tax dollars go to drug companies to product such meds, but we are still unable to afford them!
Michael, are you going to stick with us on this issue until the end of 2008? It's a long time between now and then.
michael moore,
What plan of action do you think we should take? in other words, give me a reason to stay in america, i think its too far gone personaly, i cannot see any reasonable chance that things will ever get better, only worse actualy.
Pier-André Doyon @ 388:
I agree, Pier-André. I though it was one of the finest moments in the film, and I think, the film's broader message.
I get the sense that if more Americans simply got a passport and travelled a bit, learned a second language, saw France, and met some gay people and an atheist or two, the country would make more judicious decisions, as might be appropriate for, say, an empire.
One of the greatest metaphors of SICKO was Michael 'discovering' the unknown world beyond America's borders.
Michael Moore @ 401:
I did not know this, and I find that very humiliating as an American.
cameogirl @ 212:
Hahahaha. I live just a few miles from where they are all meeting right now. should i just show up? hahaha
Hey Michael,
Great work on the latest movie. SiCKO officially made me disgusted to be an American, I'm now researching ways to get out of America and move to Canada or France. Anyway, I just wanted to say I got involved and wrote, will vote, and will push for free universal healthcare in America. I wish it would happen years ago.
Thanks for all the hard work and effort on your part. Please keep it up!
Why don't you encourage a national day for everyone to show up in mass numbers to ask for single payer healthcare? Maybe pick a city in every state or a march to the Lincoln Memorial or ????
Freaked-Out Canadian @ 387:
I hope you’re not suggesting I am anything other than a card-carrying, Toronto Maple Leaf loving, proudly liberal/Liberal born and bred Canadian….
‘Cause that’s what I am….
Hello, Mr. Moore.
Sadly, I will have to wait for SICKO to be released on DVD. I live in a small West Texas town, with only one movie theater, and I can guarantee your film will not be playing here. Will you be adding updated content to the DVD of SICKO?
Also, any suggestions of an inexpensive but decent Digital video camera for poor, novice documentarians?
I am grateful for your voice.
why not? I like to show up cameo and laptop in tow??
Michael,
I loved this movie! The amazing thing about this was how it was so mainstream in it's focus--not about the uninsured or the insanity that is the drug licensing policies of the U.S. or the medical industry's relationship with insurance and big pharma. It was done with a level of finesse that I found quite refreshing. It also seemed obvious to me that it was intended to bring about change through a documentary that very few(Guppta aside) would find offense with.
My question concerns the choice of bringing the group of 9/11 workers to Cuba. Although I love your "in your face" humor(I love your T.V. Show etc.)I wonder if the movie would have appealed to a broader audience if the last bit, the trip to Cuba would have been left off. Really, I found it moving and I endorse the message that the Cuban system has significant advantages, I even like the "cognitive dissonance" with the workers sneaking INTO Cuba. However, the noise in the head of the GOP-er who viewed this movie might not have been so much about the purpose of the film--to look at what can change for the better in our health care system.
Don't take me wrong, I'm no critic. I think you are an amazing film-maker and I have learned from and been moved by all of your work.
Michael, I don't know if you're familiar with this site, but if you were so inclined, you could hook up a web cam, connect with http://ustream.tv/ So while you're reading the messages here (or wherever you conduct a chat), you don't have to type; just talk into your mic, and people can see and hear you at Ustream while you're answering the questions. I would love to hear you talk, rather than just type answers.
In fact, right now, Leo Laporte, computer guru, after finishing (and during the breaks) he talks to the people in the chatroom and answers their questions every weekend.
What's going to happen with all these state initiatives for mandated health insurance, like in MA and CA? Will state residents have to take out Blue Cross when we leave the state, like Canadians do when they come to Detroit for a concert? What kind of a patchwork are states designing?
are there any documentaries that you think are MUST VIEW, regardless of recency, and excluding your important body of work?
ps I saw you in Milwaukee during the 2004 election cycle at the Milwaukee Theatre. You were sick as a dog and behind schedule in the bad weather but still showed up to throw Ramen noodles to the crowd.
Michael Moore @ 413:
YES! YES! YES!
Hey, Mike.
I am a IATSE Local #80 Studio Grip in Hollywood. In my organisation we enjoy fantastic health care where almost everything is covered. I have experienced this firsthand, having ben dissabled for the last few months. I have been to two specialist, had a procedure, and med treatment, all of which has cost me $50.
But, there is resistance in my union against universal healthcare, because a lot of our members think that our benefit system would suffer.
Can you address this issue, please?
Thank you for the work that you do, sir.
I saw Sicko with one other person in the theater (went in the morning on opening day for H. Potter & Co.)
I wonder - is it a truism - "real men don't eat quiche" and "the uninsured don't protest?" I have a $3,000 ER visit bill - I can't get my head around the $107 pregnancy test that was included - $16 or so online - probably cheaper at a drugstore (I guess).
I drive by William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan, on the way back from my sliding-scale therapy appointment every week - a quite stately, majestic hospital (though not as imposing as Galactic-sized University of Michigan Hospital).
I picture myself outside wearing a sandwich board, or holding a big sign, making note of the $107 pregnancy test, and $3,000 ER bill - for a saline drip and blood tests and pregnancy test, $3,000?
Then the sign would say something like "Universal Health Care Now - The Life It Saves May Be Your Own."
Where all the other uninsured people? How come I never see anyone out there protesting (Okay, so maybe I drive by late at night, but still, I haven't heard of anyone uninsured going out there and making their presence felt in front of hospitals - does nobody want to hear from us? Is it just too embarrassing to not have health insurance?) (No, I don't have a flat screen TV. An idea for a museum, yes - tropical vacations, nice clothes or car or TV, no.)
Or maybe the sign would be a big pic of George Bush, and say "At Your Next Unaffordable ER Visit, Tell 'Em George Sent You!"
I feel lost. Where is Royal Oak City Hall? Do I need a permit? Why isn't anyone else out there? It's the humiliation factor - or?
Looking for other "Erowers" - that is, you OWE the ER.
Sister Michigan
Freaked-Out Canadian @ 411:
That's a great idea but really hard to do when you've been conditioned to be xenophobic, can't pay your bills, and have no time between your three jobs to get anything beyond a county college course under your belt.
I can't stick around any longer to read more, but thank you for coming by Michael, and thanks C&L for being such a great host.
drshatterhand @ 8:
I work at Presbyterian Hospital and if you don't have "good Insurance" or heavan forbid, no insurance, Presbyterian sends you on an ambulance ride(at the patients expense) to Parkland Hospital(our city hospital).This is a company that our vision is"to improve the health of and life of those in the communities we serve." And our promise is "individuals caring for individual, TOGETHER. What a joke. It is all about money, and the Doctors are show their true colors when they have to do something that the insurance company won't pay for. Usually they use a different code on the documentation so they will get paid for their service. So everyone beware...read your invoices. You could be overcharged for something, or charged for something that wasn't performed
Garry Wise @ 416:
I highly doubt it, but if you tried to convince them you were an Ottawa Senators fan, then we would disown you. ;)
xoites defends Constitution @ 423:
hahaha Invite them out to see Sicko with you
Michael Moore @ 413:
Michael Moore @ 358:
Dean @ 193:
Only slightly disappointed ya left Flint. Or are ya still there and just cottagin' in TC/Sutton's Bay/Charlevoix?
Lana @ 415:
We already tried this with the anti war movement. We actually got millions of people all over the world to show up in the streets ALL AT ONCE.
And the media ignored us.
And the war went on as usual.
We are being ignored to death and it is an EXPERIMENT that THE COUP is winning.
When will the people wise up?
Someone with Conservative-ish Parents @ 44:
Download the movie on BitTorrent like Michael has suggested in the past.
Rekutyn @ 46:
When was the last time you went to see a movie about statistics?
Michael:
You need to inform the consumer that many states, including California, have bad faith laws, allowing civil suits for pain and suffering when an insurance carrier unreasonably denies coverage.
Perhaps, as a stop gap, before universal health care happens, we could push for tougher state laws regulating the insurance industry, along with expanding the right to claim damages through bad faith lawsuits.
Mississippi shows no showstime/dates on the website link from yours even though I just saw SiCKO at a theatre near Jackson. As a deeply red state and deeply affected by health issues, I'd like to physically take a copy/print to small towns around the state, but the website doesn't indicate any method of doing that. Is there any licensing agreement and/or method of taking either 35mm or DVD around and showing it. Or would I have to contact Lionsgate about that?
the military industrial mediatainment complex has been rocked by you!!! twicedt!!!
will your next movie be about sustainability? like how we have to restructor to survive? i hope so!!!
Someone with Conservative-ish Parents @ 44:
I live in AZ, too, and have a conservative friend who tries to play liberal (usually after a couple hours of arguing), and he has the same attitude about not seeing F-9/11 - but the positive coverage over SiCKO is causing him to wobble.
Someone with Conservative-ish Parents @ 44:
Buy them a pre-paid pass to the theatre. That way, Michael's already been paid, and all they have to do is open their eyes, ears and heart.
[edit: I meant "...as angry as the left is at their party...]
Dear Michael, thank you for Sicko.
I just wanted to add that I've spent a lot of time in Italy. They also have universal healthcare and free college education.
For me I pay 990/month for healthcare insurance plus 1000 per month saving for my daughter's college education.
Pam
Is Michael ever afraid he will make someone mad enough at him that they may try to do harm against him?
hi again,
could you consider adding this link http://foundationcenter.org/findfunders/990finder/
to your site and inform people how to look up financial reports for various HMO's (this is public information, however, many are not aware of it.)
some examples:
http://tfcny.fdncenter.org/990_pdf_archive/910/910511770/910511770_20041...
http://dynamodata.fdncenter.org/990_pdf_archive/941/941552887/941552887_...
http://dynamodata.fdncenter.org/990_pdf_archive/941/941340523/941340523_...
Straight Shooter @ 21:
Good idea Straight Shooter. I would add I.F. Stone, Daniel Ellsberg, Paul Wellstone, and, oh hell, there are a lot more good patriots that would make this a fascinating subject.
Someone with Conservative-ish Parents:
If you offered to take them and pay their way, do you think they'd go?
Or are you under 18 and don't really have the means?
Hmm...
I've always thought it odd that people refused to see Fahrenheit 9/11 because it was "propaganda".
But how would they know it was propaganda if they never saw it?
Ask them that.
Michael ~~ THANK YOU for being such a courageous and outspoken PATRIOT! Your work is awe-inspiring. I would like to add my voice to the chorus asking you to focus on the MSM on your next creation.... We need someone to remind them that they are supposed to be INFORMING us so that we can draw an educated opinion.... It's all opinion and propaganda these days (with VERY few exceptions) and I'd love to see you become "their worst nightmare"...someone who has the credibility and exposure to shine a bright light on their half-truths.
Bless you for all you've done personally and professionally during your time on the planet---We are in your debt!
Check out the video I just uploaded..
Rekutyn--
Has Michael "officially" said this is cool? I would bittorrent the movie (for my parent's friends who don't want to "give money" to anything having to do with michael moore- see above comment) it, but not without his explicit permission.
I've heard kind of a borderline "Wieinstein doesn't want it pirated, but I have mixed feelings" but if I get an official "it's cool with me. I just want people to see the movie," that's a bit different.
--SWCP
Freaked-Out Canadian @ 55:
What a great idea!!! You have a good heart.
Hi Michael Moore,
What impact do you feel your latest movie, "Sicko" will have on the insurance companies and medical health care?
Thank you for all you do. It is people like you, that us Americans can entrust and know someone is watching our back.
i got it!! michael plz partner with howard zinn and do a big ass "peoples history of the united states" multi episode documentary!!
a bayonet is a weapon wioth a worker on each end!!
weebit @ 58:
Bush is, i doubt any of us want to be like Bush.
Mike Stark @ 23:
So true. Thanks for reinforcing the point. And I'm a big fan of your work as well. Kick ass, Mike.
>Buy them a pre-paid pass to the theatre. That way, Michael’s already been paid, and all they have to do is open their eyes, ears and >heart
I suggested this. They woudln't go for it.
SWCP
Michael,
To me, I can't understand how any people still believe that universal health care is wrong, whether or not they see your movie. They point to waits for procedures as a sign that universal health care doesn't work ... I guess they've never tried to get a non-emergency procedure done at Kaiser, as you have to wait months there as well.
But with any of these universals systems, or Kaiser, if it's serious you get in right away. I think the erroneous label "socialized" medicine is what scares people ... though I always point out that since we are the only Western industrialized nation without such health care, it most likely does not mean everyone else is wrong and we are right ... but the other way around ...
Finally, I don't really hold out much hope that things will change. The health care and pharmaceutical lobby is so strong ... I may just end up moving to Canada or Europe to get health care when I am older ... as I have a few issues that would keep me from getting private health insurance. Nothing serious, but you know as well as I do they will use it all to keep me from coverage.
Let's organize an IMPEACH BUSH & CHENEY group and make Michael Moore the Honorary Chairman
Michael-
I was wondering if you every go places and give presentations of your work? I think that would be a good Idea. Maybe present to college students and even hospitals etc.
Michael Moore @ 413:
I can't imagine any scarier words for a sitting US Governor than: "Governor, Michael Moore is here."
Garry Wise @ 416:
No, no, my canuck brother. I was referring to your comment that,
I don't know a single Canadian who'd like to swap our system with any other.
Dear Michael,
I didn't see it in 'Sicko'. What is the argument against extending Medicare to everyone in the country?
Thomas & Elaine
Stalin's Crayon @ 239:
you watch too much CNN. only CNN said it's 25, the movie def says 251 - i just saw it for the second time. CNN even apologized - http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10043
Cynthia R @ 377:
Cynthia, do you have any idea how many progressive marches have been blacked-out by the media? They will not cover our events, period. Even if Michael is front row center. That approach worked in the 60s and 70s, the media would rather divert attention to Paris Hilton now.
We have to work around corporate media because they are part of the problem. Our strength is in the NetRoots, people powered politics, movies, the internet, alternative media, conventions, local organizations, national organizations - corporate media is the old model. No one is laying down, on the contrary, we are moving to a new paradigm.
the only way we will see any quick change..relatively speaking..is to expose the rampant fraud and petty denials for what they are.....and new qui tam laws to encourage industry insiders to speak up and out ...maybe the public will realize that their worst group denials have come true.and the real scandal may come when a certain major health insurance company starts cost cutting our returning vets..the military eating its own young..
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