What in the world is Michael Moore thinking?

Normally I try to be as unbiased and non-judgmental as possible when I’m reporting on the letters or speeches Michael Moore delivers. However, this particular speech, delivered at the premiere of Slacker Uprising in Ann Arbor, goes so far over the top that I find myself questioning if Moore is either playing an enormous practical joke or he’s really lost his way somehow. Before the screening of his new “free” movie (that he is of course selling copies of for those who don’t download… so much for free for all!), Moore offered seven “modest suggestions” for Barrack Obama should he in fact win the presidential election. The “suggestions” range from the potentially practical to mildly amusing to the rather offensive to the downright ridiculous. I seriously can’t do this justice. Here… read the synopsis for yourself:

Proposal One: Institute a military draft, but only for the children of the top five percent of wage earners in the country. “I am convinced that if they have to send their own kids off to war, there won’t be any wars,” Moore said.

Proposal Two: Sign into law congressman John Conyer’s universal health-care legislation (HR676). “The Obama health plan is no good. The McCain health plan is really, really no good,” Moore said, explaining that on this issue, his support for Obama comes down to the “lesser of two evils.”

Proposal Three: Ban high fructose corn syrup. “And I will be the poster boy of that campaign.” Earlier in his lecture, Moore suggested that corn syrup’s historical dominance as a sweetener was a result of government collusion with large agribusinesses.

Proposal Four: Build wells in the developing nations to provide clean drinking water for all. Moore says it will cost $10 billion to dig wells in villages. “We’re going to spend $12 billion on Iraq in this month alone. $12 billion. One month of Iraq and the entire world can have clean drinking water. What is our problem?”

Proposal Five: Remove the $102,000 income cap on the social security tax. “If you make over 102,000 a year, do you realize the people in that category do not pay one dime on wages they earn over $102,000 ... Why shouldn’t they have to pay the same six-and-half to seven percent rate that you have to pay on 100 percent or your income?” Moore cited former presidential candidate Chris Dodd, who said that if the cap was lifted, the resulting income would be able to fund social security for 75 years. He also told the audience to remind their neighbors that President Bush wanted to “put social security in the hands of Wall Street five years ago ... We’d all be Lehman Brothers.”

Proposal Six: Change the way we do elections. Moore offered several suggestions, including holding elections on the weekend so that more people can get to the polls, allowing multiple parties access to the debates and discarding voting machines in favor of paper ballots.

Proposal Seven: Change the Pledge of Allegiance to reflect “the America we all believe in.” Moore closed his lecture by reading his proposed pledge: “I pledge allegiance to the people of the United States of America / and to the republic for which we stand / one nation, part of one world / with liberty and justice for all.”

I’m.... speechless. Truly speechless. Band high fructose corn syrup? Draft only the children of the rich? CHANGE THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE???  I’m telling you… if Obama has friends like this he certainly needs no enemies. If Moore et al keep these types of stunts up I predict McCain will have no problems at all winning in November.

*shakes head*

Canadian Hands

At one point, during the promotional period for Sicko, Michael Moore said something to the effect of, “Do you think you could find anyone in Canada who would trade their healthcare system for ours?” (If you can remember the exact quote please post a link or, if you’re a fellow poster, put it as an update.) At any rate, recently there was a debate held over universal healthcare, and one of the panelists arguing in favor of it was Paul Krugman, liberal economist and New York Times columnist.  Here’s a portion of an exchange from the debate.

PAUL KRUGMAN
And private insurance? That’s the thing, I— Actually, can I just —I wanted to ask a question. And—

JOHN DONVAN [MODERATOR]
Please—please do—

PAUL KRUGMAN
—and I wanted to ask, actually two questions, to the audience. First, how many Canadians, would Canadians in the room please raise your hands. [ONE PERSON APPLAUDS, LAUGHTER]

JOHN DONVAN
We have about seven hands going up—

PAUL KRUGMAN
Okay, not as many as I thought. Okay, of those of you who are not on the panel who are Canadians,, how many of you think you have a terrible health care system. [PAUSE] One, two—

JOHN DONVAN
We see—almost all of the same hands going up. [LAUGHTER]

PAUL KRUGMAN
Bad move on my part. [APPLAUSE]

Remember, folks, Canada is a utopia where everyone gets all the super awesome magical unicorn healthcare they need, and only evil rich corporations pay for it.

Ping!  Fundraiser reminder

First of all, thank you SO much to every person that has already donated to the server fund.  Some of you did it anonymously, and some of you let me know.  Either way is cool, but those of you who let me know who you are...I’m trying to figure out something cool with which I can thank you.  At the very least I will address each of you individually, as I have developed at least that much class over the years. Well...almost.

As I said the last time, if you think we’re worth a few bucks...please hit the tip jar.  It’s not an emergency, it’s just a bit of a rough patch and this server never gets cheaper.  It never gets more expensive, thankfully, but it never gets cheaper.

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It’s fundraising time…

People, you have no idea how little I want to write this post.  I have been putting it off forever, but numbers are numbers, and numbers don’t lie.  My numbers are telling me that I need to once again ask for the support and generosity of the readers of the blogs on our server.

If you read anything by me, Lee, any of the guys at MOA, Moorewatch or Right-Thinking or anyone else we host, and you think we’re worth a few bucks...please hit the tip jar.  It’s not an emergency, no one is dying, no one is losing their house, although our house is part of it - our tax bill went up because our house is worth more, so our mortgage escrow is short and you homeowners know what that means!  Monkeys on backs.

All we’re asking for is a small contribution.  Think of it like buying us a pizza...or a couple of microbrews.  Just a few bucks to get the monkey called Softlayer (our hosting provider) off our backs.

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Mkey’s Got A Brand New Film

Um, OK:

Inspired by Neil Young and Radiohead, Michael Moore will release his new film online and for free.

The film, “Slacker Uprising,” follows Moore’s 62-city tour during the 2004 election to rally young voters. It will be available for three weeks as a free download to North American residents, beginning Sept. 23. An official announcement of the film is planned for Friday.

Moore said he considered releasing “Slacker Uprising” theatrically as “Michael Moore’s big election year movie” as he did with 2004’s “Fahrenheit 9/11,” which was highly critical of President Bush.

Instead, Moore opted for a symbol of gratitude to his fans as he approaches the 20th anniversary of his first film, 1989’s “Roger & Me.”

“I thought it’d be a nice way to celebrate my 20th year of doing this,” Moore said. “And also help get out the vote for November. I’ve been thinking about what I want to do to help with the election this year.”

Wait.  Wasn’t this “Captain Mike”?  I’m confused.  I guess you might as well release it for free since it’s likely that no one will pay to see it.

But this is what makes life beautiful:

The 97-minute long “Slacker Uprising” will be the first major film to be released in such a way. Last December, “Jackass 2.5” was streamed online and for free, but that was only a collection of left over material from “Jackass 2.” Companies like ClickStar, which Morgan Freeman co-founded, have made films still in theaters — such as 2006’s “10 Items or Less” — digitally available for purchase or rental.

Jackass 2.5.  Slacker Uprising.  If the symmetry were any more perfect, I suspect one of us would burst into tears.

The good thing about the film being free is that we can now watch it without having to give Michael a penny.  Maybe we should have a Moorewatch festival complete with drinking game.  To steal a line from P.J. O’Rourke, you just turn the movie on and boy, do you need a drink.

Fred Thompson give Moore something to think about

This was just so funny that I had to share it with you all. PJTV caught up with Fred Thompson last night at the RNC and asked him about Moore’s statements in the last week. Thompson’s reaction was simply priceless. Here, just watch:

Classic. I wonder what Moore’s response will be to this one? ;)

Moore apparently doesn’t know when to quit

Yep… you guessed it. Another letter. This one’s for Joe Lieberman, who, as an “Independent Democrat” from Connecticut dared to speak at the RNC last night urging Democrats, Independants and Republicans alike to vote for the McCain/Palin ticket. During the speech Lieberman made a passing reference to Moore, saying “...if John McCain is just another partisan Republican, then I’m Michael Moore’s favorite Democrat.  And I’m not. And I think you know that I’m not.”

Well… I guess that was enough for Moore to cry foul. You see, it’s okay if he relentlessly attacks people over and over and over again. But if you even mention his name in a speech, then you’re a horrible person for attacking him and why would you be wasting time doing it anyway? He’s just a harmless little filmmaker, don’t ya know!

Enough commentary from me. Here’s the letter, as before, in it’s entirety. You be the judge.

Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008

Dear Joe:

John McCain IS just another partisan Republican—so that must mean you ARE my favorite Democrat!

But how can you be my favorite Democrat when you are no longer a Democrat? This is very confusing. I was in the middle of taking out the garbage and, all of a sudden, there you were, trash-talking me in front of thousands of cheering (mostly) white people on TV.

What is it with you and your Republican friends always bringing me up? Can’t you stop thinking about me? It’s starting to sound like a fetish! Stop it! Four years ago at the last Republican Convention, John McCain, in his convention speech, also trashed me, calling me a “disingenuous filmmaker” because I called all of you out in “Fahrenheit 9/11.” The crowd at Madison Square Garden went berserk. McCain didn’t know I was sitting above him in the press box, and the crowd wouldn’t stop screaming at me, so I flashed them the “Big L” loser sign and, well, nine of New York’s finest had to help me get out of there alive.

With all the problems facing the world, why is valuable time being wasted reviewing a movie and attacking a filmmaker? And now you, Joe, tonight. Do you think you’re energizing the “base” by attacking me? Better take a look at the scoreboard. While your side has spent years trying to make me the boogeyman, let’s see how it’s worked:

** 2006 Congressional elections: Republicans lose 30 seats in the House and 6 seats in the Senate;

** States That Have Lost a Republican Governor (and elected a Democrat) since 2002: Kansas, Montana, Wyoming, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Tennessee—EACH ONE OF THEM A RED STATE!;

** Latest Gallup Poll: Obama hit 50% yesterday for the first time for either candidate, 8 points ahead of McCain!

Do you see the trend?

Putting me in your convention speeches, attacking me nonstop on talk radio and Fox News—and thinking that this helps you—shows just how out of touch you all are.

Two-thirds of the country agree with my position on the war, two-thirds of the country agree with my position on a single-payer universal health care system, two-thirds believe in some form of gun control—name the documentary, pick the issue, and the American public agrees with Michael Moore. So get over me, will ya? You’re only hurting yourself. And I’ve got to finish taking out the garbage.

“… if John McCain is just another partisan Republican, then I’m Michael Moore’s favorite Democrat. And I’m not. And I think you know that I’m not.” Now click your heels together and say, “There’s no place like home on the Republican minority side of the aisle.”

Yours,
Michael Moore
[email protected]
MichaelMoore.com

Another letter from Moore

Wow… he just doesn’t know when to keep his trap shut, does he? First McCain was doing the decent thing by trying to postpone the RNC due to Hurricane Gustav… now he was just using it for “political advantage”. Moore says he thinks the children of the candidates should be off limits… and then backhandedly insults Bristol Palin and Sarah Palin by extension. He makes completely false statements about her stances on issues and even implies she won’t be on the ticket in two weeks. And of course the McCain insults never stop.

Classy. Once again, the above is all of the commentary I will make. I present to you the letter in full below - you make the call.

Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008

Well, I guess God got my email and answered my prayer. Man, the power of the Internet! He even emailed me back! I’ll share that with you in the next few days. Proof there is a God in heaven? Never explain comedy or satire or the ironic comment. Those who get it, get it. Those who don’t, never will…

John McCain said “it’s time to take our Republican hats off and put our American hats on.” Really? It would have been nice if Sen. McCain had put on his American hat in the three years since Katrina. Just so no one is fooled by all his fake concern for the people on the Gulf Coast, let’s look at his record post-Katrina, compliments of Chris Hayes of The Nation:

If (McCain) cared about New Orleans and the Gulf Coast he could have done something these past three years. He could have made Gulf Reconstruction his issue, he could have excoriated his party for pushing federal dollars into the hands of cronies, for providing inadequate resources, for allowing the further destruction of the wetlands that serve as the only natural barrier to storm surges. He could have taken on the insurance companies that have been serially screwing the residents of the gulf. But he was too busy pushing for more troops, and more war and running for president.

Instead this is his record [via Mother Jones]:

Though McCain issued a statement the next week (after Katrina) calling on Congress to make sacrifices in order to fund recovery efforts, he was quoted in The New Leader on September 1 [2005] cautioning against over-spending in support of Katrina’s victims. “We also have to be concerned about future generations of Americans,” he said. “We’re going to end up with the highest deficit, probably, in the history of this country.”

That attitude was borne out in McCain’s actions and votes. Forty Senators and 100 members of Congress visited New Orleans before he did; he finally got there in March 2006. He voted against establishing a Congressional commission to examine the Federal, State, and local responses to Katrina in med-September 2005. He repeated that vote in 2006. He voted against allowing up to 52 weeks of unemployment benefits to people affected by the hurricane, and in 2006 voted against appropriating $109 billion in supplemental emergency funding, including $28 billion for hurricane relief.

So honestly, it’s an insult to watch him make a show of concern now. ...

The possibility of a storm (a storm that never hit New Orleans, and was no longer a hurricane by last night) was enough for McCain to essentially cancel most of the first day of the convention. Cut and run? The AP reported yesterday that conventions have always been held when the nation was facing perilous moments. Right smack in the middle of World War II, the Republicans and the Democrats both held full conventions. Thousands of Americans were being killed every week. The Republicans held their convention in Chicago less than two weeks after D-Day. No one faulted them for that. In fact, it made Americans feel good that, no matter what happens, NOTHING stops Democracy. No retreat, no surrender…

So McCain and company used the hurricane for political advantage, to have an excuse to not have Bush and Cheney live and in person in St. Paul (Bush will appear Tuesday night via satellite). And he used the hurricane as a chance to release a potentially controversial story in the hopes that the hurricane would dominate the news and not many would notice. One hour after Gustav hit land, the McCain campaign announced that Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s teenage daughter is pregnant. I don’t want to say much more beyond this, as I agree with Barack Obama that “people’s families are off limits, and people’s children are especially off limits.”

I do feel very sorry that this minor, this child, now has to have her privacy sacrificed because her mother accepted an offer to run for VP. Obama’s right—the children are off limits. I remember when John McCain cruelly trashed Chelsea Clinton when she was a child in the White House. He told reporters that she was “ugly” “because Janet Reno is her father.” Of course, McCain would like us now to accord Palin’s daughter the respect he wouldn’t give Chelsea.

This does not mean that a discussion about the stupidity of “abstinence-only” sex ed classes is off the table; nor should we not talk about the right of a teenager to terminate a pregnancy (a right that has been essentially eliminated as the Supreme Court believes forcing a child to have a child against its will is not a form a child abuse), or Gov. Palin’s desire to make abortion illegal for anyone who is raped, a victim of incest or who may die if they bring the fetus to term. She’s “proud” of her daughter’s “decision to have her baby.” Uh-huh. Ok…

Word comes tonight that McCain’s people lied about Palin being vetted—the FBI has admitted they did NOT vet her. So McCain has dispatched ten operatives and investigators to Alaska to find out if there’s anything else that’s about to hit the fan regarding his veep pick, a woman he had run into only once in his life and then called her on her cell phone two weeks ago at the Alaska State Fair. That was it before she made the short list and was selected. McCain’s radar—honed perhaps during his own self-admitted indiscretionary phase of his life—is telling him there’s more to the Palin story. You mean things like her support of the Alaska Secessionist Party or being one of the directors of recently-arrested Sen. Ted Stevens’ political action groups? Heck, I dunno. We shall see…

But before everyone gets all smug and self-righteous about the Palin selection, remember where you live. You live in a nation of gun owners and hunters. You live in a country where one out of three girls get pregnant before they are 20. You live in a nation of C students. Knocking Bush for being a C student only endeared him to the nation of C students. Knock Palin for having kids, for having a kid who’s having a baby, for anything that is part of her normalness—a normalness that looks very familiar to so many millions of Americans—well, you do this at your own peril. Assuming she’s still on the ticket two weeks from now, she will be a much tougher opponent than anyone expects. You live in a country that voted for Dan Quayle.

I’ll close with this report on ABC tonight by investigative reporter Brian Ross. It shows Republicans in St. Paul taking off their Republican hats and putting on their American hats. In the meantime they should keep those hats ready as a new hurricane was announced today. No, not Hannah. She’s already on her way to Florida for Friday. The new one is called Ike, scheduled to hit the Gulf early next week. Ike. He’s the one who warned us about the “military-industrial complex.”

More to come…
Michael Moore
[email protected]
MichaelMoore.com