Help me help 23.6 million people

I really should have posted this sooner, but school kicked my butt this semester, and this week I have been on crutches & crying thanks to a perfect storm of gout-inducing circumstances. OWW. So I actually sort of forgot about getting the word out...and that makes me a terrible human being to be sure, but…

...I’m here now, blegging for your assistance. On June 13th I’m riding the Tour de Cure, a charity bike ride to raise funds for the American Diabetes Association. I know, these charities have huge overhead, but diabetes doesn’t have a lot of directly-donatable charities, and more people are getting this - especially children. Did you know they no longer call Type 2 “adult-onset diabetes?” Because the largest growing segment that gets it? Kids. Kids are getting a disease that used to afflict mainly the elderly, then fat middle-aged people, and now, thanks to a combination of flat-out evil behavior from food companies and utter laziness coupled with a lack of effort on the parts of parents everywhere...kids are getting “adult onset” diabetes as early as 8 or 9 years old. Just imagine what that means, what you have to feed a child in order to create a disease state that shouldn’t happen to them for another 40 years.

Part of the effort to combat this trend is education (both parents and children), and that costs money, and that is where the American Diabetes Association can be useful. SO...go here: http://main.diabetes.org/goto/stark23x. Donate. Sponsor my (still fat but shrinking every day) ass to chug along the roads of North Haven, CT in support of helping not the fat middle-aged dude who eats nothing but King-Size Reese’s and KFC twice a day and can’t figure out why he’s 350 lbs. and his blood sugar is all over the road, but for the child of that parent who doesn’t know that what the kid is being given to eat is going to put them in the ground at an early age.

http://main.diabetes.org/goto/stark23x. Right now my class’s team is signed up for the 25K. I should tell you now, that is NOT a challenge for me.  However, if I raise $250, I will ride it twice, even if no one else from my team joins me. 50K is a bit of a challenge, but here’s the kicker. $500 and I’ll ride it three times. 75K will literally chap my ass, and I do mean literally. So if you despise me, here’s your chance to make me suffer. The more you give, the more pain I will be in on June 13th. :)

http://main.diabetes.org/goto/stark23x. 

Hello, my name is….

Before I begin my tenure here, I believe some kind of introduction might be in order. My name is Donna Kenefick and I am the proud wife of Jim Kenefick, the maintainer and one of the founders of Moorewatch. At the moment, most of you only know me as “Jim’s sick wife” or as one of the beneficiaries of the now infamous “$12,000-Gate”, but over the coming weeks I hope to change all of that. Until about six weeks ago, about the only two things on my mind were giving love to my family and doing everything in my power to recover from some extremely devastating and serious medical problems - problems that have been plaguing me for over seven years now. Under circumstances such as these, becoming a writer or contributor to Moorewatch had never even entered my mind. However, now that my life and my health situation have been thrust so abruptly into a rather glaring spotlight thanks to Michael Moore’s new movie Sicko, I now feel as if I should use this opportunity to the best of my ability. As of now, I will be adding my voice to the talented writing pool here at Moorewatch, and I hope that you all will enjoy my contributions to the site.

But before I write word one on any subject, I have something extremely important to say. To Michael Moore… thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the generous gift you gave to my husband and me anonymously last year. The $12,000 you anonymously sent us paid for our health insurance premiums and gave us the financial breathing room to both deal with our debts and also relieve the ever mounting stress with which we struggled daily. Since we received that check I have silently thanked my anonymous “guardian angel” countless numbers of times, and it is good to now finally be able to have a real name to go with that title. Though you and I may not agree on many intellectual or political issues, I have always been and will always be thankful for your gracious gift. I hope that you will see any debates I may have with you or your work on this site to be mere intellectual criticisms that have no reflection whatsoever on my gratitude to you as an individual.

Finally, to those of you on this site who have send or posted well-wishes for me – thank you so very much for your infinite kindnesses and good will. I cannot express to you how much damage stress can do to someone dealing with severe health issues as I do, and knowing that so many of you have me in your thoughts and prayers helps alleviate much of the stress this all-to-strange situation has brought into my life. You have all been wonderful, and I thank you for all your support – past, present and future.

Thank you all for reading, and I hope to begin my contributions soon. :)

Hate Mail, the diehard Moore-on edition

So I got this Paypal donation today.

Dear James Kenefick,

This email confirms that you have received a payment of $0.02 USD from Jason Sykes ([email protected]).

View the details of this transaction online

Payment Details
Total Amount: $0.02 USD
Currency: U.S. Dollars
Transaction ID: 728447601XXXXXXXX
Quantity: 1
Item/Product Name: Moorewatch Donation
Item/Product Number: moorewatchdonation
Buyer: Jason Sykes
Message: I think you are a selfish asshole who doesn’t even have the good sense to know when you are beat. Michael Moore helped you and the way you repay him is keeping this rhetoric filled sorry excuse for a site up. You are a horrible person and may your wife die shamed of everything you have said and done. You do not represent my country America and what we want. You are jealous of someone that gets respect when they speak out for all people. I cant wait to be there opening day at the movies for sicko. Go fuck yourself!

I wonder if Moore ever once stopped to consider how things like this affect a person trying to recover from a seven-year-long illness?  He has to know that a large portion of his core fanbase is simply barking mad.  These people are spiteful, mentally unstable and angry at everything, just looking for someone to focus it on, and he intentionally put us in their crazy, somewhat verbally violent crosshairs.

As for the fans?  Moore himself seems - on some personal level - to actually care a little if my wife suffers.  Shit like this just brings on more stress and more worry, and the film hasn’t even opened yet.  Moore says that this gift was designed to help us.  Why are his fans trying to make her recovery that much harder?  On what plane of existence does that make sense?

Moore: “This guy sucks and he hates me, but his wife is sick and we should all pull together at a time like this.”

Moore fan: “Fuck that bitch!  I hope she dies because her husband writes words!  On the Internet!  DIE YOU WHORE!”

Pardon my French, English and Spanish, but what the cock is wrong with you fuckbaggy little dick smokes?

Read This First

Here because of the appearance of this site in Sicko?  Read this and this before commenting.  Also, please continue reading the rest of this post for important information before you comment here or send any email to any author on this site.

News roundup

Just a post to quickly round up all the straggling links, news stories, etc.

First up, the interview I did on CHQR AM 770 in Calgary Alberta Canada.  The show is The World Tonight with Rob Breakenridge.  I flubbed it a bit at the end, but I thought it went well.  The file is a 7.52MB mp3.

Next, an interview I did two weeks ago with Dave from Snarkbait, a great guy and someone who should blog more...he’s one of the people who truly understands the concept of liberty and small government.  We need more voices reminding us of what freedom and liberty really mean.

Lastly, another piece at Newsweek by Tony Dokoupil on the potential legal issues surrounding Moore’s Cuban visit.

NEWSWEEK has learned that Moore’s production company, Dog Eat Dog productions, credentialed the interviewees itself—in essence, knighting them as journalists—and then flew them from Miami to Cuba on a charter flight reserved for licensed travelers. Is that good enough? “Moore is not allowed to travel with companions unless they’re also licensed by the Treasury to travel to Cuba as journalists,” says David Cibrian, international trade attorney at Strasburger & Price. “ Journalists don’t bring people from elsewhere to interview in Cuba. People go to Cuba to interview Cubans.”

That’s true enough.  The article further mentions that Treasury says they have no record of issuing a license, but Miami customs officer Angel Marques says he would have been asked, charter flight trip or no.  Either Michael talked or bought his way onto a plane boat in Miami, or he got a license and the Treasury Department lost it.  On purpose or by incompetence.  Either explanation seems plausible.  No matter what, though, I am actually on Moore’s side here as far as the government investigation goes.  One, it would be a waste of taxpayer money.  Two, Moore has positioned this as a journalistic endeavor.  Let’s not let him off the hook for that by proving it wasn’t “journalism.”

We should hold him to the standard that he has now accepted: journalist.  He took the label for himself; we should hold his feet to that fire.

Wikipedia entry for Sicko

Anyone wanna take a stab at cleaning up the entry as it references this site (and me), and maybe adding this post as an external link/citation?  Somehow I think it would cause too much controversy if *I* tried to edit the page.

Hate Mail - the hypocrite-in-action edition

From: Loren Brent [email protected]
To: jimk.moorewatch

you fucking moron!  michael moore gave you 12,000 dollars to save your
wifes life… and you still find the need to bash him?!  dude get over
it!  hes telling the truth, like it is.. real.. sicko was an amazing
film and it told a great truth about our corrupt healthcare system in
america.. or lack there of!  stop being a stupid fuck and get off your
high horse.. you dont know shit!  ignorance is one thing, but you know
he gave you 12,000 dollars.. and yet you still feel the need to bash..
you fucking dipshit!!!  too bad your wife didnt die and your website
didnt go down.. asshole!

Right.  I’m the bad person here.  Clearly that is plain to see from this wonderful, well-written email.

Did some barking moonbat write somewhere that Moore saved my wife’s life or something?  That’s the common element the latest batch of recent nasty emails and drive-by commenters.  Where are these idiots coming from?  It has to be the same place, and whoever it is has got the facts all sorts of wrong.

Jim Kenefick and Moorewatch as presented by Michael Moore in Sicko

Well, at least now we'll all know exactly how Mikey presents this dumb story, eh? The video below requires Flash.



Let's break it down, shall we?

First of all, love the fake sotto voce delivery. My God that's pretentious. I also love the lead-in to the segment about me and this site; Moore and I are mortal enemies, just like Castro and America, but look! Enemies can be so wonderful to each other! Isn't Michael Moore a really great human being?

He opens the segment calling us "the biggest anti-Michael Moore website on the internet." Can I quote you, Mike? Would you mind if I put that on a tee shirt? He goes on to imply that the site was absolutely shutting down, when the fact is I said it was a very likely possibility, but that we could try to save it by getting some cash together quickly. It's a small detail, but like everything with Michael, the devil is always in how he presents these little things.

SIDEBAR - This was the infamous (to long-time readers) "lightning strike" incident which we found out later only kind-of happened. Remember, at the time I still trusted our server provider (JT Thompson of E-places.net) and considered him a friend. Little did I know that he was using the fact that lightning did indeed strike the data center as a way to bilk me (and you) out of a couple thousand more dollars. As it happened, the lightning strike did no damage whatsoever. It happened, but it was not the cause of the server crashing. That was ALL manufactured by the con man (JT Thompson of E-places.net) who was providing our service at the time.

He goes on to say the site was in trouble "because his wife was ill, and they could no longer afford to pay for her health insurance." Now, that's a half-truth at best. The insurance was in place for over a year. Come hell or high water I was going to cover that. If it meant losing the site and anything else we could trim, so be it. But it wasn't just the health insurance. It was JT's server scam, our mortgage increase, and an increase in premiums for both health and auto insurance all at the same time that led us to a minor crisis. Of all those things, the most immediate and the easiest to lose was the dedicated server.

Let me make one thing perfectly clear: Long before Moore even considered sending a check, you, the readers of Moorewatch, as well as the readers of Right Thoughts and Right Thinking, banded together and you saved these sites. You did it, not Michael. His money never arrived until long after the sites were safely up and running again. I even said to the person who emailed me, this Google Ghost named "Nora LaVelle," that the sites were all taken care of for the moment, and she asked if I had any other ongoing expenses. That's when I told "her" about the insurance premiums and "she" said that my "angel" wanted to help.

Moving on, Moore says that "He was faced with a choice of either keep attacking me, or pay for his wife's health. Fortunately, he chose his wife" Of course I did. What a lovely implication that is, eh? It subtly implies that there may have been a decision at all to be made. It implies that I might be the kind of person who would choose to rant about Michael Moore and let my wife suffer.

That Moore, he sure is a nice guy, huh? Altruistic to the core.

This moment in the film is accompanied by one of Michael's misleading tricks; he highlights the phrase "The sites are likely going down." What he doesn't tell you is that was from a whole other point in history. That blog post was NOT from the same time period as the first one he showed. It was from the period of time when we found out that JT Thompson was a con man and that he was not paying his bills, and that all of his customers were about to be terminated due to non-payment. If you stop the clip and read the surrounding text, you can see the context...something that theater-goers will never be able to do.

It's another half-truth editing trick by Moore. Call it the "two ties" moment from Bowling For Columbine, where Moore edited together two completely different speeches to make Charleton Heston look like an uncaring monster.

He goes on to discuss how I should be able to "Have health insurance and exercise his First Amendment right to run me into the ground." This is just a cornucopia of various posts from all different times. He goes back to December 2004, jumps to 2006, then back to 2004...it's all edited with the Ken Burns motion technique and much of the text obscured by a dark filter with certain key phrases highlighted. Then he highlights a post I made on 4/16/2004. It was in response to one of "Mike's Messages." In that message, he was running down a few civilian contractors that had just been brutally murderered in Iraq. I was disgusted by his reaction then and I an just as disgusted by it now.

That's the context of me saying "Dear Michael, Fuck you." Again, something that theater-goers will never, ever be able to discern from the brief, carefully presented clips in the film. All it does is serve to make me look, as he did to the Bunny Lady and many others, like an unhinged loon.

He then shows the actual check/money order thing he sent - complete with our names on display. Fair enough. I'm not exactly hiding under a rock here. he then says that he sent it anonymously. Anonymous except for that part where it's in the movie. Oops!

The clip continues to show my thanking the "anonymous" guardian angel, and he closes by saying "His wife got better and his website is still going strong." Another misleading statement. My wife is getting better. There is a difference, but it's a difference that Moore could not care less about. He never asked, personally or through a representative, about my wife's current health. He just made it up.

The line "and his website is still going strong" comes over a tight shot of a line from that post about his reaction to the deaths of the civilian contractors in Iraq. Leaving the viewers with that last impression that I'm the most ungrateful bastard who ever lived.

Of course the facts are that those words were written TWO YEARS before Michael sent that check.

So what can we learn from all of this? Well, nothing new, unfortunately. We learn that Michael Moore is still using editing tricks, time compression and juxtaposition to create the emotional reactions that he wants you to have. Reactions that you might not have if you were presented with all the facts accurately and in chronological order. Some important things to remember as we go forward:

1. Michael Moore did not save this site. You did. The readers, commenters and supporters of this and our other sites saved our bacon, as you have many times over the years. You are without a doubt the best bunch a blogger could ask for as readers, and if I don't say it enough, please know that I an eternally grateful for each and every one of you.

2. This money helped us a great deal. It took us from sitting behind the eight ball to balancing on top of the eight ball. For that my wife and I will always be grateful. No matter what other people say, no matter what happens in the future, Donna and I can say without reservation that Michael Moore helped us. I don't think it's unreasonable to discuss why he decided to do it in this manner, and I would hope that anyone reading this could understand that.

3. Sometimes, Mike just makes things up because it makes his narrative flow better. Michael's defense for going to Cuba proper is that his trip was journalistic in nature. You know what? I agree. I actually agree that, regardless of his intent to glamorize Cuban health care, he was allegedly making a documentary about health care. Therefore it seems reasonable and this non-lawyer, within the law to visit Cuba for the purposes of journalism. Such exceptions are granted to journalists all the time.

However, this also means that now Michael has stated for the public record that Sicko is a work of journalism. Therefore, Sicko must be held to higher standards than Moore's previous works, which he himself categorized as entertainment. Making up little white lies and telling half-truths is not what a documentary film-maker or a journalist should be doing. Using deceptive editing tricks, emotionally charged rhetoric and using juxstaposition to craft a reaction is not what a documentary film-maker or a journalist should be doing.

Ultimately what we should all take away from this is two simple words:

QUESTION EVERYTHING.

Mediawatch - On the radio tonight

For our Canadian friends, I’ll be on “The World Tonight” with Rob Breakenridge on CHQR in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.  They’re calling me at 7:35 Pacific time, 10:35 Eastern.  CHQR has a live stream on their site for those of us outside the broadcast area.

Newsweek story on me and Sicko

Not a bad story.  Some of the wording was paraphrased and not exactly what I said, but it was pretty fair.  The only correction I think I’d like to point out is that the person who emailed me to warn me was not a “famous” name but rather one that I recognized.  Other than that, the intent of what I wanted to say is there.  I feel fairly represented by Tony Dokoupil, and I’d like to thank him for being an easy guy with whom to talk.  It was a pretty pleasant interview experience.

So...How great is my stupid frigging picture I sent them?  It’s halfway down on page 2.  I look like an idiot, but that’s of course the point: I kind of am an idiot. ;)

Moorewatchers with long memories - you are needed

I just did an interview about the whole “appearing in Sicko” situation, and something strange came up - I was told that at one point, Moore shows a screenshot of this site, specifically the post where I thanked the anonymous guardian angel.  That is juxtaposed with a screenshot where all you can read are the words “Dear Michael, fuck you.”

I can’t find those words in ANY posts.  Not that I deny saying it.  Obviously I’ve been angry enough at various times to say exactly that.  In no way do I accuse Moore of Photoshopping this the way he did with that Pantagraph article in Fahrenheit 9/11.  Rather, I’d like to know the context, since context is something Moore tends to leave out.

Can anyone remember this?  The only thing I can think of is that it was lost in one of the two data crashes.  I checked Google’s cache and the Wayback machine, but I can’t find it.  Did I write it?  Was it one of the other authors?  Does anyone remember what the context was?

By the way, I was also told that the movie may have been re-edited, as I am no longer at the end, but rather 3/4 of the way in.  I’m not aware if that was how it always was, or if he moved the segment after the Cannes premiere.

Still, no matter where it is in the movie, it’s gotta be the most boring few minutes imaginable.  Can you imagine that conversation in the editing bay?

“Mike, are you sure about this?”
“Look!  I know what I am doing here.  Screenshots of a blog will tug on the old heartstrings and drive home the point that we need to revamp the health care system!  Copy & paste is a viable film technique!”
“It’s just that it totally stalls everything and doesn’t really amount to much as far as the larger narrative goes.  It’s a speedbump.”
“Did you win an Oscar?”
“No.”
“Well I did.  The screenshots stay!”

Hey.  He won an Oscar, he must know what he’s doing.  :)

Not hate mail, volume 1

We’ve published so many hate mails on this site I lost track a long time ago.  I received this mail today from someone called themselves a fan of Moore’s work, and I wanted to share it, as well as respond to something contained within.

I have been looking over your site recently, as well as other “anti-Moore” sites, mostly out of curiosity. Many of these sites seem to be nothing more than unreasoned hate-mongering. Note that I did not say “all”. I have found some points that you make to have merit. While I consider myself a fan of Moore’s “work”, and I do not wholeheartedly agree with all that you say, I concluded long ago that Michael Moore produces propaganda.

I do, however, believe that his propaganda has bits of truth in them. I do not assume that because he said it, it must be true. More than that, though, I find his books and movies entertaining. I certainly don’t expect everyone else to feel the same way, though.

Now that that is out of the way....

I don’t want to blow by that at all.  I find it refreshing that someone can have issues with what we publish here at Moorewatch and still be as nice, polite and clear about their beliefs as you have been.  We can disagree on things without debasing ourselves or resorting to dirty pool to “win” some online argument.

I have lost sight of that myself on many an occasion.

Please do not assume that the hate mail you get is representative of Michael Moore’s entire fan base. In any segment of the population, there are nutjobs. You have made occasional statements alluding to these awful emails as being representative of the group as a whole. For example:

“Can you imagine the mentality of someone who would not only stretch the boundaries of imagination to come up with that analogy, but would then take the time to send it to me?  My God, no wonder they keep buying his books and movies.”

Statements like that make it hard for myself, and others like me, to (a) take you seriously, and (b) continue reading the posts on your site in an objective and fair manner. I ask that you refrain from making sweeping statements about Moore’s “fan base”. If you really, seriously, think that making those kinds of generalizations are fair, then you don’t know them.

Fair enough.  I was writing that while under a literal non-stop barrage of emails, news stories and blog posts attacking me, but you are correct.  I generalized, I have done that far too often in the past and I will make an effort to not do that in the future.  We’re all dealing with a commenter right now who refuses to stop generalizing about “the right wing,” so this especially struck me as something I need to stop doing.

That having been said, when someone pops in and acts like the stereotypical “Moore-on,” we’re all gonna have a go.  Some folks need to be slapped before you can talk them off the ledge, you know what I’m saying?  :)

One last matter:

It was stupid of Moore to send you $12,000 anonymously and then go public about it. I think it was unfair to you, and says much more about him than it does about you. I also think that anyone who claims that you should return the money on some kind of ethical or moral grounds is seriously misguided, and clearly has never been in a situation similar to yours. He freely offered you the money for a specific purpose, and you used it for that purpose. How is that hypocritical?

Regards,

-a “Michael Moore fan”.

Thanks.  I thought it was pretty obvious myself.  Those first few days were, as I said, literally a non-stop assault on me.  Thankfully, since those early days, many very nice people who disagree with me about Moore wrote to say supportive, kind things.  I should have known that was coming, it usually takes those kinds of folks some time to reply.  In the end the replies have been around a 60/40 split, with the negative and nasty leading the pack - but not by so much that it’s disheartening.  :)

Anyway, thanks for the email, and if you’d like to join up and contribute to the conversations here at Moorewatch, we’d be glad to have you.  I think we could use someone with some skill at the keyboard to keep us honest just like we’re trying to keep Mike honest.

For Michael

Since I know you’re reading this stuff lately, Michael, I figured I’d just post it here and address it to you.  I noticed in your press conference (the one where you said it was supposed to be all Canadian reporters) that you were confused about my phone and how my voicemail works.

First of all, you blocked your caller ID.  The ID that is sent from your end was blocked, either by you or by the person who owned the phone you used.  Perfectly normal for celebrity numbers of course, and even some international calls.  When it happens, it triggers something my phone company calls “Privacy Manager.” It’s an automated system...a computer answers and asks you to say your name.  It then rings through to me.  If I answer, it tells me I have a call from (recording of you saying your name here).  If I don’t answer, it kicks you to voicemail.  All automatically.

I did not answer your call and manually punt you to voice mail.  I just wanted you to know I wasn’t ducking you, at 9:16 AM I was still asleep!

For everyone else: If you haven’t listened to the audio file of Mike’s press conference, please do.  It’s fascinating.  I’ve converted it to a smaller-yet-still-quality file for easier downloading.  You get some of the feeling of the foreign press reaction, you get to hear Michael under strain, being heavily and sometimes almost angrily questioned about French health care, Canadian issues - and especially Cuba - and then getting...softballed, I suppose is the word.  Plus, at the end he talks in some detail about the order of events as posted on this site, so, Mikey’s watching the watchers watching the watcher. 

We’re like a living Möbius strip.  He’s the watcher of government (ostensibly), we’re watching him, he’s watching us watching him watching them, we’re now watching him watching us watching him watching them...it’s like the plot to an episode of Three’s Company only without the sex.

I call dibs on being Larry.

OK, total honesty time.  I wrote this whole post just to use that Three’s Company/Möbius strip joke.  It’s just that good of a joke.  Right?  RIGHT?  ;)

One more attempt to set the record straight

In every single news article, blog post and Digg/Fark/Reddit (and others) thread about this, people are telling lies, misunderstanding events and generally getting everything as wrong as possible.  I will make one last attempt to make this as simple to understand as I can.  This is a chronology of events, including links to the source posts and dates wherever possible.  If you are blogging or reporting on this matter, please be accurate. 

Also, my last name has no “L” in it.  It’s K. E. N. E. F. I. C. K. ;)

This will be my last post on the subject unless something new comes up; I promise I won’t bore you by rehashing this again.  Consider this the definitive “wiki” of $12,000Gate.  :) Obviously that didn’t last, as the hits just keep on comin’.  Sorry.

I close the film?

Really?  Me?  In a film about the difference between forcibly taking money from all to pay for some and how that works around the world, *I* am the best thing he could find to close the movie?

Moore’s last revelation in “Sicko” is sure to be endlessly debated in the right-wing blogosphere that is so obsessed with him (and may be of little interest to ordinary viewers). Some time ago, Jim Kenefick, proprietor of the especially bilious anti-Moore site Moorewatch, almost shut down his site to focus on his wife’s worsening illness and escalating healthcare costs. An anonymous donor then sent him $12,000 to cover his wife’s bills and keep the site running. (She has apparently recovered.) Now that donor has been revealed and, as Kenefick now says he suspected all along, it turns out to be Michael Moore.

“I want him to know that it was done with all the best intentions,” said Moore, adding that he planned to phone Kenefick personally after the press conference. (According to Kenefick’s blog, Moore left him a voice-mail message later on Saturday.) “I went back and forth about whether to use that material,” Moore went on. “I asked myself, would you be doing this if it weren’t in the film? I decided that I would, and I should, and that that’s the way I think we should live.”

1. Raise your hand if you think Moore would have actually sent money and NOT included it in the movie.

2. If you raised your hand, I’m sorry, but you’re not very perceptive.

3. This site was not going to be closed.  I did not say that and if Moore puts it in the film like that, it’s the same kind of perversion of the facts that Moore tends to do all the time.

4. See?  $12,000 to use me in the movie and get all this publicity.  It wasn’t altruism, it never was altruism and I’ll hold my breath waiting for you Moore fans to apologize for calling me all those names.*

* I can’t hold my breath for more than like, 30 seconds, so this is very much a metaphor.  I should see a doctor about that.  If only I could still afford it… ;)

Moore called me

While I find the timing...interesting...he did in fact call and was completely normal and gracious about it.  You can hear for yourself.

Moore’s voicemail to JimK (MP3, 905.7K)

Thank you, Michael.  I appreciate the help and I always have.  You know that, of course, because I posted right here on the site that I was grateful to the guardian angel long before this became an issue for the press to feed on.  I hope that your Cannes screening goes well, but more importantly I hope you’ve used your power to tell the truth this time.  I’d love to support this movie, as I’m no friend of the HMO.

In case anyone doubts it, that’s definitely him.  Even if I didn’t recognize the voice, he used phrasing that was identical to the original emails I got from the third party.  This also puts to rest the doubts I’ve seen all over the ‘net that it was even Mike in the first place.  Now we all know.

Man...what is in that film?  Am I crazy or did he sound...nervous?  I guess we’ll all find out why he did this when the film shows tonight at Cannes.

Well, if you insist…

Apparently I’m going to be the focus of every press idiot that still fawns over Mikey’s bullshit for the next few days.  Yeah, better to focus on me than him, I suppose, that way you can keep your blinders on about why he does things.

This time it’s Rush & Malloy in the New York Daily News.  I suppose there are worse places in which to be talked about; I could have been in a column by one of the interns that write Perez Hilton’s blog.  Gossip columnists in the Daily News is a bit of a step up from that.  Only just, but still a step up.

We can now confirm to Kenefick that his secret benefactor is none other than the dreaded, detestable, loathsome Michael Moore.

Moore didn’t contact us. We heard it on our own.

Well, you confirm a lot of things, but for now I am assuming this is true.  I got it from a pretty good source myself, hence my post that you quote in your...uhh..."article."

One friend of Moore’s did say, “We sure are happy Jim’s wife received the care she needed.”

First of all, Moore doesn’t have friends.  He has employees and allies.  Secondly, my wife was ALWAYS RECEIVING CARE.  It was never in doubt that she was going to get the medical care she and her doctors felt was necessary, regardless of cost.  I would have made it work, no matter what I had to do.  That having been said, if the well-wishes were in any way sincere...thank you.

Still, he doesn’t sound especially grateful.

Having suspected Moore might be his secret patron, he contends that his bete noir made the gift just to publicize “Sicko,” which takes aim at America’s health-care system and, we’ve heard, touches upon Moore’s covert generosity.

Oh my.  “Doesn’t sound especially grateful?” A few years ago, Moore threatened to sue me.  Add to that the fact that $12,000 is equal to his ding-dong budget for the week.  Or what it costs to make one of those suits for award shows.  Add to this growing list the fact that it was never altruism and every human being alive who knows anything about Moore knows that.  He paid $12,000 so he could manufacture a “gotcha” moment in his film.  Sounds pretty cheap to me.

What am I supposed to be grateful for?  The chance to look like an ass?  The chance to be in his movie?  For him throwing me pocket change in order to try to humiliate me later?  That’s why he did it.  Period.

I was grateful for the easing of my financial burden for 12 months.  I meant it when I said it helped us climb out of a hole.  If Mike called me up and said “It was me, and regardless of our differences I just wanted to help.” then I would have a 180 degree turnaround in attitude...but he’s not doing that is he?  He’s leaking information and trying to make me look like a complete git over it...and you, Rush & Malloy, are helping.

Was I supposed to roll over and stop looking for the flaws in everything Mikey says?  Was I supposed to stop telling the truth?  Was $12,000 supposed to buy me off?

Are any of you that cheap?

If Mikey had called me up and said “Look, man, I know we disagree on everything, but I just wanted to help.  No strings attached, and I hope she gets better.” that would be an amazing gift and a real piece of altruism.

He.  Didn’t.  Do.  That.

He’s leaking and using this in whatever way he can think of to promote his film.  He paid $12,000 so that you, the press, would focus on what a “nice guy” he is and in the same breath, make me look like a jerk.  He’s getting you to denounce and discredit me and keeping his hands clean so it’s not a Goliath-crushes-David scenario.

And you people didn’t even get $12,000!  Now that’s cheap.

Beating someone to the punch

Awhile back you may remember me discussing some personal issues here on the site, specifically my problems in getting good health insurance.  I got some great advice from readers, ultimately leading me to a good plan that costs around a thousand dollars a month, but is still less than a third of our previous out-of-pocket yearly medical costs.

After I posted about finding the plan and what the cost was, someone emailed me and asked if an “anonymous” benefactor could offer to pay my first year’s premiums.  $12,000.  I was skeptical of course, but since I’m not an idiot, I accepted.  When the check arrived, I was overly cautious.  I tracked the company that issued the check, the bank it was drawn on...I found a hotline you could call to check the status of drafts issued by this third-party company, and the number on the check (actually more like a money order) checked out.  I even went so far as to see where the branches of the issuing bank might be physically located, and there are like five of them within walking distance of Moore’s home and office in New York City.

I was still a bit skeptical, so I opened a whole new account at my bank, waited for it to clear, checked twice with bank personnel to make sure it wasn’t a scam, and waited a full 60 days before spending the money.  At that time, I started drawing on it and paying the monthly premiums until it was gone.  The whole time...from the moment I was first emailed (and I still have all the emails with full headers if it becomes necessary to publish them) I was convinced that it was Michael Moore behind it all.

I knew he was using me.  I knew he would try to turn this to his advantage some day.  That day may be upon us.  I was just warned by someone in the know that Moore is about to drop the hammer on me.

Could this all be nonsense?  Was it a truly anonymous person who was just trying to make my life easier after the hell we’ve been through the past 7 years?  is it possible that Moore has nothing to do with this and never did?

Maybe.

Is it possible that Moore is going to try to make me into one of his little puppets and pull a “gotcha?” Yes.  Yes it is.  I wish I knew what the truth was.  I don’t.  I only know my part in it.

For the record: I’m not an idiot.  I know when to say yes to something, even if the string attached is obvious.  $12,000 was like manna from heaven at that time.  As you all may remember, I was being bled dry by the scumbag that used to host the server on which this site resides.  My business was almost dead, my wife was very, very ill and I was racking up a few little health problems of my own.  That money made it possible for us to begin to turn our lives around.

If I knew that money came from the tax base, if it was government money, I would have said “no.” I didn’t and don’t believe in supporting a “universal” health care system, and I don’t think it’s the role of government to steal from the rich and give to the poor.

What I support, and what I was led to believe, was this was a private individual that wanted to remain anonymous who just wanted to help me on a person-to-person basis.  That is why I said yes.  That, and what kind of moron turns down a free twelve grand?

Again, please let me be crystal clear on what I think is the most important poiunt here: I was told this was a private individual who just wanted to help me personally.  It had nothing to do with the site, politics or anything else.  I was told it was just someone who decided they could help another person.  That is why I said yes.

If this was Moore behind it all, then I have to say...nice try, dude, but I’m not going to play your game.  You can call it a cost of promotion.  This site has sold more books and DVDs for you than that $12,000 could ever buy.  You’ve gotten your money’s worth.  If it was you, Mikey...your $12,000 doesn’t buy my silence.  It won’t buy my affection, nor will I shy away from talking about whatever may or may not be in your new film.  I’ll still be the same guy, expressing my opinion and trying his best to research facts you tend to skip over or ignore.  All you bought for your money - if it was yours - was the peace of mind of knowing you actually helped someone who needed it.  Wouldn’t it be nice if that was where is stayed?  Ultimately, my accepting that donation has absolutely no bearing on the larger debate about health care in America, and I won’t engage you or anyone else in a bank-and-forth on it so you can sound-byte my words into something they aren’t.

You can read all about any response I may or may not have in the future at Moorewatch.com.

OT The Starkcast #020

Super Extra Mega Special Very Long All Listener Feedback Gangbang Extravaganza!  Remember when those porno chicks were all compteing to see who could bang the most guys in a single day?  Show 20 is a lot like that.  Only with phone calls.  And I’m not as hot as a porn chick.

Get it here in MP3 or here in bookmarkable AAC.

TOPICS

- Duh...YOU!  Your emails, your calls.  Thrill as you hear calls from Laurence Simon, Drumwaster, Sean the 12 year old, Cam, Jason, James, Frank, Noble Brown, Christian, Fake Satan...maybe even an Angel.  Chill as you hear alternate versions of the show!  Be amazed at memories of killing a teacher over bad grades!  Be shocked at Emily as she tries to convince me to install a sexual aid so we can...be together.  It’s all here on the big 20th show.
- Vote for me at Podcast Alley!
- THE BIG STARKCAST IPOD PACKAGE GIVEAWAY! 30GB iPod and a complete package.  Huh-huh..I said package.

Comments are yours to abuse.

Not off topic: The Starkcast 015

This week’s show has a nice little Moore feature.

DISCLAIMER: If you are Christian (any form thereof) and you are offended by the use of religious icons in comedy, please do not download this program.  At all.  It will offend you.  You were warned.  Don’t complain if you decide to listen.

Get it here in MP3 or here in bookmarkable AAC.

TOPICS

- Vote for me at Podcast Alley!
- Patrick Melton is mad at me!  Oh noes!  Emily gets pissed.
- Your voicemails
- Another shot at The Aristocrats joke
- Jesus is back from the dead, and boy is he pissed
- Secret footage of Michael Moore’s unreleased documentary
- Two Minute Rant: Stuff that is obvious, like politicians sucking and military personnel not being children
-Show Close: I’m clearly not well, more voicemails, Sean D. should stop listening, goodbye.  Again, nothing happens after I say goodbye.  Nothing at all.

Update
Also, in Page Six gossip news:

August 23, 2005— THERE may soon be less of Michael Moore. The portly propagandist is doing a stint at the Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa in Aventura, Fla. — also known as the “fat farm for the rich.” Moore is learning how to cook healthy meals and exercise and attending classes on “life re-education.” The program starts at $3,800 a week and promises enrolees they’ll “learn a new approach to eating,” “never have to diet again,” and can lose up to 12 pounds in the first three weeks. The facility also has “cosmetic/medical treatments, such as intense pulsed light, botox injections, and Restylane.”

Good luck, Mikey.  We sure do need you around for many more years, making shit up and giving us all plenty to work with.  Good loss-ing!