Who would have thought that communism or communists could be dangerous? Apparently, communists are a choking hazard, contain small parts, and are not recommended for children under three years old. This is according to the warnings on the Create a Commie. I think it’s good advice but I would up the age a little to about, oh let’s say 150 years or so.
Several famous Commies are printed on the package, such as Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, Karl Marx, Mikhail Gorbachev, and Leon Trotsky. Feel free to create your own Portrait of Hillary Clinton.
Michael Moore is many things, to some he is a champion of the poor fighting the oppression of the evil Right and the horrible corporate profit mongers. To others he is simply a skillful liar who pretends to fight for the little guy while making millions of dollars selling pseudo-documentaries and books to anyone gullible enough to pay for them. (If you think he is something else, that’s what the comments are for.)
Hannity interviews a man who was a childhood friend of Michael Moore. This man has made a documentary called “Shooting Michael Moore” which shows everyone who the real Michael Moore is: A Hypocrite and a Liar.
Michael Mooremovies sure do seem to have a following. For some reason it does not matter how much truth or more importantly how many half truths, misrepresentations, mis-quotes, or outright lies the movies have. I wont even try to get into the lies Moore portrays as factual in the many movies. This is just a post with a short look into one of the reasons his films might be successful. As an added bonus it also includes a glimpse of what socialized medicine could be like in the future. If your a Sicko fan or if you just can’t get enough of Roger & Me or Fahrenheit 9/11, then you probably should not even bother watching this.
Browsing the internet for web sites of like minded people can provide some rather interesting experiences. Sometimes I end up going in directions and discovering things I had not even thought about. Occasionally this voracious consumption of time and productivity is rewarded with entertainment and enlightenment. Which is one of the reasons I love the internet - I have an insatiable desire for knowledge. A desire that can be fed with trivial tidbits or the most serious knowledge I can wrap my brain around. I have been described as an infornographer. Mostly in a derogatory context yet I see it as a compliment, as it is debatable where a healthy thirst for knowledge ends and infornography begins. Acquiring an abundance of apparently trivial information is educational and aids in the formation of useful intellectual compulsions for obtaining even more knowledge.
Critical thinking is a very important aspect of this behavior. The ability to identify logical fallacies in the arguments of others, and to avoid them in one’s own arguments, is both valuable and increasingly rare. Fallacious reasoning prohibits us from knowing the truth, and the inability to think critically makes us vulnerable to deception and manipulation by masters of rhetoric. The media & politicians (in general), Michael Moore, the 9/11 truth movement, Keith Olbermann and Alex Jones (infowars.com) are excellent examples. One only has to watch one of the many pseudo-documentaries claiming to be the evidence of some massive conspiracy to see many logical fallacies in action. Michael Moore’s recent movie Sicko showcases his ability to manipulate even the most trivial data to force his ideology on the all too willing masses. Which brings me to what I hate about the internet - The proliferation of ignorance and stupidity.
It seems that the least intelligent among us tend to shout longer and louder than those who have acquired wisdom and judgment, sadly ignorance often prevails. If you’re thinking that it’s cynical of me to say such a thing or you don’t believe me? Just listen to a random Liberal sometime, watch Keith Olbermann or browse the comments on sites like YouTube or almost any forums around the internet. Look at almost any conspiracy theory, most notably the 9/11 conspiracies. At best you will find varying degrees of rhetoric amplified by negative remarks and attitudes. At worst you will bombarded with nefarious misinformation, pseudo scientific garbage and outright lies.
Michael Moore, Keith Olbermann, Alex Jones, Dylan Avery, Korey Rowe and others use this to their advantage, they focus on the negative and sell it to the fools. The fools band together protesting, commenting, emailing and complaining about the perceived wrongs. They believe everything the see or hear, so long as it fits their predetermined ideology. Currently it seems this ideology is often driven by an irrational personal disdain for President George W. Bush and or a predisposition to believe anything negative. These people have a greater fear and hatred of our President than they do of our countries enemies, than the people who actually have killed thousands of Americans.
If your heroes are Che, Stallin, Chavez, or Ahmadinejad, you’re a moron. It seems obvious
Congressman John Conyers (D) Michigan (H.R. 676UNHI) does a lot of talking, Republican bashing and war protesting. The one thing he does not seem to do is read the bills he votes on. I guess he spends too much time talking/trying to impeach President George Bush or Impeach Dick Cheney to actually read something before voting on it. It would seem that bills he writes or sponsors are a lot safer without others reading them. Although Conyers has a poor record of bills being enacted into law when he sponsors them. (Relative to his peers)
According to Conyers most bills are not read before being voted on or becoming law. “Do you know what that would entail if we were to read each bill?” Conyers said in an interview with Michael Moore for Fahrenheit 9/11.
I think I know a little of what it might entail: Work - as in doing you job as a Congressman.
My opinion of Conyers was that he was an “extreme liberal” (borderline socialist) to begin with, however, after watching SiCKO creator Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 I was even less impressed.
The debate over Michael Moore’s SiCKO rages on! Michael Moore throws a fit on CNN and stirs up a big mess over allegedly being treated like he treats people. Of course his fans all agree and rally around him. It never ceases to amaze me how many people simply run to his side and claim the title of oppressed victim of corporate greed and Bush tyranny.
It seems I have digressed from my original post.
I found a clip of a Cuban Doctor on the news giving his perspective of the health care system in Cuba. After posting the video on YouTube I have already started receiving the emails and comments from Moore’s supporters.
Update: I decided to watch the Movie SiCKO and I can say I was not dissappointed. I knew it would be the same old Moore lies and it was. Moore shows a 7 year old World Health Organization report showing the U.s. to be #37. He fails to mention the age of the report only stating that we are just behind Slovenia. The report he shows also has Cuba listed belor the U.S. although he later tries to frame the Cuban medical system as far superior to that of the U.S. ~Malagent 07-08-2007
The only good that can possibly come from Michael Moore’s SiCKO is that people are at least going to debate an issue. We can only hope that it does not follow the pattern of the 9/11 deniers (self proclaimed “911 Truth Movement”). Open debate coupled with critical thinking is a good thing. Denying mountains of evidence that disproves you conspiracy and pushing forward with lies, however, is nothing short of dangerous. Just watch Loose Change and do a little research to see what I mean.
I have yet to see the film and I will not pay to do so either. I will watch it only to see how much Moore twists the facts and selectively chooses his material. That way I will be prepared with that knowledge when the need arises for debate.
People all over are criticizing the U.S. Health Care system and I have yet to really see the problems they speak of. Recently I had a potential life threatening infection and I finally went to the emergency room at one of three local major hospitals. After what seemed like an eternal wait (it was only 2 hours altogether) I was diagnosed and received treatment for the pain and a referral to a local doctor for minor surgery to remove the infection. After waiting for my ride for an hour I was discharged and went to the local doctor for the treatment. When I arrived at the doctors office I started immediately on the single page of paperwork I had to fill out. Before I could complete it I was called back to the doctor. After an examination I was given a local anesthetic and received the needed treatment as well as antibiotics injection and a steroid injection as an anti-inflammatory medication. The hospital and Ear Nose & Throat physician informed me of what the problem was and the potential to be life threatening.
As it turns out I had Tonsilitus that resulted in peritonsillar abscess. I had not recognized the symptoms and as such I delayed my treatment long past the nearly unbearable pain and only sought treatment after my airway became restricted and breathing difficulty became a problem. I guess I will now better if it ever happens again.
Treatment is through surgical incision and removal of the infection, thereby relieving the pain of the stretched tissues. Antibiotics are also given to treat the infection.
Peritonsillar abscesses are widely considered one of the most painful complications, primarily the surgical draining of the abcess itself. The patient is operated on awake, surgically slicing open the tonsil and then draining the abscess from within by placing a suction tube within the opening.
Complications:
Parapharyngeal abscess
Extension of abscess in other deep neck spaces leading to airway compromise
Septicaemia
George Washington is believed to have died of complications arising from peritonsillar abscess.
James Gregory of the band The Ordinary Boys was almost killed by peritonsillar abscess because it was left untreated. ~ WikiPedia
My initial impression (while I was in pain and waiting) was that the system was obviously broken, however, in retrospect I feel very different. It has been several weeks and I have completely recovered which means I have no signs of infection, swelling, pain or otherwise, and I can eat again. I arrived at the hospital at about noon and I was on my way home - treated and medication in hand by 5pm including travel time. Oh, I almost forgot. I am one of those uninsured people that Michael Moore and others say can’t get health care in the U.S. or would die before I get it. Well just as before, I do not seek medical care often - only when it is needed. I rarely take prescription medications when prescribed and I rarely if ever get sick. When I do seek treatment I either pay outright for the doctor visit or go to the emergency department and pay the bill after it is sent. When I did have rather expensive health insurance many years ago I never used it and it was a tremendous waste of money through the years. I decided that even if not entirely responsible, it is cheaper to just pay as needed.
Now lets compare this to a Canadian citizen who needed treatment for a brain tumor and was made to wait and told he could not seek treatment elsewhere. Canada’s single payer health care system is not hat everyone says it is. Many Canadians are frustrated by the long wait which in some cases can extend into the years.
Now we come to H.R. 676, which is proposed by Michael Moore and Dennis Kucinich in a video as being the solution.
… Michael Moore’s artistry as a documentary filmmaker is going to provide a tremendous boost for this legislation…
What? Artistry providing a tremendous boost for legislation? As a documentary filmmaker. I guess artistry is more important than truth when your pushing an agenda and want to make it popular.
This is a 20/20 show concerning Education in America and it’s shortcoming. As the Title Stupid In America implies, there is a problem.
The union run education monopoly has failed to educate the children in aAmerica and this is nothing short of fraud. This video is not the only source of information on the subject, however, it does an excellent job of giving a detailed overview and several examples of the system failing America’s children.
Evan Coyne Maloney corners Moore into a civil conversation about liberal bias in Hollywood. Good job Evan! Evan Coyne Maloney is a political commentator based in New York City. More of his work can be found on the website Brain Terminal, at <www.brain-terminal.com>.
Malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium.
