"Sicko" the Master Class. The discussion of the day.

I checked out of my hotel room early and donated my four remaining tickets for the day to the festival office as I was called home to responsiblities. I didn't leave before witnessing Michael Moore and his staff of "Sicko" at their best.

The precise science this film staff requires in their methodology really leaves no room for speculation of the accuracy of Michael's filmmaking. He is obviously a man that simply loves 'hands on' directing. The perfection of his films are testiment to it.

I don't mean to be insulting but you simply had to 'be there' for this one and I was grateful I had the opportunity. Michael always avails himself to his audience and indeed the entire staff of "Sicko" did the same. They were more than interesting in their willingness to provide accurate insight to the films beginnings and it's evolving journey.

I heard testiment regarding their process that leaves simply no question to the integrity of the film. The 'other' media would like to destroy Michael and his ever expanding empire, but, it simply can't be challenged and where it is, there simply is insult and not fact.

The 'credentialing' of the film is most impressive. It would seem that before the release of any of Michael's films a vigorous documentation of facts takes place as a submission to the company that insures his films, by the chance there might be fraud. There has never been a successful retaliation against Michael's films in any court and an insurance company has never been required to 'make good' on their premiums. The process of this documentarian and his staff is perfect, extensive and archived.

Also archived is an extensive library of experience which never made the cut to the context of "Sicko." The film 'took shape' and was not choreographed in a script. Literally, Michael was dictated to the dynamics of "Sicko" by incredible testimony submitted willingly to him knowing it would receive the respect it deserved. Currently there are thousands of hours, from what I understand, of unreleased footage archived in a safe environment. Perhaps someday it will be important to see that footage, but, it would require many releases of "Sicko II, III, IV, V, ..." and I believe the 'best' of the footage was already viewed in it's compelling reality of the huge inadequacies of American healthcare.

There simply isn't anything else to say. You had to be there, in the audience to experience the honesty and insight of the staff of "Sicko." Michael even testified to the struggle he went through to maintain a cognitive balance to provide a film that would enhance a movement to improve the nation's dedication to a good outcome to a health care system that truly cared for American citizens. He is talented beyond any imagination. In all honesty, for as many protege he inspires there will always be only one Michael Moore. We value him beyond his own realization of his worth.

Did I say 'thank you' Michael?

The Host - the midnight horror film of the day

This film was a box office hit in South Korea in true 'B Movie' form. I loved the film. It was perfect for a midnight horror show and the audience, many young folks, simply loved it. No moral dilemma, no profound message, just a pure unadulterated monster film. The acting was great, I couldn't get enough.

If I could indulge in my own reaction; it seemed all to freudian to me. A South Korean film whereby the populous chronically looks down the 'mouth' of the beast with so many facetted cavities within that mouth it could hold an entire village for dinner or regurgitation for consumption later.

The beast literally reminded me of the terror a nuclear reactor in North Korea would bring that manfested from 'toxic waste' dumped in familiar waters. Raw fear. A monster with unlimited capacity until brought to a horrible end by the 'hero' in the film.

The 'stupidity' of the government content to create an alternate reality in the form of a faux virus that infects people simply exposed to those exposed to the beast. The hero a simple minded man in a simple life exposed to government cruelty when a sample of his brain is excised for analysis seeking a cure for 'the virus' that doesn't exist but surely will engulf us all. He awakes from his anestetic reality unharmed and undaunted. What a guy.

The heroine is a young girl. A survivor to the worst ravages of the beast, but, dies in the end, again in service to yet a younger person which eventually comes to befriend the hero and the two find solice in their mutual loss. It was a great film and I recommend it to anyone inclined to view it. It was good fun.

And with that I retired for the night.

"Day Night Day Night"

The face of an American suicide bomber manifested as an orphaned young adult with little in life to her purpose except in her relationship with her savior of which she will die to join in the 'here after.'

The 'awarded' cast and crew (click here).

It was an enlightening insight to the ideation of a person without any other purpose in life except to perform a terroristic act knowing any deaths would result in a huge ripple through the conscience of Western society while bolstering others seeking the same fate. The dialogue is very limited and in that has a purpose. The words she speaks are profoundly insightful. She lives in the here and now while indulging in simple worldly pleasures before carrying out her fate.

The bomb fails and while she initially seeks to ignite it in any way possible, ultimately calls her support team, but in the last minute retreats from them only to reflect alone on the streets of the city still safe from her own wrath which culminates due to a 'lack of identity of self.' Her last words are down right scary although may in time prove to be a turning point for her, in that she sees a rejection of her mission by her savior and is left to quander her inadequacies in his eyes as a reason for the failed ignition of her backpack bomb.

Rather than embracing 'the fear' that could be excerbated with the potential reality of this film, I found it interesting that such a scenario could be possible in the USA, yet has never happened. It states why the 'idea' of suicide bombers does not exist in the USA to the extent it can and does in other Western nations. The USA can be a socially generous nation whereby sitting near a slow traffic pattern 'outreach' takes the face of a young man realizing the 'activism' in a car license plate.

Please don't make me a liar, but, the youth experience in the USA is so indulgent that I can't fathom a young adult wanting to give it all up in an act of violence.

The film created a plausible reality for me I hadn't fashioned completely. It was a reality of selfishness to come to one's savior in a simplistic way of destruction that would include others as if enemies when in fact the others had accepted 'their burdens' in life so much more completely than the person carrying out an attack of violence.

"The Situation" is a fiction film about Iraq. I found it interesting and glamorized, but, should have chosen a documentary.

There are other loops (click here).

It simply is not my cup of tea.

It is a film based in fact, but, at the same time it doesn't deal in facts. It deals in the understanding of facts about Iraq. It was an okay film, the acting was adequate, the mechanics of the film making was perfect and made the entire sequence of events believeable, but, in all honesty the 'plot' was somewhat simple to reveal before it actually unfolded.

I was glad I attended a fiction, action film regarding the subject of Iraq. Many such films have been made, this is not the only one. There are no subtitles. It provided a balance to the filmmaking I feel more comfortable; that challenges my reality to accept 'the truth' of another's reality.

This type of film is important. It is a measurable plot to an audience that cannot readily accept documentaries as part of their conscience of their country. The film 'dressed up' the Iraq circumstances while presenting strongly questionable roles for America in Iraq. I approve of the film and recognize it's place in society. It just was an 'easy' one to watch without having to measure my understanding of facts based on the reality a documentary brings.

I strongly recommend the film to anyone whom enjoys reality masked in a somewhat glamorized plot. It definately has an audience.

"War/Dance"

Uganda. Could I stay away from this beautiful film. Kampala, the capital city of Uganda, is the haven of hope for the young minds of Uganda.

The film witnesses a very socialized form of status among the people and in Kampala there is an annual 'intrascholastic' competition within the expression of 'self' in the arts. It was an entertaining film, hugely cultural and wonderfully exciting to the future of this country and it's potential for the brain trust that can be nurtured beyond this simple competition that requires 'excellence' to win any award.

The focus encompasses all the reality of primarily a young boy that masters a primitive form of the xylophone in the African bush (click here). As he states, after acting as a child soldier that had killed innocent farmers with a virtual gun held to his head, he found solice in the escape of the music of his self fashioned xylophone. Eventually, over time and mentoring of dedicated teachers, the passion to his distraction brought him acclaim at the Kampala competition and resulted in a win of a new xylophone as one of the most promising young artists at the competition. He later, as he grows up and leaves the school donates the xylophone to the music department at the school, hence to the continued competition.

It is just one of those films speaking to 'the hope' of Africa that is a must see. Breath taking film making does the subject justice.

Friday brought one of the two films regarding Human Induced Global Warming, "Everything's Cool."

The film starts with a simple premise (click here), to come to understand the depth of knowledge of the American electorate regarding Human Induced Global Warming. The truck fueled by biofuel had a display on the side which people were to fill in the blank letters to complete the topic which had a prompt by the picture next to the puzzle. The people visited by the documentarians failed miserably.


The trailer to this film is very generous. The film follows 'the spirit' of average folks inspired to make a difference regarding the plight of their planet. Just that simple. That is also 'the strength' of this film. There was a "Q&A" session following the viewing of the film. The documentarians, one a lady and the other a gentleman, would best serve the movement to overcome American lethargy on this subject acting as a resource to those 'caught up' in power struggles their communities need direction.


An example of that came as a question to the film makers regarding a utility that simply didn't want opposition to a new power plant. The questioner stated, "I was told that the power plant if not built here would be built somewhere else and to that end I need to quell my opposition to same. What do you think?"


The filmmakers were a huge resource in that they supported the questioners view of the world. Alternatives are far more a realistic answer to American energy. The 'idea' that succumbing to political greed and pressure should seek to oppress any objection or simple question caused confusion to the opposition's role in the argument.

The need for the mission of this film is just this simple and completely obvious to me.

If a power plant fueled by an insulting fuel source is proposed by a community the opposition to it should be vigorous. Why wouldn't it be? The 'idea' the plant will be built somewhere else anyway is a bizarre argument. What is to say the questioner could not follow the 'agenda' of the power plant's dogma around the region, state or country? What is to say any other community would want it in their backyards? Americans that seek opposition to the 'status quo' of this agenda in DC are unsure to even 'their right' to free speech.


The filmmakers greatest strength is at 'the grassroots level.' It is where their focus began and lingered through most of the film. The power within that reality is empowering and promotion of the DVD is a strength to building demands for their film and their expertise. That 'grassroots' movement was pursued by Al Gore to some extent, but, certainly has plenty of room for still another perspective even more intense in it's empowerment of the electorate. Don't stop now. This is a hugely wonderful 'people based' film and even more so than "An Inconvenient Truth." I wish them well. It's a very valuable film.

"I Am an American Soldier" was the last film of the day.

The creator of this film is John Laurence, an imbedded journalist, during the first fourteen months in Iraq. He was with the 101st Airborne.

The audience varied as the film attracted a good number of veterans from across the spectrum of the war experience in the USA. There were Korean veterans, Vietnam veterans and Mr. Laurence catered to their emotional attachment of the subject and to the 101st Airborne.

It was very admirable and any veteran in the audience that wanted to be recognized at the end of the 'Q & A' was asked to stand and there was applause for their service to the country. One former soldier felt it necessary to come to the front of the theater and explain the origins of 'Rocasan.' It would seem the squads 'mascot name' originated during WWII and given to them by the Japanese. "Rocasan," similar to 'pappasan' means 'to fall from the sky.' The name has continued to be an indentity of bonding for the unit over the decades that followed.

I had the pleasure to sit next to a Korean War veteran whom lost his son in Vietnam. He was open and honest about his feelings and all I could do was listen, take it all in and apologize for the loss of his son. He, too, was a more than 'nice guy.'

This is the film where I met up with Colonel Michael Steele, the worst soldier in the USA military to date that I am aware of and very well could have caused the rapid rise of insurgency in Iraq single handedly that now has an even more radicalized tone the longer the USA occupies Iraq.

There were applause by a few, including myself, toward the end of the film when it was stated Colonel Steele's career was being 'handled' to resolve by the USA military. Col. Steele is recognized as the most violent commander in Iraq by the USA military.

It was explained by John Laurence, after the film was shown, that the film footage of the 101st was approved by Colonel Steele so as not to be accused of making more of any aspect of his imbedded experience than the military would view as realistic. Mr. Laurence reassured the audience the most violent of the film footage obtained of the 'regime' of Colonel Steele never left the 'edit room.' A copy of that film footage needs to be subpoenaed by The World Court to realize the extent of the cruelty by the American military of the Iraqi civilians. I mean that profoundly.

It would seem Colonel Steele lost eighteen men in Iraq. Men that were lied to and indoctrinated into a 'Culture of Hate' based on 'flag ceremonies' whereby the motivating force of this unit were the attacks of September 11, 2001 which we all know had nothing to do with the 'oil war' of Bush and Cheney.

It was reported, Colonel Michael Steele never killed one insurgent, but, many Iraqi civilians in the units entire deployment in the first fourteen months starting March 20, 2001.

I believe anyone truly interested in 'the truth' of Iraq and the atrocity of the American military there, needs to see this film. I say that without hesitation to 'the truth.' Additionally, this film should be required viewing to anyone running for the office of President of the USA in 2008. The USA has to leave Iraq. It has caused and continues to cause too much damage to the people of that nation. What happens to the sovereign state of Iraq is not the business of the USA and currently 'the movement' toward 'nation building' is driving sectarian violence for the intolerance that currently is experienced in the confusion by the people of Iraq as to whom to trust.

Departing from the commandment "Thou shalt view 'I Am an American Soldier' I would like to comment on an article that appears in the Sunday New York Times.

"Democrats Say Leaving Iraq May Take Years" (click on).

That is a "W"rong-headed view of this war and the political nature of Senator Edwards regarding the necessity of the presence of American troops to quell an ethnic cleansing or genocide is simply a huge political blunder which speaks only to limited engagement with the subject of Iraq. Iraq is already experiencing an ethnic cleansing under the presence and gaze of the American troops. The New York Times in the past year had featured an article which illustrated, and it appears on this blog, the deaths of Sunnis throughout the Shia Baghdad neighborhoods.

There are articles everywhere in the media outside The New York Times that validate same.

Shia Militants Warn Sunni Families To Leave Neighborhood or Face Death (click here)
Tuesday, June 19 2007 @ 10:26 AM EDTEdited by: Kandy Ringer
Threats, violence in Baghdad threaten new wave of displaced
BBSNews 2007-06-19 - BAGHDAD, (IRIN) -- Sunni families remaining in Shia neighborhoods of Baghdad are being forced to flee their homes: A 72-hour deadline announced by militants for them to leave these areas or face death expires on 18 June.

Children's Deaths Tear Iraqi Neighborhood Asunder (click here)
by Lourdes Garcia-Navarro
Morning Edition, March 26, 2007 · On NPR reporter Saleem Amer's day off, he promised to take his wife to the market in Baghdad.
"She's been asking me every week, every Saturday to go to the market, and I kept telling her no, it's not a good day," Amer said. "It's bad today to go."
The security situation in his ethnically mixed neighborhood of el-Alam has been bad since the surge of American troops started. Armed groups, pushed out of other areas, have relocated there.
Still, this past Saturday, Saleem agreed to head out with his wife, leaving his newborn at home with relatives.

Senator Obama's view reeks of inexperience and the only viable views of Iraq are that of Senators Clinton and Biden, however, the best view of life in Baghdad is that of Senator Clinton's that sees a larger withdrawal of at least all The National Guard in a reasonably assembled redeployment. Needless to say, and recognized here, it has been ONLY Senator Clinton whom confronted the American military's affection for their nation building regime for a contingency plan by the chance a 'real war' breaks out in the Pacific with the Russian-Chinese alliance forces.

With that said, I reserve any further assessment of any of the candidates for another time. The USA must stop it's burgeoning genocide of the Iraqi people. The killing that occurs daily in that country is directly related to the American presence and it's 'fly by the seat of your pants' adrenalin war environment which indiscriminately kills for the sake of a so called 'Surge War Strategy.' The USA has no positive role in Iraq and dearly needs it's chronometers cleaned of any 'indoctrination' to the 'idea' of decency regarding it's presence in the past and currently in Iraq.

The decisions regarding dinner was prejudiced by the participants of The Opening Night Party

The Party was catered by local merchants, each adding their own 'favor' to the night. The decision for dinner Wednesday and Thursday was dictated by a good wine list, a better than average choice in vegetarian cuisine and a bartender whom balanced flavor with generocity.

Poppycocks not only proved to be convenient for many festival goers, but, was prime real estate to the street fair on Friday as jugglers and musicians stationed themselves right outside the windows.

There were the usual Front Street merchants where treats of every imaginable variety could be purchased at more than reasonable prices for most of the day.

The film festival takes place in a lovely town that enjoys a very, very low crime rate with high profile police cruisers. I imagine when a city cares for it's people with the grace and dignity Traverse City does there is no need for increasing the size of jails or prisons. I hadn't seen many meter maids handing out tickets either.

Sitting outside The City Opera House one evening enjoying the breeze off the lake before a film, the traffic on Front Street was stop and go. A young man taken by the moment looked at me, pointed to the car in front of him and stated, "Look at that license plate. Equal rights. That is a great license plate, isn't it?"

I had to agree, the words 'Equal Rights' were phonetically spelled on the car's license plate but one could not avoid the message if paying attention. That is the 'atmosphere' of Traverse City. Innocent. Enthusiastic. Homey. Welcoming. Familiar. Family. Wholesome. Unassuming. There is no culture shock when one sets down their suitcases and begins their time in that city. It's an extension of Americana so inviting one never actully wants to leave.

I did notice when walking Front Street to and from the hotel, a new Maritime College right on the lake as an extension of Northern Michigan University. The city lacks for little and now it is going to be the envy of all of northern Michigan when The State Theater conducts arts all year long beginning in November.

The Traverse City Film Festival has grown by leaps and bounds. It has an all volunteer corporate structure except for one paid employee. The donors, which include members belonging to "The Friends of the Traverse City Film Festival" (click here) are numberous and generous. They find a home for their spiritual side within the 'environment' Michael Moore has created, but, realize this environment is not maintained by him so much as appreciated by him. He is a valued member of the corporation but the TCFF has an autonomy and life all it's own aside from Michael's nurturing and mentoring. It is a wholesome and very American experience. One should join the membership and definately attend the film fest.

What started as a backyard film event has blossomed into a nationally recognized festival on it's way to be international recognition as a unique venue for the art of the independant film maker.

So that is the festival as best I care to speak to it and the remaining six films and one discussion left to be addressed.

Just one last aspect of the festival I'll address here since I did not participate in attendance as perhaps I should have; there is an aspect that is open to the public. Both the morning discussions and 'open space' movie venues are free to anyone who wants to attend. As a matter of fact no one can get tickets before hand. It's a matter of showing up at designated times and taking a free ticket to the discussion groups an hour before they start and in the case of the open space, just simply showing up and finding a place to sit. The Open Space featured some truly charming films which I was already familiar with but the kind of films people love to watch over and over again; "E.T.", "North by Northwest", "Grease" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark."

By the way, it's also my understanding that one 'canned' film of every featured film is donated to the local library by Michael Moore for the residents to enjoy whenever they care to borrow it for home viewing. Michael truly is just an all around 'nice guy' and anyone that says differently is a lair and a thief to 'the truth.'

The Valet - Leave it to TCFF to choose a French film at a time when I dearly needed comic relief.

Here again, I have to say the subtitles were seamless for me. It was a very clever film. The twists of fate were frequent, unexpected and simply kept the audience lighthearted and engaged. It came at a time at the festival when I needed to be less serious and more relaxed. Regardless of what anyone may think, it can be a lot of work to attend these films. They don't leave you after you walk out of the theater. After the Opening Night film, discussions are non-stop when in line, or dining or simply walking down the street which is filled with every type of shoe imaginable.

I probably should comment on the restaurants, too. Well, I'll end it here for tonight and catch a few Zzzzs. I want to finish my review as I do with any film festival I attend as I consider this art form important to movers and shakers. So I'll do so in a bit. See this film. It is more enjoyable than one can imagine.

All of Israel and Palestine should go on a diet.

Oh, one last comment about "Taxi to the Dark Side." At the end when the credits started to roll, the ususal applause was not there. Everyone was standing and basically said the same word at nearly the same time. "Impeach."

The trailer to "A Slim Peace" (click here).

Remember these seven women. They have the greatest power of all Palestinians and Israelis. They found common ground to build on while finding friendships stronger than the war that separated them.

It took a great deal of talent to put together a program whereby seven women, both Palestinian and Israeli could meet for a weight loss program. They came with the idea of losing weight but also with the idea there would be some growth beyond their ability to master the pounds they had accumulated in war weary countries.

They came with all the anger associated with their countries differences, but, yet there was tolerance in that anger. There was growth. Personal growth and bonding to achieve a balance of their personal goals and their desire to be friends. They sincerely identified each other as genuine women just as tired of the 'lack of progress to peace' as the next woman.

In some ways, the 'weigh loss program' gave laughter to greater issues which carried sincere brevity to understanding and sisterhood. It was delightful to realize they reached beyond their fears, their anger to a new level of understanding and became frustrated with 'the peace process' and it's failures rather than each other. It was wonderful to witness and it was genuine right down to their toes.

The sadness happened at the end of the film. No. No one dies. What dies is 'the process' they started. Each woman is revisited a year later as they each stated they would make a commitment to meet every month to continue what the documentary started. That never happened because the tensions between the countries overshadowed their ability to cope with providing childcare and securing meeting places that would be safe. They each still carried good feelings about the others a year later and held no regrets to their inability to carry through with their promise to endure past the initial meetings.

The real crime in all this is that within their realities lies 'the progress to peace.' After I left the venue and was waiting for the next film to begin, their failure to 'carry on' brought a reality to huge to overcome. The reason their 'weight loss program' fell apart was for the same reasons the Middle East Peace Progress falls apart, there are huge 'agendas' placed on the tensions between these two countries that reach all the way around the globe.

Every political figure involved in the Middle East Peace Process believes they will be 'the one' that will finally achieve a lasting peace, yet, there would be so much to loss if they did. The economic dynamics driven by the instability of the Middle East only begins to address the insincerity of the process.

Then to realize the extremes to which the Shia have gone to maintaining their culture and it's existance while oppressed by American power which has only dealt with Sunni Arabs in a peaceful venue of economic exchange brings dynamics of neverending deliverance from such hatred. It could easily be two generations before the Shia will find their 'level playing field' and it will occur with acceptance of the power they hold in Iraq, Iran and Lebanon. They hold a majority, I do believe, in all those countries. It is a hard reality to contend with as the Shia are primarily 'entrenched' in leadership with their Holy Men for fear of losing what is left of them.

All this adds to the dynamics of the documentary in support of it's failure to achieve a 'lasting hope.' Israel has too many enemies, such as Hamas and Hezbollah, that require tensions rather than peace to realize those two entities of people aren't even represented diplomatically at any peace table only adds to the reality of the failure of the seven women to prevail.

The saddest aspect of any of this is that a parallel which existed not long ago gave birth to a new hope. It is a new hope Tony Blair would be familiar with and that is the peace that was started in Northern Ireland by two women. Two Nobel Peace Prize winners, Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan (click here) whom literally brough the effort to end the conflict to it's beginnings. I feel the same potential is there with these seven women, but, it needs to be nutured and pursued to an icon of peace exclusive to Israel and Palestine to begin the process a new, with a freshness only women can provide. None of these gals were shy wall flowers, but, strong, outspoken women with clear ideas of their political realities and how best those politics serve their countries. I just wish their experience were given a priority to grow and be rewarded. It can't hurt.

Film Day Two, I started again at The City Opera House but changed venues including the newest, Lars Hockstad Auditorium. Quite an interesting venue.

If you find the 'trailer' introduction 'stalls' every once in awhile then run the curser over it and it will proceed to the 'enter' screen.

I forgot to mention there are 'English subtitles' to "Tuya's Marriage." After awhile they become invisible as your read them.

"Taxi to the Dark Side"

Bouy, was this an eye opener to everyone in the audience. At times, members of the audience could not or would not deal with the reality or the graphic 'understanding' of the nature of the government and military under Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld and left the theater. There were only a few but every time it was when there came a stark understanding of the hideous dimensions our country had become under this Executive Branch.

Gitmo. It simply needs to be shut down. The majority of the detainees there are actually innocent people that became hostages to the warlords of Afghanistan, then handed over to the moronic USA military for reward monies. The majority are NOT dangerous terrorists that need to be on an island 'warehouse' to protect the people of the USA. Most are some bodies husband, son or father. They don't belong on Gitmo and never did. Their interrogations were for 'practice' to what would work and what wouldn't. The 'thing' is the practice of the torture methods weren't even on terrorists with information. These people basically knew nothing, not even the reason they were there.

Oh, there are a dearly few 'bad guys' among them, but, even they didn't deserve the treatment rendered under the Rumsfeld/Bush/Cheney 'approved' torture regime. It's outrageous to believe any aspect of Gitmo was worthy of the name American. The film is witness to The World Courts as to the extreme cruelty that rendered even the most valuable detainee worthless in supplying information to defeat al Qaeda. The USA can't be allowed to get away with this, as a matter of fact, there needs to be convened a New Geneva Conventions which 'specifically' outlaws torture included in the current standards. Every torture imaginable has been tried and 'practiced' at Gitmo, the records will provide guidelines to the extremes human beings should not be treated when captured as prisoners.

There was no respect for any aspect of the lives of the detainees. The detainees were and are political icons of power over an enemy that escaped the USA military in Afghanistan right upto the point where the USA literally abandoned the 'real war' for the 'oil war' in Iraq. Gitmo is an icon of failure of USA policy which should outshine any standard the world has set. Instead, it stands in ridicule to the indulgence of political Neocon ideologies which are entrenched in foreign ideas of torture extrapolated to what the Rumsfeld War Department would come to value as 'superior methods,' when in fact they were simply experiments never before rendered as effective or prudent yet alone humane.

The United States of America has to come to terms with the 'goings on' of the Bush Executive Branch. What is really disturbing is that the 'candidates' currently running for president as Republicans are simply rubber stamps of Bush. I have yet heard of any reporting regarding answers to debate questions like, "What would you do about Gitmo?" and "Would you ever proceed with such practices again?" As far as I am concerned the candidate debates have taken a light touch to any subject that would 'indict' the current administration as incompetent, litigable or tresonist.

The debates from where I stand haven't even begun to take off the 'kit gloves' to the 'real issues' and as a result current polling for Bush has brought 'the base' back in line with his approval ratings, a continued dismal thirty something percent.

The film is an indictment. One that every American whom sincerely cares about their country needs to see. It speaks for itself and to date I don't recall any other accounting in any media to be as graphically correct in depicting the outrageous directives of the Executive Branch to any reason for war or torture.

"Blue State"

I was not as wildly happy about this film as many in the audience were. It has a moral ending that brings everyone that identifies with the 'Democratic Reality Escapists' back home on grounds we all can call 'sound American values' embedded in 'Revolutionary War Values.'


The film was made for a simple understanding of the 'post Kerry defeat of 2004 depression' so many in the country felt when Bush was again president of the USA. Realize, many in the country before the 2004 elections already knew the reality of 'the truth' regarding Iraq and believed every aspect of Fahrenheit 911 as it since has become known as reality film making and not just political rhetoric.


The film had it's surprises and it had a proper place at Traverse, but, I simply wasn't 'into it' the way others were and to that end I didn't consider it among the best of the festival. I guess I didn't need the emotional lift this film gave to those still feeling alienated from a political system that mostly disappoints rather than rewards for good citizenship. I made my peace with that along time ago.


But, for those seeking solice from lingering depression that Bush's pharmaceutical companies don't have a cure for, this will fit the bill nicely.


That concluded the film day for me and the second would prove to be more insightful than the first. I retired after midnight to my suite, sunk into the spa tub and refreshed myself with a good night's sleep for what would be an eye opening Day Number Two. Surprises at every turn.

"Tuya's Marraige," also known as 'What's my Mongolian twat worth to you?'

The Mongolian Tuya. There was no obscenity in this film. But, from a liberated American female perspective I just wanted to scream. Tuya was not for sale, but, nearly every man in the film treated her as if she was.


The victorious Tuya cast. Realize this is a Chinese film. A very frank reality within a Chinese film. If this is the success of a fiscally wealthy China then the world would like to see more of the same.



Needless to say this was a marvelously cultural film that could only be this well done by a strong Chinese insight and influence (click here).


Tuya is a very virtuous woman and is married at the beginning of the film with two children. Her husband a very kind and attentive man is disabled after 'providing' for the family for so many years and digging a water well on their property in the far reaches of Mongolia. Soon into the film it is realized Tuya has succumbed to the same 'hard labor fate' as her husband and is warned by a physician if she continues to disregard her physical limitations she as well will become as disabled as her husband. At that point, her 'virtue' as a woman changes from 'provider/heavy lifter' around the family farm to one of a 'saleable single.' She approaches her husband regarding a divorce for the sake of finding another husband that can provide for all of them including him in a dignified way.


The film takes many twists and turns but mostly portrays a reality about China that I was never aware of before this film. The 'value' of marriage is intact in that a woman's virtue reaches into morality in a way that also secures life from a fate of death by disability. It is profoundly important for any society to face it's shortcomings and in that find greater meaning within itself to rise above these hardships.


I found the 'willingness' of China to have such a film made within it's borders by it's own artists a sincere breath of fresh air and that is the 'real virtue' of Tuya's Marriage. At least it was for me. I thank the film makers and China for their openness and bravery in presenting this film to the world. It's scenery and cultural richness along with 'the kitchen's chronically boiling pot' was a pure pleasure. I hope, sincerely hope there is more of the same coming from China. I simply can't get enough. Thank you, Michael for bring this film to Traverse City.

"Deliver Us from Evil" - should have been named "Deliver USA from Evil"

Father O'Grady, the failure of the Catholic Church to minister to their flock (click here). This is probably going to be a bit of a criticism, but, in all honesty Lionsgate could not 'go' where I can because they would have needed a 'series made for television' to cover the scope to which I will address this issue.

As a note, the Catholic movement is not exclusive to heterosexuals either (click here). I am sure that reality will never be received well in Rome. It is however a reality.

It was a very well made film. It does the subject a great deal of justice, where Father O'Grady can't seem to get out of his own way for the sake of his inflated ego. The point was clearly understood. It was very sad the 'state of affairs' left to American Catholics to sift though without real guidance and compassion. My perspective is a bit different and comes of an 'absence' of evidence that even the filmmaker didn't breach. It has nothing to do with the gay, lesbian or transgender movement.

The film presents the sincere tragedy of pedophile priests and the destroyed families they leave in their wake with absolutely 'no clue' to their damage nor the ability to find the compassion to 'get out of the faith' to honor the crime visited on these people. The Roman Catholic Church will never address this issue. They will destroy their churches through fiscal ruin before they will address the issue of sexual exploitation by priests of either children or adults. I believe there is a reason for this and it takes 'a cognitive exercise' to realize the possible scope of reason 'The Church' will not accept open responsibility, nor punish their priests.

Here we go.

The Roman Catholic Church is huge. It is in nearly every country on the globe. The film addresses the crimes identified in the USA. To date, I am unaware of many of the same crimes being reported in any other country. Realize, the 'faith' in many countries are a part of the social and government structure. In some countries the Catholic faith is primarily exclusive in a majority to the belief systems of the populous; to recognize imperfection in 'the faith' is to recognize imperfection in society and government. Not likely to happen. Needless to say this type of crime happens globally and may even make it back to the Vatican as 'rumor' and nothing more. But, realize in some countries children are not valued to the esteem they are in th e USA. That is one aspect of the dynamics that plays out to protect priests in the USA as policy by Rome. It will be near impossible to move the Vatican from that stance. Not to say Americans should not receive recognition for their plight, but, it is highly unlikely to 'move' a global organization that receives dearly few complaints from other countries.

An additional point here is that for Lionsgate to address that scope would also be very dangerous and lacks purpose when a country or society hasn't even begun to grapple with these issues. Film makers would die in the process of making such a film. All one has to do is realize the number of Catholic missionaries that die globally in their attempts to minister to others. A film maker should not even try to begin such a venture in a country armed with resistance. It could literally cause a war.

There is also another reason.

There is a vocabulary word missing in this film. It is missing in the 'context' of which the USA has 'to date' addressed the issue of pedophilia as it pertains to The Catholic Church. That vocabulary word is death. There has never been one death reported in the USA by any sexually motivated priest. Never once reported. "In that" realize, and this is just my estimation, that by denying the act by a Priest, literally protects the victim from such a fate. If these wayward 'fathers' know they have nothing to fear from the Vatican except reassignment there is no reason to eliminate any proof, but, simply to confess to a 'w'rongful way of life to date. The other possiblity is that these Priests sincerely 'try' to live up to the Ten Commandments except when it comes to 'coverting your neighbor' of which they can simply 'confess' their sins from day to day.

The United States knows full well the brevity of pedophilia when it comes to the survival rate of it's victims. The percentage is low, except, in the reality as dealt by The Holy Roman Catholic Church. To date, there has not been one death, by what would seem 'the hand of God.' To that end, if it is wisdom by the Vatican that sees beyond what the average Amercian Catholic is willing to concede, then I congratulate 'the church' for it's victory over a far greater tragedy than has occurred.

At any rate, it is a horrible crime that is exacerbated in dimension when it is a Priest that performs the covert act, which literally destroys families.

The film is very well done within the context it can be addressed from an Ameican perspective. I just don't know if Lionsgate will find it's often realized rewards this time of social 'reform' that comes with so many of it's films.

The film should be seen by those that would seek to strengthen their churches and empower children within those churches. And it may be that Lionsgate didn't cover this scope for all the reasons I have here in stated. If that is the case, I congratulate them.

I spent the 'film day' on August 1st at The City Opera House. I didn't plan it that way, it just worked out the films I wanted to see were there.

"Blame it on Fidel"

Wow, what a picture. Be prepared when attending Traverse City Film Festival to read subtitles. It becomes easy and the 'context' of the film is not a burden to follow. It sort of becomes a way of viewing. I carry that skill now and there is no doubt of attending a film even if the advertisement states, "English subtitles." It's kinda like, 'Oh good' a foreign film. I look forward to a fresh view on a subject.

This film was a 'waist high view' of activism. Loved every minute of it. The film revolves around the life of a nine year old child. She is wonderful and so are her piers. She is faced many hurdles in her life.

The story takes place in France in the early 1970s and her parents are very involved in political activism regarding the government of Chile. She attends a Catholic school and is not allowed to attend the religous classes as her parents object to them, but, like the other aspects of the education there. She even has trouble being part of a swim team because of a language barrier and in a 'relay' swim she does two legs of the relay leaving her team mate at the end of the pool. She finishes the relay first only to lose the meet because she didn't allow her teammate to take over the second leg of the race. She never realized it until the race was over. It was a charming scene in the film.

She was lovely, a pretty young girl, very smart and all she wanted was to be accepted. She was always furious with her parents for one reason or another and home was a tug of war with a sympathic younger brother that kept her secrets when she played pranks on her parents.

She grows up very quickly as a child in an activist family. The family is very sincere. She overcomes her hurdles and accepts the 'heart' of her family to move 'justice' forward at the expense of being difficult and different. She has an incredible character that continually expands during the film and finds acceptance 'as she is' among her piers. Her self respect cannot be understated. And interestingly enough. She does not 'claim' that self respect 'by herself' but 'finds' it through her parents whom value her opinion as much as their own. It was a wonderful film.

Once, the Opening Night film for The Traverse City Film Festival

For those that have seen this film I probably don't have to say much, but, for those that haven't go with a fresh idea of 'the potential within poverty.'

The story was filmed in Dublin. It was about a 'street artist' and a Czech immigrant. The poverty expressed in this film was profound. It was a charming film, but, also a great film. FOX made this film and Michael chose it to expose his most ardent enthusiasts to a reality shared by young people with potential in the arts but little chance to succeed.

The FOX industry execs coin this as a romance. In some ways it is, but, in other ways it is more an adventure into a 'potential' to more than romance, but, a triumph of the human spirit over incalculable odds. The 'potential' in the state of poverty came in the form of a female Czech immigrant who would not take no for an answer when interacting with a hardened street musician. She liked his singing and his guitar playing even when the guitar was mostly broken and worn so thin it was nearly transparent.

There was no 'hot babe' scenes and the couple was more than polite with each other as she revealed later to have a child to raise and a husband that mostly abandoned them. The roses, by the way in her hand in this picture were for sale and not to blossom romance by an admirer.

I won't tell you the ending except to say it made me want to know more of what happened, but, the incredible story that would never have taken place without the lady being very bold included many people reaching for the same goal. To be more. To be happy. To be successful. And. Always appreciative of the 'identity of need' they all shared.

After the movie, it was onto the Opening Night Party, which was a complete pleasure, entertaining and easy to be a part of the crowd. Michael Moore has seen this festival grow in three short years to an astounding success. The festival this year included FOUR venues. One of which was donated in it's entirety to a mission Michael now captains and it was the frosting on the cake. The Traverse City Film Festival is becoming a new idendity for this town in northern Michigan on a lake that will have year round films and talent playing their best all year long. When Michael Moore began this festival, the arts were dying in Traverse City. Now. It IS Traverse City along with it's Cherry Festival. He is some kind of phenomena that simply spells 'good American' and everyone wants to be a part of it.

Thank you, Michael.

The trip to Traverse City, Michigan from Providence, Rhode Island ...

... took me through Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York State, Ontario and Michigan.

The driving was pleasant and I took plenty of time to accomplish it. The trip was mostly effortless and the car got good gas mileage.

The trip was interrupted by the border crossing with Canada. Traveling from New York State into Ontario, there was no effort. I had my passport and answered any questions honestly and I was on my way to a 'gas saving' route to northern tip of Lower Michigan.

When I got to the border where I had to cross into the USA, it, was, a, nightmare.

The first reality there was something grossly "W"rong was when I nearly crashed into a tractor-trailer stopped in the slow lane on Ontario Route 402. You know how it is when you come up on a stopped vehicle on an interstate highway, well, there I was with a truck next to me in the fast lane when all of a sudden there was a new reality in front of me. Bouy, I slammed on the brakes, held the car in the slow lane and as soon as the truck was by me I veered into the fast lane and missed crunching myself into the rear end of a stopped truck.

That was not the most amazing part. When I got past the stopped truck there were more of them as far as the eye could see. This was about 2 AM on July 28, 2007.

The line of stopped, idling 'Semis' went for nearly 10 miles. The truck in front of me was a puzzle and all I could think was he was some kind of Maverick in the face of a 'teamster strike' or something. I never in my wildest imagination thought all those trucks were waiting to cross the border into the USA.

When I finally reached the border crossing where Ontario 402 converts into USA Interstate 69 there was a considerable line of cars waiting as well. The wait was nearly an hour and there was definately a separate set of booths for the trucks which was nearly at a standstill. I could count the number of trucks I actually saw cross the border into the USA on two hands, it was not over ten during that hour. Evidently, if a truck driver is bold or has a 'speed' pass specially paid for they could cross the border in a short period of time, because the Semi in front of me through that ten miles slipped to the front of the line when the toll booths were reached. The cars were maybe about twenty-five. When I got to the booth I simply asked the attendant, "...ah, like, what gives?" He looked at me as if I should know and stated, "I guess there aren't that many attendants on." I asked one more question, I guess he was supposed to be the person to ask all the questions, "...ah, so, is this like status quo when one crosses into the USA for trucks?" He stated, "Most of the time."

To keep from repeating myself. I made the return trip on the same route and had the same experience with a good deal of resistance crossing into the USA and nearly none crossing into Canada.

With that he ran my passport through some kind of scanner and I crossed the bridge to complete my trek to The Bayshore Resort where I would stay for the entire length of The Traverse City Film Festival.

It's Saturday Night

"Over the Rainbow" performed by Judy Garland in "The Wizard of Oz"

Written by E. Y. Harburg and music by Harold Arlen

Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high
There's a land that I heard of
Once in a lullaby

Somewhere over the rainbow
Skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true

Some day I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where troubles melt like lemondrops
Away above the chimney tops
That's where you'll find me

Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh why can't I?
Some day I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where troubles melt like lemondrops
Away above the chimney tops
That's where you'll find me

Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh why can't I?

If happy little bluebirds fly
Beyond the rainbow
Why, oh why can't I?

Morning Papers - It's Origins

The Rooster

"Okeydoke"

Signed, Sealed and Delivered. Mike's Perscription for American Healthcare.

Michael Moore Today

http://www.michaelmoore.com/


Urge Hillary to Prescribe The Michael Moore Health Care Proposal

http://www.hillaryclinton.com/help/contact/


Sicko Buried Alive

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z_Jkbj8bRM


August 5th, 2007 1:41 pm
One guy with two images
Moore on life as a celebrity — and neighbor
By Kathy Gibbons / Traverse City Record-Eagle
Michael Moore stopped at the Record-Eagle to talk the week before the start of the 2007 Traverse City Film Festival. He'd been asked to do an interview on his life as a celebrity vs. his life as the everyday guy he comes across as, and had about a half an hour.
It was late in the day and he had to get back to Alden to meet his wife, Kathleen Glynn, for an early evening event at the library near their home there. Then he was going to catch a red-eye to California.
It had been a whirlwind few months. His new film, "Sicko,” had opened to excellent reviews. After less than three weeks in theaters, it had become one of the top five grossing documentaries. Among those also are his Oscar-winning "Bowling for Columbine” and "Fahrenheit 9/11,” the most successful documentary ever.
"I'll be sleeping in Beverly Hills tonight to be on Jay Leno tomorrow,” he said. "I was just on a month ago and because Jay and the people who produce the show were deeply affected by the movie, they want to continue the discussion.”

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10098


The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On
This absorbing documentary follows Kenzo Okuzaki--a veteran of Japan's WWII campaign in New Guinea--as he searches out those responsible for the mysterious deaths of several soldiers in his unit. Though he holds Emperor Hirahito accountable for all the suffering caused by WWII, he painstakingly tracks down former military officers and accuses them of specific war crimes, often times abusing them verbally and physically. Director Kazua Hara's subtle cinema verite not only captures the zeal of Okuzaki's lifelong mission, but also exposes the atrocities committed by the Japanese military against its own soldiers. The film created such controversy in Japan upon release that no major distributor would touch it. "The most amazing piece of filmmaking" (Michael Moore). Winner of the Caligari Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival. In Japanese with English subtitles.

http://www.facets.org/asticat?function=buyitem&catname=facets&catnum=/DV91921/



Rudy Giuliani, Urban Legend
"Rudy has used the horrible events of September 11 to create a persona that is an elaborate fabrication," says IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger. "He is nothing more than a shameless self-promoter."

Ground Zero, November 2001: Fire fighters, officers and families rally against Giuliani's decision in to stop a dignified recovery of the victims of 9/11.
Photo by Stuart Ramson/Associated Press.

http://www.rudy-urbanlegend.com/



Michael Moore Blasts Rudolph Giuliani

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AzmTe2_bRY



OneCareNow.org

http://www.onecarenow.org/events/81107.htm


How to Help the September 11th Rescue Workers
8/11 for 9/11: On 8/11/07 The Weinstein Company will donate 11% of their profits from 'SiCKO' to the 9/11 rescue workers who are not receiving the care that they should get. Remember, if we had universal health care, the 9/11 rescue workers wouldn't be going through this struggle right now.
Urge Congress to Support Legislation: Support the 9/11 rescue workers by asking your congressperson to support H.R.1638.
If your congressperson is not a cosponsor of this comprehensive 9/11 health care legislation for the sick and injured, contact your congressperson and demand that he or she give our 9/11 heroes the same level of care as the detainees at Guantanamo Bay.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/what-can-i-do/rescue-workers/



September 11th rescue workers want 'I'm sorry,'not 'I misspoke'


Critics demand Giuliani apology
By Quaid / Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani said Friday that he misspoke when he said he spent as much time, if not more, at Ground Zero exposed to the same health risks as workers combing the site after the Sept. 11 attacks.
"I think I could have said it better," he told nationally syndicated radio host Mike Gallagher. "You know, what I was saying was, 'I'm there with you.' "
The former New York mayor upset some firefighters and police officers when he said Thursday in Cincinnati that he was at Ground Zero "as often, if not more, than most of the workers."
"I was there working with them. I was exposed to exactly the same things they were exposed to. So in that sense, I'm one of them," he said at a Los Angeles Dodgers-Cincinnati Reds baseball game.
Fire and police officials responded angrily, saying Giuliani did not do the same work as those involved in the rescue, recovery and cleanup from the 2001 terrorist attacks, which left many workers injured.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/news/article.php?id=10112



Saturday, August 11th, 2007
September 11th first responders, family groups and WTC recovery workers suffering from serious 9/11 related health ailments demand an apology from presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani for his delusional and insulting comments
Rudy Giuliani has insulted all September 11th first responders, family groups and especially those of us who are battling life threatening illnesses with his delusional statement, "I was at Ground Zero as often, if not more than most workers. I was there working with them." Many of us operated at the site from day one until its closure in late May 2002. First, as a rescue mission and then in the recovery of the victims and we can honestly say that your claim is a bold face lie. The majority of the time that Mr. Giuliani spent at Ground Zero was for photo ops with visiting dignitaries and celebrities, not once did he do what he claimed and "work with" the construction workers, fireman, police officers and other first responders. Is this just another cheap political stunt to win votes?

http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=905



Rudy Giuliani Talks with Charlie Rose

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWwxivAFt7M



Plea for Help from 9/11 Rescue Workers to Rudolph Giuliani Goes Unanswered
[The following letter was e-mailed to Rudolph Giuliani on May 29th, 2007 by September 11th rescue workers left to fend for themselves after suffering illnesses caused by their work at Ground Zero in the days after the attacks. They never received a response.]
May 29, 2007
Dear Mr. Giuliani,
As you know, tens of thousands of New Yorkers like ourselves came together on September 11 to help search for survivors, rescue victims, and begin to clean-up after the attacks on our great city. Many of those first responders including James Zadroga, Cesar Borja, and Debbie Reeve developed debilitating health problems after breathing the toxic dust from the collapsed World Trade Center towers. Thousands of 9/11 responders, whose heroic efforts helped our city and country get back on its feet quickly, have attempted to get much-needed medical attention to help recover from their illnesses. For six years, we have pleaded with the Federal government for help, but have received nothing, but even worse, we haven't received straight answers from our own government.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=900



Open Letter from 9/11 Rescue Worker to Rudy Giuliani
Posted July 31, 2007 06:40 PM (EST)
Presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani thinks his "plan for up to $15,000 in tax breaks to help families pay for coverage outside employer-based plans is the antidote."
I totally disagree.
How is a single mother of two with a monthly income of $1,500 or a family of four with an income of $3,100 supposed to live, buy insurance, pay deductibles, pay copays, afford medications and be able to eat and clothe their children?
Giuliani is so far removed from reality it's sad.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/reggie-cervantes/open-letter-from-911-res_b_58633.html



Bush on track to become the vacation president
By Julie Mason / Houston Chronicle
President Bush tries to set an example for Americans whenever he can, in terms of physical fitness, faith, optimism and a certain overall moral rectitude. He also sets an excellent example on taking vacation.
On Thursday, Bush left for a weekend in Kennebunkport, Maine, and his family's summer compound, Walker's Point. On Monday, he heads to his Crawford retreat, where he has spent all or part of 418 days of his presidency, according to Mark Knoller, a CBS News White House correspondent and meticulous record-keeper.
Never a fan of Washington's more cosmopolitan pleasures, Bush will be in Central Texas for about two weeks, with an overnight trip to Ottawa to meet with the leaders of Canada and Mexico.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10113



Fahrenheit 9/11 Vacation President Scene

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZwrteFNic4



Open Letter from 9/11 Rescue Worker to Rudy Giuliani
Dear Rudy,
My name is John Feal. I am a 9/11 responder who was horribly injured at Ground Zero during the clean and recovery. I spent 11 weeks in the hospital fighting for my life and lost half of my left foot. But please do not feel sorry for me.
Yesterday in Ohio you praised yourself a hero and compared yourself to the real heroes of 9/11. You say you were there longer then most 9/11 responders -- that sir is an insult to the 9/11 community.
The thousands of responders including the three in Michael Moore's movie SICKO got sick on your watch. And while you paraded around being hailed a hero, the real heroes of 9/11 got sicker and many have died. Regina Cervantes, Billy Maher, and John Graham are heroes -- they are my heroes -- and they were forced by our government's neglect and denial to seek help elsewhere. So what if it was Cuba? If your wife or son was sick, and you were told the only place to get your loved one help was in Cuba, I believe sir you would not hesitate. So whether it is Cuba, Russia, China, Mars, Venus... help is help. And the problem is not where they got help, but that our great country and federal government failed them. You failed the real heroes of 9/11, and the great people of New York and now you want to run this country.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=903



Giuliani's 'I'm one of them' remark angers 9-11 workers
By Dan Sewell / Associated Press
Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani said Thursday he had exposed himself to the same health risks as workers at ground zero after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and spent as much time at the site as those involved in the recovery.
The former New York mayor has faced criticism from relatives of some of the firefighters killed at the World Trade Center, who have contended that Giuliani was woefully unprepared for 9-11.
Last month, the parents and siblings of some of the 343 firefighters killed in the terrorist attacks released a video with the International Association of Fire Fighters, which opposes Giuliani's candidacy.
Campaigning in Cincinnati Thursday, Giuliani defended his work, including raising funds.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/news/article.php?id=10111



RUDY'S 9/11 TOXIC SHOCK
By Carl Campanile / New York Post
August 10, 2007 -- Rudy Giuliani claimed yesterday he was at Ground Zero "as often, if not more" as rescue and recovery workers - and exposed to the same health risks.
"This is not a mayor or a governor or a president who's sitting in an ivory tower. I was at Ground Zero as often, if not more, than most of the workers," he said while campaigning in Cincinnati.
"So, in that sense, I'm one of them," he added.
The statements enraged victims' families and responders who became ill after being exposes to toxins at Ground Zero.
"That's insulting and disgraceful. He's a liar," said Fire Capt. James Riches, whose firefighter son, James Jr., died on 9/11.
"I was down there on my hands and knees looking for my son. [Giuliani is] living in a dreamland," said Riches, part of a fire officers association opposing Giuliani.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/news/article.php?id=10110


Rep. Rangel Rips Giuliani, Calling Him A 'Bum'
WNBC
U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel isn't holding back in his criticism of presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani.
Friday the Democrat from New York's 15th District criticized New York's former mayor, telling Gabe Pressman that Giuliani shouldn't get New Yorkers' support just because he's from the area.
Rangel said, "He was never one of our boys. He was a bum. He was a terrible man. It's the post 9/11, when we couldn't find the president, and he was fearlessly walking up and down the streets. And that's the guy that America has known. But now the firemen are coming out, the emergency medical people are coming out, his kids are coming out. You know, people are going to find out who is this guy, and it's not going to be kind."
Pressman followed by asking what kind of man Rangel sees Giuliani as today.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/news/article.php?id=10109



I Can Get It for You RetailRudy Giuliani's health-care plan is great for insurance companies.
By Daniel Gross
Posted Thursday, Aug. 9, 2007, at 4:14 PM ET
Last week, Rudy Giuliani tried to add some domestic policy substance to his campaign by unveiling a health-care reform plan. His proposal, as Harvard economist Greg Mankiw noted, "sounds remarkably similar to the Bush health plan." In this year's State of the Union, President George W. Bush proposed a $15,000 standard deduction for health insurance, claiming a family of four making $60,000 would receive a $4,500 tax break to buy health insurance on its own. Giuliani would similarly offer a deduction of up to $15,000, which can be claimed by families that buy their own insurance. And, the New York Times

credulously noted, "the money left over, he said, could be put into a 'health savings account' to be used to pay for deductibles or other uncovered medical expenses."

http://www.slate.com/id/2171998/


Disabled Worker's Heartfelt Question Resonates With Workers
NBC5
CHICAGO -- Disabled steelworkers union member Steve Skvara asked the question heard loudest in Tuesday night's Democratic presidential forum.
Standing on crutches in front of a microphone inside Soldier Field, Skvara posted his question about health care and pension reform to former Sen. John Edwards.
"After 34 years with LTV Steel, I was forced to retire because of a disability. Two years later, LTV filed for bankruptcy. I lost a third of my pension, and my family lost their health care," Skvara said, holding back tears. "Every day of my life, I sit at the kitchen table across from the woman who devoted 36 years of her life to my family, and I can't afford to pay for her health care. What's wrong with America and what will you do to change it?"
The crowd gave Skvara a standing ovation -- the only one given during Tuesday night's forum.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/news/article.php?id=10106


Giuliani's Daughter Join's Obama's Group On Facebook
NY1
He's the current Republican frontrunner for president, but Rudolph Giuliani might not get a vote from his own daughter.
Giuliani's 17-year-old daughter Caroline was a member of a Barack Obama group on the website "Facebook."
She left the group Monday morning after the online magazine Slate began looking into it.
On her Facebook profile she describes herself as having liberal political views.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10099


GO SEE SiCKO by MC ARTIFICIAL -- ABBREVIATED VERSION

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZSPSRcX3Qw


ACTION PAGE:
Tell Congress To Pass H.R. 676 Now
32,533 Submissions so far
Under H.R. 676 [Text of Bill], Medicare would be extended and improved so that all individuals residing in the United States would receive high quality and affordable health care services. They would receive all medically necessary services by the physicians of their choice, with no restrictions on what providers they could visit. If implemented, the United States National Health Insurance Act would cover primary care, dental, mental health, prescription drugs, and long term care.
The one click form below will send your personal message to all your government representatives selected below, with the subject "Pass H.R. 676." At the same time you can send your personal comments only as a letter to the editor of your nearest local daily newspaper if you like.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/what-can-i-do/petitions/pnum649.php


The Occupation Project

http://vcnv.org/project/the-occupation-project


Stop the War, Start a Revolution

http://www.kportprotest.org/

US Troops Out Now - March on September 29th

http://www.troopsoutnow.org/healthcarenotwarfare.html


LA Times

Warning issued on Washington oysters
Among those sickend are three from Orange County. Oysters have been recalled.
by Jennifer Delson, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
3:56 PM PDT, August 10, 2007
The Orange County Health Care Agency warned consumers today to avoid raw and undercooked oysters harvested from the southern part of the Hood Canal in Washington state after nearly a dozen people became ill after eating them.
Three of the people were from Orange County. Most of the others were from Northern California, said agency spokesperson Deanne Thompson.
Those from Orange County did not eat in the same restaurant, but all of the oysters came from the Hood Canal, she said.
The Washington State Department of Health has recalled oysters taken from that part of the canal from July 3 to Aug. 3. Some of the oysters have been distributed in California and health agencies are checking restaurants and sales points for them.
The bacteria in the oysters is always present, but it multiplies in the summer when water temperatures rise, she said.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-oysters11aug11,0,7113554.story?coll=la-home-local


Immigration rules may hurt economy
Crackdown on employers could cause havoc in agriculture, healthcare and other industries, Chertoff acknowledges.
By Nicole Gaouette, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
August 11, 2007


Immigration rules could hinder L.A. County garment industry
WASHINGTON -- Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff predicted painful economic fallout from the array of immigration enforcement measures the administration unveiled Friday in an attempt to choke off the jobs "magnet" that draws illegal immigrants.
The changes, which would stiffen work-site enforcement, add border agents and increase penalties for rogue employers, could cause havoc in immigrant-dependent industries like agriculture, hospitality and healthcare, Chertoff acknowledged. "There will be some unhappy consequences for the economy out of doing this," he said in an interview with The Times.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-immig11aug11,0,7151802.story?coll=la-home-center



King-Harbor fails final check, will close soon
The ER is shut down, and the rest will follow within two weeks. Reactions range from grief to relief.
By Charles Ornstein, Tracy Weber and Jack Leonard, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
August 11, 2007
Regulators ruled today that King-Harbor hospital can't meet minimum standards for patient care, meaning it will lose federal funding. Is it time for officials to finally close down the hospital?
Yes. A shutdown is long overdue.
No. The county needs to fix King-Harbor, not close it.
Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital shut down its emergency room Friday night and will close entirely within two weeks, a startlingly swift reaction to a federal decision to revoke $200 million in annual funding because of ongoing lapses in care.
The extraordinary developments mark an end to nearly four years of failed attempts to reform the historic institution, treasured by many African Americans as a symbol of hope and progress after the 1965 Watts riots.
Los Angeles County health services director Dr. Bruce Chernof announced the closure plan Friday afternoon, hours after the hospital learned that it had failed its final test, a top-to-bottom review by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The hospital, formerly known as King/Drew, has shown itself unable to meet minimum standards for patient care since January 2004, according to the regulators.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-king11aug11,0,3698687.story?coll=la-home-center



Students teach educators about schools
Teens research some of L.A.'s most troubled schools and report to the mayor's team.
By Duke Helfand, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
August 11, 2007
Educators and politicians who fret about Los Angeles' high school dropout crisis might want to heed the advice of 15-year-old Carla Hernandez: Hire more teachers who care. Slash overcrowded classrooms. Stop sending failing students to the next grade.
Hernandez and nearly two dozen other teenagers spent part of the summer studying several of the city's most troubled high schools with the guidance of a UCLA research program. On Friday, they delivered their findings to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's education advisors at City Hall.
Much of what the students found mirrors data reported by professional researchers -- namely, that half or more students at some schools drop out before graduation.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-dropout11aug11,0,1875263.story?coll=la-home-center



AT&T apologizes for censoring performer webcasts
Pearl Jam's Lollapalooza Webcast was not the only one to have been tinkered with.
By Randy Lewis, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
August 10, 2007
Oops, they did it before.
A day after AT&T apologized to Pearl Jam, Lollapalooza organizers and music fans for deleting a snippet of the band's performance last weekend in Chicago during which Eddie Vedder criticized President Bush, the company offered up another mea culpa Friday for tinkering with other performers' webcasts.
In response to fans who claimed that the audio silencing of Vedder's sung remarks about Bush at Lollapalooza were not unique in the history of AT&T's Blue Room live webcasts, an AT&T spokeswoman on Friday said: "It's not our intent to edit political comments in webcasts on the attblueroom.com. Unfortunately, it has happened in the past in a handful of cases. We have taken steps to ensure that it won't happen again."

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-censor11aug11,0,169277.story?coll=la-home-entertainment


The personal effect
As foreclosures and default warnings pile up across Southern California, thousands of people are losing their homes because they can't pay their mortgages. Thousands more are losing their jobs or seeing their incomes shrink. Realtors, plumbers, loan officers, truck drivers -- the effects of the stumbling housing market are widespread and, by many accounts, growing.
By Annette Haddad, Andrea Chang and Daniel Yi :
The sub-prime mortgage pain convulsing financial markets is nothing new to people who make their livings in real estate and the housing construction industry. For months, the deteriorating market has been taking money out of millions of workers' pockets.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-homejobs11aug11-special,0,7287407.special?coll=la-home-center



Detroit's hard-driving congressman
Democrat John Dingell still intimidates foes after 50 years, but he may be facing his biggest battle yet: climate-change legislation.
By Johanna Neuman, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
August 11, 2007
WASHINGTON -- He is an old bull in a new china shop, the longest-serving member of the House working for a new generation of Democratic leaders.
And 81-year-old John D. Dingell isn't afraid to break the dishes, even if they crash down on his own party.
As the representative from Michigan's 15th District for more than 50 years, Dingell has been Detroit's archangel -- the closest thing the American automobile industry has to divine protection.
He is a master of parliamentary rules and chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-dingell11aug11,0,1835292.story?coll=la-home-center



Google Video service to go black
Its movie and TV download store isn't catching on with users who prefer free viewing -- even with the ads.
By Dawn C. Chmielewski and Alex Pham, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
August 11, 2007
Google Inc. has seen the video future, and it is YouTube.
The search giant is pulling the plug on its video-download store, which Google only last year said would become a vibrant marketplace for video producers to sell or rent their work to customers. Early partners included CBS and the National Basketball Assn.
But instead of offering an online alternative to the Hollywood machine, Google Video showed that people prefer to get their online video free -- even if that means watching some ads.
"Google Video was a failure," said Charlene Li, an analyst with Forrester Research. "They focused on video while YouTube focused on the community around video."
That's why Google is doubling down on YouTube, the free video-sharing site it acquired in November for $1.65 billion. YouTube is exploring ways to generate advertising revenue without driving away viewers.

http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-video11aug11,0,6721486.story?coll=la-home-center



When Hillary met Robert
A transcript from the would-be president's college tryst with 'Dartmouth boy' Robert Reich.
August 11, 2007
When letters written to a friend by a college-aged Hillary Rodham resurfaced in the news a few weeks ago, her mention of a certain "Dartmouth boy" with whom she spent an evening in 1966 piqued notable interest. But last week, the New York Times reported that the mystery date was none other than Robert Reich, former secretary of Labor under Bill Clinton. In a post on his video blog, Reich called the encounter a "presidential summit" ("She was the president of her freshman class at Wellesley, and I was president of my sophomore class at Dartmouth," he explained.) and said they went to the Michelangelo Antonioni film "Blow Up."
Now, in a shocking development, I have learned that the date was secretly filmed by fraternity pranksters who, years later, sold the footage to the now-canceled reality television series "Blind Date." Producers of the show, which is known for the occasionally raunchy and inebriated behavior of its subjects, ultimately shelved the episode, deeming Rodham "too yakety-yak" and finding Reich's pants to be insufficiently low-hanging. However, the following excerpts from the rarely seen footage, complete with "Blind Date's" signature "thought bubbles," have come into my possession. Here's a sneak peek at what may come to be called "the hottest date in Hanover's history."

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-daum11aug11,0,4162063.column?coll=la-opinion-center



Old World can keep its old art
The Getty’s deal to return ancient art to Italy reminds us that Los Angeles has always been about the new.
By Dan Turner
August 6, 2007
Near the mausoleum under the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels lie the remains of St. Vibiana, an obscure, millenniums-old Italian girl who came to Los Angeles and became a star. Fortunately, her provenance is old and well-established, or the Italian government might be trying to steal her too.
Italy has prevailed in its long struggle with the J. Paul Getty Museum, finalizing a deal last week that will send 40 antiquities, including some of the finest pieces in the Getty collection, back to the land of Titian and tiramisu, where they will doubtless occupy a spare corner of some museum already packed like a Costco warehouse with treasures from the ancient world. Legally, the return of the artworks is the right thing to do, as this page has already pointed out: International treaties left Getty executives with little choice. Whether it's fair is another matter.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-art6aug06,0,769187.story?coll=la-opinion-leftrail



Time to tax carbon
A carbon tax is the best, cheapest and most efficient way to combat cataclysmic climate change.
May 28, 2007
IF YOU HAVE KIDS, take them to the beach. They should enjoy it while it lasts, because there's a chance that within their lifetimes California's beaches will vanish under the waves.
Global warming will redraw the maps of the world. The U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that sea levels will rise 7 to 23 inches by the end of the century; as the water gets higher, the sandy beaches that make California a tourist magnet will be washed away. Beachfront real estate will end up underwater, cliffs will erode faster, sea walls will buckle and inlets will become bays. The water supply will be threatened as mountain snowfall turns to rain and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta faces contamination with saltwater. Droughts will likely become more common, as will the wildfires they breed.
Global warming is happening and will accelerate regardless of what we do today, but the scenarios of climatologists' nightmares can still be avoided. Though the cost will be high, it pales in comparison to the cost of doing nothing.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-carbontax28may28,0,2888366.story?coll=la-opinion-bottomleft



No to nukes
It's tempting to turn to nuclear plants to combat climate change, but alternatives are safer and cheaper.
July 23, 2007
JAPAN SEES NUCLEAR POWER as a solution to global warming, but it's paying a price. Last week, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake caused dozens of problems at the world's biggest nuclear plant, leading to releases of radioactive elements into the air and ocean and an indefinite shutdown. Government and company officials initially downplayed the incident and stuck to the official line that the country's nuclear plants are earthquake-proof, but they gave way in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Japan has a sordid history of serious nuclear accidents or spills followed by cover-ups.
It isn't alone. The U.S. government allows nuclear plants to operate under a level of secrecy usually reserved for the national security apparatus. Last year, for example, about nine gallons of highly enriched uranium spilled at a processing plant in Tennessee, forming a puddle a few feet from an elevator shaft. Had it dripped into the shaft, it might have formed a critical mass sufficient for a chain reaction, releasing enough radiation to kill or burn workers nearby. A report on the accident from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission was hidden from the public, and only came to light because one of the commissioners wrote a memo on it that became part of the public record.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-nuclear23jul23,0,378363.story?coll=la-opinion-bottomleft



What could make a dedicated Holocaust scholar, cry?
Raul Hilberg, witness to catastrophe.
By Walter Reich
August 11, 2007
If you're not overwhelmed by human catastrophe, can you be truly human? But if you are overwhelmed by human catastrophe, can you truly study it? One of the triumphs of Raul Hilberg, the great Holocaust historian who died last week, was that he solved that conundrum. He taught us how, by being clinically rigorous, he could be true to his scholarship -- and true, as well, to the victims of the human catastrophe to whose story he dedicated his work and his life.
In 1993, Hilberg, whose "The Destruction of the European Jews" was the foundational history of the Holocaust, sent me the manuscript of his memoir, "The Politics of Memory: The Journey of a Holocaust Historian." He asked for comments.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-reich11aug11,0,2970956.story?coll=la-opinion-center



ECONOMICS 101 Immigration measures that sting
Administration plans targeting illegal workers will end up hurting longtime citizens and swaths of the economy.
August 11, 2007
It's not often that an administration will introduce new measures by advertising upfront their "negative economic consequences." But illegal immigration has a way of turning politics and policymaking upside down, so now the White House has taken the unusual step of punishing the country for failing to back immigration reform. It's an interesting intellectual exercise, but it may prove disastrous for workers, employers and swaths of the economy.
On Friday, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez -- the administration's most enthusiastic lobbyists for comprehensive immigration reform -- announced a package of strict measures designed to mollify populist resentment over what Chertoff called "30 years of lip service" to enforcing immigration law.
Effective immediately, employers who receive "no-match letters" from the Social Security Administration informing them that some of their workers' names do not match their Social Security numbers have 90 days to clear up the matter or face fines and possible criminal charges. The SSA will send out approximately 140,000 such letters this year, covering more than 8 million people.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-immigration11aug11,0,2486141.story?coll=la-news-comment-editorials



Talking Musharraf down from the ledge
A late-night phone call from Condoleezza Rice may have prevented Pakistan's president from declaring a state of emergency and postponing elections.
August 10, 2007
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf at 2 a.m. Islamabad time Thursday. They spoke for 26 minutes -- an unusually long conversation. Though the State Department wouldn't and shouldn't reveal details, it's easy to guess Rice's message: "Don't do it."
A day earlier, Musharraf was reported to be considering declaring a state of emergency, a move that conveniently would have delayed elections for a year. Hours later, a spokesman announced that the president had decided the situation was not severe enough to warrant an emergency decree that reportedly would also have cracked down on the media and the right to assembly.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-pakistan10aug10,0,3233420.story?coll=la-news-comment-editorials



What to do with the innocent pedophile?
By court order, Jack McClellan can't go within 10 yards of children anywhere in the state. That's a step too far.
August 10, 2007
Ordinarily, men with Jack McClellan's proclivities come to the public's attention when their crimes are exposed. Then our fear, our anger and our sympathies are specific to perpetrator and victim. But in an age when we are inundated with revelations of child sexual abuse, McClellan, a self-described pedophile, has generated a new category of creep. Trumpeting his sexual interest in little girls on television and the Internet, selecting no individual victim but extending his potential interest to all, McClellan has successfully revolted much of California.
He cannot be allowed to succeed in this act of emotional terrorism. And he will if we contort the laws and statutes created for 36 million residents in order to address one man's twisted publicity spree.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-mcclellan10aug10,0,3044859.story?coll=la-news-comment-editorials



Vision for downtown is shortsighted
August 12, 2007
The ghost town is gone.
When I leave my office in the early evening, the downtown Los Angeles of years past is but a memory. People who live in transformed, long-abandoned buildings and trendy new towers are on foot, heading here and there and nowhere in particular.
The new and much-celebrated Ralphs, whose disciples are no less reverential than those who flock to Harrod's in London, has international wine tastings where no one drinks out of a brown paper sack. And I think it's generally a good sign that there are now more dogs than humans urinating on downtown sidewalks.
I like much of what I see. And with all this commerce and more to come, the potential benefits to the rest of the city (from shared tax revenue) and to the whole region (from new attractions around Staples Center and on Grand Avenue) are huge.

http://www.latimes.com/news/columnists/la-me-lopez12aug12,0,644013.column?coll=la-home-center



10 stupid things homeowners do . . .

. . . to mess up their own remodels.
This is a list I've compiled after observing people and their remodels for nearly two decades. It's true that contractors and subcontractors and vendors all have their faults. The remodeling industry is wacky, no doubt about it. But it is your own actions that will make or break your own project.
How do homeowners screw up? Let me count the ways:
1. Being vague about what you want. A primary reason remodels go over time and over budget is from homeowner indecision and homeowners making changes midway through the job. The solution: Massive research on your part before you call in the professionals.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/pardonourdust/



Science begins at home
Unwilling to let his wife down as she suffered through chemotherapy, a Caltech chemist shifts his molecular focus to find an easier treatment.
By Denise Gellene, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
August 11, 2007
Overcome with nausea from chemotherapy, Mary Davis distracted herself by studying each leaf on the trees swaying outside her hospital window.
She turned them over in her mind, mentally tracing their edges and veins. The trick worked for a while. But the wrenching sickness always returned, making her feel powerless against her breast cancer and the drugs that were supposed to cure her.
Adriamycin, known to patients as the "red death" because of its color and toxicity, had brought days of vomiting and weakness. Her hair fell out in bunches. Now, cisplatin was destroying her immune system and leaving her with a constant ringing in her ears.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-chemo11aug11,0,3092041.story?coll=la-home-nation



Iowa straw poll may weed field
The Republican vote in Ames, Iowa, could spell the end of the run for some presidential candidates.
By Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
August 11, 2007
DES MOINES --
If today's Republican presidential straw poll in Ames looks like a carnival, there is good reason. There's a barbershop quartet in Tom Tancredo's tent, a kids' bounce house in Mitt Romney's and a dunk-the-intern tank in Sam Brownback's.
Yet the thousands of Iowans feasting on barbecued pork and casting ballots at the GOP festival carry real clout in the race for the White House.
By tradition, the Ames contest drives those who fare poorly to abandon their campaigns. For others, success can ease the pursuit of money and credibility.
The man with the most at stake is Romney, the former Massachusetts governor. He is the only major GOP candidate competing in the straw poll. The unabashed vote-buying contest lost some punch when former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and Sen. John McCain of Arizona declined to participate.
Also skipping the event -- and further diminishing its luster -- is another big-name Republican: former Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee, who has been inching his way into the presidential race but technically remains on the sidelines.
So for Romney, anything less than a romp over the high-profile no-shows, whose names are still on the ballot, and lower-tier rivals would mark a humbling setback.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-iowa11aug11,0,1760582.story?coll=la-home-nation



The majority of the dead are age 10-29, hispanic or black male, killed on Sunday by gunfire.

The Homicide Map >> Los Angeles County victims

http://webapp1.latimes.com/homicide/homicideReport.php

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