Monday, April 16, 2007

Michael Moore: the Picasso of agit-prop

David Seaton's News Links
Michael Moore is a genius at agitation-propaganda.

The working people who cleaned up the mess after the 9-11 attack are sick because of inhaling toxic dust. They do not receive adequate medical care, except as charity cases. Michael Moore takes them to Communist Cuba where first class medical care is available free and there they receive the "Elvis treatment". I can't imagine a more powerful metaphor. What a lovely kick in the gonads for the flag waving "patriots" of the American right. A real work of art. ¡Olé! DS


Michael Moore takes 9-11 Victims to Cuba for treatment - New York Post

Abstract:
Filmmaker Michael Moore's production company took ailing Ground Zero responders to Cuba in a stunt aimed at showing that the U.S. health-care system is inferior to Fidel Castro's socialized medicine, according to several sources with knowledge of the trip. The trip was to be filmed as part of the controversial director's latest documentary, "Sicko," an attack on American drug companies and HMOs that Moore hopes to debut at the Cannes Film Festival next month.(...) Responders were told Cuban doctors had developed new techniques for treating lung cancer and other respiratory illness, and that health care in the communist country was free, according to those offered the two-week February trip. Cuba has made recent advancements in biotechnology and exports its cancer treatments to 40 countries around the world, raking in an estimated $100 million a year, according to The Associated Press. In 2004 the U.S. government granted an exception to its economic embargo against Cuba and allowed a California drug company to test three cancer vaccines developed in Havana, according to the AP.(...) Some called the trip a success, at least logistics-wise. "From what I heard through the grapevine, those people that went are utterly happy," said John Feal, who runs the Fealgood Foundation to help raise money for responders and was approached by Moore to find responders willing to take the trip. "They got the Elvis treatment." Although he has been a critic of Cuba, Moore grew popular there after a pirated version of his movie, "Fahrenheit 9/11," was played on state-owned TV. READ IT ALL

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Read It All link goes to an article that's pretty hostile to the trip to Cuba. It acknowledges that the responders are having to rely on charity for their medical treatment, but says nothing about any Cuban achievements. Typical enough of U.S. media, and not a surprise, but it makes your 'abstract' misleading. I expected more from the article than the 'news' that one patriot refused to go, and that another individual got left behind.

David Seaton's Newslinks said...

Yup! I confess. I took the parts I liked and left out all the rest. The New York Post sure isn't "Granma", but the Cuban achievements are all there, the socialized medicine, the anti-cancer patents etc, etc.
Being the Post, they had to put in the other stuff.

What they can't change is that the people who came to save, to rescue and to clean up are sick because of it and don't receive care, because they can't pay and only a few miles from the United States in a poor country they are welcomed and treated free of charge.