Well...the lying fascist hypocrites are in control, right? Reading all of the comments made so far it is interesting how astute the Common Dreams readers are. Moore is a brave man. His films are flash points for consciousness. I too question, though, any investment in a company like Haliburton. I think that needs explanation. Capitalism is an economic system. Capitalism, sans greed, does work because it creates individual pride of achievement. But Capitalism finds a home for abusers. Communism is a social system where the state owns everything. Communism can be just as corrupt as any other form of social organization as is seen from all the money scandals found in every Communist country. By virtue of how it operates, Communism is also an economic system. It is democracy that saves the day. Greedy vultures are found in every society. But democracy does not promote either the Capitalistic or Communistic form of economic theory. Democracy only cares about the will of the people, not government. Government is the handmaiden of the people. Democracy pledges and commissions many freedoms. Freedoms come with a price and that price is personal safety. That means people as a group have to agree to give up certain freedoms that would violate the safety of the people. Living in a society behooves its members to work to the benefit of all of its individuals through its laws and conventions. Laws and conventions are agreements, so it is government by agreement, that is, by an agreement among its people, not by surrender of its entitlements. The last six years have been amazingly repressive and entitlements have been whittled away by a fascistic mindset administration. In a democracy, the people, however, have the power to change their government. Michael Moore points this out with his poignantly social films. Yes, he is a gadfly, very much like that ancient Greek gadfly, Socrates. Who, if you are familiar with history, was put to death by a repressive government using fabricated charges of corrupting the youth, but in reality that government was afraid of his bringing consciousness of government corruption to his society. Think about it.

Ironic, isn't it when we KNOW who the SICKO is; and how in pointing to evil outside EVIL entered this nation's heart and soul, and made it SICKO, too.
Good luck Moore... they'll be soon coming after ANY who disagree with an off balance unitary executive, any and every totalitarian realm cannot countenance dissent or an opinion from those positioned to offer it on the basis of informed data, reason and compassion for the ideals this nation, as opposed to the smoke and mirrors version developed by Rove & co/Neon cons etc was founded to further. And what medicine shall be needed...

Hey Mikey you go baby.

Yellow Horse

Michael Moore, you've done it again!

I can't wait for the whining of Hannity, Limbag and the other right-wing hacks on this!

I am so happy to see Michael do it again! Thank God one man still has the balls to take on the establishment! What they always leave out when putting his work down is he uses news footage that the others take. He just make a story out of them all, but the facts remain these are old news pieces strung together period. Some fancy stuff in between, but still just old footage. WE need a revolution, and it needs to be televised!

Fascinating! Just when there exists a huge effort to normalize relations with Cuba, Moore brings the whole issue inadvertently to front & center. Thank you, Mr. Moore, for
being a keeper of the "light" of truth. Let it continue to shine and shine on forever.

PS. I have no doubt we'll eventually get to see the film, and that you'll probably garner many rewards for it. Thank you, George Bush, et. al; your efforts to suppress backfire once again. The controversy generated is worth millions in publicity.

Just as a opened the link to this article FoxNews was already castigating Bold Mikey. What really should be asked is how these so called Christians can justify letting people go untreated for anything even if thgey did not work to clean up the mess of 9-11. And while we are at it can we stop calling the Trade Center Towers ground zero? Ground zero occured in Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the US is the only nation to use nukes on people. Let's not lose sight of that reality.

He's not just another comedian.

I read this on the wire earlier this Morning. If the Government doesnt jail or levy a big fine on Moore then the doors will be open for people to slip across the border to Mexico or Canada and go to Cuba so it will be interesting. I think one is supposed to get some kind of license to go and I read a while back, to my surprise that the State Department had issued a couple thousand last year .

Michael Moore should be considered an American Icon. Although I don't agree with every thing he has published but his opinions have merit and should be seriously considered by every one. His Fahrenheit 9/11 in my opinion was the best documentary I ever seen.

Don't take this the wrong way, but I hope with all my heart that the Bush Administration decides to actually go forward with some kind of lawsuit on Michael, and that he is faced with the reality of jail! Why? Because maybe if someone as journalistically important as Michael Moore ends up behind bars because he utilized the hospitality of Communist country our government doesn't approve of, the rest of us will sit up and take notice and eventually take it to the streets!

The time has come to blow the lid off of the constant hypocrisy, and economic tyranny that the health care system in this country represents. Off with the industry's head!

I think it is very thoughtful of the Bush admin to provide all this free promotion--can't wait to see it.

jon
Connecting the dots: from human behaviors to ecosystem decline
http://StudentsForTheEarth.org

Of course I don't know if this information will be brought out in the film Sicko, but Cuba, the Godless commuist tyrany to the South, has a longer life expectancy and a lower infant mortality rate than the US. By the way, that is according to the CIA's fact book and not some propaganda release from Fidel.

Also Cuban medical schools train doctors in the specialty of disaster relief medicine (which makes sense given the contry's location in the heart of hurricane land).

Cuba offered to send medical teams to the US to assist with care of people in New Orleans after Katrina which was of course refused by the Bush adminnstration. Michael Moore's persona is that of an annoying sophmoric brat which makes him the perfect nemesis for our current President and his frat-boy sorority-girl adminstration.

"...but Moore's talent for clever falsehoods has been too well documented."

Oh really Fred? Seems to me that the regressive right republicans' falsehoods are becoming too well-documented. Some are clever but all are terribly damaging to US.

Michael Moore, you are an American hero, an inspiration to us all. Thank you.

The present administration have taken a page out of the playbook of none other than the Holy Roman Empire, who controlled their vast empire - (the largest the world had ever known) - with two simple things: "bread and circuses".

Bread and circuses was how the Roman satirist Juvenal characterized the Roman Empire's imperial leadership's way of placating the masses, sedating them with plenty of cheap food and entertainment to keep them from thinking about more important issues like government misdeeds, corruption, high taxes and poor public services.

American Idol and home pizza delivery anyone?

Chimpy McFlightsuit and his many rich buddies hope you have a great night!

Thank God for Michael Moore! If only he could share his balls with more Americans, maybe this country could get back on the right track.

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU MICHAEL!

Sicko will make more money than Farenheiht 9/11 thanks to Faux News and the evil White House. Michael needs to write a thank you letter.....:o)

Funny, I don't recall any government interference when Cheney's Halliburton was doing oil business with the embargoed Libya, Iran, and Iraq in the 1990s. Cheney's answer was that he didn't feel the government had the right to tell him and his company who it could do business with. Republicans launched a far-reaching investigation into the Clinton's 10-year-old, $50K Whitewater deal, yet let Cheney slip into the VP slot with no conflict-of-interest questions, and no inquiry into his multi-million $ dealings in countries forbidden by Federal law in the years immediately preceding his Vice Presidency.

Looking forward to Moore's latest effort, but nothing can beat the twenty minutes of a clueless Chimpy listening to kids read after being told the country he presided over was under attack...you just can't make that stuff up!

This office has no record that a specific license was issued authorizing you to engage in _______________________.

Fill in the blank: smoking or selling pot, certain medical procedures on your own body, protesting a government illegal action, travel to certain other countries, . . .

Whatever happened to: We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and *secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity* do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Now it's: ". . . secure the LICENSED blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity . . ." which isn't liberty at all.

Thank you Michael Moore. It's about time people realize the efforts that Cuba makes when it comes to health care. Cuba has a program that allows doctors to work in other countries. Cuba also had doctors ready to come to New Orleans to help, but they were denied by our government. The embargo is our country's way of making sure the capitalistic system stays intact.

Go to Moore's website to get a copy of the letter he received.

Michael Moore is a big fat muckraking loudmouth and a gadfly on the state -- I can only wish we had more people like him.

This article contains an error of fact. Michael Moore's film Fahrenheit 911 grossed over $220 million worldwide, not the $100 million that AP reporter David Germain stated. See Box Office Mojo for details: http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=fahrenheit911.htm

So, the question in my mind is this: Is Germain a sloppy writer who is too loose with his facts? Or, more sinisterly, as with the sorts of tallies that I almost invariably see for peace marches across the country, did Germain deliberately lie in order to make Fahrenheit 911 appear to be less of a success than it actually is?

Sloppy or corrupt, Germain should provide his readers with an explanation, or else provide AP with his resignation.

ike wrote: "The PhRMA doesn't need to lobby," Democratic congressman Sherrod Brown said in a memo to staff last month. "The industry is in the White House already."

I'd like to add to Rep. Brown's memo: "and own at least half of the Democratic Congress also."

So, we have major conspirator against Cuban Government out of American justice system and major conspirator against American Government into American justice system! Bravo, Michael Moore! With the help of Decider you created the most laughable situation.

As professional comedian you know that nothing in the world is as lethal as laughter. Good job! Waiting to see SICKO even though I see tons of them everytime I turn my TV on.

"In 2003, the New York Yankees paid the government $75,000 to settle a dispute that it conducted business in Cuba in violation of the embargo. No specifics were released about that case."

Legal precedents are wonderful to have when you're being railroaded by the government!

Does anyone remember when the Republican-led Congress tried to confiscate the funds that were given to 9/11 first responders? The money was to be used to treat them for ailments they might develop in the future after being exposed to all the harmful dusts and chemicals at the scene.

If they go after Moore, they'll have to go after the rescue workers he took with him to get treated as well.

No way they're gonna do that. These people got sick helping fellow Americans, their government didn't give them adequate care and then prosecutes them for seeking it? Even the Bushies don't hate Moore enough to make that mistake.

and so it goes...

I loved reading every post above! I feel hope in the air!

Brilliant timing Michael!

Living with economic sanctions Cuba has advanced the field of medicine using "what works" instead of what makes money.

Remember when people attack your character feed their attack back. Does it fit?

[["I have no expectation that Moore is going to tell the truth about Cuba or health care," wrote Thompson, the subject of speculation about a possible presidential run. "I defend his right to do what he does, but Moore's talent for clever falsehoods has been too well documented."]]

poncho's right. The country is starting to wake up from it's neocon induced coma. I don't think they understand yet how pissed off people are at these right-wing pharma friendly corpirate conspirators.

Yeah, keep poking at M. Moore. The blowback is gonna singe their eyebrows off.

"The average fine inflicted by the US authorities turns around 9000 dollars. Others, as Ry Cooder (at the origin of the disc Buena Vista) bailed out of 250.000 dollars of fine. The sorrow envisaged by the US law envisages also 10 years of prison."
from,
Colombia: Letter Open to Jose Saramago, by James Petras - Counterpunch.
January 13, 2005, by CSP
(translated from French.)

The Bush administration which includes all of it's neo con propagandists fear anyone who speaks out against them that speaks the truth.
Michael Moore has done it again with Sicko and you can count on the White House to issue their talking points garbage to the likes of Hannity, Beck and O'Reilly who are all fighting for space on Bush's ass to plant their next kiss.
Damn, the truth really hurts but comes with it's price.
Just wish there were more like Michael Moore in this world to tell it as it really is...

The pharmaceutical industry is out of control - I wonder if Moore's film will address the fact that many public univeristy chemistry research departments in the US are now wholly controlled by Big Pharma (public research creates privately held patents). Then there's the massive control they exert at the government level - the most powerful lobby in Washington is Big Pharma:

"USA: The Pharmaceutical Industry Stalks the Corridors of Power
by Julian Borger, The Guardian Unlimited
February 13th, 2001

Washington teems with a thousand industrial lobbyists. They cluster around the band of luxury offices and expensive restaurants which stretches from the White House to the Capitol building - a two-mile axis along which money and power are constantly traded.

In this pantheon of corporate muscle, no industry wields as much power as the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association (PhRMA), a pressure group breathtaking for its deep pockets and aggression, even by the standards of US politics...

The combined worth of the world's top five drug companies is twice the combined GDP of all sub-Saharan Africa and their influence on the rules of world trade is many times stronger because they can bring their wealth to bear directly on the levers of western power...

...There are other examples of how the distinction between the interests of the pharmaceutical industry and the Bush presidency have blurred. There is a fast-spinning revolving door between government and the pharmaceutical industry. Mitch Daniels, the new director of the office of management and budget in the White House, was formerly the vice-president for strategy and policy at the pharmaceutical giant, Eli Lilly. Two members of the Bush transition team, Anne Marie Lynch and Bill Walters, are PhRMA members. Three others were seconded from big pharmaceutical firms.

"The PhRMA doesn't need to lobby," Democratic congressman Sherrod Brown said in a memo to staff last month. "The industry is in the White House already."

See the rest at http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=178

Former Senator Fred Thompson seems to be motivated by a radical ideology as he rushes to the defense of big pharma with his "clever falsehoods" attack on Moore's credibility.

For 18 years Thompson was a lobbyist for clients such as General Electric and Westinghouse. Thanks to such lobbying, these monsters have ensured that hundreds of millions of Americans would spend decades wasting 49 watts of fossil energy for every watt of light consumed.

All along we were encouraged not to think about it or to pretend that everything was alright. Thompson was a key lobbyist pushing the S&L deregulation legislation (Garn - St Germain) largely responsible for the 1980s S&L crisis that cost US taxpayers $125 billion. As a Republican senator, 1994-2003, "Thompson consistently voted to cut education funding and increase military spending" according to the Washington Monthly.

Thompson's "clever falsehoods" accusation is so deeply hypocritical. The American people are up to their necks in "clever falsehoods" spewed by Republicans in service to their "special interest" masters.

BOYCOTT GASOLINE MAY 15

Michael is a prophetic hero in a time when they are very hard to come by.

The US Treasury called off their investigation of Michael Moore's "Sicko" when they learned it wasn't just another unauthorized George W. Bush biography.

Michael Moore is a great artist and a true patriot. He has done more for the average American working person than any politician of the last 50 years. He has exposed the hypocrisy and corruption of our corporate-controlled government, and has done so with incredible wit and humor. He's brilliant! Can't wait to see Sicko.

have no expectation that Moore is going to tell the truth about Cuba or health care," wrote Thompson.

Well duh ; if you think Moore is lying about Cuba,then go and check it out yourself . I'm sure you wouldn't need Bush's permission first and most certainly Fidel would not refuse to let you critique the Cuban Health Care system . Cubans must be splitting a gut laughing at Fred Thompson's response.

It has long been known that the Bush administration is ... Sick.. Sick...Sick.
Now that the Treasury Dept has provided publicity, worth millions of dollars, for Moore's latest film, we can add ...Stupid... Stupid ... Stupid.

Chimpy's doing Michael Moore a favor. This is just more publicity for the film which will more than pay any fines they dump on him (or the legal costs of fighting them).

ike May 10th, 2007 5:25 pm

"Washington teems with a thousand industrial lobbyists.
In this pantheon of corporate muscle, no industry wields as much power as the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association (PhRMA), a pressure group breathtaking for its deep pockets and aggression, even by the standards of US politics."

I hope people realize that the television commercials they see about the elderly drug plan that is urging us to prevent our government from negotiating drug prices is put on by PhRma. Check it out on the right lower corner of your television at the end of the commercial.

They spend $$Billions on advertising but are not willing to give the people a break on necessary drugs. I have some choice adjectives to describe the behavior of these SICKOs, don't you!

F**k the fines, and let the show begin!

Way to go, Michael Moore!

Maybe Michael Moore ought to consider placing a copy of the film at Guantanamo Bay for safekeeping. We all know that US law doesn't apply there.

Way to go MM!!! What do you bet is next? Two bits says the Bushies sic IRS on Moore next. Can you spell "retribution"?

Mess with insurance companies and feel the wrath of the Son of a Bush!

I pray to the Cosmic Universe that Moore takes on labor issues next- wait 'til he exposes that hornets' nest, because States are backing up industries that exploit the hell out of workers, right here in the USA, and all I can say is, god help you if you are a temporary worker and/or get hurt on the job even full time employees who are injured- especially those without unions, because should you need and deserve help, you are SOL and have a huge mindfuck awaiting you if you try to achieve even a small measure of justice. I'll be curious to see in "Sicko" if he mentions this aspect of lackluster medical care across the States for injured workers.

Michael devoted X film script and time for the Cuba sideshow. That's time that he didn't devote to expanding the conversation about America's healthcare non-system. Hundreds of hours are needed for a thorough expose, but it is feasible to shock and awe Americans into reality about access, cost, quality and safety.

There is nothing 'great' or 'prophetic' or 'heroic' or prudent about wasting a fraction of platform, opportunity, and resources on revealing that Cuba (and/or other nations) have universal healthcare systems accessible and affordable to all. People interviewed for this film by Michael's research staff know that they were more interested in sensationalizing the well-documented abuses, corruption, and profiteering of healthcare industry executives and shareholders than provoking thought and educating the public.

The fight is joined. Now Fred Thompson and other neo-cons will obscure the real issue --- the compelling need for a single-payer universal healthcare system --- and focus attention on Michael's trek to Cuba and perhaps, alleged illegality. There is an abundance of evidence ... infinitely more than what George Tenet needed to declare the case for the Iraq debacle a 'slam-dunk' --- to prove that our current healthcare non-system is a national disgrace. Michael didn't need Cuba.

When the film studios manifest the courage to truth-tell contemporaneously the stories of Darfur, America's healthcare morass, Iraq, etc. perhaps the general public will also be ready to leave 'American Idol', 'Wife Swap' and 'Nanny 911' etc. for more socially relevant thought pieces. They can throw in love interests, sex, and violence if they must, but it is beyond time for a Hollywood gut-check. Apparently, film-makers and producers doubt that Americans will pay the admission fees to explore societal values. I yield to their judgment ... they know what sells.

Meanwhile, the 2008 election is likely to yield a Democratic President, who will do the incremental dance in step with the unnecessary insurance industry, or a Republican President, who will sustain the current administration's unrelenting commitment to the healthcare market-based profit trough.

But by then, 'Sicko' will be out on DVD and Michael will or will not be an Oscar and/or Golden Globe Winner.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrr...G(W)overnment.......
Grrrrrrrrrrrrr...great going Michael.

Moore is somewhere between lying and fake, a pretentious lard-arse who's primary skill is in pushing people's buttons.

As a person I hold him in nothing but contempt. Many of his ilk are simply ignorant, ill-informed, often well-meaning and sometimes just not thinking straight. But Moore is deliberate, willful and 100% culpable. Overall I wish progressives no harm, but that sick puppy would need more than a thick coat of blubber if he were to cross my path.

Having said all that, he's good at what he does, the button thing, and these are buttons that need pushing.

Not so much the medical care thing though. How long would Cuba supply "free" healthcare if swarmed by a few million Americans each day? A week? A month?

If America supplied "free" healthcare you'd get swarmed by South America - this is a major problem with healthcare, welfrare, etc. Either feed, clothe, house and care for the entire planet, or face "immigration problems" and their attending corruption, block-vote politics and gerrymandering.

One should also consider the brutality that funds Cuba's "free" healthcare but I digress.

To me the real issue is telling Americans who travel outside of America, where they are allowed to go. What business is that of your government?

I see no difference between such restrictions and the Berlin Wall.

S.