SAY NO MOORE

The pretend Blue Collar hypocrite from Davison, MI (not Flint as he tells everyone), Michael Moore seems to be in a bit of trouble with the Feds, OFAC specifically, for taking people to Cuba for medical treatment. This would be part of his dog and pony show to promote his film, “Sicko.” Who cares?!

But you may wonder why I would call our loveable, disheveled, baseball cap wearing, common man, Mike, a hypocrite. Let’s walk through some of his bull together, shall we?

This guy lives on 281 feet of prime waterfront on Torch Lake in Michigan (again, not Flint), a lake National Geographic calls one of the three most beautiful lakes in the world. That’s right, the world. He lives in a multimillion dollar mansion. Here he was cited by authorities for despoiling a wetland while trying to expand his private beach. In addition, our humble documentary filmmaker owns a penthouse in New York City. He lived there for ten years except when he was to reap millions for “Bowling for Columbine” in 2003 when he switched his address to Michigan again to avoid New York’s 7.7 percent tax, as apposed to Michigan’s 3.9 percent tax. The community he likes to call home in Michigan is 97.5 percent white and not a single African-American lives in their town.

According to an article published by the British Film Institute, when Moore flew to London to promote a film or visit folks at the BBC, he flew in a Concorde and stayed at the Ritz. But, here’s the really tricky stuff…He also booked a room at a cheap hotel down the street where he could meet with journalists and pose as the humble man he likes you and me to believe he is.

Despite his upcoming movie “Sicko,” where he lambasts the U.S. health care industry (you know, the one that world leaders show up to participate in when they’re sick), he owns stock in Pfizer, Merck, Genzyme, Elan PLC, Eli Lilly and Boston Scientific, according to the IRS… All of them healthcare and pharmaceutical companies. Although he savages HMOs in his film, he owns shares of Pharmacia Corporation and Tenet Healthcare…you guessed it, both HMOs. You see, he deposits the stock into his ‘foundation,’ registered in Michigan and run entirely by him and his wife, to give to any cause they see fit. There is no outside manager or trustee. But wait, didn’t he tell the online magazine “Salon” that he didn’t own any stock? I think he said “I don’t own any stock.”

On big oil? He says for every soldier killed in Iraq, Halliburton should execute a mid-level executive. Nice! Yet he owns shares of Sunoco, Noble Energy, Schlumberger, Williams Companies, Transocean Sedco Forex (world’s largest offshore drilling company) and Anadarko. He also, according to IRS filings, owned shares in Halliburton and sold them at a 15 percent profit. He also bought shares of Noble, Ford, General Electric (defense contractor) and McDonald’s. Oh, I almost didn’t mention a couple other defense contractors: Honeywell, Boeing and Loral.

Oh, and by the way, he doesn’t fly commercial. To promote “Bowling for Columbine,” he insisted on flying in a private jet, accompanied by a fleet of private SUVs and bodyguards. ARMED body guards (anyone see irony here?)! One of his bodyguards was recently arrested in New York City for carrying an unlicensed weapon. Hmmm.

In the Middle East, the terrorist group Hezbollah even worked with Front Row Entertainment of the United Arab Emirates to promote his film “Fahrenheit 911!” But he’s such a patriot!

We could go on and on…For example, about his hypocritical stance on unions. But maybe another day.

On another note:
Mike Wallace asked Mitt and Ann Romney (for an upcoming 60 Minutes episode) whether they engaged in premarital sex. Now there’s an important question…I’ll be on the edge of my bored seat! And thanks for the visual, Mike! I may be mistaken here, but I don’t specifically recall anyone at 60 Minutes asking Bill Clinton whether he ever raped anyone or sexually harassed anyone or if he asked for sex while interviewing a job candidate. Yet the women allegedly offended certainly said it happened. I guess that stuff just isn’t important if the interviewee is a Democrat! But there I go again…I’ll get to the GOP…soon.

JD.