Michael Moore wants to investigate Treasury Dept.

[kskiska]

Source: Reuters

Maverick filmmaker Michael Moore took the first step on Wednesday in launching his own probe into the U.S. government's investigation of him for making an unauthorized trip to Cuba to film scenes for his latest movie "SiCKO."

Moore's attorney David Boies sent the U.S. Treasury Department a Freedom of Information Act request for all documents in its possession regarding its civil investigation of Moore which was launched by the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control told Moore earlier this month that it was conducting a civil investigation to see if he violated the U.S. trade embargo restricting travel to Cuba. The office said Moore did not apply for the license required for Americans visiting Cuba.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070516/people_nm/moore_probe_dc_1

[truthisfreedom]

1. Hah. I expect Moore will find a much deeper conspiracy, going right back to piggy rove.

I have no doubt, really.

[tom_paine]

5. Not much doubt when dealing with totalitariuan scum, from Nazis to Bushies

They are very predictable because they are not free.

[tanyev]

15. Or he would if they actually sent him all the documents he has requested.

I'm sure most of them will be conveniently "lost".

[Scout1071]

2. I cheer Moore. Good on ya.

[TheDebbieDee]

3. Way to go, Mike..................

Start shining some light on the way the * admin is using the resources of the US Government to engage in petty one-ups-manship with private citizens.

If this repuke admin put as much serious effort into tracking down OBL as they did adding the names of harmless admin critics to the "no fly" list, OBL would have been dead years ago!

[Pastiche423]

4. Uh...

OBL did die several years ago.

[TroglodyteScholar]

11. Oh, then, well that's settled....

:eyes:

[whopis01]

58. that's good to know.

And I suppose he is buried next to Hoffa?

[flobee1]

6. I cant wait to see this movie

with all the crap he's stirring up, it sounds like he's on a mission to outdo F/911
this ought to be good!

[offthecurve]

7. I'm torn between curiosity and dread.

[unpossibles]

13. why dread? n/t

[fudge stripe cookays]

19. And why no profile?

Enquiring minds want to know. ;-)

[unpossibles]

28. ha!

I'm sure they're just concerned for Michael.

[Judi Lynn]

8. Really, REALLY looking forward to his film, also.

Sseems it has been far too long since we've heard from this guy.

Hope the best for him. He makes things far more interesting, and you just can't fault his courage. Hope he has very good security with him at all times.

[flobee1]

9. I've been a fan of his since

"the awful truth"

http://youtube.com/watch?v=k3MSi3uf8GA

The best one ever was when he took all the tracheotomy patients(due to smoking) to Phillip Morris to sing christmas carols:rofl:
but I cant find it on youtube

Dude definitely had a twisted and demented mind, but he uses it to make the world a better place

[valerief]

20. That one was golden! nt

[harun]

22. Moore was born with a gift, morality (n/t)

[populistdriven]

51. I have the first season on VHS

They are available on DVD

I liked the mobile mosh pit on the back of a large truck for primary candidates if you surfed it you would get his endorsement - the only one who would surf it was Alan Keyes - So he endorsed him :rofl:

Here is the link on MM's website http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/message/index.php?messageDate=2000-01-28


So, we announced to all the contenders for the White House that "The Awful Truth" will endorse any candidate who jumps into our mosh pit. Simple as that. No large sums of dirty money, no favors or back-room deal making. Just dive into the outstretched arms of 100 degenerate - but registered - youth, and you are our candidate. I hauled this mosh pit around Iowa in a large flatbed truck, crisscrossing the state and inviting the Presidential candidates to join the teeming and tattooed masses. The response from the candidates varied from a stunned and frightened Steve Forbes (who quickly walked by the pit giving it a nervous thumb up), to front-runner George W. Bush (who told me, "behave yourself, Michael - I see you're up to your old tricks - why don't you go get a real job?")

Gary Bauer, on the other hand, called the Des Moines police - who sent five cruisers and a paddy wagon to arrest the pit. The police, though, could not contain their laughter when they arrived and saw the group of purple-haired, pierce-lipped, 18-year olds jumping wildly in place to the music of Rage Against the Machine.

Next, we drove over to a town hall event being staged by former Reagan ambassador, Alan Keyes. As the mosh pit rolled into the parking lot, with Rage music blaring ("It has to start somewhere/ It has to start sometime/ What better place than here/ What better time than now..."), Keyes staffers came outside to see what all the noise was about. When informed that Keyes could get the endorsement of "The Awful Truth," Keyes' national field director dove into the pit, hoping that would suffice for our support. He then brought out "Uncle Sam," a Keyes supporter who was dressed in full Uncle Sam regalia. He, too, jumped in.

But we told the Keyes staff that it had to be Keyes himself. Minutes later, Alan Keyes emerged and, against the loud protests of his Secret Service agent, Keyes climbed to the top of the makeshift stage on the back of the truck and dove backwards into the screaming mosh pit. He then body-surfed the entire pit, carried like a wave on the outstretched hands of the tightly compact crowd. He did a couple of body slams with a spiked-hair youth from Ames High School and left the pit with the official endorsement of the show.

[Sherman A1]

10. Ahhhh,

Now perhaps the shoe is on the other hand..... or something like that....


:freak: :hi: :popcorn:

[Justyce]

12. They should've known better than to screw with him...

:applause: :popcorn:

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

14. MM is a national treasure and a true American. His film legacy will help keep history from being

rewritten, in spite of the neocons' efforts.

MKJ

[EmmitFitzhume]

16. I'm eagerly awaiting

Sicko, it sounds great from the article that I've read. We need some light shed on our broken health care system and I like Moore's use of humor to address serious and controversial issues. Not to mention the stories of the 9/11 rescue workers are great examples to show people just how bad things have gotten.

[MrSlayer]

17. Or, in other words, "Fuck You".

You have to love this. Good for Moore.

[PinkyisBlue]

18. Good for Michael Moore! I really love this guy.

But I'll bet the U.S. Treasury refuses to turn over any documents, for "national security" reasons.

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Justitia]

23. You don't think it's important to know if our gov't is targeting those it considers political

enemies? Using the power of the federal gov't to punish those citizens whose actions it doesn't approve of?

I do.

[harun]

24. You accuse him of lying so you should cite those lies

if you actually want to be taken seriously and take part in the discussion. It isn't that complicated. Assertions with lack of even a bad example are just wasting your time and ours.

[proud2BlibKansan]

25. What lies?

How about less opinionating and more facts?

[roody]

26. Lies? Please be specific. What lies has Moore told?

[GreenEyedLefty]

27. Please, cite the lies

And keep in mind that MM is an equal opportunity gadfly. He doesn't exactly let Democrats off the hook. Didn't you see in F-911 where the Democrats completely and 100% let down the Congressional Black Caucus when they complained about the 2000 vote?

And yeah, if this makes me childish, so be it.

[onehandle]

29. And these lies are?...

silence.

[silvermachine]

30. OK, I'll play...

...and if you consider this response to be a childish attack, then I guess that's your problem.
Anyway, I don't think you can really equate Michael Moore with Rush Limbaugh and here's why...

-I don't recall Michael Moore ever railing against drug users and advocating draconian sentencing measures, all the while having a massive substance abuse problem himself.

-I never heard Michael Moore make disparaging remarks about the young children of those that disagree with him politically.

-Michael Moore actually goes out and personally investigates the people and issues that he comments on. He doesn't sit in a booth spoon feeding the political talking points of the party he represents to an audience largely comprised of people actually being hurt by the policies advocated in his rhetoric.

-Michael Moore is more than willing to talk (and yes, confront) people that are his idealogical opposites, instead of merely getting a bunch of pre-screened clones to regurgitate his views (in an even less articulate manner than his own) ad nauseum.

Like it or not, there is no comparison.

[nxylas]

32. I'm a fan of Moore, but....

I did have a chuckle at the story of British satirist Chris Morris introducing him to Mark Thomas (a British practitioner of Moore-style "prankstire") with a splendid put-down of both of them: "This is Mark Thomas. He bullies receptionists too". I have to confess, that criticism did have the uncomfortable ring of truth about it.

[LanternWaste]

35. Two young ladies who were life-long republicans...

Two young ladies who were life-long republicans at my office began voting for democrats for the fist time in their lives after seeing Fahrenheit 911; so no-- I don't agree with your opinions that he doesn't sway anyone or serves only to reinforce preexisting beliefs.

[Marnieworld]

37. I want to hear you I really do

But you are so vague that I can't understand what you are talking about.

It seems that you are under the impression that reality has more than one side and that they are both equal. I disagree. More you refer to lies without one example. You refer to "the cause" without a hint of defining it.

Michael Moore is an activist and an artist while Limbaugh sits in a chair and speaks for 3 hours. One actually tries to support their assertions, the other doesn't. More than that Limbaugh is a pointless hater. The gyrations making fun of Michael J. Fox's Parkinsons? Bama the "Magic Negro"? Hate for hate's sake. Moore may have rage against the injustices he perceives but it's not the same thing at all. Rush is despised for far more than his lies.

And really Michael Moore is very mainstream not fanatical. He won an Oscar for the most financially successful documentary of all time. His books are bestsellers and people turn out in droves to see him speak. Hardly a fringe player. If we are "stomping and howling" it is not because of Moore. We can see the truth for ourselves, we just appreciate that he articulates on a mass scale what we already know and believe. Just documenting those 7 minutes forever was a gift.

But of course you don't really want to debate anything really. An example would have been appropriate rather than just calling us all "ignorant chidish and hypocritical." You just post this and go while we all respond to you and waste our time.

[NoSheep]

38. And your evidence for this is?

[tabasco]

40. Let's hear the specifics about all these lies.

I think you should go away with your unsupported accusations.

[Lerkfish]

41. preemptively accusing yourself of being a bushie is not an effective innoculation

I'm just sayin.

[LSK]

44. name anything dishonest coming from Moore

[HughBeaumont]

45. You may proceed with links to said lies, please . . .

. . . proving that unsubstantiated arguments and knee-jerk accusations are also not exclusive to Republicans.

You know, because wanting corporations to explain their war on America's middle class, calling our "president" and congress on approving this debacle of a reasonless occupation and displaying the glaring reasons we need national health care . . . our side really doesn't need that leftist commie bullshit, right? :eyes:

[Crazy Dave]

46. No insults here but....

...I'm curious why you would even want to hang around on a message board with so many people you disagree with?

[BonnieJW]

48. He/she is gone.

Clearly a freeper; only 93 posts. They struck and left. Don't bother.

[Crazy Dave]

50. I really wish they'd let them hang around a little longer

They're so easy to spot and sometimes somebody will link a post with something so bizarre and stupid it's funny but by the time I get to it it's gone.

But then again I've been in the same place he/she has been, accused of being a freeper, disrupter, don't know what I'm talking about and all that, but I do stick around and give my reasons why I feel the way I do, then I'll listen to others (who aren't being purely insultive) why they feel the way they do and sometimes.....me or someone else has actually changed their/my mind and opinion after a polite and productive debate.

[Malikshah]

52. Talk about walking in a room, letting one rip, and then leaving...

Friend:

Try again when there's something to the argument...

And be careful of those Billy goats gruff trip trapping on the bridge.

[porque no]

60. Dragging your bait through the water, behind a boat is called

trolling.

[NoSheep]

61. lol

[Megahurtz]

63. Lol that's funny!

:D

[earth mom]

53. WTF?! Are you kidding me?! WTF?!

How can you compare Moore to Limbaugh?! There is simply no response to your post that doesn't include numerous swear words so I'll keep it clean, short and to the point: Limbaugh is a disgusting oozing blight on society who cares nothing about anyone but himself and his cronies! :puke:

Moore is an American Hero who cares about the people of this country! He has made an incredible difference in opening peoples eyes to the corruption in Washington DC!

Anyone who doesn't like Moore has most certainly gone over to the evil & dark side! :grr:

[FatDave]

54. No seriously....

Here's the thing. I kind of agree with you. I wouldn't go so far as to say the guy lies, but he does spin things quite a bit sometimes. I mean, I like his movies, but I don't take them as gospel.

So seriously, if you'll give an example, I'll listen objectively. I think a lot of people here will. But you can't just throw a bomb and run. People will think you're just a freeper troll.

But not me. While 93 posts isn't a lot, it's more trouble than your average freeper would go to. And you know, you could just be new, or maybe you only post when you've actually got something to meaningful to say. But to avoid jumping to conclusions, I dug back into your post history. And you know, sometimes I agree with you, sometimes I don't, and that's to be expected.

The trouble is, sometimes you come off as a bit of a dick. I don't mean to say you really are a dick, just that you can come off that way. I've seen you make blanket assumptions about "you liberals", and it turns out this isn't the first time you've incited some minor controversy and then not stuck around to answer for it.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm glad to have you here, and it's great that we won't always agree on everything. That's the nice thing about this board and the democratic party in general. We thrive on a diversity of opinion. But you know, remember that old "you'll catch more flies with honey than with vinegar" addage is all I'm saying. Leave your preconceived notions of what a democrat/liberal is at the door, and be prepared to back up any assertions you make. And I hope you'll expect the same from me and everybody else here.

See also: http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Don't_be_a_dick

[Carolina]

55. Moore doesn't hurt the cause

people lying about him, smearing him, hurt the cause.

Please cite the lies SPECIFICALLY, if you can. In F-911:
- the Bush-Saudi connection was and remains absolutely true
- the bin Laden family members were allowed to leave the US by air
- Bush did sit absolutely dumbfounded when presented the news about an airplane strucking WTC I

etc...

You say:
"he doesn't do anything to convince people on the other side of the argument that they need to rethink their position, nor does he do anything to sway someone that's undecided ..."

And part of the problem is people like you who denigrate his work. Anyway, so what, it's clear that there is a percentage of sheeple who can't handle the truth, who'd rather have a steady diet of Rush and Bush lies, no matter what. But clearly the tide has turned for some and Michael Moore deserves credit for speaking truth to power, especially the current fascists in the executive and MSM.

[The Wizard]

57. The tone and nature

of your post indicates a Republican tilt. Kindly provide examples of Moore's dishonesty.

[porque no]

59. The truth NEVER hurts. Sunshine NEVER hurts.

Never hurts the decent. Never hurts "We the People".

You're listneinig to too much idiot radio.

[trag]

31. Why only Moore?

Why not investigate the whole 'group'? Hmmmmmmmmm

[EmmitFitzhume]

34. Let me take a wild guess

To put it mildly, is it because he's the only one who has directed a new documentary revealing how the drug companies, insurance companies, HMOs influence politicians and combine to fuel our flawed healthcare system?

Is that the reason?

[trag]

36. I'd say you're right!

Politics -- NeoCon style !!

[Marnieworld]

33. David Boies?

Wow. He could do a lot worse than that guy as his advocate. Good job Moore!

[clixtox]

39. I Sure Hope That David Boies Does A Lot Better Job For Michael Moore...

Than he did while representing Al Gore in Nov/Dec 2000...

[EVDebs]

42. It was like 'Jeeves, the butler' vs. 'the Brooks Bros. rioters' nt

[Marnieworld]

43. That wasn't Boies fault

If you listened to the case as I did you would know he was brilliant and did present the best case. That was a heavily biased court. How could any lawyer defeat Scalia's logic that counting all of the votes would hurt the credibility of the declared winner? Um yah,that's the point of it Tony. They ruled declaring that it would set no precedent for future cases which negates the whole point of SCOTUS rulings. Just like I don't blame Gore, I don't blame Boies. It's really hard to beat cheaters.

[springhill]

47. I did listen to the case............

and other experts bring out the road he could have taken but didn't. I don't think he did a very good job at all.

[Jacobin]

49. Boies was not the problem in 2000

SCOTUS made a legally indefensible ruling to install Bush as president.

No one could have stopped them

[rocktivity]

56. That could be the subject of his next movie

Ka-Ching.

:dunce:
rocknation

[Truthseeker013]

62. Good luck with that, Michael...

I forsee a lot of red tape in your future. And maybe the fuel for his next documentary.

[truckerb1968]

64. He is going after the right people. I sure hope he has a bunch of Lawyer's.

Here come the Government VS Michael Moore lawsuits.