Bush subpeonas michael moore...

[butterfly77]

BUSHIES WANT TO HEAR FROM MOORE ON CUBA TRIP

This just in from "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," where Michael Moore is a guest this evening:

The Bush administration has subpoenaed Moore over his trip to Cuba with 9/11 rescue workers, which he included in his new documentary film, "Sicko." The press release is in the link below.

- Ken Bazinet

MICHAEL MOORE ANNOUNCES THAT HE’S BEEN SUBPOENAED BY THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION ON “THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO”

BURBANK-July 26, 2007 – Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Michael Moore announced that the Bush Administration has subpoenaed him in the wake of his recent trip to Cuba on the July 26 episode of NBC's "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" (Monday-Friday, 11:35 p.m. - 12:37 a.m. ET). "I haven't even told my own family yet." Moore began, "I was just informed when I was back there with Jay that the Bush administration has now issued a subpoena for me."


The trip was part of his new film "Sicko" which tackles the question of affordable health care in the United States. Moore, who brought 9/11 rescue workers with him on his excursion, explains the reason for his trip, saying: "Took them to Guantanamo Bay because I heard the Al Qaeda Terrorists we have in the camps there, detained, are receiving free dental, medical, eye care, the whole deal, and our own 9/11 rescue workers can't get that in New York City."

In a continued effort to help the 9/11 rescue workers, Moore stated that on August 11, the Weinstein Company will be donating 11 percent of the box office receipts from "Sicko" to "help these workers and the other workers who need help," said Moore.

Also Moore told Leno on the show how his studio asked him to cut a certain segment out of his film. "I just tell the truth in our film. (Hillary Clinton) did something very courageous 14-years ago, saying all American's should be covered. She got beat up badly for it. Now she's the second-largest recipient of health care industry money in the U.S. Senate."

Moore continued: "In fact, I don't know if I should really talk about this on national television, but you know the head of the studio that's releasing this film...Harvey Weinstein is a big supporter of Hillary Clinton. For the months leading up to the release of the film, he kept calling me every day saying, 'I want you to take that scene out of the film, attacking Hillary.' I said, 'I'm no attacking her, I'm just telling the truth.'"

Moore explained, "I'm going to go after whoever is in power, doesn't matter if they are Democrat or Republican I'm going to try to be a voice for people that don't have a voice."

The segment remains in the film, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 19, 2007.

"The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" is from Big Dog Productions in association with Universal Media Studios. Debbie Vickers is the executive producer.

[rfranklin]

1. Gee, more free publicity for "Sicko"...those Bushistas sure are...

stoopid! They are definitely going to lose this one.

[MonkeyFunk]

2. good for Moore1

I'm sure he was hoping this would happen.

[kenny blankenship]

10. Theoretically he faces 10 years in jail plus fines if convicted for breaking the embargo

so I would be careful about wishing for something like that. It's also conceivable that prosecution of Moore will touch off a RW effort to push his film out of theaters, effectively suppressing it.

I can't think of how to organize support for Moore that will change the outcome of this investigation, but I have a strong feeling we should be doing something.

[thunder35]

14. How can they push it out of theaters I call that censorship

[kenny blankenship]

15. What I'm speculating about is a "grassroots" attempt to push Sicko out of distribution

people calling theaters to complain about "that traitor's film" being shown. The government case against Moore, however weak or strong it might be --and it might end up being thrown right out of court--could be used in the meantime as a springboard for this "grassroots" action. Banned by popular demand, as it were.

That would not be government censorship, strictly speaking. (Just government coordinated and government instigated) Moore was worried enough about censorship of the "prior restraint" variety to get the Sicko film master out of the country sometime back in the pre-release period of advance screenings. Word of the Cuban segment was getting out and what if the Bushlerites attempted to suppress the film before its release? While it is highly unusual for the gummint to attempt that kind of "seize the negatives" censorship, and usually considered unConstitutional, that doesn't stop the government from having the ability to suppress a work if it violates some statutory law. Probably they will want to make the argument that Sicko constitutes "trade with Cuba" since parts of it were filmed there, and the film itself is a money making venture. Seems like a weak case, but with a Reagan-Bush judiciary and Supreme Court anything is possible. But even if the case goes nowhere, and Moore is prosecuted for a simple violation of the travel ban and fined, or even if the whole thing is dropped, in the meantime a RW hate campaign may develop to put pressure on theater chains not to show Sicko anymore, based on the existence of scurrilous sounding Federal charges against Moore. Maybe it's all too late now to matter for Sicko and its box office receipts, but it could also have a chilling effect on Moore's ability to distribute future films.

[MonkeyFunk]

16. He knew the laws full well

before he went.

He's not gonna face any jail time. Again, he HAD to know this was a likely outcome, and it just gives him more publicity.

[Postman]

3. Did the fascist Bush Administration subpeana the rescue workers too?

eom

[AnExtremist]

4. I wonder if bush will try to force inherent contempt if he denies? :D

Nothing would be greater than bush having to submit to inherent contempt. I know it probably doesn't work that way, but it's funny to imagine.

[Ganja Ninja]

5. By the time they could press any charges, convict & sentence

him for whatever there will be a Democrat in the WH.

[Elwood P Dowd]

6. You should have been here last night

during and after the show.

[dflprincess]

8. Details?

And, does anyone know who Moore has been subpoenaed to appear in front of?

[Elwood P Dowd]

9. Try this. It's still on page 1 - Bozita's post below.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1449349

[Sequoia]

7. Ignore him Michael, Bush tells his underlings to ignore SUBPOENAES

[Subdivisions]

11. Subpoenas are issued so that they may be ignored. No problem!

[sarcasmo]

12. This story is going to benefit Moore in the end.

Looks like they are going to make Moore more famous than he already is, if that is possible.

[JackintheGreen]

13. William Worthy isn't worthy to come through our door

he went down to Cuba, he's not American anymore
But somehow it is strange to hear the State Department say,
"you are living in the free world, in the free world you must stay."

Shouldn't it be the case that songs written 40 years ago are no longer prescient? Alas...