04-12-2009, 04:39 AM
Having watched Michael Moore's movie I thought I would add to this thread. It is a good movie and I do recommend people see it. Especially Americans. They really need to see it. It is a movie right from the heart of Michael Moore. Impassioned. Urgent.
The nuns and priests of his childhood have had a big and positive influence in his life and his search for social justice stems from that early education and inspiration. Capitalism is a sin. He points out in his inimitable way how the rich and the right have hijacked the teachings of Jesus to support their own position. There are some very strong and unambiguous word from the priest he interviews.
There is no place in the Constitution in which the words capitalism, free market or free enterprise are mentioned but it does have words like creating a better 'union' and promoting the general 'welfare' just like that other 'ism'.
He explores a factory workplace that is run on democratic principles just like the nation (is supposed to be). MM wonders why for the average American's supposed love of democracy they are so willing to subject themselves to a dictatorship in in their working hours. For more on this see Avi Lewis and Naomi Klein's 'The Take'.
One of the interesting things he shows in a long forgotten America. How it used to be. Most alive now have never known it. Other will have forgotten it. The very wealthy were once taxed at 90% and they still lived like kings and queens. Working class families had 4 weeks paid vacations and could afford to take them. Michael Moore's father had bought and paid for the family house by the time Michael had finished kindergarten. He had enough money to send all his children to Catholic schools on top of that. And all this from a GM factory worker because it was a unionised industry.
Also long forgotten but implemented in some of the post war reconstructed nations was FDR's second bill of rights which would have guaranteed all Americans a job, support for farmers markets, housing, education, health and a pension. It never saw the light of day after his death. What a different US we would have seen! And it's not too late to do it now.
On MM's web site he has all the links to documentation for the claims in the movie. Well worth exploring. http://www.michaelmoore.com/books-films/...love-story
Unions are definitely key to getting out of this mess. CommUnity more so. If your workplace is not covered by a union there is the IWW http://www.iww.org/ which covers all workers of any industry whether you work part time or full time or are trained or not.
The ruling classes are organised and work together and democracy and an organised working class is their greatest fear. No one to clean their toilets, die in their wars, look after their children and cook their meals and they are completely helpless. They say as much themselves in an extraordinary document, extraordinary because it was put in writing and leaked http://blogs.wsj.com/wealth/2007/01/08/plutonomics/ Remember they are just 1% of the population. We wont even notice they are not there. :flute:
The nuns and priests of his childhood have had a big and positive influence in his life and his search for social justice stems from that early education and inspiration. Capitalism is a sin. He points out in his inimitable way how the rich and the right have hijacked the teachings of Jesus to support their own position. There are some very strong and unambiguous word from the priest he interviews.
There is no place in the Constitution in which the words capitalism, free market or free enterprise are mentioned but it does have words like creating a better 'union' and promoting the general 'welfare' just like that other 'ism'.
He explores a factory workplace that is run on democratic principles just like the nation (is supposed to be). MM wonders why for the average American's supposed love of democracy they are so willing to subject themselves to a dictatorship in in their working hours. For more on this see Avi Lewis and Naomi Klein's 'The Take'.
One of the interesting things he shows in a long forgotten America. How it used to be. Most alive now have never known it. Other will have forgotten it. The very wealthy were once taxed at 90% and they still lived like kings and queens. Working class families had 4 weeks paid vacations and could afford to take them. Michael Moore's father had bought and paid for the family house by the time Michael had finished kindergarten. He had enough money to send all his children to Catholic schools on top of that. And all this from a GM factory worker because it was a unionised industry.
Also long forgotten but implemented in some of the post war reconstructed nations was FDR's second bill of rights which would have guaranteed all Americans a job, support for farmers markets, housing, education, health and a pension. It never saw the light of day after his death. What a different US we would have seen! And it's not too late to do it now.
On MM's web site he has all the links to documentation for the claims in the movie. Well worth exploring. http://www.michaelmoore.com/books-films/...love-story
Unions are definitely key to getting out of this mess. CommUnity more so. If your workplace is not covered by a union there is the IWW http://www.iww.org/ which covers all workers of any industry whether you work part time or full time or are trained or not.
The ruling classes are organised and work together and democracy and an organised working class is their greatest fear. No one to clean their toilets, die in their wars, look after their children and cook their meals and they are completely helpless. They say as much themselves in an extraordinary document, extraordinary because it was put in writing and leaked http://blogs.wsj.com/wealth/2007/01/08/plutonomics/ Remember they are just 1% of the population. We wont even notice they are not there. :flute:
"The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways. The point, however, is to change it." Karl Marx
"He would, wouldn't he?" Mandy Rice-Davies. When asked in court whether she knew that Lord Astor had denied having sex with her.
“I think it would be a good idea” Ghandi, when asked about Western Civilisation.
"He would, wouldn't he?" Mandy Rice-Davies. When asked in court whether she knew that Lord Astor had denied having sex with her.
“I think it would be a good idea” Ghandi, when asked about Western Civilisation.