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AuGmENTor
04-15-2007, 09:43 AM
MOORE'S 'SICKO' STUNT
TAKES 9/11 WORKERS TO CUBA

http://www.nypost.com/seven/04152007/news/worldnews/moores_sicko_stunt_worldnews_janon_fisher.htm

By JANON FISHER

April 15, 2007 -- Filmmaker Michael Moore's production company took ailing Ground Zero responders to Cuba in a stunt aimed at showing that the U.S. health-care system is inferior to Fidel Castro's socialized medicine, according to several sources with knowledge of the trip.

The trip was to be filmed as part of the controversial director's latest documentary, "Sicko," an attack on American drug companies and HMOs that Moore hopes to debut at the Cannes Film Festival next month.

Two years in the making, the flick also takes aim at the medical care being provided to people who worked on the toxic World Trade Center debris pile, according to several 9/11 workers approached by Moore's producers.

But the sick sojourn, which some say uses ill 9/11 workers as pawns, has angered many in the responder community.

"He's using people that are in a bad situation and that's wrong, that's morally wrong," railed Jeff Endean, a former SWAT commander from Morris County, N.J., who spent a month at Ground Zero and suffers from respiratory problems.

A spokeswoman for the Weinstein Co., the film's distributor, would not say when the director's latest expose would hit cinemas or provide details about the film or the trip.

Responders were told Cuban doctors had developed new techniques for treating lung cancer and other respiratory illness, and that health care in the communist country was free, according to those offered the two-week February trip.

Cuba has made recent advancements in biotechnology and exports its cancer treatments to 40 countries around the world, raking in an estimated $100 million a year, according to The Associated Press.

In 2004 the U.S. government granted an exception to its economic embargo against Cuba and allowed a California drug company to test three cancer vaccines developed in Havana, according to the AP.

Regardless, some ill 9/11 workers balked at Moore's idea.

"I would rather die in America than go to Cuba," said Joe Picurro, a Toms River, N.J., ironworker approached by the filmmaker via an e-mail that read, "Joe and Mike in Cuba."

After helping remove debris from Ground Zero, Picurro has a laundry list of respiratory and other ailments so bad that he relies on fund-raisers to help pay his expenses.

He said, "I just laughed. I couldn't do it."

Another ill worker who said he was willing to take the trip ended up being stiffed by Moore.

Michael McCormack, 48, a disabled medic who found an American flag at Ground Zero that once flew atop the Twin Towers, was all set to go to.

The film crew contacted him by phone and took him by limo from his Ridge, L.I., home to Manhattan for an on-camera interview.

"What he [Moore] wanted to do is shove it up George W's rear end that 9/11 heroes had to go to a communist country to get adequate health care," said McCormack, who suffers from chronic respiratory illness.

But McCormack said he was abandoned by Moore. At a March fund-raiser for another 9/11 responder in New Jersey, McCormack learned Moore had gone to Cuba without him.

"It's the ultimate betrayal," he said. "You're promised that you're going to be taken care of and then you find out you're not. He's trying to profiteer off of our suffering."

Moore's publicist did not return calls from The Post. But McCormack played a tape for The Post of a telephone conversation between himself and a Moore producer. The woman is heard apologizing for not taking McCormack, while saying the production company was not offering anyone guarantees of a cure.

"Even for the people that we did bring down to Cuba, we said we can promise that you will be evaluated, that you will get looked at," said the woman. "We can't promise that you will get fixed."

Participants in the Cuba trip were forced to sign a confidentiality agreement prohibiting them from talking about the project, the sources said.

Travel to Cuba is severely restricted from the United States, but Moore's crew was granted access, the producer told McCormack, through a "general license that allows for journalistic endeavors there."

Some called the trip a success, at least logistics-wise.

"From what I heard through the grapevine, those people that went are utterly happy," said John Feal, who runs the Fealgood Foundation to help raise money for responders and was approached by Moore to find responders willing to take the trip.

"They got the Elvis treatment."

Although he has been a critic of Cuba, Moore grew popular there after a pirated version of his movie, "Fahrenheit 9/11," was played on state-owned TV.

Chana3812
04-15-2007, 12:58 PM
"From what I heard through the grapevine, those people that went are utterly happy," said John Feal, who runs the Fealgood Foundation to help raise money for responders and was approached by Moore to find responders willing to take the trip.

"They got the Elvis treatment."





I'd trust John Feal more than I would the Post anyday.

Go Michael Moore - The Sick 9/11 workers have been ignored long enough, and I'm glad to see someone ... anyone that brings More Publicity to this growing problem.

Our government provides healthcare to Iraqi citizens, but are crapping on those Americans who helped clean up Bush's murderous crime scene, now that they have gotten critically ill from the biohazards they encountered.

PhilosophyGenius
04-15-2007, 06:11 PM
Awsome. Can't wait until it comes out.

AuGmENTor
04-15-2007, 06:14 PM
Awsome. Can't wait until it comes out.Me niether. Not a big Moore fan, but will be interested to see how this pans out...

Gold9472
04-15-2007, 08:44 PM
I just got off the phone with John Feal. It was John that gave Michael Moore the list of responders to take to Cuba. Apparently, Michael has been very supportive of the responders. John said he supports Michael Moore, and his movie. He said Michael Moore gave $1000 worth of toys to 9/11 Responders families for Christmas. John is going to be on Fox & Friends tomorrow to debate Jeff Endean about this at 7:40am.

Moore has not been 9/11 Truth friendly, but if he's helping responders, I'm going to cut him some slack.

Chana3812
04-15-2007, 09:50 PM
Jon, thanx for the inside scoop

I'm disappointed too in Moore's unwillingness to look at 9/11 evidence, however his help to the 9/11 families is admirable.

He should consult with Rosie ;)

Gold9472
04-15-2007, 09:55 PM
Rosie's off the 9/11 Truth wagon.

PhilosophyGenius
04-16-2007, 12:26 AM
Damn, Gold's connected.




Rosie's off the 9/11 Truth wagon.


???

Chana3812
04-16-2007, 12:36 AM
I think she is probably just taking a break from the 9/11 attention .... so she can save her position on the View. She needs to stay in control and all the bastard neocons were calling for her head.

I don't know anyone that began enlightened about 9/11, and then later became un-enlightened.

Rosie is probably thinking up better ways to get the truth out. She's already outed the truth on the View.... just thinking of her next truth bomb and where to drop it

IMHO

PhilosophyGenius
04-16-2007, 06:45 PM
I love the plot outline for this movie:

"A comedy about 45 million people with no health care in the richest country on earth"


That's really the tag line.

MrDark71
06-18-2007, 12:54 PM
I just watched the whole movie on google.....disturbingly sickening.

Gold9472
06-18-2007, 07:05 PM
I just watched the whole movie on google.....disturbingly sickening.

Did you cry when the Cuban firemen stood at attention? I lost it.

MrDark71
06-18-2007, 07:48 PM
Yeah...I must say I did. I'm still nauseated by it. But at least we do better than Slovenia!

Gold9472
06-18-2007, 07:52 PM
Yeah...I must say I did. I'm still nauseated by it. But at least we do better than Slovenia!

I remember that feeling after 9/11. The "oneness" as my friend called it. The entire world felt as those firemen did. And it was used to go to war.