Michael Moore's Cuba Problem

Michael Moore, who recently took 9/11 workers to Cuba for treatment to shed light on US health care problems, may be in trouble for his Cuba trip.

UPDATE: U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen weighs in: "Again we see this Hollywood director interjecting himself in politics for the sake of promoting his films. It is preposterous to compare the healthcare systems of the US and Cuba. In Cuba there exists TWO health care systems-- one for tourists, as well as Communist Party officials, and another for Cubans, who are forced to take with them even the most basic necessities when visiting a Cuban hospital; even aspirins are scarce. Does Moore report that in his film? NO."

Comments

[usambcuba]

Maybe something positive that will come out of this is that Moore will have the opportunity to challenge the insanity, stupidity, and violation that the travel ban represents to ALL Americans. He certainly has the resources and contacts to take on this bad public policy and law in Court.

[victor]

His only problem is going to be...Nada,zip..The hardliners will be enough advertising for his film..the films tittle sounds like it could be a film about them also...You pay the price..like Buena Vista..and the word gets out...Idiots out there like the SICKOS over at valvalu blog will be one of Moores best ticket sellers..Mr. George "i used to have a good job" Moneo is calling for Lenveworth for Moore..Kashing,kashing..Just spell his name right,thats his only problem.

[Missy]

This is supposed to be a free country. However, the rules don't apply when it comes to Cuba. Mr. Moore, and every other American, should be able to travel to any country they choose. This ban is nothing more than the Cuban exile community holding the rest of us hostage by dictating where we can and can't travel. Whatever happened to freedom? There are other countries that are communist and/or run by dictators too. The travel ban is ridiculous and should not even be an issue.

[jose]

Moore rocks! The old froth-mouthed undereducated Exilos just want to silence him like Fidel wants to silence his own journalists. I am not making moral equivalency, just stating a parallel.

Moore should be able to travel whereever the hell he wants! just like any American! its a human right! the travel ban is hypocritical - we, for good reason, critize lack of human rights in Cuba, then we go about taking away a basic human right of our own citizens - freedom of association!

[afina23]

This story is amazing. . who cares? Moore has a right to viajar anywhere he wants. Ros-facist just wants more of the votes.

In the end, Moore's film will be popular and the extreme right in this country will be mad. Although I think Moore is full of sh*t a lot of times, I like him for making the hard right mad. I would rather be in a room with him than any of the hard liners. Moore has bigger heart than any of them!

[Semi]

Has Mrs. Ros-Lehtinen seen the film already? I'd hate to read a quote with no basis on fact. Although the House of Representatives is not really the "smart" half of congress.

I think we have one over on Cuba. Not only do we have a dual healthcare system (insured and uninsured), we also have a dual immigration system (Cuban and non-Cuban), and a dual stockholder system (executive and everyone else)!

Of course, if Castro would've just had a "Tianamen Square" of his own, the isle of Cuba would've been enjoying "best trading partner" status right now.

[Juan [Panco] Valquez]

Nothing will happen, Ros-Lehtinen is just running his cocksucker (mouth) to drum up support. It's a win/win for him. By pandering to the Cubans on this issue he gets more votes and almost everyone else is apathetic regarding Cuba is they don't get pissed off.

Even if Moore traveled to Cuba illegally no one will go after him. It would be a bad move politically because it would get the moonbat's even more riled up right before the presidential election (which is when I'm assuming he'll drop his movie).

If anything good comes out of this whole thing it will be more attention being brought to the Cuban travel ban which is a blatant violation of human rights by our government.

Unfortunately I think that is unlikely to happen because the focus of Moore's film is going to be health care reform with the main goal being starting a dialog on nationalizing the health care system.

[Juan [Panco] Valquez]

"I think we have one over on Cuba. Not only do we have a dual healthcare system (insured and uninsured), we also have a dual immigration system (Cuban and non-Cuban), and a dual stockholder system (executive and everyone else)!"

LOL good one.

[afina]

I support Moore, en punto!

[Manny]

"Nothing will happen, Ros-Lehtinen is just running his cocksucker (mouth) to drum up support. It's a win/win for him. By pandering to the Cubans on this issue he gets more votes and almost everyone else is apathetic regarding Cuba is they don't get pissed off."

Juan,

Dont be so ignorant. If you are going to insult someone so vulgarly on this blog, the least you cold do is know what sex the person you are insulting is. ILEANA Ros-Lehtinen is a woman. If your goal is to be contrary for the sake of being contrary, you have achived it.

[Juan [Panco] Valquez]

His, her, it's, what the fuck ever. Regardless of the sex of the senitor my points still stand.

[miamimike]

This is supposed to be a free country. However, the rules don't apply when it comes to Cuba. Mr. Moore, and every other American, should be able to travel to any country they choose. This ban is nothing more than the Cuban exile community holding the rest of us hostage by dictating where we can and can't travel. Whatever happened to freedom? There are other countries that are communist and/or run by dictators too. The travel ban is ridiculous and should not even be an issue.

===========================================

Sums up my thoughts exactly! The Cuban Travel Ban is ridiculous! Vote Pandering to the Right Wing Cuban Looney Toonies!

[JIMBO]

CUBA IS FILLED WITH AMERICANS. GO I SAY, GO! TO HELL WITH BUSH! TO HELL WITH THE EMBARGO! VISIT CUBA AND SEE WHAT FIDEL AND THE EMBARGO HAVE BOTH DONE TO THAT NATION. SEE THE TRUTH WITH YOUR OWN EYES. DOWN WITH FIDEL! DOWN WITH THE U.S. EMBARGO! SEE WITH YOUR OWN EYES!

[JIMBO]

HAS ANYBODY LOOKED UNDER THE SKIRT TO VERIFY THE SEX OF ROS LEHTINEN?

[pat]

Will someone please tell the Herald Miami is still part of the mainland USA Cuba Cuba Cuba enough already How many times does Celia Cruz make the front page?

[Asturias]

Oh yes to all of you,
Don't you wish the Holocaust was still going on and Germany was still Nazi? We could have free trade there just to keep the Nazi's afloat. It would be great to have open trade with the Nazis, and believe every word that came out of Hitler. Why would you care if the Jewish people were being murdered and their human rights violated? You would be getting free trips to see Germany, staying in the best hotels, and getting treated in the best hospitals! Please, Don't be so Ignorant!

When I was 7 years old I was encarcerated in Cuba along with my family, and we were stoned, humiliated and harrassed, had no food or electricity for weeks, as the Cuban government encouraged it, threatening to kill my parents - All because my parents were found out to want to leave the island!!.

My father weighed 104 pounds, because there wasn't enough food we could get with our ration card. And this was in the 1970's and 1980's! In the 1990's my grandmother, who volunteered her services to inject hospital patients, had to use the same needle on multiple patients because they didn't have any supplied! And there was no cotton or aspirin, so she had to find a way to get some. This is in addition to urine infested beds and floors, because there were no clean bedsheets or toilet paper. (At our house we sometimes had to use pieces of newspare to clean our ass, and wait until the end of the day to throw a bucket of water in the toilet to flush everyone's crap, because there was no running water in the bathroom. Cubans have cisterns to store water, if you're lucky). The solution for fixing your teeth in Cuba is extracting your permanent teeth, like they were going to do to four of mine, and the low pregnancy problems are due to the astronomical rates of abortions, when there are complications.

You actually think the embargo is to blame? My GOsh, I'm blinking so hard in utter disbelief! There are hundreds of businesses in Cuba owned by foreign European countries, keeping Fidel afloat, and money (dollars) is the currency the government uses for themselves. But Cubans are paid in "pesos" which is not worth anything anywhere in the world. "American" products are on every shelf in Cuba in the "tourist section", so there is no lack of American products even if there is an "embargo"! And there are also many other European products in "tourists only" grocery stores that ONLY TOURISTS and the Cuban govenrment and his people can use.

Don't be so naive, my American Immigrant Friends! Fidel has MILLIONS of dollars, not one of which he has invested in ANY CUBAN, or to better Cuba. Except for increasing his weapons, military, and drugs, embargo or no embargo, Cubans would not gain anything from that, but Fidel would, to keep his power afloat. Unless you are a Cuban in favor of Communism or Totalitarian ideology, as a Cuban, you cannot own anything, even your children, for when you are born, you sign a letter that states that your child belongs to the Communist system. This is why parents can't say a word when their child is sent off to the fields at 12 years old, to work for free.

Fidel demolished every Cuban and American business when he came into power, took every property for himself, even if you had built something with your hard earned work money, and also took every penny from every person's saving's account when he came into power. This happened to my grandfather, (and most other Cubans in 1960), who was born dirt poor in the country in the 1890's, and worked very hard jobs to live in the city and get educated, and prosper. He worked until he was about 70 years old, after which he had saved $10,000, and built 3 properties for his family and extended family. This is when Fidel came into power, and took all of his properties, all of his money from his PERSONAL bank account, and left him with one house he could live in, but it now belonged to the Communist government, not to him. Six months after this happened, my grandfather was diagnosed with Cancer, and died 3 months later.

This is also what Fidel did with all of the American businesses that were there at the time he came into power, and has never paid back ONE American dollar to any American or American business he stole from. Believe me, if Fidel had any interest in giving back to the Cubans or Cuba, he had plenty of money to do so then, and now!! Instead, everything was destroyed, including Cuban lives, because Fidel, although Cuban, loathes Cubans.

Presently, no Cuban can shop in any "tourist store" or buy anything that is not on the ration card. Everything has been rationed since he came into power. Cubans can't own anything, build their own house, etc, but TOURISTS CAN. The beautiful Cuban beaches like Varadero are "tourist only"...etc, etc... And all of the supplies and medicine Michael Moore supposedly received, is all for the Communist Propaganda, since Fidel knows everything that is happening there like clockwork, and was very aware of Michael Moore's film and intentions.

So go ahead and take a trip to Cuba, you'll be greeted with open arms in all the tourist spots, just like Michael Moore was. Oh, and don't be alarmed when a Cuban in the island isn't complaining or telling you much, just like my family, homes there are raided every day by the government (a government official lives on EVERY block in Cuba, and has a file on every person on that block), and homes and phones are always tapped. Also, If you own anything that speaks of Democracy (a book), you are in arresting grounds to be taken in as a political prisoner.

Watched any holocaust movies lately, how the Jewish felt in their own homes? Yes, that is my memory of growing up there, much the same.

So go ahead and believe everything Fidel says (and Michael Moore says about Cuba). I believe then that all of you (and Michael Moore) also believe what Hitler was saying, and justify all of his actions.

From a Cuban, so tired of all of this BULLSHIT ignorant talk and "news"

[Galicia]

Thank you so much for that rebuttal. It baffles me beyond words how most Americans do not understand what is going on in Cuba and what the embargo is all about. Thank you thank you thank you. I was losing my mind for a second with all of those horrible, at times disgusting comments.