The Silver Screen

There already exists many reviews of Michael Moore’s new movie, Capitalism: A Love Story. I would echo the various reviewers who have said that this may be his best movie yet. But what's lost in all of these reviews is that this is more than just a good movie.

In his new movie Moore does the one thing no other popular commentator has been willing to do. He’s willing to go on record and call capitalism an evil that has to be replaced. Most will critique and criticize but then they wimp out saying, “But I still support capitalism.” Moore instead steps up to the plate and tells it like it is.

If that wasn’t enough Moore goes one important step further. At one point in the movie he shows a possible alternative to the corporation. And what do we see? He visits two worker-owned cooperatives!

Finally, Moore ends the movie with a call for the viewer to join him in replacing capitalism with a more just system. Amazingly this call seems to be resonating with the audience for at the showing that I attended half of the theater broke out in applause at the movie’s end.

Some criticize Moore for taking liberties with the facts. Admittedly there are times when the critics are right. In the movie he strongly criticizes the bail out yet all evidence points that this Keynesian action may have indeed pulled the economy out of a nose dive.

Yet Moore provides the style and emotion needed to transmit our message via the mass media. With Capitalism: A Love Story Michael Moore has taken a stand and has joined the call for an economic democracy.

Olbermann on Health Care

There’s a distinct possibility that most of my readers are already aware of this but just on the off chance that some aren’t I thought I would write about it. Most know that one of Keith Olbermann’s claims to fame is his occasional “Special Comment,” which is usually just a few minutes long. Recently, Keith Olbermann gave another Special Comment but this one was very different than his previous. Olbermann’s most recent Special Comment was an hour long commentary on health care in which he destroyed the false arguments against the public option and presented numerous powerful arguments for the need for universal health care.

This Special Comment is one of his best as well as one of his most important. I highly recommend it to both those who support health care reform and to those who oppose it.

MSNBC will replay this Special Comment on October 16th at 8:00 PM ET. It can also be viewed at the MSNBC web site.

Delay

I apologize but due to circumstance beyond my control this week’s blog will be delayed until Friday, October 16th.