Sicko

Last night I managed to see Sicko, Michael Moore's new documentary about the state of the healthcare system in America. Good, strong stuff. I definitely urge everyone to see it. About a quarter of the movie discusses Canada's healthcare system, and the whole theatre broke into applause when Tommy Douglas' name came up. And who said we aren't patriotic!

There will be critics of course, and some of this criticism will be justified. Moore's take on Canadian healthcare is highly romanticized and we Canadians will recognize that immediately (he defends his treatment here). And knowing this does make us a little wary of how he portrays other healthcare systems around the world. I'm sure his critics will nitpick at every single detail of this film, trying to destroy his argument by saying how he misrepresented laundry or something equally as trivial (to be honest, though, moorewatch.com is a fabulous site critical of Moore, although like most right-wingers, they tend to respond to arguments by arguing a minor point in the original argument). But seriously: if you take anything at face value these days, even movies that represent your own opinions, then you're not doing anyone any good.

The strength of the film (in my opinion) is not in the little details, but the big picture. Moore successfully shows that the reasons American politicians are against universal healthcare are unfounded and based mostly on a hangover effect of Cold War paranoia. And he shows how the business plans of HMOs and pharmacutical companies are counterproductive. And so what if a Canadian he interviewed said she only had to wait 20 minutes to see a doctor (a claim we would all scoff at) or that in reality you have to wait months to get a transplant. Even if we compared out two systems and found them with equal pros and cons in every way, the point is this: we get it for next to free, while it costs Americans thousands of dollars.

Fortunately this is a topic that you can research without being an expert on Michael Moore. So I suggest, if you have real questions, that you get off the Moore websites and find other sources of information. Most, I'm sure, which is just as slanted one way or another.

Aircraft Shouldn't go to the Dogs

Do you like my pun? I made it up myself! Anyway, Air Canada recently decided to ban pets from all their flights. This means no pets in the cargo hold, either. This CBC news report is great because it includes comments posted by people flaming mad about the whole affair. As you can probably tell from the wonderful cartoon, I do not think that animals have a place in the cabin of the plane. You are trapped in a confined place for seven hours -- anyone with an allergy is going to have quite the problem. Do you think anyone allergic to bees would mind if I released a couple for our trip? What kind of arrogance allows you to believe that you should be able to bring your pet into the cabin? I also think over-powdered ladies and gents should be hosed down before they get on the flight as well. I don't need to smell the stinkiness that you dose yourself with in order to hide the stinkiness underneath. Take a shower before the flight, and wear deodorant! Or, better yet, get your head out of your ass!

I do think it unfortunate that pets are no longer allowed in the cargo hold. Some of these people make legitimate complaints, especially the ones moving long distances. Maybe Air Canada should consider this on an individual basis. For example, bringing your pet on vacation is a no-no. But bringing the animal when you move is okay. You could police this very well; if the dog is with you on the return flight, then it obviously was a vacation. BEEP -- six thousand dollar fine. Or an hour in a room with a swarm of bees.

Taste of Americana

The frequency of my blog entries is slowly dipping, but no worries -- I have some killer stuff up my sleeve, if I can make the time for it. I just came back from a brief trip to Minnesota and I'd like to make a few comments. First, every American I met was very polite and warm, including the ones that never knew we were Canadian. I am starting to think that they are only overly rude when they leave the country. Perhaps it's some kind of defense mechanism, in which they figure since everyone hates them, they'll just act arrogant first.

I definately believe that Americans are heavily invested in 'fear' as an emotion. Minneapolis had electronic billboards around the city proclaiming the city's current terrorist threat level (it was a comfortable orange during our stay. Orange means High, but I don't think it ever dips much below that). The Mall of America proudly proclaims itself as a gun-free zone (aside: the MOA boasts itself larger than West Ed, but it certainly doesn't seem that way. This is probably because it is much better organized. The amusement park is located in the middle, with four stories of retail outlets in a hexagon around it. Way easier to get through than West Ed. But for the most part, same shitty stores). Pat Buchanan and Bill O'Reilly, two reactionary conservatives, have syndicated columns in small town newspapers. And Fox News is...well, Fox News.

As they say: great place to visit, but...

The pic of the sign is from this guy's website.