Michael Moore Helps Founder of anti-Michael Moore Web Site

[Contrary1]

"June 8, 2007 - Jim Kenefick, 36, is the founder of Moorewatch.com, one of the Web's most visited anti-Michael Moore sites. So imagine Kenefick's surprise when he received a friendly voice mail last month—from Moore himself, calling from the Cannes Film Festival premiere of his agitprop documentary “Sicko.” The lefty filmmaker had two things to tell his cybercritic. First, he wanted Kenefick to know that he and his Web site appear prominently (albeit anonymously) in “Sicko,” his soon-to-be-released attack on the American health-care industry. In the film, Moore shows several of Kenefick’s blog posts where he pleads for money to keep MooreWatch.com alive because his wife's medical bills (Kenefick says she has a neurological disorder) have almost bankrupted him. He is saved at the last minute when a mysterious donor sends a $12,000 check, enough to keep the site going and pay insurance premiums for a year—which brought Moore to his second point. Before the world found out from his film, the filmmaker wanted his nemesis to know: he was Kenefick’s guardian angel. Kenefick spoke to NEWSWEEK’s Tony Dokoupil about his unwitting stardom and new opinion of Michael Moore. Excerpts:

NEWSWEEK: Have you seen the film?
Jim Kenefick: I’ve only seen some promotional stills and the clips, but I plan to see it.

How were you approached about the $12,000 gift?
On May 1, 2006, I received an anonymous e-mail from a “Nora Lavelle”—who is absolutely a Google ghost ... I can’t verify her existence anywhere online, so who knows if she’s real—and the e-mail said: “I know an Angel who wants to pay for at least some of your wife’s care so that the site doesn’t go down.” I was skeptical, of course. But I also thought you never know. I joked with her that I’ve always wanted a guardian angel.

Then what happened?
The person wrote back to clarify how much my premiums were. A month or so later a checklike document for $12,000 arrives from one of those anonymous third-party check companies. My first thought was that this was some kind of scam—the kind where you cash the check and then suddenly the person calls asking for like $8,000 back. But the check cleared, and I felt this immense wave of relief.

More: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19113385/site/newsweek/

[graywarrior]

1. Man, that is cool.

[Make7]

2. I hope this doesn't tarnish Mr. Kenefick's well established objectivity...

... regarding all matters related to Michael Moore.

:) Make7

[NJCher]

3. OK, this is just me, but

Michael Moore is the highest form of life.

I've always thought that.



Cher

[sellitman]

4. I haven't been a fan of Moore until now.

I've resented him for his Nader vote but that was a great gesture no matter what the motive.

WTG MM !

[jpgray]

5. Classy move.

[babylonsister]

6. Wow. Now we can add 'Angel' to MM's creds. Nice! nt

[rocktivity]

7. As Paris Hilton would say, "That's HOT!"

Remember that soldier with no hands who tried to sue Mike for using him in F9/11? Mike contributed to the charity that built him an adaptable home!

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
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:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
rocknation

[jollyreaper2112]

8. my only question, who blew the whistle?

I'm inclined to believe it was a genuine effort on Moore's part. I like how he's toned down his own presence in his work and let the material speak for itself; it makes it harder to attack the messenger when he's not speaking, just playing back the powerfuls' own recorded words. But all the same, I'd like to have proof that my suspicions are correct. How did this guy figure out it was Moore? Did Moore take all the right steps to be anonymous and classy here and this guy can't just say thank you like a human being?

[jollyreaper2112]

9. oh, there's more info in the article

Nobody had answers for that when the story first broke.

Actually, I'm torn about this. From the sounds of it, this is used as material in the movie. That seems more like self-aggrandizement. While Moore is making a good point, even his critics can't pay for their own expenses in this country with this medical system, it seems a bit like a cheap tactic. It seemed a lot classier when it sounded like he did this on his own without any intention of anyone finding out -- that the only way for anyone to find out would be if the anti-Moore guy made an issue of it.

While I don't claim to be a Christian, I do think that the "love your enemies" bit can be life-changing if the enemy has the potential of being a human being. If Moore kept it totally anonymous and then the guy figures it out, then it might give him pause to reassess how he feels about Moore. For it to be part of the movie, it would make the guy feel like a chump with bruised pride and even more anti-Moore than before. It just serves to intensify the hatred rather than short-circuit it. Oh, well.

[Schema Thing]

10. It (the situation) was valid fodder for Moore's movie, and

the irony was too much to pass up. Think about it: his vocal critic is publicly lamenting health care issues at the very same time Moore is making a film on health-care-issues.

It likely wins this guy over, but more importantly, potentially wins over thousands of people (by "wins over", I mean: makes them see the need for real progressive change in American health care system).

[1932]

13. No. It's perfect this way. It shows that people who hate HOW Moore makes his points

don't realize that Moore's issues actually help all Americans.

All these issues, whether it's war or health care, come down to politicians aligned with CEOs doing everything they can to keep the powerful powerful.

Their unwitting footsoldiers don't realize how they're being exploited by the system. However, Moore doing this helps connect up the dots.

[porphyrian]

11. Heh, that's fucking great. - n/t

[JitterbugPerfume]

12. Michael Moore

is a hero for out time,speaking the truth to power;

along with Al Gore .

[thethinker]

14. Michael Moore is great

He is very much in touch with the American people. We sees how the average man is being hurt. He has made wonderful movies about the jobs going off shore, and now about our broken health care system.

I really feel most people don't think about the health care system until a member of their immediate family gets cancer or has some other major health problem. The average person, even with insurance, can end up bankrupt from the bills.

[originalpckelly]

15. Now that's cool.

[Athens30603]

16. Neat

Even if Moore DID have some sort of ulterior motive it's still 12 grand that will help out another person. However, because Moore was right in this situation doesn't necessarily mean his critics are always wrong. But I don't really think anyone here would believe that to be the case, anyway.

[Warren DeMontague]

17. That's just classic. Beautiful.

:thumbsup:

As usual, Mike, You ROCK. :yourock: