How sick is Michael Moore? (UPDATED)

Pretty damn sick, especially when you consider who he looks up to.

I haven't decided whether I will go see Moore's sure-to-be-screed about the American health care system. On the one hand, I don't want him, or anyone he does business with — the studio, the movie theater, etc. — to profit from my labor. He can make the movies he want, I can stay home when I want.

On the other, as one who has taken more than a few shots at Moore because of his film, sight unseen, I want to see for myself exactly how he portrays Castro-style health care. My journalistic integrity says fair is fair, although I'm guessing my disgust with Moore will not be assuaged.

Maybe Moore's jaunt in Havana is just a small part of the film, not worthy of the efforts of those who write about Cuba, where there are so many consequential issues needing our attention. Ignoring him may be bliss.

However, now is not the time to let our vigilance down.

Moore's film matters not because of its indictment of the American health care system, which may be justified, but because it promulgates one of the foulest myths of the Castro dictatorship: That Cubans don't need freedom because they have such a wonderful health care system. That most of the publicity for the film is related to his adventure in Cuba demonstrates the continued allure of that fiction.

The Cuban system is not so wonderful, but more importantly, it is repugnant to believe that there can be something good about such a trade-off.

There is no valor in sacrificing your freedom for the greater glory of a tyrant, despite the presumptions of Moore and other Castro apologists for almost 50 years.

But then Moore did not sacrifice anything.

He got to leave the island. Most Cubans have no such right.

That Moore does not care, that Moore apparently believes Cubans under Castro are better off than Americans in the United States, makes him sick.

UPDATED, May 28, 2007

After giving it some thoughts, and reviewing some of the comments on this post left at Babalú, I've decided to see the movie the first chance I get.