Wednesday, April 1, 2009

brb

Another busy day ahead, but I'll be back! I'm way behind with my blog reading and miss seeing what's going on with y'all. I'll get to that as soon as possible. In the meantime, if you don't get Michael Moore's newsletter, this is worth reading about Obama's firing the CEO of GM. Remember his first documentary was Roger and Me about GM's closing its plant in Flint, Michigan, Moore's hometown. Here's an excerpt from the newsletter and this is his website.

I write this letter to you in memory of the hundreds of thousands of workers over the past 25+ years who have been tossed into the trash heap by General Motors. Many saw their lives ruined for good. They turned to alcohol or drugs, their marriages fell apart, some took their own lives. Most moved on, moved out, moved over, moved away. They ended up working two jobs for half the pay they were getting at GM. And they cursed the CEO of GM for bringing ruin to their lives.

.....

I began my day today in Washington, D.C. I went to the U.S. Senate and got into their Finance Committee's hearing on the Wall Street bailout. The overseers wanted to know how the banks spent the money. And many of these banks won't tell them. They've taken trillions and nobody knows where the money went. It certainly didn't go to create jobs, relieve mortgage holders, or free up loans that people need. It was so shocking to listen to this, I had to leave before it was over. But it gave me an idea for the movie I was shooting.

Later, I stopped by the National Archives to stand in line to see the original copy of our Constitution. I thought about how twenty years ago this month I was just down the street finishing my first film, a personal plea to warn the nation about GM and the deadly economy it ruled. On that March day in 1989 I was broke, having collected the last of my unemployment checks, relying on help from my friends (Bob and Siri would take me out to dinner and always pick up the check, the assistant manager at the movie theater would sneak me in so I could watch an occasional movie, Laurie and Jack bought an old Steenbeck (editing) machine for me, John Richard would slip me an unused plane ticket so I could go home for Christmas, Rod would do anything for me and drive to Flint whenever I needed something for the film). My late mother (she would've turned 88 tomorrow if she were still with us) and my GM autoworker dad told me in the kitchen they wanted to help and handed me a check for an astounding thousand dollars. I didn't know they even had a thousand dollars. I refused it, they insisted I take it -- "No!" -- and then, in that parental voice, told me I was to cash it so I could finish my movie. I did. And I did.

3 comments:

Mark in DE said...

It is just UNFATHOMABLE to me that all that money was given to the banks without any requirements for reporting its use. It makes me sick to think about it too long.

Unknown said...

Love that you are busy and getting that restaurant in regularly. of course with this little project with Linda, you have dropped the rest of your colorful life cast and I'm curious to hear of them too.
Your move BTW...lol

Joy said...

Me, too, Mark! It makes me furious!

Now your move, Charlie! :-)