Friday November 6th 2009
By Louise
"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years" -- Abraham Lincoln
Hour One - "Brunch With Bernie" Senator Bernie Sanders
Hour Two - Congressman Joe Sestak www.sestak.house.gov on Ft. Hood shootings
plus...Andy Bichlbaum - Member of The Yes Men group of "culture jamming" featured in the movie "The Yes Men Fix The World www.theyesmen.org
Hour Three - Dr. Peter Breggin www.breggin.com on Fort Hood shootings
Plus...Scott Horton www.harpers.org on Italian Court Convicts CIA operatives
Comments
#2
Anyways, I learned a hard lesson in what the “generation gap” means the other day. I was sitting near two girls on a bus, and they began singing a cappella a song I had not heard in quite a while, and note for note at that. It was a disco-era tune called “Emotion.”
I remember that song, I said. That was Samantha Sang . The girls looked at me as if I was crazy. Somewhat miffed at their reaction to my knowledge of Seventies top forty pop, I repeated my contention that singer’s name was Samantha Sang, from back in 1978, and that it was a song written by the Bee Gees (Barry Gibb’s background vocal practically overwhelmed Sang’s tiny voice). No it isn’t, they said with that female sarcasm. It was all a bit frustrating to be told I was wrong by girls who were born 15 years after this song hit the top 10 (back in the day when the charts were full of gold). Yes it is, I rather more earnestly repeated, stating that what they heard must have been a cover song. At least they knew what a “cover” version was; they reluctantly acknowledged that the “version” they had heard was by Rhianna. Fortunately, Rhianna has been in the tabloids recently, so I didn’t have to ask “Who’s that?”
I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that there is a gap in what was and what is. Back in the Sixties and into the Seventies, people were singing songs about peace, love and social harmony. The Eighties were the “me” generation, the Nineties a complete muddle as the memorable pop single no longer drove record sales, and today I just get a headache no amount of aspirin will cure. Music once expressed our hopes, idealism and aspirations, and how we wished the world to be, rather than how it was in reality; now it is more often about conflict, whining and vulgarity. Instead of taking to the streets in protest, too often we hear of people being gunned down by “musical” rivals. What are young people saying today through the music they listen to? I’m not sure, but it doesn't seem to me that it's inspiring them to do much of anything that is positive on a community, political or social justice level.
#3
I was listening to the segment on curcumin yesterday and wanted to add that curcumin is in turmeric. Turmeric is one of the ingredients in curry, but it is turmeric that has the curcumin in it.
Also, if you are taking blood thinners including aspirin, or even using a ginger supplement ,you have to be careful, because curcumin is also a blood thinner. If you have heavy menstrual cycles you shouldn't use blood thinners at that time or sometimes one week before so check with your naturopath.
It might be that the curcumin supplement would be all that you need. So be sure to read up on any herbal supplement you plan to take to be sure it doesn't interfere with other meds. You might also learn that the herbal supplement could replace a med you are already taking which would be even better.
#4
DDay,
Per your comments regarding Obama campaign volunteers, here's an interesting article about "where they are today" in The Nation:
"The Obama Generation, Revisited"
#5
Unemployment jumps to 10.2 percent
The nation’s unemployment rate jumped to 10.2 percent in October, reaching double digits for the first time in more than a quarter century.
#6
Quark,
Thanks for the link to the Nation article. It seems to do a good job of refuting the points I made about the "fair weather friend" nature of attendees to Democratic local and State Conventions in Minnesota last cycle. I would point out that the article, "The Obama Generation, Revisited", made no mention of participation in State Party organizing. The organizing efforts and subsequent successes of the Obama Campaign have not translated into increased party participation, from everything I've seen. Organizing for America feeds off of the Democratic Party's volunteers but this is not a reciprocal arrangement as far as I've seen so far. This is not a new phenomena. Anyone who has worked on local election efforts has probably experienced being scavenged and used by the campaign organizations of congressional or other larger federal campaigns. I have never seen a campaign like Obama's, however, until recently. It never wound down or took a breather; it's a 24/7/52 operation. It is oddly reminiscent of the Rovian method.
B Roll,
Thank you for your reaction to my post concerning pigment and personality over policy and principal. Yes, you are right that this is hardly unique in campaign history. My point is that it continues after the election. Bush did this too, when it was time to govern. I had hoped for more from Obama. Call me an idealist chump.
#7
Why boys are turning into girls
Gender-bending chemicals are largely exempt from new EU regulations, warns Geoffrey Lean.
Here's something rather rotten from the State of Denmark. Its government yesterday unveiled official research showing that two-year-old children are at risk from a bewildering array of gender-bending chemicals in such everyday items as waterproof clothes, rubber boots, bed linen, food, nappies, sunscreen lotion and moisturising cream.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthcomment/geoffrey-lean/6418553/Why-...
#8
DDay
http://www.blackagendareport.com/?q=content/black-back-coalition-fight-p...
Black is Back! A Coalition to Fight the Powers that Be – Including Obama
#9
I wonder about folk that grouse that the Democratic healthcare plan might allow a legal medical procedure and are perfectly fine that the Republican plan will encourage health insurance companies to cancel coverage for pre-existing conditions like being the victim of rape or spousal abuse or having acne as a teenager.
#10
@Quark:
RE: Unemployment jumps to 10.2 percent
It is the highest since Ronald Reagan was in office . . . .
#11
We are in Amsterdam on our way to Ghent, Belgium. Had nice flight over and today went to the Anne Frank House (Mena missed it on the last visit), Dave called United Health Care to try to collect the $4050.00 for hip replacement and surprise - they won't pay for any procedures outside the U.S. Mass transit in AMS is wonderful. The water is delicious and the meats are antibiotic and chemical free. What a concept!
Thomm, do you happen to remember the name of the five star restaurant you visited in AMS? Thanks
#12
@ Mark -
Your post regarding the girls on the bus brought 2 events to mind -
About 5 years ago, my younger brother (I'm 11 years older) & I were listening to the radio when Joan Baez' song, "Diamonds and Rust" came on. "Who the h--l" he asked "is this lame b---h that's destroying a perfectly good AC/DC song?" I explained to him that St. Joan had written the song many years earlier, purportedly about Bob Dylan. "OH! - Now the lyrics make some sense," he said. We often share a laugh over that recollection.
A far more egregious event happened just a few weeks back. A friend, myself and his nephew were walking in the park when my friends phone rang - his ring tone is the Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again". Hearing that, his 20-something nephew said "I didn't know you were a "CSI:" fan!"
My friend and I just looked at each other. He began to try to explain to his nephew where thayt song came from, but I stopped him, saying "Don't bother, man - it'll just turn into an Abbot & Costello Routine!"
#13
If the reported jobless rate is 10.2 that means its probably double that.Pres-ident Obama needed to follow through on his pledge to create jobs by a bottom up approach and because of that failure,we allowed those money manipul-ators on wall street to pull off the biggest heist in history.They stole 20 trillion of American retirement and as punishment the fed gave them 24 trillion at 0% in-terest.Please WAKE UP!America has been destroyed!
#14
Excuse me Judas Priest did the remake and that was the best rendition ever
#15
Another Sign of the Times
Within the last hour, another shooting took place. 8 people in an Orlando, FL office building were critically injured (7 shot, 1 coronary) by a former employee of the business for which they worked. Orlando police and swat team have the area cordoned off and are going door to door to apprehend the shooter.
#16
Richard,
Too bad the tea baggers don't realize both times the high unemployment was a result of REPUBLICAN/CORPORATE administrations!
#17
DDay,
I thought it was interesting that many of the former Obama activists have gone into community organizing and government.
#18
Not to make light of these mass killings but I wonder if these killers are part of Cheney Death Squads?I just dont know what to think anymore.The current state of this country illicits a confused state of mind.
#19
Kevin,
I think people are snapping under the stress they are feeling in today's America.
In a way, they/we are feeling the results of policies by Cheney, death squads et al.
#20
I have a new bumper sticker on my truck.It says "So Many Republicans,Not En-ough WoodChippers"
#21
Kevin,
Somehow that needs to morph into a bumper sticker about the corporatists, since that is the source of the trouble...
#22
@ kevin kelly -
Whoops - sorry - I'm a Deadhead, not a Headbanger. One metal band sounds pretty much like another to me, as I'd guess one Jam band sounds pretty much like another to you.
My brother's favorite Grateful Dead joke -
I went to a Grateful Dead concert last night. They played for 4 hours! Great f--kin song!
#23
Thom just made an interesting revelation. He says he's contacted by all the wanna be guests on the left and the right. But it's been obvious for quite a while that his guest list, in general and over time is heavily weighted to the right.
Now I want you to think about the segment with Congressman Joe Sestak that just finished. Did you notice any difference between that segment and the segments we're use to hearing when Thom talks to his right-wing guests.
Here's the difference. Thom would make a statement or ask a question and listen to Sestaks response. He didn't interrupt. He didn't try to talk over him. He let him speak and he listened. He didn't even interrupt or protest when Sestak said ridiculous things like his over the top praise for the people who serve in the military. People serve in the military for a number of reasons. Some believe they're actually protecting their country which they believe is trying to promote democracy (they're misinformed). Some serve because they believe the world is out to get us and they want to protect our freedoms (they're misinformed). Some do it because it's a the best employment (and possibly educational) option they see available to them. Some join because it's a family tradition.
Anyone who believes that the people in the military are the best and the brightest might want to watch the HBO movie Baghdad ER and tell me that those unfortunate wounded troops are the brightest people this country has to offer. They tend to come from areas where the educational systems are the worst and where backward religious beliefs are hold sway. Whites in the military tend to vote Republican and right-wing evangelical Christianity is spreading through the military like wildfire.
As for Thom thanking Congressman Joe Sestak for his service to this country in the military, does Thom think the purpose of the U.S. military is to defend our democracy (what democracy?). Let me remind Thom of the following name: Smedley Buttler.
#24
All Radical Recessivist Rapturains:
KKK
Aryan Nation
Branch Davidians
#25
oooops... Smedley Butler
#26
No Problem mstaggerlee.Try this one on for size Quark.So many corporatists too many sexually abused farm animals.
#27
Now for something completely different. (I need to laugh.)
What pisses you off?
#28
#29
Combining Sestak's praise for the military personnel and Thom's buying into the claim that military bases are safe places might want to look into the problem of rape in the military. Here's one quick resource, but there are many more: The Military Rape Crisis Center
By the way, I had a friend who was a manager in a bar that mainly was patronized by U.S. military in a U.S. territory. She didn't look forward to the weekends, which was their busiest time, but had constant mini-riots between the best and brightest in the Army and the best and brightest in the Navy and Marines.
God Bless America
#30
Kevin,
I haven't read the blog (in my last post) for awhile. I just looked at it again and found that it should appeal to the average "14-year-old boy" that has often been referenced on this (Thom"s) blog.
Please forgive me if this offends anyone. It's not all my cup of tea, but there are some things that are more amusing than others.
#31
I’m glad that Thom thinks so highly of the Yes Men, but Thom and the Yes Men don’t see eye to eye on everything.
Here’s an article published on Tikkun’s website that shows this difference.
You may want to Google this article. I just posted comment and it was immediately and automatically deleted, so I'm re-posting it without the link to the article on the Tikkun Magazine website. Let's see if it get's deleted again.
“For Once, the Yes Men Say No”
by Andy Bichlbaum & Mike Bonanno
July 1, 2009
Dear Friends at the Jerusalem Film Festival,
We regret to say that we have taken the hard decision to withdraw our film, “The Yes Men Fix the World,” from the Jerusalem Film Festival in solidarity with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign (http://www.bdsmovement.net/).
This decision does not come easily, as we realize that the festival opposes the policies of the State of Israel, and we have no wish to punish progressives who deplore the state-sponsored violence committed in their name.
So the Yes Men who are among many progressives who are admired by Thom but who disagree with his views on Israel/Palestine.
#32
B Roll,
Maybe your first comment wasn't posted because it would have had 2 URLs. This blog seems to only accept one URL per post.
#33
@ Quark -
3 url's in that post - all were accepted and appear, though none are valid.
#34
mstaggerlee,
LOL
#35
Quark and Marc (mstaggerlee)
You guys ever think about doing a TV show. Since Quark is so tiny she can say "nano nano".
Yes I think my post was blocked because of the 2 URLs, but that hasn't always been the case, and I don't think it always happens.
You may not be aware of this, but if you post a comment and u see that it says "your comment is awaiting moderation" next to the line that gives your name, the date and the time, your comment has been deleted or blocked. You'll be the only one who can see it.
For instance, mstaggerlee mentioned a post with 3 invalid URLs on this page. I don't see that post. Marc you should look to see if the waiting for moderation note is there at the top of your post.
That comment will be visible only on the computer he/she posted it on, because it is in the cache of that computer. I realized this a week or two ago when I was asking people about posts of mine that no one else saw. That was the experiment I was talking about back then. I could see those posts with the moderation note at the top. Then I cleared the cache and those posts didn't appear any more.
It seems the thinking is that if you post more than one URL you could be spamming. That's a false assumption. A week or two ago I had 3 of 5 posts deleted in one day. The 3 that were deleted had one thing in common. They had Thom's name in them. One was as innocuous as asking Food Fascist about a post in which she (?) said something about Thom having access to 30 million homes through Free Speech TV, because Free Speech TV only is only carried on the DISH Network, which has less than 15 million subscribers. For some reason that post was deleted. I'm not sure what's going on, but in the last 3 weeks I've had 8 posts deleted and most did not have more than 1 URLs.
#36
Anyone check out Dr. Breggin's site? He's a regular fixture on the Michael Savage show:
http://breggin.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=204&Itemid=100
Some selected topics:
35. October 14, 2009: The Psychology of Progressive Tyranny and Immorality
34. September 25, 2009: Obama’s Faith-Based Administration
32. September 1, 2009: Responsibility: The Dagger in the Heart of Progressives
31. August 24, 2009: Is Obama a Communist, Fascist or Something Else?
30. August 17, 2009: End-of-Life Counseling: The Menace to You and Me
29. August 10, 2009: Big Brother in the Waiting Room
28. August 4, 2009: Be Warned: Obama Has Plans for Your Mother!
27. July 28, 2009: How and Why Leftists Get “High” on Hatred
26. July 20, 2009: How Psychiatrists and Politicians Frighten Us Into Dependency
25. July 13, 2009: How Psychiatry and Psychology Emasculate American Values
24. July 06, 2009: Making Americans into Zombies
18. May 26, 2009: New Government Threat to Mothers with Newborn Children
17. May 19, 2009: The Psychiatric Holocaust and Government Health Care
16. May 11, 2009: Ten Tragic Consequences of Universal Healthcare
13. April 13, 2009: President Obama Wants Us to Live Like Abused Children
12. April 6, 2009: Community Organizing the World
11.March 30, 2009: The Arrogance of Men Who Make Plans
9. March 16, 2009: The Role of Product Liability Suits in a Free Society
8. March 10, 2009: Obama Encourages Psychological Helplessness
7. March 2, 2009: Poisoning Our Troops with Psychiatric Drugs
6. February 23, 2009: America the Beautiful or Ameriphobia?
Doesn't Thom know where this guy's coming from?
#37
PJ
Good work. I was concerned when I heard that Thom was having Breggin on as a guest, but I didn't have the time to research him.
I was initially a huge fan of Thom's and still like him in many ways, but my faith in him started lessening when as I heard more and more of his views on topics like paranormal phenomena, standard medical care vs alternative medical care, illegal immigration and the Israel/Palestine conflict and some others.
In my opinion, Thom has guest of questionable credibility from time to time, and for someone who calls himself a "science geek" he holds many beliefs that are contrary to the accepted scientific theories and the scientific method.
#38
#39
B Roll,
'Sorry --- I'm really off balance today --- more than usual! Some days I feel whipsawed by all the crap that goes on in the world.
#40
Bernie Sanders' Petition to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner
"Too Big to Fail is Too Big to Exist"
http://sanders.senate.gov/petition/?uid=c53f1aca-5881-403e-928b-a25980cb...
#41
Quark
I'm sorry but I don't know what you're sorry about, but I'm sure it was nothing big.
#42
B Roll,
My stupid response to your serious post, with which, btw, I'm inclined to agree...
#43
I just got fired today.My boss called me into his office and told me the bad news.At first when he said that I did the work of th three men I thought he was gonna promote me and give me a raise.But before I could thnk him for his praise he said "Yeah you do the work of three men,"but those men are MOE LARRY and CURLY.
#44
Oh, Kevin, I'm SO sorry. I worry day-to-day about very similar problems in my life.
What will you do?
#45
Who says radical liberals like myself have no sense of humor?Who I ask ya?
#46
No Worry Quark I have other talents but none that someone would actually pay me to do.
#47
That picture beside my comments is the best photograph I have taken in years.It really shows my inner beauty.
#48
Kevin,
I wish I had some sure-fire advice, but I'm sure you know all the networking, do what you enjoy, etc. things I could say. You'll be in my thoughts, tho.
#49
OK lets get serious now.Let me pose this question to all you TRUTHSEEKERS.Why is it that the republican Party are so vehement when it comes to illegal immigration but every state that has a republican governor like Texas,Georgia,Florida,Louisiana.South Carolina,Alabama.California,Mississipi all have rampant illegals doing all the jobs that used to be done by highly trained craftsman?
#50
If all people here illegally were given amnesty it would force these contractors and corporations out from the shadows and have them begin deducting and paying the true cost for each employee.If employers had to do that ther would be no incentive for them and the revenue would come in droves to the US Treasury.
Thom's Blog Is On the Move
By webmaster
Hello All
Thom's blog in this space and moving to a new home.
Please follow us across to hartmannreport.com - this will be the only place going forward to read Thom's blog posts and articles.
Images of Thom
Thom & Louise at a "private audience" with His Holiness Pope John Paul II at his summer palace, Castle Gandolfo, Italy
From The Thom Hartmann Reader:
"Right through the worst of the Bush years and into the present, Thom Hartmann has been one of the very few voices constantly willing to tell the truth. Rank him up there with Jon Stewart, Bill Moyers, and Paul Krugman for having the sheer persistent courage of his convictions."
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"With the ever-growing influence of corporate CEOs and their right-wing allies in all aspects of American life, Hartmann’s work is more relevant than ever. Throughout his career, Hartmann has spoken compellingly about the value of people-centered democracy and the challenges that millions of ordinary Americans face today as a result of a dogma dedicated to putting profit above all else. This collection is a rousing call for Americans to work together and put people first again."
From The Thom Hartmann Reader:
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I was stationed for two years at Fort Hood, TX when I was in the Army, and although I remember the Luby’s massacre in Kileen, I never experienced anything while there that would explain what happened there yesterday. It is obvious, however, that there are many aspects of the Iraq/Afghani conflict that has yet to be fully evaluated by the “leaders” who have been shielded from certain aspects of war. It cannot be denied that these two conflicts—both which will be the longest wars this country has been involved in—have been fought with very few Americans being obliged to experience it, thus taking a terrible toll on the few who must.