Thursday November 19th 2009

Hour One: Have the banksters set up a system so corrupt that it's going to bring the rest of the world to it's knees....soon with Max Keiser www.maxkeiser.com
Hour Two: "The 1980 October Surprise Mystery Sub-Plot" and "Rev. Moon's Troubled Generation Next" Independent investigative journalist Robert Parry Joins Thom with some explosive news www.consortiumnews.com
Plus...Amy Goodman - What is the true state of American Journalism? www.democracynow.org
Hour Three: "Should we each have a carbon footprint allowance...and if you go over you pay more?" Thom spars with conservative Shikha Dalmia www.reason.org
Comments
A caller on Wednesday, conveying thoughts often heard on liberal talk radio, has inspired the following thought in me: Why is what we know about the thinking of women from other cultures comes from gender activists in this country, and Western-educated women from those cultures seeking to be accepted in the Anglo world? Every day I go to work I see Muslim women from Somalia wearing head scarves and skirts down to their toes working on the ramp. I don’t know what lurks beneath the surface, but I know what I see. I see people who don’t seem to act particularly unhappy or oppressed; they just go about their daily business like their men do, or anyone else for that matter. Yet you can bet your last dollar that there are people who will assume because of their dress that this is symbolic of oppression. Frankly, if the people making that assumption want to dress in dull shabbiness, that’s their business.
The media often reports cases where women are harshly punished or even killed, to avenge offenses against “family honor,” and such cases are clearly examples of cultures whose ideas in that regard have not progressed much since the dark ages. But making assumptions based on that, and what women from other cultures are supposed to think, doesn’t explain why a Muslim woman would strap a bomb under her garments, walk into a crowded marketplace, and kill dozens that include other women and children. Nor does it explain why women in Rwanda joined men in committing genocide, or why the “saintly” Winnie Mandela—even after her soon-to-be ex-husband became president of South Africa—ran her own little mafia operation, deploying her “boys” to beat or kill people she didn't like. Nor does it explain why a woman in this country would put an infant in a plastic garbage bag and toss it in a dumpster (and then we’re supposed to feel sympathy for the “mother,” not the “victimizing” baby).
Nor should it be disregarded that many of these countries where there exists cultural mores we criticize have limited resources and/or harsh environmental conditions, where “opportunity” is largely limited to political and military elites. The fact is that when we judge other cultures by Western standards, we tend to miss such subtleties—if not deliberately ignore them for politics’ sake. Our way is not in every case the “better” way; in Jordan, there are increasing complaints against U.S.-trained police, who like many of their U.S. counterparts are apparently “trained” to beat and kill unarmed people who have not committed a crime.
Stephen Lendman has an article that needs to be read.
His article mentions that single-payer health care plan can be a stimulus plan. The date of this article is November 18 I believe.
Just watched a fantastic documentary from the BBC by Adam Curtis (per Thom's advice) Called "The Trap"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7QtzHjj-bg
Tells the whole story about the rise of game theory and it's impact on the Milton Freidman philosophy of free-markets.
It's worth the 3 hours!
http://www.iwj.org/index.cfm/buddhism-and-wage-theft
The above article is interesting.
Mark, what are you even talking about? Do you expect to see Muslim women sobbing because of their dress as they go about their work? Lots of them like to dress that way because they believe it is proper. Some do not and are forced to do so or they’ll be hurt or killed. THAT is what’s bad. I don’t know how you can make a judgment about what’s going on with a person based on your interpretation of how they appear to you as you head to work. How is that any different from what others ascribe to the treatment of women worldwide? And a few bad women = no such thing as oppressed women anywhere in the world?
Fire Geithner and Summers, prominent Democrat says
http://rawstory.com/2009/11/fire-geithner-summers-democrat/
GOP senators block effort to freeze credit card interest rates
http://rawstory.com/2009/11/gop-senators-blocking-effort-freeze-credit-c...
Higher education costs in California has set increases in tuition at 32%. This reminds me of the 1920s when only the rich were able to go to college. We are heading back to the 1920s. Thom has continuously said that our higher education should be more like several European countries that view free higher education plan as an investment plan to help educate our citizens. Employed citizens can pay taxes to help stimulate our economy.
I believe people should wear clothing that is comfortable. I see some Muslim women look fashionable in their dress. I can see that their dress can come to be fashionable in time.
True Confession - My friends in high school were either so regularly drunk, high, speeding or you name it while I worked, was on all the extra curriculum, and aced all my classes. So, for my very first presidential vote, I voted for Reagan thinking as exactly Thom's Theorem about the matter, that some structure and discipline and old fashioned morality and pride in workmanship would be brought back into the country. The 70s did get a bit too Cheech and Chongish.
RE discussion of women in scarves for fashion, have you seen the famous Cat Stevens Peach Train slide show? Indeed, the women use scarves as fashion. See for yourself ....http://www.stumbleupon.com/s/#6BzFvR/www.lucasgray.com/video/peacetrain.html/
Actually, no, Muslim women wear headscarves because it's part of their religion. Sometimes they have to just put it on their heads, sometimes they aren't allowed to have even one hair show (or else), sometimes they have to cover their entire faces and bodies. Depends on their sect. The more liberal ones, if you can call them that, allow for colored scarves. Others do not. I also highly doubt that shapeless, baggy long dresses will ever become fashionable here. Sounds kind of moo-moo (mu-mu?)-like. Nobody wants to dress like that. And yes, I speak for all women. :)
Hi Jeanie,
I am glad to hear of your expertise in the matter. Did you watch the slide show and or are you familiar with it?
Mark, can you tell whether a woman who is not wearing a scarf is Muslim or not?
You have an "observer bias" issue here.
Dear Food,
Re: True Confession
Sometimes the pendulum swings too wide. Sometimes we over react to the excesses of our times. The older we get, the wiser we get, we learn that moderation in all is a pretty good truism to live by. Based upon the evidence that you shared about your motivations and actions in the past; I would suggest that it might have been better if you had puffed a little weed after all. Even Cheech & Chong knew better than to vote for Reagan! It's OK. You were young. :-)
Food Fascist,
I did watch the slide show. There were some very pretty photos. But if it was designed to convince me that head scarves are worn for fashion, it didn't work. Females do wear scarves as fashion, but I highly doubt that this is the reason Muslims wear them. We know there's not a whole lot of choice over there. Do secular Iranians wear them? I don't know.
Anyway, what Tom is talking about now is WAY more interesting--Reagan, Bill Casey, hostages, etc.
Hi Jeanie,
I honesty come to Thom's on a semi regular basis not looking for any harsh exchanges with anyone. I like to learn new things and exchange information to stay up to date with what is going on in the world. I have no agenda other than that. I have gone to Universities with exchange students from Middle Eastern Countries who have indeed told me, depending upon the country, that they just plain wear scarves like there was a time where men and women here in the USA wore hats.
Yes DDay-
My Tai Chi Master had introduced me to the concept of polarity many years ago. In a purists sense of the concept, for every Mother Theresa on the planet, you have a Charles Manson. This is the balance of the light and the dark. I also read this in a book on Angels where the philosophy is that The Devil himself was that floor of the darkness while the other Angels were the ceiling of good and that we are here sort of bouncing off both as peoples trying to balance each other out.
Well, Food Fascist, I actually don't know for sure. I would guess that those who wear scarves for fashion aren't intensely religious. I didn't mean to imply that no Muslim females ever wear them for fashion. I think of the women wearing burkas more than the ones wearing the type of scarf I'd wear. If you have personal experience, I won't question you. I'd just never heard that. And I appreciate hearing your perspective.
"The only way Republicans can win is by lying or stealing elections." One of the reasons I love Thom.
"War on Wall Street"
Very interesting discussion (includes Naomi Klein, Elizabeth Warren and others) on current state of financial reform (video):
The Students Are Revolting
(I really had to hold back bad puns, here...)
No really, college students throughout California's campuses are saying "Enough!" to outrageous increases in college tuition. It would be nice if the "revolt" could go national (video):
I have been vindicated. Yes, I have been vindicated for saying we are a fascist nation. FDR's third vice-president said we are fascist nation. Thom has written an article for Common Dreams mentioning Henry Wallace's (sp) call that we a fascist nation. People, I beg you and I fall to my knees begging you to move away from your state of denial and start to believe that we are an evil. vile, and wicked nation. During Thom's final minute of his three hour show a caller said that we are fascists. Thom said that he may have a show on fascism in American.
Our media is functioning like Nazism and so my belief that says we are a fascist-Nazi nation is absolutely on target. I am finally vindicated regarding my belief.
Forget these carbon credits that benefit only the giant guzzlers of oil products.
We must change our lifestyles, create sustainable communities that are contained and aim at being PLANT-BASED. Remember, PLANTS ARE BENEFITTING FROM THE CO2 LOAD AND WE MUST ADAPT TO THAT PHENOMENON. That means fashioning plant-based economies.
I agree with today's caller who told Thom we needed to RATION and control and reduce our uses of oil products. I enlarge that to include the reduction and ending of the use of any class of COMBUSTIBLES. It is time to get tough. Relying of FILTHY Oil was NEVER a good idea in the first place. That's obvious and always has been. Combined with insane predatory capitalism, it has resulted in an ever-increasing rate of OVER-CONSUMPTION to keep up with HYPNOTIC MARKETING (MIND CONTROL) and OBSCENE PROFITEERING.
Many nations have already feverishly consumed their own rich resources (often for imperialistic warfare and adventures); then they scam to attain the resources of the rest of the world. The sooner these nations undertand their greedy, over-consumption lifestyles MUST end and be replaced by sane and simplified lifestyles the better! Right?
And in a refashioned society where everyone is responsible for reducung consumption -- then what the heck would the benefits/motive be to being obscenely wealthy, if by law you could no longer obscenely over-consume?
Special thanks for today's excellent broadcast!
P.S. I never hear much of what causes Climate Change/Global Warming. Just like Thom points out, it is Atmospheric Degradation and THAT is caused by OVER-CONSUMPTION. It's this disgusting over-consumption only that results in UNMANAGEABLE quantities of waste by-products.
Humans have destroyed eco-systems in the past because of the unreasonable needs of their technologies of choice -- like forests gone forever for sailing ships and mine shaft supports, but these have occurred regionally; now the insanity has reached every spot on Earth and there is NO TIME to figure out an economic cap and trade scheme so that the insane over-consumption practices can be continued!
While we have been hearing of the sneaky tactics of credit card companies raising their finance charge rates ahead of the due date of changes that end many of their parasitical practices, drug companies have been busy raising prescription drug prices ahead of health care reform. That these price hikes are seven times the CPI makes clear that this is a deliberate attempt to circumvent the intent of reform, and is in direct contradiction of the pharmaceutical industry’s “promise” to the Obama administration to cooperate in cutting costs. Drug companies claim that they need the extra money for research, but the reality is that pharmaceuticals are not tied down to their “promise” to reduce drug costs by $8 billion a year over the next 10, and will suffer little penalty if they do break it. But at least the drug companies are up front about it when confronted with the evidence; the insurance companies choose to conceal their activities behind shadowy “front groups” doing their anti-reform bidding.