Newsletter : 2 December 2009

The Thom Hartmann Program Wednesday 2 December 2009

Thom's blog
We Need Both a Draft and a War Tax

Democrats are "divided" on how to fund the new Afghanistan strategy, which will cost at least $30 billion more over the short term, not to mention billions to care for wounded veterans for decades.




Both Democrats and Republicans have rejected a proposal from liberal members to impose a 'war tax,'" but "they offered no plan of their own." And the average citizen has no skin in the game, as nobody is talking about the impact of this on tax rates and, most importantly, we no longer have a draft.




As Thomas Jefferson once wrote to his friend and protégé James Madison, we should minimize our permanent military and instead of a national defense force with a national draft like Switzerland does. Herbert Hoover correctly noted, "Old men declare war. But it's the youth who must fight and die."




When the children of our President, Vice President, and members of Congress are all obliged to serve, the odds are infinitely higher that our leaders won't speak so glibly about the acceptability of "a few casualties" in optional wars of choice in oil-and-gas-strategic regions like Afghanistan and Iraq.

--Thom


Going Rouge
Order it as a paperback or as an e-book from orbooks.com.

Community Square
video

Uploaded by attilad. "Why we need to introduce and pass People's Lobby's American World Service Corps (AWSC) Congressional Proposals. AWSC's citizen-initiated congressional proposals addresses world problems by building a peaceful, productive army of 21 million volunteers over the next 27 years."
message
"George W Bush AWOL?
Moonturtle appears to disagree. What would you call his behavior?
blog
kevin_lardner points us to an amazing animation.
( the new ) "What Now Cartoon". The Bankster's are rolling out their new interest rates, penalties and lower credit lines that enable them to trap you with their famous over limit fee.
Uploaded By: Piye4304 "My analysis of malignant capitalism, its consequences, and a possible treatment if we get our butts in gear. All that over a kick-ass beat!".


The Daily Stack Daily Stack
Quote: "Almost always, it is the conviction that 'I am right' or 'my cause is the cause of justice' that triggers violence. That is, ...the moment propaganda does its work, violence is unleashed. And violence can be reduced by countering this propaganda." -- Jacques Ellul.
Hour One: AFGHANISTAN: IT'S NOW OBAMA'S WAR.
Site: "TAPI pipeline".
Book: "War is a Racket" by Smedley Butler.

Hour Two: AFGHANISTAN TROOP SURGE...SHOULD WE HAVE A DRAFT AND A WAR TAX? - Thom challenges Dan Gainor of the Business and Media Institute mix it up.

Hour Three: AFGHANISTAN, SECRET WAR WITH PAKISTAN - Thom talks to Independent Journalist Jeremy Scahill, Puffin Writing Fellow at The Nation Institute; author of "Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army".
Article: "Blackwater's Secret War in Pakistan" by Jeremy Scahill (video).
Book: "Darwin's Radio" by Greg Bear.


Coming up Thursday on The Thom Hartmann Program
Hour Two: IS GLOBAL CAPITALISM ON ITS LAST LEGS? HAS THE WEST BEGUN A DECLINE INTO A NEW DARK AGE? DOES AMERICAN CIVILIZATION DESERVE TO SURVIVE? - These questions and more will be answered by economist, futurist and author Howard Bloom.
Hour Three: "HEALTH CARE OR GUN RIGHTS?" - If you own a gun, would you be ok with your doctor giving information about your mental and physical health to a government run health care database if it means you'll get better health care? Absolutely NOT says Larry Pratt of Gun Owners of America! Really?! It's going to be a rumble you won't want to miss!!
And, of course, the best of the rest of the news, and your calls right here on... The Thom Hartmann Program... your radio support group for "We the People.".


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