Daily Topics - Wednesday May 5th 2010 - Happy Cinco de Mayo!!
By louisehartmann
Hour One - U.S. Congressman (D-IL, 4th District) Luis Gutierrez http://luisgutierrez.house.gov Is it possible to build a society that doesn't depend on poverty level wages?
Hour Two - Keith Sadler UAW worker lost his job, barricaded in his foreclosed home When is America going to revisit FDR's Homeowners Refinancing Act?www.ustream.tv/channel/toledo-foreclosure-defense-league
Plus...Jeremy Scahill www.rebelreports.com Erik Prince says Afghani's are just "barbarians who crawled out of the sewer".
Hour Three - Rep. Brian Baird (D-WA, 3rd District) Should members of Congress be allowed to bet against falling markets??? Really??
Comments
#2
@Maxrot, I agree with your words. You have said it succinctly.
#3
Our savings rate goes down, as our wages stagnate, credit flourishes and banks make a killing. Seems like a simple equation, promote greed amongst business, shrink the middle class (the voice of the Government when big enough) and the top % get to act and live like Kings without the modicum of responsibility such a position entails.
And the wage slaves turn on each other, for the propaganda of greed has infected them too, but they can only compete for nothing and so frustration drives them to violence. The violent ones are made example of, and the rest bow there heads in subservience.
N
#4
@harry ashburn, humanism is a good path to pursue. Whatever the path a person will pursue, hopefully the path will have heart.
#5
@harry, a generally sugar cubes are used to help the acid go down.
N
#6
This caller, 'Michael''s voice sounds like Gerhard from Oakland, CA Tea Partier. Maybe his new name suggests he is finally being transformed.
#7
@Maxrot, I offer several thoughts. Some thoughts are hard to swallow and some thoughts are easier to swallow.
#8
re: Phil Gramm: note that Wendy Gramm isn't his first wife. She's asian, less apt to complain about getting beat-up; unlike his former wife.
#9
@gerald, I know you do. I do my best to read between the lines of everyone's postings to get to the heart of what is being said. I have said before, and say again now, I don't always agree with you, but I think your voice is valid and worthy of being on a progressive blog such as this. I hear your anger with this country, I may try to parse what you're saying, but fact of the matter is, if you feel this way, I have no doubt there are not several others who feel likewise, yet don't share on a blog such as this.
I frankly doubt that all that I say is agreeable either, but oh well, that's what I think, can't see any reason to hide that. I just try to use my best manners (such as they are), so I don't turn off too many readers. Seems to work out for me so far.
N
#10
Thom, there are boats that move under wind power... they're called sailboats. But I don't know why anyone would want to sail through an oil slick anyway.
N
#11
Im like Gerald in which I see a hell on earth coming, and those of us who are going to live less than 20 years are the lucky ones. However, there is still a chance that geoenginnering can save us, but it probably will be close to hell.
#12
Thanks Harry. I'll try tomorrow. Looks like we're going to have a water crisis as well. I hope Thom will talk about it and global climate change. BTW, I won't tell the chat room about the live blog.
#13
@harry and gerald, by hell on earth do you mean another age of darkness for man kind, such as what humanity went through from the fall of the Roman Empire until the Age of Enlightenment? or an Earth that has become nearly impossible to live on because of pollution and depletion of natural resources? or both? or something else?
N
#14
@NashvilleDave, what is the situation in Nashville right now, is any aid arriving? I asked a couple of questions here on the blog yesterday, and I don't remember anyone speaking up about it. Though I haven't noticed this blog being all too on top of breaking news.
N
#15
Silence Speaks
The former sheriff of Wayne County, Michigan, William Lucas gave a talk that my wife and I attended. He said that when we do nothing, we are doing something. He also said that to say nothing we are talking loud and clear. What he was saying, that inaction, silence, or both conveys a message that we are condoning the behavior of people that may very well be hurting other people. Social injustice and immorality hurts other people and we cannot remain silent or sit idly by and do nothing.
What we must do is to keep in mind the words of Jesus in Matthew 25: 31-46. The central theme of this biblical verse says, “When you do it for the least of My brethren, you do it for Me”.
Martin Luther King Jr. from his jail in 1963 said, “We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of bad people, but for the appalling silence of good people.
Cindy Sheehan regrets that she did not scream out at Congress and say, Congress, don’t you dare abrogate your constitutional rights and responsibilities! Do not under any circumstances give the keys to our country to power-drunk, irresponsible, and reckless maniacs.
When George said, “If you’re not for us, you’re against us”, Cindy Sheehan will forever regret that she did not phone and scream, “I am so against you and your repulsive policies, you self-important man. I am against killing innocent people and I am against you telling me it’s unpatriotic to be against you and your murderous philosophy!”
@Thom listeners, I know that sugar and honey attracts but I must show outrage at policies and practices that kill God's children. Jeremy Scahill talked about Blackwaters Mercenary Group's commander-in-chief being able to have drones programmed from Las Vegas to destroy certain targets. We are able to kill human beings who are 8 to 10 thousand miles away. People, I believe that this practice is mass murder of human beings. How do I speak of such matters with sugar and honey?
#16
@Maxrot, human beings, even American human beings, have the answers to resolve our many problems. I may sound simplistic in this answer but our many problems can be resolved in a simplified way. The answers are in the Holy Bible through the words of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ can resolve our many problems.
My spiritual advisor said to me that Americans will stop feeling the pain and suffering when they start to repent. We must never turn our backs on Jesus Christ. Jesus died giving us the answers for eternal salvation and the completing of His work to have a heaven on earth. Let us embrace Jesus Christ and His words.
#17
Thom's listeners, this article by Rabbi Michael Lerner is a must read article.
#18
@Maxrot re: #63, I meant the latter.
@Gerald re: #57: and some swallows are hard to offer. :{D
#19
@Gerald #65: try high-fructose corn syrup.
#20
@gerald, sure I know its difficult to sugar coat and dip in honey emotions of anger. All I'm saying is remember where you're expressing your anger, sometimes it seems you're yelling at the choir for showing up at rehearsal... does that metaphor work for you?
Also, yes Jesus spoke truth, undoubtedly, but so have many other religious leaders. When you express yourself Jesus-centric-ly, you're no longer speaking to everyone, your just speaking to Christians, which is fine if you're in Church. However, if you want to reach more people, you need to expand your resource for truth. Besides, as Jesus said give onto God what is Gods' and onto Caesar what is Caesars'. I'm guessing that he was taking into account in that statement, that politics and religion should be separate... don't you? Having the teachings of Jesus as the basis as your principles is fine and I find nothing wrong about it, but saying do it because Jesus said so, isn't a reasonable argument for most, even Jesus taught that the stringent religious laws of his time were impeding people from doing the moral thing a situation called for. A moral being can't have all the answers in a book, a book can't cover every situation, thinking and adaptation has to be employed.
N
Thom's Blog Is On the Move
By webmaster
Hello All
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@Maxrot: "A teaspoon of sugar helps the acid go down"