Daily Topics - Wednesday November 3rd, 2010
By shawnt56
Quote of the Day: Media corporations have a civic responsibility not only to prevent fraud and financial abuse, but also to not corrupt or degrade our culture. -- Charles W. Pickering
Hour One: Thom's take on the Republican 'wave'
Hour Two: Was the right more on point with their message and should they have won even bigger or was it all about the money? Thom has a rumble with Dan Gainor of the Business and Media Institute www.businessandmedia.org
Hour Three: What do you think about the election outcome? Thom takes your calls
Comments
#2
Yesterday, the rise of the "Tea Party" set back Democrats, yes, but it continues to register the demise of the old GOP. RINO "Tea Party" supporters appeal to occasional voters who lack long-term wisdom. In effect, government control now swings to people who got "C's" in history class 10, 20, 30 years ago.
What President Obama should do:
Announce: I have heard the "Tea Party" cry. I believe in representative government, and I shall approve their balanced budget— NOW, in the lame duck session of Congress! Before they even take office, caucus, write and present to the President--a balanced budget starting Jan. 1, 2011.
Instruct all departments to dismantle or implement the austerities, and force Boehner to approve it on day one of the new session. Task Mitch McConnell to pass it in the Senate. Dems cannot lose! It will drive a wedge between the Tea Partiers and the old GOP—exterminating the residual GOP and teaching American voters what danger lies in Tea Party policies.
Can we afford to run America on the mentality of "C" students in history? We need to find out.
Let them negotiate the Bush Tax Cut extensions. And justify them! Let them end 2 wars and surrender. Hold their philosophy accountable for 2 more years!
#3
The Phantom Left
By Chris Hedges
The American left is a phantom. It is conjured up by the right wing to tag Barack Obama as a socialist and used by the liberal class to justify its complacency and lethargy. It diverts attention from corporate power. It perpetuates the myth of a democratic system that is influenced by the votes of citizens, political platforms and the work of legislators. It keeps the world neatly divided into a left and a right. The phantom left functions as a convenient scapegoat. The right wing blames it for moral degeneration and fiscal chaos. The liberal class uses it to call for “moderation.” And while we waste our time talking nonsense, the engines of corporate power—masked, ruthless and unexamined—happily devour the state...
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_phantom_left_20101031/?ln
#4
If members of the Obama administration are going to be subpoenaed by the Republicans, then can't we turn around and say, ok, if that's how you're going to be, we're going to start war crimes investigations into the Bush/Cheney administration and then do it? And then talk about 9/11. And bring up the secret energy meetings that Dick Cheney had and subpoena him. Why can't we fight fire with fire, especially when we have so much ammo and they have a box of matches?
#5
Here are Rabbi Michael Lerner's Ten Commandments!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rabbi-michael-lerner/10-commandments-to-revive_b_777961.html
#6
@Jeanie, excellent comment! Jeanie, there is a major flaw. Thom said it succinctly. "The Obama White House is incompetent."
#7
How can anyone talk to a person with this belief or mindset???
Biblical capitalism is the belief that government intervention in the marketplace is against God's will.
#8
I do not oppose people who have religion in their life. Personally, I believe that religion is important in our lives. I am a person who believes that our country needs RESPONSIBLE CAPITALISM. I oppose PREDATOTY CAPITALISM. I believe in and I try to practice living by the ELEVENTH COMMANDMENT. The Eleventh Commandment was given to us by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper with these words, "LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU." How can any religious person, be he right or left, and forget about Jesus' Sermon on the Mount?
The Religious Right is a fanatical group who is at war with Americans who value Jesus words and who believe that Jesus' words are a way of life. We must incorporate Jesus' words in our daily lives.
We must never forget that we are at war with the fanatical group, known as the Religious Right.
#9
The Beatitudes
You may or may not know that when I examine my conscience I go through the Ten Commandments and the Seven Capital Sins. I will also go through the Beatitudes and give an example to examine in my conscience.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Do I share my gifts, talents, time, and treasure to help build the kingdom of God here on earth?
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Do I, in turn, try to assist those who are suffering?
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Do I ever look down on others because they may not look or act like me?
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be fulfilled. When I see or hear stories of people suffering injustice, what is my response?
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. When I am wronged, am I willing to forgive?
Blessed are the pure of heart, for they will see God. Do I respect the gift of my body, created in God’s image?
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Do I work for peace in my country and throughout the world?
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Am I willing to take a stand that is unpopular, but is based on gospel values?
Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven. Is my life on this earth focused on the life to come?
Hopefully, born again Christians may want to read the Bible more carefully.
#10
Christianity and Violence
Yale theologian, Miroslav Volf, was on NPR’s Speaking of Faith before NPR became a fascist radio outlet. He said that things go wrong when people have thin religion and not thick religion. Thin religious people can be zealots and they can be manipulated. We will continuously live in a world of multiple religions. We need to celebrate plurality of religions. Religions need to come to an understanding of scriptural readings. There must be a discussion of differences and to carry on a dialogue. How do you deal with two groups fighting for what they perceive is justice? We need forgiveness. We cannot undo what has been done and so forgiveness is necessary.
The past cannot be undone. Jesus died for all of us while we were still enemies. He forgave His enemies and He set the example for our behavior. We need to embrace forgiveness. We must aim to lead a simple life and not let our possessions control us. Not all differences occur on the battlefields. We also have differences in our living rooms. Jesus befriended all the people. There are many enemies in the world and we cannot hold each of our enemies in check by force. We must reach out and befriend our enemies.
The will to forgive must be unconditional even though it is not always perfect. How do we achieve the will to embrace forgiveness? It is not easy but we must work on our will to forgive.
Our memories have a way of keeping us from friendships or to embrace friendships. Conflicts are in flamed by our memories. What do we do with our memories? How do we keep our shield of a memory from picking up the sword? Forgetting is the last step in a relationship and not the first step. Remembering is important but at some point we must forget. Helping us in the process of forgiveness and forgetting is in our reading of Romans, Chapter 12, in the New Testament, especially Romans 12:9-21.
#11
Is there any person who believes that the Religious Right has forgiveness in their heart???
#12
Re: "The Obama White House is incompetent."
No, they are very competent.
Democrats vs Republicans, It's all a dog & pony show.
#13
Question for Ravi -- would micro-finance work in US, and why isn't Obama employing it immediately?
#14
Well said Gerald. Check out:
http://www.talk2action.org/
#15
If i remember correctly, wasn't Nancy Pelosi supposed to "drain the swamp"???HMMM?
"the hypocrite with his mouth destroys his neighbor"
if you are going to throw stones, make sure your own house is clean and pure!!!!
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:
"In an age rife with media-inspired confusion and political cowardice, we yearn for a decent, caring, deeply human soul whose grasp of the problems confronting us provides a light by which we can make our way through the quagmire of lies, distortions, pandering, and hollow self-puffery that strips the American Dream of its promise. How lucky we are, then, to have access to the wit, wisdom, and willingness of Thom Hartmann, who shares with us here that very light, grown out of his own life experience."
From Screwed:
"If we are going to live in a Democracy, we need to have a healthy middle class. Thom Hartmann shows us how the ‘cons’ have wronged this country, and tells us what needs to be done to reclaim what it is to be American."
From Unequal Protection, 2nd Edition:
"If you wonder why and when giant corporations got the power to reign supreme over us, here’s the story."
It is the money and the dumbing down of America thanks to the mainstream media. How people can sit and watch TV and base their voting decisions on a media that gave us such gems as "Gilligan's Island" and "The Price is Right"? I think this is a glimpse of the future of elections in this country, a future in which voters react to a two year "taste" of elected officials and then either accept them or reject them much in the way they choose consumer products based on TV advertising.