Daily Topics - Tuesday January 18th, 2011

Truthout is proud to bring you an exclusive series from America's No. 1 progressive radio host, Thom Hartmann. We'll be publishing weekly installments, "Rebooting the American Dream."
Hour One: What is the "liberal agenda?"
Hour Two: What happens when the right wing targets you? Eric Boehlert - Media Matters - http://mediamatters.org
Hour Three: Should the TSA be privatized...yes or no? Robert Poole - Reason Foundation - www.reason.org
Comments


Thom, congratulations! You're on Beck's radar! Death threats aside, how awesome is that! Think of all the new listeners you're getting because of it. Sure the majority are moronic sheepeople, but you have an excellent opportunity to reach out to some who have a brain but have not be exposed to you.
Way to go, you should send Mr. Beck a thank you note.
N

I hope you take the opportunity Beck has given you and really sum up and re-state your position. Pepper the show with some of you're revolutionary founding father histories. Would be a wonderful time to try to do Thom's All Star Guests, try to get the economist Ravi Batra on, see if Bernie can do a couple of extra shows etc... really expose these new listeners to common sense. You have taught your regular listeners so well over the years, if you could distill some of that knowledge and wisdom down to some easy to understand shows in the next few weeks, you may actually pick up some of those Tea Party types you believe are out there. The ones that know something is wrong with our political system, but aren't enlightened to how we got here and are lashing out ignorantly.
This is a huge opportunity Thom, hope you get the chance to make the best of it.
N

I think the Liberal Argument is winning over time.
If you havn't already seen it, check out this short video of world history of human advancement (wealth and health) over the past 200 years. It gives an encouraging perspective for the future.
http://www.flixxy.com/200-countries-200-years-4-minutes.htm
Relating this to today's topic, just think of world civil society in 1810; repressive and reactionary compared to 2010; far more participatory and valuing (if not always respecting) human rights.

William Buckley, Jr. was not a Neo-Nazi.

Thom,
I believe you identified one of the arguments from people that identify as conservatives, "that people are inherently lazy", of course they don't include themselves in this appraisal. The fact that a government or community who provides "tools", a path, rewards, to work hard, to accomplish, to improve, will create a "great society" eludes them.

We can come together as communities -- but only if we are truly committed to that process nationwide on an on-going, long-term basis, and can by-pass the toxic right-wing spin machine.

Privatize the TSA and you'll have Blackwater/XE at the airports -- and to whom do they really answer? Isn't that the ages old problem with all mercenaries?

January 18, 2011
Thom must be doing something tight because the conservative crazies are blasting him. Thom must be getting under the skin of the conservative crazies. These conservative crazies are really pissed at him.
Thom, if you can set aside an hour to talk to people from Florida to inform us on the oil spillage problem, this hour will be helpful. With the conservative newspapers we receive no honest information.
Please take the time to read these verses!
Read Matthew 25:31-46! When you do it to the least of my brethren, you do it for me.
Read Matthew 5:1-12! The beatitudes!
Read Luke 10:25-37! Who is my neighbor?
Read Luke 12:13-21! These verses warn us against greed.
On a side note you have heard me say, “If mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody going to be happy.” Today, I heard, “A HAPPY WIFE MEANS A HAPPY LIFE.”

Privatized security? Talk about opaque. Xe and the others claim that everything about their operations (including casualty reports) is "proprietary" information not subject to review by the client who is paying them.
We, The People, have no right to oversee the work that they are supposed to be doing in our name.
And we wonder why "they" hate us.

Israel is a disgrace to humanity.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Netanyahu-s-Government-Is-by-Stephen-Lendman-110115-502.html

http://www.opednews.com/articles/HOW-MANY-SENATORS-DOES-IT-by-Jim-Quinn-110115-457.html
Taxpayers are being ripped off.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/19-Facts-About-The-Deindus-by-Michael-Snyder-110115-119.html
The end of American jobs!

Cruel and Unequal
Blacks and whites use drugs at about the same rate, yet African Americans are 10 times as likely to be imprisoned for drug offenses.
+Read about the unbalanced effects of the 'war on drugs' in the February 2011 issue of Sojourners magazine.
http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=magazine.contents&issue=soj1102

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO... Government is there to do things that should NOT be privitized!!! Provitization = Coruption.
Also, Some Pilots carry sidearms too. Knowing some of them, they really shouldn't be carrying a Gun or be in charge of flying the plane.

The Israeli propaganda machine is even worse.... the Israeli army bombs a building, killing 500 Palestinians to kill one suspected Palestinian terrorist, and the news claims all died of a Heart Attack.

In response to "nnnooooooooo ..... Fact... the eventual demise of the roman empire was financial... as a result of noooooooooo private sector... and tttooooooooo much government... Where do you think the "money" comes from to "fund" the government? To imply that private sector = corruption is the absolute opposite of the truth... which, atleast, coming from a progressive way of thinking is consistent.

The United States of Mortal Sin has fulfilled her manifest destiny.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/From-Military-Industrial-C-by-Gareth-Porter-110117-859.html
Keith Olbermann's characterization of Glenn Beck as "Lonesome Rhodes" Beck is spot on. See "A Face In The Crowd" when you get a chance.