Daily Topics - Tuesday June 21st, 2011

Get the new IPhone App for Thom Hartmann
Please sign PDAmerica's letter to the Senate Democratic Caucus supporting Healthcare NOT Warfare!!
Hour One: "Afghanisgtan...time to bring our troops home" - Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR)
Hour Two: Throwing 'Obamacare' under the bus - Peter Ferrara, The American Civil Rights Union / Plus, Mainstreet's message goes to Wall Street - Rose Ann DeMoro, National Nurses United
Hour Three: New i-phone video kill switch...threat to democracy? Ginger McCall, Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC)
Comments
I really want to know the reggae sounding song title & artist that was played as a bumper coming back from the 1hr & a half break (at 10:34am PST). Thanks!!

Maybe it was a good idea to keep my old movie cameras. Now, who sells film for them? Who develops the film?
The idea of using an infrared signal to disable recording devices is a blunt instrument that depends on line of sight and distance. When I called and suggested the GPS gambit using the always on 911 signal from cell towers, I was only on the very edge of a shore of a beach of a great ocean of possibilities. Just think - a department may be able to select a zone, then send a signal that disables all cell phones outside of a certain political class within that zone. It's possible that turning the cell phone off or even removing the battery may not disable the function as far as the consumer options are concerned. I'll search some of Bruce Schneier's files. I think this is a fascinating topic. It's also interesting that the technology is within our reach.

A short summary:
Infrared technology is quick and dirty, and generally very limited, but it does show the hand of the controllers. The corporations want to maintain control of the consumers and their access to data. Forget about stopping people from recording a rock concert; that's trivial.
The implications for use of electronic devices are clear to me. Data may be sent to wireless devices. Data may be taken from devices. Programs may be executed on devices. The reason I am vague is that those data come in as many forms as can me imagined: pictures, sounds, movies, temperatures, locations, text, executables, and on and on.
The ability of people to control their personal lives is affected by the access that they give up at every stage of their adoption of electronic conveniences. Anybody who thinks they can fight this usurpation of power with his little pop-gun is stupid. The only tool that has been shown to work is an educated, informed, and involved populace.
State of Michigan
I enjoy your program, Thanks for being a voice and bringing up issues that others will not talk about
I found this article The State of Michigan is taking away from the have nots
http://www.landlinemag.com/todays_news/Daily/2011/Jun11/062011/062111-05...
Thanks Bill



Thom, I have often wondered who first came up with the idea to tie healthcare coverage to employment. This has never made sense to me. Employed people are the only ones deserving of heathcare?? It's a form of indentured servitude and it's an unneccessary drain on business. Perhaps you can discuss sometime how our current system came to be.
Also, why can't we just have the government offer affordable health insurance for those who can't find coverage on the market (without a mandate) and allow private insurance companies to cover those who want it. I like your idea of Medicare Part E for everyone. I would be thrilled with that! As a 40-something with no health coverage, I live daily knowing that if I get seriously sick or injured, I'm going to die.
Then, over time, we can "starve the beast" of for-profit health insurance companies without the ongoing debate. If the gov't offers a viable solution, then let the market decide.