Daily Topics - Thursday July 12th, 2012
By shawnt56
Catch The Thom Hartmann Program LIVE at our new time, 3-6pm Eastern!
Hour One: Latest on the battle for democracy in Michigan - Rev. D. Alexander Bullock, Rainbow Push Detroit
Hour Two: Fighting Citizens United in Ohio - Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) / Plus, Battle of the SuperPACs...Will R.I.'s "disclosure act" keep them out? Dan Gainor, Business and Media Institute
Hour Three: Republicans should give up their charter... / Plus, Geeky Science Rocks - When it comes to your brain & altruism...size DOES matter
Comments
#2
If campaign contributions are speech, then someone who talks a little to their neighbor is doing so privately and should not have to disclose it. If someone goes on TV and talks for an hour before the nation, then it is public. Whenever you give money to facilitate speech, then you are speaking. You should not be able to launder your speech through third parties.
#3
Voting Machines: I suspect that optical or electro-mechanical voting machines can be biased in subtle ways. For example, if an optical scanner has separate sensors for each candidate, then if some where dirtier than the others, then the dirtier ones would falsely record more marginally registered votes (not fully filled in bubbles, blue/vs black ink, etc.). The scanners would probably pass the tests that are thrown at them, but the ones with dirty sensors would be at a disadvantage.
I do believe that an electronic voting machine could be properly constructed so that it could be trusted. Sadly, our current design where everything happens in one reprogrammable black box with no audit trail between the logical units is a recipe for disaster. You definitely do not want a general purpose machine used for this purpose.
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 Screwed:
"I think many of us recognize that for all but the wealthiest, life in America is getting increasingly hard. Screwed explores why, showing how this is no accidental process, but rather the product of conscious political choices, choices we can change with enough courage and commitment. Like all of Thom’s great work, it helps show us the way forward."
From Screwed:
"Thom Hartmann’s book explains in simple language and with concrete research the details of the Neo-con’s war against the American middle class. It proves what many have intuited and serves to remind us that without a healthy, employed, and vital middle class, America is no more than the richest Third World country on the planet."
From The Thom Hartmann Reader:
"Thom Hartmann is a creative thinker and committed small-d democrat. He has dealt with a wide range of topics throughout his life, and this book provides an excellent cross section. The Thom Hartmann Reader will make people both angry and motivated to act."
Olympics in the nude! I take it Thom you haven’t seen the women’s volleyball competition. I'd be for it except for power lifting, the clean and jerk might prove hazardous. Also where would the athletes put their trading pins?