When you tell people they won't be held accountable for their actions, it almost always ends badly. That's what's happened with our police and our social media, two institutional pillars of personal and political society in America today. Removing those dual immunities could dramatically change - for the better - the lives of millions of Americans.

For police, the doctrine of "qualified immunity" first took hold in 1967 in the Supreme Court case Pierson v. Ray, when it was used "to shield white police officers from a lawsuit they faced for enforcing segregation," as the Princetonian editorial board wrote recently.

In Pierson v. Ray, a group of black and white clergymen who supported racial integration sued the police for arresting their members for violating segregation rules and sitting in a "white[s] only" part of a bus station in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1961.

Read more here.

-Thom

Yesterday, Donald Trump violated the First Amendment "right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances" for a blasphemous photo-op holding a Bible in front of a church.

Today, he is going to a shrine to St. John Paul II, Who repeatedly and explicitly condemned racism, for another photo-op.

Trump is trying to play out Richard Nixon's "law and order" theme from the 1968 election.

In 1968, the media was still largely segregated, as was most of the nation.

"Law and order" were Nixon's code words for white supremacy, but nobody in the mainstream media identified that or called it out at the time; that commentary was largely limited to the black press.

America today is a very different place, a multiracial and far more pluralistic society.

Trump thinks he can pull off Nixon's white supremacist routine and get himself reelected.

He is wrong.

Even white people, who in 1968 were largely blissfully unaware of the consequences of their own white privilege, now realize what's going on.

The big question is what happens when Trump's "law and order" strategy fails.

Will this lead to the emergence of a fully fascist government being led by Trump, Pence and Barr from the White House?

Or will it lead to continued uprisings around the country that eventually lead to positive changes in policing and governance?

In either case, now is the time for the House of Representatives to offer a second Article of Impeachment against Trump for nakedly violating the First Amendment, and for the Republicans in the Senate, who should now see the terrible mistake they made the last time they had this opportunity, to remove him from office before he can do any more damage to our nation.

-Thom

Tuesday's Daily Stack

Article: "Police used tear gas, pushed back peaceful protesters for Trump church visit" by Ben Gittleson and Jordyn Phelps.

Article: "First Amendment to the United States Constitution" Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances

Article: "'The Bible is not a prop': Religious leaders, lawmakers outraged over Trump church visit" by Rebecca Shabad, Geoff Bennett, Monica Alba and Shannon Pettypiece.

Article: "'He Did Not Pray': Fallout Grows From Trump's Photo-Op At St. John's Church" by Bill Chappell.

Article: "Australia demands answers after news crew roughed up by U.S. police" by Jamie Dupree.

Article: "Trump's Shrine Visit Called 'Reprehensible' by Catholic Leader" by Justin Sink.

Article: "'I felt my face explode': Journalist and mother-of-two, 37, is left blind in one eye after 'being shot with a rubber bullet' at Minneapolis protest" by Jenny Stanton.

Article: "Law and order won't help Trump win reelection" by Kevin M. Kruse.

Article: "Southern strategy" by Wikipedia.

Article: "1968 Chicago riots" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Barr Prowls Around DC In Publicity Stunt After Cops Teargas Peaceful Protesters" by Cristina Cabrera.

Article: "Biden addresses nationwide Floyd protests, condemns Trump church photo op in Philadelphia speech" by John Verhovek and Molly Nagle.

Article: "Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski Think Donald Trump Is No Longer a Danger" by Dahlia Lithwick.

Article: "Eye witness report of the ousting of peaceful clergy and first aiders from church for Trump photo-op" by Gini Gerbasi.

Article: "Priest among those police cleared from St. John's Church patio for Trump visit" by Justine Coleman.

Tweet: "Bishop @Mebudde response to the President
The President just used a Bible and one of the churches of my diocese as a backdrop for a message antithetical to the teachings of Jesus and everything that our church stands for. (1/3)" by Episcopal Diocese of Washington.

Article: "Steve King Faces Primary as 8 States and D.C. Vote: What to Watch" by Reid J. Epstein.

Article: "Rwandan genocide" by Wikipedia.

Article: "The Minneapolis police officer who knelt on George Floyd's neck had 18 previous complaints against him, police department says" by Dakin Andone, Hollie Silverman and Melissa Alonso.

Article: "In Memory of African Americans unjustly killed " by unknown Facebook contributor.

Article: "Christian Cooper recounts incident with Amy Cooper before Central Park video" by Kate Sheehy.

Article: "Justice Department launching investigation into Ahmaud Arbery's death as a hate crime, family's attorneys say" by CBS News.

Article: "'I thought it was my apartment,' Dallas officer says 19 times in tearful 911 call after shooting Botham Jean" by Eliott C. McLaughlin.

Article: "Shooting of Atatiana Jefferson" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Shooting of Jonathan Ferrell" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Murder of Renisha McBride" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Shooting of Stephon Clark" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Murder of Jordan Edwards" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Shooting of Alton Sterling" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Death of Aiyana Jones" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Shooting of Michael Brown" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Shooting of Tamir Rice" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Charleston church shooting" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Shooting of Trayvon Martin" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Shooting of Sean Bell" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Shooting of Oscar Grant" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Death of Sandra Bland", 2015 by Wikipedia.

Article: "Shooting of Philando Castile" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Shooting of Corey Jones" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Shooting of John Crawford III" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Shooting of Terence Crutcher" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Shooting of Keith Lamont Scott" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Shooting of Clifford Glover" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Grand Jury to Get Report On Police Killing of Boy" (Claude Reese) by Mary Breasted.

Article: "Shooting of Randolph Evans" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Bronx Jury Clears Police In '87 Death" (Yvonne Smallwood) by Sam Howe Verhovek.

Article: "Shooting of Amadou Diallo" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Shooting of Walter Scott" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Death of Eric Garner" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Death of Freddie Gray" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Killing of George Floyd" by Wikipedia.

Article: "General Milley Checks on His Troops… On the Streets of D.C." by Kelley Beaucar Vlahos.

Article: "Before Trump's Photo-Op, Police Forcibly Removed Priest From Church Grounds" by Tommy Beer.

Article: "Trump, an infrequent churchgoer, focuses on Christian base amid protests and pandemic" by CNN.

Article: "Campaigns go virtual ahead of Tuesday's primary elections" by Nicholas Riccardi and Marc Levy.

Article: "Peaceful Protesters Tear-Gassed To Clear Way For Trump Church Photo-Op" by Tom Gjelten.

Quote: "To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time." - James Baldwin.

Article: "Thom Hartmann" by Wikipedia.

Article: "What Do the Koch Brothers Want?" (1980 Libertarian Party platform) by Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Article: "Poll Of Likely 2016 Voters" by GBA Strategies on behalf of the Progressive Change Institute.

Site: Michigan Democratic Party.

Article: "Tea Party movement" by Wikipedia.

Video: "Concord Project GOTV - the importance of precinct committee members".

Video: "Concord Project GOTV - how you become a precinct committee member".

Site: Indivisible.

Site: MoveOn.org

Site: Our Revolution

Article: "Family Matters" by Wikipedia.

Article: "How immunity for cops and Facebook kills Americans" by Thom Hartmann.

Tweet: "Senior defense official says Defense Sec Esper and CJCS Milley weren't intending to take part in Pres Trump's event outside St John's church opposite the WH and had left WH following a briefing and were intending to review NG troops in the area." by Missy Ryan.

Article: "Colorado cops seize weapons and military gear from 'boogaloo bois' after George Floyd protest" by Travis Gettys.

Article: "A small group of armed men, possibly white nationalists, infiltrated Sunday’s protests in downtown Lancaster to instigate violence during a largely peaceful demonstration, city officials said Monday" by Jeff Hawkes.

Video: Suspicious Caucasian Male Breaks Window at AutoZone inciting Minneapolis Riots.

Tweet: "@BarackObama will attack Iran in the not too distant future because it will help him win the election. If the... (cont) http://deck.ly/~RSKCl" by Donald J. Trump, Nov 14, 2011.

Tweet: "@BarackObama will attack Iran in order to get re-elected." by Donald J. Trump, 17 Jan 2012.

Tweet: "Just as I predicted, @BarackObama is preparing a possible attack on Iran right before November." by Donald J. Trump, 3 Jul 2012.

Tweet: "I always said @BarackObama will attack Iran, in some form, prior to the election." by Donald J. Trump, 16 Aug 2012.

Tweet: "Now that Obama's poll numbers are in tailspin - watch for him to launch a strike in Libya or Iran. He is desperate." by Donald J. Trump, 9 Oct 2012.

Article: "Margaret Thatcher Fought One Huge Battle That Changed The UK Forever" by Adam Taylor.

Article: "Falklands War" by Wikipedia.

Article: "United States invasion of Grenada" by Wikipedia.

Article: "What Is the Insurrection Act, the Law Behind Trump's Threat to Deploy the Military?" by Christine Hauser.

Article: "Croatian War of Independence" by Wikipedia.

Tweet: ".@realDonaldTrump, Please stop injecting yourself into crises. Don't try to tell governors what to do. Instead of calling for calm & for the nation to unite, you were sequestered in the White House basement & silent. Governors and mayors, on the other hand, were actively (1/5)" by Governor Christine Todd Whitman.

Article: "Christine Todd Whitman" by Wikipedia.

Tweet: "The professionally managed so-called "protesters" at the White House had little to do with the memory of George Floyd. They were just there to cause trouble. The @SecretService handled them easily. Tonight, I understand, is MAGA NIGHT AT THE WHITE HOUSE???" by Donald J. Trump.

Article: "2nd Amendment". A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Site: Mondragon Corporation (co-op)

Book: "Threshold: The Progressive Plan to Pull America Back from the Brink" by Thom Hartmann

Site: Union Cab of Madison Cooperative.

Article: "25th Amendment Section 4" "Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President..."

Article: "Who's in Trump's Cabinet? A full list of the president's top advisers" by Fox News.

Article: "Ryan Zinke spent his first year in office selling off rights to our public lands" by Lauren Katz.

Article: "Why Trump just killed a rule restricting coal companies from dumping waste in streams" by By Brad Plumer.

Article: "New Details About Wilbur Ross' Business Point To Pattern Of Grifting" by Dan Alexander.

Article: "Betsy DeVos: the billionaire Republican destroying public education" by David Smith.

Article: "Mark Esper" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Trump speaks from Rose Garden as tear gas is fired at peaceful protesters outside White House".

Site: Free Speech TV

Article: "Antifa (United States)" by Wikipedia.

Law: "Patriot Act", 2001.

Article: "Weather Underground" by Wikipedia.

Article: "The Real Boston Tea Party was Against the Wal-Mart of the 1770s" by Thom Hartmann.

Hour Three: Racism & Police Violence... How Does the White Power Structure Keep Black & Brown People Down?
- Don Siegelman, LAST Democratic Governor of Alabama, 1999-2003 / Lt. Governor, 1995-1999 / Attorney General, 1987-1991 / Secretary of State, 1979-1987 & author of the new book, Stealing Our Democracy

Article: "Freedom Riders" by Wikipedia.

Article: "George Wallace" by Wikipedia.

Article: "16th Street Baptist Church bombing" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Qualified immunity" by Wikipedia.

Article: "As Supreme Court Considers Several Qualified Immunity Cases, A New Ally Joins The Fight" by Jay Schweikert and Clark Neily.

Article: "Julián Castro Wants to Stop Police Brutality by Getting Rid of Qualified Immunity" by Terrell Jermaine Starr.

Article: "Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act", 1996 by EFF.

Case: "Pierson v. Ray, 386 U.S. 547 (1967)" by Justia.

Article: "Attorney General Overrules Civil Rights Division To Protect White Cop" by Elie Mystal.

Article: "Trump Allies Eye Buyout of One America News Network: WSJ" by Allison Quinn.

Article: "Pentagon officials try to distance the military's top leaders from Trump's controversial photo-op and the forceful clearing of protesters" by Ryan Pickrell.

Article: "Black patients half as likely to receive pain medication as white patients, study finds" by Amanda Holpuch.

Article: "Why Cato Took on Qualified Immunity" by Clark Neily.

Article: "Harlow v. Fitzgerald" (1982) by Wikipedia.

Tweet: "The military exists to protect Americans, not harm them. I have one simple question for Chairman Milley.
Do you intend to obey illegal orders from the President?" by Rep. Ruben Gallego.

Article: "Man who traveled to Minneapolis to 'start a riot' had expressed 'enthusiasm' for Trump: report" by Brad Reed.

Article: "Chaos erupts at peaceful Black Lives Matter protest after white man pulls out a gun" by Sarah K. Burris.

Article: "Twitter suspends account of white nationalist group posing as antifa" by Sean Keane.

Article: "Yes, the Looting Must Stop" by Thom Hartmann.

Article: "Gustavo Rojas Pinilla" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Colin Kaepernick" by Wikipedia.

Article: "2017 Women's March" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Deep state in the United States" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Donald Trump claims the election will be 'rigged' - and many are saying that's preposterous and dangerous" by Allan Smith.

Article: "Think Outside the Box, Jack" by Maureen Dowd.

Wednesday on The Thom Hartmann Program, 12-3pm ET

Congressman Mark Pocan (D-WI, 2nd District) will be calling in to talk about the issues of the day and take your calls.

And, the best of the rest of the news along with your calls right here on...

The Thom Hartmann Program, Occupying The Media 3 hours a day 5 days a week for "we the people"

And don't forget...Democracy is NOT a spectator sport...it begins with you...

Can Congress Impeach Trump Again For His Worst Offense In Office?

Shocking True Story Revealed: We Can't Stop Racism Until We Do This!