Thom Hartmann: And welcome back. In just a moment we’re going to have Joseph Stiglitz with us, the extraordinary economist and the question for the day – what is the future of America?

Thom Hartmann: Bill Fletcher is on the line. He runs a website called BlackCommentator.com, he’s known as the black commentator. Bill welcome to the program.

Bill Fletcher: I’m really glad to be on the program, thanks.

Thom Hartmann: What’s really going on in Haiti? Here we have a country that has been absolutely devastated by a major earthquake. Now this earthquake was shallow and was strong. If it hit Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, god forbid, or any other city in the world it would do major damage.

Thom Hartmann: Disaster in Haiti. We’ve been talking about this last hour and we will continue throughout the program but I want to give you the story that you’re not gonna get on the evening news, the story that you’re not going to get from the corporate media.

Is the country so divided that the right wing can’t support the crisis and devastation in Haiti? Is there anyone on the right being truly compassionate? This is a serious question here. Pat Robertson, back, you know, he has a long history of talking weird. Here’s Pat Robertson on Hugo Chavez for example:

“You know I don’t know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we’re trying to assassinate him I think that we really oughta go ahead and do it. It’s a whole lot cheaper than starting a war. And I don’t think any oil shipments will stop.”

Robert Greenwald is with me, in fact I’m very pleased to have him here in the studio with us here in Portland. He’s here in Portland, and this particularly for our listeners on AM 620 KPOJ here in Portland, because tonight he’s doing a special screening of his movie "Rethink Afghanistan" plus a discussion with Robert Greenwald. It’s 7 o'clock at the Clinton Street Theater which is at 2522 SE Clinton Street in Portland, although if you live here you know where it is.

Yesterday the Heritage Foundation came out and essentially suggested that “President Obama should reach out to a senior republican official. Perhaps former President George W Bush to lead the bipartisan effort.”

Now Bill Clinton has been the UN special envoy or whatever the official title is, to Haiti for some time now. He already held that role. And so you know his jumping in and leading this thing both within the United Nations and within the United States and worldwide makes perfect sense.

Transcript: Thom Hartmann discusses Haiti before and after the earthquake with Brian Concannon. 14 Jan '10

Thom Hartmann: And greetings my friends, patriots, lovers of democracy, truth and justice, believers in peace, freedom and the American Way. Thom Hartmann here with you. And pleased to be with you. Pleased to be alive and that’s, you know, given what’s going on in Haiti right now we should all be counting our blessings.

Thom Hartmann: Ellen Ratner with the Talk Radio News Service, TalkRadioNews.com is on the line with us and Ellen you are at the Liz Claiborne annual event this year, aren’t you?

Ellen Ratner: We are, and this is an event you’ve participated in and …

Thom Hartmann: I have.

Thom Hartmann: Welcome back, 20 minutes past the hour, Thom Hartmann here with you. Will we ever see the end of poverty? A new documentary is out, it’s opening in Portland on December 4th for those of us, for those of you who are listening on AM620 KPOJ here in Portland. And I’m assuming all across the United States, TheEndOfPoverty.com is the website and Philippe Diaz, the writer and director is on the line with us. Philippe, welcome to the program.

Thom Hartmann: Well, you know, sometimes you know what you know and sometimes you know what you don’t know and sometimes well, sometimes even as the Firesign Theater is fond of noting, everything you know is wrong. “You know that you’re wrong, but you fear you’re right! You suspect you’re out of sync. You think that you’re out of your mind. Everything you know is wrong.” Is everything you know about pretty much everything in the world wrong?

Thom Hartmann: And greetings my friends, patriots, lovers of democracy, truth and justice, believers in peace, freedom and the American Way. Thom Hartmann here with you.

Tonight President Barack Obama is going to be giving his speech announcing what in all probability is going to be about a 30,000 troop surge, I don’t know what the word is, into Afghanistan. We spent an hour on this yesterday at some length, the third hour of our program with multiple perspectives. We’re going to revisit it again in the second hour of our program. Scott Ritter is going to be with us, the former weapons inspector. One of the early voices warning us about the stupidity of going into Iraq.

Our quote for the day, this is from Alex Carey, an Australian social scientist: “the 20th century has been characterized by three developments of great political importance: The growth of democracy, the growth of corporate power, and the growth of corporate propaganda as a means of protecting corporate power against democracy.” Brilliant.

Thom Hartmann: "Brunch With Bernie”. Our, of course, our national town hall meeting, been going on for years and years and years, one of my favorite, my favorite hour of the entire week, and I know for many of you it is as well. Your opportunity to talk with not just a United States Senator, but in my opinion, our United States Senator. The guy who’s always there for the average American, for working people, Senator Bernie Sanders, the Independent from Vermont.