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Mathboy, turnout was up but how many were turned away?
Uh-oh, it says "Toics"
The problem is the two party duopoly. Even I felt a need to vote Republican this last time and I would never vote for one of those.
My House rep. is John Quigley, one of the sponsors of TPP. I sure wasn't gonna vote for him! Fortunately there was a Green Party candidate for the seat (who I know personally and also dislike - but not as seriously).
The votes this last time were not for Republicans but against Democrats. Unfortunately, the only choice people in the U.S. have when they are unhappy is to go "from the frying pan to the fire".
That is why people don't vote, not so much because they think the parties are so identical.
2950-10K, it actually looks like voter turnout was up in those states where incumbent Democratic senators lost--AK, CO, AR, LA, and NC, though it was also up in NH, where Shaheen won. This is compared to 2010. http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/data-mine/2014/11/05/midterm-turnout-decreased-in-all-but-12-states
I hope this disappointing Black Friday is a clue to the clueless corporate retail world--maybe they will wake up to their greediness. We looked through the ads after Thanksgiving dinner and didn't see anything worth fighting crowds for--the so-called deals were no better than they were the week before in most cases. When YOUR CONSUMERS DON'T HAVE MONEY THEY CANNOT SPEND MONEY AND ADD TO YOUR PROFIT--HELLO, WAKE UP!
I am an artist and crafter and I have to shop at Joann Fabric for most of my supplies (although I have been looking elsewhere). Their prices have become so overbloated that I cannot afford to shop there without the coupons and discounts and after-season sales they feature. Who can pay $49.99 for a cheap column glass jar/candleholder (no candle inside--you have to buy that separate) with a winter scene painted on it? Most of their stuff is made in China. I did complain in their survey.
An aside: My husband and I were watching the Charlie Brown Christmas on ABC last night. (We've watched in my house every year since it came out in 1965.) He noticed all the cuts/edits to make time for commericals--isn't commercialism the whole theme of Charlie Brown Christmas? ABC/Disney is wacked out--and super greedy as well. This program should be run in its entirety, without commercials.
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We, the people of the United States of America elect government officials that favor businesses over workers. That is the problem with the United States. We are seduced into voting for these people in many ways. One way is by telling us of their strong religious convictions and that they are pro-life. Another way is by telling us that they support the second amendment and that they will oppose restrictions on guns. These are but a sample of the ways that we are seduced into voting for our elected officials. When they get into office, sure enough, they oppose abortion and anti gun legeslation but when it comes to legeslation that would help workers, they screw us royally. In my state of Mississippi an $8 per hour state minimum wage proposal was introduced in the state legeslature in 2013. It died in committee. In 2014, legeslation prohibiting the establishment of a minimum wage in the state or any county, city or agency within the state was introduced in the state legeslature. It passed. In my former state of Tennessee legeslation requiring journeymaen plumbers to be tested and licensed was introduced. It didn't pass. In Tennessee, anyone with a state plumbing contractors license can hire anyone off of the street to install or repair plumbing, no license required. No decent wages are required to be paid by the contractor either. Federal state and local governments have passed laws restricting unions, workers rights, and wages from coast to coast. In my little plumbers local union 17, Memphis Tennessee, we get just enough raises to keep up with the cost of our benefits. We, the people, elect our representitives that allow our jobs to leave the country and keep our wages and standard of living down but at least we have guns. We may need them to keep from starving to death.
Many if not most of those Black males and females as well in Ferguson can't vote, as well as can't get a job and housing for that matter. The reason is because they have a felony record, thanks to the War on Drugs campaign. They have become the untouchables and are clearly out of sight of most Americans. To be fair, many Whites and Latinos are also in this situation. That's why it irks me to hear the MSM talk about a conversation about race. What really needs to happen is to first remove the felonies from those convicted on a non violent charge.
Thanks to Thom Hartmann and all of his wonderful books and blogs, along with all of his well informed well informed and commentators here at Thom's website. With articles like this one, we have all of the necessary informaton based on the facts and truth's of whats really happening right here in the United States. It's up to all of us to pass this information on to everyone we know regardless of their predetermined thoughts, political party and idealogy. I will pass this on, and so should you. Thank you Thom for all of the great work you do!
Regarding Reaganomics destroying the United States Empire.....In my opinion, the outrage in Ferguson is just as much about economic injustice as it is about the injustice of an armed man gunning down an unarmed man.
I just wish all this justified outrage across the country had manifested itself at the polls a few weeks ago. I'm thinking more and more that the talking point, the two parties are the same, so why vote, is something Rove behind the scenes has planted in the minds of many.
Eliminating Lobbyists/Citizens Ununited/Corruption would bring the USA back to it's glory days, 50's, 60's and 70's.
How do we bring America back to pre Reagan economic powerhouse glory.
Massive advertising of Pay to Play would expand knowledge of and prompt abolition of corruption.
where is that documentary? Netflix?
Maybe it takes time for enough viewers to spread it by word of mouth.
It belongs on MSNBC on regular rotation.
Hello all,
Rember when Ross Peroit heard this great big sucking sound ? Well, now we the people have heard it also !
It is time to tell Pres. Obama NO to any Fast Tracking-of TPP, -Keystone Pipe Line,- or any other Corp. Progects. Tell Pres. Obama that it is time to grow a pair and stand up for the PEOPLE, after all his legacy will depend on him doing just that.
Thanks for the article, Marc! I've called our senator and representative on this before and will be sure to do it again.
That President Obama is hellbent on ramming this thing through in secret is sufficient proof that he is anything but the person we voted for. It is hard to imagine anything more anti-democratic and a greater threat to what remains of our quality of life here in America. I'd like to see Obama charged with high treason; not only for pushing this obscene, dangerous piece of crap, but for trying to sneak it past us on the sly.
The older I get, the harder it is for me to trust any politician anymore, this being a classic case in point. - AIW
P.S. How what, Howard?
We can start making that a reality by putting out the fire of the TPP. According to this article by the Huffington Post, We only have till January 1st to make our opposition felt amongst the latest Congress. After January 1st they will be inundated with Corporate Lobbyists and unable to hear the will of their constituencies. Act now and make your voices heard this month.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jacob-devaney/conservatives-liberals-ag_b_6181938.html
NO! and YES!
NO! People have had enough with police shootings & injustice.
... it was just a matter of time
and
YES! Black teenagers are often shot by white police officers
... so it was unpredictable exactly which outrage would be the final straw
How are these a choice? Voting not possible.
By the way folks, this is the blog we should all be on. See you there.
http://www.thomhartmann.com/users/telliottmbamsc/blog/2014/12/washington-using-ferguson-weapon-mass-distraction-make-progress-tp
I would argue that a multicellular organism, due to the several life stages that Thom mentioned, offers more opportunities for inoculation. However, an inoculation would fail to have any effect during some life stages. On the other hand, the host's immune system may not be able to deal with them well due to the parasites' size.
NO!
This Grand Jury had everything it needed to prosecute McCulloch for harboring a murderer, abuse of official power, bigotry, professional misconduct, malicious partisanship, racist subversion of constitutional rights.
It had the opportunity to investigate and prosecute the entire corrupt gerrymandered and racist government evident in the STL region.
Worst of all, they neglected their duty to protect democracy and every American by tolerating police corruption and covering up the official murder of a US citizen.
How about if all citizens have the opportunity to wear a "Google Glass" type device. This would allow the citizen to document assaults by anyone, (including the police).
A caller suggested a statute of limitations for keeping police body-cam recordings. I would suggest a statute of limitation on using it. That way, there's no incentive for them to keep it too long, since it would become legally useless.
it doesn't matter if the police have body cams or dash cams or a jumbotron live feed... there are people who will spin the truth any way they wish..
a very VERY good example is Oriana Ferrel, who was involved in a police stop that turned into a road side shoot out...
for months, the defense and local civil rights groups were spreading around an edited version of a dash cam showing the woman pulled over and seconds later being shot at by 4 police officers. After the full footag ewas released, it showed the woman evading police, her son getting out of the car and attacking the arresting officer and then the woman driving her minivan at the cops in an effort to get away... all for a speeding ticket.
the outrage and claims of police brutality had been public for a year before the truth was shown. After the police were found to have acted in accordance with training and law, the civil suit was filed and she was back in the news with the edited version and threats being made to the police precinct by BSE groups.
it doesn't matter what the truth is, it doesn't matter what the facts are... if an agenda has to be met, then the rumors will fuel the fight.
I will venture to guess that if Wilson had a camera on, the edited versions would still be used to incite violence. the public would still demand he be prosecuted and the boy would still be held up as a victim on Jim Crow.
Who will ensure that parents teach their children right from wrong? It is illegal to take things that do not belong to you. It is illegal in most states to possess, sell and use marijuana. I'm tired of people who drive drunk and get mad because a police officer pulled them over.
Parents should instill values in thier children. When I was a child I had a rough life and grew up poor I never took other people's property use alcohol or drugs, and I never painted a toy gun to look like a real one and I never pulled it out on a policeman. It seems common sense goes a long way. Some thing the parents and the younger generation lacks.
no civilian needs to police the police as long as they think it's permissable to steal $50 worth of cigars, smoke pot and fight the police.
No outrage for Dillion Taylor (white guy) shot by black Salt Lake City UT police officer Bron Cruz in August.
Thom,
The problem is one of perspective. If you go back to the days the Constitution was written and learn how they policed in those days, there was simply no comparison to modern police. That is, what we HAVE NOW is, for all practical purposes, a STANDING ARMY in every town called a "police force"!
If you disagree, read this free online book or listen to it free online. It was written about 100 years ago and thoroughly covers the habits, housing, clothing, crafts, farming, governing and infrastructure from colonial days on.
During those days they had "watchmen" that would do just that during the night. During they day they could have any profession. They watched, property, animals (to make sure loose hogs didn't get into grain fields and such) and warned of fires or thievery. You even get a detailed description of items stolen from Benjamin Franklin's residence in a robbery.
The book is called:
Home Life in Colonial Days by Alice Morse Earle
Down load free here:
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/22675
Listen free here:
https://librivox.org/home-life-in-colonial-days-by-alice-morse-earle/
The SO CALLED "latitude" given by the corrupt dysfunctional Court system we have in this country to the police officers in their ROUTINE violation of the Constitutional rights of we-the-people is a Stare Decisis (case law) contrivance that ignores the Constitution.
Indiana actually has a "stand your ground" law that entitles a citizen to use force in defense of illegal assault with a deadly weapon by a police officer. Pennsylvania, on the other and more brutally normal "hand", REQUIRES that you NOT defend yourself from a legal or ILLEGAL assault by a police officer because the court will "take care of your grievance later" when you have your "Day in Court". LOL!
But the issue is not the law per se. The POINT is that the police now are acting like an army of occupation and courts have gone fully, and fascistly, out of their way to ignore their brutality. EXACTLY what the founding fathers were afraid of HAS COME TO PASS.
All this BALONEY about how a police officer has to "defend" himself in the course of his duties is not now, or EVER was, justified as an excuse for routine assault and battery when verbally challenged or not instantly obeyed.
SINCE WHEN are citizens NOT allowed to ARGUE with a police officer? I'll tell you "since when"! Since the courts made us believe the FAIRY TALE that our "Day in Court" would settle the grievance.
You know the "DAY IN COURT" is for those with PRIVILEGE in this country and probably ALWAYS WAS! Over 90% of the people in jail RIGHT NOW in the USA never had a "day in Court"! They were pressured and threatened and intimidated to accept a PLEA "Bargain" (such a deal!).
We DO NOT have a functional Court System. It is THERE for the corporations and the rich (SEE definition of Corporations PLUS Government COERCIVE power = FASCISM).
Right now Darrell Wilson is busy getting his named changed or obtaining a nice security officer job in a "proud bigots 'R' us" corporation someplace. THAT is the UNJUST modus operandi that our Corrupt Court System ENABLES.
The incredibly calloused brutality towards minorities in general and African Americans in particular is part and parcel of the MILITARY mindset our soldiers have been indoctrinated in from the Phillipines to Iraq! Our police are SOLDIERS, not "watchmen" like our founding fathers considered towns men that protected people and property at night were.
This problem goes WAY BEYOND the police. It includes the accepted exploitative, conscience free mentality of our Predatory C(r)apitalst profit over people and planet suicidal paradigm.
But recognizing that our Courts are a TOOL of Fascism that has ushered in this police brutality is a start.
For those who labor under the ridiculous wishful thinking that we are entilted to a "Day in Court" and that our Court System practices their preached claim of Ubi Jus, Ibi Remedium (where there is injustice there is a remedy), read how the victims of the Exxon Valdez fared after 20 years of litigation when EXXON was OBVIOUSLY at fault for damaging the health and environment of people and animals to the point of sickness and death. This was a NO BRAINER but our Court System "awarded" a PITTANCE to the victims to the great pleasure and joy of one of the richest corporate planet polluters in the world!
And the victims were WHITE PEOPLE! Imagine if that town had been all black like some towns that GE ravaged long ago (and the Koch brothers more recently) who's victims never did get justice.
That's the way Fascism creeps in. First you are lulled into thinking it's just this or that OTHER group getting targeted and you remain asleep until one day you wake up and the cops are a standing army that can justify, in the HANDMAIDEN of the corporations (the Courts), any and all behavior, no matter how brutal and murderous.
We don't NEED more "laws" on the books. We NEED to have courts that don't enforce the laws SELECTIVELY. The "latitude" given police officers is UNCONSTITUTIONAL!
Cops are American citizens. Its time they were bound by the same laws the rest of us are. But since the corporations OWN our Government and our Courts, I'm not holding my breath waiting for our unlawful and corrupt Fascist Court System to act Lawfully.
Pass it on. It's time for people to stop pretending we are a democracy. Day in Court, my ARSE!
Links below:
It's time to listen to Martin Luther King, Jr., Gandhi, Kajieme Powell, Chris Hedges and Will Allen. If we don't mankind is doomed.
http://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/who-can-you-trust/mechanisms-of-prejudice-hidden-and-not-hidden/msg2136/#msg2136
The Mike Brown Shooting - What You're Not Being Told
http://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/who-can-you-trust/mechanisms-of-prejudice-hidden-and-not-hidden/msg2137/#msg2137
The Exxon Valdez PITTANCE of a settlement: PROOF we have a Fascist Fossil Fuel Government AND the irreparably DYSFUNCTIONAL Court System is its HANDMAIDEN
http://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/fossil-fuel-folly/fossil-fuels-degraded-democracy-and-profit-over-planet-pollution/msg2122/#msg2122
Fascist Big Ag uses Food Disparagement Law and the Patriot Act to threaten Truth tellers
http://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/renewables/sustainable-food-production/msg2033/#msg2033
Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. on what the LAW is ALL ABOUT
http://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/who-can-you-trust/corruption-in-government/msg2045/#msg2045
The Lady Justice Legal Scales mean the OPPOSITE of what you think they mean
http://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/who-can-you-trust/corruption-in-government/msg2041/#msg2041
Don't count on our Court System to defend Americans from Fascism - Here's why the solution to Corporate Profit over Planet is EX CURIA
http://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/who-can-you-trust/corruption-in-government/msg2019/#msg2019