Recent comments
ADHD: Hunter in a Farmer's World
Thom Hartmann has written a dozen books covering ADD / ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder.
Join Thom for his new twice-weekly email newsletters on ADHD, whether it affects you or a member of your family.
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.
DAM - Sorry if I was not very clear on who I believe is to blame for the Austerity measures that are still in place. President Obama and the Democrat's seem to forget they helped pass the present Austerity measures that will affect America for the next ten years, as was approved in the Senate and the House by both parties. Mr. Obama (I hate calling him President even though he is and I voted for him the first time) is primarily at fault for the Austerity or Sequestration that will continue to hit all social programs and the military (10% reduction per year) as it was written and put into the Budget Act and it originated in the White House before being passed onto Reid in the Senate and Pelosi in the House. The Republicans are equally at fault and they are the politicians that will not discuss cutting back on the Sequestration and are holding it as a bargaining chip in an attempt to get cuts in programs like Medicare and Social Security for future beneficiaries. The Republicans are without a doubt the biggest supporters of cutting back in all social programs and the real supporters of Austerity. I just wanted it to be clear that the Democrats and Obama had a hand in originally crafting the Sequestration as part of the Budget Act. Hartmann likes to make it sound as though the Democrats had nothing to do with the Sequestration and the cuts to all programs by Washington, that’s all. Thank you for posting that quote by Mark Twain, a true American inspiration to us all. He would not recognize our Nation and the death grip Washington has on us all. I try to see things in a more positive light, but it is getting harder by the day, when we see what our politicians are doing to us all. From the Presidents TPP free trade agreement to the cuts that are being carried out to our social safety net programs, we are being led down a path of no return if something is not changed soon. I am almost (almost!) glad I am over 60 and have experienced much better days than what I see ahead for our citizens and their children. Have a good tomorrow. K.W. I was not referring to you when I mentioned that some think Hartmann walks on water or something to that nature.
Ken Ware ~ You should know by now I don't think Thom "walks on water." Personally, again, I can't disagree with anything you said. However, I take some issue with the notion that you imply that the Democrats are behind most of this charade and not the Republicans. If you could clarify that then you, I, and many others are definitely on the same page.
I hope that you can see by my first post that I too take some issue with what Thom said--especially about gun control. I think that most of us on this blog are fed up with his kowtowing to the Democratic BS line as I stated clearly pertaining to this issue. Whatever strings are behind this disarmament campaign are not fooling many of us. Certainly not myself.
I heard it stated quite well today on the Hightower Lowdown website. A quote from Mark Twain you might approve of: "[The] true patriotism, the only rational patriotism, is loyalty to the Nation all the time, loyalty to the Government when it deserves it." ----Mark Twain's The Czar's Soliloquy, 1905
With that, I couldn't agree with you anymore. DAM
I hear ya 10K. I don't get it, why this Ukrainian business is putting all this tension between the U.S. and Russia. I thought we were over that. Why should we give a flippin' damn about Ukrainian issues when our own house is such a pig sty? It seems our so-called representatives are obsessed over everyone's business except our own. I don't see much humor in this but it sure is pathetic. - AIW
I agree with some of what Hartmann states in his blog today. But, as usual he lets his President Obama and the Democrats skate and throws the blame on the Republicans for our Austerity measures we see in the Sequestration bill. Thom, you and I both know (please Google it if you think I am wrong) as well as everyone else that President Osama and that is not a typo, with the help of Reid and Pelosi made sure that the Sequestration was part of the Budget Act (the Dem’s had the House and Senate at the time) and it may or may not have backfired on the Democrats. Personally I believe they inserted it into the Act to implement the cuts that will continue to plague the poor and middleclass for a decade. So, please will you damn progressives stop shoveling the shit and admit that Osama and the Democrats are just as responsible for Austerity as the frigging Republicans. Now I am waiting for Hartmann to bow down and worship Osama for instructing the Dept. of Justice and ICE to stop any deportation of ILLEGAL'S and only deport those with criminal backgrounds and those charged with a crime. How the hell are you going to get the bad guys if you are not checking on all those who have committed a crime by entering our country illegally? More bullshit from the White House due to the fact the elections are this year and in 2016. I will wait for Hartmann to bow down and kiss Osama’s hind end for this political move before I really state my beliefs on this political move and how it will only hurt American’s and their jobs by giving a green signal to citizens of other nations who want to come here and take even more jobs away from American Workers and that our President will not stop you or the employers who hire the illegals. K.W. I have not taken any personal shots at those who think Hartmann walks on water, but if you want to start slinging the B.S. with personal cheap shots, I am game for that move as well...I will address that next time around on this blog if you wish to start it up again, as you have with Kend. You know who I am speaking too.
It's pretty hilarious how the U. S. govenment can be so concerned with the Russian influence in Crimea while our own internal dysfunction is by far a bigger problem, and in fact empire ending in magnitude. We have five right wing extremists on the Supreme Court working for a handful of private sector Fascists who have basically dismantled our representative democracy all for their own piggish pursuit of endless wealth and power. Well, it aint gonna end pretty for them or us...... Our so called government can dither around all they want with Ukrainian issues, it won't slow down our own Fascist wrought collapse.....Ancient "Rome" dithered around a lot too!
more happy talk? ;-}
Rockefellers handy work pulling Reagans strings True (rockefeller for Prez? Wrong)
quote "Meanwhile, Reagan also stopped enforcing the Sherman Antitrust Act, a law that has been on the books since 1890. The Act prevents monopolies from forming, and protects against other unfair business practices" Time to pay fair share like before Warren Buffet's sells the idea even
to quote Rockefeller "competition is sin " the monopolist that scares away Green science!
This is why we need people\human standards, then everyone would be involved in these isssues and the human future and not just the money hungry and power hunger and the people who really don't care about us as humans. everyone one would have a say in humanity. people\human standards is the answer.
I might as well share another Grateful Dead song about Reincarnation. Same album. This one, also by Brent Mydland--the Grateful Dead keyboardist--was released in video the day after he was found dead. Coincidence? Watch the video and you tell me...
http://artsites.ucsc.edu/GDead/agdl/litt.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8Q7CgBxRI4
Aliceinwonderland ~ That is my whole point. The saying, "As you sow, so you shall reap," is perfectly true. Our level of science today has proven that. It was best expressed in The Grateful Dead song, "We can run but we can't hide."
http://artsites.ucsc.edu/GDead/agdl/run.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGLuM2IcDJ8
We will have to come back and deal with our own mess. The idea that we are simply passing the buck to generations that haven't been born yet is BS. As we sow, so we shall reap. That should be the mantra of our generation.
Oh No!!! What will happen to Dr. Robert Stadler!?!
What I want to know is how much govenment (i.e. you and me) funded science research goes in to developing weapons, drones, white phosphorus, etc......
So what if billionaires want to fund space travel or underwater exploration. It's not like they are coming up with new exciting ways to blow up weddings in 3rd world countries!
Unfortunately, I think our population has been dumbed down because of the poor education system and increasingly large religious push into government and education that people just do not realize how important science is to EVERYONE!!
Religion is a main part on both sides - both money and then power. Their tax exempt status and huge funding which they then pour into the government keeps true science from being properly funded. Stem cell research? Nope - religions fear that. Clean energy - nope - there goes the funding to the big oil companies and their religious contributors. Oh, those contributors don't really give a damn about the church but it gives them an aura of authenticity. NASA and space programs? Nope - even thought all of them out ther who have had the help of space age prostethic devices from heart valves, limbs, Cheney's L-VAD on which he lived for the years before his heart transplant all owe a great deal of thanks and appreciation to how the space industry helped in their creation.
But, they are of the "I got mine and tough crap about yours"attitude. Do you really think Cheney came up on the heart transplant so quickly without favoritism? Well, I don't and that is what you get when the rich lead our country and unless WE do something it will only get worse. Wht can we do? Well, if ALL of the 99% went to the polls for the next election and voted AGAINST the 1% we could do a LOT!! And if those same people would STOP voting AGAINST their own best interests and FOR what is going to help them it would go a long way toward helping to stem the tide of the rich taking over. It is UP TO US!! WE get the government we deserve and if you are such a stubborn, stupid republican who votes across the board just for the party and not for what is good for this country then the Boners, Ryans and Cruz' will continue to do their damage and it will be OUR FAULT11
The wealthy are concerned about science in as much as it fills their pockets. Privatization of science will be bad. Only the inquiry that brings in money will be explored.
Such a sad world we live in.
science philanthropy is hot, as many of the richest Americans seek to reinvent themselves as patrons of social progress through science research.” - See more at: http://www.thomhartmann.com/blog/2014/03/billionairesfirst-they-came-economy#newscience philanthropy is hot, as many of the richest Americans seek to reinvent themselves as patrons of social progress through science research.” - See more at: http://www.thomhartmann.com/blog/2014/03/billionairesfirst-they-came-economy#newscience philanthropy is hot, as many of the richest Americans seek to reinvent themselves as patrons of social progress through science research.” - See more at: http://www.thomhartmann.com/blog/2014/03/billionairesfirst-they-came-economy#new
Marc, it's been close to a half century since I was a student at Castlemont. But back in the mid-sixties, they had an outdoor pool, if my memory is accurate.
I'm heartened by your updates. In this day & age while so many schools are left to rot, or being shut down, Castlemont seems to have fared very well. I don't know how they've pulled this off but it is great news; especially since it appears the majority of students there are still black. Black kids have been shortchanged in the education department, throughout so much of this country and for so long. I'm glad to know that Castlemont's students are now enjoying such a beautiful environment in which to learn. Double thumbs up, and kudos to my old home town! - Aliceinwonderland
If I'm born again, I hope it's in Norway.
Mark Saulys, Palindromedary, and Aliceinwonderland ~ I don't doubt Reincarnation at all. I'm in complete agreement with Mark Saulys on this one. No leap of faith here--just known scientific and mathematical fact. Let us set aside the concept of the spirit entirely on this perception. Let us say that the same genetic DNA sequence that makes our bodies what they are also dictate the composition of our brain, therefore mind, and therefore conscious. Let us also assume that the possible combinations of DNA in our cells is finite. With those two facts we must conclude mathematically that given a finite number of combinations of any sequence together with an infinite random regeneration of combinations that the identical reoccurrences of the same combination is inevitable. Henceforth, Reincarnation is a fact of nature.
You will be born again. Your conscious will exist again. As long as humanity persists so will you. It is a mathematical certainty and only the extinction of our species can stop it.
In the movie Scarface, Tony Montana said, "First you make the money, then you get the power, then you get the woman." Two out of three ain't bad. Actually, first you make the money, then you get the power, then you protect the money. That's what is happening with the science takeover. The oligarchs want to protect their money. What better way than by controlling R&D. Stop all that pesky research on Global Warming and environmental protection and slant it all in their favor. Billions of dollars saved right there alone. Regulate the regulators if you will.
In the medical community they can set any prices for treatments and medicines as well.That will pay for the initial investments several times over alone. It's easier to make money than to keep money. That is what this is all about, maintaining fortunes and the control necessary to protect them. You can defend the insurance industry and further postpone the inevitable evolution to "socialized medicine" at the same time.
Public funded medicine would help to treat the real cause of runaway gun violence--poverty and mental illness. They can't have that, after all their main goal is to control and that means they have to take guns away from law abiding citizens; therefore, they need to maintain the pretense of runaway gun violence as an excuse to do it. They know that the more people who senselessly shoot each other the more their pretense will allow them to increase their control over the people"s ability to fight back and defend themselves.
Privatization across the board means an end to our Democracy and the beginning of a fascist oligarchy. The United States of America is up for sale to the highest bidder. Privatization is in the horizon and we need to do everything we can to stop it.
Palindromedary and Aliceinwonderland ~ From last Wednesday's blog: In reference to titles I would agree with Alice on this one. Mr. and Ms. are probably the most respectful ways of addressing mature adults in this country. However, I've always prefered the titles of respect used in Mexico to those used here. They seem to carry greater respect. Of course I am referring to Don and Dona. For instance Don Juan is simply the way of addressing a gentleman named John. Dona (the "n" is actually an n with a ~ over it and is pronounced slightly slurred.) refers to the female. Dona Clara for instance would refer to a lady named Clare. Less formal addressing uses the pronoun Senor; yet, still carries extreme respect. (Again the "n" has a ~ over it and is pronounced with a slight slur.) The female version is Senora. Roughly translated means Sir, and Lady. However, If you consider the meaning of the homonym of the name Senor which means "Lord" as in addressing "God" you can begin to understand how much reverence and respect the pronouns actually connote. Go Espanol! One of the worlds greatest languages of simplicity and respect
Aliceinwonderland ~ I don't know about the messiah concerts; and probably won't till next Xmas. All I could think about in that theater hall was how great music would sound from the stage. A swimming pool was mentioned at the meeting; however, I didn't get a chance to see one on campus. Is it an indoor one possibly? There are areas that we missed on our brief tour. (There was a soccer game in the athletic field where some of the parents were selling taquitos and enchiladas freshly made. We stayed a while to watch the game. It was delicious.)
You're most welcome! Happy to share.
"Leighmf" says "And don't forget to boycott all bottled and canned beverages. That'll fix the Wells Fargo Wagon."
I never knew there was any connection between a bank and such beverages. Could you explain this for me? I'm genuinely curious.
My husband and I don't touch canned or bottled beverages. They're loaded with sugar and chemicals, pose a health risk to consumers and are a waste of money. - AIW
Marc, how nice of you to think of me! I have not set foot on Castlemont grounds since I was fifteen years old. Sounds like the place has been kept up very well, maybe even undergone a complete remodel/overhaul. I clicked on the link you included, and what a feast for the eyes! Looks like that place has had no shortage of artistic talent. I wonder if they still have their legendary school choir, and whether they've continued doing those messiah concerts every Xmas season. Do you know if they've still got that swimming pool?
Thanks for sharing all that with me, Marc. - AIW
I hear ya, Mark. Sometimes we've gotta start shit. Happy talk is fine and dandy... but ya know, it's those of us who are willing to "start some shit" that keep social progress alive. History proves that, overkill. And that is what Thom's blog is really supposed to be about. There's always the other side of the picture, the side most people still aren't hearing much about.
Guys like Kend who've been in the fossil fuel buiz tend to get sentimental and wax poetic over things like LNG tankers and tar sands pipelines. This is exactly what we can expect from those who's profited from fossil fuel, with a vested interest in that status quo. Fossil fuel shills never miss an opportunity to jump into these forums with their bullshit and tell us how neat tar sands oil, "clean coal" and liquified natural gas supposedly are, while in reality, they're not really all that great for the rest of us. As the other side of the picture clearly illustrates, these products suck for the environment, our wallets and our health, not to mention their negative impact on socioeconomic stability worldwide. And that's why we have to keep "starting shit", Mark. It's a dirty job but somebody's gotta do it. Usually the most important side of any issue is precisely what's being ignored by a corporatized media that does not have our interests at heart. So it's on people like you, Thom and me to keep "starting shit", 'cause... tag, we're it. - Aliceinwonderland
If democrats were as aggressive at winning elections as Republicans are at rigging elections; I'm guessing a competent charasmatic democratic party working harmoniously would make this country more productive than it already is.
PD, I'd just like to say that while I hesitate at giving it "fact" status, I can't completely dismiss reincarnation. Just speaking for myself... Guess I fall somewhere between you and Mark on this one.
But see, Kend, the idea behind the "leave it in the ground" slogan is that burning that oil will push us over several environmental tipping points of no return. Even extracting it requires up to 20% more carbon in the atmosphere than conventional oil extraction. It's estimated that burning all 1.8 trillion barrels of oil sands oil would raise the global temperature up to 0.5 degrees Celsius.
In addition, a tremendous amount of water, 349 cubic metres per year in Canada, is used to separate the oil from the sand most of which ends up in tailing ponds. The Pembina Institute estimates that by 2022 a months output of waste water could result in a toxic lake 11 feet deep and the length and width of New York City's Central Park (840.01 acres or 339.94 ha or 3.399 km²).
Jacobs Consulting, an engineerig firm and pro industry research group, found that extra carbon emissions fro crude from oil sands to be 12% higher than from regular crude. The EU in considering labelling oil sands oil a "highly polluting" oil found it to be 22% more emitting of GHG's. A study published by the National Academy of Sciences in 2014 showed the EU figures to be not high enough.
Furthermore,