You asked what do I think would make us give up nukes? Maybe Ft. Calhoun flooding and turning the banks of the Missouri and Mississippi radioactive green in all those "red states" might do it. Seriously, it will take a large and widepsread disaster to register with the "I-see-nothing" Republicans.

I was watching a lecture by the late Joseph Campbell who very eloquently explained the downfall of societies in history who no longer valued culture, music, art, and who fell into a state of dangerous religious dogma as forced upon by government union with religion and business. The one classic example he used was Hitler and Nazi Germany where citizens fell into step with the powers that promised success and reward for obedience. As I watched this lecture made sometime in the late 70's or early 80's I came to believe he was addressing the future of the United States that most of us are experiencing. It is somehow an equation for the failure of a society we have fallen in to. Most of us know the outcome of this already.

this morning I heard on the Bill Press show a report that guy that was re-elected to the Wisconsin Supreme Court when they found a lot of uncounted votes in a very Republican district is being investigated for alledgedly assaulting another Supreme Court Judge during a meeting instigated by her to discuss the case on the constitutionality of the Congressional meeting held without proper notice. I believe that most of the court members were present. Alledgedly he got irritated by what this member was saying and got up to leave on the way out he pushed her and got her in a headlock. Other members witnessed this, but some on the right are trying to protect him and state that she instigated the assault. report was from John Engle - I have not seen a word on the regular news channels or news papers. Hope this is publicized soon! Seems like this is not the first time that he has exhibited aggressive behavior -

Well it happened again today. A progressive called in to voice some basic criticism of the Democratic Party, and Tom cut him off, motor-mouthed him, and then hanged up on him. (Interesting that progressives get very similar treatment if they call Limbaugh to voice progressive ideas.)

They used to say don't argue with someone who buys ink by the barrel. It might also apply to Hartmann - don't argue with the guy who owns the mic. 

Here's what he misses,  and he has debated with Sirota, so it's not like he is unaware of the problem: Democratic and Republican leaderships appear to share the same goals, but adopt differing tactics. The R's forthrightly state their goals.  This serves them well in that the base is solidly aligned behind them, and can easily be led to the goalpost. It also scares the Democrats, but more importantly, allows people like Hartmann to espouse the lesser evil meme, as he did today. 

Democrats, on the other hand, contain progressives and render them ineffective. Hartmann has repeatedly said that Obama is learning, needs to understand negotiating, and other excuses. It's nonsense. Obama is plenty tough when he needs to be, as when he is extending the Bush tax cuts or roping us all into mandated private health insurance. 

Hartmann can be good at times, but needs to get a better understanding of politics - he needs to think like a politician. If he can do that for one day, he'll see that trying to corral his listeners into the less evil party is a losing strategy. 

But I think he knows this, and that is troubling. 

My Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (AZ-8) has said about corporate lobbying reform: "Elections must be decided by the American people, not by special interest groups with bulging checkbooks." Let's unshackle THE PEOPLE'S representatives, from unknown moneyed interests, and provide them with the necessary freedoms to successfully execute their civic duty of representing their constituency in public office.

Will you sign this petition? Click here:

http://signon.org/sign/tell-congress-fight-corrupti?source=c.em.mt&r_by=112328

Thanks!

Ben

Tucson, AZ

Today (the 28th), on your show you had the guy who wrote a book called, The Psychopath Test. I tried to call, several times, but there was some problem with your phone line(s). I wanted to know if he, and/or you, is/are familiar with -- Ponerology. It is, as far as I'm concerned, the defining work on the subject of psychopaths in positions of power.

Here are a several very interesting links on that vital subject:

http://www.ponerology.com/

http://dissidentvoice.org/2008/05/beware-the-psychopath-my-son/

http://www.superbeans.com/rant_11_30_10.htm

http://www.scroogle.org/cgi-bin/nbbw.cgi

http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/06/27/michael_winship_rich?source=newsletter&utm_source=contactology&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Salon_Daily%2520Newsletter%2520%2528Not%2520Premium%2529_7_30_110

There are no special people. Picture them sitting on the toilet seat and they become like you and me!!!

Actually they're doing it at the insistence of the greens, its not magically practical there either. If they are so foolish as to phase out nuclear power, their electrical rates will go up by about a third. It would go up by only that much because Germany is planning on switching to Russian natural gas, not solar.

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2011/04/energy_reality_comes_to_germ...

"However, the leftist theoreticians will have difficulty explaining this recent development in the real world, where the rest of us live and work:

Germany’s plan to accelerate its exit from nuclear power generation may raise electricity prices by as much as 30 percent.

If nuclear power isn’t economically viable, shouldn’t energy costs fall when it is eliminated? If government subsidies cover the true cost of nuclear power, why won’t the German taxpayers enjoy a windfall of cost savings when that spending is discontinued? Despite all the leftist magical thinking, reality shows that nuclear power actually costs much less than its “green” alternatives."

A possible solution is to allow most of the sane and moderate Republicans abandon their party, and move to the Democratic party, that will become too big to house them. Then the Democratic party will split into two parties, possibly the Conservatives and the Progressives, leaving the Tea Party to live in the shell of the former Republican Party, and hopefully go away.

In an effort to bring things into greater clarity, I ask:

How much money and what percent of each person's income is spent to benefit the below named industries. Then multiply that by 300 million US citizens. Talk about taxation without representation, if and as we keep these interests in power, they will continue to squeeze our economy for greater profits, at the expense of our household budgets.

The real magic trick has been to distract Americans from the real power players, who have infected and maniuplated the REGULATOR AGENCIES, formed to protect our economy and our people:

Big Energy (who American to remain dependent on their oil and coal); Pharmaceutical Companies (who want the Americans and Medicare to pay top dollar for their drugs); Banking (who borrow at nominal interest rates from the Fed and from our checking accounts, to gamble on international investments and fabricated securities most of which are are hedges or arbitrages that consume America's capital and yet invest little to no money in jobs, equipment or productivity); Agribusiness (including Monsanto and Archer Daniels Midlands, who have monopolized farming and forced consumers to consume their unhealthy corn products that are subsidized by our US Treasury and through other companies influence FDAs regulatory failures); Medical Insurance Industry (that retains monopoly power from Congress, and makes major profit by consuming our insurance premiums to maintain a beurocracy that denies medical coverage and the repair and expansion of Medicare); among others.

The magic show that is now running 24/7 in broadcast and cable media, is designed to distract the electorate and voting public, as these vested interests steal away America's wealth and democracy.

Indeed, Kerry. That is a nightmare unfolding right in front of us. Where is the nat'l media? And not a word.... makes you wonder if they sort of pray for this stuff to happen. Dear New Mexico.....

No - its not the end - but it shows more clearly (and this is the way with things) the agenda of the radical right (there really ARE no republicans anymore, and republicans were bad enough-its ALL Radical Right - another term you could use to describe the movement is FASCIST but actually? Even that doesn't quite describe what is going on). Corporate and banking interests have ALWAYS been deeply entrenched in this country - this is nothing new - its not like this just happened, even going back 50 years - but they're obviously exerting themselves more and more, and as they become more confident they become bolder, and as they become bolder their machinations become more apparent to the observer who is paying attention. I AM afraid though that it is going to take a crisis (and there are already SO many crises going on in this country) of huge proportions to wake the people up to how much the country is compromised by these corporate, banking and other interests, including but not limited to foreign interests that hopefully will make the people aware that they are NOT in charge, but are more like slaves or indentured servants within the present system.