Due to a massive laps in good judgement and a nonexistent tolerance for others religious beliefs this so called pastor does have a right to burn this sacred text. Only the ignorant would choose to do so. I suggest he reeducate himself and pray no one returns the favor. The key is tolerance and understanding. ALL WE NEED IS LOVE.

Since Americans are not good at listening to facts or thinking, we have to reach people on a different level. Well, that's a big subject, but for example, check out my 30-second spot with footage of recent protestors pushing to enter the Tennessee State Capitol and take their "state of the state" message to Rich Oil Man and Governor Bill Haslam.

"Chop from the Top" Link on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoB-FSvHlcM

My web site: www.StopCorporateTakeover.com

" the Dick Army": LOLx3

Brunch with Bernie, the national Town Hall meeting, easily wins the most-like–the- original Tea Party contest. After all, it was a town meeting at which folks were informed the Governor of Massachusetts had refused to send away the East India tea ships. At that moment a shout from the gallery went as follows, “Boston Harbor a teapot tonight"! In short order a number of men hurried towards Griffin's Wharf, you know the rest of the story…

Anyway, the idea is that the flow of facts and information from honest and dedicated individuals to those who would act in a like manner, most often has a positive outcome. The exact reverse of the last statement has occurred with the Koch's greedy manipulation of unsuspecting working class citizens. It was Thomas Jefferson who said, "The whole art of government consists in the art of being honest". At the time of the Tea Party event, he had advice for George III, "open your breast, sire, to liberal and expanded thought". Thom and Bernie type advice, not taken of course, much like today.

We certainly can't depend on Meet the Press or any corporate media to get the truth out today, it would not be in their “King’s” best interest. We all owe Thom and Bernie much thanks for Brunch with Bernie. It's like Radio Free America! Senator Sanders is one of few elected officials performing his job according to the Founders original intent. Thomas Paine said it best with the words "the elected might never form to themselves an interest separate from the electors". If our elected would all take this to heart we would have Democratic Socialism, Democracy in its most functional and purest form.

Well said, David Abbot. I certainly agree with you. The right wingers have worked to psych us out over that "support our troops" crap ever since America's Vietnam war gave America such a bad name. The real baby killers were the politicians, generals, and blood-money corporations who used fellow Americans as dupes to carry out the actual killings. We have become what we condemned during the Nuremberg trials. Hitler had Goebbels, minister of propaganda, to convince the German people to applaud the Nazi's actions and we have CBS, NBC, CNBC, CNN, and worst of all ...Fox to harp the lies that will condemn Americans to hell for what they have done. (I don't believe in hell but it's a great metaphor)

Baby killers are Baby killers no matter how you dress it up in the tatters of a bloody red, white, and blue flag. Patriotism is treason when it has been abused to the point that it is used to slaughter innocents for reasons that boil down to greed and power. Innocuous words such as "collateral damage" are the kind of words used to deceive and cover up the culpability of insidious lechers and butchers who have committed, and continue to commit, war crimes against humanity. Keep saluting the flag, boys, your government has nothing but your best interests at heart....keep believing that and you probably don't mind a bit that the rest of the world sees you as duplicitous, cool-aid drinking (Jim Jones flavor), useful idiots of the lecherous wealthy banksters and MIC corporatists.

There are many reasons why people join the military. Some do it because their fathers did and want to carry on that tradition. Others because they fell for the hype from a recruiter and saw an adventure. Others may be looking forward to seeing action...thinking it exciting or adventurous to be able to kill someone else and not get prosecuted for it. Others, probably now the great majority join because of the bad economy....what a great way to avoid having to institute a draft (political nightmare). Some people may actually believe the crap that they are doing their patriotic duty and defending their country. But many are turned into brutal killers who may very well have murdered innocent civilians or children. A baby killer is a baby killer! You may not have done it on purpose but you made the decision to join an organization that made it possible. If you join a group of bank robbers and you kill a bank teller, or even if someone else of your group does so, you are a killer and, if caught, will pay the price. Many troops return, as trained murderers, having to readjust and return to less violent, and less exciting, existence. Many have a big problem dealing with what they have done. What we need to do is to dissuade people from even thinking about joining such a murderous and distasteful, as it has come to be, group and so we need to continue our calling baby killers....baby killers. We need the truthful language back on our side...the side of the ideals that we claim are ours.

Thom, you are a bright light in the darkness the Repugnikans want to cast over the US. Thanks.

It may take a lot more information about the Tea Party (I prefer to accurately recognize their true heritage and essence in a name and think the Dick Army would be better) to burn out this cancer.

One has to ask, why would Americans vote for these neo-faschists? Or course, the voters who elected these apostles of intolerance and control were skilllfully lied to. That's one reason: Goebbels would have been proud. But we fought a World War against people of just such a mentality. The only difference has been the degree to which our version has been able to enact its agenda of hate and control. So then why don't Americans spy the wolf in the sheep's clothing? A second reason must be that we lack the historical knowledge of Chamberlain at Munich, of the methods and aims of the National Socialists, etc., and so forth. We are a quintessentially short message culture. Henry Ford said it and his dictum is now echoed in the schools where history is either not taught or is an brushed over quickie in the curriculum; history is bunk.

So we have a civilly dumbed up populace, especially in those areas where recent demographic shifts have created new power centers: the South and Midwest. These are the homes of the fundamentalists, of the opponents to participatory democracy in our country. They are the places where American cultural hierarchical norms are most pronounced. Many Americans would be surprised to know that we accept much more interference from higher ups at work and in society than our northern European democratic brother nations. So the point is: populace that does not make the right historical distinctions, and that is willing to accept direction from on high. That adds up to a great vulnerability to the message of the man on the white horse when times are tough.

The last element I see is the myth of Horatio Alger, the rugged individual. We are by far the most individualistic nation on earth: there is very little communality in the American psyche. That's very much like the teenage mentality, as a culture and as a whole. Nobody's going to tell me what to do! I can make it all by myself, the power driven ego. It is deaf to the needs of others, especially when augmented by our current rampant narcissim (really pronounced in the gated communities of the Right and the Dinos).

Times are tough. The man on the white horse is the Tea Party. The masses, or at least a large segment of them, are looking for someone to blame. After all, if I'm in charge as the rugged individual and things don't go my way when I do what the myth says I have the right to do -- whatever I darned well please and to hell with anyone else -- then someone must be to blame. And the Repugnikans now driven by the Dick Army tell them exactly what they want to hear and remove from them the responsibility of dealing with our self created morasses by providing a fall guy: the "Big Libs" are at fault, the economy is stalled because of those others in the unions and government who are not at motivated as you the Rugged Individualist. They are the demons here and must be exorcised and we will do it for you in Congress and liberate you so that you can go back to doing whatever you darned well please.

Hitler and Goebbels knew it: the greater the hurt, the bigger the comforting lie and the more often you repeat it. The unenlightened masses will march to war for you as long as they don't hear anything that directly, frequently and manifestly contradicts the big lie.

So keep it up. You work very hard but you give the rest of us a path and a forum. We must trumpet the truth back directly, frequently and clearly because we are not fighting a temporary distortion. We are battling perhaps the last gasp of the adolescence of the American character. Even if they will eventually wither and blow away, still, in the process they are determined to make everyone else suffer for their sense of growing irrelevance and the real question is how much will we let ourselves be hurt?

Thanks again fellow ex-Michigander (yes, that's the real name historically).

PS: Someone ought to fire the University of Michigan Regents and President for inviting the Gauleiter of Michigan, Snyder, to speak at commencement this year because they think he is a good role model for youth! What a sell out for the home of the SDS.

I found it interesting that he had to search for the truth in England!

No surprise that you're not going to find the truth about this country here - that would be too embarrassing

You are wrong that nobody has written about this guy. Check out Al Young's book about Hewes. I don't know why radio people think they discover things without checking Amazon, and I don't think you are being honest about how you discovered this guy.. Why act like you invented the wheel when other historians have long known this story

@ 1776

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UiLZk2TE8k&feature=player_embedded

1776, Copy and paste this link to post to send to your friends:
http://www.thomhartmann.com/bigpicture/thom-hartmann-must-see-true-story...

Thom,

You do not like using broadcaster's names so I'll just say 2 prominent NBC broadcasters are used in this example. Late last night I clicked on a story about Jeff Immelt explaining why GE got a tax rebate. The clip was introduced by the anchor and then played,

Immelt stated that the reason they did not pay taxes was that one of their divisions lost $34 billion in 2009.

Then a second person summarized and the two broadcasters exchanged pleasantries. I was stunned they did not challenge Immelt's assertion. When I heard his statement, it sounded reasonable but I thought something was wrong. So I checked Google, the division that lost $34B got a $140B bailout from us.

My issue is this, why does most, not all, of the media simply parrot statements without fact checking. They can tell two stories that contradict each other in same segment and not challenge either. I believe that with a few exceptions the media is failing to do their job and/or misleading us.

I am an avid fan of you, Stephanie Miller and Rachel Maddow because you guys at least try to get the facts and usually if you get it wrong you admit it.

People say we are a low information society, I believe the media has a lot to do with that, these anchors make millions but cannot Google their stories. OBW, this is just one example of something that happens every day.