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.
Terry Jones Can Be "Arrested" Now.
Virtually every state including Florida ( Baker Act) has some variation on a law that allows a person to be held for 72 hours for psychiatric examination if it is determined by legal authority that they present a danger to themselves and others. Clearly, this could apply to Terry Jones - especially considering his history in Germany (see the Der Spiegel article) with folks still being treated for psychological abuse from him..
About the Baker Act - (http://www.cchrflorida.org/abuse-florida-involuntary-commitment.html)
An involuntary Baker Act is when a person is taken to a receiving facility for involuntary examination when there is reason to believe that he or she is mentally ill and because of his or her mental illness, the person has refused voluntary examination; the person is unable to determine for himself or herself whether examination is necessary and without care or treatment, the person is likely to suffer from neglect or refuse to care for himself or herself and such refusal could pose a threat of harm to his or her well being; and there is a substantial likelihood that without care or treatment, the person will cause serious bodily harm to himself, herself or others in the near future as evidenced by recent behavior.
Are there other criteria to know if a Baker Act is appropriate?
Yes, there is an additional criterion for a voluntary and involuntary Baker Act not included here. For example, a law enforcement officer may transport an individual to a facility for evaluation if there is reason to believe that the individual's behavior meets statutory guidelines for involuntary examination.
Clearly he presents a danger to himself, death threats have been issued against him and he could possibly ignite his clothes in the process of the burning the Qurans. And, a danger to others - US citizens traveling abroad, US service personnel and domestic attacks against persons and property. It only takes one policeman to make this judgement call. Open and shut solution in my opinion.
Stephen
I KNEW IT!!! Jones was just on the TV, holding a press conference saying he is going to cancel the Koran burning in trade for the imam in NYC agreeing to move the community center! NO MORE CAPITULATION TO HATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/breaking/news-article.aspx?storyid=16...
We hear that no figure should be highlighted as someone who starts a religion; however, while Bush II was in offce, he was treated as God's disciple for the start of wars because Bush II said that God spoke to him.
Bushianity
I believe that the time is right for a new amendment. I believe that the new amendment should establish bushianity as America’s true religion. Since America has turned her back on Christianity and embraced bushianity, we should refuse to accept our state of denial in the fact that bushianity is America’s religion.
Americans continue to pretend that they are Christians when in fact they are bushians. Our denial prevents and suppresses true dialogue for the truth. Unless we realize that we are in a state of denial regarding our religion, we will continue to live in a web of deception in seeking the truth. The truth will set us free.
Bushianity deceives people from the truth. Hatred, murders, torture, war crimes, corruption, decadence, greed, and lies are the eight pillars of bushianity. These eight pillars are lies and sins and they are not the truth for people to live in our daily worlds.
An amendment declaring bushianity as America’s religion will be a truthful statement and denial will no longer be part of our web of deception as a nation.
Bushianity will now be the truthful statement for Americans. Once this truthful statement is declared, we can have a real dialogue of our religion and our religious beliefs.
No Republicans will join the Jesus Party movement because they do not read the New Testament in the Holy Bible.
gerald, best of luck with your Jesus party. Hope the right wing lunatics that it draws can comprehend your point of view. Would be nice to split the Republican vote.
N
Jesus may not be the savior for every religion but his teachings have transcended a particular religion. Can anyone fault His Eleventh Commandment? LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU!
Would the practice of Jesus' Eleventh Commandment make our world a better place?
gerald, Jesus may be an answer for you, however, there are plenty of Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, etc... people in this country, and whether you like it or not, don't expect them to join your Jesus party. Believe it or not, you are being exclusive, and a political party based on a religious figure isn't going to go anywhere.
N
Women
I have another doctrine to share with you. This doctrine is regarding women. A few years back I read an article by Jane Eisner, a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer.
This article mentioned Islam and how the Islamic culture was well advanced around the time of Mohammed and for some years after his presence.
The Islamic culture could have been a role model for Western cultures. Why did the Islamic culture cease to progress in comparison with the Western cultures? The reason centers with the role of women. Women in time became a second-class citizen and they were not considered a viable resource in the Islamic culture.
What I fear from the Islamic culture is their lack of women involved in various governmental issues and their lack of governmental positions in the decision making process. We can see how important women are in the daily activities and life of America. Women are a valuable human resource, especially women who possess the two characteristics of nurturing and sensitivity. These two characteristics make them God’s greatest creation.
Unless women are given more of a role in the Islamic culture, we will have to listen to their men who seem to be insecure around educated women and their ideas in the improvement of our world. Women are the key to a better world, especially women who possess the characteristics of nurturing and sensitivity. Let us give more trust to the women of the world. I would also hope that each nation on this planet had a woman in charge of their country.
Whether we like it or not Jesus must be part of the mix. Religion, politics, and Jesus sounds good for me. I do not consider myself a religious zealot but I have come to belief that the New Testament has the answers for a better world for every human being.
A friend of mine was told by his grandfather to beware of men who constantly tell you how much they love their God, their country, and their wife, for they are liars and scoundrels!
Buildings, runways and railroads will result in contractors pulling out the big machines. A boom for the operating engineers and loborers. Good GDP and bad employment numbers.
It is easy to think punitive when you think wall street, but they are already moving off shore. Singapore can't wait to get the derivative business. Also noted yesterday that Fannie is back in the sub-prime load business.
The Bush regime's Patriot Act has always been just that - a great big phony act at pretended patriotism by the worst of traitors. Until this country seriously investigates the crimes of the Bush era we will remain vulnerable to a repitition of these crimes and worse. As long as the criminals remain at large they are free to do it to us again...
DB
There's no question that Bush let 9/11 happen-he was complicit in it. His brother Marvin's company was involved with WTC security pre-9/11. Larry Silverstein is ON TAPE recounting the go-ahead to "pull Building 7"-a demolition term- on a building that collapsed at free-fall speed despite not having suffered a direct hit. Operation Vigilant Guardian was being conducted over the north Atlantic under the aegis of Cheney, over a month before similar exercises were previously conducted. The building steel was cut up and shipped to China before forensic tests could be conducted. (See the trade publication Fire Engineering). The official explanation is riddled with falsehoods and inaccuracies.
Kriss--he's really a nut. An attention-seeking nut. Imagine a liberal doing something that they knew would spark international outrage and then state that the president of the US should call them to convince them to stop. Only a rightwing nut would do that.
Attention and publicity seeker.
Hi - first time poster. I just wanted to make one point: I heard a quick news bulletin saying that Jones would "seriously consider changing his mind" if he got a call from the White House telling him not to go thru with his plans.
When I heard that I couldn't help but think - this guy, who runs a tiny church in FL and was pretty much unheard of until recently, says he MIGHT change his mind if our President essentially bows down and begs him to stop? That's BEYOND just attention seeking. Thoughts?
The gentleman who wants everyone to be Christian and fears the destructive influence of Muslim immigrants thinks just like the Monsanto corporation. They both thrive on monoculture, which is deadly to any group or species. As Mochael Polan pointed out in The Botany of Desire, Diversity is essential to our survival.
Respect for everyone's beliefs is guaranteed in our Constitution The founders rememberd the religious wars that tore Europe apart. The strength bestowed by diversity was just a lovely bonus.
People are foolish and apathetic. But, who cares?
The Third Rail of American politics is not Social Security. It's "Defense" spending. Watch the right-wingers bellow! Watch Democrats cower and quiver in fear!
The World Union of Deists supports the United States of America for allowing Terry Jones (the preacher who plans to burn copies of the Koran on September 11, 2010) the freedom to disagree with and even detest a religion, and to even go so far as to burn that religion's supposedly holy book, because such a protest does not directly hurt another creature and is allowed under the Bill of Rights. However, the World Union of Deists exhorts all people, including all Christians and Muslims, to not unnecessarily antagonize each other. Instead, we all should base our beliefs on reason and find just ways to coexist.
Instead of burning books, Terry Jones and other radical "revealed" religionists (whether Christian or Muslim) should be opening their minds and basing their beliefs on reason. Reason plus compassion will lead to a happy future for humanity. Faith plus unjust intolerance will detract from humanity's happiness, and very well might end humanity's existence. --- Jason X
Yesterday, when Thom had this self-serving hater on his program and asked him about all the officials who had warned of blow-back, he responded in a way that I think needs to be called attention to! Thom has mentioned how this is just a deplorable act to get attention, and I think he really couldn't have affirmed it any better than he did yesterday. To say that he would call a halt to the Koran burning *IF* they agreed to move the community center away from Ground Zero said it all to me. Now that he has had some time in the media spotlight, he wants more of it by attempting to become some sort of (sick) hero by putting a halt to it. No concern for what harm his actions might cause, he's actually trying to trade UP - more than likely so he can grow his cult! He's nothing but a hateful, shameless opportunitst and should be referred to as such.
Re: Burning the Koran.
How many Christians would get upset if the Bible was burned? How about if the Tora was burned?
I hate to point out that building roads,runways and railroads won't get us Skilled Trades construction people back to work because we need BUILDINGS TO WORK IN! Truthfully all of Status Quobamas efforts so far at "Green Technology Retrofiting" has mostly provided jobs to documented illegal immigrants employed by gypo contractors to stuff insulation in easy to get to places. We need to develope technology that uses biological agents to remove C02 from fossil fuel sources that byproduce useable products, like maybe ethanol, patent it in the USA and watch us start an economic boom the world has never seen. Oh and while I'm at it, reinstate Glass Steagal, enforce Sherman Anti Trust, Put a security exchange tax on ALL Wall Street and Bank instrument exchanges, Place a carbon tax on imports from polluters, reinstate Tariffs against countries that do ANYTHING to limit labor or our imports, and last but mostly important, fully fund all elections so Corporations can't buy politicians!
Hi here is at least 1 url for Clinton vs w on stance toward bin laden and barton Gellman's fine work on contrasting them ;
From fresh air interview- references podcast probably best summary available
Journalist Barton Gellman of The Washington Post will discuss the Clinton and Bush adminstrationsefforts to track down Osama bin Laden and his network prior to Sept. 11. Gellman wrote a two-part series about it that ran in the Post Dec. 19 and 20, 2001. A third installment was later published Jan 20, 2002.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1136855
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentI...
http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S01/18/20C20/index.xml
http://makethemaccountable.com/myth/ClintonAndTerrorism.htm
http://www.bartcop.com/clinton-terror-stopped.htm
Gellman, Barton. "Before Sept. 11, Unshared Clues and Unshaped Policy." Washington Post, 17 May 2002, A1. [http://www.washingtonpost.com]
On 5 July 5 2001, "the White House summoned officials of a dozen federal agencies to the Situation Room. 'Something really spectacular is going to happen here, and it's going to happen soon,' the government's top counterterrorism official, Richard Clarke, told the assembled group, according to two of those present." The group included the FAA, along with the Coast Guard, FBI, Secret Service, and INS.
"Clarke directed every counterterrorist office to cancel vacations, defer nonvital travel, put off scheduled exercises and place domestic rapid-response teams on much shorter alert. For six weeks last summer, at home and overseas, the U.S. government was at its highest possible state of readiness -- and anxiety -- against imminent terrorist attack.... As late as July 31, the FAA urged U.S. airlines to maintain a 'high degree of alertness.' All those alert levels dropped by the time hijackers armed with box cutters took control of four jetliners on the morning of Sept. 11."
"Broad Effort Launched After '98 Attacks." Washington Post, 19 Dec. 2001, A1. [http://www.washingtonpost.com]
"Beginning on Aug. 7, 1998, the day that al Qaeda destroyed the U.S. embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, [U.S. President Bill] Clinton directed a campaign of increasing scope and lethality against [Osama] bin Laden's network that carried through his final days in office.
"In addition to a secret 'finding' to authorize covert action,... Clinton signed three highly classified Memoranda of Notification expanding the available tools. In succession, the president authorized killing instead of capturing bin Laden, then added several of al Qaeda's senior lieutenants, and finally approved the shooting down of private civilian aircraft on which they flew.
"The Clinton administration ordered the Navy to maintain two Los Angeles-class attack submarines on permanent station in the nearest available waters, enabling the U.S. military to place Tomahawk cruise missiles on any target in Afghanistan within about six hours of receiving the order....
"The lines Clinton opted not to cross continued to define U.S. policy in his successor's first eight months. Clinton stopped short of using more decisive military instruments, including U.S. ground forces, and declined to expand the reach of the war to the Taliban regime that hosted bin Laden and his fighters after 1996."
2. "Struggles Inside the Government Defined Campaign." Washington Post, 20 Dec. 2001, A1. [http://www.washingtonpost.com]
"By any measure available, Clinton left office having given greater priority to terrorism than any president before him. His government doubled counterterrorist spending across 40 departments and agencies.... Clinton devoted some of his highest-profile foreign policy speeches to terrorism, including two at the U.N. General Assembly. An interagency panel, the Counterterrorism Strategy Group, took on new weight in policy disputes.... And the foreign policy cabinet, by the time it left office, had been convening every two to three weeks to shape a covert and overt campaign against al Qaeda.
"But neither Clinton nor his administration treated terrorism as their top concern, because it was not. Without the overriding impetus provided by Sept. 11, the war on terror in the 1990s lost as many struggles inside government as it won. Steps to manage risk moved forward readily. Some of the harder initiatives, hurried through these past three months by President Bush, foundered then on money, bureaucratic turf, domestic politics and rival conceptions of national interest."
hope that his is helpful- sorry it's such a hodge-podge
Cleve
Please see this video on testimony to Winter Soldiers--Iraq Veterans Against War--by Dr. Dahlia Wasfi.
Re: Golden Opportunity on 911
You bet it was a golden opportunity. The people would not have supported invading Iraq, Afghanistan,
Iran, ect. if it were not for this golden opportunity.