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.
The origin of the quote doesn't matter, the sense does. And the short, pithy aphorism makes a lot of sense just as the other equally true and much revered cliché: “…people get the government they deserve.” Why quibble about origins or context when the truth is held to be self-evident?
Patriotism is glorified tribalism. I love my country, my state, my town and high school, and also my sports team. All are identifications of the ego, which give meaning to life for many. Unfortunately it is a violent and ultimately empty pursuit. As the retired monk says - ideology is a disease.
What if, instead, we defined ourselves as spiritual beings and world citizens?
National geographic is another "subtle propaganda" tool.
Have you seen the show "Locked up abroad"
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/locked-up-abroad/all/Overview
It's a show about white people that speak English (American/British) being arrested in countries where people don't speak english and are dark skinned. NG talks to the white criminals as if they are victim of evil dark skin government and thank God they escaped.
When you hear the story of why they got put in prison, you think to yourself "Well, they are criminals" But NG doesn't see it that way, come on buddy, they are white and speak English, they can't be criminals.
I'm sorry about the much-touted quote about patriotism being the last refuge of a scoundrel, but it just so happens that Samuel Johnson wasn't an American founder at all. As a matter of fact, he was opposed to American independence and even went so far as to write a book in which he maintained that the punitive taxes which the English government had levied on the American colonists were by no means tyrannical but that, when the colonists emigrated from England to America they had essentially resigned their citizenship and, if they wanted to have representation in Parliament, they should move back to England and buy property.
The context in which Johnson's quote emerged was in response to John Stuart, the third Earl of Bute, who was Minister of Patriotism, and did not refer to patriotism in general but rather to Stuart's use of the term.
The bit about terrorist babies is absolutely idiotic- just demagogues spitting nonsense. But I wish Thom and others like him would not give groups like the Southern Poverty Law Center any credibility, for they have none. They are a political organization who lobbies against our Constitution. Period. Their writings show a disdain for the beliefs on which this nation was founded. They seek to divide the people at every opportunity. Their name says it all (they're poverty pimps, pushing minority entitlement way past the will of the majority). They seek to undermine popular sentiment for sovereignty, and have pushed for a top down, heavy handed federal government. The worst part is their influence is in the law enforcement community. Along with the ADL, they have managed to push their ideology into all levels of policing. Their website censors any dissenting views. They manipulate polls, overstate the existance of white racism, and completely ignore the overt racism- and racial crimes- of minority groups (esp. in pro-immigrant organizing). Please, folks, our country is in bankrupt and in serious trouble. Can we not look out for eachother, as Americans of any color, before worrying about the other 6 trillion people on earth? There's nothing progressive about allowing the dissolution of our borders and our Constitution.
Maybe the The Southern Poverty Law Center could file a lawsuit against Glenn Beck, and others for stirring up hatred causing people to be harmed, or killed as they did years ago against the KKK. The KKK lost some property to a mother of a murdered victim of the KKK's hate after the Southern Poverty Law Center sued the KKK on behalf of the mother.
The first Amendment gives any religion the right to form. There is historical precedent for hostility toward a new religion such as the Mormon religion where the Mormons were driven out to Utah with pitch forks, and torches. Take note Glenn Beck. The government can not prohibit the free excercise of religion or promote any religion. But US citizens can assemble, and protest any religion or any other issue for that matter. Glenn Beck and other demiGods are attempting to manipulate the crazies of the far right into putting the super rich back at the helm of the country so they can continue to fleece the US and the world.
This is scary, now Americans are using Wikipedia as their number source to substantiate information instead of doing the hard work of research from properly attributed sources. But of course, if Wikipedia or someone on network news says it, its got to be the one and only truth right?
Think people, do your research and really find out what the truth of a matter is.
This is scary, now Americans are using Wikipedia as their number source to substantiate information instead of doing the hard work of research from properly attributed sources. But of course, if Wikipedia or someone on network news says it, its got to be the one and only truth right?
Think people, do your research and really find out what the truth of a matter is.
Quote for the day..."Speak straight, so that your words may go as sunlight into our hearts," Apache Chief Geronimo.
Mr. Hartmann, todays' show was on target, what is the American idea, this democratic experiment? "We the people" need to become active in the process. This democracy is ours to define, we do that with dialogue; respectful, honest, dialogue. With the council of ideas that promote a healthy economy, first taking care of our own problems within the borders of this nation, and the problems are very real and need specific answers and actions on the part of our elected officials, people we voted in.
It is our responsibility to communicate with them in a respectful way--to expect them to do what they promise to do, and hold them accountable by exercising our right, voting in public servants who will serve for the good of the country and us, its people.
Who has the ability to make the difference? We do--and we must.
Oh damn, you're too cleaver. Yes let's get a Republican Senate leader in there. Yep things will get so bad the people will just have to revolt, and we're just bound to get better government out of that, why just look at the French, Russian and Chinese revolutions of the last couple of centuries. Sure many innocent citizens of those countries died, and the resulting governments were oppresive and corrupt, but evil is evil, why bother with just the lesser one when we can have the hog. Genius!
N
The trickle coming down is warm and yellow and magically fails from the skies . . . And results in no money being moved anywhere except outta the country . . .
Max voting for the lesser of the evils still gives you evil....Look at Harry Reid,he will probably get re-elected.
and so if you like the last 10 yrs under Reid's leadership...then expect the same for the next 6-10 yrs cuz Reid will likely get re-elected
and so he is going to do the same he has done for the last 10 yrs.....enable Corporate interest.
Well Pablito, don't vote for the Democratic party, don't vote for the Republicans either. Find a party you can support and work with them. But don't expect me to stand there and take a blade to the throat. I choose to put up a shield with my left hand and strike back with the other, I may not win, but I'll rather fight on my feet. You can go ahead and get on your knees and take it if you want.
N
Heres a few good anagrams of "Restoring Honor" :
Terror Nigh Soon
Error Goons Hint
Herring On Roost
Maxrot,the best way to save our democracy is for the GOP to get in power again
it will go up in smoke.....but prolonging the agony by voting for the lesser of a Corporate party(Dems) won't work.
I say die with 1 cut as opposed to death by a 1000 cuts.Both parties have sunk us.
Jeanie,you don't think they are being carried out with the same zeal as GWBush did ?
You are kidding right ?....you know we are doing more drone bombing that GWBush did,
we have killed more innocence than GWBush did in Pakistan,Afghanistan & Yemen.So please.
HAMP-Home affordable mortgage Program-The WH started it to "help" home owners who have upside down mortgage.Just last week treasury admitted that the program was designed to fail home owners who applied for the program it forces then into foreclosure....in other words the Banks win ,win, win.....
that's what you are defending.And why Thom hasn't done a segment on this fraud of a program doesn't baffle me.cuz an election is coming up & the Democrats have to be presented in a good light.
I belong to no party but the poor peoples party and so it will be until I die.
Pablito, you have a legitimate point about Obama's poor policies, but your conclusions and solutions are the same as being out in the middle of a desert and figuring that you have no chance of survival, and then dumping out the water in your canteen.
If you wish to give up, that's your business, but to lecture to the rest of us that that is the best way to go, well do not expect to find any takers here.
N
Thom's right. Sharia law is very similar to Halachic law. There is an entire contiuum of interpretation of both codes. Both Islam and Judaism began as both religious and political entities. In ancient and midieval times there was no distinction between religion and politics. ALL politics were religious!
Just for the record, here's the definition of Sharia law from Wikipedia:
Sharia (شريعة Šarīʿa; [ʃaˈriːʕa], "way" or "path") is the sacred law of Islam. All Muslims believe Sharia is God's law, but they have differences among themselves as to exactly what it entails.[1] Modernists, traditionalists and fundamentalists all hold different views of Sharia, as do adherents to different schools of Islamic thought and scholarship. Different countries and cultures have varying interpretations of Sharia as well.
re #11: yes, we the people IS the government!
is this guy for real??
Modern American Christians happily vote to force their morals on everyone else.
Quit listening to Limbaugh, Beck, Hannity etc and go talk to some Muslims.
re:#8: same principle applies to the missionaries in Africa. They taught their flocks to hate homosexuals so much, homosexuals are murdered in some parts of Africa.
Hey Pablito-what's HAMP? And no, I don't think any of those things you've mentioned are ok, but I kind of doubt they are being carried out with the zeal or extent that they were under W. I do believe that Obama thinks he has to cater to the very conservative politicians in order to get anything done at all. I do think he needs to ignore them (as they ignored us) and put his fingers in his ears as they scream in protest. But he wants to be diplomatic. I wouldn't be.
Hey! Jeanie people like Pablito cares more about ordinary Americans than most.
Complaining about what the GOP did for the last 8 yrs don't mean a damn thing when
under the Obama Admin......for example,their HAMP program just like all the little legislation that
the Prez has put forth....hurts ordinary Americans over Corporations....Yes I will complain when the Prez
over steps is bounds......Please remember,he has continues all of GWBush's polices,torture ,renditions & wanting to kill Americans without justice or jury...so what are you defending ?
If it was not OK under Bush why is it OK under Obama ? And like I said most Americans are worst off,what has the Prez done to help
ordinary Americans ?......not the wealthy ,ordinary Americans ? nothing....so there... and you want folks to go vote for whom ?The Prez who has done nothing to help 'em ?
The estate tax is a tax break for the middle class and small business heirs - because it includes a capital gains exemption for all heirs that "steps up" the basis for capital gains on inherited property. So when they sell it they only owe CG tax on the value increase since they inherited it, not since it was acquired. In exchange the very wealthy get a small tax on very large estates.
When the shills of the very rich cry about the "deat tax" what they are really saying is they want to shift the tax burden from the billionaires to the middle class and small family businesses and farms.