Thom, I believe that Sen. Dick Durbin is the one who admitted that the banks own the Senate.

Protest the Oil Industry World wide-

Tomorrow June 26- please give a shout out to:

http://www.handsacrossthesand.org/

This should be the largest gathering of clean energy advocates on the Earth in the History of the Earth.

Costa Rica looks like a progressive paradise, until you examine their attitudes and laws regarding lgbt people. A very Catholic country with very traditional Catholic values.

Angrier than Malloy? I disagree, even Lewis Black isn't as angry as Malloy.

N

Dylan Ratigan,

Have seen some clips from his show- good to know he is on our side!- Especially with a name like rat-again! :)

It must be raining, I'm getting that all to familiar warm wet feeling on my leg again. Its funny this type of local rain always smells like amonia.

N

It seems to me that when Republicans get into power we get a lot of Corporate friendly legislation, and liberals/progressives throw fits and slow down the policies as best they can. When Democrats get into power we get even more Corporate friendly legislation, but the liberals/progressives turn in on themselves and policy prevention is laxed. Its no wonder that corporations fund both parties, they're putting on a show (a prize fight) and they're the house raking in the dough rae me.

I'm not sure which party I despise more, all I know is I have complete faith in the majorities of both to screw the American people.

N

Despair is not an option, sure ok, how about we stop talking about what we don't have as options and start talking about the options we do have.

Its hard not to despair when you're subconsciously aware you might get a pink slip at any time. Its hard not to despair, when you've been furiously treading water to keep your head above it and you have no idea which way to swim to land, or even if you do choose a direction, that you aren't ultimately swimming in circles.

We're almost 2 years into the Obama admin, and we see compromise followed by compromise on top of it. Despair isn't something people choose, despair is thrust upon you. Telling people not to die of thirst in a desert isn't handing them a glass of water, or showing them the way to the nearest water.

So despair is not an option, OK, so what is our option, what is our focus? We need something to focus on, one issue, we need a true progressive win. I'm not sure what that issue should be, but better make it a sure thing. Moral is to the physical as 3 is to 1 (Napoleon), "the beatings will continue until moral improves" is not the answer though. Don't tell us not to give up, tell us where to assemble and what our objective is!

(Obama should have taken his victory lap when he won the election, instead of running over to the losing team to assure them they ran a good race.)

N

A reminder of what is needed: http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-january-26-2010/elizabeth-warren

I agree with JohnnnyBluestar, indoctrination is a big part of the problem. We often think of the 1950's as the golden time in this country but if you look back white, middle class people were "Ozzie and Harrieted". Everyone was expected to act, speak and dress in a certain way. Plus America to many people was white middle and wealthy class. The poor and non whites just didn't really exist in the media. Thats where the whole rock-n-roll and rebellion idea came from. Even in the late 60's and early 70's, the media tried to sanitize us again with the Brady Bunch. The other problem is as long as lobbying is allowed, we can't defeat the big corporations or the wealthy individuals. We do have some in Congress (one of my favorite butt kickers is Al Frankin from my home state) who don't play the game but we have some like Mitch McConnell for example, who blatantly play along.

I would love to see the parties disolve and candidates just run as individuals. Campaigning needs to be simplified (there's the understatement of the decade). For local and Congressional elections, each state could have a central website that would either list the links to individual candidate's websites or have each candidate listed on the central site. Each candidate's listing or website would give personal information, what they plan to do and don't plan to do while in office. No tv or radio ads, no billboards that cost millions of dollars. Emphisize that these people are PUBLIC SERVANTS and not rock stars. I think we all have to admit that about 99% of political ads range from just boring and lame to dangerously mis informing. I personally haven't watch or listened to a political ad in years. My favorite tv remote button that time of the year is the mute. These ads go back to original idea in that its a form of indoctrination. Some of us may be naturally disposed to brain washing but I believe most of us can still think for ourselves. We all need to bring up the subject in public discussion to begin working on snapping people out this robotic way of thinking. The powers that be can be pushed back. They fear we will shut off the money spigot. With all that has happened over the last two years, namely the Wall Street crisis and the Gulf crisis, we are at a very oportune time to remove the veil from in front of our fellow Americans. Many still distrust the government but I believe many more have come to realize that giant corporations have been doing the real damage to this country for some time. We are at a tipping point for the first time since maybe the 60's where the establishment can be pushed back into it's place. The real question is however, can we finally keep it in it's place or even remove it all together this time.

Anybody see this from Ted Rall?

In Dire Straits, Americans Whimper Instead

by Ted Rall

My short answer is 'state of consciousness.' That is why Americans have let corporate entities hold our well-being as a hostage in literally hundreds of area, including health care.

We live in a representative democracy which has great spiritual and ethical potential, but the difficulty with democracy is that it can only really work by having an informed and active citizenry. Yet, in our country, as great as those possibilities are, we are programmed from birth by religious, corporate and political interests that have a personal stake in citizens not being informed and not active.

In religious cults, people are subjected to subtle processes of indoctrination which are intended to increase their suggestibility and compel them to act against their own interest but rather in the interests of their cult masters. I contend that commonplace branding techniques (like endorsing strong identifications with a political party). accepted and exalted ritualistic behavior (like the mindless singing of patriotic songs), mindless repetition of certain core doctrines (like big government is bad), coupled with a culture that endorses mindless conformity and condemns thoughtful discourse hijacks rational consciousness. These processes of corporate and political mind control entrance many people to the degree that they will generally act against their own interest, as exemplified in the acceptance of a non-single payer system, which as noted, is the reverse of the most socially responsible form of health care.

Is someone who has a typical mid-level job in the United States but identifies with the general tone of the Republican party really acting sensibly when he endorses policies that foolishly reward the rich at his expense or deprive him and his family of the security of a home or threaten his life by depriving him of real medical access? No, I don't think so- anymore that Democrats, in similar jobs, who support the currently flawed health initiatives that benefit the insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies at the expense of their well-being. These are not responsible positions- and, if studied, they can be seen as contrary to a decent sense of self-esteem.

But why?

I assert that the normal voter in the United States is generally a victim of corporate and social programming that has successfully short-circuited his or her ability to act or think reasonably in their self-interest. They are living- and voting- in a state of trance- where politically and corporately conditioned ideas have overpowered their normal capacity to reason and act in their self-interest. Instead of a representative democracy, we are really a hypnocracy, controlled by corporate agendas that have stripped our citizens of their own God given rights to life, liberty and happiness and shackled their minds to cast their ballots not as free men and women, but as citizen robots.

One can only thank God that there are a few deprogrammers like Thom Hartmann to at least try to head off some of the corporate hypnotists at the pass and safeguard at least to some extent that tiny eternal flame of the real consciousness that still empowers those who truly love and believe in true American ideals.