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.
@rladlof, so you're not thinking Gainor is a kind of animal... 'cause I was going to vote for slug (though I guess that could be considered part of the insect realm). Slimey and without a backbone. Tapeworm may fit too.
Thom, it's a crime, but when the Republicans do something like that, nothing is done. If it were the Democrats who did that, they'd be in jail tomorrow. It's happened time and time again. WHY does this happen?
This has always boggled my mind and just makes me nuts!
I thought the more educated people were and the more opportunities they had for success, the fewer children they actually had. So by stopping "brown" people from accessing schools for their kids and preventing them from succeeding in society, aren't we guaranteeing more ignorance and ultimately more children? And of course, the role of religion in promoting anti-birth control policies doesn't help anyone. So maybe conservatives should instead promote education, opportunity and birth control as policy and the "problem" may take care of itself. But then they might be called "Democrats."
Sorry maxrot, just distracted by all the snakes. thank god the show's almost over
@ Robert S.: Yes, I have a passing familiarity with Korzybski. I survived rhetoric classes in college . . .
@Maxrot: I was utilizing “kind to animals” as the absolute least common definition of good character. By referencing this potential positive behavior and associating it with Mr. Gainor, I was hoping to avoid the ire of the Blog Gods. You have ‘sussed’ me out . . . There has never been evidence presented that I am aware of that Mr. Gainor is or has ever been kind to animals. He HAS expressed a fervent belief in the moral and operational superiority of corporate entities . . . Only I do not hold that concept in high regard.
Is Iran Really a Threat?
By Ray McGovern
April 26, 2010
@harry, re "I think quark got it 'cause of his emoticons"; you do know Quark is a woman right? (At least that's my take when Quark talks about a husband and offspring).
I must say harry, you've been a bit off today, you're not breathing in the fumes from that burning Oil Slick are you? I thought they were just doing minor tests so far. ;-)
N
@Robert S. Yeah! the nuisances of language!
I guess i mean if you want 2 kids to help you sort thru the trash piles, you have to give birth to more than 2.
@Nels,
Ah, the nuances of language. We can use a word, phrase, symbol, what-have-you, but the collective definition is not always in sync with the meaning in the issuers mind when used.
As I mentioned, this was an interest of Jack Herrer, who could question your use of a word with the etymology of the same - "did you mean to say?"
This becomes evident and dangerous in political speech, especially bumper-sticker slogans.
re: "Mexicans breeding". Many people live in slums with high infant mortality rates. So if you want 2 children to help you in the fields, you have to give birth to more than 2.
I think the racists that claim the "brown people are breeding like crazy" are just fustrated that 'dey 'demselves ain't breeding wit no one no how. I think their true color is green.
N
@Maxrot I think quark got it 'cause of his emoticons.
@Quark -
Be my guest! :-)
@harry and Quark, I posted the run it up the pole comment, and certainly harry was taking it out of context (on purpose I 'spect). It had not a wit of ethnic or erotic (nipping that one in the bud here and now) meaning.
N
mstaggerlee,
'Beautiful addition to the freespeech.com petition. Do you mind if I borrow it?
The problem is that the gun nuts are trying to push the envelope to trigger a “Cohen Act” response by rational folk . . . These jack-booted thugs hold that Rand’s “Atlas Shrugs” and Pierce’s “Turner Diaries” are gospels . . . Unfortunately, the Republicans and their astrotufed Tea Parties are attempting harness the passion and energy without regard to their sociopathic nature.
@rladlof,
Thanks for that, but, the question was specifically about E-Prime, and if you aren't familiar, well you spontaneously fell into one of Alfred Korzybski's insights into General Semantics:
TOWARD UNDERSTANDING E -PRIME
Robert Anton Wilson
@Quark sorry, musta been maxrot
Meet John Doh!
Thanks for your thoughtful link. I will share that with Mike --- he will be interested. :-D
Harry,
Re: you said "Let's run that up the pole".
No, I didn't, though I don't know who did. 'Sorry. (I try not to make ethnic jokes that I think may hurt people, though I don't seem to have as many mental alarm bells go off if the jokes are political... oh, well --- no one's perfect, or even close --- least of all me.) :-)
I'll go to bars that don't allow you to smoke cigarettes like a good progressive, and neo-cons can go to bars that allow them to smoke each other... sounds fair and wise to me.
N
@Quark
I heard an interview with a guy who was with, believe it or not (believe it) the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and I immediately thought of the lucky guy Mike (the artist) and thought he might be interested in them if he ever decided to go into graphic novels (or whatever theycall them). The URL is http://cbldf.org/
After hearing Thom talk about the petition at freespeech.com opposing 1st amendment rights for corporations, I naturally hopped over there to sign up. Here's the comment I added -
Corporations are NOT people - they are economic entities created by governments to protect the private property of business owners in the event of business failures. As such, they are granted certain special tax advantages, and that is fair and just.
However, there is nothing in the concept above that equates corporations with people. In fact, I feel that granting first amendment free speech rights to corporations is discriminatory against anyone who does not sit on a corporate board. If the corporation, as well as its board members, has the right to free speech, then the voice of each board member is amplified by the corporation's "voice". The corporation gives its owner 2 voices, while the rest of us have only one.
Another fallacy at work here is the equation that states corporate donations are free speech. Donations are money, and speech is not money. I cannot pay my mortgage or buy my lunch with my speech. Why should Goldman-Sachs be able to buy a Senator with theirs?
@Jeanie, lets not lose our heads, boycotting Coldstone is a step too far in my book. Baskin Robbins is ok, but I like the freedom to create my own flavors... freedom of choice, its what America is all about!!!
@Quark, hey if the crazy part of the herd wants to practice Hari Kari, I'd like to think I'm progressive enough to allow them to assist each other. ;-)
N