The Thom Hartmann Program - July 30th

Republicans & YOUTUBE debate

it's my understanding that the Republics may not do a YOUTUBE debate. Make me wonder - if they won't answer our questions now, what makes anyone think they will answer our questions later?

enjoy my toons: http://www.comicssherpa.com/site/feature?uc_comic=cscwc

By radfringeJuly 30, 2007 - 12:10pm

Viguerie: An Orphan's Best Friend

Viguerie is a piece of work. Early on in his career he was named as director of an organization soliciting funds for Korean orphans. Unfortunately for the orphans, Viguerie took the lion's share for himself; the orphans received less than 10% raised.

Viguerie and Paul Weyrich really jump-started the modern conservative agenda by Viguerie's brilliant idea to use mass mail marketing to get suckers to send in money or support candidates.

Viguerie and Paul Weyrich tried to get the American Independent Party to back Viguerie for their presidential candidate. This is how bad Weyrich and Viguerie are...even the racist American Independent Party, back in the late 1960s, wouldn't have the likes of Viguerie and Weyrich calling the shots.

I could go on and on about Viguerie. If anyone is interested in information on these two powerful men who have shaped the modern Republican Party, read Russ Bellant's "The Coor's Connection" or "Old Nazis, the New Right and the Republican Party."

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The Political Amazon

"Nothing so needs reforming as other people's habits."
--Mark Twain

By Political AmazonJuly 30, 2007 - 12:14pm

When you lie down with dogs you get up with fleas

With all due respect to Thom and his vast knowledge, I think it is a bad idea to lend credibility to folks like Richard Viguerie.

In addition to the information I previously posted, Viguerie also has many strong links to the Moonies, and the nutball religious right.

The two previously mentioned Russ Bellant books describe this in great detail. Another really good book is Sara Diamond's "Spiritual Warfare, the Politics of the Christian Right," where links between the ultranutball Christians and their groups (including Christian Reconstructionists) and folks like Viguerie are thoroughly addressed.

I understand the concept of "my enemy's friend is my friend," but I also understand the concept of "When you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas.

===========
The Political Amazon

"Nothing so needs reforming as other people's habits."
--Mark Twain

By Political AmazonJuly 30, 2007 - 12:44pm

Impeachment

I've called Barbara Boxer and Dianned Feinstein and Anna Eshoo and emailed them every week since January. On other issues, they've been very responsive. But whenever I push for impeachment, they consistently say they don't want to go for impeachment because "it would further divide our country". We are already facing a constitutional crisis. The next step may be armed revolution, or even civil war. How could our country be further divided.

I saw a bumper sticker driving through the farm country south of San Jose. It said, "If they take away our guns, how we gonna shoot liberals?". There are idiots in this country who think that we obey the rule of law because we're timid, or afraid of guns, or "peace loving" (God Forbid).

The people must press, continuously, for impeachment of George Bush and Dick Cheney. Either the law applies to everyone, or it applies to no one. Our elected officials are reluctant to impeach because they see it as a career risk and a waste of time (the Republicans will vote against it). This level of corruption is bad for both sides. Once the Democrats act on impeachment, the Republicans will join, not oppose the effort, in order to save their own political skins.

Steve Cavin

By stevecavinJuly 30, 2007 - 12:49pm

Is anyone really surprised

Does it really surprose anybody that the candidates of the party of non-accountability don't want to answer questions from the proletariat?

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Of course the New Right is wrong ... but that doesn't make WRONG the new RIGHT.

By mstaggerlee (not verified)July 30, 2007 - 12:51pm

WHY? FEAR of IMPEACHMENTâ‰¡â‰¥FEAR of AlQaedaâ‰ BinLadenâˆ´Saudi

Room Service: Sorry_we_missed_you

The TRUTH that the feeble prefer to ignore:
Proof of WTC Controlled Demolition With Richard Gage

"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable."

"We dare not forget that we are the heirs of that first revolution."

- John F. Kennedy

By SingSingJuly 30, 2007 - 1:02pm

weekly protests

Apparently the weekly protests are being noted on the Young Turks website. They also have a list of those going on accross the nation so look for your area and attend. If nothing near, you can start your own!

Most of these are on Sunday, but the one I go to is on Saturdays! We had a record number of people this weekend. It also fluctuates because of committments and vacations. They made a new sign in honor of being acknowledged on the website - has 'Enough' - 6 feet long and 1 1/2 feet high! A few of the vets wear their uniforms for the protest. A few bikers wear there leather! : )

When talking to the people there, some are just for peace, some from the Democratic Club and some are just agree - like me! One of the common denominators - they all care about people.
Talk of people being left behind, in debt due to healthcare (with insurance), unable to obtain minimum health care due to lack of insurance, people willing to work but no jobs available.

We need to change where the money goes! Money given to the poor goes DIRECTLY into the local economy and helps those around you! We need to invest in people, not corporations that have no patriotism or loyalty.

By LoreJuly 30, 2007 - 1:14pm

How to present impeachment as "mainstream"?

Per Thom's suggestions, I visited with our Representative (Peter Welch, VT) during one of his local visits to "hear from his constituents." There were six or seven constituents there, two of whom (myself included) were pressuring Mr. Welch that the time for impeachment has come. It is an understatement to say that Mr. Welch's reaction to us was dismissive. When I cited Paul Craig Roberts's scenario (that without impeachment, a year from now we may well be living in a dictatorship and at war with Iran), not only Mr. Welch, but many of the other constituents looked at me like I was looney. And a few weeks ago, I would have probably been there with them, had I heard someone else make a similar statement.

Mr. Welch later repeatedly used the word "practical" in reference to the farm bill, and other legislation he's been focusing on. The distinct impression we were left with is that impeachment is definitely not practical.

I later cornered one of his staff members (Mr. Welch was too busy making connections with more sane people) and I believe I was able to make my point, which the staff member said he would convey to Mr. Welch. My question is: are we - who are listening to such as Bruce Fein, Paul Craig Roberts, Thom Hartmann, John Dean - are we "drinking some Kool-Aid"??? And if we're not (which I don't think we are) - how do we present our case to some of the "practical" Congresspersons (such as Bernie, of all people!, as well as Mr. Welch) so we don't come across as looney? Can you ask this of Bernie on Friday?

Thanks for your great program, Thom!

--Arabella
Visit my blog at http://swanofblue.blogspot.com

By swanofblueJuly 30, 2007 - 1:22pm

Professor of the Bleeding Obvious

Excuse me for playing The Professor of the Bleeding Obvious, but a thought just occurred to me.

Is the reason that Kerry--flying in the face of common sense and strategy--didn't challenge the swiftboaters is because what they were alleging is actually (at least in part) true?

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The Political Amazon

"Nothing so needs reforming as other people's habits."
--Mark Twain

By Political AmazonJuly 30, 2007 - 1:49pm

China to strategically invest in Blackwater USA

Now that China is in a position to buy up large parts of our country - why not buy up our privatized military - for example: Blackwater USA. That way they can have a standing army in this country and around the world supported by our government. There is even a Blackwater facility not far from me and there is probably one near you too.

By Phil PollockJuly 30, 2007 - 1:54pm

@ looney Arabella

It's nice to know that we're not alone, and more and more people are talking about these concerns. I hope Thom does as Bernie how we can present our case in a manner that will give them reason to consider us seriously. I would like everyone to push hard during the Congress' August break, enough so that impeachment is their first order of business in September. Gonzales, then Cheney, then Bush.

Arabella, I left you a comment on your website.

By scubavalJuly 30, 2007 - 1:54pm

Attorney General John Yoo in in August? Could be!

George Bush has taken advantage of Senate recesses 170 times (167 times through January, 2007, and three more in April, 2007) over the last six years to fill positions that would otherwise require Senate confirmation with people who would likely -- or certainly -- have failed to win Senate confirmation. Bush has never missed an opportunity to flip the bird at the Senate, even permanently appointing a US Attorney using the notorious Patriot Act II provisions on the very day -- June 14 -- that he signed into law Congress' legislation outlawing the practice.

The Senate is scheduled to go into recess on August 6. This gives Bush the singular opportunity to give the Senate and the people of the United States the biggest "Fuck You" of his Presidency -- and to bring to a close any discussion of impeaching Alberto Gonzales -- by replacing Gonzalez with somebody even worse. Attorney General John Yoo, anybody?

Go to http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/7/30/13256/1078 to follow me into my nightmare.

"You have to keep your knee on [Bush's] windpipe until the danger is past." -- Garry Trudeau

By tbetzJuly 30, 2007 - 2:11pm

Voting

Thom,

As a good Canadian I'll start with 'I'm sorry... to point this out; but we vote (1 10th the people but that shouldn't matter) with paper, the same all across the country, and we have the results that night; worst case; in the wee hours..

Any questions, there are re-counts etc.. but the basic system is paper; what's the roblem?

Cheers,

Rick

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uApZuZ6RPy4

'Sorry about your white house. I see you've re-built it. It's very nice.'

By Rick in CanadiaJuly 30, 2007 - 2:17pm

Decertify Voting Machines!

Listen.

As someone who's been a software developer for a major company (ok, Microsoft) for the last decade, I promise you that you can't even write a 2-line piece of software that can't be hacked. As long as there's an operating system and/or execution engine interacting with your data -- where there's a will, there's a way.

We have to make it a priority to decertify all electronic voting machines. It's obvious we're competing with folks who aren't very nice. We have to at least take the minimum steps necessary to ensure fairness and competitive balance.

Electronic voting machines == corrupt vote.

That's the equation, and there's no denying it. It's critical to put the 2008 vote on paper!

By donaldwJuly 30, 2007 - 2:26pm

Re: Voting

This message is a reply to Voting, Submitted by Rick in Canadia on July 30, 2007 - 1:17pm -

The problem, Rick, is that NOBODY MAKES ANY MONEY on paper voting!

We voted on paper for upwards of 200 years, and nobody ever had any complaints regarding the method. Results were accurately reported via exit polling. The exit polls were always sufficiently accurate, because you were asking people what they JUST DID, as opposed to what they might do at some point in the future.

Isn't it fasciating that when we enacted the corporate Compu-Vote, exit polling suddenly became innacurate?

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Of course the New Right is wrong ... but that doesn't make WRONG the new RIGHT.

By mstaggerlee (not verified)July 30, 2007 - 2:28pm

Taking back the USA from Big business

What would happen if everyone that is tired of the high intrest rates on credit cards and the high cost of insurance, did not pay the credit cards for one month it wake washington up that were tired of being treatied like a second class citzen to big business. Most people run up the credit cards because they have too not because they what to.

Worse case we should send a copy of the billsshowing the intrest rates to congress ofcouse the important information black out.

By alvin56July 30, 2007 - 2:36pm

Again with the oral diarrhea about CORPORATIZING, blah blah

Thom, if you think you're too busy to listen to the 1st half of Randi's show without commercials today, YOU ARE DEAD WRONG!!!

At +25% speed by compressing the TEMPO via Audacity [ http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download ] you can double time through it in less than 45mins. MAKE TIME!

She KICKED ASS today. One of her top 20 shows since joining AAR.

Follow her lead and MAKE IT SO!!!

If you want paper ballots, then fix the HOLT bill by activating the populous to pressure their reps and pass local legislation.

You want IMPEACHMENT, same deal. Send them to http://www.AfterDowningStreet.org [ http://www.impeachbush.tv/impeach/ ] for the kit to pass local impeachment resolutions. Drive the point home with impeachment Anthony St. Martin's www.pledgetoimpeach.org to "stay home" strike if the process isn't begun before ... [ New Jersey Impeach Group, who have strongly endorsed the plan and requested St. Martin present at their event on August 25th ].

Do the news, expose the wingnuts and the cronies while educating the United States of AMNESIA on prescient historical references laced with entertaining anecdotes, but harping on the CORPORATOCRACY that you can do NOTHING about ( based on long standing SCOTUS precedents $$$ = SPEECH ), is at best grating and at worst WHINING LIKE A BITCH IN HEAT, just asking to get screwed as you howl at the moon.

TALK TACTICS and motivate the enabling invertebrates to snap out of complacent apathic coma and insecure FEAR of retribution, since self sacrifice is inevitable if accountability and justice are to be achieved. Stop telling people they cant afford to FIGHT BACK with what little resources they have. Is that what MLK did to get people to join his nonviolent civil rights revolution?

You (AAR, not including Malloy and Randi of late) have been half hearted about taking down the PNAC AIPAC CHICKENHAWK WARMONGER OIL CARTEL CARLYLE CABAL for as long as I have listened, ~ 2004. Preferring instead to leave Sheehan, Code Pink, 9/11 Truth, et. al., to their own devices, your approach has been as effective as the SHRUM consultant cadre in accomplishing ZERO BINDING WAR RESOLUTIONS and ZERO MEDICARE NO BID ROLLBACK and ZERO CAGING LIST PROSECUTIONS and ZERO ELEVATION OF KUCINICH FROM "THIRD TIER" moonbat to what he deserves to be, the PEOPLES VOICE FOR SINGLE PAYER HEALTH COVERAGE and IMPEACHMENT OF THE PROTO-FASCIST JUNTA in the Whitehouse and their filibuster facilitators on the hill.

Have Fein debate Sanders on IMPEACHMENT.

Have Ritter debate MoveOn.org on WAGING PEACE.

Have Waters debate Conyers on kicking off HR-333 and postponing the August recess.

Get Schumer and Leahy to initiate inherent contempt and ARREST HARRIET, then ROVE, then GONZO!!!

GET SERIOUS ALREADY!!!

CANT YOU SMELL THE BLOOD IN THE WATER?!!!

What's it gonna take, a Cheney Gulf of Tonkin in Hormuz that triggers NUKING IRAN to finally get your head to explode???

PS:

I heard Barney Frank on with Riley last week and it made me go all Howard Beale!!!

He doesn't want to cut off the pentagon funds all together, but wants to fund the withdrawal. As if they are going to run out of AIRCRAFT FUEL for the C-130's, Branniff, AA, Delta, El Al, Al Italia, jets that it's going to take to evac 50,000 GI's so that the MERCS, BLACKWATER et. al., can carry on their "SECURITY MISSION" without having to notify Odierno and the WAR CZAR where they're going to strike next so they dont have to worry about BLUE ON BLUE Tillman's anymore. ( BTW: Aren't they needed on the Afghan border where the "Al Qaeda" HQ is? )

Frank thinks that inaction will drive home the point that it's the GOP's QUAGMIRE so they can definitively run their campaign on that for their 2008 re-election.

If he prefers to make impeachment a political weapon rather than it's intended purpose that is to check abuse of power and counter the subversion of the constitution, then it shall be your downfall and you will be removed for putting your career above the lives of GI's and NATIONAL SECURITY, PERIOD!!!

In Frank's own words "once the congress passes a binding resolution to draw down troops, then impeachment will be on the table." By that statement in conjunction with lack of support for Hinchey's censure bill, by calculated inaction the ENABLING DEMS are deliberately endorsing signing statements, executive orders and directives that have elevated the office of the president to that of a monarch with ZERO OVERSIGHT simply to "THEORETICALLY" improve their electability. [ EXTREEMELY FLAWED LOGIC!!! ]

Thus the DEMS are in concurrence with the president granting himself the authority to:

Classify executive orders as secret, so his orders can not be reviewed by congress whatsoever

Summarily impose financial death penalty with no recourse available to the subject accused of hindering progress toward securing the transfer of Iraqi oil sovereignty to EXXON & Co.

Declare a state of emergency within any part the continental US and impose marshal law without consulting of local authorities or providing a cause for doing so

Unilaterally declare a US citizen to be an enemy combatant and detained indefinitely without habeas corpus or due process, same applies for any foreign national anywhere on the globe under the headding of extraordinary rendition to secret prisons where torture not including death in most cases, or organ failure is authorized

Completely repeal the constitutional protection against unreasonable search and seizure, via warrantless eavesdropping, personal data mining, sneak and peek entry in to private property to plant listening devices and computer surveillance software, etc. in direct violation of FISA

Selectively comply with legislation via signing statements that effectively are line item vetoes which may be kept secret , thus a law may be void or selectively enforced without public knowledge

Beyond the obvious usurpation of the constitution as indicated above, there is prima fascia evidence including the Downing Street Minutes that congress was deliberately deceived as to the imminent threat to the continental US from Saddam Hussein and his ties to the alleged terrorist organization known as Al Qaeda that is accused of coordinating, financing and executing the attacks on September 11, 2001. That directly implicates both the POTUS and the VP who had made countless unprecedented visits to the CIA where intelligence was compiled and correlated with fabricated threat estimates from the DoD Office of Special Plans under the SecDef, which was then distributed to congress and presented by the SecState to the UN. Clearly manufacturing misinformation to gain support to invade Iraq constitutes contempt of congress and perjury that qualifies as a high crime or misdemeanor.

The extent of Abramoff corrupt practices related to his daily visits to the Whitehouse is unclear, however the chain of events linked to his lobbying activities indicates that numerous other criminal activities have been sanctioned by the chief of staffs of both the VP and POTUS. Such violations included the termination of US attorneys who did not comply with directives from presidential advisors regarding bring unsubstantiated charges against political candidates for office from the democratic party. The coordination of illegal political activities including voter caging lists to disenfranchise military personnel deployed abroad and likely democratic voters in swing electoral districts has also been linked to political advisors who report to the VP and POTUS. The violation of the presidential records act regarding correspondence with the RNC is clearly a deliberate case of obstruction of justices as is the failure to comply with subpoenas issued to officials who have been ordered by the POTUS not to testify or to withhold information from congress.

Since the conviction of Iirving Libby, and his illegal commutation of sentence prior to serving any jail time in quid pro quo fashion, it is also clear that the treasonous act of exposing the identity of covert CIA agent as an act of political retribution, was committed by Whitehouse officials who to date retain their top secret security clearance. Certainly you must concede that revealing the name and function of a brassplate operation involved in the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons agreement is breach of national security thus an act of TREASON.

Now that it is clear that the AG has committed perjury regarding knowledge of violations of the USA Patriot Act and National security letters, as well as activities related to Ashcroft, Muller and Comey with respect to unconstitutional surveillance activities within the US, as well as the fact that the TORTURE MEMO which illegally superceded the treaty provision of defined at the Geneva Conventions, there is NO DOUBT that IMPEACHMENT imperative, particularly since the AG refuses to resign.

There is also no doubt that regardless of the political machinations of congress regarding binding timelines, milestones, etc., the "DEMOCRATIZATION" mission in Iraq is a FAILURE that is costing more in blood and treasure than can be justified by a responsible person.

Therefore if you FAIL To ENDORSE HR-333, you sir are by default an UN REASONABLE, IRRATIONAL, INSANE, SELF SERVING, SPINELESS, ASS WHO IS NOT REPRESENTING THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF THE POPULOUS' WILL TO IMPEACH THE BASTARDS NOW!!!

Once that's done you can argue with Hillary about how long to keep funding KBR, CACI, et. al. 100,000 mercenaries and have 50,000 GI's remain in Iraq to secure the OIL SHARING AGREEMENT with EXXON.

OK?!!!!!!!

By SingSingJuly 30, 2007 - 5:32pm

impeachment/Pelosi

I believe that a deal was made months ago between Pelosi and the White House. Using the phrase "off the table" means that something was on the table. The only way something leaves the table is if it was negotiated away. If you have horse-traded or negotiated much, or if you've read any book on the subject, you know that you absolutely NEVER give anything away, you trade. This is the bread and butter of politics. Wouldn't you like to know what the Dems got for declining to impeach.

Gateboy

By gateboyJuly 31, 2007 - 9:32am

minimum wage and tax

We should have an aggressive progressive income tax
It should be viewed as a community wage tax
It should be used to cover fully funded: education, health care, retirement
It's effect would be to equalize actual wages and actual needs of individuals
It would evenly spread real social costs across all incomes (employers)
It would allow businesses to offer wages on a free market basis where all employers are contribution to the basic social needs of individuals.

By danmonteJuly 31, 2007 - 1:02pm

Show Notes

Monday 30 July '07

Today's show notes.

"Conservatives, Beware of Fred Thompson". So says guest Richard Viguerie, author of "Conservatives Betrayed: How George W. Bush and Other Big Government Republicans Hijacked the Conservative Cause". He's also a co-founder of the American Freedom Agenda, along with Bruce Fein, Bob Barr and David Keen. Republican presidential candidates. The future of the Conservative movement.

Thom will be attending several openings of Leonardo DiCaprio's feature-length environmental documentary titled "The 11th Hour", which Thom is in: August 17 in Los Angeles, August 20 in NYC, August 24 in San Francisco, and others. Times and theaters to be announced.

Why does Thom have conservatives who are in favor of impeachment on the show?

Is financial Armageddon on its way? Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs) that shake capitalist logic.

Guest: Michael Panzer, author of "Financial Armageddon: Protecting Your Future from Four Impending Catastrophes".

Who denounced terrorism as a crime, and does not refer to the 'war on terrorism'?

The Bush administrating has been mining our data.

Authorized hackers managed to crack all California's voting machines. Get Debra Bowen to decertify them. Privatization of vote rant.

Guest: Terry O’Sullivan, General President of Laborers' International Union of North America.

By SueNAugust 1, 2007 - 8:59am