• Thom was broadcasting the show live from KMPT Missoula, where he gave a talk afterwards.
• Guest: Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer. water, oil, the Middle East.
• Guest: Montana Senator Jon Tester. 21st century GI bill of rights. Energy. Issues.
• "Brunch with Bernie" with Senator Bernie Sanders, Independent of Vermont.
• Guest: Congressman Jim McDermott, Washington District 7 (Seattle). Iraq trip. India trip. Energy.
• Guest: Senator Max Baucus, Montana. Economy. Farm Bill.

Topics, guests, upcoming events, quotes, links to articles, audio clips, books & bumper music.

Friday 28 March '08 National show

• Thom was broadcasting the show live from KMPT Missoula. Guests Brian Schweitzer and Jon Tester were on in the first hour as they had to go blow up Milltown Dam, so Bernie Sanders was on during the second hour for a change. After the show Thom gave a free talk followed by a book signing.
• Guest: Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer. Few states have a Democratic governor and two Democratic senators like Montana. But Montana Democrats pack guns. The Milltown dam was built a 100 years ago for electricity for a saw mill, but a big storm brought down masses of toxic waste from mines which fetched up behind the dam. Restoration economy. The Anaconda copper company used to own the whole state, including the newspapers; then Arco, then British Petroleum took it over including liability to clean up the superfund site of toxic metal tailings trapped by the dam. The clean up is creating jobs. Environment technologies, innovation will be good for economy. A billion dollars invested in wind energy. The House and Senate are both almost even between the two parties. He speaks Arabic. He spent 1980-87 in Saudi Arabia, when Iraq and Iran were at war, and the US was supporting Iraq. We gave Iraq the Weapons of Mass Destruction. Shia vs. Sunni. Our allies are Sunni, Persians are Shia. Iraq is a buffer between Iran and our allies. 65% of Iraqis are Shia, Saddam was not. A million were lost in Iraq and in Iran. We had 30,000 in Saudi Arabia in the 80s. We've been there 60 years defending our fields, repelled Saddam from Kuwait, they gave us bases.
  
• Bumper Music: Speed of Sound, Coldplay.
• Bumper Music: Glory, NSA, Capitol Steps.
• Guest: Montana Senator Jon Tester. He's on the banking committee. Infrastructure and development is a good development, jobs. 21st century GI bill of rights. The dam. How does a Democrat get in to the Senate in a state that Bush carried? Talk about issues, provide results. He's a superdelegate. Hillary and Obama will be in Bute Saturday. He's not committed yet. Their primary is in June. Energy. The whole problem in the Middle East is money laundering, money goes through the pumps to the Middle East. He's on the energy committee. Renewables. Energy independence. The aren't getting winters, or summer rain. Main issues economy, veterans affairs, energy, Native American issues, homeland security - huge border with Canada.
• Bumper Music: Do You Believe in Magic?, Aly & AJ.
• Bumper Music: You Learn, Alanis Morissette (video).
• Article: UN rejects water as basic human right.
• Bumper Music: Homeland Security, Roy Zimmerman.
• Bumper Music: Suddenly I See , KT Tunstall.
• "Brunch with Bernie" with Senator Bernie Sanders, Independent of Vermont. He's ok but his voice was very rough. Next Monday night at 7:30 Ambassador Pekka Lintu of Finland will be giving a talk at Bernie's invitation. Bernie wants people to know what other countries are like. Free education. They get 30 business days holiday, plus public holidays. Health care. Trade policies.

  Water. Solar powered hydrolysis. Profits above all. Would Bernie be Vice President? It's probably not going to happen. Bush authority, legislation on floor. Predatory loans for students, paying 19%. Senators and Congress have the same social security as others. Health care, bring in in increments? start with over 55s. Unite Airlines staff lost their pensions. Less energy before alternative energy. Energy efficiency. Vermont is using less electricity. McCain. Kenya. Electoral fraud. Pennsylvania, Sequoia. Corporate personhood,"Unequal Protection".

• Article: Feds: Saddam Financed Lawmakers' Trip.
  "Saddam Hussein's intelligence agency secretly financed a trip to Iraq for three U.S. lawmakers during the run-up to the U.S.-led invasion, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.

  The three anti-war Democrats made the trip in October 2002, while the Bush administration was trying to persuade Congress to authorize military action against Iraq. While traveling, they called for a diplomatic solution.

  Prosecutors say that trip was arranged by Muthanna Al-Hanooti, a Michigan charity official, who was charged Wednesday with setting up the junket at the behest of Saddam's regime. Iraqi intelligence officials allegedly paid for the trip through an intermediary and rewarded Al-Hanooti with 2 million barrels of Iraqi oil.

  The lawmakers are not named in the indictment but the dates correspond to a trip by Democratic Reps. Jim McDermott of Washington, David Bonior of Michigan and Mike Thompson of California. None was charged and Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd said investigators "have no information whatsoever" any of them knew the trip was underwritten by Saddam.

  "
• Guest: Congressman Jim McDermott, Washington District 7 (Seattle). Iraq visit funded by Saddam, Iraq 5 years later, and his trip to India about energy (just returned Wednesday). What he said about Iraq before the invasion in 2002. He's a psychiatrist. The Drudge Report and others are going after him because he outed Newt Gingrich for conspiring to break laws for which he was never called to account. The trip that was allegedly partially funded by Saddam Hussein was with an organization licensed by the State Department and the Department of Treasury, so the Bush administration had vetted it. He's just back from India, energy. They know that if the glaciers in the Himalayas melt, the three main rivers will flood then there will be drought. Cheap solar panels. India-US energy cooperation. Using corn for ethanol is bad, they have a weed, jatropha. Solara. Geothermal. India has huge reserves of coal, if they don't use renewables. He's a superdelegate. Bob Casey just endorsed Obama. Leahy just called for Hillary to step down. McDermott had planned to wait for the convention, but he is less and less comfortable. He's not made up his mind.
• Bumper Music: Blow Smoke In Your Eyes, Dave, The Power Hour.
• Article: Boost; Clinton Urged to Quit.
• Article: Senator Leahy To Clinton: Drop Out.
• Article: Chris Dodd: This Race Must End.
• Article: Ex - Ala. Governor Comes Home From Prison. Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman.
• Bumper Music: Goodle, USA, Darrell Scott.
• Guest: Senator Max Baucus, Montana. Chair of the Senate Finance Committee. Bear Stearns, economy. Farm bill. Run up in commodity prices. Indians as they grow more wealthy switch from eating rice to pasta, meat. Farm bill for stability.
• Bumper Music: What a Wonderful World, Louis Armstrong. Thanks.
• Article: President Bush Participates in Joint Press Availability with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of Australia.
  "And by the way, we are withdrawing troops. It's called "return on success." And our intention is to have pulled down five battalions by July. Troops are coming out -- five brigades, excuse me -- troops are coming out, because we're successful. And so I would view the Australia decision as "return on success," returning home on success."
• Victoria Jones of Talk Radio News. She went to joint press availability with Bush and the Australian PM. There were some decent questions, for example from the New York Times, Australians. Questions about Iraq. How can you say relations are good when Australia has pulled out? Bush said their pulling troops out return on success, where is US pulls them it is defeat. A democratic president is looking increasingly unlikely. Cherry blossoms are coming out. Bush said things are going well in Iraq. Bush up and down, changing his meds a lot lately? She thinks he is pissed off because the world doesn't see things his way.