• What's Hillary's future and what does her future look like?
• West Virginia primary, Mississippi special election.
• Upcoming Event: June 23 - 27, København, Danmark (Copenhagen, Denmark). Show live from Danish National Radio.
• The Prescription Pill Epidemic - Do People want a "pill for every ill?"
• Guest: Audacia Ray, Waking Vixen Productions. Legalizing, regulating and protecting sex workers?
• New sins.
• Guest: Larry Scott, founder and Editor of VA Watch Dog. Veteran's issues. New GI bill.

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

Wednesday 14 May '08 show

• What's Hillary's future and what does her future look like?
• West Virginia primary. Senator Hillary Clinton won as expected.
• Clip:
  "I'm Greg Davis and I approve this message. Travis Childers: endorsed by liberal Barack Obama. Obama says Childers will put progress before politics, but when Obama's pastor cursed America, blaming us for 9/11, Childers said nothing. When Obama ridiculed rural folks for clinging to guns and religion, Childers said nothing. Travis Childers: he took Obama's endorsement over our conservative values. Conservatives just can't trust Travis Childers. "
  Childers said nothing Republican ad in Mississippi special election.
• Childers won by 8 points. He was anti abortion and pro gun rights. Bush won there in 2004.
• Site: voteboth.com/. Put together by Clinton supporters, apparently, for a joint Obama/Clinton or Clinton/Obama ticket. Who should be vice president? If Obama runs with another vice president and wins, would she challenge in 2012?
• Does yesterday's primary show strong enough racism to influence the election? Thom suspects not.
• Article: Plotting Her Path For 2012.
  "With no hope of winning her party's nomination, Hillary Rodham Clinton is running out the clock by laying the foundation for her political future, circa 2012."
• Contest. Before the last segment of the show, go to thomhartmann.com and post a comment in response to today's "On the Program" entry. The winner gets a signed copy of .
  The winner was Jgmdesign for:
  

  My fortune cookie said:

  Man who stand in front of car get "tired"

  But Man who stand behind car get "exhausted"

  Yep, that sums up the election fatigue from this marathon campaign season. I'm sick of all the bickering and pandering. Choose your direction and floor it, America!

  Best,

  Jack

• Bumper Music: The Way Life's Meant to Be, ELO.
• Hillary is staying in the race not because she is currently running for 2012 but because she thinks there is still a small chance that she will be the nominee; that Obama could blow up or the superdelegates could decide that America isn't ready for an African American president, or for Obama in particular. So far she has been consistent, and Barack Obama has defended her right to stay in the race. Rush Limbaugh has not had a great influence, and is wrong about prolonging the race being bad for the Democratic Party. The negatives to the party -- polarization -- are massively outweighed by how new people are coming into the party. Thom:
  

  I frankly believe that (a) we should take people at their word; we should assume that what they say is actually true until or unless proven otherwise, and (b) that actions speak louder than words.

• Bumper Music: Ain't that America, John Mellencamp.
• Anybody can become president in the US. We're getting there.
• Upcoming Event: May 16, Darien, Chicago, Il. 7pm. Talk and book signing at Frugal Muse bookstore.
• Upcoming Event: May 17, Chicago, Il. Chicago Green Festival. He'll be at the WCPT booth from 11am - 1pm and speaks to the crowd at 1pm. He'll sign his new book directly after.
• Upcoming Event: June 23 - 27, København, Danmark (Copenhagen, Denmark). Show live from Danish National Radio.
• Hillary loves her country, public service, being able to change things for the better, representing people.
• Bumper Music: Who Says You Can't Go Home, Bon Jovi.
• From the chat room: trevjr: West Virginia : Barack Obama with just 26 percent of the Democratic votes 91,663. John McCain with just 76 percent of all Republican votes 89,654.
• The Prescription Pill Epidemic - Do People want a "pill for every ill?" Soma in Orwell's 1984.
• Chapter: What Sort Of Despotism Democratic Nations Have To Fear, Alexis de Tocqueville.
  "I seek to trace the novel features under which despotism may appear in the world. The first thing that strikes the observation is an innumerable multitude of men all equal and alike, incessantly endeavoring to procure the petty and paltry pleasures with which they glut their lives. Each of them, living apart, is as a stranger to the fate of all the rest – his children and his private friends constitute to him the whole of mankind; as for the rest of his fellow-citizens, he is close to them, but he sees them not – he touches them, but he feels them not; he exists but in himself and for himself alone; and if his kindred still remain to him, he may be said at any rate to have lost his country. Above this race of men stands an immense and tutelary power, which takes upon itself alone to secure their gratifications, and to watch over their fate. That power is absolute, minute, regular, provident, and mild. It would be like the authority of a parent, if, like that authority, its object was to prepare men for manhood; but it seeks on the contrary to keep them in perpetual childhood: it is well content that the people should rejoice, provided they think of nothing but rejoicing. For their happiness such a government willingly labors, but it chooses to be the sole agent and the only arbiter of that happiness: it provides for their security, foresees and supplies their necessities, facilitates their pleasures, manages their principal concerns, directs their industry, regulates the descent of property, and subdivides their inheritances – what remains, but to spare them all the care of thinking and all the trouble of living? Thus it every day renders the exercise of the free agency of man less useful and less frequent; it circumscribes the will within a narrower range, and gradually robs a man of all the uses of himself. The principle of equality has prepared men for these things: it has predisposed men to endure them, and oftentimes to look on them as benefits.

  After having thus successively taken each member of the community in its powerful grasp, and fashioned them at will, the supreme power then extends its arm over the whole community. It covers the surface of society with a net-work of small complicated rules, minute and uniform, through which the most original minds and the most energetic characters cannot penetrate, to rise above the crowd. The will of man is not shattered, but softened, bent, and guided: men are seldom forced by it to act, but they are constantly restrained from acting: such a power does not destroy, but it prevents existence; it does not tyrannize, but it compresses, enervates, extinguishes, and stupefies a people, till each nation is reduced to be nothing better than a flock of timid and industrious animals, of which the government is the shepherd. I have always thought that servitude of the regular, quiet, and gentle kind which I have just described, might be combined more easily than is commonly believed with some of the outward forms of freedom; and that it might even establish itself under the wing of the sovereignty of the people. Our contemporaries are constantly excited by two conflicting passions; they want to be led, and they wish to remain free: as they cannot destroy either one or the other of these contrary propensities, they strive to satisfy them both at once. They devise a sole, tutelary, and all-powerful form of government, but elected by the people. They combine the principle of centralization and that of popular sovereignty; this gives them a respite; they console themselves for being in tutelage by the reflection that they have chosen their own guardians. Every man allows himself to be put in leading-strings, because he sees that it is not a person or a class of persons, but the people at large that holds the end of his chain. By this system the people shake off their state of dependence just long enough to select their master, and then relapse into it again. A great many persons at the present day are quite contented with this sort of compromise between administrative despotism and the sovereignty of the people; and they think they have done enough for the protection of individual freedom when they have surrendered it to the power of the nation at large. This does not satisfy me: the nature of him I am to obey signifies less to me than the fact of extorted obedience.

  "
• Article: Study: Over half of Americans on chronic medicines, Linda A. Johnson,, Associated Press.
  "For the first time, it appears that more than half of all insured Americans are taking prescription medicines regularly for chronic health problems, a study shows. The most widely used drugs are those to lower high blood pressure and cholesterol — problems often linked to heart disease, obesity and diabetes. The numbers were gathered last year by Medco Health Solutions Inc., which manages prescription benefits for about one in five Americans."
• Article: Surge in antidepressant prescriptions touches off debate, Robert Cohen, Newhouse News.
  "The most widely prescribed drugs in America are not for pain or cholesterol management, heartburn or hypertension. Doctors last year wrote 232.7 million prescriptions for antidepressants, more than any other therapeutic class of medication, according to the latest data from IMS Health, a market research firm. That represents an increase of 25 million prescriptions since 2003 and translates into an estimated 30 million patients in the United States who spent $12 billion on antidepressants in 2007."
• Book: Comfortably Numb: How Psychiatry Is Medicating a Nation, Charles Barber.
• Article: Without TV ads, restless legs may take a hike, JoNel Aleccia, MSNBC.
• Louise used to be a life coach for adults with ADHD, mostly entrepreneurs and couples. Many had been given a stimulant drug for ADHD, then something to help them with the sleeplessness that followed, then an SSRI for the resultant anxiety attacks, and ended up addicted to several drugs. She helped them detox. Cholesterol-reducing drugs can cause excruciating pain; somebody switched to Chinese herbs which cured the problem and the side effects. Thom is not anti-medication, they can be very useful, but have we gone way over the edge? Kids on SSRI drugs involved in school shootings.

  In 1978 Thom and Louise founded the Salem Childrens' Village, a residential treatment facility for severely emotionally disturbed or abused kids who could not make it in foster care, who were destined for the children's jail or psychiatric hospital if they failed at the school. In the 4 years they ran it hands on, only 2 kids did not make it. Very few of the kids who came in were taking psychiatric drugs. Thom is still on the board; he was president of the board until last year, and virtually all the kids now arriving have prescriptions, some with several. Thom is ADD and was saved by Sputnik. He benefited from fast track schooling during the space race era. Within 5 years program gone; his equally clever ADHD younger brother had to sit still in school; the money went to Vietnam. Valley of the dolls.

• Bumper Music: Drugs I Need, The, Austin Lounge Lizards.
• Article: A Nutritional Model for Effecting Change in Behavior-Disordered and Severely Emotionally Disturbed Victims of Child Abuse: The Experiences of the Salem Children's Villages, Thomas C. Hartmann, Journal of Orthomolecular Psychiatry, 1st Quarter 1981.
  
• Book: ADD: A Different Perception, Thom Hartmann.
• ADHD is a context disorder. Thom wrote "ADD: A Different Perception".and an article in the Journal of Orthomolecular Psychiatry. The solution is to change the environment: schools, workplace, help choosing suitable careers.
• Bumper Music: Speed of Sound, Coldplay.
• Thom is not against drugs; he's now on caffeine - 1 coffee, 1 tea. Last night at a community meeting he drank wine. He's not opposed to pharmaceuticals, and it has turned some people with ADHD around, saved their lives, but have we gone too far? In Taiwan he visited a school where the teacher spoke about the subject for 5 minutes, then asked the kids who got it to stand up and teach the others, and as each child got it they stood up.
• Article: Vatican: It's OK to believe in aliens. 'The extraterrestrial is my brother'.
• Acid reflux. Good posture and walking may help avoid pills for life.
• Book: The Fluoride Deception.
• Movie: THX 1138. "Set in the 25th century, the story centers around a man and a woman who rebel against their rigidly controlled society."
• Article: Some Detainees Are Drugged For Deportation. "Immigrants Sedated Without Medical Reason. By Amy Goldstein and Dana Priest, Washington Post.
• How depressives may be the ones who stay on the sidelines and warn us of danger. A story about depressed chimps (transcript of a previous telling here - if anyone has a link for the study, please let me know - Sue).
• Bumper Music: Calling America, ELO.
• Corn syrup. Diet.
• Book: Surviving America's Depression Epidemic: How to Find Morale, Energy, and Community in a World Gone Crazy.
• Ellen Ratner of Talk Radio News. John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator briefing on Myanmar, the Secretary General has not been able to reach the generals for over 2 days. Thom thinks they are hiding a genocide. They are letting aid in, but increased checkpoints, and only workers from neighboring countries allowed in. Senate, collective bargaining for firemen etc, McCain trying to attach a GI bill which would kill it. The president in Israel, met Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, said we can't let Iran have nukes. Bomb. "Beacon of democracy". Keith Olbermann reported that the Pentagon was saying there were 20,000 pieces of evidence about weapons in Iraq from Iran, but hardly any had "made in Iran" on. The press should say Iran nuclear ENERGY program. Washington Post stories on immigration and naturalization, health care for detainees, and today about some getting illegal drugs.
• Book "America Unzipped", Brian Alexander.
• Everything You Know Is Wrong: Guest: Audacia Ray, Waking Vixen Productions. Legalizing, regulating and protecting sex workers? "Village voice". A nerdy naughty girl. The trafficing of women and kids is wrong. This is not about that but consensual adults. Sex worker is an umbrella term, not just those having intercourse, so maybe they need not just one union. "COYOTE" (Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics), PONY organizations. The Internet revolutionized activism. There's a problem getting active before people retire. "America Unzipped". Lots of people are politically conservative but want to be able to do what they want behind closed doors, but people don't want to speak out. Prostitution is legal in parts of Nevada. Las Vegas is considering it. legalization (lots of government regulation) versus decriminalization.
• Bumper Music: Learning to Fly, Tom Petty.
• Article: Fewer confessions and new sins. Mortal sins. The new ones appear to be:
  Environmental pollution
  Genetic manipulation
  Accumulating excessive wealth
  Inflicting poverty
  Drug trafficking and consumption
  Morally debatable experiments
  Violation of fundamental rights of human nature

  After Thom met Pope John Paul II he became a fan; he was a deep thinker, profound moralist, and strongly opposed to Bush's war in Iraq, and his executions.

• Matthew 25:31-46:
  

  When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

  Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

  Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

  The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

  Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

  They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

  He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

  Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

• Bumper Music: Last Man Standing Bon Jovi.
• Book: Unrepentant Whore: The Collected Works of Scarlot Harlot, Carol Leigh.
• Carol Leigh, author of "Unrepentant Whore" called. The OED credits her with inventing the term "sex worker". The bill in Senate. Historically sex slavery and sex work conflated. White slavery. The House version has the two conflated, the Senate may be dismantling. Mann act. Charlie Chaplin was charged.
• Jasmine called. She's been following Burma for years, wrote a blog which has lots of links. In spring Thom spoke in Thailand at a conference in Chaing Mai, and was invited to meet some people working for the Karen people. People are forced to move so they can't plant crops. World Vision. Unocal, Total, Halliburton. Chevron took over and what they are doing for people there because of an from inherited settlement. China. Similarities with Sudan. Shipping lane. Look up all the pipelines, add them to your alerts.
• Bumper Music: In The News, Kris Kristofferson.
• Article: Video: CNN's Lou Dobbs Calls Impeachment "Appropriate Remedy" If Bush Vetoes New G.I. Bill.
• Article: Senate battles over GI Bill improvements.
  "Democrats, caught by surprise by the Republican maneuver, were angry. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., a member of the Senate leadership who serves on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, called the maneuver a “slap in the face” to veterans.

  “This Republican attempt to hijack benefits for our veterans and first responders is simply one of the lowest moves I’ve seen in my time in the Senate,” Murray said. “Unfortunately, a small minority has put politics ahead of the needs of our veterans.”

  "
• Guest: Larry Scott, founder and Editor of VA Watch Dog. Veteran's issues. McCain, new GI bill, Jim Webb's bill, 57 senators support, trying to get it voted. McCain submitted a weak version. On Monday McCain wrote to Webb wanting to compromise. It's an excellent bill, good cost benefit. Patty Murray just released a statement saying the bill had been hijacked by partisanship. Bush promised to veto. On Friday Lou Dobbs did an excellent piece on it, said if Bush vetoes, impeachment would be an appropriate remedy. McCain's idea of card to pay for services is privatization. The American Federation of Government Employees launched a nationwide ad campaign against it. Democrats have put mandatory funding on the back burner, they are talking about fiduciary responsibility.