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didn't know where else to post this so Thom would notice it.
Question for Senator Inhofe
I once posed a question to my Senator, James Inhofe that received no reply; I will repeat the question to the Worlds readership.
It is my understanding the Senator believes that global climate change is a hoax, the worldwide peer reviewed science corrupt and; if the liberal socialist carbon control people get their way, carbon controls will cost business billions in unnecessary expense. How this profits the Climatologists and the rest of the scientific community is unclear to me.
On the other hand; if the peer reviewed science of green house gas based climate change is correct but the anthropogenic (human caused) global climate change deniers continue to get their way: not only will it eventually cost business trillions of dollars; there is the possibility the very existence of our Homo Sapiens species could be endangered. We have already passed the 400ppm CO2 tipping point with major glaciers and Arctic ice disappearing, worldwide historical weather extremes and oceanic acidification. Clearly CERTAIN businesses profit by continuing to externalize the costs of carbon, but when does the possibility of a market correction involving an unprecedented die off of the human species register as a genuine threat?
In today’s fear mongered “realist” post 9/11 world, an entire cabinet level department and agency was created because the Department of Defense was deemed too inept and dysfunctional to protect “the homeland”. Even though the DOD still isn’t capable of performing a standard audit, it is still entrusted to subcontract 2 theaters of war and maintain hundreds of bases worldwide. The military industrial congressional complex to date provides planes the Air Force doesn’t want, Tanks the Army doesn’t need and Ships for last centuries Navy to keep the expertise in place, remaining our only true nationwide bipartisan jobs program.
The earth WILL be struck by another significant asteroid or comet: the only questions where, when and how big; yet few miserly resources are devoted. Somewhere another super volcano, like Yellowstone, WILL erupt but we can’t even prepare and pre-position pallets of food, water, and other necessities for airdrops to mitigate the inevitable tornado, ice storm, hurricane, earthquake and other mundanely predictable natural disasters that dwarf any act of human terrorism, including the feared mushroom cloud.
We are herded through metal detectors, x-rays, pat downs, are forbidden to carry on all but the smallest of liquids and must remove our shoes at airports on the mere possibility a plane might be hijacked and/or blown up killing the hundreds on board. Hundreds of Billions have been spent and continue to be squandered on “security measures” that abdicate our constitutionally granted liberties for an elusive security that we neither actually receive nor, given the actions of our representatives to the world at large, arguably deserve.
I fail to understand why industry refuses to change even when the individual engineers recognise the validity of the peer reviewed science; it’s your children too. At some point we have to recognise that the basic business models, planned obsolescence, and cost externalizations will have to change.
Even if solar panels are put on every roof, wind turbines in every yard, wave generators on every pond, and geothermal in every deep hole; the US and world will still be dependent on oil & gas to heat our predominantly energy inefficient housing design and cities planned for internal combustion transportation. Fossil fuels are not in danger of becoming irrelevant in any future.
If industry actually cared about future generations we would be stockpiling and husbanding our domestic stock and utilizing everyone else’s (Russia be damned). I fail to see how drill baby drill and then sell baby sell is maintaining our energy “independence”, national security, maintaining our global competiveness, or providing for future generations of Americans.
The thing about digging yourself into a hole is the deeper you make it the harder it is to climb out. It is way past time to stop digging and start climbing.
David Donnell
Yeah RFord, but you missed something. The purpose of mainstream corporate media is NOT to present us with real news and keep us informed on the issues, or keep American democracy functioning and viable. The purpose of mainstream corporate media is to get the most ratings and to maximize their profits. The way to maximize ratings is to get the public so scared and freaked out that they will stay glued to their boob tubes 24-7, while their brains get fried. Scared citizens with fried brains are so much easier to control. - AIW
Gawd... You liberals are so UNPATRIOTIC!
TV news shows like CNN, MSNBC, and FOX NEWS get stuck in a rut. Yesterday I was trying tofind out what was going on in the world and I was going from channel to channel and everyone was talking about ebola, Surley there is somthing going on somewhere in the world besides ebola but they would not go to another story. CNN is the worst about this. They will stay on the same story 24-7 for weeks.
Thom, you’ve just presented yet another excellent example to illustrate why I no longer have TV in my house. I fired those bums. I get better news from progressive talk radio than off the idiot box. - AIW
Fascist control of the corpse media, coupled with the billionaire's Citizen's United ruling, has led directly to the placement of undocumented felons like Rickey boy in positions of arbitrary power.
At this point I'm afraid that spreading the word will have to get very ugly to have any chance at restoration of representative government. The only man with true bully pulpit potential refuses to use it......that's 99% of the fault I find with Obama......why take the job if you're too chicken sht to speak the truth for the 99%? Why not pound the fist and shout out about the minority Teabagger shut down of the House, the minority control of the filibustered Senate, the five right wing extremists on the Supreme court, govt. to the highest bidder?....no more Mr nice guy, just tell the god damn truth to the country!
Excellent column. Thank you.
It seems as if not enough consumers/constituents are eager or enthusiastic enough to get informed about the facts. Most are overwhelmed by the TMI - too much infotainment.
Though this is off-topic, the last comment uses "devise" (verb) instead of "device" (noun). Thanks.
An electric fan is an electrical devise, not an electronic devise. Electric lights are also electrical devises. Microphones are electronic devises, I imagine they both used those as well as the electric lights.
While I was never that all crazy about her show, one of Randi Rhodes' tag lines on Air America was, "The news has been cancelled." She definitely got that one right.
Have mercy, Dick Gregory on TV. Have seen him a few times on Imus but want more. Thank you. He is a wise man. and so are you.
A fan is not an electronic device, it is only electric--there are no computer components in it.
Rick Scott's tizzy over it really is silly, since it's impossible for a fan to pass information to a debator. His tactic may have worked with Alex Sink's phone, but this time it will make him look like an idiot.
Better than changing the size of districts, gerrymandering would be reduced by having multi-vote districts in which more than one candidate can get into office, with power proportional to his popular support.
Full explanation here: http://www.thomhartmann.com/users/mathboy/blog/2012/05/system-electing-legislators-part-1-case
In this system, though the districts can be any size, it's almost as if we had combined districts without eliminating the total number of votes they held in the legislature. If a district has 5 votes, then a candidate needs about 20% of the popular vote to get a vote in the legislature. But it doesn't matter where in the district those popular votes come from; they can be either scattered or concentrated. Since a candidate would draw his popular support from all across the district, gerrymandering would be far more difficult to achieve.
our money supply is a fountain of youth for the insolvent nation states of Europe which makes Americans famously poor and willing to give up in silence
If the protest are focused and not allow to become (or remain) an excuse for random violence, then yes, it can bring about positive change. However, if it become simply a free-for-all looting and burning and fighting event that it's become, it will be shown simply as ratings fodder and used to show that "they deserve what they it"---however that gets translated by the media.
As a child of the 60's/70's, I grew up in an era of protests and violence. I've been a community and political activist for over 35 years. I've graduated from some of the nation's best grassroots organizing programs. We learned what works and what doesn't and how to create the image---and message---you want in order to bring about the changes you need. That's what Ferguson needs to do, not bring in race baiters.
You write the REPUBLICANS favor privatization... but please don't overlook Arne Duncan and Barak Obama's misguided Race To The Top as an example of the Democrats desire to privatize "low performing school districts" which unsurprisingly tend to be those serving children raised in poverty... the very group the Democrats purport to champion.
Governor Corbett has been trying to sell the idea of privatization for Pennsylvania’s state liquor stores on the basis of convenience. As a Pennsylvania resident, I don’t buy the argument. What people don’t realize is that privatization will limit the choices available because for-profit liquor sales will result in only the best selling brands being offered. It will push the small, local wineries aside. I personally appreciate the product knowledge of the PA Wines and Spirits staff and their willingness to special order something. I’m sure that Wal-Mart would not provide the same level of service.
Sounds as if they want to reinstitute "legalized" slavery and provide us with barely room and board, but in the long run they cannot possibly be profitable because ALL their consumers--WE the PEOPLE--the ones that acutally LIVE and BREATHE--cannot pay if WE are not paid beyond what WE need to live.
What a bunch of dumbasses! Seriously--they run the world (into the ground)?
Bring out the pitchforks--WE ARE COMING!
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bontonwear
We are not sufficiently enlightened to act as our brothers keeper so until we are ?why not implement a maximum wage .It would be an arbitary amount you could keep for personal use.
Anything above this amount would go to a world wide compensation system say 40% and the other 60% of income made would go to a charity of your choice .The amount that could be kept for personal use would have to be In the millions of dollars to stop the greedy people complaining but the purpose of life is not about getting but giving .There is enough in the world to go around all we have to do is share .
Change can only be made through the human heart that is why Communism failed you can't legislate morality.
Humanity will grow out of it's primitive economic systems which are based on illusions and old cultural stories.
We have to write a new story based on what works for the collective and our Home the Earth .
The Ganjawar Comes to the The Rez
http://endingcannabisprohibition.yuku.com/topic/388
The Columbus Project
http://endingcannabisprohibition.yuku.com/topic/1230
MY COUNTRY 'TIS OF THY PEOPLE YOU'RE DYING
http://endingcannabisprohibition.yuku.com/topic/1472
NOW THAT THE BUFFALO'S GONE
http://endingcannabisprohibition.yuku.com/topic/1471
Jobs, housing, nutrition, clothing, paper, blankets, diapers, medicine. What reason is there not to let Indians grow it. Or poor Mexicans, family farmers and in granma's herb collection. High on Hemp
http://endingcannabisprohibition.yuku.com/topic/1659
Hemplastic or Fossil Fools Crud
http://endingcannabisprohibition.yuku.com/sreply/819
Two major problems re-plaiging the Tribal Nations and general population.
One plant.
Pot Shields Liver From Alcohol Damage
http://www.hightimes.com/read/pot-shields-liver-alcohol-damage
Alcohol Is More Than Twice As Harmful As Marijuana
http://endingcannabisprohibition.yuku.com/sreply/748
Marijuana studies: Dope-smoking domestic partners are peaceful;
pot also linked to fewer overdoses
http://www.kjrh.com/decodedc/marijuana-studies-dope-smoking-domestic-partners-are-peaceful-pot-also-linked-to-fewer-overdoses
Marijuana-Smoking Couples Are More Peaceful Toward Each Other
http://bigthink.com/ideafeed/couples-who-smoke-marijuana-together-are-more-peaceful-toward-each-other
States with medical pot see nearly 25 percent fewer fatal prescription drug overdoses
http://rt.com/usa/182940-medical-marijuana-opioid-overdose/
Fewer Pain Pill Overdoses In States With Legal Medical Marijuana
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/26/painkiller-overdose-medical-marijuana_n_5711425.html
States That Legalize Medical Marijuana See Fewer Painkiller Overdoses
http://io9.com/states-that-legalize-medical-marijuana-see-fewer-painki-1627941088
7 Ways Marijuana Legalization Has Already Benefited Colorado In Only 8 Months
http://www.collective-evolution.com/2014/09/13/7-ways-marijuana-legalization-has-already-benefited-colorado-in-only-8-months/
Contrary to Fear Mongers:
Study Shows Decline in Teen Marijuana Use in Colorado Since Legalization
http://thefreethoughtproject.com/study-shows-decline-teen-marijuana-colorado-legalization/
Free Leonard Peltier
http://www.freeleonard.org/case/
The Heart of Everything That Is: Chief Red Cloud's Untold Story, Revealed - ICTMN.com: http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/WS9#.VDx_mxNHcD8.twitter via @IndianCountry
6 Ridiculous Lies You Believe About the Founding of America
http://www.cracked.com/article_19864_6-ridiculous-lies-you-believe-about-founding-america.html
The De-Textbook:
The Stuff You Didn't Know About the Stuff You Thought You Knew
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17707547-the-de-textbook
As I've said before, "Privatization isn't the solution to the problem; privatization is the problem". Democracy, not corporatocracy.
I agree with what you said stripey, I would just point out, Ben also did NOT let Sam explain his position fully. And most of what Sam could get out was ignored. Ben, who I have admired, rudely interrupted what was supposed to be a 5 minute, one on one, dialog with the host. The 2 things apparently NOT heard by critics of Sam were:
1) Sam is NOT making this stuff up, numerous poll results SHOW conclusively the vast majority of Muslims in many countries support some of the worst ideas in Islam: Putting Apostates to death, prosecuting cartoonists for simply drawing Mohammed, rioting in the streets for burning a Koran at a church service etc. etc. etc.
2) Muslims themselves are the ones most affected by a religion in great need of reform! Muslims are killing and torturing each other and for THAT reason we need to encourage reform...quickly, as nukes will be obtained at some point by the most radical. These Radicals may be a minority but, polls show, they are quietly supported by a substantial percentage of Muslims.
Sam has done substantial work toward the goal of just addressing a huge problem everyone is afraid to talk about. And he gets called a "Racist"??? Hard to understand!
SHOULD HEALTH CARE BE PRIVATE?
Health Care as a Right not as a profitable Business
For Republicans, helping the 99% to access health care is secondary to greater profits to the private corporate insurance companies and keeping the 1% in luxury. Over 50 bills have been passed by House Republicans to repeal the PPACA while ignoring bills which would scuttle “Obamacare” such as one which would open Medicare to all.
But Medicare is flawed and retains health care as a profit making business even though it may limit some costs. Profit making hospitals and exorbitant fees for specialists remain. Consider the morality and lack of compassion of profiting excessively from the unfortunate sick and injured. There is a functioning American alternative which could open health care to all and considerably reduce costs, now the highest in the world, to a more reasonable level and achieve much improved results for the nation’s health and well being. Open and expand the VA to all residents. Nationalize hospitals and health clinics by federal purchase. If the feds can afford to bail out the financial and auto industries, and flush trillions of dollars down the toilet for militarism and wars which have been questionable benefit, we can do this by rearranging priorities. Sickness or injury are greater threats than terrorism or enemy attack. We can start by providing free training to qualified and committed medical students as they do in poor Cuba. This is needed to provide service without long waiting for medical services. It is likely that this reform will lower costs drastically while providing service we Americans, the richest nation in the world, deserve. Why should America be satisfied with less?