Need Health Care in the U.S.? Get Arrested!

From Amy Goodman interview with Thom Hartmann --

THOM HARTMANN: I know the stories; I’m terrible with names. Yeah, this was a—this was a fellow who—he couldn’t find a job. He had a growth in his chest. He was concerned about, you know, "Where do I go? What do I do?" And he walked into a bank and gave the teller a—you know, "I’m robbing this bank for one dollar." And then he sat down and waited to be arrested. And it was because he needed medical care. And he said, you know, "If you don’t have your health, you have nothing. I’d rather be alive and in jail than be dying."
AMY GOODMAN: And get healthcare in prison.
THOM HARTMANN: Yeah, yeah. And he did, by the way. He got healthcare as soon as he was arrested.

The Coming Crash of 2016 and What to Do About It

This evening I am reading about Thom Hartmann's new book on what he calls the Crash of 2016.  It is obvious Hartmann has done his research.  It seems certain this is going to be another Hartmann book which hits its mark tellingly.

Hartmann says that on the surface things may seem the same as usual in the United States.  But if one looks behind the facade, one sees the country has been hollowed out.  Does this not ring true?  Don't we feel this?
One can say cynically that it is less painful for one to know the truth;  it is easier to live in a fantasy world. And, this is true in one sense.  But living in a fantasy world also has its pain -- the pain of frustration, the pain of disappointment in hopes not reached, the sense of incompleteness when vision is clouded and events don't seem to jibe with expectations.

Yesterday, The Amazon Post, or the paper formerly known as The Washington Post, printed bold headlines of a supposed new low in Pres. Obama's popularity.  This new low was allegedly creating headaches for Democratic candidates in this year's races.  I refused to buy the paper.  I decided this was not the kind of focus which was going to be strengthening to me now.  Instead, I decided to look at alternative sources of information to try to understand what is going on.

And that led me to the new Hartmann book.  I look forward to reading this new tome and I sincerely hope it will offer some insights as to what can be done by the average person now to combat this burgeoning oligopoly, so poisonous to the body politic.  


The Coming Crash of 2016 and What to Do About It

The Coming Crash of 2016: Thom Hartmann

Coming later this evening:

Thom Hartmann's new book on the gathering economic storm  

The Most Notable Event of the Week

Unfortunately, holidays and a non-serious illness have kept me away from this blog for the past week. 

However, I have been staying abreast of events to some extent. 

In my view, the latest Supreme Court attack on affirmative action must stand as the most significant event.  This is so clearly a Supreme Court majority, in general, which is out of step with history, and the direction this country must move in to fulfill its promise of equal opportunity for all.  The subject of affirmative action has its complexities.  But the underlying attempt at justice must be supported.  The arcane twistings going on behind the velvet curtains at the Supreme Court are another form of Dred Scott-ism. 

Opposing the Culture of Fear

From today's New York Times on line --

Patrick  16 minutes ago

Saturday April 19th is the anniversary of the Waco Texas Massacre and the Oklahoma City Bombing. Everybody be vigilant. 

                                                                ****************

This past week has been a blast from the past with a return to the rhetoric of the "naughts."  We have seen a spate of articles and news reports, some on TV with scary music tracks, on the Boston Massacre of one year ago.  Then came the Boston hoax of 2014.  

Now we have The New York Times putting on one of their pages the above comment by "Patrick."  

What is going on here?  The main question is why The Times put this on one of their pages, for Patrick's statement is neither literary nor explained.  "Everybody be vigilant."  That's a fine sentiment, but what does it mean?  In practice what does it mean?  It really can mean only one thing to the vast majority -- watch out for strange-looking and strange-acting people.  For how else would I, an average citizen, know what to look for?  

The effect of this is corroding and devastating.  It is an impingement on our freedoms and way of life. The argument is raised:  but America is under attack.  We must be Vigilant. 

This takes us back to 2001 through 2008 when any manner of government vigilance and surveillance was justified in the War on Terror.  Are we going back to that infamous and officially-abandoned "War?"  Did the so-called war even actually end?  

I am going to be vigilant, all right.  Vigilant against dangers to America both foreign and domestic. 

****************************

Also of interest --

An excerpt from an NYT article on the abololition of an infamous New York Police Department agency which spied on Muslims, including in their houses of worship. 

A court motion filed last year by the Handschu lawyers included stark declarations like the one from a man who was paid by the police to spy on a Muslim student group even though he said the police did not think the group was “doing anything wrong.” The paid agent said his handler told him that the department viewed “being a religious Muslim a terrorism indicator.”

Despite sending out waves of spies, the department never uncovered the “incubators” or radicalism it set out to find. Instead, it put innocent people on notice that they were regarded as terrorism suspects until proved otherwise.

SCOTA Enforcement Agency: Part 2

Columnist Leonard Pitts describes the extreme urgency of the Supreme Court attack on voter rights:


A Call to Wake Up

Supreme Court Majority an Enforcement Agency for the Very Rich

The decision of the Supreme Court last week to further weaken campaign contribution limits on the very rich, is raising hackles in the land.  You may consult the article below for further information.

Let me be plain:  I want my country back.  To be perfectly honest, I want my country, period.  For in most ways this has been a country run by the rich for a very long time.  The '60's and '70's saw the most resistance to the oligarchy in a generation. 

Now, however, we are back to the 1920's when the militia was called out to arrest workers.   (Think the forcible removal of Occupy Wall Street protestors.)

When is this repression of people's God-given economic rights to end?  How long must we suffer this war on the average citizen?  The citizens are united, all right.  We are united in opposition to the tilted scales of economic injustice which now measures human life by dollars and cents.  Shameful!


Government of, by, and for the Very Rich People


Awaiting copyright information.  Any infringement will be rectified. 

Video: Democratic Senators Lambaste Latest Supreme Court Decision on Campaign Finance

Senators Schumer and Whitehouse have lambasted the latest 5-4 Supreme Court decision on overall personal campaign contribution limits.  In the video  below, the Senators explain how this decision must, in essence, have been politically motivated.

This was a very useful press conference.  Highly recommended.




Democratic Senators Lambaste Latest Supreme Court Campaign Decision

Familiar Names on the Internet Suffer at the NASDAQ

Google Class A shares sank 4.6% today, and Facebook was down the same percentage bringing Facebook's two-day slide down a total of 9.5%.  This is a significant drop.  

What it portends is something to be commented on further.  Please return here for more reports in coming days.

The Bloomberg report on falling technology stocks:
Bloomberg Reports on Major Sell-Off of Technology Stocks

Technology Stocks Fall; Investors Fearful

Just posted at "TIME" --

The NASDAQ indexes are down as investors demonstrate concern over familiar names such as Google, Yahoo, and Facebook.

While I would not be so foolish as to say this is the beginning of the big crash so many have predicted, since this decline is a trend ever since the first of the year, investors concern seems justified -- to say the least.

You can read more here:
Latest News: Technology Stocks Fall  .    

The Swirl of Events -- Revised

In my area, March is going out like a lamb, just like the old saying.  World events, however, continue swirling.  March brought with it not only unusually cold and active weather, but the worst threat to world peace since the supposed end of the "Cold War".

A full discussion of the Crimean crisis will have to elude this blog, at least for the time being.  There is simply too much to be said.

However, it can be said that the Obama administration veered from heated rhetoric to a surprising meek silence, all within the period of a couple of weeks.  Vladimir Putin has emerged looking stronger.  Pres. Obama has emerged as something of a paper tiger.

If the larger fall-out of the re-possession of Crimea by Russia will be something of an increased counter-force to the rampant, raging greed of Western corporatism, then at least that much good will have come from this event.  

Toyota to Pay Huge "Fine" in Settlement with Justice Department

Toyota to Pay Huge "Fine" in Settlement with Justice Department

Toyota has reportedly agreed to a settlement with the Justice Department in which the giant auto-maker will pay $1.2 billion in penalties related to the alleged sudden acceleration defect in Toyota vehicles.

The question arises,What is the government doing to prevent such failures in vehicles in the future?  This large a penalty certainly sends a message.  Let's hope auto-makers are listening.

Spring Un-sprung: Revised Post

Spring is coming in fits and starts to my part of the U.S.   Warmer weather is alternating with chilly weather. The ancients might say this augurs for a season of uncertainty, and I'm not sure this is incorrect.

The most serious concern relates to a newly-revived war of words between the West and Russia.  This most unfortunate and destabilizing altercation brings with it reminders of a world gripped by a never-ending cold war with its continuous threat of nuclear annihilation.  While the United States claims it is not considering sending troops to Ukraine, this promise apparently does not apply to the Baltic states as Vice-President Biden warned a few days ago.

It is not clear whether there might have been Western agents provocateurs in the recent Ukrainian up-rising.  A better term might be foreign infiltrators and inciters.  I am stretching the limits of literary freedom to even intimate such a thing, for I do not know.  However, it is my understanding that such operatives have been at work in other countries formerly part of the Soviet Union, in destabilizing activities.

So, one wants to be very careful while at the same time raising legitimate questions.  The questioner in this case is like the interlocutor at a trial, who, at his best, questions and goes on questioning until the truth is known.  Let us keep asking incisive questions and not stop until the truth truly is known.  

Russia, U.S. Act Out of Fear

So much can be said about the current stand-off between the governments of Russia and the United States. One thing they have in common is fear.  To hear the rhetoric being batted back and forth one would think we were in 1983 again.

And a question which can be asked is:  Do we know for sure there were no agents provocateurs in the recent Ukrainian uprising?   The use of provocateurs has been seen in other places in the recent past.

With stakes so high we must be willing to ask the appropriate questions, the questions we should have learned to ask from past fiascoes such as Viet-Nam and Iraq.   

Time for a New Lincoln Brigade?

The book A. Lincoln by Ronald C. White reads almost like a great adventure story, but certainly like a great epic novel -- only better.  Author White enumerates events and elucidates as he writes about the great President.

So much can be said about Abraham Lincoln, and in coming days I plan to share more of what I am reading. One of my major impressions is how clear-thinking Lincoln was.  This undoubtedly came from his innate good sense, but was also heavily encouraged by his avid reading of books, everything from the ancient Greek philosophers to the writers of the Enlightenment and beyond.

It is interesting to compare and contrast Lincoln to today's leaders.  It is not so much a comparison with Pres Obama in this regard, as with a large segment of Republicans as well as the entertainment portion of the media.  Wethus  have now two groups of very loud voices.

First the Republican right seems to speak with a megaphone about how atrocious "Obamacare" is, even as millions of Americans think enough of it to sign up despite major computer glitches.  These Republicans to be living once again in 2010 when a little-understood Affordable Health Care Act was passed and was easy game for critics.   And all this in spite of the fact that Obamacare, as it is called, is hardly more than a facilitation program for private insurers.  Where is the jobs program?  Where is there any meaningful investigation of the Wall Street fiascos of 2008, the results of which are still very much felt on Main Street?  I could go on.

The second very loud group, one with an electronic megaphone, is the media.  The media of today, excepting the Internet which is a story unto itself, is dominated by a few large media corporations whose primary interest is money, and not necessarily the common good.  Thus, we get endless stories of this or that celebrity in trouble, or this or that horrible tragedy, whether a weather "event," or some evil and violent deed.

Thus, it is almost impossible to have the mind of Lincoln, let alone a rational public discourse.  This is not to say that things were any more rational in Lincoln's day.  However, with such a President at the forefront of the government, it became possible to conclude a very difficult civil war.

Today's leaders seem unequal to the task, not necessarily through lack of trying, but from the opposition they face.  I plan to develop these ideas further in coming days.  You are invited to be part of the discussion.