A Thom Hartmann Sandwich
20 OctWell, that’s pretty much what was served on last week’s “Real Time with Bill Maher“; Thom was placed between John Fund, who advocated a national flat tax rate, and Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, who… also advocated a national flat tax rate, just even lower. Between these two loaves of insanity-bread was Thom – check out the first segment of the show below:
Jim Hightower on Occupy Wall Street
19 OctJim recently posted a blog post about OWS:
If you had any doubt about the seriousness of the “Occupy Wall Street” movement that is springing up from America’s grassroots like hardy wildflowers, just note the frantic fulminations against it by assorted Wall Street toadies.The corporate cheerleaders on CNBC, for example, reached back to the nasty days of McCarthyism to smear the youthful protesters as “aligned with Lenin.” Little Eric Cantor, the House Majority Leader who loyally serves the banksters as their Washington lapdog, yapped in alarm about “the growing mobs occupying Wall Street.” Then came Mitt Romney, himself a former Wall Streeter, to warn darkly against the protesting rabble: “I think it’s dangerous – this class warfare.”
Read the whole thing!
120 years of American law based on an error
9 OctWe speak with Thom Hartmann, author of “Unequal Protection” about how a 19th-century court reporter changed the course of corporate law.
Q: Thom, at a screening of [This Land is Your Land] in New York you told the audience afterwards that while researching your book, you discovered that corporations were given the rights of persons due to an error in an 1886 Supreme Court case. Your discovery of this “error” really interested us.
TH: After the fact, I discovered that it wasn’t a unique discovery. That Howard J. Graham had discovered it some years earlier and I called Richard Grossman all excited. And he said, “Oh you hadn’t read Everyman’s Constitution?”
Q: Don’t you hate when that happens?
TH: Yes, and it took me the better part of a year to find a copy of the book. As far as I know there’s not a single copy of it for sale in the United States, it’s been out of print since the ’70s, or the ’60s.
Q: And nobody else talked about this? Continue reading
BAD MOON RISING
13 JanThis Land will be screening at at Boots Contemporary Art Space (St. Louis, MO) from January 16th, 2009 – February 28th, 2009. Opening reception is January 16th, 6:30 – 10:00 pm. This is Part 3 of a traveling exhibit, curated by Jessica Silverman and Jan Van Woensel. See the website at http://b-a-d-m-o-o-n-r-i-s-i-n-g.blogspot.com/.
Carolina Gives…
13 JanWhile “This Land is Your Land” was screening at the 2006 Whitney Biennial, we met Carolina Caycedo, an artist/activist/all around cool person whose ongoing barter project “DAYTODAY” was exhibited via her website in the lobby of the museum. Visitors could pick up a red telephone and contact Carolina directly to propose an exchange of goods or services. Carolina was born in London, has traveled the world, and is now living in Puerto Rico where she agreed to do this interview that was conducted by email. To propose an exchange or to find out more about Carolina’s upcoming projects, visit her website at http://www.whitney.org/biennial2006/projects/day2day
Q: Could you tell us just what DAYTODAY is? Continue reading
Life Moves On…And So Do the Jobs, After a Town’s Factory Closes
13 JanGeorge Robinson and his fellow Natchez, MS workers wanted to save the International Paper plant, in which they worked, from being shut down. In order to save the plant and keep their jobs, they tried to buy the plant using an Employee Stock Ownership Plan. About 11,000 companies in the U.S. now have this plan, covering over 8 million employees. The Natchez workers needed to raise $75 million for the purchase, but failed to do so. The factory is now being demolished, and because work in the area has diminished; George was forced to take a job at another mill 90 miles from his home. Here’s an update on George’s life & his thoughts on the present condition of the labor movement.
Q: Why don’t you start talking personally about how you’ve been since the film ended, what you’ve been up to in terms of your career and your work. Continue reading
This Land is Your Land until Pfizer comes to town
13 JanUPDATE: On June 23, 2005, a divided U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of the city of New London (Kelo v. New London), allowing local governments to seize people’s homes and businesses for private economic development. This decision has enormous implications for homeowners across the U.S.
Earlier in June, we spoke with New Londoner Matt Dery. Along with 100 other residents, Matt was fighting to keep his long-time home after he was told that he and his family would be forced out to make way for private development by the Pfizer Corporation. The city of New London claimed it was exercising the power of eminent domain.
Q: Matt, tell us what’s happening with your home. When did you first know there was a ‘situation’ and what’s been happening lately? Continue reading
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