If you want to understand the modern American right, just head on out to Bunkerville, Nevada and visit the Bundy Ranch. The mainstream media may have backed off talking about them ever since The New York Times published Cliven Bundy's racist rant, but, believe it or not, militia groups are still hanging around the Bundy Ranch and they're really starting to annoy everyone else who lives in the area. It's gotten so bad that Congressman Steven Horsford, who represents the area around the Bundy Ranch, actually wrote a letter to Clark County's sheriff complaining that militia members have set up roadblocks and checkpoints on local highways.

 

For most Americans, the idea of armed gunmen checking drivers' licenses and blocking off highways conjures up some pretty scary images. After all, this is America, not Somalia, and there's no reason in a supposedly developed country like ours that anyone should be acting like a warlord. But there's more to this situation than meets the eye, and if you actually take the time to listen to what militia members are saying about why they've decided to take a stand at the Bundy Ranch, you'd be surprised at how similar it sounds to some of the things we talk about on this program.

 

A few weeks ago, for example, right when this whole controversy started, I had Sherriff Richard Mack of the Oath Keepers on my radio show to talk about why he and his group supported Cliven Bundy. Sheiff Mack believes in some pretty non-mainstream stuff and there are a lot of areas where I disagree with him, but we both agree that corporate interests have taken over our government and that the American people have been sold down the river.

 

Read more here.

 

-Thom

       

Tonight on The Big Picture on RT TV at 7pm and 9pm... Another botched execution...end the death penalty now? (check your local listings for stations or stream at RT or Free Speech TV, and catch past shows on Youtube)

 

Get your copy of Thom's new book, The Crash of 2016, today and click here for tour dates & events!

 

Watch the video 'Last Hours' narrated by Thom Hartmann about the "time bomb" that is ticking underground, underwater and under ice... frozen methane that is now escaping and could trigger runaway climate change. www.lasthours.org

 

Have a question or comment for Thom? Grab your phone, hit record and send your video to YourTakeMyTake@gmail.com and we may air it on "The Big Picture."

 

 

Lone Liberal Rumble:
- Kris Ullman, Conservative Commentator/Activist.
- Andrew Kloster, Heritage Foundation    

 

 

What is the Piketty prescription for prosperity?
- Richard Eskow, Campaign For America's Future / This is the Zero Hour /    

 

Are rail inspectors in bed with Big Oil?
- Cole Stangler, In These Times    

 

 

Community Square  

 "The Democracy for America Netroots Nation Scholarship Competition"  

  

Tuesday's Daily Stack 

In for Thom for the first few minutes, Shane Farnan & Danielle Guilday, hosts - Talking Left Radio

Article: "Clippers owner Sterling banned for life, fined $2.5M" by Reuters.

 

Site/movie: Last Hours

Case: "Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission" (2010).

Law: "Tillman Act of 1907".

 

Hour One: How do we get an economy that works for all of us?
- Dr. Stephanie Kelton, University of Missouri-Kansas City 

Site: Dr. New Economic Perspectives.

Article: "MMT Does Do Policy" by L. Randall Wray.

Book: "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations", Adam Smith, 1776.

Articles: Ricardo's "On labor" 1814, "On profits" 1816.

Article: "Wal-Mart Executives Sweat Slow February Start in E-Mails" by Renee Dudley, Feb 16, 2013.

Article: "What the Country Needs Is a New New Deal" by L. Randall Wray and Stephanie Kelton.

Article: "Why Elite Frauds Cause Recurrent, Intensifying Economic, Political and Moral Crises" by Dr. William Black.

Hour Two: America...no longer a democracy?
- Dr. Martin Gilens, Princeton University 

Article: "Princeton Study: U.S. No Longer An Actual Democracy" by Brendan James.

Article: "Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens" by Martin Gilens and Benjamin I. Page.

Book: Affluence and Influence: Economic Inequality and Political Power in America by Martin Gilens.

Article: "Scholar Behind Viral 'Oligarchy' Study Tells You What It Means" by Sahil Kapur.

Article: "Supreme Court Justices Struggle With Issue of Cell Phone Searches" by Ariane de Vogue.

Article: "Supreme Court upholds EPA rule limiting cross-state pollution" by Robert Barnes and Darryl Fears.

Article: "Public Matching Funds" by NYC Campaign Finance Board.

Book:"Plutocrats: The Rise of the New Global Super-Rich and the Fall of Everyone Else" by Chrystia Freeland.

Article: "Congressman Sarbanes proposes Government By the People Act as way to limit influence of money in politics" by Lana Birbrair.

Article: "Lawrence Lessig: Democracy vouchers" by Yoram Gat.

Site: Move to Amend

Case: "Buckley v. Valeo", 1976.

Case: "First National Bank Of Boston V. Bellotti", 1978.

Article: "First Amendment to the United States Constitution".

Article: "14th Amendment

Article: "26th Amendment". Vote for 18 year olds.

 

Site: "The No Billionaires Campaign".

The good: Reverend Joe Hoffman: "Citing religious freedom, NC clergymen sue state for right to perform same-sex marriages" by Tom Boggioni.

The bad: Joni Ernst: "Iowa Senate Candidate vows to block judges that "don't follow law of God"".

The very, very ugly: "Limbaugh: Sterling Only 'In Trouble' Because He Didn't Donate Enough To Obama (AUDIO)" by Caitlin MacNeal.

Quote: "You know, if you let me write $200 billion worth of hot checks every year, I could give you an illusion of prosperity, too" - Lloyd Bentsen.

Quote: "Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy" - Lloyd Bentsen.

Article: "Oprah Wants to Buy the Clippers" by Robert Littal.

Site: "New England Salem Children's Village" (NESCV).

 

Talk Radio News Segment:
- Bob Ney 

Site: "Goats for the old Goat".

Article: "TRNS News Notes - 4/30/14" by Victoria Jones.

Article: "TRNS News Notes - 4/29/14" by Victoria Jones.

Article: "Sterling Gets Lifetime Ban From NBA" by Nicholas Salazar.

Article: "Cantor Tells Scandal-Plagued McAllister To Resign" by Nicholas Salazar.

Article: "Boehner: No 'secret conspiracy' to jam through immigration overhaul" by Russell Berman.

Book: "Sideswiped: Lessons Learned Courtesy of the Hit Men of Capitol Hill" by Robert Ney.

Hour Three: Activism started with Tim Carpenter...and now it's your turn
- John Nichols, The Nation Magazine  

Article: "Tim Carpenter Fought Relentlessly for Social Justice - Now It's Our Turn" by Thom Hartmann.

Site: Progressive Democrats of America.

Article: "PDA National Team"

 

Law: "Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002" (McCain-Feingold).

Article: "Striking Down Wisconsin Voter ID Law, Judge Finds 'No Rational Person Could Be Worried' About Voter Fraud" by Nicole Flatow.

Article: "Tim Wise" by Wikipedia.

Article: "BofA suspends buyback and dividend plans" by Camilla Hall and Gina Chon.

Article: "Wisconsin to Appeal Voter-ID Ruling" by Zeke J Miller.

Site: "MoveOn.org".

Site: "Democracy for America".

Site: Bus Project.

Site: "Greenpeace".

Book: "Screwed: The Undeclared War Against The Middle Class" by Thom Hartmann. Get "Screwed" by Thom Hartmann!

Site: "Drinking Liberally".

Site: "Screening Liberally".

Site: "Eating Liberally".

Article: "California Proposition 13 (1978)" by Wikipedia (limited the tax rate for real estate).

Article: "The Crime of Peaceful Protest" by Chris Hedges.

Article: "Former elections worker pleads guilty to ballot tampering, gets 90 days" by AP.

 

Article: "The Meritocracy Myth: How the Super-Rich Really Make Their Money" by Paul Buchheit.

Article: "$1,259: What Corporate Tax Dodgers Cost the Average Taxpayer" by Jacob Chamberlain.

Article: "This Company Has A 4-Day Work Week, Pays Its Workers A Full Salary And Is Super Successful" by Bryce Covert.

Article: "Post Office Privatization Deal in the Works: Activists Take to the Streets" by Jodie Gummow.

Article: "California Considers Tax Hike On Companies That Pay Their CEOs 100x Their Workers" by Alan Pyke.

Wednesday on The Thom Hartmann Program, 3-6pm ET 

Hour One: Brunch With Bernie
- Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) takes your calls 

 

 

PLUS, the Picketty Phenomenon
- Richard Eskow, This is the Zero Hour / Campaign For America's Future   

 

Hour Three: America's 'cold war' against Russia
- Professor Stephen Cohen, The Nation Magazine 

 

Update on South Sudan...The Honorable Tong Deng Aner, South Sudan Minister of Health, and Dr. Mayer Machut Ahiek, University of Juba, South Sudan join Thom in the studio

 

And, the best of the rest of the news and your calls right here on...

 

The Thom Hartmann Program...your media support group for "we the people"...

Free excerpt, read book for free at Truthout, buy the book!

Thursday on The Thom Hartmann Program, 3-6pm ET 

We'll have the best of the rest of the news...all the news and information you won't be hearing from the corporate owned news media...

 

Plus...morality in banking?! Really?! We'll tell you how one bank is deciding whose money is acceptable and whose isn't...

 

And, it's May Day...in a victory for the working class, one state has decided to raise the minimum wage without waiting for Congress...

 

All this and your calls too...right here on...

 

The Thom Hartmann Program...Occupying The Media 3 hours a day 5 days a week" for "we the people"...

 

And remember...Democracy is NOT a spectator sport...it begins with you...

Thank you for being part of our ever growing community for News, Debate and Opinion on the Thom Hartmann Program.

 

Click here to subscribe to the Thom Hartmann Newsletter.
 

Sincerely,

May 1 - Seattle, WA 730pm:
Crash of 2016 booksigning, Seattle Town Hall. details

 

May 2 - Portland, OR 7pm:
Crash of 2016 booksigning, First Unitarian Church. details

 

May 3 - Portland, OR:
Thom's TEDX talk - SOLD OUT.

 

May 10 - Northampton, MA 7pm:
Crash of 2016 booksigning, The Parlor Room. Free, but sign up at whmp.com

Is it time to outlaw the death penalty?

Vote here!

Buy Thom's newest book now!
Also on Kindle

"Crash of 2016" website

Watch Thom on: - MSNBC's The Cycle
- CNN's Crossfire
- Democracy Now!

Tim Carpenter Fought Hard for Social Justice - Now It's Our Turn

The Crime of Peaceful Protest

How George W. Bush screwed college students...

Cheap fashion kills people...

Why the Koch brothers are behind Cliven Bundy

We are not living in a post racial world

Full Show 4/29/14: Elizabeth Warren 2016!

Tonight's "Politics Panel" discusses whether police should have access to our cell phones without a warrant, a new study revealing how 4% of people on death row are innocent and whether Rand Paul or Elizabeth Warren will run in 2016. Thom talks with Journalist & Author Chris Hedges on how our judicial system is torturing peaceful Occupy Wall Street participants and in tonight's "Daily Take" Thom remembers the life of Tim Carpenter, the Co-Founder of the Progressive Democrats of America.

Thom Hartmann on Science & Green News - April 28, 2013

The Thom Hartmann Program - April 29, 2014

Just How do you Punish a Billionaire?

Is Democracy Only Available to the Elite?

New Economic Perspectives

Activism Started with Tim Carpenter...and now it's Your Turn