So-called "free market" or "unregulated capitalism" is really nothing more than the cancer-stage of capitalism. And that uninhibited cancerous growth has spread, so that now even our political system is infected with the cancer of corporatism.

Donald Trump's candidacy is an example of how our political system is being eaten alive by the cancer-stage of capitalism.

But to really get what that means, we need to step back and look at the nature of cancer itself. A new study published in "Philosophical Transactions B" titled "Cancer across the tree of life: cooperation and cheating in multicellularity" flushes out how cancer exists across every multicellular organism.

The abstract of the research begins: "Multicellularity is characterized by cooperation among cells..." But cancer, of course, is the opposite of cooperation. It's when a cell decides it's going to suck up all the energy and resources of the organism for itself. And it grows continuously until it kills its host.

It's not a stretch to look at a society - as well as the economic market and the political system that make up society - as a multicellular organism that could easily become infected with an economic or political cancer.

At the base of a society are individuals. Those individuals divide the labor and form specialized groups, because people working together get more done than people working alone.

George Johnson at the New York Times paraphrased Darwin's proposal of life beginning in "some warm little pond." He writes: "a few simple chemicals sloshed together and formed complex molecules [...] as the primordial cells mutated and evolved, ruthlessly competing for nutrients, some stumbled upon a different course. They cooperated instead, sharing resources and responsibilities and so giving rise to multicellular creatures - plants, animals and eventually us."

Societies, economies, and governments could be described as the equivalent of humanity 'evolving' from single-cell behavior to multicellular behavior. But, just as researchers found that cancer sometimes pops up in every multicellular organism on Earth, our economy has now spawned its own cancer. And Donald Trump's candidacy is what happens when our economic cancer spreads to our political system.

Read more here.

-Thom

 

Tonight on The Big Picture on RT TV at 7pm and 10pm... The Next Wave in Oligopoly Has Arrived/How Medicare is Being Phased Out (check your local listings for stations or stream at RT or Free Speech TV, and catch past shows on Youtube)

 

Be sure to check out our newest video: RESTORATION - narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio & Thom Hartmann, directed by Leila Conners / Visit GreenWorldRising.org to check out all the videos: CARBON, LAST HOURS & GREEN WORLD RISING - narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio & Thom Hartmann, directed by Leila Conners

 

Big Picture Rumble:
- Charles Sauer, The Market Institute  
- Sam Sacks, The District Sentinel    
- Horace Cooper, National Center for Public Policy Research  

 

Best of the Rest: The Next Wave in Oligopoly Has Arrived
- Wendell Potter, Center for Public Integrity/Deadly Spin/Obamacare: What's in it for me?      

 

PLUS, How Medicare is Being Phased Out
- Michael Lighty, California Nurses Association/National Nurses United      

 

Community Square  

 "How Carl Sagan Predicted Marijuana Legalization"  

  

Wednesday's Daily Stack 

Article: "Cecil the lion's killer revealed as American dentist" by Harriet Alexander, Peta Thornycroft and Aislinn Laing.

Article: "Watch: Jimmy Kimmel's emotional monologue about Cecil the lion" by German Lopez.

Site: Wildlife Conservation Research Unit.

Article: "Donald Trump's Sons Killed Exotic Animals" by Marlow Stern.

Article: "Twisted landscaper who intentionally ran over nine ducklings on his lawnmower and laughed in front of the family who were feeding them bread gets jailed for one year" by Christopher Brennan.

Article: "Eric Garner's Family: Settlement With New York City 'Is Not a Victory'" by Josh Dawsey.

Article: "Born Free" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Portlandia (TV series)" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Bad Newz Kennels dog fighting investigation" (Michael Vick) by Wikipedia.

Article: "Obama Proposes Sweeping Ban On U.S. Ivory Sales" by Natasha Geiling.

 

Join the 'People For Bernie' Nationwide Meet Up Tonight!
- Katherine Brezler, People For Bernie 

Event: July 29, nationwide: "Let's organize" by Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Site: BATs.

Case: "Buckley v. Valeo", 1976.

Law: "Sherman Antitrust Act", 1890.

Law: "Telecommunications Act of 1996" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Hillary Clinton won't answer Keystone XL pipeline question" by Dan Merica and Jeff Zeleny.

Article: "Taking on the global threat of climate change" by Hillary Clinton.

Article: "Dick Cheney hunting incident" by Wikipedia.

Article: "University of Cincinnati Officer Indicted in Fatal Shooting of Driver" by Richard Pérez-peña.

Article: "The video of police killing of Sam Dubose is apparently so bad, Cincinnati is preparing for riots" by Shaun King.

Article: "The Emotional Nervous System" (The limbic system and the autonomic nervous system) by Dr. C. George Boeree.

Video: Touching the Wild: Living Among the Mule Deer.

Video: My Life as a Turkey.

Book: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate.

Excerpt: "Chapter Two: The Corporate Conquest of America" by Thom Hartmann.

Book: "Unequal Protection: The Battle to Save Democracy" by Thom Hartmann (read online).

Book: "Unequal Protection: How Corporations Became "People" - And How You Can Fight Back" by Thom Hartmann - new updated version out now!

Article: "Dear Abby (Musical)".

 

Talk Radio News Segment:
- Bob Ney 

Article: "University of Cincinnati police officer who shot man during traffic stop charged with murder" by Wesley Lowery and Mark Berman.

Article: "McCain: Nuclear Deal Will Invite Iranian International Arms "Shopping Spree"" by James Cullum.

Article: "Cotton Stands by Characterization of John Kerry as Pontius Pilate" by Bridget Johnson.

Article: "Boehner: Republican's Call To Remove Speakership "No Big Deal"" by Anna Merod.

Site: "Goats for the old Goat".

Site: Governor Free Don Siegelman.

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

Article: "TRNS News Notes- 7/29" by Victoria Jones.

Hour Three: Check Out The District Sentinel
- Sam Sacks, The District Sentinel 

Site: Mondragon Corporation

Book: "Threshold: The Progressive Plan to Pull America Back from the Brink" by Thom Hartmann.

Excerpt: "In the Shadow of the Dragon" by Thom Hartmann.

Site: Union Cab (co-op)

Crowdfunding: "The District Sentinel News Co-op".

Article: "Obama Admin Boosts T.P.P. Membership for Slave Labor Hotbed" by Sam Knight.

Article: "Fast track (trade) (TPA)" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement" (TPP) by EFF.

Article: "'Your priorities': an Icelandic story of e-democracy" by Róbert Bjarnason.

Article: "Bid to Cut $1.7 Billion for Victims of Mortgage Crisis Thwarted By Senate Revolt" by Sam Knight.

Article: "Congressional Republicans Lining Up Multiple Backdoor Attacks on Net Neutrality" by Sam Knight.

Article: "Bernie Sanders: The Vox conversation" by Ezra Klein.

Article: "Bernie Sanders's fear of immigrant labor is ugly - and wrongheaded" by Dylan Matthews.

 

Law: "Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act 2005 (BAPCPA)".

Article: "Right-Wing Media Defend Mike Huckabee's "Door Of The Oven" Comment Comparing Iran Deal To Holocaust" by Alex Kaplan.

Article: "Food with Integrity" by Chipotle.

Thursday on The Thom Hartmann Program, 12-3pm ET 

 

Professor James K. Galbraith will be here with an update on the Greek debt crisis.

 

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

 

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

 

And don't forget...Democracy is NOT a spectator sport...it begins with you...

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

    

The Thom Hartmann Program is a Charity Wine Partner with the Organic Wine Company. Purchase any wines and they will donate a portion of the proceeds to The Hunter School for children with autism, ADHD, and other learning challenges.

 

One of my favorite wines is CHATEAU VERONIQUE 2011 - The wine that started the Organic Wine Company. Subtle and sophisticated, this wine will complement any table.

 

Purchase your next bottle of organic wine here - www.ecowine.com

 

Thom

Please support the Hunter School, a unique therapeutic boarding school for young children diagnosed with ADHD, Anxiety, Sensory, Mood and related conditions...