The ACLU wants Florida cops to stop seizing people's personal property. In a recent press release, the civil rights group is calling on the Florida Legislature to address that state's out-of-control civil asset forfeiture practices.

According to a stunning new report from the Florida Legislature Office of Program policy Analysis and Government Accountability, only 16% of individuals ever challenge an asset seizure, and only about 1 percent ever get the benefit of a full trial before their possessions are taken.

In fact, there are so many asset forfeitures that the sale of them accounts for more than 2 percent of police agencies operating budget. As bad as these facts are, these statistics could be masking an even larger problem because it is voluntary for Florida police departments to report civil asset forfeitures - and half didn't bother to participate in the recent study.

The ACLU said, "Now that OPPAGA's report has documented how often Florida's police agencies are seizing personal property, it is time for the legislature, which commissioned the report, to take action to bring an end to abuse of the system."

-Thom

(What do you think? Tell us here.)

Tonight on The Big Picture on RT TV at 7pm and 10pm... GOP's Playbook on Women is Very Scary! (check your local listings for stations or stream at RT or Free Speech TV, and catch past shows on Youtube)

  

Tuesday's Daily Stack 

Book: The Wilderness: Deep Inside the Republican Party's Combative, Contentious, Chaotic Quest to Take Back the White House by McKay Coppins.

Article: "Coverage Of Marco Rubio's 'Zipper Problem' Signals Shift In Campaign Journalism" by Michael Calderone.

Article: "Mitterand's Funeral".

Article: "Who blabbed about Gary Hart-Donna Rice affair? " by Glenn Garvin.

Article: "Gop's Rep. Barr Had Affair While Married, Flynt Alleges".

Article: "Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Vitter Riding High Despite 'Very Serious Sin' With D.C. Madam" by Bruce Alpert.

Article: "Ben Carson: We need to better screen for terrorists before taking Syrian refugees" by Theodore Schleifer.

Article: "Ben Carson Visits Refugee Camp, Says They Are 'Really Quite Nice'" by AP/HuffPost.

Video: Kris Kristofferson - Jesus Was a Capricorn.

Article: "The Power of Nightmares" by Adam Curtis.

Article: "Brazil's economy shrinks by record 4.5%" by Joe Leahy.

Article: "Mysterious Corpse-Filled 'Ghost Ships' Found Drifting Off Japan" by Ed Mazza.

Article: "Fed's Yellen argues for interest rate caution in exchange with Nader" by Jason Lange and Howard Schneider.

Article: "Chicago police chief fired after Laquan McDonald shooting revelations " by Nicky Woolf.

Article: "Exclusive: Lee Atwater's Infamous 1981 Interview on the Southern Strategy" by Rick Perlstein.

Video: Willie Horton 1988 Attack Ad.

Article: "Origins Of Racism" by Origslammer1.

Law: "Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act", 1970 (RICO).

Article: "P. D. Ouspensky" by Wikipedia.

Book: Tertium Organum by P. D. Ouspensky.

Book: The Fourth Way: An Arrangement by Subject of Verbatim Extracts from the Records of Ouspensky's Meetings in London and New York, 1921-46 by P. D. Ouspensky.

Book: A New Model of the Universe by P. D. Ouspensky.

Article: "George Gurdjieff" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Mindfulness for mental wellbeing" by NHS.

Video: Is this the audio? Chicago Police dashcam video of Laquan McDonald shooting .

Site: Drinking Liberally

Article: "Gut microbes signal when dinner is done" by Chris Samoray.

Hour Two: Want Food Stamps In WI...Get a Job
- Rachel Sheffield, Heritage Foundation 

Article: "15K Lose Food Stamps After Failing To Work" by Connor D. Wolf.

Article: "Civilian Conservation Corps" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Works Progress Administration" by Wikipedia.

Article: "TVA: From the New Deal to a New Century" by Tennessee Valley Authority.

Article: "3 reasons why work requirements for food stamps are a bad idea" by Jeff Spross.

 

Law: "Refugee Act of 1980".

Article: "Obama's Speech on the Economy and NAFTA", February 24, 2008.

Article: "CNBC Exclusive: CNBC's Chief Washington Correspondent John Harwood Sits Down with Presidential Candidate Senator Barack Obama (Transcript Included)" by Jennifer Dauble, 10 Jun 2008.

Video: Barack Obama: Speech to the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, Apr 2, 2008.

Video: "New Covenant speech", October 23, 1991 by Bill Clinton.

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

Book: Failed: What the "Experts" Got Wrong about the Global Economy by Mark Weisbrot.

Article: "Photos Show Officer at Burger King Night of Laquan McDonald's Death" by Carol Marin and Don Moseley.

Article: "Police take more property through forfeiture than is stolen by burglars" by Mark Sumner.

Article: "Christopher Dorner shootings and manhunt" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Chicago cop who fatally shot teen makes bail" by Aamer Madhani.

Article: "Frank Serpico" by Wikipedia.

Movie: "Serpico".

Article: "John Hinckley, Jr." by Wikipedia.

Article: "Cops who arrested Dylann Roof 'treated him to a Burger King meal when he complained about feeling hungry after shooting dead nine black church goers'" by David Mccormack and Mia De Graaf.

Book: ADHD and the Edison Gene: A Drug-Free Approach to Managing the Unique Qualities of Your Child by Thom Hartmann.

 

Talk Radio News Segment:
- Bob Ney 

Article: "Rose Mary Woods" by Wikipedia.

Article: "White House reveals new counter-terrorism efforts" by Edward-Isaac Dovere.

Article: "U.S. tightens visa waiver program in wake of Paris attacks" by Roberta Rampton and Mark Hosenball.

Article: "Terrorist Safe Havens" by US Department of State.

Article: "Travel & Tourism Economic impact 2015 - United States of America" by World Travel & Tourism Council.

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

Site: "Goats for the old Goat".

Site: Governor Free Don Siegelman.

Article: "TRNS News Notes- 12/1" by Victoria Jones.

Article: "TRNS News Notes- 11/30" by Victoria Jones.

Hour Three: The For Profit Privatization of Our Public Schools
- Brian Malone, Education, Inc.  (Catch Education, Inc. tonight at 6 & 9pm ET on Free Speech TV...check local listings)

 

Article: "North American Free Trade Agreement" (NAFTA) by Wikipedia.

Article: "Maquiladora" by Wikipedia.

Video: "Giant Sucking Sound - Ross Perot 1992 Presidential Debate".

Article: "Democratic Debate Transcript, Chicago", August 7, 2007.

Book: In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam by Robert S. McNamara with Brian VanDeMark.

Article: "Defense Sec: New "Targeting Force" To Deploy To Iraq And Syria" by Loree Lewis.

Book: Thomas Paine and the Promise of America by Harvey J. Kaye.

Book: "Common Sense" by Thomas Paine.

Book: "Agrarian Justice" by Thomas Paine.

Article: "New Deal" by Wikipedia.

Book: We the People: A Call to Take Back America by Thom Hartmann, illustrated by Neil Cohn.

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

Book: "The Crash of 2016: The Plot to Destroy America--and What We Can Do to Stop It" by Thom Hartmann.

Article: "The Powell Memo or Powell Manifesto".

Book: "Rebooting the American Dream: 11 Ways to Rebuild Our Country" by Thom Hartmann (read online).

Book: "Rebooting the American Dream: 11 Ways to Rebuild Our Country" 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!

Book: "The Speech: A Historic Filibuster on Corporate Greed and the Decline of Our Middle Class" by Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Book: The Triumph of Politics: Why the Reagan Revolution Failed by David Stockman.

Article: "1968 Democratic National Convention" by Wikipedia.

Article: "$20 Billion Later Halliburton Moves Headquarters to Dubai" by Raymond J. Learsy.

Article: "Barack Obama's 2006 speech at launch of Brookings Hamilton Project" by madfloridian.

 

Article: "The Climate Financing Senate Republicans Have Pledged To Block Is Key To The Paris Climate Talks" by Jeremy Deaton.

Article: "Republicans vow to deny Obama climate funds to derail Paris talks " by Devin Henry.

Article: "Gravity will rip Martian moon apart to form dust and rubble ring" by Ian Sample.

Article: "City Becomes The First In The World To Implement Climate Change Warning Stickers At Gas Stations" by Katie Valentine.

Article: "California public school textbooks mislead students on climate, study says" by Oliver Milman.

Article: "Pumpkins May Have Become Extinct Without Early American Farmers" by Catherine Griffin.

    

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

 

Who poses the bigger threat...international or domestic right wing terrorists? Clifford May of Foundation for Defense of Democracies will be here to tell us.

 

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...

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

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,

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