33 Comments

This is some really great news! 🌲

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I see the Dust Bowl as a consequence of the slaughtering of Native Americans and Bison, and the invitation of the European immigrants to settle the Dust Bowl area by the seduction of The Homestead Act which allowed settlers to own a farm by settling on land (stolen land, like the Nazis did with the Jews), and last for 5 years, made famous by The Little House on the Prairie series. Still, the reason the Ingalls lived through The Long Winter is because her father knew enough to listen to a Native American Man tell him that there was going to be a long cold winter, which was evidenced by how thick the muskrats were building their homes, and he moved their family into the town. They would have frozen to death on the prairie. Still, the mass slaughter of people who knew how to live in harmony with the prairie environment, and the mass slaughter of a big source of food, which nibbles the grass instead of pulling it up by the roots like cows do, but more shortly crops it so that soil can still be held in place were big reasons that the dust rose. This and the Europeans using their methods of agriculture which were to just strip the soil down and grow tons of wheat--a mono culture which depleted the soil that blew in everyone's faces, eyes, noses, mouths causing respiratory damage and who knows what else, and killing people. It is not as simple as that, but it slants in the direction that I see the Republicans slanting as they do, things out of hatred. They cut off their noses to spite their faces, and drag the rest of us with them. Yes, people in New York were choking from Oklahoma dust on windy days, just as we are choking in New York and Chicago from Canadian wildfires. I am so glad that this program is starting, and I wish not only would it expand in the US, but every nation would do it.

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Prairie grass (not trees). Farmers ploughing up the prairie grass which has roots up to 6 feet deep. The US government opened the land up to homesteaders. This disaster was basically created by the US govt. Ken Burns documentary on same is a must-see.

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Like now, our leaders only saw the immediate economic benefits, and were not aware of, and/or refused to consider the long-term effects - of which they were totally ignorant.

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At the very least, there's an actual "something we can do about it" moment, albeit a relatively small "something". However, it feels quite uncomfortable not having mentioned President Biden's snub of the UN climate summit yesterday, given the topic. His absence was not the leading of a nation - it was submission to the fossil fuel crime syndicate (or euphemistically, "industry"). And to be absolutely clear, I will unequivocally support and vote for President Joe Biden again in 2024 (assuming he's the nominee), because not doing so would send democracy straight to the gallows.

As always, we cannot continue to destroy the good in a futile pursuit of the perfect. But that doesn't mean we turn a blind eye to the wrong, either. Calling out the shortcomings of our representatives is a vital part of democracy, when done in good-faith.

The CCC is a good thing, to be sure. It is SOMETHING. And it is a thing WE can participate in. It's certainly not enough, and President Biden's AWOL yesterday at the UN climate summit is seemingly inexcusable. But let's not destroy what is good because we didn't get perfect.

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Wiki has a surprisingly modern-looking poster for the CCC that my father would have seen before he joined; he said it was the best job he ever had. Without a doubt, it prepared him to continue to serve during World War II.

This is exactly what we need, a place where people can get paid to try to preserve every precious resource that will be needed for future generations. We have unleashed the weather gods and we have a duty to do this.

Thankfully, it will create opportunities to build a resume while it provides a place for all the climate crisis passion some youth have. This is a chance to DO something meaningful instead of feeling helpless while being caught in a storm.

That poster says "Opportunity for Work, Play, Study, Health". I hope the new CCC does that too. Good-on the President, AOC, Markey and all the hands that help not hurt.

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I hope this isn't just a P.R. exercise for the election. If it's a serious thing, they'll consult with the indigenous tribes, who've questioned the wisdom of our agricultural and technological ways. The return to trees is essential as you mention, Thom. Only problem I see is that big tech won't cooperate, since their 5G and 6G (in the works) signals require the removal of trees so that their signals travel unimpeded. There may be a link between the removal of trees recently for 5G service, and some of the changes we're seeing in the climate.

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wow, thanks for that bit of info. I had no idea that they removed trees for cell towers. That could explain the removal of a strip of trees , inset from the road, and follows for near a mile, that happened in my neck of the wood. I will look for signs of tower construction.

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They've been known to give "excuses" for removing strips of trees - quite often they'll say it's to do with the safety of motorists. But yes, watch for tower construction - it's coincidental that all of a sudden they're concerned about the safety of motorists when a 5G antenna goes up. 5G doesn't need a large tower either; but the leaves of trees are enough to interrupt the signal.

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The thing with these clear cut is that the trees that would endanger motorists, are on a hilll, and have not been cut, but go 25 to 30 feet behind the tree line on the hill, and it is clear cut in a strip about 50 ft wide (not so good at estimating) and behind the strip are old growth pines.

They also have laid down gravel,at one spot, to create a road, then erected posts and a chain, with a lock, to keep us from driving on it.

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I've got this nagging feeling it's a campaign stunt as were Biden's promises of no new pipelines, MBS as a pariah, police reform, voting rights executive action, student loan debt and on and on and on. There always seems to be something or someone getting in the way of the Democrats' plans even when they are in the majority.

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But they aren't a majority since the new, 118th Congress has been seated. The only way he could get legislation through is by allowing cuts and favors for the money powers.

And where he did take action, like with DACA and Student debt, the right wing SCOTUS, has stepped in and declared the programs unnconstitutional.

You are pretty selective. On the other hand, I fault Biden for appointing that right winger Garland as DOJ, and revoking Trumps EO 13957, which created a special class of civil servants (his cult and cronies) as protected civil servants, that replaced previously protected civil servants that weren't Trump humpers.

Biden could have used that EO to replace Trump humpers in DOJ and all departments, but left the power with Trump.

I don't think that he thought of that, so am wondering who on his staff and cabinet came up with that ruinous idea.

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You are seeing the crux of the issue which I appreciate. If you look at Biden's promises and what he has done, even when he has had the option of doing the right thing he has done the opposite. Everything he does is in the interest of political expediency and he simply cannot be trusted. His policy decisions historically show he is a Republican at heart and thus he has no interest in relieving student loan debt, police reform etc and is happy to use Republicans or Manchin as an excuse. He has zero interest in the systemic change necessary to reverse the fall of the American empire and his actions or lack thereof regarding Ukraine, police reform, climate change, health care and so on show poor judgment and a singular preoccupation with image and electoral prospects.

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Thanks for reminding us about the dust bowl and the govt. action that helped on multiple fronts. Success stories such as these might restore faith in govt. action.

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What Biden does is always smaller than what is recommended, and while of course it's a good start and could offer a decent paying job to a million Americans, I will reserve my enthusiasm until I see the program physically manifest. It is after all election season, and you could write a book on such lofty proposals that never see the light of day (or whose execution is a disappointment). I say this because Biden has broken so many promises, doing the precise opposite of what he promised to do while campaigning, and it takes so much pressure to get him to do the bare minimum of good, that I can only believe what I see.

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Yeh, fuck Joe vote Donald. (Sarcasm) Although otherwise I agree with you.

I criticize Biden and his administration because I want to light a fire under their asses, and fulfill or at least try to fulfill their promises, and take on the fascist in the inevitable street fight, there will be one later, and more deadly, than having one now..

As I read your comments, the appearance is that you criticize Biden for ideological reasons.

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It's both, but I do know from history that Biden's judgment is awful and he is indeed a center-right Republican. And I do see Biden and the Democrats as just as deadly as Republicans, as do 3.5 million black and brown people around the world, the Palestinians, the people of Yemen, Libya, Somolia, Sudan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Haiti, Venezuela, Chile....anyway, we can parse specific issues but Democrats are presently the party of militarism and racism and I won't share in that shame and guilt by pretending Biden is a good guy when he is anything but.

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Barry, the Republicans just got through with a 8 trillion dollar war on brown people that Biden put an end to. And Biden is supporting democracy and not an autocracy in Ukraine. You are a liar. And I don't even trust Biden.

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Biden killed a family of 10 in Afghanistan and tried to cover it up. His administration was aware that his fist bump buddy MBS was slaughtering women and children refugees at the Yemen border for the last year, and first ignored it then when they were caught lied about when they were informed of it. He expanded Trump's Title 42 TWICE to include all Central American refugees and deported more Haitians in his first year than Trump did in four. Instead of reforming our militaristic and brutal police force as promised, he vowed to "fund the police" and add 100,000 officers to the force. After his haphazard exit from Afghanistan, he froze their funds and pledged to five half to the families of 9/11 victims (?!). He is still funding the war in Yemen (although there is currently a tenuous cease fire) and has nothing to say to Netanyahu regarding his genocide of the Palestinian people. He has sold more weapons of war around the world than any previous president, with 57% of them going to autocracies. So you do indeed trust Biden, and MSNBC, NPR and Thom Hartmann, because anyone who would even suggest sending cluster munitions to Ukraine has zero morality and even less interest in "democracy."

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I vote for Democrats and hope they will save democracy and socialism I know for a fact that GOP won't. As for Biden, he is a right winger in my opinion but so are most of the Democrats nowadays ever since the hippies quit having a lot of babies. And of course since Reagan and the religious right went on rabbit quest.

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I don't want to sound paranoid, but it looks like Trump and Joe are on the same team, the oligarch team until proven otherwise and Biden had a perfect chance to prove otherwise, he failed to protect democracy. There could be a democratic Congress and supreme court right now if he had protected democracy by prosecuting the traitors.

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I agree Barry. Ever since he hasn't prosecuted about 400 of the GOP ringleaders, I did not trust him at all. Once a GOP dictator gets installed all this will be thrown in the garbage and he knows it. I wish I could trust him, but he is a liar. The most pro Union president ever, my derriere. Supporting free trade with dictatorships and immigration to bust the unions...

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To be fair. Without free trade, most of the products, you use and are dependent on, would not be on the market except at outrageous prices. For that I blame Dubya and Clinton for NAFTA and GAAT (which created the rust belt,aka swing states, which voted against Hillary and for Trump, and apparently are going to vote for Trump again.

I agree that he has used his powers against the working person (Unions) because like all politicians they have to slop at the trough of the chemical carbon cabal, Chamber of Commerce and international finance.

I can understand why he didn't back the rail road union. It was a Hobbsian choice.

Between the devil and the deep. If the union went on strike, it would have shut down commerce and food supply, thus leading to hunger,inflation and immense political and civil turmoil.

Take a deep breath and think, if you were pres what would you do in that case.

What I am watching is the UAW strike, cars are not the lifeblood of this nation, for most they are an impulse buy, social status and toys being the goal. There ae plenty of used and new cars for folk to buy, and most New cars are not bought out of necessity, but out of ego.

I own three vehicles, all paid off, all in good mechanical, body and interior condition, including ,my 2001PT Cruiser with 21,000 miles. We own a 2010 Ford F-150, in great shap and mechnanical condition, wife got a hair and wanted to replace it with a 2024 Maverick or Ranger pick up.

I will not consent, why waste our savings or go into debt for another vehicle when we have three well maintained, operating vehicles that are paid off.

The UAW, SAG, Writers guild, do not threaten our lives, inflation or the economy, besides the price of cars is criminal. I paid $2,000 for a new 1964/1/2 Mustang, and $2,500 for a new 1970 Maverick, which I drove 130,000 miles with a screwdriver and a pair of pliers as a tool kit. I never changed the oil, or the brakes. Now a days, you can't get into a new a new car for less than $17,000, which costs $34,000 if you finance it.

Here Are the 10 Cheapest New Cars You Can Buy

Cars.com

https://www.cars.com › News

1. 2023 Mitsubishi Mirage ES: $17,650 · 2. 2023 Kia Rio LX: $17,875 · 3. 2023 Nissan Versa S: $18,595 · 4. 2023 Kia Forte LX: $20,815 · 5. 2023 Hyundai Venue SE

Anyway there is a big difference between the RR Union and UAW.

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As for "pro union" blocking a railworkers strike sounds more like fascism to me.

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No, that is BS see my response to Bob Johnson above A RR strike would have resulted in starvation, especially for the poor who rely on RRs, as do we for our food and products, would have caused a recession, but he could have put pressure on the RRs, via EO order, but our Trump humping Supreme court, has and will veto his EO's.

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He is a negotiator, a compromiser in chief, moving his liberal base to call for more noble Republicans like Liz Cheney in the party because she "stood up to" Trump (even though she voted for all his awful legislation). It's the Best of Biden and his Neoliberal Cabal, political theatre for those who are more interested in winning elections and hating the other side than any authentic or substantial change.

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Trump liked to play political theater as well. Remember when Trump built the wall that didn't work and put tariffs on China that didn't work and cut taxes for the globalist that didn't work, I'm sure you do. He was feeding red meat to his base is what I called it. Blows a few taxpayer dollars and claims he's on their side, when in reality he just wants to be a dictator who owns and controls everything and everyone and will hire the cheapest laborer and urinate on his own Trump humpers.

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Oh yes, he campaigned like he was Bernie Sanders. He is the poster boy for sociopathy as he understands how to manipulate and bully people (including Thom Hartmann) into on the one hand believing he is one of them and on the other side obsessing about him as if he were the second coming of Satan. The problem is that both sides of party leadership are doing their most muscular posedowns for their petrified and propagandized bases while Rome burns (literally).

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WTF, Trump bullying Thom Hartmann, into believing Trump, are you from outer space?

And yes Trump is evil incarnate), and I doubt that Thom believes he is Satan. But it does appear that you believe he is a demigod.

I can't help but notice, that you take every opportunity, to put up a strawman, to diminish, and discredit Thom.

You expose yourself.

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OK, now we agree. The media lionizes Liz, but she is as radical any many areas as the fascists we call Republicans.

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80% of Thom's show is Trump speculation, scandal and fearmongering. But Trump is not the problem, he is the symptom of the Democratic Party's failure to establish themselves as good stewards of humanity and the planet, instead making jockeying for position for the next election their sole priority. Thom used to be an honest broker, but he now censors criticism of Democrats as if it's protecting them when it actually enables them to continue their self-destructive path. Thom is selling dog food and placating his listeners so as not to offend them, and if he weren't taking the bait from Trump he wouldn't be talking about him 75% of the time!

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It’s not speculation- he starts his shows often with the facts which makes his perspective spot on. Trump is the face of the shunned elite who pimps off the discontents with snake oil. The Democrats have work to do but given the extreme growing income disparity, the proponents of the rich getting richer at any cost has to be the target.

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Thom is very selective in what he covers and has shunned critical thinking when it comes to the Democratic Party. He censors free speech and cuts off callers when they tell the truth about the history of Ukraine, or the failure of the ACA, or Biden's deteriorating cognitive state, or anything that reveals the inhumanity and complete corruption of the Democratic Party. He is a wise man who knows history but also has a radio show on which he sells dog food. McCarthyism and showing disdain for truthtellers like Dr Cornel West, who speaks the very words of Martin Luther King Jr, is more nationalist than progressive.

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