This is a dizzying compendium (sadly) of very accurate detailed information. What do we do with it besides declaring the Republican Party a criminal enterprise? Who will listen or understand the history and implications? What part of the whole population truly comprehends what democracy requires and can provide that in time, or how many value real democracy over the pocket change they have to spend for high-priced gas and consumer items to maintain their lifestyle? We will have answers soon enough.
Your point is well taken and no one can disagree. However, that philosophy and approach seem to be failing us. There have been many individuals and groups diligently working and spreading the messages of peace, democracy, fairness, love, empathy, and logic or science-based policy during my 82 years, and we were rewarded with a right-wing Supreme Court, billionaires with phenomenal power, a Republican cult with Trump as its leader, and climate destabilization, just to name a few of our concerns.
I could have marched in more demonstrations and sacrificed more of my time, energy, and resources, I’m sure. But I am not feeling particularly guilty since I did more than many others (sometimes neglecting my family and sacrificing greatly) and saw little change as a result. My question is why is the brick wall blocking change and the blaring noise drowning out our voices? Why do so many people find truth unappealing or threatening? When there are so many deaf ears and the right-wing talking points and inanities are seared into the consciousness of my “entourage” how do I penetrate their defenses to deliver knowledge and confidence in democracy? Hand-outs? Arguing with robots?
Education is the stock answer. Miseducation is the primary challenge. I do not hear anyone here providing meaningful antidotes because they do not understand the challenge or its fundamental cause and they cling to myths about schools which inoculate students from truth and reality better than any brainwashing campaign could ever imagine. That is not a reason to throw in the towel, but my towel is pretty threadbare at this point. I'm tired. You may have to take up my slack these days.
Robert, I am 54, and I have been an active civic participant from teen years to date. It will be my pleasure to take on even more in your name. How about phone banking three times a week? :)
Being 28 years ahead of me, I thank you for all you have done that made my life what it was and is living Aug 16, 1969 to today. I was taught civics in public school. I was NEVER traumatized by a nuclear bomb or active shooter drill, and I've said for a decade know how damned lucky my generation was to be educated in the 70s and 80s, best decades. I could afford a college degree working while attending at night. I had endless opportunities to pursue. I have achieved everything I put my mindset to and succeeded. I got to choose when and if I wanted children and with whom to have them. I have been free to love whoever I wanted, support myself properly as a single woman, come and go as I please, travel our nation and abroad, buy a home, save for retirement, and now spend it all before I get sick as humans will and robbed of everything I busted tail to save and am bankrupted by our criminal healthcare system.
I quit working at 50 and became a fulltime activist. Prior to this while working a professional 9-5 job, I worked the polls, registered voters, volunteered, managed, and donated to campaigns, and held a monthly progressives meeting on my town. I marched in demonstrations and never missed a social opportunity to apply Thom's motto, "Get in, get active! Democracy isn't free! Tag, you're it!" :)
I am currently hell bent in my singular pursuit to see our democracy live on. I, for one, refuse to go down quietly. They got the wrong one here, Robert! So thank you, my beloved friend, for the blazing torch. I hope and pray I am serving your gift well. Your contributions are recognized, respected, and continued. God bless! In solidarity, xoxo Frances
Thanks for the empathy. If I feel despair, it is usually short lived. I vacillate, as most of us do. I am very grateful for people such as you and Frances and Thom who are fighting the good fight and renewing our hope daily or at least periodically. It may be false hope but we do only have one life and maybe all we can ask for is to not outlive our optimism.
The Dulles Brothers by Stephen Kinzer, an xcellent book that explains why America is still hated by much of the world today. To think we could have had Adlai Stevenson instead still breaks my heart. He was too good for us.
Thom. I watched your program with Lamar Waldron. I agree with most of what you say. Since Nixon, the Republican Party has entrenched here in Baghdad By the Sea, where we once had the North South Institute - the headquarters of the CIA operation into Cuba. Since 1962 after the Bay of Pigs debacle, the Republican Party could rely on a false narrative to pin the failure on Kennedy.
Actually the blame should fall on Allen Dulles, chief bumbler and stumbler. Allen W Dulles, was an international lawyer in the same law firm, with the same background as his brother, the secretary of state. As head of the CIA, he had supervised the overthrow of elected governments in Iran and Guatemala. On March 17, 1960, he was officially delegated the responsibility of doing the same in Cuba.
The Dulles brothers had saved intervention of United Fruit property by overthrowing the Arbenz regime just six years earlier. Ir would later be revealed that some of the ships used by Brigade 2506 were supplied by United Fruit.
Had the U.S. actually contemplated land reform and considered the risk-reward relationship inherent in covert war, we could have made sure that American companies were given just compensation, and probably saved many American companies from expropriation. After the losses occurred, American taxpayers had to foot the bill for tax write-offs and insurance companies had to pay claims arising from expropriations. At the time the issue was not so much the amount of the losses, but how they would be repaid .65 Cuba offered bonds. The U.S. could easily have negotiated loans to pay the amount of judgments due American landholders, saving the American taxpayers and insurance companies full exposure for losses. The U.S. also could have negotiated ways to minimize the judgments, by transfer of some of the properties co Cuban interests, as some American companies had done previously. However, as a result, many American companies and individuals lost everything and many Cubans and Americans suffered even more in the pain and agony of displacement and separation.
From a commercial standpoint, the U.S. lost the entire Cuban market, and Cuba lost its number one customer. It would take several years to replace the loss of jobs and revenue.
The Cuban government did not begin to expropriate all American property until after the U.S. government imposed the trade embargo, months after the Cuban/Soviet trade deal.
(This comes from my book, Breaking Up with Cuba, out of print.
If you can rebut that Kennedy narrative, convince the Cuban American National Foundation, maybe the entire political situation here might change.
Thanks Daniel for the refresher. I forgot all about Jacobo Arbenz and Guatemala. I believe it is worth pointing out that George H W (Pappy) Bush was the owner of United Fruit (Now Georgie's Chiquita Banana). I checked Wikipedia's entry on United Fruit and it basically Jumps from 1952 to 1970.
But I know how Wikie works. It allows paid editors (pro's that write for corporations and celebrities) to write an article, if they self disclose they are being paid, and they have references, that leaves them able to lie by omission, which is exactly the problem with their articles on Nixon, Reagan, United Fruit and others.
Anyone can edit wikipedia, but if you are a troll you will be caught out, and if you try to edit some one like Nixon and Reaqan and their treason, be warned there is a hall monitor that has the page on their Watch List and will jump in and revert your edit, and if you try to revert their revert, they will pull in a group of hall monitors, and charge you with starting a revert war, and that is a big no no.
And the hall monitors are a clique, they even attend Wikipedia conferences, and long time editors have established relationships and reputations, and the cadre of hall monitors support them. It is Trump appearing in Aileen Cannons court.
If anyone doubts me you can try and edit Nixon and Reagans page, to demonstrate their treason, even with reliable secondary sources, but first you need to learn their policy and guidelines.
He was president of Zapata Petroleum Corporation, founded in 1953. Zapata was connected to the CIA, and many of the corporate records are lost. Were involved in Guatemala and Cuba.
GHW Bush was the "money man" for the Bay of Pigs debacle. Two of the boats were named Barbara and Houston, after Barbara Bush and his adopted hometown, Houston.
Under Secretary of State's John Moors Cabot's brother Thomas Dudley Cabot had been president of United Fruit. John Moors Cabot was a major shareholder of United Fruit as was another family member, Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.
In 1951, Thomas Cabot was U.S. Department of State's Director of Office of International Security Affairs during the Truman administration where he spoke for the State Department on NATO affairs, was in charge of a U.S. program arming allies throughout the world, and supervised the disbursement of $6 billion in foreign economic and military aid.
In 1960, a Central Intelligence Agency cover[, Gibraltar Steamship Company (which didn't own any steamships and whose president was Thomas Cabot) owned and established Radio Swan on Swan Island, a covert black operation to win supporters for U.S. policies and discredit Fidel Castro.
Both the Batista and Castro families lived near Banes, an American enclave of the United Fruit Company, where American goods were sold and where English was more prevalent than Spanish. Americans developed golf clubs and tennis clubs and owned beaches that were closed to the Cuban public.
United Fruit began to acquire its property around 1900. It owned two huge sugar mills, Preston and Boston in Oriente Province, that employed roughly 40,000 people and had an annual payroll of approximately $10 million 1960 dollars. At first, United Fruit hired
Jamaicans and Haitians to work the sugar plantations, bur eventually used Cuban labor. The company also owned cattle ranches and ocher businesses, and sponsored a hospital, schools and churches for its employees.
Haysoos Cristy. ThanksDaniel .You really did add to my repertoire. Much thanks friend.
Now to copy and paste.
It is my humble opinon, that had not the millionaire elite that had been cancelled, had not bitched to their represenatives and senators. Castro would not have become a client of Russia, and Kruschev taught him to be a communist.
Same deal with Venezuela, were not Exxon Mobil had it's fingers so deep into our politics when Chavez had the audacity to think that Venezuelan oil was Venezula's, there would be no middle and upper middle class buying airplane tickets to Mexico with the laughable story that our stupid press buys into wholesale, that they trekked through Colombia, the Darien Gap and up the Pan American Highway to arrive in design clothes,freshly scrubbed with daughters carrying dolls and sons soccer balls.. Thousands more Christian conservative to tilt our politics even more to the right.
...& the casinos will rake it in, the corporate money will entertain US military based in Key West – – well anyone who can hop a flight...
yes prostitution will make a lot of money ... no, homosexuals will not be imprisoned ... neighbors will not tell on neighbors... as a fat cats will have their cigars put out... the mountains will have electricity....
Baptista will not be a king ... Che will go on to be cheered every time his name is mentioned.
... so I take someone fat in your family lost some money?
And you want to
tag JFK❓....the US lost the entire Cuban market – – what a pity... they generally vote Republican in Miami....
You have additional courage to apparently be open to understanding such hard information. My husband was in country with the Marines in Korea, and served into the Vietnam time. He got his head around all the Republican betrayals. Died in 2019. Hartmann soulmate.
Mr. Hartman I remember all the events you describe and I saw them as you do. Still, your masterful summary takes my breath away. I recommend your blog to everyone I can.
Many thanks for this very interesting to an outsider.
I knew a lot of it but also not a lot.
Just imagine if Gore had become President. Maybe the US would not be polluting the universe and would maybe not have had a Military Industrial Complex.
IF the people had not voted for these charlatans maybe the US would also have a decent healthcare and educational system.
A good post, save one thing. A nation without an effective military to act as a deterrrent, becomes a satrap for one that has an effective military.
If you doubt that, look no further than Latin America, Africa, the Pacific Islands.
India keeps China at bay, as it has missiles and nukes, and an army bigger, more combat effective than China's parade army.
If America did not have an effective military deterrent, then America would now be a satrap or a country divided with satrap's ,including Japan, Germany and Russia.. Europe would be goose stepping to Mssr Toothbrush, and seig heiling until their arms fell off/
This is extraordinarily inappropriate and offensive language; I’m banning this user from commenting for 30 days. People are welcome to disagree here without being abusive.
Mr. Hartman. Go ahead and ban him. This is your blog. You have rightly judged his comments to be unacceptably objectionable.
Years ago when I worked in the Ford stamping plant in River Rouge, Michigan, the various foremen in the factory used such language as they competed within the huge plant to gain access to various resources while they struggled to keep their part of the overall operation going. They commonly yelled at one another a favorite phrase: "Don't f*** my dog" Which meant leave my operation alone. Do not interfere with the workmen in my department. Alternatively they would scream: "I'll f*** your dog" Which meant I will interfere in your department's operation. This is the kind of language common to those trapped in the "Dark Satanic Mills" of my youth. This kind of hateful, obscene, profanity is common enough that it begs comment by itself.
What is this kind of illiterate cursing used for in our daily social intercourse? What is its purpose? It is a lazy way of responding to people and ideas one opposes. It is a substitute for rational thought, especially when it appears in print. Such embarrassing abandonment of thoughtful, explication serves only one purpose: it purges the hater's bile without summoning any effort on his part.
I do not reject all cursing here. Some cursing has its place. When my late Moroccan sister in law cursed someone, she began listing all the things her victim had done in the past which deserved her contempt. She then began to do the same thing with all her victim's relatives: grandparents, parents siblings, children and so on. If she happened to be in good form, this would be just the beginning of her tirade. But never in her recitation would she stoop to the lazy simpleton's use of vulgar words or expressions as Mr. Sobanii has.
Perhaps if I were still working in that "DarkSatanic Mill" I would have long since succumbed to the temptation to adopt the language of the harassed, raging, thoughtless denizens found there. You are justified in setting limits on your blog.
Giselle's ability to curse her opponents made me proud to be her brother in law.
Don't eff my dog. I wonder how that would have flown,when I was a rookie drill sergeant and another one abandoned his troops to come over and "eff" with mine.
I told him off, and because he was an old hand, and I was rookie, he complained and the next thing I was off training recruits in another outfit. Worked out great for me, I soon got promoted, doubtful I would if I had stayed.
You have given us nothing to make anyone doubt the truth of Mr. Hartmann's article, and yet here you are, back to put the cherry on top of your pile of brain phlegm. The absolute confidence of absolute ignorance is formidable indeed.
Thom Hartmann outdoes Thom Hartmann on this one... Wow.
And here it is: The absolute very least everyone in America should know about the GOP. Period.
It would be a crime against democracy, truth, and humanity if this factual chronology isn't the feature story tomorrow on every major news publication/ broadcast. It's not like Thom's work is unknown to the giant media outlets, let's be real.
Because our education system has been ransacked and censored by the GOP (the PR firm which exclusively represents the monied predatory class) we stumble deaf, dumb, and blind around grimly consequential truths. Truths we must know in order to survive. Truths that can only reach the majority in an impactful way by major organizations which proclaim to do just that - keep us informed on what we need to know.
It's easy to tolerate something when you're unaware of it - until you're abruptly really aware of it.
I ask our beloved for-profit media apparatus, earn those billions for once. Publish Thom's piece. Everyone needs to know...
Excellent article Thom! I wish we could get the Republicans to read it! The Trump humpers have no problem believing complete nonsense of their own making. Unlimited greed always breeds wealth inequality which ends up in a train wreck for all of humanity except a very few. Somehow the left needs to come up with some money for commercials and start educating the right wingers with television ads if they're allowed on air. Also the left better hope that Biden is on democracies side, because at this point we don't have a choice. I strongly suspect while the right has been undermining democracy, they have actually gained control over the Democratic party. It would be wise to start growing and canning your own food this spring.
I don't get "the right ...gained control over the Democratic Party" part. Surely most brethren here wish the Democrats stood up stronger for this or that, but.....? Re: your survivalist end-note: I still wish I had kept my Uncle's '65 Chevy 3/4-ton granny gear on the floor truck. Even if the battery was dead, all you had to do was get her rollin' a bit to start. And we think technology is so brilliant.....
Vincent Bugliosi provided us with two very fine resources, "The Betrayal of America: How the Supreme Court Undermined the Constitution and Choose Our President", and "The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder". Mr. Bugliosi was a formidable D.A. for LA County and is well known for the prosecution of the Manson Family. He is a remarkable advocate of the rule of law. His books are certainly worth reading.
Thanks for adding so much information to our knowledge base. It is so upsetting that the undermining of this country has been going on for decades, and it’s just about complete. Even if Biden wins again, forces of evil will still find a way to do their dirty work and keep trying. I don’t know how we can win, given that they have so destroyed our educational system that students are not learning about fascism and oligarchy and sociopathic malignant narcissists. They have also taken over the media so that half the people in this country believe it’s the Democrats that will harm democracy. The Fox News crowd has been convinced that they are the patriots and that the Democrats hate America. With education taken over, and the media taken over, how the heck do we ever keep our democracy?
Now and then I go off on a rant to myself hopeful that kids haven't changed so much that they still aren't going to go crazy/smart finding out what their parents forbid. Isn't the banned book the hottest? Of course, many people of all ages have had serious thought about personal freedom and government jackboots under your kitchen table since Injustice Alito's "Dobbs" ruling.
Holy hell what a history of bad actors, literally in Reagan's case!
It has taken a lifetime of study to get to this through-line, but you knocked it out of the park, Thom.
The Republican brain is prone to making decisions from the gut and quickly; this is the result. They may not have much of a conscience about it either, particularly in the case of the people mentioned.
At least we know what we are dealing with today. That was not the case in the past. It doesn't mean we can stop all of it, but we can try to wake people up.
Doug Not Nixon but Goldwater, this ignorant dumb ass voted for Goldwater, not because he was fascist, because at that time, the biggest threat was Communism, Goldwater simply kicked the ball to Nixon,, that was before I WOKE up.
I must remember to indicate to whom I am addressing when I comment, because the way sustack comments, my comment can appear out of order.
Unfortunately it appears to me that there is a very good chance of a nuclear Holocaust in the not too distant future just over natural resources. The narcissistic reptile brain thugs never seem to have enough money.
Sure do, and I remember the Democrat ad, of a little girl plucking a daisy, and in the back ground a count down and a mushroom cloud.
That ad, taught the Republicans ,that the lizard brain threatened is how the public votes, and have only enhanced their expertise, while Democrats sit by silently, watching doom unfold, they have had success at the Presidential level, but not down ticket., and I fear that the clock has run out.
We need to take a strong stand against the massive number of migrants entering our borders or Trump will likely win. A Trump victory would likely be devastating to democracy here and worldwide. The migration issue is too important to ignore or underestimate. Too much is at stake!
As I remember it, it seems like the parties have sort of switched views on the immigration issue. In the 80’s Republicans said we need immigrants because Americans wouldn’t do the jobs. (Well not for what they wanted to pay).
It’s a good bet that big money still wants cheap labor along with tax cuts. Let’s hope big money is not influencing the Democratic party to let migrants in. This would push down labor costs while getting Republicans elected.
Some things that Biden could do:
Announce a temporary freeze on allowing asylum seekers to enter our border except for the most extreme cases of unjust persecution or war. This could last until the backlog of asylum cases can be greatly reduced.
Unqualified asylum seekers should be deported as soon as possible. Have a mandatory e-verify system for newly hired people. Also have a substantial fine for companies knowingly hiring illegally immigrants.
Addressing this issue is bigger than immigration itself. It affects the direction of our country and the world. Much is at stake!
Did you read the article? Especially the parts where Tricky Dick, Rogue Reagan and other GOP presidents and their minions overthrew democratically elected governments in Latin America?!
And you wonder why migrants come here? It’s mostly because the US has spent decades destroying and destabilizing the governments in their countries.
Please educate yourself before you start spouting off crazy schemes to terrorize people coming here for asylum. What did you/they think the result would be?
And stop supporting the politicians who continue to destabilize countries in Latin America!
We bribed Cubans to come to this country under an LBJ policy. Largest brain drain in history . Entire professional class moved to Miami. Same people are brainwashed and vote Republican.
Yes, I read it and reread it. It's a great article, the general public should be aware of this. We could of had much better presidents if not for the corruption. I don't want Trump to have a second term, I don't want him to get close. We can't give him the immigration issue.
The asylum program is for unjust persecution, not for economic conditions. We can't have a unlimited number of people coming in just to improve their economic conditions. If we don't address this, we could have a second Trump term.
Doug: I've covered this before other liberals, especially progressives don't want to hear it.
I am a bonafide democratic socialist, but not DSA idiots they are.
I don't get liberals and their bleeding hearts over immigrants. They have it too damn good, and have nary a thought of the future.
Immigrants from Latin America are basically of the same culture as Norte Americanos., different language, not hard to learn or speak, tough to understand when the ear is not acustomed, but they are very, very conserrvative and fit right in with the Republicans, as they are "family values" meaning patriarchal, misognist, and anti LGBT. So why do feckless lefties whine for them. it only means the demise of the left.
Europe has the same problem. Only it is an alien culture, that is not compatible with western culture and when they are of a sufficient percentage of the population, the culture will change
Europeans know that and that is why Orban rules Hungary, he promised to build a fence and he did, Poland, France, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Italy are seeing the train coming down the track and that accounts for the shift to the right, and it will win., as the flow from Africa and the Mideast increases.
None of this makes me a Trumpist or a conservative, but I have the native intelligence, the reasoning skills to see the world as it is, not as I wish it to be.
Thanks William, the situation could get much worse. Maybe we could make deals with South American countries to house large numbers of migrants, to stop the flow from coming here. The asylum program was meant for unjust persecution, not for economic conditions. If the situation is not addressed, we could likely get Trump.
I somehow missed your comments the other day. I don't know what to say, except thanks a million and you go girl! You got a big head start on me, since I didn't get active except to advance my primary mission to remove compulsory attendance laws until I was nearly your current age. I was a single parent struggling with some very difficult personal and family issues and tragedies for about a decade and I daydreamed through most of my school years for reasons which would take a while to explain. For many years I was one of those people who had decided that we are just pawns and that both parties are corrupt and what we say and do has little effect. I finally recognized that there is no excuse for remaining on the sidelines. Despite my recurring negativity and cynicism, I am an inveterate optimist. People such as yourself do matter and can have a great impact. Nevertheless, I am obliged to say it one more time. Democracy will die a slow death and possibly an accelerated death if people continue to be miseducated. You appear to believe that your education came from your schooling and "civics classes". You probably had some amazing and inspirational teachers, although I sincerely doubt that the schools deserve much credit for what you have become and have accomplished. Possibly you were the fortunate exception to the rule. The truth is that democracy must be experienced and lived and freedom must reside in the mind and body before it can be applied in one's life. To the extent it is missing in schools- which it clearly is - which is solely because of bad laws, it will be compromised and ultimately destroyed in this country. That is the message which needs to be understood, post haste.
This is a dizzying compendium (sadly) of very accurate detailed information. What do we do with it besides declaring the Republican Party a criminal enterprise? Who will listen or understand the history and implications? What part of the whole population truly comprehends what democracy requires and can provide that in time, or how many value real democracy over the pocket change they have to spend for high-priced gas and consumer items to maintain their lifestyle? We will have answers soon enough.
...HEY ‼️➡️....uuhhhhh
...it's up to ...us
....YOU ... ME ...& ➡️YOU ...& ur entourage
...ur uncle ...a hand out to everyone you PASS ... to everyone in the job
... What are you waiting for?
Lulie,
Your point is well taken and no one can disagree. However, that philosophy and approach seem to be failing us. There have been many individuals and groups diligently working and spreading the messages of peace, democracy, fairness, love, empathy, and logic or science-based policy during my 82 years, and we were rewarded with a right-wing Supreme Court, billionaires with phenomenal power, a Republican cult with Trump as its leader, and climate destabilization, just to name a few of our concerns.
I could have marched in more demonstrations and sacrificed more of my time, energy, and resources, I’m sure. But I am not feeling particularly guilty since I did more than many others (sometimes neglecting my family and sacrificing greatly) and saw little change as a result. My question is why is the brick wall blocking change and the blaring noise drowning out our voices? Why do so many people find truth unappealing or threatening? When there are so many deaf ears and the right-wing talking points and inanities are seared into the consciousness of my “entourage” how do I penetrate their defenses to deliver knowledge and confidence in democracy? Hand-outs? Arguing with robots?
Education is the stock answer. Miseducation is the primary challenge. I do not hear anyone here providing meaningful antidotes because they do not understand the challenge or its fundamental cause and they cling to myths about schools which inoculate students from truth and reality better than any brainwashing campaign could ever imagine. That is not a reason to throw in the towel, but my towel is pretty threadbare at this point. I'm tired. You may have to take up my slack these days.
Robert, I am 54, and I have been an active civic participant from teen years to date. It will be my pleasure to take on even more in your name. How about phone banking three times a week? :)
Being 28 years ahead of me, I thank you for all you have done that made my life what it was and is living Aug 16, 1969 to today. I was taught civics in public school. I was NEVER traumatized by a nuclear bomb or active shooter drill, and I've said for a decade know how damned lucky my generation was to be educated in the 70s and 80s, best decades. I could afford a college degree working while attending at night. I had endless opportunities to pursue. I have achieved everything I put my mindset to and succeeded. I got to choose when and if I wanted children and with whom to have them. I have been free to love whoever I wanted, support myself properly as a single woman, come and go as I please, travel our nation and abroad, buy a home, save for retirement, and now spend it all before I get sick as humans will and robbed of everything I busted tail to save and am bankrupted by our criminal healthcare system.
I quit working at 50 and became a fulltime activist. Prior to this while working a professional 9-5 job, I worked the polls, registered voters, volunteered, managed, and donated to campaigns, and held a monthly progressives meeting on my town. I marched in demonstrations and never missed a social opportunity to apply Thom's motto, "Get in, get active! Democracy isn't free! Tag, you're it!" :)
I am currently hell bent in my singular pursuit to see our democracy live on. I, for one, refuse to go down quietly. They got the wrong one here, Robert! So thank you, my beloved friend, for the blazing torch. I hope and pray I am serving your gift well. Your contributions are recognized, respected, and continued. God bless! In solidarity, xoxo Frances
...possibly, robert, because...
good fences make good neighbors
? that...& midas
....i feel ur fatigued despair...
....i only regret that i have but
1 life....
Thanks for the empathy. If I feel despair, it is usually short lived. I vacillate, as most of us do. I am very grateful for people such as you and Frances and Thom who are fighting the good fight and renewing our hope daily or at least periodically. It may be false hope but we do only have one life and maybe all we can ask for is to not outlive our optimism.
Well said! I believe you covered every question I had finishing Thom's sobering piece. Thank you! :) Happy Holidays! Frances
The Dulles Brothers by Stephen Kinzer, an xcellent book that explains why America is still hated by much of the world today. To think we could have had Adlai Stevenson instead still breaks my heart. He was too good for us.
We used to refer to them as, "Dull, Duller, Dulles." Darn, I'd forgotten about those boys. Thanks, Mary!
Thom. I watched your program with Lamar Waldron. I agree with most of what you say. Since Nixon, the Republican Party has entrenched here in Baghdad By the Sea, where we once had the North South Institute - the headquarters of the CIA operation into Cuba. Since 1962 after the Bay of Pigs debacle, the Republican Party could rely on a false narrative to pin the failure on Kennedy.
Actually the blame should fall on Allen Dulles, chief bumbler and stumbler. Allen W Dulles, was an international lawyer in the same law firm, with the same background as his brother, the secretary of state. As head of the CIA, he had supervised the overthrow of elected governments in Iran and Guatemala. On March 17, 1960, he was officially delegated the responsibility of doing the same in Cuba.
The Dulles brothers had saved intervention of United Fruit property by overthrowing the Arbenz regime just six years earlier. Ir would later be revealed that some of the ships used by Brigade 2506 were supplied by United Fruit.
Had the U.S. actually contemplated land reform and considered the risk-reward relationship inherent in covert war, we could have made sure that American companies were given just compensation, and probably saved many American companies from expropriation. After the losses occurred, American taxpayers had to foot the bill for tax write-offs and insurance companies had to pay claims arising from expropriations. At the time the issue was not so much the amount of the losses, but how they would be repaid .65 Cuba offered bonds. The U.S. could easily have negotiated loans to pay the amount of judgments due American landholders, saving the American taxpayers and insurance companies full exposure for losses. The U.S. also could have negotiated ways to minimize the judgments, by transfer of some of the properties co Cuban interests, as some American companies had done previously. However, as a result, many American companies and individuals lost everything and many Cubans and Americans suffered even more in the pain and agony of displacement and separation.
From a commercial standpoint, the U.S. lost the entire Cuban market, and Cuba lost its number one customer. It would take several years to replace the loss of jobs and revenue.
The Cuban government did not begin to expropriate all American property until after the U.S. government imposed the trade embargo, months after the Cuban/Soviet trade deal.
(This comes from my book, Breaking Up with Cuba, out of print.
If you can rebut that Kennedy narrative, convince the Cuban American National Foundation, maybe the entire political situation here might change.
Thanks Daniel for the refresher. I forgot all about Jacobo Arbenz and Guatemala. I believe it is worth pointing out that George H W (Pappy) Bush was the owner of United Fruit (Now Georgie's Chiquita Banana). I checked Wikipedia's entry on United Fruit and it basically Jumps from 1952 to 1970.
But I know how Wikie works. It allows paid editors (pro's that write for corporations and celebrities) to write an article, if they self disclose they are being paid, and they have references, that leaves them able to lie by omission, which is exactly the problem with their articles on Nixon, Reagan, United Fruit and others.
Anyone can edit wikipedia, but if you are a troll you will be caught out, and if you try to edit some one like Nixon and Reaqan and their treason, be warned there is a hall monitor that has the page on their Watch List and will jump in and revert your edit, and if you try to revert their revert, they will pull in a group of hall monitors, and charge you with starting a revert war, and that is a big no no.
And the hall monitors are a clique, they even attend Wikipedia conferences, and long time editors have established relationships and reputations, and the cadre of hall monitors support them. It is Trump appearing in Aileen Cannons court.
If anyone doubts me you can try and edit Nixon and Reagans page, to demonstrate their treason, even with reliable secondary sources, but first you need to learn their policy and guidelines.
He was president of Zapata Petroleum Corporation, founded in 1953. Zapata was connected to the CIA, and many of the corporate records are lost. Were involved in Guatemala and Cuba.
GHW Bush was the "money man" for the Bay of Pigs debacle. Two of the boats were named Barbara and Houston, after Barbara Bush and his adopted hometown, Houston.
Under Secretary of State's John Moors Cabot's brother Thomas Dudley Cabot had been president of United Fruit. John Moors Cabot was a major shareholder of United Fruit as was another family member, Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.
In 1951, Thomas Cabot was U.S. Department of State's Director of Office of International Security Affairs during the Truman administration where he spoke for the State Department on NATO affairs, was in charge of a U.S. program arming allies throughout the world, and supervised the disbursement of $6 billion in foreign economic and military aid.
In 1960, a Central Intelligence Agency cover[, Gibraltar Steamship Company (which didn't own any steamships and whose president was Thomas Cabot) owned and established Radio Swan on Swan Island, a covert black operation to win supporters for U.S. policies and discredit Fidel Castro.
Both the Batista and Castro families lived near Banes, an American enclave of the United Fruit Company, where American goods were sold and where English was more prevalent than Spanish. Americans developed golf clubs and tennis clubs and owned beaches that were closed to the Cuban public.
United Fruit began to acquire its property around 1900. It owned two huge sugar mills, Preston and Boston in Oriente Province, that employed roughly 40,000 people and had an annual payroll of approximately $10 million 1960 dollars. At first, United Fruit hired
Jamaicans and Haitians to work the sugar plantations, bur eventually used Cuban labor. The company also owned cattle ranches and ocher businesses, and sponsored a hospital, schools and churches for its employees.
Haysoos Cristy. ThanksDaniel .You really did add to my repertoire. Much thanks friend.
Now to copy and paste.
It is my humble opinon, that had not the millionaire elite that had been cancelled, had not bitched to their represenatives and senators. Castro would not have become a client of Russia, and Kruschev taught him to be a communist.
Same deal with Venezuela, were not Exxon Mobil had it's fingers so deep into our politics when Chavez had the audacity to think that Venezuelan oil was Venezula's, there would be no middle and upper middle class buying airplane tickets to Mexico with the laughable story that our stupid press buys into wholesale, that they trekked through Colombia, the Darien Gap and up the Pan American Highway to arrive in design clothes,freshly scrubbed with daughters carrying dolls and sons soccer balls.. Thousands more Christian conservative to tilt our politics even more to the right.
Mr. Solomon. Thank you for filling in so many gaps. No, not gaps, canyons. In any case, thanks.
...& the casinos will rake it in, the corporate money will entertain US military based in Key West – – well anyone who can hop a flight...
yes prostitution will make a lot of money ... no, homosexuals will not be imprisoned ... neighbors will not tell on neighbors... as a fat cats will have their cigars put out... the mountains will have electricity....
Baptista will not be a king ... Che will go on to be cheered every time his name is mentioned.
... so I take someone fat in your family lost some money?
And you want to
tag JFK❓....the US lost the entire Cuban market – – what a pity... they generally vote Republican in Miami....
do you ❓
So, 38% of the names on the Vietnam Memorial Wall in DC died so that Tricky Dick might finally become a winner.
As a Vietnam Vet I just metaphorically threw up in my mouth . . . more than a little bit.
Treasonous Scum was he.
Same here,Look on the wall in the area of Sep 1967, and you will see the names of my four team mates.
You have additional courage to apparently be open to understanding such hard information. My husband was in country with the Marines in Korea, and served into the Vietnam time. He got his head around all the Republican betrayals. Died in 2019. Hartmann soulmate.
Mr. Hartman I remember all the events you describe and I saw them as you do. Still, your masterful summary takes my breath away. I recommend your blog to everyone I can.
Many thanks for this very interesting to an outsider.
I knew a lot of it but also not a lot.
Just imagine if Gore had become President. Maybe the US would not be polluting the universe and would maybe not have had a Military Industrial Complex.
IF the people had not voted for these charlatans maybe the US would also have a decent healthcare and educational system.
Seems like i's all a bit too late.
A good post, save one thing. A nation without an effective military to act as a deterrrent, becomes a satrap for one that has an effective military.
If you doubt that, look no further than Latin America, Africa, the Pacific Islands.
India keeps China at bay, as it has missiles and nukes, and an army bigger, more combat effective than China's parade army.
If America did not have an effective military deterrent, then America would now be a satrap or a country divided with satrap's ,including Japan, Germany and Russia.. Europe would be goose stepping to Mssr Toothbrush, and seig heiling until their arms fell off/
This is extraordinarily inappropriate and offensive language; I’m banning this user from commenting for 30 days. People are welcome to disagree here without being abusive.
Mr. Hartman. Go ahead and ban him. This is your blog. You have rightly judged his comments to be unacceptably objectionable.
Years ago when I worked in the Ford stamping plant in River Rouge, Michigan, the various foremen in the factory used such language as they competed within the huge plant to gain access to various resources while they struggled to keep their part of the overall operation going. They commonly yelled at one another a favorite phrase: "Don't f*** my dog" Which meant leave my operation alone. Do not interfere with the workmen in my department. Alternatively they would scream: "I'll f*** your dog" Which meant I will interfere in your department's operation. This is the kind of language common to those trapped in the "Dark Satanic Mills" of my youth. This kind of hateful, obscene, profanity is common enough that it begs comment by itself.
What is this kind of illiterate cursing used for in our daily social intercourse? What is its purpose? It is a lazy way of responding to people and ideas one opposes. It is a substitute for rational thought, especially when it appears in print. Such embarrassing abandonment of thoughtful, explication serves only one purpose: it purges the hater's bile without summoning any effort on his part.
I do not reject all cursing here. Some cursing has its place. When my late Moroccan sister in law cursed someone, she began listing all the things her victim had done in the past which deserved her contempt. She then began to do the same thing with all her victim's relatives: grandparents, parents siblings, children and so on. If she happened to be in good form, this would be just the beginning of her tirade. But never in her recitation would she stoop to the lazy simpleton's use of vulgar words or expressions as Mr. Sobanii has.
Perhaps if I were still working in that "DarkSatanic Mill" I would have long since succumbed to the temptation to adopt the language of the harassed, raging, thoughtless denizens found there. You are justified in setting limits on your blog.
Giselle's ability to curse her opponents made me proud to be her brother in law.
Don't eff my dog. I wonder how that would have flown,when I was a rookie drill sergeant and another one abandoned his troops to come over and "eff" with mine.
I told him off, and because he was an old hand, and I was rookie, he complained and the next thing I was off training recruits in another outfit. Worked out great for me, I soon got promoted, doubtful I would if I had stayed.
Thanks for making a fool of yourself to show everyone exactly how all this insanity has come to be. Very brave of you, I must say.
Like I give a shit what you think.
Y'all suckin' down some bullshit and getting pissed off I've got the gumption to point it out.
You have given us nothing to make anyone doubt the truth of Mr. Hartmann's article, and yet here you are, back to put the cherry on top of your pile of brain phlegm. The absolute confidence of absolute ignorance is formidable indeed.
Why would I waste my time? Would anything make you doubt it?
Then why do you waste your time responding? Hypocrite.
You were banned for being an asshole. I would ban you for being a right wing troll.
You can say anything you want to me, because frankly I could care less.
It just doesn't mean anything. weird.
You need to be more specific. Do you have an actual point? Or just troll, troll, trolling along?
Unless you can do better than random rudeness, no one here cares what you think.
Move to Russia. Putting would put you in the front lines within 48 hours!
"Putting?"
Are you talking about minigolf?
Thom Hartmann outdoes Thom Hartmann on this one... Wow.
And here it is: The absolute very least everyone in America should know about the GOP. Period.
It would be a crime against democracy, truth, and humanity if this factual chronology isn't the feature story tomorrow on every major news publication/ broadcast. It's not like Thom's work is unknown to the giant media outlets, let's be real.
Because our education system has been ransacked and censored by the GOP (the PR firm which exclusively represents the monied predatory class) we stumble deaf, dumb, and blind around grimly consequential truths. Truths we must know in order to survive. Truths that can only reach the majority in an impactful way by major organizations which proclaim to do just that - keep us informed on what we need to know.
It's easy to tolerate something when you're unaware of it - until you're abruptly really aware of it.
I ask our beloved for-profit media apparatus, earn those billions for once. Publish Thom's piece. Everyone needs to know...
Excellent article Thom! I wish we could get the Republicans to read it! The Trump humpers have no problem believing complete nonsense of their own making. Unlimited greed always breeds wealth inequality which ends up in a train wreck for all of humanity except a very few. Somehow the left needs to come up with some money for commercials and start educating the right wingers with television ads if they're allowed on air. Also the left better hope that Biden is on democracies side, because at this point we don't have a choice. I strongly suspect while the right has been undermining democracy, they have actually gained control over the Democratic party. It would be wise to start growing and canning your own food this spring.
I don't get "the right ...gained control over the Democratic Party" part. Surely most brethren here wish the Democrats stood up stronger for this or that, but.....? Re: your survivalist end-note: I still wish I had kept my Uncle's '65 Chevy 3/4-ton granny gear on the floor truck. Even if the battery was dead, all you had to do was get her rollin' a bit to start. And we think technology is so brilliant.....
Excellent summary, thank you.
Vincent Bugliosi provided us with two very fine resources, "The Betrayal of America: How the Supreme Court Undermined the Constitution and Choose Our President", and "The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder". Mr. Bugliosi was a formidable D.A. for LA County and is well known for the prosecution of the Manson Family. He is a remarkable advocate of the rule of law. His books are certainly worth reading.
Thanks for adding so much information to our knowledge base. It is so upsetting that the undermining of this country has been going on for decades, and it’s just about complete. Even if Biden wins again, forces of evil will still find a way to do their dirty work and keep trying. I don’t know how we can win, given that they have so destroyed our educational system that students are not learning about fascism and oligarchy and sociopathic malignant narcissists. They have also taken over the media so that half the people in this country believe it’s the Democrats that will harm democracy. The Fox News crowd has been convinced that they are the patriots and that the Democrats hate America. With education taken over, and the media taken over, how the heck do we ever keep our democracy?
Now and then I go off on a rant to myself hopeful that kids haven't changed so much that they still aren't going to go crazy/smart finding out what their parents forbid. Isn't the banned book the hottest? Of course, many people of all ages have had serious thought about personal freedom and government jackboots under your kitchen table since Injustice Alito's "Dobbs" ruling.
Holy hell what a history of bad actors, literally in Reagan's case!
It has taken a lifetime of study to get to this through-line, but you knocked it out of the park, Thom.
The Republican brain is prone to making decisions from the gut and quickly; this is the result. They may not have much of a conscience about it either, particularly in the case of the people mentioned.
At least we know what we are dealing with today. That was not the case in the past. It doesn't mean we can stop all of it, but we can try to wake people up.
Doug Not Nixon but Goldwater, this ignorant dumb ass voted for Goldwater, not because he was fascist, because at that time, the biggest threat was Communism, Goldwater simply kicked the ball to Nixon,, that was before I WOKE up.
I must remember to indicate to whom I am addressing when I comment, because the way sustack comments, my comment can appear out of order.
Mr. Farrar. Do you remember that Barry Goldwater said he would use nuclear weapons if elected to the White House? Humankind dodged a bullet there.
Unfortunately it appears to me that there is a very good chance of a nuclear Holocaust in the not too distant future just over natural resources. The narcissistic reptile brain thugs never seem to have enough money.
Sure do, and I remember the Democrat ad, of a little girl plucking a daisy, and in the back ground a count down and a mushroom cloud.
That ad, taught the Republicans ,that the lizard brain threatened is how the public votes, and have only enhanced their expertise, while Democrats sit by silently, watching doom unfold, they have had success at the Presidential level, but not down ticket., and I fear that the clock has run out.
No to Trump Yes to Biden!
We need to take a strong stand against the massive number of migrants entering our borders or Trump will likely win. A Trump victory would likely be devastating to democracy here and worldwide. The migration issue is too important to ignore or underestimate. Too much is at stake!
As I remember it, it seems like the parties have sort of switched views on the immigration issue. In the 80’s Republicans said we need immigrants because Americans wouldn’t do the jobs. (Well not for what they wanted to pay).
It’s a good bet that big money still wants cheap labor along with tax cuts. Let’s hope big money is not influencing the Democratic party to let migrants in. This would push down labor costs while getting Republicans elected.
Some things that Biden could do:
Announce a temporary freeze on allowing asylum seekers to enter our border except for the most extreme cases of unjust persecution or war. This could last until the backlog of asylum cases can be greatly reduced.
Unqualified asylum seekers should be deported as soon as possible. Have a mandatory e-verify system for newly hired people. Also have a substantial fine for companies knowingly hiring illegally immigrants.
Addressing this issue is bigger than immigration itself. It affects the direction of our country and the world. Much is at stake!
Did you read the article? Especially the parts where Tricky Dick, Rogue Reagan and other GOP presidents and their minions overthrew democratically elected governments in Latin America?!
And you wonder why migrants come here? It’s mostly because the US has spent decades destroying and destabilizing the governments in their countries.
Please educate yourself before you start spouting off crazy schemes to terrorize people coming here for asylum. What did you/they think the result would be?
And stop supporting the politicians who continue to destabilize countries in Latin America!
We bribed Cubans to come to this country under an LBJ policy. Largest brain drain in history . Entire professional class moved to Miami. Same people are brainwashed and vote Republican.
Yes, I read it and reread it. It's a great article, the general public should be aware of this. We could of had much better presidents if not for the corruption. I don't want Trump to have a second term, I don't want him to get close. We can't give him the immigration issue.
The asylum program is for unjust persecution, not for economic conditions. We can't have a unlimited number of people coming in just to improve their economic conditions. If we don't address this, we could have a second Trump term.
Doug: I've covered this before other liberals, especially progressives don't want to hear it.
I am a bonafide democratic socialist, but not DSA idiots they are.
I don't get liberals and their bleeding hearts over immigrants. They have it too damn good, and have nary a thought of the future.
Immigrants from Latin America are basically of the same culture as Norte Americanos., different language, not hard to learn or speak, tough to understand when the ear is not acustomed, but they are very, very conserrvative and fit right in with the Republicans, as they are "family values" meaning patriarchal, misognist, and anti LGBT. So why do feckless lefties whine for them. it only means the demise of the left.
Europe has the same problem. Only it is an alien culture, that is not compatible with western culture and when they are of a sufficient percentage of the population, the culture will change
Europeans know that and that is why Orban rules Hungary, he promised to build a fence and he did, Poland, France, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Italy are seeing the train coming down the track and that accounts for the shift to the right, and it will win., as the flow from Africa and the Mideast increases.
None of this makes me a Trumpist or a conservative, but I have the native intelligence, the reasoning skills to see the world as it is, not as I wish it to be.
Thanks William, the situation could get much worse. Maybe we could make deals with South American countries to house large numbers of migrants, to stop the flow from coming here. The asylum program was meant for unjust persecution, not for economic conditions. If the situation is not addressed, we could likely get Trump.
Excellent article again...
wondering... given the new theory on Kennedy assassination do you think Nixon and his buddies had something to do with it?
Frances,
I somehow missed your comments the other day. I don't know what to say, except thanks a million and you go girl! You got a big head start on me, since I didn't get active except to advance my primary mission to remove compulsory attendance laws until I was nearly your current age. I was a single parent struggling with some very difficult personal and family issues and tragedies for about a decade and I daydreamed through most of my school years for reasons which would take a while to explain. For many years I was one of those people who had decided that we are just pawns and that both parties are corrupt and what we say and do has little effect. I finally recognized that there is no excuse for remaining on the sidelines. Despite my recurring negativity and cynicism, I am an inveterate optimist. People such as yourself do matter and can have a great impact. Nevertheless, I am obliged to say it one more time. Democracy will die a slow death and possibly an accelerated death if people continue to be miseducated. You appear to believe that your education came from your schooling and "civics classes". You probably had some amazing and inspirational teachers, although I sincerely doubt that the schools deserve much credit for what you have become and have accomplished. Possibly you were the fortunate exception to the rule. The truth is that democracy must be experienced and lived and freedom must reside in the mind and body before it can be applied in one's life. To the extent it is missing in schools- which it clearly is - which is solely because of bad laws, it will be compromised and ultimately destroyed in this country. That is the message which needs to be understood, post haste.
It makes my blood boil.