Jim Hightower: Just heard him on NPR and he was great

[linazelle]

He is a radio host in Texas, and wrote the book "Thieves in High Places."

He talked about people giving up because of the current malfeasance in government but he said that all is not lost.

He said that even though we abhor the evangelical input to the administration--that we also have values in common with them: like the environment. That one of their basic tenets is that God does not expect us to know how the earth was created but that he expects us to take care of it. He said that we should seek common ground where and when possible.

He talked about the media and being the media. He talked about all of the alternative sources of information available to get the progressive message out today. He said that we may not see the return of power in our lifetimes, but then neither did those who fought in the women's suffrage movement--they all died before women got the right to vote. Fifty to 60 years ago, there wasn't a "media" as we know it today--and things got done anyway.

He said we need to take advantage of opportunities to communicate the important information that we have to others at every opportunity.

He was also very funny--said Barbara's pearls are probably a little bit too tight and that her son, the rancher, doesn't own any cattle--they're borrowed from the people that sold him the ranch which is really a farm--but he does have a really expensive hat. All hat no cattle for real.

Lots of info about him on Google. Here's a link from Mother Jones where ABC Radio tried to can him. http://www.motherjones.com/news/qa/1995/11/smith.html

At the end of the program, they gave a website, http://alternativeradio.org.

There was more but you get the idea. Just sharing a bit of what I heard from mostly right-leaning NPR: a pleasant surprise.

[Maat]

1. I love listening to Hightower.

He is also mentioned in "Boosh's Brain." Hightower was a victim of the Tejas Rethuglican apparatus, I believe.

[XOKCowboy]

5. Yep. He got "Roved"

long before Rove went national with Bush.

[BlueJazz]

2. When I lived in St. Paul, I had the pleasure of eating dinner..

with Mr. Hightower and his friends.
It was simply uplifting....I truly got to understand how the "underground" in Europe must
felt during world War II...all the planning and comradeship ...What Fun!!

[Eric J in MN]

3. Watch him Monday night on "Larry King Live" on CNN.

http://www.speakspeak.org/speak-blog/2006/01/29/watch-larry-king-monday-night/

[linazelle]

11. I will be sure to. Thanks. nt

[XOKCowboy]

4. Don't forget jimhightower.com

Go and sign up for his email list. The guy speaks a lot of sense. I wish he'd run for president. I'd vote for him in a heartbeat!

[RB TexLa]

6. Yeah he's great he's former Texas Agriculture Commissioner

[Not_Giving_Up]

7. Yep, and guess who got him knocked out of office...

KKKarl Rove himself.

[Maat]

9. Boy, that Rove has surely earned himself a whole lot of ..

bad kharma!

As we say in my faith, Religious Science, there is an inevitable consequence to years of that kind of behavior ... and that is natural law (the way the universe works).

[eve_was_framed]

8. I really like him! My mother has that book and I borrowed it from her

and found it to be a really good book!

[Maat]

10. Here's wishing Hightower a successful future ..

that makes up for the crud he suffered at Rove's evil hands.

:toast: