Audio: Thom Hartmann & Paul Lehto: Corporate Takeover of U.S. Elections

[Amaryllis]

From a presentation by Thom Hartmann and Paul Lehto in Portland on July 16.
These are dynamite in terms of framing the issues of the corporate takeover of elections.

Thom Hartmann...about 33 minutes

www.PhilosopherSeed.org/realaudio/thartman.ram

www.PhilosopherSeed.org/mp3/thartman.mp3

Paul Lehto....about 32 minutes

www.PhilosopherSeed.org/realaudio/plehto.ram

www.PhilosopherSeed.org/mp3/plehto.mp3


Note they will both be presenters at the National Election Reform Conference in Portland Sept. 30, Oct. 1 and 2.
See www.oregonvrc.org

[SHRED]

1. thank you n/t

[shanealan]

9. End Corporate Personhood

My organization, the End Corporate Personhood Action Group was one of the organizations to put on this event. It was wonderfully and I'm grateful that it's so accessible on here! for more information on our organization and future events, please visit http://www.ecporegon.org

-Shane Parker Alan

[jarab]

10. Welcome to DU!

...O...

[hiley]

2. Thanks so much!

:9

[wli]

3. Wake up. They're all rigged, Stalin-style.

[Bill Bored]

4. Go Land Shark! nt

[Amaryllis]

5. kick

[Kip Humphrey]

6. Amazing stuff!

[Peace Patriot]

7. I tried to recommend this but time has expired. I suggest you re-post it,

along with some brief description of the contents, or quotes. It's very important. Let's get it to the Greatest Page.

-----

Hey, wli--when someone says, "It's all rigged," I fear the undercurrent, "Don't bother to vote. It's all rigged. Nothin' you can do about it."

But there IS something you can do about it. The control over election systems still resides at the state/local level, where ordinary people still have some influence. Protest, agitate, pressure, organize, demand transparency.

And then there is the strategy of the overwhelming vote: If Kerry had won by 20% instead of his probable (all things considered) 10%, their fraud plan might not have been able to handle it--or, at least, the discrepancies and illegalities would have been even more visible.

We must never give up on our democracy. Never! Many people died for our right to vote. It is the most precious heritage of thousands of years of struggle by the poor and the weak against the rich and the powerful. We must not give in to despair and inaction, and cynicism. We must fight back in whatever venues, and with whatever tools, we have. That's all there is to it. If it's "all rigged," then we chip away at that "all," and make it 90% rigged, and start electing a few people who will protect our right to vote--and then a few more.

Nobody is going to GIVE us democracy--least of all the rich and powerful. We have to fight for it. We have to believe in it. And we have to BE it.

[MelissaB]

8. I second that request.

I haven't had a lot of time on DU lately, and this needs to be on the "greatest" page.