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What a treat! He looks great and his voice is the best I've heard it.
He's talking about Mountaintop mining in West Virgina and what destruction it's wrecking in the arenas of the environment, economy and government. One mtntop mining comapny has more than 67,000 of the Clean Water Act and has never received on cent of a fine. He has thousands of violations of other acts and is able to disable the agencies that enable democracy in the country. His business plan is to violate the law, depopulate the area and keep doing what he's doing (raping and destroying the environment) in spite of breaking the law, His company, in fact, is a criminal activity. Tavis tries to make the point that what he's doing must be legal because he's able to keep on doing what he's doing and RFJ disabused him of that idea. Much more about the conditions in West Virginia. Since 1968, 9 out of 10 jobs have disappeared and yet twice as much coal is being removed from the state with all the profits going up to Wall Street.
Communism is government take over of corprations, Fascism is corporate take over of the government.
He gave a history the evolution of corporatism in the US the last century, through the Gilded age till today. The way we regained our democracy from the corporatists in the early - because there a free media (Upton Sinclair and others) who investigated and brought injustices to light, and a few brave politicians like Teddy Roosevelt.
The Right wing of the Supreme Court doesn't have a conservative bias, it has a corporate bias. Corporations always win. There haven't been any cases of gov't against individual where individuals have won, and there haven't been any cases of corporations against individuals where individuals have won. Corporations against the gov't, corporations win.
No such thing as a liberal media in this country, anybody who tells the truth is branded as a liberal. Media problems began in 1988 with the repeal of the Fairness Doctrine. More on media consolidation and how our media today appeals to that part of our brain that wants to be entertained, we are the best entertained and least informed country. Air America was winning in every market but it failed because it couldn't get advertising, almost all companies boycotted them. He also talked about the take-over of radio by the Christian right. Today 5 giant corporations control 95% of am radio, 2200 of tv stations, 80% newspapers, all billboards and most of the internet providers.
He had the opportunity to be appt'ed to the open senatorial seat in NY by Gov Patterson, looked at it but decided he could get more done outside. with state governments. Talked about how many of his friends in the Congress are so frustrated. Talked about how Obama came in really wanting to change things and implement a single-payer health insurance plan but how he hit the wall of money against him and couldn't move forward with it, same with Cap & Trade.
What makes him hopeful is the advance of innovation - particularly in regards to energy.
Check it out if you get a chance, this has been an inspiring view.
I also watched Alan Greenspan on Charlie Rose tonight. I've never liked him but it was interested to hear his take on the state of the state at this point and I think Charlie Rose is one of the most skilled interviewers on the air (even though he doesn't overtly tilt left). PBS earned it's contribution tonight. Without a doubt, it's a national treasure.
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