I've never heard radio host Thom Hartmann, anyone here has?

[Archae]

I just read that Hartmann is heavily into woo.

http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Thom_Hartmann

[krispos42]

1. 28k posts, and you've never heard of Thom Hartmann?

Man, you're missing a lot. He has a very informative radio show. The Best of the Left podcast includes segments of his show on a regular and frequent basis.

He used to be a major part of Air America, which I listened to on AM950 in the Twin Cities.

[Archae]

3. I don't listen to talk radio. ANY talk radio.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

6. But he is all over the place in left-wing circles. He's had bestselling books. He's a DUer. n/t

[krispos42]

8. I think he had a TV show, too...

YouTube segments are regularly posted on DU, and are usually on the front page.

In fact, there are three related threads up in Video that look like they're from his show.

[Jacoby365]

13. He still has a TV show: The Big Picture

The Big Picture can be seen on RT, which I get with Comcast cable.

[Archae]

19. RT, meaning Russia Today?

I hope not.

Russia Today is to Putin what "Pravda" was to the old Soviet Union.

[Adrahil]

25. Yup, that one.

For some reason, many here buy into that Putin mouthpiece. Weird.

[Tarheel_Dem]

33. Sadly, yes. Many of us thought Thom had scruples & integrity.

I stood up & cheered when I saw this. Someone took on Kremlin sponsored state teevee.

[Adrahil]

58. Thanks for that! nt

[Tarheel_Dem]

59. You're welcome. Hey, did we ever find out if "50 million US households watch RT"? I'm dying to know.

Or was that another, in a long line of embellishments?

[Adrahil]

62. I have no idea, I never heard of them until I came here. Then I checked them out.

I'm kinda shocked that some here don't notice how far in the tank they are for the Kremlin. And now I'm concerned I have some Russian malware on my computer! (kidding on that last part.... mostly)

[Tarheel_Dem]

63. It was an outlandish claim on its face, but I'd love to know the truth. Yeah, I'm not big on Russian

propaganda either. All that needs to said about RT is they gave airspace to this guy.


Alex Jones


Nuff said.

[bvar22]

84. By all means, limit yourself to the corporate approved commercial outlets available in the USA.

FOX, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, NY Times,...Yadda, Yadda, Yadda
They all just want to tell you their truth.

Some people are just more comfortable inside that box.
But above all,
never, EVER think for yourself or question the authority of the Commercial Corporate News Networks in the USA.
You'll just be happier that way.

[laundry_queen]

87. Yep. nt

[Cleita]

2. He explores different philosophies but not much on his show which is

mostly about politics and debunking right wing lies. You can stream his show on the computer on the Free Speech TV. You will be happy you did. I think he does the best show on radio myself and it's very educational as well.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

4. What are the odds you'd come on here day after day and never once

Come across one of Thom Hartman videos on front page or many threads discussing his radio show.

[X_Digger]

10. I've never knowingly hit the front page of DU until now..

.. and I expect that'll be the one and only time I do. I prefer to see what's posted, not what someone else thinks is cool or popular.

(Yes, I know who Thom is, but his style grates on my nerves.)

[freshwest]

15. Agree about the front page. I also, don't want my subject matters dictated that way. n/t

[pacalo]

18. Same here.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

5. How the hell have you been here since the beginning and never heard of Thom Hartmann? Not

only is he a member here, but he is often referenced in forums all over this board.

What woo is he into?

[Archae]

9. I have heard OF him.

I just never heard HIM.

I boycott as a rule all talk radio.

Oh, and the woo he's into is in the link I posted in the OP.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

16. Ahhh, gotcha. And as for the woo, yea, some of that I didn't know and would have to

do my own research to verify.

Does dabbling in a little woo disqualify one from being knowledgeable in other areas? Because you really should hear him masterful disassemble stupidity.

[Systematic Chaos]

7. If you aren't a Hartmann fan, then your chakras must be waaaay out of alignment.

That, or your North Node is creating havoc in your 8th house....

[Archae]

11. "...And Jupiter, aligns with Mars..."

[freshwest]

12. Yes, I used to listen to him every day. Always about politics. That's it. n/t

[delrem]

14. I suggest that you listen to Hartmann

rather than coming to a conclusion based on hearsay found at some so-called "rationalwiki" intended to predetermine what is "rational" and what is not.

[pacalo]

17. Thom Hartmann is a DUer & his videos are posted frequently on DU.

I just read that Hartmann is heavily into woo.

No, Thom is intelligent enough that he may not always readily accept information fed to the public; he actually thinks. And "woo" is in the eye of the beholder.

[Archae]

22. "9-11 Truther" stuff is woo.

Hartmann was 41rst on this petition listed in the link I put into the OP.

[pacalo]

27. Actually, we'll probably never know *for sure* whether it's "woo" or not, will we?

How do we know for sure?

[Logical]

31. How do we know unicorns are not real? nt

[pacalo]

36. I wouldn't equate unicorns with the complex circumstances surrounding 9/11.

[grahamhgreen]

30. The bin Ladens and the Bush's were both involved in the Carlyle group that profits heavily from the

wars.

[sabrina 1]

45. Maybe he didn't believe the Bush/Cheney conclusions, reached almost immediately

miraculously, after it happened, which makes him intelligent in my view. I heard Van Jones signed a petition too that the Reich Wingers got all upset over and our courageous leaders ran for the hills because lord knows the reich wingers know 'woo' when they see it.

[phleshdef]

89. No, 9/11 truther stuff is conspiratorial nonsense.

The word "woo" is a stupid word to begin with. I feel stupid even typing it. I wish people would find a better way to describe new age quackery. Regardless, conspiratorial nonsense and snake oil are 2 entirely different things.

[2banon]

20. I see what you did here.

Interesting website, Rational Wiki.. thanks for the link.


Read the piece on Hartmann, that was interesting, but what was more interesting is the website itself. Zeroed right in on Authoritarianism.

It is this honoring of power over reason that makes an authoritarian. The authoritarian loves rules, and loves to apply them. However, for a true authoritarian, power is more important than rules: the rules themselves aren't the source of power and they don't apply to the powerful. Oceania had no laws - it didn't need them. Crime was simply whatever the authorities said it was.

And there's this bit:

On a site such as this, which is run as a mobocracy - that is, pretty much an anarcho-syndicalist arrangement - the authoritarian finds themselves lost, as we care more about the spirit of our "rules" than strict adherence to them.

People who are raised to strictly follow specific writings as unquestionable display a strong tendency towards authoritarianism. As such they are very dangerous to democracy and the health of any society in which they live.

Interesting timing as I had just a few hours ago, tried to explain to someone the meaning of Authoritarianism, it was not about the "rule of law", I was wasting my time.

Thanks for turning us on to this website.

[Mira]

21. He'll- I don't know much

But I do know about and adore Thom Hartman. Your life just got augmented.

[CrawlingChaos]

23. I notice they are attacking him, in part, for supporting 911 Truth

I first heard the term "woo" being widely used to smear 911 skeptics, which has always struck me as the height of irony since I can't think of anything less rational than swallowing the ludicrous 911 official story whole.

Good for Thom.

[Logical]

34. No where near as silly as the truthers! nt

[sabrina 1]

46. Yep, couldn't agree more. Anyone who believed the Bush/Cheney woo which was disseminated

almost instantly, also believes in the tooth fairy. Thom is extremely intelligent and my experience has been that the disseminators of the 'woo' talking point would be used to wipe the floor by Thom if they ever had the guts to challenge him. Never been particularly impressed with their desperation to stop all talk of one of the biggest crimes ever committed here in the US. What are they afraid of? I'm more suspicious of censors than of 'woo' frankly.

[pnwmom]

24. Of course. Because everyone who doesn't bow down to Big Pharma is heavily into woo. n/t

[PoliticalPothead]

32. Yup.

Frankly, I'm more skeptical of what "anti-wooers" are telling me than anything Thom Hartmann says. Big Pharma has a LOT of money, and I wouldn't be surprised if this whole "anti-woo movement" (and even possibly the term "woo" itself) were started by some of that Big Pharma money.

[pnwmom]

38. It was the woo people who've saved me from the agony

of more kidney stones. The urologist I went to didn't even tell me that there were certain foods I should avoid, given my type of stone. I had to go online to find out that eating a lot of spinach wasn't the best thing for me, because of my inherited tendency to a certain type . And then I found out that certain vitamin supplements were helpful, too -- for my particular type of stone. And after having three bouts with stones over a six month period, I haven't had any in the three years since I changed my diet and started the supplements.

[G_j]

83. +100

[Adrahil]

26. Does he really oppose judicial review? Nt

[Adrahil]

57. OK, so it's true

I did some research and even based on posts he made here, he rejects the judiciary's power of judicial review.

Can't support that. That's just nuts. Without that power, the judiciary has very little ability to check the power of the executive and legislature.

[villager]

28. Wouldn't the rational, evidence-based thing to do be to listen to Hartmann yourself..

...and come to your own conclusion, rather than take it on hearsay?

[nadinbrzezinski]

29. You know what is so damn hilarious about this trashing of anybody you do not agree with over "woo?"

Have you ever heard of HYPERSPACE? You know that impossibility of modern physics that the Kaluza Klein theory seemed to push and it has become the heart of string theory? Yes, modern day physicists are researching WOO!

His idea of ADD is not that far off, and modern research has proven some of it.

Let me offer you the three laws of Arthur C Clark

Clarke's Three Laws are three "laws" of prediction formulated by the British writer Arthur C. Clarke. They are:

When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.

The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

We are to the point that we are starting to see a whole slew of new scientific vistas, and being skeptical at times is healthy.

And even though I have my issues with his 911 truther, there is something to be said about these facts:

6th August PTB, "Bin Ladin Determined to Strike America."

Or a few other problematic issues during that day. Something was really off, though not for the usual full on conspiracy theory. But to think that there was nothing off and the official story is the full story is ignoring well known and well trodden US History and precedent.

I truly feel sorry for anybody who is cocksure that they know the whole truth. The only thing that gets truer by the day, is the more I know, the less I really know.

[pnwmom]

39. "I truly feel sorry for anybody who is cocksure that they know the whole truth. "

Deep down inside, these people tend to be very insecure individuals who are satisfied with nothing less than their own perfection.

So we should feel sorry for them, I guess, even when their smugness is so annoying.

[nadinbrzezinski]

40. Yup, these people are really annoying at times

But also stop progress. The OP would have laughed at the rumblings of that patent clerk who talked of relativity, yup, it was woo.

Physics is kind of my passion, and a lot of it is starting to resemble magic, ergo woo.

And you deal with your stones that way, I use natural supplements for my add. It works, it simply works.

[sabrina 1]

47. The worst thing about them is how desperate they are to censor people. I am far, far more

afraid of those who would CENSOR people than of people who believe in Santa Claus. Censors are dangerous to society and the more they try to stop people from talking about their pet issues, the more determined I feel to do just that. If for nothing else, to keep democracy alive and to make sure those who want to stifle discussion even discussion I have no interest in, do not succeed.

As Thomas Jefferson once said:

“It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are 20 gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.”

Busy bodies, trying to control what other people think scare me. And Jefferson had a lot to say about censorship also.

[laundry_queen]

88. Good post. Me too

there are a few people here that have been furiously trying to control the narrative recently. And it's not your usual 'let's discuss the issue passionately and agree to disagree' no, it's based on trying to invalidate and ridicule and shut down the discussion altogether. Raises red flags, that's for sure. It's what my sociopathic ex did when he was trying to distract me from the issue at hand. Those people scare me too.

[sabrina 1]

90. Yes, any attempt to censor people's thoughts and opinions always raises red flags. Most people

tend to mind their own business so when the effort to do so is this intense, it SHOULD raise red flags. Sorry about your ex husband, glad to know he's 'ex'.

[GoneFishin]

35. He is probably the most balanced show host ever. I challenge anyone to provide evidence that

he ever deliberately mislead his audience. He is honest to a fault.

He is constantly qualifying his statements to separate opinion from fact. And he encourages guests, with whom he vehemently disagrees, onto his show to stimulate discussion. Even the most obnoxious guests receive the utmost in respect, often more than they deserve in my opinion.

Truth has a liberal bias, so I am not surprised that he bothers some here.

[Lunacee_2013]

37. He's on in the afternoon, during weekdays, on free speech tv.

And he has a documentary (I think that's what it is) on economic crashes on link tv. Haven't heard any woo from him, but I only watch his show when I get the chance. As far as I can tell, he's a pretty big figure on the left.

[Starry Messenger]

41. He isn't a furry

[dilby]

42. Used to listen to him in Portland when we had Progressive Radio.

Not exactly sure what woo is, seems to be all the rage on these boards but he is a pretty sharp guy.

[sabrina 1]

48. 'woo' is a talking point used by authoritarians to silence people who express

viewpoints that are not in line with what we are supposed to 'think'. It is intended to stop you from saying, eg, 'I don't believe the official story of the Kennedy Assasination'. Why it is such a threat for anyone to hold that view in a democracy is anyone's guess. But for a few frantic 'anti-wooers' if you are not 'thinking' the right way, you must be re-educated.

I eg, do not believe the Bush/Cheney version of 9/11 and have no problem saying so. However I am likely to be descended upon by a swarm of anti-wooers just for having the thought.

They are otherwise known as 'censors'.

People are now beginning to view them as a phenomenon. Why, people are asking, are they so frantic to stop people from 'thinking the wrong thoughts' about such huge historical events?

I have also noticed that they appear to be frantic about people who make medical decisions they do not approve of. Eg, if you have been told that the medical profession cannot cure your cancer and you decide to try something else, they will be after you like the proverbial fly on s*&t.

Who knows why? But here's my view. There is NOTHING more threatening to a democracy than censorship. As Thomas Jefferson says, and I couldn't agree more:

“It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are 20 gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.”

Why do these anti-wooers care so much what we think? Enquiring minds are beginning to ask questions, which probably means they are engaging in 'woo'. Lol!

And, just to show how much of a failure their antics have been. More people now believe we were lied to about both the Kennedy Assassination AND 9/11 than they did BEFORE the anti-wooers began their censorship campaign.

[dilby]

49. Oh Ok.

So if you question authority then you believe in Woo.

[sabrina 1]

50. Exactly. Or if you question Big Pharma, which is probably the same thing.

They appear out of the blue the minute some unsuspecting person expresses a thought, a slight feeling of doubt about something that for some reason, the anti-wooers feel is their particular domain. It's quite amazing how fast they appear sometimes.

It was effective on liberal forums for a while, some even banning people for having naughty thoughts like maybe the Bush/Cheney government would lie to us. Why any liberal forum would care about what thoughts we might have about Bush/Cheney has always been a mystery to me.

[GoneFishin]

52. Their panicked behavior is indeed interesting. They seem to be more heavily invested than one might

expect when one individual shares their differing opinion with another individual. There is too often an odor of desperation that seems disproportionate to the discussion.

[whatchamacallit]

78. ^^^THIS^^^

[sabrina 1]

43. Lol, and the smearing of another progressive begins. You have got to be kidding that you

never heard of Thom Hartmann.

[Puglover]

60. Yeah and did you hear?????

He's into woo.

It's hard to take this place seriously any more.

[sabrina 1]

65. I know. All I can say is if Tom Hartmann is into woo, it's time we all got into it. I don't take it

seriously any more either. Most of the people who made it worth coming to have moved on. Can't say I blame them. When we are trashing progressives like Thom Hartmann and so many othere great Dems you wonder where you are sometimes.

'Woo' a talking point thought up in some 'brilliant' Think Tank to use against anyone who goes off message, the purpose being to silence and censor people.

Censorship, one of the worst evils for any democracy. I'll take woo any time.

[Puglover]

66. Yup.

Agreed.

[Tarheel_Dem]

61. "RT is watched now by over 50 million US households"? Can you substantiate this? Thanks.

And I'll pass on the anonymous Wiki entry from 2005 you tried to pass off as proof. You just kinda threw that out there, and people are asking for verification. Not that we don't believe you. I'm assuming you know the difference between "availability" and actual "viewership", right?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=4363923

[sabrina 1]

64. Lol, of course you'll pass on the facts. Actually those numbers are more than two years old

So probably higher by now.

Btw, following people around from thread to thread is frowned on here. Ask your question IN the appropriate thread.

Do you know what the topic of this thread is?

It's about Thom Hartmann. Do you know who Thom Hartmann is?

[Tarheel_Dem]

67. Could you go back and answer the question "in the appropriate thread"? Is this another....

"Kucinich is hugely popular in Europe"? Only to find out two years later you were citing an "online poll", that you couldn't even be bothered to post? If you want to go back and answer the question honestly, "in the appropriate thread", it would be much appreciated.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=4365008

Thanks in advance.

[sabrina 1]

70. Did you know that Thom Hartmann is into Woo?

[Tarheel_Dem]

71. I thought not! Thanks for the confirmation! Don't ever change.

[sabrina 1]

73. Ah, I see now why you are stalking me on other threads.

Comparing DUers to Fox viewers?

I support progressive Democrats, like Kucinich and people who report the news, who forward progressive ideals like Thom Harmann. I don't call politicians childish names, expecially Democrats. I don't watch Fox so I wouldn't be able to compare it to anything these days.

So no, I don't see any reason to change.

[Tarheel_Dem]

75. Still no link?

[Puglover]

79. You are indeed patient Sabrina.

You are engaging the poster that offered up this jingoistic right wing swill.

http://sync.democraticunderground.com/10023172626#post29

I am afraid you are wasting your time.

[sabrina 1]

91. You are right, waste of time. But you like to give someone a chance to try to redeem themselves

but when it's clear that isn't going to happen, it's time to move on.

[jberryhill]

44. No, nobody else has heard him

His broadcasts are specially encoded to be audible only on radio equipment that was sold to you personally.

[GoneFishin]

53. LOL. nt

[Festivito]

51. Do you possibly post more than you read?

Perhaps you should take notice of the videos on the right side of the home page. Some of Thom's are there most every day.

Oh, and, rationalwiki seems a ... ripoff ... of wikipedia.

BTW, neither wiki notes that Thom has spoken to mega-churches and participated in different religious activities. Maybe that's what you think is woo.

[jberryhill]

54. Common DU affliction

I'm always impressed by the contingent that posts whatever pops into their head, as if it were a personal stream of consciousness journal.

[Festivito]

76. I call it a stream, maybe. eom.

[cali]

55. a couple of months ago he read a post of mine on air. I called him

we had rather a nice chat.

I still can't believe he thought my post was serious.

[SomethingFishy]

72. He read one of mine a couple years ago...

My kid was in the car with me when we heard it.. it was pretty cool...

[MO_Moderate]

56. Don't feel bad, I have never heard of him either

Hell, I've never even heard of the Warren or Davis ladies or that Grayson dude either.

[lumberjack_jeff]

68. Thom rocks.

His book "Unequal Protection" created awareness of corporate personhood.

[Holly_Hobby]

69. I wonder about Thom Hartmann, have you seen his odd bio?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thom_Hartmann

Psychotherapist, electrical engineer, DJ, minister, herbal tea salesman, relief organizer, writer, trained in neuro-linguistic programming, actor, narrator. He was expelled from High School, acquiring a GED. His bio doesn't say he actually graduated from college.

My skeptical nature is on overload.

[SomethingFishy]

74. Try listening to him..

He's brilliant, articulate, and one of the best minds in Liberal Politics.

And if you must believe what you read on the internet try his bio page.. It paints a little different picture. One more in line with the voice on the radio..

http://www.thomhartmann.com/thom

[B Calm]

77. Watch his TV show everyday on Free Speech TV. I discovered Thom when him and Mike Malloy

had radio shows on a union radio station. That was right after WLS Chicago fired Malloy after just being voted #1 radio show host in Chicago.

[Lunacee_2013]

80. I'm watching him now on FSTV.

Is anyone else watching? I just tuned in and caught part of a discussion on the income gap in America. I swear I heard him say that the top 13 investors in America (13 people, not 13 whole companies) earned more money in total then all the people on food stamps got from the government combined. Is that right?

[bvar22]

81. Love Thom Hartmann!

Everything was "WOO",
until it wasn't.

Chewing Willow Bark did indeed make that headache Go Away,
but that "piece of Woo" was observed by the For Profit Pharmaceutical Industry,
and turned into a Billion Dollar Industry.

EVERYTHING is "WOO" until they find a way to patent it,
and make MONEY.

Some WOO can be dangerous and ineffective.
Some can be beneficial.

As far as I'm concerned, I have a healthy skepticism of "WOO" AND an open mind.
I am much more afraid of the For Profit Pill Pushers.
They may be responsible for killing far more people than "WOO",
especially when one realizes that THEY are responsible for the evolution of Anti-Biotic Resistant Infections.

Did you know that Occasional Insomnia is perfectly normal,
and WILL increase as one ages?
You do NOT know that if you have been watching your TV,
because NOW is is a "condition" that requires a potent medication with dangerous side effects,
and has been turned into a Multi-Million Dollar Industry.

To each their own.
As a small scale BeeKeeper, I am considering the Bee Sting Therapy for arthritis.
I don't know if it will work, but there is simply too much anecdotal testimony to ignore.

Maybe the Pharm Industry will catch up someday when they figure out how to patent bee stings.
Until THEN, they have absolutely no incentive in doing the research.

[polichick]

82. A little woo obsessed, huh?

[marmar]

85. Playing the "woo" card again?

Tiresome.

[IcyPeas]

86. go to the Video & Multimedia forum

I see 3 of his posts just on the first page alone. He always posts there.