Today, in a change of pace, a single subject podcast: trickle-down economics and the unsustainable economic inequality and social ills it produces.Sometimes escaping from the mouth of a right-winger is an utterance so jaw-dropping, that it merits an entire show.Brian Griffiths is a Goldman, Sachs international advisor. He was recently discussing Wall Street salaries and bonuses. You've probably

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Today, a jam-packed show.First, you'll hear about some new statistics sure to render speechless your friendly local right-wingers, when you're debating health care reform with them.Next, how about a little old-time religion: some information that will enormously enhance your ability to put right-wing Christians on the defensive.Finally, you'll get some facts about the community group ACORN you'd

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Today, you'll hear:--how an all-important Supreme Court case could vastly expand the ability of corporations to determine election results--a clip of me on Air America denouncing our super-expensive yet poorly performing health care system--how there are disturbing historical parallels to the present-day right-wing coup in HondurasWhat do all these stories have in common? Hint: it's a five letter

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Today, more on the progressive effort to reform our health care system. More right-wing lies debunked. More hard cold facts you can throw at your friendly local right-wingers to stop them in their tracks.Questions answered include:--how does the U.S. health care system stack up against the universal coverage nations?--how are Republicans shooting themselves in the foot by playing a 1961 clip of

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Today, a return to health care reform. More right-wing distortions, half-truths, and outright lies. Debunked for your listening and debating pleasure. And along the way, you'll hear some jaw-dropping audio clips.This show is somewhat of a continuation of podcast 152. There, you heard the facts about such false right wing claims as:--the U.S. has the best health care system in the world--universal

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In recent podcasts you've heard about the hottest issues du jour, such as health care reform and the Sotomayor Supreme Court nomination. This show will address issues not, for the most part, as immediately applicable to the water cooler wars.There's a whole world of strife, struggle, bloodshed and sometimes progressive victory out there. It's all about the Third World's centuries-long attempt to

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Today, the show is all about health care reform. You'll hear how to debunk a whole slew of right-wing talking points against progressive plans to revamp our health care system.Lives are at stake!Among the lies debunked:--the U.S. has the best health care system in the world--universal coverage nations have long waiting lists compared to the U.S.--Obama's plan is socialized medicineCheck out the

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Today, the focus is on the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor.You just won't believe the onslaught of disinformation and outright lies coming from the right.But actually, that is just what you'd expect, isn't it?Here you'll find all the ammo you'll need to shoot down their propaganda.Cold, hard facts will demonstrate:--Judge Sotomayor's "wise Latina woman with rich experience"

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Today, a change of pace -- not one or two long segments, but several shorter ones. Subjects include: -- debunking right-wing War on Terror talking points-- dissecting conservative economic philosophy-- answering the query, how many Americans support socialism over capitalism-- following up on Dick Cheney's old company electrocuting U.S. soldiers in Iraq-- and, last but not least, exposing yet one

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[from the transcript]Imagine you're the ultimate right-winger, one of Wall Street's Masters of the Universe. You've made make huge profits by engaging in reckless financial behavior. Your irresponsible actions have brought the world's financial system to the brink of collapse. You then grab hundreds of billions, if not trillions of dollars more, as the government tries to stabilize and repair the

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In the first segment, you'll hear how U.S. soldiers in Iraq are being electrocuted due to faulty electrical work. The work was performed by private contractors hired under the Bush policy of privatization. This perfectly illustrates so much of what's wrong with right-wing ideology and policies.For example:Green Beret Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth was stationed at a base in Iraq that used to be one of

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Today you'll hear all about the right-wing's dishonest, but unfortunately effective propaganda campaign against the estate tax.A preview of the reality check I'll give you, all aspects of which are fully documented:-- Only 1/5 of 1% of Americans will ever pay even a penny of estate tax. In other words, 99.8% of Americans will never pay any estate tax.-- Less than 80 small businesses in the entire

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Today, some nefarious right-wing doings. What else is new?First up, a GAO study found that the Department of Labor, when it was run by right-wingers appointed by George W. Bush, often turned a blind eye when employers cheated low-income workers out of their wages. The Department of Labor is supposed to protect workers.Next, there have been more revelations of torture, including from an impeccable

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Today we'll conclude our discussion about FDR's Second Bill of Rights, which deals with economic rights. The focus is on how FDR's concept has taken root worldwide, in the almost unanimously endorsed Universal Declaration of Human Rights.As you'll see, this is much to the dismay and horror of right-wingers.You'll also hear a QuickBlast debunking the right-wing's cry that there's a "crisis"

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President Obama recently presented some fairly detailed proposals to make changes in the tax code. This is sure to be a major subject of controversy in the months ahead.Here's a road map for you of today's show:First I'll give you some historical background about where we stand, economic justice-wise.Next, the details of Obama's plan. Knowing exactly what's in there is crucial, because it's

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This cartoon by my friend, syndicated cartoonist Matt Bors, is a perfect fit for podcast #144.His website is highly recommended.

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The right's anti-New Deal offensive is aimed at besmirching Obama's stimulus plan.You know the old saying, the best defense is a good offense? Well, instead of just playing defense and defending the New Deal against Republican attacks, let's go on the offensive. I've got something for you to throw at them that will induce cardiac arrest -- figuratively speaking of course (especially since

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It's an open-and-shut case -- no discretion, no wiggle-room, no if's, and's or but's: the Obama administration is legally compelled to investigate the Bush administration, from George W. Bush on down, for the crime of commission of torture.This is the case despite the contrary analysis of that eminent legal scholar, Bill O'Reilly.For the facts and laws upon which I base my conclusion, please

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Ok, right-wingers aren't (at least currently) making any claims about the shape of the Earth, or the composition of the moon. But they are ranting and raving about FDR and the New Deal.The right is attacking FDR's New Deal spending. This gives them the perfect opportunity to attack Obama's financial stimulus package.This is their new mantra:The New Deal failed.It's not that right-wingers are

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We'll start off the new year with some questions you can use as conversation starters for those special right-wingers in your life.Perhaps you have a regular debating partner at the water cooler. And you want to start off 2009 by rocking them back on their heels.Or maybe there's a right-winger you've been meaning to engage in dialogue, but just haven't had a good ice-breaker for.Old right-winger,

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Today is the year in review as heard on Blast The Right. Domestic issues. Foreign policy issues. And, of course, Campaign 2008.With plenty of clips of your favorite right-wingers.Torture, heparin, derivatives, Ayers, Palin...Obama2008 started out pretty lousy, but ended pretty well -- with a heck of a lot of upside potential, don't you think?(PS: Right-wingers, if you want to write in to me, fine

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In the first segment, you'll hear about the doctrine of Social Darwinism. It's the pill right-wingers take to allow them to sleep at night. Some audio clips of right-wingers may scare you, so be prepared. Barbara Bush, Bill Cunningham, Neal Boortz and Bill O'Reilly all have some choice words for you.Next, have you heard about the Bishop of the Poor being elected president of an impoverished Latin

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Today, you'll hear how to debunk a bald-faced lie the right is propagating about upcoming, critically important labor union legislation, the Employee Free Choice Act. This bill is labor's number one priority in Congress, and the right has declared war on it.Next, I'll give you a short primer on what I call the four pillars, the four ways the right in the Western world economically exploits the

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Today, four subjects:Countering right-wing spin on the election resultsA sober reminder on the health care front about what this is all about, beyond the left-right ideological battleHow the Bush administration is trying real hard to cause the most damage on its way outAnd, on a personal note, what Obama's win means to me, and what I think is the best way to persuade him to move in a strong

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Today, I'm going to address what seems to be the final big lie directed at Barack Obama -- that he's a socialist who wants to take money from the middle class and give it to the poor. Huh?Among other things, you'll hear how McCain supports the very same "socialist" policies he criticizes Obama for supporting.Also, I'll give you a couple of heads ups about how you can protect your vote, and, join

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Today we're going to cover a lot of ground, all geared towards pointing out the error of right-wing ways, in a manner that will convince undecided voters to support Obama.In the first segment you'll hear how under Democratic administrations, the economic pie has always grown faster, and in a more fairly distributed way, than under Republican rule.The last half of the show will be a bit of a

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Usually on Blast The Right you hear me condemn right-wing ideology and policies. Not only the theory, but the negative effect of right-wing rule on flesh-and-blood humans.Then the idea is, you use the information to win the water cooler wars, to "blast the right."With just about a month to go before the election, arguing with right-wingers isn't the most productive use of your time now, I don't

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Today, you'll hear all about earmarks, one of John McCain's pet issues.Sarah Palin claims to be a reformer, yet she is the Empress of Earmarks, requesting this year more per capita than the governor of any other state.Would it surprise you to learn that McCain seems quite confused about the facts, and that Palin is clearly outright lying?Plenty of clips of these two esteemed elected officials to

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Today, you'll hear how to debunk some of the latest right-wing flim-flam about the economy really being in good shape.Sure it is, except for the fact that unemployment, the number of medically uninsured, median wages, poverty -- all are worse than when Bush came into officeAmong those you'll have the dubious pleasure of listening to are Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Paul Weyrich and Barbara Bush.

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Today, you'll hear about rampant lawbreaking by Bush administration officials within the Department of Justice. It's not a pretty picture. And it's the DOJ itself making the charge!You'll be treated to listener emails on Sean Hannity and the '08 campaign. I'll play you a Hannity audio clip that may well rile you up.And, last but not least, you'll learn about a fellow progressive who needs a bit

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Today, you'll hear how to debunk the right-wing's biggest lie about the US health care system:Right-wingers claim we have the best health care system in the world.The fact is, it ranks dead last in critical areas compared to other developed nations.You'll also see how the Bush administration has reverted to an immigration policy based on cruelty and vindictiveness. Clips of right-wingers may make

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Today you'll hear John McCain become truly incoherent when he tries to address the issue of income and wealth inequality in America. You'll learn why no right-winger can honestly speak to this issue.And, you'll see that developments in the Bushian grab for Iraq's oil are coming fast and furious. More cronyism, shady deals and outright lies. The No Blood for Oil anti-war slogan rings more true

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Today, you'll hear a torrent of new evidence that's just come out which further details the Bush administration's torture regime. You'll learn about the self-styled "War Council," Bush's use of Communist Chinese torture techniques, vehement protests by the military's own lawyers, hiding the abuse from the Red Cross, and, recent medical findings of marks of torture on detainee's bodies.In a

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Today, you'll hear how the multinational oil companies have taken another step towards stealing Iraq's oil.The very companies Iraq took the oil back from 36 years ago, are now being invited back in, by the US-propped-up Iraqi government.In the second segment, you'll get some great public opinion stats on the hottest issues, guaranteed to demoralize your right-wing friends and acquaintances. The

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Today you'll hear how right-wing opposition to universal health care kills cancer patients.Actually, right-wing health care policies kill thousands of Americans every year, according to study after study.Also: I'll give you some great news about economic justice for farm workers.The question to right-wingers here is: shouldn't the people whose back-breaking labor puts the food on your plate, earn

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Today you're going to hear an unbelievable, yet-every-fact-is-true scenario. It's about how it came to pass that dozens of meetings were held in the White House to decide the most effective ways to torture War On Terror prisoners. Also, be sure to stay around for my closing comments. You'll learn about Blast The Right transcripts, as well as about some listeners going the activist route. And

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In today's podcast, you'll hear how right-wingers are lying about Democratic tax plans.You'll be treated to clips of Monica Crowley, Sean Hannity, John McCain.The results of a recent poll about taxing the wealthy may astound you. And what does Martin Luther King, Jr. have to do with all this?Just listen to today's show, and find out!(PS: Right-wingers, if you want to write in to me, fine, but at

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Two podcasts ago you heard about how:--in the financial markets, ill intentions by some, and incompetence by others, has led to big problems--to solve these problems, a strong government regulatory effort is needed.Right-wing ideology does nothing in the way of prevention, and offers nothing in the way of a cure.Now today, please shift your focus to medicines: same picture.Right wing ideology has

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I don't know if you caught the following stories recently:The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Jubilee Act providing debt relief for Third World nations.Progressive Mexican legislators occupied both their houses of Congress in protest of a proposed oil law.Starving people rioted all over the world in protest of rapidly rising food pricesDid you see the mainstream media tie all those

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Here's the road map for your journey today:--Background you need to know--What caused the current crisis--What needs to be done to fix things up--Exposing the phony right-wing solution--And, the death of the "free market"Along the way, you'll learn about the "shadow banking system," and hear clips of Rush Limbaugh, Ronald Reagan, Treasury Secretary Paulson, and...a famous comedy team or two. Huh?

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This cartoon by my friend, syndicated cartoonist Matt Bors, is a perfect fit for podcast #120.His website is highly recommended.

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Today, to start off, you'll hear about yet more right-wing policies that increase human misery, suffering, pain and death, this time concerning the air you breathe. The Bush Environmental Protection Administration weakened two recommendations of its own advisory board on the allowable amount of ozone in the air.Next up, you'll listen to Sean Hannity use a nasty propaganda technique that I'll

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Ralph Nader recently announced he's running yet again this year for President. I originally thought a segment on that would be a QuickBlast, maybe 2 or 3 minutes.But the more I thought about it, the more things I realized I had to say.And the more important I realized the subject was.What you're about to hear has a wider applicability than just Ralph Nader, and a more durable shelf-life than

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I thought you would really get a kick out of this cartoon by my friend, syndicated cartoonist Matt Bors. Sort of podcast #118 in-a-nutshell.Here's the link to his website:http://www.mattbors.com/newstrip.htmlHighly recommended!!

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Today you'll hear three segments, touching on:--Haitian women and children so hungry and desperate they eat cookies made of dirt. What's that got to do with you and me? If we're largely to blame, what can we do to remedy the situation? (Here are the two links promised in the podcast:Bipartisan Letter on Haiti     House/Senate Jubilee Act)--Right-wingers so callous and vicious they blame victims

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Today I've definitely got a full smorgasbord for you, with five tasty dishes, the kind you like best:How federal government discriminatory home loan practices worsened the Black-White wealth gapAudio clips of Bush and Hannity lying about taxes, plus Hannity lying about Ronald Reagan's recordA physician listener corrects a mistake I made on health care, and a Canadian listener can't understand

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Today, a really big change of pace. You'll be treated not to one subject in depth, or even two topics with extended segments.No, today I have 5 QuickBlasts for you, in the areas of foreign policy, taxation, regulation of business and health care. Let's get right into it.Sometimes you don't need long permutations and combinations of an issue, you just need a solid fact or two to whack a

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Today you'll hear exposed as a falsehood the pervasive myth -- pushed hardest by the right-wing -- that there is great economic mobility in the United States. You'll see that the real picture is not so pretty.The conventional political wisdom has always been, the public doesn't care much about income and wealth inequality, because of the widely shared belief that everyone has a shot at becoming

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Today we'll review what the right-wing was up to in 2007, as you heard it on Blast The Right. Plus, I'll have some updates for you.Usually this podcast covers one or two topics in depth. Today you'll hear a summation of over 40 podcasts, so the pace will be brisk.In order to get a handle on this year's subjects, I grouped the podcasts by subject matter, and that's how I'll go through them. You

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Today you'll hear how extreme right-wing policies of the United States literally cause starvation and death in the Third World.And, I'll show you the link between this unfortunate situation, and two hot button front page issues in the US, health care, and the occupation of Iraq. The microcosm will be Malawi, where right-wingers in the US and international financial institutions insisted that the

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Today you'll hear a whirlwind tour of my thoughts on right-wing Christians, especially on how to effectively debate them.The centerpiece of this week's show is my Equivalent Alternative Solutions challenge. Right-wing Christians, from the roots of their right-wing ideology to the fruits of their policies, violate the most fundamental of the teachings of Jesus regarding how we're to interact with

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Today you'll hear all about the true bottom line when it comes to the right-wing.As part of this, you'll hear some breathtaking clips of Franklin Delano Roosevelt condemning the right-wingers of his time.A preview:One of my favorite quotes of all-time is from John Kenneth Galbraith: The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a

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Greetings! I'm Jack Clark, host of the Blast the Right podcast, two years old and going strong.If this is the first time you're listening to Blast The Right, you can check out last week's podcast if you want to know what the regular, prerecorded show is like. That's the show which is the most listened to grass roots progressive podcast in the country.What you're about to hear right now, is a

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Today we'll revisit the troubling issue of the right-wing's continuing obsession with torturing people. The pro-torture "enhanced interrogation" crowd is in some pretty ugly historical company: the Inquisition, Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, Pol Pot. The second segment, in a departure from the usual, will be about...me! You'll learn my real name, and more.(PS: Right-wingers, if you want to

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Greetings!I'm Jack Clark, host of the Blast the Right podcast, two years old and going strong. If this is the first time you're listening to Blast The Right, you can check out last week's podcast if you want to know what the regular, prerecorded show is like. That's the show which is the most listened to grass roots progressive podcast in the country.What you're about to hear right now, is a

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A headline early this past summer said it all:Young Americans Are Leaning Left, New Poll FindsA few tidbits:Pew Research found that since Reagan the percentage of young adults calling themselves Republicans has declined from 55 to 35%. That loses out to young Democrats, who now account for 48% of young adults.On specific issues:While 47% of the public would support a "universal,

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Greetings!I'm Jack Clark, host of the Blast the Right podcast, two years old and going strong. If this is the first time you're listening to Blast The Right, you can check out last week's podcast if you want to know what the regular, prerecorded show is like. That's the show which is the most listened to grass roots progressive podcast in the country.What you're about to hear right now, is a

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What do antifreeze in toothpaste, lead paint on toys, and Bush's veto of health insurance for children have in common? They're three more examples in the headlines recently of how right-wing policies increase human misery, suffering, pain and death.Also, you'll hear Fox news amping up the propaganda for war with Iran.Plus some good news: the right falters in its attempt at a California elections

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Greetings!I'm Jack Clark, host of the Blast the Right podcast, two years old and going strong. If this is the first time you're listening to Blast The Right, please go back to last week's podcast if you want to know what the regular, prerecorded show is like.The regular prerecorded show now comes out every other week. Listeners suggested I include the recently started live show in this feed on

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Mainstream poll after mainstream poll has consistently shown solid majorities of your fellow citizens -- often 2/3 or more -- endorse all of these progressive positions:--the government should provide more, not less services--the government should take care of those who can't take care of themselves--the government should guarantee health care for every American--the distribution of wealth in

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Greetings!I'm Jack Clark, host of the Blast the Right podcast, two years old and going strong. If this is the first time you're listening to Blast The Right, please go back to last week's podcast if you want to know what the regular, prerecorded show is like.The regular prerecorded show now comes out every other week. Listeners suggested I include the recently started live show in this feed on

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In today's podcast you'll see beyond a shadow of a doubt that we progressives are not the fringe, the right-wing is. You'll hear how our progressive views are indisputably shared by the majority of Americans. This will be, in sum, a cheer yourself up podcast. Smile, Mr. or Ms. Progressive, you're not on candid camera, but you still have reason to smile.Perhaps the most daunting right-wing myth of

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A slight change of pace today. Instead of one long segment, we'll discuss two topics. First up, debunking some of the latest right-wing talking points against universal health care, including the lies that we already have the best health care system in the world, and that universal health care leads to long waiting times for treatment.One of the Blast The Right rules of thumb is, whatever a

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Today we're going to hear from some conservatives who have banded together to stop Bush's power grab. You heard me correctly, conservatives.You'll get an overabundance of ammo to use when next you have the pleasure of engaging in conversation, a right-winger who hasn't yet been enlightened by these conservative brethren of his.There's been increasing talk lately of impeaching Bush and Cheney.

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Today the focus is on health.I'll tell you how gag orders and censorship seem to be the preferred right-wing prescription for improving the health of the American public.It all relates to recent revelations by Bush's former Surgeon General.Dr. Richard H. Carmona recently testified before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that he felt his duty as surgeon general was to address

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Today I'm going to discuss with you the recent controversy over Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's not renewing the broadcast license of a television station in that country.All nations license the right to use their public airwaves, since the demand for use of the airwaves far outstrips the supply. In the US the Federal Communications Commission performs this function, granting terms of 8 years.

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Today we're going to come back to an issue we last discussed in depth over a year ago, immigration. We'll examine several aspects of this most contentious subject, and I'll present a way of looking at the situation you may not have heard before. In short, I'll tell you why, it's not about amnesty--it's about keeping our part of the bargain.Included will be some clips of right-wingers that will

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Today we're going to discuss yet another example of GOP racism: their recent attempts to disenfranchise African-American voters.The modern day Republican Party is not the party of Lincoln. Quite the opposite.Modern day Republicans don't walk around in Ku Klux Klan robes. But the GOP has engaged in a decades-old and still ongoing massive and intense effort to prevent African Americans from voting.

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Today we're going to show how the right-wing is playing directly out of the Soviet Union playbook.That should be something to throw in their face, huh?Nothing, probably not even the Iraq War itself, has soured world opinion on the United States, as much as the Bush administration's embrace of torture.Actually, something probably has: the Bush administration's denial of that embrace, and its

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Today we'll follow up on an earlier podcast about how the Bush administration is putting you at risk on the roads, in the area of safety regulations applicable to truck driversThe listener comments we'll go over will provide yet more evidence that putting profit before the public good, is the right-wing way.Safety group and insurance industry research shows thatAfter 8 hours of consecutive

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A change of pace today. Not a lot of numerical stats and percentages, but some political and moral theory.We'll delve into three interrelated subjects: --the value of charity--right-wing charity vs. the consequences of their public policies, and--liberal vs. progressive prescriptions for a better world.My friend Jeff from gopexposed.com left a comment a while back containing a couple of points.

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Today we're going to discuss another major step towards achieving economic and social justice in Venezuela: no-nonsense land reform that allows malnourished, hungry people to grow food to feed themselves and their families. And, we'll learn what it really takes to be in solidarity with the Third World poor. Taking back the fertile farmland in Venezuela from the multinationals and the local elites

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Maryland has passed the first statewide living wage statute.Under the law, employers with state contracts will generally have to pay workers a minimum amount ? $11.30 an hour in the Baltimore-Washington corridor and $8.50 an hour in the rural counties, where wages and prices are usually lower.Among those workers mostly likely to be lifted above the poverty line by this measure are those who work

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Today, we're going to discuss another example of the right-wing letting their ideology trump science, and in the process, increase human misery, suffering, pain and death.It concerns...microwave popcorn, of all things. You wouldn't think manufacturing popcorn would be a dangerous job, that could severely injure, or even kill you. Well, think again.And what about you, eating that popcorn? Has the

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Today, I have great news for you. New polling data gives you and me some really heavy-duty ammo to fight back against a particular type of name-calling by the right, that some of us have endured for decades.It all relates to wealth distribution in America.Here are the three main pieces of ordnance, which come in the form of the conclusions of a recent Gallup poll:A large majority of Americans

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Today, we'll listen to Bill O'Reilly explain to us why world public opinion opposes the Bush administration's foreign policy. The reason is?. Rosie O'Donnell.O'Reilly's propaganda is part of a concerted effort by the right-wing fog machine to divert attention from the disaster in Iraq, and pin the blame elsewhere.You're going to laugh and shake your head in disbelief. Maybe it will also make you

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Today we're going to discuss an incredibly immoral way to make huge sums of money: vulture funds which prey on destitute Third World nations. As you might imagine, there's a strong right-wing connection.First I'll give you an overview of the vulture fund process. Next we'll go over some specific examples of vulture funds in action. Finally we'll discuss the right-wing connection to all this,

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As a general rule of thumb, everything right-wingers do is designed to accomplish one of two goals: either (a) transfer wealth to the already-rich from everyone else, or (b) distract everyone else from the fact that (a) is occurring. As far as (a), transfer wealth to the rich from everyone else, the right-wingers are succeeding probably beyond even their wildest expectations.Figures just released

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Today we're going to hear a progressive Third World leader in his own voice. Throughout Latin America, the impoverished masses, who sometimes constitute on outright majority of their nations' populations, are rising up and electing progressive leaders. These progressive leaders promise to rule in the interests of the majority, not a small elite super-wealthy group at the top. And that's just what

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George Bush ran for President as a "compassionate conservative." Yet his proposed federal budget belies that claim. Bush would slash programs that provide critical assistance to our most vulnerable citizens, including children and the elderly. At the same time, Bush proposes tax breaks for the richest 1% among us. And Bush's bloated Pentagon budget seems to serve no purpose but to enrich his

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U.S. government pre-war planning documents stated that the new Iraqi government would have to privatize its oil industry. The Iraq Study Group said the same thing after the war.The new Iraqi oil law just unveiled would do just that:A new oil law set to go before the Iraqi Parliament this month would, if passed...transform Iraq?s oil industry from a nationalized model closed to American oil

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Bruce Fein, a conservative scholar who's none too happy with George Bush, makes these three points in the concluding part of our interview:1. the threat level from terrorism is not insignificant, but nowhere near the threat levels we faced in WWII or the Cold War; 2. civil liberties violations are clearly not justified by any such honest evaluation of the threat level; and 3. the civil liberties

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Today we're going to talk about the prospects for universal health care in America, in other words, making sure no one lacks health insurance. We'll focus less on the nuts and bolts, and more on the public attitude towards this issue. The conclusion will be, the public is solidly on our progressive side.I talk a lot on Blast The Right about the moral imperative to reduce human misery, suffering,

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Today, we're going to have installment two of our series, Lying Or Just Plain Ignorant? Bill O'Reilly Misleads His Audience. The subject is poverty.O'Reilly recently had as a guest Rev. Fred Candeler, of the Methodist Federation for Social Action. Rev. Candeler was objecting to plans to place George W. Bush's presidential library at Southern Methodist University. Candeler said one of the reasons

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Today we're going to pick up from a few podcasts ago, and discuss another example of a Third World nation's people fighting for their very lives. It's yet another chapter in the book of global economic justice. Bolivian President Evo Morales proposed a sweeping land reform bill, to ensure that like his nation's other national resource, natural gas, Bolivia's fertile lands would be utilized for

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Today we're going to discuss the phony claim by George Bush and Dick Cheney that Bush has unfettered power to wage war in Iraq -- and one assumes elsewhere -- as he sees fit. Congressional oversight? Surely you jest.In law school you usually take at least a beginning course in constitutional law. The subject is often referred to as con law. The situation with Bush and Cheney thus can be

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Today we're going to discuss yet another way the Bush administration is continuing to push its radical right agenda even without control of Congress. In this case, it's the emasculate the government, cut taxes on the wealthy agenda. All accomplished through some until-now hidden workings of the Internal Revenue Service.I'll tell you up front that this isn't a page-1-headline-type story. But

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Today we're going to start a series entitled "Lying Or Just Plain Ignorant? Bill O'Reilly Misleads His Audience." Part I will be about Iraq. Included will be, some effective responses when you hear misinformation like that disseminated by O'Reilly.Did you know, for example, that 72% of US troops in Iraq said last February they should be withdrawn within one year, whether or not the mission is

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Martin Luther King, Jr. proclaimed on April 4, 1967:A true revolution of values will soon look uneasily on the glaring contrast of poverty and wealth. With righteous indignation, it will look across the seas and see individual capitalists of the West investing huge sums of money in Asia, Africa, and South America, only to take the profits out with no concern for the social betterment of the

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Today, we're going to present some data about income and wealth distribution that you've probably never before seen brought together in one place. Make sure your seat belt is securely fastened.For example, let's take the wealthiest 1/10 of one percent of all Americans. There are 130,500 such taxpayers. They have more income than the 120 million Americans at the bottom.Nice, huh?How about

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Today we're going to have a wide-ranging discussion of that totally misleading economic term so beloved by the right, the "free market." By the time we're finished, you'll never hear the phrase "free market" the same way again.One of the more exasperating things when speaking to a right-winger, is that virtually no matter what subject you're talking about, if you're making good points and the

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Today, we're going to start off the new year with some new evidence -- as if you really needed any more -- that right-wing policies cause increased human misery, suffering, pain and death. This example concerns thousands of unnecessary highway deaths from accidents involving large trucks.Safety advocacy groups, along with the insurance industry, presented studies showing that tired truck drivers

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This last podcast of the year will be a review of some of the worst things the right-wing did in 2006 as covered by Blast The Right.Here's how I put together my list.You know I often say that right-wing policies inevitably cause increased human misery, suffering, pain and death. I don?t think I've every explained exactly what the components of that phrase mean to me.Misery and suffering I

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Today we're going to look at a failed -- but still ongoing -- right-wing propaganda campaign, and analyze why it failed. Could it be because the right's actions and policy proposals prove they don't believe the words coming out of their own mouths about the war on terror?This summer, no doubt in desperate hope of scaring up a majority of GOP voters for the midterm elections, the right-wing

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The Democrats have proclaimed that before 100 hours have gone by in the new Congress this January, they will, among other things, raise the Federal minimum wage.The bill, which has been languishing for years in the right-wing controlled Congress, is called the Fair Minimum Wage Act. It provides for three hikes: from the present $5.15 to $5.85 sixty days after enactment; to $6.55 one year later,

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Today, we'll discuss how George W. Bush, even after the midterm elections, is continuing to appoint right-wing extremists to critically important government posts -- in this instance, jeopardizing the health of millions of women. Then a QuickBlast about Hugo Chavez's landslide election victory in Venezuela -- so much for the right-wing lie calling him a "dictator." We'll end with a listener

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Ok, we had the midterm election, and there was apparently no nationwide right-wing electronic voting fraud sufficient to tip the scales to the Republicans, since the Democrats, thank goodness, did succeed in taking back both houses of Congress.I've been wondering, however, was there Republican voting fraud of the electronic variety, just not enough?And, what does this midterm election portend for

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Today we'll discuss another example of good news on the international economic justice front. It comes in the form of a powerful kick in the teeth against the Third World debt scam that's been perpetrated against the poorest nations on earth for all too many years.Many of these indebted nations are forced to spend far more on repaying these loans, than on health care and education and other needs

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There's good news for those of us who cheer when Third World nations make progress in their efforts to step out from under the boot heel of Western economic exploitation.Six months ago, way back in podcast 42, we discussed how Evo Morales, the newly elected President of Bolivia, had nationalized Bolivia's oil and gas industry. He gave foreign companies 180 days to turn over a majority stake in

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Most of you are familiar with the many recent corporate and accounting scandals, with Enron, Tyco and Worldcom among the most notorious.In response to these events, even the right-wing controlled Congress felt compelled to act, and they passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act is one of the pieces of legislation that the SEC enforces, with these purposes: truthful disclosure

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Torture and mass murder by the death squads of Iraq is being covered by the media, true. But what is largely unreported, is that these death squads bear a US pedigree.What we're seeing in current-day Iraq is a replay of one of the most heinous aspects of United State's foreign policy in 1980's Central America.Plus: an update on the Florida exit poll ban, a listener call-in comment on right-wing

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Right-wingers claim that there is a war on religion in this country.The fact is:[S]ince 1989...more than 200 special arrangements, protections or exemptions for religious groups or their adherents were tucked into Congressional legislation, covering topics ranging from pensions to immigration to land use. New breaks have also been provided by a host of pivotal court decisions at the state and

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Today, I'm going to address some issues related to the upcoming midterm elections, including the history of, and likelihood of continued, right-wing electronic voting machine fraud. There is nothing going on in this country more important politically, than to take back from the Republicans at least one, and preferably both, houses of Congress, in the midterm elections just a few weeks away.The

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True to form, the Bush EPA ignored its legislative mandate to formulate new rules regarding poisonous soot in the air. Then after a court ordered it to produce new rules, the Bush EPA ignored its own experts and left an old totally inadequate standard in place. Thousands will die as a result.The 400 richest Americans, all billionaires, have as much wealth as half the US population, 57 million

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The right-wing of the GOP has made covert racist appeals, and engaged in voter suppression, from 1968 to the present time. The so-called Southern Strategy begun under Richard Nixon, and Ronald Reagan's entire political career, are two such examples. The latest effort takes the form of the voter ID laws the right is currently pushing.We hear the Falwells and the Robertsons ad nauseam, but

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Today I'm going to tell you about two of the most important and damning statistics in the world, and then link them to right-wing policies. We'll also try to decide what to call the deadly result of these policies. Is that result properly called terrorism, or just unfathomable violence?We'll also hear from a listener who abandoned his Republican ideology and adopted a progressive outlook as a

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Today we have two segments and listener email. The keywords applicable to right-wingers in this podcast are immiseration, prevarication and suffocation.Immiseration, as in, right-wingers increase poverty.Prevarication, as in, right-wingers lie us into war. Suffocation, as in, right-wingers deny trapped mine workers the oxygen they need to survive. Caution: you will hear Dick Cheney during this

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Today we're going to present Part II of the series, Critically Important But Largely Unreported Aspects of the Iraq War. What we'll discuss in this podcast are the Bremer Orders. These are laws promulgated by so-called Coalition Provisional Authority head Paul Bremer when he was running Iraq for the Bush administration. These laws, as those of you familiar with right-wingers may suspect, were

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Today we're going to present Part I of what will be at least a 3-part series, Critically Important But Largely Unreported Aspects of the Iraq War. The first subject we'll address is, the neocon organization called Project for a New American Century, known as PNAC. This will make your hair stand on end.A major issue in the midterm elections, just about 2 months away, will of course be Iraq.One

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Today we're going to have a change of pace from the previous several weeks of one-topic, in-depth discussions.Instead, you'll be presented with a smorgasbord of tasty dishes you can use to nourish the intellect of each one of your friendly local right-wingers. On the menu is Katrina, abuse of the IRS, and Bush failures in the war on terrorism.Various and sundry tidbits of truth for you to feed

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The Third World poor suffer a quadruple whammy, a four-pronged attack on their livelihoods and very lives themselves.One of these prongs we've already touched on in previous podcasts, the sweetheart contracts between corrupt Third World governments and foreign multinationals that allow Third World natural resource wealth to be plundered.The other three elements of the right-wing attack are unfair

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We didn't find any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, correct? Most of you out there consider this an old issue. Surely most Americans understand that Saddam had no WMD.Think again.The Harris Poll recently asked Americans if the following statement was true or false:"Iraq had weapons of mass destruction when the U.S. invaded."50% of Americans said the statement was true! 50% of Americans

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Sometimes the right-wing will kill you with one massive, public blow, other times they'll kill you in secret, a death by a thousand cuts.This podcast discusses some of the death by a thousand cut fronts in the right-wing's economic war on poor, working and middle class Americans. They are:1. How much people earn: the right-wing is allowing fraud that illegally inflates executive salaries2. How

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Possibly the largest and most organized, disciplined and effective opposition to the progressive agenda is the religious right.If you're a progressive, you need to be familiar with true Christian economics, to be able to articulate how far from being in accord with Christian values, right-wing policies truly are.You have to be able to put right-wing Christians on the defensive.Some of you may be

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Right-wingers are traditionally strong proponents of the states rights doctrine, which holds that the federal government should play a limited role and defer to the states whenever it can.Right-wingers, however, have no principles, and when it suits their needs, they will readily abandon such supposedly sacred ideological tenets as states rights. And that's just what they have been doing.Ever

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As the incomes of the super wealthy have gone way up, and their taxes have gone way down, they've decided to become less generous in their charitable giving. Of course, that's the exact opposite of what right-wingers said would happen.Next we'll consider the possibility: Karl Rove, champion of social justice. Or so he seems to claim. Hint: Teddy Roosevelt will have something to say on this

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One of the major themes of Blast The Right is that right-wingers consistently cause increased human misery, suffering, pain and death.Today we'll discuss two more ways they do so, one involving the suffocation of coal miners, the other the cutting off of sick people's medication. All the while, the right accomplishes this evil with a smile on its face, boasting of their doing good deeds!The

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There are two things longtime listeners know I'm truly passionate about.One of them is economic justice, particularly as it relates to the oppression and exploitation of the Third World poor. In past podcasts we've discussed how the US and other Western industrialized nations have, since colonial times, economically enslaved Third World and developing nations, and still to this very day do

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Right-wingers would have you believe that Americans share their views on the issues, on priorities, and on moral values. A recent poll shows that -- like virtually everything right-wingers say -- such assertions are baseless.A listener sends in an mp3 with a telling story about his right-wing sister who spouts an ideology at odds with her own life.

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Here's an approach to this brouhaha you haven't seen elsewhere:First we'll go over the who, what, when and where of Ann Coulter's vicious attack on four 9/11 widows, who are known as the Jersey Girls. You'll hear a clip of Ann saying something about these women that is even more heartless than what she wrote in her book.Then after we listen to Ann try to defend herself on Fox and NBC, we'll

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Right-wingers in Congress are trying to repeal the estate tax. Fortunately, they failed last week. They fell 3 votes short of the 60 votes they needed to prevent a Democratic filibuster on the issue. Two Republicans, George Voinovich of Ohio and Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, defied the GOP leadership and voted with the Democrats.Since the estate tax repeal was pushed by right-wingers, you've

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I repeat quite often that right-wingers invariably cause increased human misery, suffering, pain and death. Today I'll present a perfect example of precisely the type of such havoc that ensues when right-wingers achieve power.We've recently witnessed the dual tragedies of the Sago mine explosion in January, which killed 12 West Virginia coal miners, and then the Harlan County mine explosion in

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Donald Rumsfeld claimed in an interview with Bill O'Reilly that the President and Congress saw the same intelligence on Iraq. That is a lie, long known as such. O'Reilly let Rumsfeld get away with it. What's behind this dog-and-pony show?An update on how the Bush administration's incompetence, neglect and -- again -- lies have impaired the health of countless victims of 9/11 and its

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In a recent poll, 60% of Americans said wealthy families don't pay enough in taxes. So what does the right-wing-controlled Congress run out and do almost at the very same time? Congress gave another huge, whopper of a tax cut to the wealthy, especially to the super wealthy.We'll first analyze the numbers to see who really benefits from this Bush tax cut; then we'll explain how to debunk the

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Fulfilling a campaign promise, Bolivian President Evo Morales recently nationalized his country's natural gas industry. Right-wingers are beside themselves -- their profits in Bolivia won't be obscenely large anymore, but far worse, this could give ideas to other exploited nations. It's precisely this type of action by Third World leaders that is more terrifying to the right than any WMD. It

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The incessant and ubiquitous right-wing propaganda line is that Americans want no tax increases. Wrong. They want tax increases on the wealthy. Congress, please take note!Religious fatwas calling for homosexuals to be killed have inspired a campaign of murder and other atrocities against gays in Iraq. Will the US act to stop this latest obscenity resulting from our invasion?A listener gives

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The skyrocketing costs of the Iraq War don't bother right-wingers, in fact quite the contrary, because these expenditures further two of the right's main goals. What are those goals? Hint: greed, and cutting off assistance to the "least of these," are involved.Right-wingers spew out at progressives the same insults over and over again. How do I suggest responding? We'll go through a doozy of

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If all you knew was what George W. Bush and the right-wing echo machine told you, you'd think that the U.S. economy was thriving in a way that benefits all Americans. Not so. It's quite the opposite. Facts and figures will be liberally employed to bust this right-wing propaganda.A listener gives us his take on what the immigration debate is really all about.

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It's not well-known that Tom DeLay played a crucial role in stopping the Florida recount in 2000, or, that he single-handedly defied the U.S. Senate to force continued immiseration and poverty onto workers in an American overseas territory.Instead of begrudgingly allowing 12 million undocumented immigrants to remain here with the woe-is-us rationale that it's just too hard to round them all up,

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FDR said he didn't want to see one millionaire created from World War II. The Bush family seems to have the opposite philosophy. Their beloved "Uncle Bucky" has made out like a bandit.You absolutely won't believe what are the top words that Americans use to describe W.A proposal to ensure that the 2006 Congressional elections are not stolen by GOP electronic voting machine fraud.Hannity

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It would be hard even for a right-winger to deny the long U.S. history of violent interference in the internal affairs of Latin American nations. Given that history, and the rapacious appetite of multinational corporations for extreme profits in overseas investments, it's heartening to see leaders in Bolivia and Venezuela, as well as the likely future leader of Mexico, acting forcefully to

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Right-wingers want to:1. prevent us from protecting the health of our children, 2. conceal from us the poisoning of our air and water, and3. allow some of us with cancer to needlessly die.Listen to the podcast for details.Also: We hear Bill O'Reilly prove why he's a strong contender for the title of #1 right-wing media thug.

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As Congress repeatedly passes tax cuts that disproportionately benefit the richest among us, it might seem quixotic to speak of a tax on wealth. But political precedent -- you won't believe what you hear FDR say about the greedy right-wingers of his day -- and emerging public opinion trends indicate that enacting a wealth tax could well become feasible in the near future.

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Right-wingers want to destroy the social safety net, and they don't want government statistics to reveal their progress in doing so. We'll discuss four ways the Bushians have tried to prevent government agencies from documenting the harmful results of right-wing policies.Speaking out against excessive military spending is a path few politicians now dare tread. It wasn't always thus. We'll hear

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When Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his "Beyond Vietnam" speech at the Riverside Church in New York City on April 4, 1967, he was not only laying out a case against the Vietnam War and the negative role the U.S. was playing in the world. No, Dr. King was speaking to us also, in words eerily prophetic about our present day crusade in Iraq and our efforts to thwart democracy in Haiti, Bolivia,

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The Bush administration's misleading statements about air quality safety in the post-9/11 World Trade Center area are so egregious as to "shock the contemporary conscience," according to a recent ruling by a federal judge. Thousands are sick and possibly dying because of Bush administration misconduct and neglect.According to a recent poll of US troops in Iraq, Bush doesn't seem to have won even

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Recent defense industry profit figures show that some people, at least, are benefiting enormously from the Iraq War tragedy. We'll listen to what FDR had to say about such obscene behavior, and consider what could have been the present-day solution were not the right-wing in control of Congress.Entering my contest to identify the single action of George Bush that will ultimately cause the most

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The right-wing's phony carping, sniping and belly-aching about the memorial service for Coretta Scott King glaringly reveals the lack of a moral dimension to their being, as well as a level of chutzpah that puts the proverbial parent-killer begging for mercy as an orphan, to shame. Lots of audio clips, one from the service, and several of Sean Hannity being, well, Sean Hannity.Also, I announce a

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Criminal prosecutions against physicians by George Bush's Drug Enforcement Administration have scared doctors away from prescribing the level of pain medication that their patients desperately need. A recent Supreme Court ruling gives hope for at least temporary relief from such cruelty.The right-wing attack machine is in full gear again against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who is

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When a right-wing government program like the Medicare prescription drug benefit doesn't work properly, can that be attributed solely to right-wing incompetence? Or, is such failure a deliberate component of the overall right-wing anti-government agenda?Last podcast we discussed the sad case of Tirhas Habtegiris, whose life support ventilator was cut off by a Texas hospital against her wishes and

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Today I present two additional installments of my continuing series "The 4,978 Ways Right-Wingers Kill" -- kill the innocent, kill the defenseless.First: George Bush's EPA lied to 9/11 emergency responders and other workers about the environmental poisons they were being exposed to. Sadly, a 9/11 worker just died from such poisoning. Indications are, there will be many more.Second: When George

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One of the hallmarks of right-wing rule is a steadily increasing attack on the most vulnerable members of society, those least able to defend themselves. The Internal Revenue Service under its Bush-appointed commissioner is doing just that. It first imposed draconian reporting requirements on the working poor. Now the IRS just upped the ante, by unwarrantedly withholding tax refunds legally

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The "one person, one vote" doctrine is crucial to democratic rule in this nation. Why would Samuel Alito and other right-wingers oppose it? Hint: fostering democracy is not their strong suit. ***** Bush recently bragged that 2 million new jobs were created in 2005. To put it mildly, Bush's bragging is unjustified. ***** Plus: listener email, listener voicemails from the early days of the Blast

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As you would expect, the progressive community is up in arms over Bush's bald assertion of literally dictatorial power to spy on Americans without court approval. What is amazing, however, is the harsh criticism Bush has received from staunch Republicans and even hard-core right-wingers. We'll listen to audio clips and read some of their blasts at Bush. Fasten your seatbelts: these

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Right-wingers claim that the U.S. supports democracy in developing and Third World countries. As with most things right-wingers say, the truth is the exact opposite. We'll illustrate the point with recent U.S. actions in Haiti, Venezuela and Bolivia.***A listener started a podcast which is quite powerful, and I'll share a short excerpt with you. The subject is one of my favorites: right-wing

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In podcast #11, we discussed the GOP's racist "Southern Strategy," which began in 1968. Now we'll examine three current examples of GOP racist policies.George W. Bush lied about the intelligence on Iraq. Now he's lying again when he claims that Congress saw the same intelligence he did.

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When a right-winger wakes up in the morning and looks in the mirror, does he or she see a cold-blooded killer, a destroyer of lives and hope? No, he or she sees a good person whose values and actions help the poor and the suffering. How could this be possible? The concept of Social Darwinism provides the answer -- it's the salve to the right-winger's conscience.Bill O'Reilly employs a

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Bill O'Reilly would have you believe he is defending Christmas from an onslaught by "secularists." As with most right-wing claims, the exact opposite is true: O'Reilly and his allies are the ones who are destroying this sacred Christian holiday.A right-wing blog linked to one of Blast the Right's earlier segments. The comments posted on this blog reveal the extent of right-wing psychopathology.

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Pat Robertson's call for the assassination of democratically-elected president Hugo Chavez of Venezuela didn't come out of the blue. Right-wingers have been foaming at the mouth over Chavez for years. Their cry for blood has just been getting more press lately. Bill O'Reilly and Newt Gingrich, in a frighteningly dishonest conversation, recently joined the lynch mob. If you're wondering what

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Election results were flipped in a pro-Republican, statistically impossible way in Ohio this month. Were Ohio's newly-installed Diebold touch screen electronic voting machines hacked? What are the implications for the Congressional elections in 2006 and the presidential contest in 2008?Becoming ever nuttier and ever more dishonest, Bill O'Reilly is trying to convince his radio and television

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One of the most laughable things in the world is when right-wingers tell you with a straight face that were Jesus alive today, he would be allied with them, that Jesus would be a right-winger. (When I typed that, even my keyboard looked up at me and said "You gotta be kidding me!")The analysts and guests that Bill O'Reilly allows to come on his TV show "The Factor" are, the vast majority of the

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Whenever progressives bring up issues of economic injustice, right-wingers start whining "You're fomenting class warfare!" As is often the case, right-wingers are accusing others of doing that which they are most guilty of themselves.Listen to Sean Hannity, master propagandist, employ the Big Lie technique to distract attention from Bush's lies about Iraqi WMD.The adherents of which political

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The media recently noted that the 2000th American soldier had been killed in Iraq. There are some other stats the media ignores, however, which are even more significant. These other stats expose the right-wing's fairy tale about Iraq for the lie that it is.In an audio clip, Bill O'Reilly reveals his religious bigotry for the whole world to see.We'll revisit an issue from an earlier podcast and

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