Product Description
America’s most irascible and hilarious curmudgeon turns a kind and benevolent eye toward brave, hardy, and hardworking souls around the country who have found ways to break free from corporate tentacles; redefine success in business, politics, and life in general; and blaze new pathways toward a richer and happier way of life, from the farmers’ cooperative that said “NO!” to Wal-Mart and thrived to the economists who got into the coffee business by accident and turned the entire industry on its ear. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (89)

A Great Message from a True Populist
I've always admired Jim Hightower and his home-spun, old-fashioned populism. Unlike his fellow Texan Ross Perot, his rage against the machine rhetoric seems grounded in a sincere desire to make things better rather than promoting himself. He's a type of liberal we used to see before the right wing demonized the label -- someone who puts the common good before everything else, including the interests of the corporations who have poisoned the political arena with their soft money contributions.

Mr. Hightower's book is anti-corporate, not anti-business -- a distinction that so many in the U.S. can't make. The corporations have swallowed America whole, grinding small farmers, mom and pop businesses, and independent manufacturers under their boot heel in the process. The tales of coffee farmers, cab drivers, money lenders, and even strippers who banded together to buck the stranglehold of corporations was inspiring.

Equally inspiring were Hightower's tales of groups of people that band together to effect political change. My favorite were the Raging Grannies who use song to protest the Iraq War. Politics are so monolithic and so money-driven these days that it's easy to feel that the individual has no say in the process (unless a party uses an individual to promote their own agenda a la Joe the Plumber). However, Hightower's book shows that Bobby Kennedy's belief that even the common man, working with others, can make a difference.

Hightower was even able to enlighten me to my own biases. I have a hearty distrust of evangelicals who seem more interested in regulating behavior and homogenizing American than doing good works and bringing people together. However, the story of Rev. Cizik, who works with environmentalists to raise awareness of the threat of environmental armageddon made me question my own beliefs and preconceived notions about evangelicals.

It's a knee-jerk response to today's society to be pessimistic and cynical about the future. The examples Mr. Hightower details in his book are certainly a small portion of that society, but it's refreshing to read about those who are "swimming against the current" even if that current is strong.

Should be Required Reading in All High Schools
I climbed into a steamy bath last night, opened this book and zing I was hooked right from the first page. I didn't leave the tub till I was all pruney. Mr. Hightower and his cohort in populist wisdom Susan DeMarco have turned out a little tome that will have you questioning everything you've ever believed about business in America. Liberal though I am, I never really thought about big corporations as being bad for America, I suppose that's because I'm liberal, but not a lefty.

Hightower and DeMarco have really got the little grey matter in my brain working overtime. This should be recommend reading for all high school seniors. It's important, in my humble opinion, to examine more than one point of view and Jim and Susan give you theirs with a style and panache that will both anger and amuse you.

A tribute to the best of America
Well, we can't all be an oil CEO making $28,000 and hour (p. 158).That is just as well.The world already has a plethora of Visigoths.This is practically an inspiring book about individuals and businesses that attempt to make a positive difference as they are pitted against long odds confronting the ever wealthy baddies.
"Ordinary folks who've chosen to buck the system, defy the rigid corporate order, and live progressive values," says a back cover blurb.
Hightower and DeMarco feature true heroes worthy of your respect and support.Includes Hightower's final thoughts, contact information of many who choose to behave honorably, and index.In addition, the author wears a really cool hat. Hightower's column can be read in "The Progressive Populist," and elsewhere.
"Now, it's your turn to make be the alternative" (p.195).

That's presuming there is a flow...,
Considering the dysfunction in Washington these days and the pollution of our waterways it's not clear that there is a current that a dead fish could go with. But, yes, Jim Hightower and Susan DeMarco have got it right: we need to swim hard against the tide of stupidity and BS awash over this once great land.

The book is in three sections, business, politics and life. In business Hightower laments at how big corporations manage to break the law and get away with it. He notes, in characteristic style: "Most laws governing corporate behavior are weaker than Canadian hot sauce and rarely enforced." He goes on to point out that many of the fines that corporations pay for wrongdoing "are merrily deducted from the corporation's income tax!"

Yes, God is in his heaven watching over the corporate person made in His image. Not.

In Part II Politics, we can see that Hightower is a redneck, red-state progressive--in other words, what might be thought of as an oxymoron, without the oxy. But actually if we all knew where our bread was buttered there might be a bit of a blue shift since any dang fool knows that Bush type Republicans are as elitist as royalty. Anyway, Hightower knows whereof he speaks when it comes to politics having been elected, not once, as he reminds us, but twice to statewide office in Texas. And I would say, if a progressive can win in Texas there's definitely hope for the rest of the country. But maybe not, since here is how Hightower characterizes Texas politics:

"...Texas is rich in the politically ridiculous (it's a point of pride for us, actually). We elected a guy named Jesse James nine times--as our state treasurer! Ma Ferguson, elected governor here in 1924, opposed a bill to provide bilingual education, declaring, 'If the King's English was good enough for Jesus, it's good enough for me.'"

In "Section Three: Life," here's the "basic question": "Will we let greedheaded profiteers determine the boundaries of our lives? Or will we take charge, blazing new paths for ourselves and our country?"

OMG! This is rallying cry. And the first order of business is agribusiness and how "They TORTURE food! They apply massive doses of pesticides and artificial fertilizers to these living organisms. They inject animals with antibiotics and sex hormones.... They force grass-eating cows to become carnivores and even cannibals. They blast fruits and veggies with ripening gas and zap them with radiation. They dose the finished foodstuffs with assorted sugars, artificial flavorings, transfats, and chemical preservatives...."

The next order of business is to stop the pollution and the--putting it bluntly--global warming. At this point Hightower and DeMarco throw in a telling quote: "Those who deface a Hummer in words or deed, deface the American flag and what it stands for." --Rick Schmidt, founder International Hummer Owners Group."

Near the end of the book, Jim and Susan give us Rev. Rich Cizik, an evangelic Christian who drives a Prius. Naturally this came to the attention of people like James Dobson and Pat Robertson, "Christians" of a different stripe, and they had at the good reverend. Dobson called Cizik "divisive" because he was pressing an agenda that is "anti-capitalist," reflecting "an underlying hatred for America." Robertson declared the Cizik was letting himself be "used by the radical left to further their agenda."

Bottom line here: sharp, witty, funny and to the point: wake up America.

Swim Against the Current
Love the book. Informative and easy to read. References and foot notes are provided. Great book for anyone interested in politics, economics. ... Read more

Product Description

Jim Hightower, America's favorite subversive, is still mad as hell, and he's not going to take it anymore.But he will give you a sizeable piece of his mind on Election 2000.This plain-talking, name-naming, podium-pounding populist zeros in on everything that ails us, from the global economy and media to big business and election winners everywhere.In his hard hitting commentary and hilarious anecdotes, Hightower spares no one, including the scared cows -- and especially the politicians -- who helped steer us into this mess in the first place.An equal opportunity muckrucker and a conscientious agitator for "We the People", Hightower inspires us to take charge again, build a new politics for a better tommorow -- and have a lot of laughs along the way

Customer Reviews (36)

Will a fetal position help?
While I'm chuckling at this book I'm reminding myself that it's true! And then I'm mad as hell, followed rapidly by despondent, frustrated, and afraid that this country is beyond being retrieved from the big-money boys before it's irreversibly screwed up. Groucho Marx reputedly observed that he would have nothing to do with anyone who'd have anything to do with a guy like him. This book makes me feel that I would want nothing to do with anyone whose character would allow him to seek elected office. With no faith in the power of the vote, I may just assume a prenatal position and hope for the best.

Bob's review
Well written and well researched book about the pathetic state of politics in the United States. A must read for anyone suspicious of those in power.

Outspoken Populism from a Disgusted Texan
Jim Hightower is a man with a mission. He is disgusted with the two- party system and he was repulsed by the choices presented by the two major parties in the 2000 elections, Bush and Gore. He is tired of watching politicians at all levels sell themselves out for corporate cash. He wrote this book as a guide to the corruption that exists in politics and what you and I can do to stop it.

Hightower was once an elected official himself, so he is experienced with the world of politics and how it operates. In this book, he explains how different the parties of today are compared to those of the past- particularly Democrats, whom Hightower feels could be counted on in the past to support populist causes but who no longer seem to care about anything but money. He talks about the problem of campaign financing and the need for reform. He shows how groups like the World Trade Organization and NAFTA have damaged the economy of the United States by favoring a few large corporations to the detriment of the common man.

I like Hightower's outspoken style and his demand to return to a government of self- rule for the people. However, there are a few instances in the book where he seems to get a little off- track when he delivers his populist message. For one thing, Hightower seems to have a strong and undeniable envy toward anyone with more money than himself, and he seems to think that all rich people are wicked and deserving of punishment. He seems to think the same of most corporations, even though a large percentage of companies are good corporate citizens. Some of his economic analysis is also a little shady, as he attempts to define how the economy can and should function to better ensure that the underprivileged are properly taken care of.

Hightower uses humor throughout this book to help hold his audience and keep them interested in reading more. He doesn't go over the line, like some other political authors are known to do. Hightower does take stabs at specific individuals, but he manages to keep things on a civil level, without getting too nasty or too personal.

With the types of candidates that the Dems and Repubs have been nominating lately, it's not surprising that so many voters are becoming disillusioned with the American political process. Jim Hightower is one of these people who is fed up, and he makes his views known in this book. "If the Gods had Meant us to Vote" is not a perfect volume of political analysis. But it does contain some useful information and some funny lines from Jim Hightower, America's most popular populist.

Hysterically funny but should be taken seriously
This is a book everyone should read. With an incredibly sharp wit, Hightower shows just how undemocratic our "democracy" has become and how much of our lives are dictated by corporate America. The chapter on globalization is a must read. Even though it was written before Bush was elected in 2000, everything he writes is still relevant, even more so.

I'm giving out copies to my family and friends
I had never heard of Jim Hightower before reading this book.I wasn't even sure I was going to like it.To be honest, I didn't even know what a populist was.Well, all of that changed.I learned so much from this book.Hightower writes in an entertaining, straight-shooting manner.He isn't afraid to attack any of the wrong-doing politicians out there---no matter what side of the fence they stand on.I am a senior year business major at a major university and learned more about the reality of big corporations from Jim Hightower's book than I have in the whole 5 years I have been at my college.I like this book so much, I have already decided to give copies out to my family and friends.Read it for an educational good time. ... Read more

Product Description
Cracking the Code is more than a book about politics, more than a book about communication. It's a book about all the ways you and I can connect with each other to build a better society based on the values of our nation's founders. We have the ability and responsibility to take Thom's belief to heart - that how we communicate dictates how we live, which in turn shapes our world - and act. Reading this book is the first crucial step in that direction. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (35)

Want to Make a Difference? Read this Book!
You know how you can just tell when people are the real deal? That's how I felt when I met Thom Hartmann at his book signing at Elliott Bay Bookstore in Seattle. He's genuine and shares his experience to help others.

"Cracking the Code: How to Win Hearts, Change Minds, and Restore America's Original Vision" offers advice on how to speak with more impact and better results. He gives examples how conservatives use persuasive messaging like `exploring for energy' instead of drilling for oil' and how progressives can learn persuasive messaging to make sure their voice is heard. If you've ever wondered why a message seems so believable, Cracking the Code will guide you through the art and the science of effective communication.

The book is broken down in 4 sections. 1) Understanding the current worldview code and how to crack it. 2) Learning how feelings come first in communication 3) Being aware of the responses you're getting and adjust accordingly 4) Taking your skills into larger audiences.

If you're an activist, social entrepreneur, nonprofit professional or simply want to make a difference in the world, this book will help you get better results with less effort.

Great Book!
Thom Hartmann has a way with words. This book is no different.

Good book

Fantastic!
A great read! Informative and interesting information presented in a clear and concise format. Outstanding book!

Thom Hartman's the man
Thom is the smartest person I've come across in a long time.I discovered him on Air America Radio.His books are as intelligent and well written as live broadcasts.Cracking the code is a must have for people like myself who live in the heart of a political red state.His book has been a life line for me to keep my sanity in the midst of a closed minded population.I plan to try his techniques on some or all of my family and friends not to get them to think like me, but only to exmine both sides of an issue with an open mind.Because like Thom, I don't feel we all have to think alike.But we do owe it to ourselves to examine everything we are told and not blindly accept media, or pundits words as truth.

Primer for political operatives
Thom Hartmann is a talented multi-faceted player who defies easy description and has an impressive jack-of-all-trades resume to boot. He knows much about much. While reading his book, I kept trying to type-cast him but he kept defying my expectations; ready-made labels don't seem to stick to him. He's widely read and is a sophisticated political marketer who understands subtle appeals. He offers neat pseudo-psychological terms like "maps" and "territory" and "submodality" and "anchoring" and "ecology check" and "framing" which makes it seem like you're in a fun psychology class with a grinning sun-glassed professor who has a past history of being in trouble with the law.

But "Cracking the Code" is a rather cynical book for Democratic political operatives. It's a primer to teach Democratic marketers how to pull the same crap as Republicans. In that sense, Hartmann is a hard-headed realist who doesn't wonder whether the political game is good or right or honest or fair; rather, he says: here's the game; if you want to win, here's how. I'm a non-partisan reformer and there's an aspect of this which I find particularly disheartening because it once more exposes how democracy is dying right before my eyes. Politics has become a mean, manipulative, stupid game, and Mr. Hartmann is encouraging more players to play this game and I don't like it.

Democrats don't know how to tell a good story like Republicans do, he argues. Democrats have talking points; Republicans have stories. In a good story, feeling and emotion come first. He has a Machiavellian take on communication: "the meaning of a communication is the response you get". He advocates techniques to "anchor" a person or an issue with an emotion. He lists "Republican" words such as strength, choose, fair, pioneer, pride and contrasts them with "Democratic" words such as traitors, shallow, devour, criminal rights. The object is to become an "unconsciously competent communicator" like Ronald Reagan who fabricated stories like the supposed Chicago "welfare queen" with dozens of social security numbers, welfare checks, driving an expensive Cadillac (the Cadillac was the "anchor image" he says). Never mind that newspaper reporters couldn't locate this woman -- the closest match was a woman with two aliases who stole $[...] and didn't own a Cadillac. But the welfare queen image had done its job.

The picture that emerges is rather disturbing. America is a big dumb animal with two rival factions -- Republicans and Democrats -- each trying to figure out which emotional appeals to use to score big on election day. Americans are pretty tuned out most of the time, he writes, and are highly susceptible to crass marketing appeals like Mr. Hartmann would foist on us. And that's the sad reality.

No doubt Democratic marketing consultants will suck lessons from this book like thirsty camels after a desert crossing. It may help them win future elections. But I think American democracy is bigger than marketing pitches and crude appeals and unthinking citizens and the mindlessness of partisan politics.

Thomas W. Sulcer
author of Common Sense II: How to Prevent the Three Types of Terrorism (Amazon/Kindle)
free now on the Internet: paste "common sense II" "sulcer" "google knol" into your search bar
... Read more

Product Description
Revised, and with a New Introduction by the Author

"I am an agitator, and an agitator is the center post in a washing machine that gets the dirt out."
--Jim Hightower

Hightower is mad as hell and he's not going to take it anymore! He's also funny as hell, and in this book he focuses his sharp Texas wit, populist passion, and native smarts on America's political, economic, scientific, and media establishments. In There's Nothing in the Middle of the Road But Yellow Stripes and Dead Armadillos, Hightower shows not only what's wrong, but also how to fix it, offering specific solutions and calling for a new political movement of working families and the poor to "take America back from the bankers and bosses, the big shots and bastards."

"If you don't read another book about what's wrong with this country for the rest of your life, read this one. I think it's the best and most important book about out public life I've read in years."
--Molly Ivins, author of Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She?

"When do we get to vote for Jim Hightower for president? Will somebody please tell me? When do we get to vote for Jim Hightower for president?."
--Michael Moore, author of Downsize This!

"Listen to Jim Hightower. His is a two-fisted, rambunctious voice unafraid to speak truth to power, eloquently and clearly...He's one of the best."
--Studs Terkel ... Read more

Customer Reviews (42)

Essential handbook of American politics
Agree or disagree, this book takes you through all the madness of politics since the rise of Clinton - yes, Clinton.Though Hightower is a populist liberal, he takes Clinton to task for being complicit in the gradual decline of the people's voice in government, bowing instead to corporate interests who want everything from tax-deductible CEO salaries (ever wonder why they were so high?) to looser regulations on the food we eat (recent food poisoning cases come to mind).If you're a Republican, you can't blame this book on a Bush-bashing mentality.Democrats have their problems too.

You have to be the change
In this book, Hightower mainly goes over corporate greed and how our politicians will cut social programs (that especially effect the elderly and poor), but will keep increasing corporate welfare. He also makes fun of Clinton, Limbaugh and a few others.

More than the politicians though, I blame the American people because most people simply do not pay attention. Recently a survey was given to people who voted in the 2004 Presidential election and 70% of Americans couldn't even name one bill that Congress has passed since January. 70% - and that is the people who voted in the last election, 79 million citizens over the age of 18 didn't even vote. That just gives you a feel for the level of political apathy in this country.

Here is some information from the book:

- The real cause of breast cancer can be linked to harmful chemicals which are dumped by companies.
- Our taxdollars subsidize products being advertised to Japan, or outsourcing jobs to Puerto Rico!
- Basically our media is propoganda for corporations.

This is a entertaining book and Hightower makes it easy for people to understand government policy. I would recommend "Thieves in High Places" over this book though because it is more current :0) Also you can visit www.jimhightower.com if you would like too see some current news or things he is working on.

Good grief!Don't let morality interfere with profiteering!
Nobody is safe from the sharpened teeth and wit of this political watchdog, but we wouldn't have it any other way.
Though "Armadillos" is an older book, published in 1997, it is still valid today.And those of you who think he's swinging too hard at Pres. Bush will enjoy watching his energy focused on Clinton, who was Pres then.

This is what I mean when I say Jim Hightower is not necessarily anti-Bush; he is anti corporateering and pro working-citizens.He will aim his sights at anyone, regardless of partisan politics, and expose their greedy, pork-filled underbellies.

"Armadillos" is divided into five basic sections; Class War, The Media, Pollution, and Politics.
In Corporateworld, Hightower exposes such big-money deceptions as Corporatized Medicine.While we sit back and debate whether or not socialized medicine is a worthwhile route, the HMO's and Corporations have taken over our health care to line their own pockets and serve no one but themselves.Also note his timeline comparisons to the old Robber Barons, and the similarities of today's working place.And watch out NAFTA, Hightower is on to you!

In Class War, Hightower emphasizes the growing chasm between the filthy rich and the working-class right here in America.Fortunately, anything this top heavy must eventually topple over, especially when their supporting base becomes unstable. (translate to unhappy and no longer willing to hold them up)Of particular note in this chapter is Hightower's revisiting the origins of our holiday, Labor Day; by itself this makes the chapter Class War shine.

In The Media, Hightower exposes the media bias long before "Out-foxed" was ever made.Anyone remember the 1994 "Telecommunications Deregulation" bill that was supposed to create more competition in the telephone and cable choices we everyday citizens have?How many choices do you have now?If you are like me, there is One Mega-Monster provider that services your area and that is that.I still have no choice and I'm paying 10 times what I used to.

Pollution is the best chapter in the book.Here, Hightower charges in, no holes barred, and shows up the corporate greed, incompetent government agencies, and fat-belly back scratchings that are keeping this country polluted and compromising our health everyday.From meat-packing to organochlorines, no polluter is safe.I have recently read a very disturbing book called "Slaughterhouse" by Gail Eisnitz, and here in "Armadillos" Hightower proves that what Ms. Eisnitz exposed has been going on for a very long time.
Taking a huge risk here, Hightower even stands up against the "feel good" events such as the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.How dare he attack such a noble and gentle association?Because the sole funding source of BCAM is Zeneca Group, a huge multibillion-dollar corporation named in a 1990 lawsuit for dumping DDT and PCB's into Los Angeles and Long Beach harbors.What, you say?Zeneca produces cancer causing, chlorine based pesticides, most of which are dumped into our environment, then has the nerve to tell us women that its our "fatty diets" or our "lifestyles" causing our illnesses.To put icing on top of this putrescent cake, Zeneca also owns a pharmaceutical company that produces a treatment drug for breast cancer.Give it to `em, then charge `em to try and cure it.
During the next BCAM campaign, watch to see if any mention is made to organochlorines and their links to cancer.You won't find any.

The last chapter, Politics, sounds more volatile but is actually a gentle sliding out of the book.Making more and more sense, Hightower warns us that instead of being so partisan, we need to question the ethics of each and every candidate, especially where their monetary interests are.

"Armadillos" is still in tune with the problems of this country, and what I really like about him is that he points out ways for the reader to fight back, so you are not left all riled up with no comb in your hand.

His humor is both sharp and refreshing, and he infuses it heavily into his written works, making palatable even the most horrible of subjects.One of my favorite ideas of his is the Candidate Stickers; just like racecar drivers wear patches and stickers showing their sponsors, so should our politicians.Hightower paints a very funny picture of a debate with sticker-covered candidates, the only part that is not so funny is that while we argue party against party, the candidates are wearing the same corporate logos on their 1K suits.

Hightower uses extensive reference to real occurances here, naming bills and corporations, providing dates, and showcasing the organizations that are making a difference.This is a great book for those just becoming politically aware, and for old veterans of the partisan wars alike.Hightower's witty prose and down-home humor actually make politics a fun read.Enjoy!

awesome book
hightower is absolutely hilarious.Being from Austin, Texas, this book is even more incredible to hear the tales again of what goes on here, but from a more truthful perspective than the media.Unlike some "conservative" authors, Hightower criticizes the entire system that's got us where we are- including the democratic party.

Give 'em Hell, Hightower!
I voted for Jim Hightower (for Land Commissioner or something like that) way back when I'd just turned 18 and was able to vote for the first time. I'm very glad to see he's still fighting for the little guy. I live abroad, and whenever anyone asks where home is, I always used to proudly say, "Texas!" These days, it's getting harder and harder to be proud. At least with Bush the First, we could say, "Well, he's not really a Texan." But Junior...well, there's really no denying it, is there? He embodies every negative stereotype of the Texas millionaire.

But when I read Hightower, I remember all the good things about Texas, and about America, too. People like Jim Hightower and Molly Ivins make me proud to be a Texan and an American--people who cut through the lies and take on the big boys without a drop of fear in their hearts...just because it's the right thing to do. ... Read more

Product Description
In Thieves in High Places, Jim Hightower takes on the Kleptocrats, Wobblycrats, and Bushites with hilarious results.Digging up behind-the-scenes dirt on stories the corporate news media overlooks (and don’t get him started on them!), Hightower reveals the real stories behind BushCo’s "Friday Night Massacres," what’s happened to our food, and the Bush plan for empire.

With grassroots solutions, drawing on Hightower’s national Rolling Thunder Down-Home Democracy Tour—a traveling festival of rebellion against every tentacle of the corporate-politico power grab—Hightower is tapping into the activist network that is thriving at kitchen tables all over America.This is the real America the rest of the world doesn’t get to see, delivered with Hightower’s own hilarious brand of wit and outrage.Amazon.com Review
Author, populist, and radio commentator Jim Hightower is nothing if not direct. In Thieves in High Places, Hightower lambastes the current American power structure and exhorts his readers to fight against it. Hightower's indignation runs deep in this "us versus them" exposé of corporate malfeasance, governmental abuse, the militarization of American society, and the Bush administration's empire building. In the first part of the book, Hightower illustrates how the Bush administration and Congress work with major corporations (including our nation's vast media conglomerates) to add to their obscene wealth at the expense of America's working class, our environment, and (most lamentably) our rights and liberties. "The elites have pulled off a slow-motion coup, radically wrenching America's power balance from a people's democracy to Kleptocrat Nation."

Customer Reviews (81)

Good humor and insight
A good read, funny and true.But now that the democrats are in power, books like this won't sell anymore.I almost wonder if guys like Hightower would rather have a right wing whacko in office and if idiots like Limbaugh would rather have a democrat.They sure are more likely to sell books when the other guys are in office.

Thieves in High Places: They've Stolen Our Country and It's Time to Take It Back
ISBN 0965839095 - Reading "current event" books, particularly about the fast-moving world of politics, when they're no longer exactly "current" events can be an enlightening experience. It's rare, but it happens. Thieves is one of those; even five years removed from "current", it's worthy of a read.

With a great deal of humor and an often sharp tongue, author Jim Hightower shows the reader where Democrats went wrong and how they could return to the right direction - in time to beat George W. Bush in the 2004 election. Highlighting Bush's worst choices, including his choice of friends and their choices, Hightower makes a good argument with laughs thrown in, apparently based on the idea that if you don't laugh, you'll cry. Best of all, he lays out how the Democrats could win...

First, let me say that Hightower's trying all too hard here to be funny. After a while, it's a bit annoying. On the other hand, he might just be a prophet, and that's what reading this book now gives you that you wouldn't have seen when it was published in 2003. Sure, the Democratic nominee did not win in 2004, but in 2008 the Democratic party put forth a candidate who just might have read this book - Obama campaigned ona good portion of Hightower's to-do list: "A tax cut on working stiffs... and spread the burden up to include the billionaire's club. Health care for all... Energy independence for America through a ten-year moon-shot project (Obama even used the language!) that'll put Americans to work..."

The final chapter is "Bob Runs for President" and Bob's an interesting (albeit imaginary) guy. A few quotes: "Sure, I've got a background I could tell you about, a resume, a family picture album, a personal story - but that's not the important thing. What's significant is that my song is essentially the same as yours." "I'm talking about that spark that's deep inside all of us, urging us to keep going, to be bigger than the sum of our parts, to keep reaching for something better, richer, more meaningful than what is - or what we're told can be." "It's part anger, but the bigger part is hope, a small but constant flicker of belief..." The quotes are from the (again, fictional) man that Hightower puts forward as the guy who could win a presidential election. Kind of makes me want to read his latest stuff, see if he can foretell 2012.

- AnnaLovesBooks

So-so
I wouldn't go out on a limb and recommend this book; but I wouldn't degrade it either.

If you despise the current Bush Administration, or love and support them, your view won't be swayed either way.

Lots of Complaining, but some good points
In the first 100 Pages of this book there is nothing but complaining.Too much complaining.The second half, he actually starts giving some interesting criticism, and ways to change.The first part of the book is 2 stars the second is 4-5 stars.

We've Been Sold and Don't Even Know It
Rarely does a political book hit the shelf that is valid for more than a year or two after it is released. On very rare occasions, a political book is so well written, and so on target that it can be used for years before it becomes obsolete and this is just such a book.

The author doesn't have a bone to pick with any one particular party, but rather with the way corporations have taken over the political system and are running the country for their own gain. He attacks BushCo,the Wobblycratsand the Kleptocrats with equal zeal and exposes how we are paying the price. In addition to exposing how they are stealing us blind, he also names the names of corporations who are the biggest of the thieves.

Finally, in addition, Hightower does what few authors bother to do. He gives us solutions that are practical and can be put into everyday use.As he points out so vividly, corporations used money to steal the system, and we can use our money to take it back.

Overall, a well written book, with funny passages, that will make you think about who is running the country and how you want to spend your next paycheck. I highly recommend this book!
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Product Description

Customer Reviews (9)

How do we get them to disclose bias?
A good look from the inside. We all know the shows are stacked with conservative talking heads, but it's easy to fool the uninformed. They might say the guy is from the Kato Institute, and even that they are libertarian, but the average guy doesn't know what that means. They don't teach the politics of the left and right in high school. They should have to disclose where the think tank gets it's money.

Good stuff
I appreciated the fact that Jeff has extensive experience at all three cable news networks, and that he doesn't hold back to share his experiences. It's a must read for those who are fed up with the manipulation of the news my corporate America, and those who want firepower to back up their assertions that things are indeed bleak when it comes to the news equaling the truth.

Corporate media is the true axis of evil
This is an important addition to the equivalent of taking the red pill in The Matrix. Take this and a little Noam Chomsky and you will develop a healthy skepticism about what passes for our fourth estate. You might also get an idea why we can't seem to get our $#!t together. Then again ignorance is bliss, right?

Begins to explain the horse race politics has become
Jeff Cohen, founder of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) had some faith in the budding, at the time, cable news. It was, he felt, a phenomenon that could take the place of that joke which we colloquially refer to as TV news. He was surprised.

As a little background, I won't allow television news on in my house. Long, long ago I was a television addict; that's what I used to keep myself occupied in my lonely days in high school. However, the summer before I was a senior in high school I was in a nearly fatal automobile accident which kept me in the hospital for some time. While there, I had little to do but watch television. Like a bad hangover can cure a potential drunk, being forced to watch the idiot box convinced me that the television is an idiot's medium. So I've sworn off it.

In Cohen's case, he was an ACLU attorney. He was disillusioned with what he saw as a right-leaning medium. When "cable news" came about, CNN, the pioneer, offered him a job.

Now, I don't want to go into details of Cohen's life then. Read the book if you want to find out about that. But he opened my eyes to a few things. First of all, while I've never been a CNN fan, it seemed better that Faux. ANYTHING is better than Faux, right? That's why I was surprised that Faux was not first on Cohen's list. But Cohen admits early in the book that Faux didn't start the rightward swing, but the pioneer, CNN did. Cohen pointed out that all his tenure at CNN consisted of was the shouting matches. It's drama so it sells...

The 2nd section of the book is on Faux, for which Cohen worked for 5 years. (!) His witty descriptions of his time there include, of course, his run-ins with o'leilly. In fact, I appreciate his description of Billow, that o'leilly is a good debater, but ill-prepared, for example, and that o'leilly really does see himself as the little guy taking on the big, bad "liberal" monster. That o'leilly is grandly deluded is not a surprise to anyone, I suppose, but it's interesting to hear it from someone who worked so closely with him.

Another interesting tidbit of Jeff's tenure with Faux is that he was to debate the Grande Dame of shock jocks, Ann Coulter, but, despite Jeff's extensive preparation for the experience, Coulter wouldn't appear with him! That demonstrates what I've always believed of Coulter, that she has no guts, just the right lines for the audience she knows all too well.

Then onto MSNBC. Now, I'm an Olbermann fan. I don't watch him on the tube but I do tune into his web page frequently as I think he as something intelligent to say. (And I can tell he does as the "right" despises him!) So I was surprised to hear of their, for a start, gutlessness. Cohen took a job with them as he was happy that MSNBC was hiring Phil Donahue. Indeed, Cohen was Donahue's producer. But even those "liberals" who tuned into Donahue did so less. It seems MSNBC's management was telling Donahue that he's too far left, that your flag waving "silent majority" was, in their focus groups, rather turned off to him. Cohen's role was dwindling too; he was limited in how he was allowed to help Donahue prepare.

Cohen was game to how Rupert Murdoch, Faux's owner and grandfather of right wing radio, was making headway. He focused on a particulary demographic. He wasn't going to appeal to everyone, but Faux knew the type to whom, say, o'leilly appealed. And to them, Faux sold. But MSNBC wasn't interested. So eventually, Donahue lost his job as he was perceived as too "anti-war."

The focus of the book, alas, is that cable news is hopelessly "corporate." War sells, as do shark attacks and alleged kidnappings. Cohen would have a shouting match with someone and the stations' staffs would comment on how good it looked, without so much as a syllable on the content.

Yes, there is a lot of cynicism focused on the media today. The "right" claims that the media have a hopelessly "liberal bias." Cohen not only challenges that, but shows that the cable networks in particular are centered on the almighty buck. So they go for the drama, the show, rather than on any substance.

There is a word of optimism at the end of the book, though. There are alternatives developing. So those of us completely disillusioned with cable noise can begin to tune into those alternatives, many of which Cohen lists.

If you're expecting a dry dissertation with refernces up the wahzoo, this may not be your cup of tea. But if you want an insider's story, a broad outline of why the media are getting as bad as they are, I recommend this witty milestone.

Cohen explains my frustrations well
A big thanks to Jeff Cohen for confirming that I'm not crazy. He "found inside cable news was a drunken exuberance for sex, crime and celebrity stories, matched by a grim timidity and fear of offending the powers-that-be -- especially if the powers-that-be are conservatives. The biggest fear is of doing anything that could get you, or your network, accused of being liberal." If you keep in mind, it's not news (never was), then it makes it easier to swallow. After reading Cohen's account, you realize that Walter Conkrite would never get hired today in the face of fools like Chris Matthews, Sean Hannity, and Biff O'Really. ... Read more

Product Description
America in 2004 is color coded—and it’s not just a matter of red, white, and blue. The terror alert bounces from yellow to orange. The economy offers up a hundred shades of red ink. The environment is turning brown. National security is cloaked in gray shadows. And Jim Hightower covers it all with uncommon insight, political fearlessness, and laugh-out-loud humor.

America’s #1 populist gives us Let’s Stop Beating Around the Bush—a hard-hitting, fact-filled review of the real state of the union that you won’t get from the establishment media. With his daily radio commentaries and award-winning monthly newsletter, no one has chronicled the madness of King George the W, the wimpiness of corporate Democrats, and the aggressive avarice of Wall Street with the thoroughness and tenacity of Hightower. Now he brings that investigative punch into this wild and woolly book of fiery essays.

With his satirical "Six Perfectly Good Reasons to Re-elect George W. Bush;" his mix of damning indictments and uplifting stories; and side bars, cartoons, games, and puzzles, Hightower has done the impossible: He has created a subversive read that makes politics fun again.Amazon.com Review
Author Jim Hightower is not, as the title of his recent book about the George W. Bush administration indicates, a fan of equivocation. "The Bushites are--let me put this politely as I can--NUTS!" he writes, "They're insane. They're zealots totally dedicated to implementing their plutocratic, autocratic, militaristic, and imperialistic vision of America." The chapters in Hightower's book are prefaced by a series of reasons Bush fans may give for supporting the President followed by blistering and often highly entertaining refutations of those reasons. However, Hightower phrases the pro-Bush reasons to sound as boneheaded as possible, thus giving himself an easier time shooting them down. Meanwhile his down-home humor and polemical wackiness can be tiresome, occasionally getting in the way of efforts to clearly make a point. But don't be fooled by the wackiness: Hightower has done his homework and presents disturbing evidence of the dangers of Bush policy, particularly in the areas of food safety, personal privacy, and the environment. Unlike many on the left, he largely avoids the war in Iraq and the reasons given by the Bush administration for fighting it but that focus on domestic life helps Hightower avoid the pitfall of attacking everything Bush has ever done and being left to spend only a limited amount of time on each. Let's Stop Beating Around the Bush was published in July of 2004 just as the presidential election was heating up and it is very much a book of the moment, featuring references to the need to win the election and attempting to give those who oppose Bush some talking points for when they talk to those who support him. Neither those talking points nor this book are likely to change any minds but Jim Hightower's humor and energy provide are welcome in an election season. --John Moe ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

I'd give this book a 10 star rating if I could!
I recommend this book be read by everyone.United States citizens need to know what actually happened during the Bush Administation years.We already know the results, but this easy to read and humerous book is full of the actions tht lead us all to the state of our nation's unhealty ecomonic and social position.As Hightower names names and quotes quotes he also gives those public statistics that are alarming rather than tediously boring.This is not just another gloomy book about what happened.It issues a message to individuals: that each of us does count and can make a difference.How?By demanding that those people we vote for, at every level of government, do what they say they will do.Any if they don't remove them from their elected offices.By not being fearful of bullies, the bullying will stop.May Sinclair, Author, Infamous Eve, A History

Let's Stop Beating Around the Bush
Enjoying the lifting of the veil from an extremeley dangerous individual.The material is all in the public domain but this places it between two covers. The subject should probably be secured in a locked ward at St. Elizabeth's Hospital.

Any criticism of current office-holders is "hate"?
There are no perfect sides to take in politics. We can only fulfill our obligation to this country and our fellow countrymen by being inquisitive, willing to listen, and being able to make up our own minds without the need to lambaste others who do not share our 'family values' or belief in the current 'plutocracy'.
Before we get our panties in a twist over a dissenting voice perhaps we should do some research on the author, his experience, his justifications, and make an intelligent, correctly spelled retort, or commendation. Jeez, as far as I know, it's still a free country, unless the 'hatred' perceived by the rabid right shuts down dissent altogether.

It's about time !
Especially after this tragic election in which Bush and GOP won, as a true conservative, I can't blame Jim Hightower for poking fun at the current neo-cons who have given us good conservatives a bad rap. If you're a non-conservative, you shouldn't have trouble getting a few laughs from it. For you conservatives out there who are tired of the current neocons taking you for granted by exploiting the macho weakness, read this book and learn to stop beating around the bushes but instead sledgehammer the neocons and get the last laugh. And I say the same to liberals and moderates who are sick and tired of being called weak !

Hightower in rare form!!
Hightower pulls no punches in this wittyand insightful look at GW and his policies.The cartoons are hilarious. If you're already a fan of Hightower's weekly coloums then this will be right up your alley.If you're not a fan then this book will easily make you one. ... Read more

Product Description
"Challenging the Chip" is the first comprehensive examination of the impacts of electronics manufacturing on workers and local environments around the world. The essays in this volume contribute to a collaborative international discourse of citizens, workers, health professionals, academics, labour leaders, environmental activists, and others with the common goal of developing alternative visions for the regulation and sustainable development of manufacturing, assembly/disassembly, and waste disposal in the global electronics industry. Contributors from Asia, North America, Europe, and Latin America provide multidimensional perspectives on the science and the politics of environmental and social justice, documenting the efforts of community and labour activists, government agencies, and others in introducing more sustainable systems of production to one of the world's largest manufacturing industries. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Demand corporate accountability
"Challenging the Chip" by Ted Smith, David Sonnenfeld and David Naguib Pellow (editors) is a collection of essays on the labor and environmental problems of the electronics industry. The thirty-plus contributors to the book were connected through a series of symposiums wherein this ambitious project was conceptualized. By describing their shared experiences, the authors succeed in articulating why the public must demand corporate accountability in order to gain economic and environmental sustainability.

The editors merit praise. The book contains over 25 articles but contains no weak material. The writers seem to have expressed a high degree of collegiality by voluntarily subjecting their work to extensive peer review, criticism and revision. The result is a remarkably even and high-quality series of essays that are characterized by ample research, insight and analysis. The editors also supply excellent introductions and expertly frame the key issues that are discussed in each section of the book.

The first section is titled, 'Global Electronics'. Seven articles describe how the production and distribution of electronics are organized on a global scale. We learn that multinational corporations tend to avoid social responsibility by exploiting workers in poor nations with either lax or non-enforced labor and environmental laws such as China, India, Thailand and more recently, countries in Eastern Europe. Oftentimes, the most vulnerable workers are subjected to subsistence wage relations without union representation and exposure to occupational health hazards without protection or compensation when illness ensues. This grim reality is in stark contrast to the manipulated media images that are projected to consumers by the relatively small number of major corporations who control the supply chains that tie these far-flung operations together.

The second section is 'Environmental Justice and Labor Rights'. Nine articles written by local activists and scholars drill in-depth into environmental and labor issues at the local level. We learn that the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition first brought widespread attention to the e-waste problem and the widespread use of toxic chemicals in the semiconductor manufacturing process, subsequently blowing the lid off the self-serving but deceptive image of this supposedly 'clean' industry. Other noteworthy stories include how IBM hid data from workers about known cancer risks at their factories; the activist community of Silicon Glen in Scotland and its struggle to protect worker health; the deleterious effects of the NAFTA agreement on pollution and degraded working conditions in Mexico; worker struggle and environmental exploitation in Taiwan; and more. Among many insights offered, these articles suggest that profitability is built upon a strategy of state protection that allows the industry to shed responsibility and externalize many unwanted costs onto others.

The final section is on the topic of 'Electronic Waste and Extended Producer Responsibility'. Eight articles discuss the factors driving the increase in e-waste and how the costs of disposal are increasingly borne by the poor. The authors inform us that while nations within the EU and Japan have taken steps to regulate e-waste and thereby encourage smarter product design and recycling programs, the U.S. has lagged far behind, often preferring to dump its garbage in landfills or export to poor countries where obsolete equipment is dismantled under hazardous conditions. However, the inspiring story about the 'toxic dude' campaign organized against Dell illustrates that public pressure can succeed in changing the behavior of some U.S. corporations, however modestly.

I highly recommend this insightful and timely book to activists, students and everyone else interested in learning more about an increasingly urgent problem.

behind the hi tech glamour
The editors take a peek behind the hitech glamour of the semiconductor industry. It is one of the most global of industries, with factories dispersed widely. But the book shows that working conditions can be hazardous at times. The reagents used in production are often highly reactive. One chapter on occupational safety describes many of these reagents, and studies done at various fabs. Notably, at IBM's, from which several researchers have looked at cancer rates and the effects on the reproductive abilities of female workers. Especially since fabs and assembly lines tended to favour hiring females.

Other chapters look at factories in Thailand, eastern Europe and India. The working conditions can sometimes be harsh, with many petty rules that severely circumscribe workers. Strikes have often resulted at the worst factories.

Overall, the book is a thoughtful counterpoint to IT's public image. ... Read more

Product Description
HARD TOMATOES, HARD TIMES: A Report of the Agribusiness Accountability Project on the Failure of America's Land Grand College Complex by Jim Hightower. 1973 Hardcover 9 1/4 x 6 1/4 inches, 268 pages Schenkman Publishing ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Fact-based, Original, Brilliant!
If you're looking for facts, and some real, honest analysis of the way your money is spent in the land-grant university systems, here's the book for you.Although the book is relatively old, the basic orientation hasn't really changed much at the land-grant schools.In The Politics of Agricultural Research, Don Hadwiger described Hard Tomatoes, Hard Times as an "exposé [that] helped bring about a reappraisal of the marvelous but flawed product of agricultural research."

As Hightower puts it: "Tax dollars buy new tinker toys for agribusiness, misery for migrants, death for rural America and more taxes for urban America. All in the name of efficiency" (p.110).The future, now former, Texas Agriculture Commissioner lays it all out, with facts and figures.

As Ronald Reagan's farewell address warned, beware of the "iron triangles," a phrase coined by J. Leiper Freeman.In fact, this is a great book to read after reading the seminal work by J. Leiper Freeman's The Political Process (1955). ... Read more

Product Description
Catherine Garrett is the wife of a wealthy publishing magnet. She is adored by all for her down to earth personality. What is Catherine's secret? She was raised in wealth, yet ingrained with warmth rather than snobbery.

When Catherine announces she is throwing a five day celebration for the publishing staff, all are delighted. Everyone is excited about seeing the enormous Gilded Age masterpiece where the Garrett's live. They are immediately impressed with the lavish train ride out to the estate aboard the Garrett's own personal train. As the train rolls through the estate they are awestruck when they see the breathtaking limestone mansion. They are equally overcome by the beauty of the art, marble floors, 40 bedrooms and 70 fireplaces during their initial tour.

With such a great start, how could anything go wrong? Follow Catherine's family and their guests as they experience a five day celebration they will never forget. Full of charming wit, devoted love and strength of human spirit, this story is sure to make you reconsider your ideas about quiet, secluded estates.

Customer Reviews (2)

Absolutely Fantabulous!
For those of you who don't know, "fantabulous" is a combination of "fantastic" and "fabulous," but that's not the point. This book is wonderful, there is not much else that one can say about it. The action begins from page one when the storyteller is rescued by her true love. It only gets better. Later in life, the matriarch of the Garrett family finds herself in the midst of a crazy party guest and their evil plot for revenge. It is sure to be a winner!

An instant classic!
This book is a wonderful example of the guilded era. It is sure to keep you turning the pages for hours on end. From page one the author brings out the kind heart and less than snobby mindset of the matriarch, Catherine. But this temperment is changed rapidly when a less than savory party guest becomes bent on the anihalation of the Garrett's reputation and, perhaps, the Garrett's themselves. ... Read more

Product Description

A comprehensive analysis of the solid waste problem and the major alternatives for a solution to the crisis. ... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: Gene Autry, Chesley Sullenberger, William H. Murray, Jim Hightower, John Hillerman, Mike Haynes, Joie Chitwood, Reggie Hunt, Aaron Hunt, Charlie Johnson, Monte Jackson, Tom Virtue, Ray Renfro. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 67. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Chesley Burnett "Sully" Sullenberger III (born January 23, 1951) is an American airline transport pilot (ATP), safety expert, and accident investigator from Danville, California. Sullenberger rose to fame when he successfully ditched US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River off Manhattan, New York City, on January 15, 2009, saving the lives of all 155 people on the aircraft. Sullenberger is an international speaker on airline safety and has helped develop new protocols for airline safety. As of September 30, 2009, Sullenberger is also the co-chairman of the EAA's Young Eagles youth introduction-to-aviation program. Sullenberger retired from US Airways and its predecessor airline after 30 years with them on March 3, 2010. He is the author of Highest Duty, a memoir of his life and of the events surrounding Flight 1549, published in 2009 by HarperCollins. He was ranked second in TIME Magazine's Top 100 Most Influential Heroes and Icons of 2009. Sullenberger was born in Denison, Texas to a dentist father a descendant of Swiss immigrants named Sollenberger and an elementary school teacher mother. He has one sister, Mary Wilson. The street on which he grew up in Denison, Texas, was named after his mother's family, the Hannas. According to his sister, Sullenberger built model planes and aircraft carriers during his childhood, and says he became interested in flying after seeing military jets from a nearby Air Force base from his house. He went to school in Denison, and was consistently in the 99th percentile in every...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=21143211 ... Read more