In the flaming chaos of modern media — where talking heads compete for virality by shouting louder, lying faster, or stoking the cheapest fire — Thom Hartmann remains an anomaly.
As someone diagnosed with adult AD/HD around 1998, I came across Thom's books at that time. He even answered a few of my emails. He had a Compuserve email in those days. Been a fan ever since ...
Thank you for this recommendation. Oddly enough, I heard of Thom Hartmann for the first time from a progressive friend of many years last week. My friend re-posted one of Hartmann's essays that was picked up by AlterNet. I found a long reference to Hartmann on Wikipedia and was intrigued. And now I know even more.
I never heard of Thom Hartmann so thanks for the lead. I'll subscribe. He sounds very progressive and, unlike you people, he's not afraid to put his name out there. There are so many hard-hitting journalists who sign their names to what they write, Tom Friedman and now Brooks come to mind. But not Closer to the Edge. You've said before you won't sign your name because you want to "protect" your writers from the whackos and nutcases. But among progressive writers you're alone in that regard. So I've come to this conclusion: most of your essays are about how horrible things are with Slump and his enablers. So horrible that it makes us mad an angry. But that's precisely what they want: they want us to be in a constant state of angst and anxiety and Closer to the Edge contributes to that so I've concluded that Closer to the Edge is actually a group of conservative, right wing nuts who are part of the effort to keep the 75 million people who voted for Kamala on edge and in a constant state of distress. When so many progressive journalists aren't afraid to sign their names to what they broadcast and write, it's the only logical conclusion I can think of. So I'll stop reading your essays. Good luck "protecting" your writers and keeping them safe.
Steve Robinson, try not to be quite as cynical. They’re doing what they feel they can. It’s what we all have to do - what we can. And then we have to do a little more - as you suggest!
Why won't they sign their names to what they write? Why do people who write for Closer to the Edge need more "protection" than writers who sign their names?
Why would any thinking person be surprised where we are today. The breadcrumbs have been visible since Chris Columbus promised the Native Americans that he’d be back. Native Americans stood on those shores and watched those ships sail off. It was the beginning of our demise as tribal people. The worst disease that Europeans brought to the Americas was the Never Enough disease.
You are having to experience this very hard truth which has finally come knocking at your door too. Cooperation is the Only way through this.
Perhaps they have very young families to protect and can't afford to hire private protection. These writers may not have names that are well known and thus easier to "disappear" than say Hartmann or Richardson or Parnas. Or, they are thinking ahead to after the government has locked up all the known independent journalists. Only those whose names weren't made public will be left to carry on. Too far out for an idea? Isn't what's going on right now beyond anything we could have imagined even a year ago?
Yes, even after reading Project 2025, it's still beyond anything I could have imagined, even three months ago, never mind a year. Still, any of the people you mentioned can "disappear" in a police state. At this point I'd put nothing past them. Dozens have people have disappeared -or been thrown off balconies- by Putin but Slump is one of his greatest admirers so
I was born 6 months before Pearl Harbor was bombed so my memories of historical events go back well before Putin. I recently read/heard somewhere that, yes, "Slump" admires Putin but he's also his student. I can think of nothing this administration wouldn't do to achieve its goal. And, that scares the bejeezus out of me.
I dunno. I just know it’s scary. I’m afraid, and I know it’s hard to get past that. I’m a very judge-y person; trying not to be. I’m old and want someone else to take the ball and run with it, but none of us has the luxury to sit this one out, do we? What a stupid mess we’re in!!
Agreed. We're in an awful situation. The reason I wrote that I think Closer to the Edge is a right-wing group in disguise is an illustration of the paranoia so many of us are feeling. There are so many scams out there and then there's Facebook which almost single-handedly -with the help of Putin- got Slump elected in 2016, it makes one question everything, including Closer to the Edge. The only hope we have left are the midterms. If Putin, Musk and Zuckerberg steal those elections, too, meaning we don't retake the House and Senate, then we can kiss the democracy goodbye. I have a friend in England who feels that Slump will find a way to call off the midterm elections but I'd like to think that's just another example of the above mentioned paranoia.
People have tried to slap some labels on us, but a right-wing group in disguise? Seriously? Have you read what we put out on a near daily basis? A right-wing group that encourages people to subscribe to Thom Hartmann?
We are curious how attaching our real names to our articles would help quell your paranoia. How would that help?
Our names wouldn't be recognizable to anybody except our families and friends, so it's not as if we'd instantly gain trust or confidence because of a byline with a middle initial.
I’ve been following Closer to the Edge on Facebook for sometime now and I would never consider them right-wing; sometimes TL;DR but always on point. The fact that they work as a collective and don’t put their actual names on their work doesn’t bother me. I never used my real name on Twitter for good reason but I do here on Substack. I use a Nym when I comment on a number of blogs that I follow. Each individual has to make their own safety decisions and I’ll admit that I’m getting a little paranoid in the present atmosphere. Seeing people being snatched off of streets and being rendered to jail camps and/or out of the country is putting me closer to the edge (pun intended).
You'd gain credibility: name one credible news organization like, for example, the Guardian, Wall Street Journal, NY Times, Rolling Stone, Mother Jones, etc., that refuses to reveal the names of their journalists.
Wow. Very harsh assumptions about anonymity and Closer to the Edge. I'm learning that the intensity of my own indignant observations about others are usually unnecessary and always inaccurate.
As someone diagnosed with adult AD/HD around 1998, I came across Thom's books at that time. He even answered a few of my emails. He had a Compuserve email in those days. Been a fan ever since ...
Thank you for this recommendation. Oddly enough, I heard of Thom Hartmann for the first time from a progressive friend of many years last week. My friend re-posted one of Hartmann's essays that was picked up by AlterNet. I found a long reference to Hartmann on Wikipedia and was intrigued. And now I know even more.
I never heard of Thom Hartmann so thanks for the lead. I'll subscribe. He sounds very progressive and, unlike you people, he's not afraid to put his name out there. There are so many hard-hitting journalists who sign their names to what they write, Tom Friedman and now Brooks come to mind. But not Closer to the Edge. You've said before you won't sign your name because you want to "protect" your writers from the whackos and nutcases. But among progressive writers you're alone in that regard. So I've come to this conclusion: most of your essays are about how horrible things are with Slump and his enablers. So horrible that it makes us mad an angry. But that's precisely what they want: they want us to be in a constant state of angst and anxiety and Closer to the Edge contributes to that so I've concluded that Closer to the Edge is actually a group of conservative, right wing nuts who are part of the effort to keep the 75 million people who voted for Kamala on edge and in a constant state of distress. When so many progressive journalists aren't afraid to sign their names to what they broadcast and write, it's the only logical conclusion I can think of. So I'll stop reading your essays. Good luck "protecting" your writers and keeping them safe.
Steve Robinson, try not to be quite as cynical. They’re doing what they feel they can. It’s what we all have to do - what we can. And then we have to do a little more - as you suggest!
Why won't they sign their names to what they write? Why do people who write for Closer to the Edge need more "protection" than writers who sign their names?
Why would any thinking person be surprised where we are today. The breadcrumbs have been visible since Chris Columbus promised the Native Americans that he’d be back. Native Americans stood on those shores and watched those ships sail off. It was the beginning of our demise as tribal people. The worst disease that Europeans brought to the Americas was the Never Enough disease.
You are having to experience this very hard truth which has finally come knocking at your door too. Cooperation is the Only way through this.
Perhaps they have very young families to protect and can't afford to hire private protection. These writers may not have names that are well known and thus easier to "disappear" than say Hartmann or Richardson or Parnas. Or, they are thinking ahead to after the government has locked up all the known independent journalists. Only those whose names weren't made public will be left to carry on. Too far out for an idea? Isn't what's going on right now beyond anything we could have imagined even a year ago?
Yes, even after reading Project 2025, it's still beyond anything I could have imagined, even three months ago, never mind a year. Still, any of the people you mentioned can "disappear" in a police state. At this point I'd put nothing past them. Dozens have people have disappeared -or been thrown off balconies- by Putin but Slump is one of his greatest admirers so
...I don't need to finish that thought, do I?
I was born 6 months before Pearl Harbor was bombed so my memories of historical events go back well before Putin. I recently read/heard somewhere that, yes, "Slump" admires Putin but he's also his student. I can think of nothing this administration wouldn't do to achieve its goal. And, that scares the bejeezus out of me.
I dunno. I just know it’s scary. I’m afraid, and I know it’s hard to get past that. I’m a very judge-y person; trying not to be. I’m old and want someone else to take the ball and run with it, but none of us has the luxury to sit this one out, do we? What a stupid mess we’re in!!
Agreed. We're in an awful situation. The reason I wrote that I think Closer to the Edge is a right-wing group in disguise is an illustration of the paranoia so many of us are feeling. There are so many scams out there and then there's Facebook which almost single-handedly -with the help of Putin- got Slump elected in 2016, it makes one question everything, including Closer to the Edge. The only hope we have left are the midterms. If Putin, Musk and Zuckerberg steal those elections, too, meaning we don't retake the House and Senate, then we can kiss the democracy goodbye. I have a friend in England who feels that Slump will find a way to call off the midterm elections but I'd like to think that's just another example of the above mentioned paranoia.
People have tried to slap some labels on us, but a right-wing group in disguise? Seriously? Have you read what we put out on a near daily basis? A right-wing group that encourages people to subscribe to Thom Hartmann?
We are curious how attaching our real names to our articles would help quell your paranoia. How would that help?
Our names wouldn't be recognizable to anybody except our families and friends, so it's not as if we'd instantly gain trust or confidence because of a byline with a middle initial.
What gives?
I’ve been following Closer to the Edge on Facebook for sometime now and I would never consider them right-wing; sometimes TL;DR but always on point. The fact that they work as a collective and don’t put their actual names on their work doesn’t bother me. I never used my real name on Twitter for good reason but I do here on Substack. I use a Nym when I comment on a number of blogs that I follow. Each individual has to make their own safety decisions and I’ll admit that I’m getting a little paranoid in the present atmosphere. Seeing people being snatched off of streets and being rendered to jail camps and/or out of the country is putting me closer to the edge (pun intended).
You'd gain credibility: name one credible news organization like, for example, the Guardian, Wall Street Journal, NY Times, Rolling Stone, Mother Jones, etc., that refuses to reveal the names of their journalists.
At this point, I don’t think elections are gonna save us. We need to GET THOSE TRAITORS OUT OF POWER.
Wow. Very harsh assumptions about anonymity and Closer to the Edge. I'm learning that the intensity of my own indignant observations about others are usually unnecessary and always inaccurate.
Hartmann is the best. I especially appreciate his work on ADHD.
His administration is and will be known as the Trump Smash & Grab Administration!
Big or small, random acts of kindness keeps our humanity alive. To me they’re blessing that are mine to give.
I normally enjoy your content so far…Thom Hartmann seems sensible on the surface…but his show used to be on Russia Today? Kinda sus.