THE ED SHOW
August 4, 2014
Guest: Ryan Lenz, Jon Ralston, Chris Taylor, Marcy Kaptur, Jeffrey Reuter,
Reese Halter
ED SCHULTZ, MSNBC HOST: Good evening Americans and welcome on the Ed Show
live from Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. I`m ready to go. Let`s get to work.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They`d never takeover, we the people, the sovereign
people of this nation, we`re standing.
JARED MILLER, SUSPECTED SHOOTER: Yeah. I really don`t want violence
toward them.
CLIVEN BUNDY, NEVADA RANCHER: And I don`t recognize United States
government has even existed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But if they`re going to come bring violence to us,
well, if that`s the language they want to speak, we`ll learn it.
MILLER: The Bundy`s standoff was seen by the radical right in America as a
huge victory.
SEAN HANNITY, THE SEAN HANNITY SHOW HOST: If they come back I`ll be out
there with you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They actually created an armed standoff, looking down
in the barrels of their guns at law enforcement.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It shows you the attitude of the federal governments
today and it shows you their resistance of patriotic Americans.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stay in with the convergence on not only militia or
white supremacy in sovereign citizens to the Bundy ranch.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here`s the fact, federal government sent more force
seemed to handle Cliven Bundy`s cows than they did to Ukraine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: Good to have you with us tonight folks. Thanks for watching.
Well, Republicans are always fear-mongering about threats facing America
overseas. Righties trying to scare people about Al-Qaeda, Syria, ISIS and
of course Hamas. You name it and the next state Republicans are out there
just greasing up the skids on the Tomahawk missiles ready to launch.
There is a new report that shows the greatest threat facing this country is
right here at home. There is a new starting out from the National
Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism better
known as START. Now, START is a government program funded by the
Department of Homeland Security. They`re supposed to know the threats.
START believes the greatest potential threat to America is the sovereign
citizen movement, Islamic terrorist and extremist, they are a second and
militia movement is rated as third.
Sovereign citizens don`t recognize the government. They like to interpret
the law for themselves. In this report isn`t surprising at the list when
you consider what we`ve been through. This year alone, we`ve seen the
sovereign citizen movement, gain stem with races free loading rancher,
Cliven Bundy. Cliven Bundy has made it clear he doesn`t believe in the
federal government.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUNDY: We run cattle here, graces natural resource of this public land and
I abide by all of Nevada state laws but I don`t recognize united sates
government as even existing. America better wake up if we`re going to live
in this county with any kind of freedom than liberty.
(END VIDOE CLIP)
SCHULTZ: So, Cliven Bundy is a perfect example of what this country is
facing when it comes to a threat. Bundy went from local yahoo to so called
patriot in a matter of days. His instant right-wing celebrity status was
thanks to a certain host over on Fox news. After Bundy`s first two
appearances on Fox, this happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Protesters wanted this federal holding pen area aiming
to release Cliven Bundy`s cattle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We should backup at the gate for right now. Let me
work with you and you. And you two to come in with me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That`s it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, it`s the people or not and you guys meant to
leave?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Push these people back so they can do (inaudible).
I`ll give you my honest word right here. I`m going to walk you in so you
can negotiate with your father up top.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Walking passed armed BLM rangers, the Bundy start to
talks about releasing the cattle and calming the crowds.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But what I need you to do is to keep this crowd calm -
-
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will do that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: .above and below
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The incident commanders agreed to release Bundy`s
cattle but say ultimately it`s not their calls.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: A gun battle was nearly averted. This image of the standoff
immediately went viral. It shows a sniper aiming his rifle at federal
agents. This is what it`s all about. Is it not? On Saturday, Bundy told
a group of people in Utah, God told him to fight a civil war against the
feds. He told the group, "The lord told me if the Sheriff doesn`t take
away these arms from Federal agents, we the people will have to face these
arms in a civil was. This is your chance to straighten this thing up."
Now, its dangerous talk, its radical talk and it has the attention of a lot
of folks. Immediately following the April standoff, I said on this cable
show, the Bundy Malaysia, they`re not joking around. I made it clear, I
shootout was possible.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
You know what those guys are? They`re Posse Comitatus. They think that
nobody outside the county sheriff has a greater law than them and, you know
what? There`s been shooting matches in this country before. This is
dangerous stuff. It can spiral out of control .
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: It wasn`t just this broadcaster, the Bundy family said on Fox
news, they weren`t afraid to die.
(BEGIN VIDEO VLIP)
AMMON BUNDY, CLIVEN BUNDY`S SON: Even if they killed him the people will
answer to that. And what I mean by that, they will answer that, they will
be the ones to make it right. They will be the ones to standup.
HANNITY: Do you think --
A. BUNDY: Millions of people know what`s going on?
HANNITY: Do you worry that in fact they may kill either your dad or
somebody in your family?
A. BUNDY: You know, this battle has been going on for my whole life almost
and if death were are remaining share, we wouldn`t be here today. Freedom
is much greater than death.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: Unfortunately some Malaysia at the Bundy Ranch lived up to those
threats. Two months after the Bundy standout one of Cliven Bundy`s
Malaysia men turned violent, Jared Miller. Seen here on the Bundy`s ranch,
went on the shootings spree in Las Vegas. Here`s what Miller told NBC news
on the day of the Bundy standoff.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MILLER: I feel sorry for any federal agents that want to come in here and
try to push us around or something like that. I really don`t want violence
toward them, but if they`re going to come bring violence to us, well, if
that`s the language they want to speak, we`ll learn it.
(END VIDO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: On June 8th, Jared and his girl friend Amanda walked into a Pizza
shop in Las Vegas screaming about a revolution. The couple allegedly shot
and killed two Las Vegas police officer says they ate lunch. They walkover
to a Walmart and killed one more civilian before being shot by a police.
And after the shooting, Miller`s neighbor told NBC news, the Bundy ranch
could have turned him violent.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY BURNETTE, JARED MILLER`S NEIGHBOR: After a while, after the Bundy
thing if going on over there, they went over there for a couple of days and
then they come back and I guess after that, Jared became antigovernment,
antipolice, he -- I mean he was talking about killing cops. He didn`t want
nothing to do with the government.
He`d he`s wife quite her job that she`s had for a while and well, he
wouldn`t even let her take that employment or food stamps or any thing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anti Government.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anti government.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: One week later, there was another anti government shooting. On
June 14th, a BLM agent and a California highway patrolman were shot in the
Sierra Nevada Mountains.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The ranger called for CHP backup before he went at the
rugged dirt road 9 miles north of Nevada City. They might have interrupted
in early dinner. Emergency medical supplies litter the area around the
camp site where one of both of the law enforcement officers exchanged gun
fire with the suspect.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: Thankfully both officers survived the shooting and are in good
condition. The alleged shooter was 60 year old Brent Cole who was injured
in a gun fight. Cole was allegedly illegally camping on federal lands when
the shooting occurred. This guy is an antigovernment conspiracy theorist.
He posted a number of articles on Facebook, sympathetic to the Bundy
militia ranch.
The START report lists sovereign citizens as the greatest potential threat
to this country and it`s easy to understand why. Their antigovernment
ideology is dangerous. We`ve seen it time after time. Waco Texas in 1993,
80 people dead including four federal agents. Ruby Ridge in Idaho, in
1992, three people dead including a U.S. marshal. Medina in north Dakota
in 1983, two U.S. marshals were killed. Then there was in June, another
shooting in Las Vegas.
The threat form these people is here and it is real. Sovereign citizens
and Malaysia has post a way bigger threat to America than radical Muslim
groups on the other side of the world. Your take on this tonight is, get
your cellphone`s out. I want to know what you think. Tonight`s question,
is the Sovereign citizen movement the greatest threat to America? Text A
for yes, text B for no to 67622. You can always go to our blog at
ed.msnbc.com. We`ll bring you the results later on in the show.
For more, let me bring in Ryan Lenz of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Mr. Lenz, good to have you with us tonight. I appreciate your time.
Now, we have given numerous examples of this sovereign citizen group that
is out and about across America, antigovernment. How credible do you think
this START report is? We have government agents -- a government report
from the Department of Homeland Security against antigovernment folks and
they said that they`re the biggest threat to the country. How credible do
you think this report is?
RYAN LENZ, THE INTELLEGENCE PROJECT: Well, I think this report is
reflecting a very clear reality on the ground since 2010, when the
Sovereign citizen movement kind of reappeared very violently in West
Memphis Tennessee when Jerry and Joe Kane, two sovereign citizens killed
two police officers there, there have been increasing moments of violent
rhetoric and violent actions from the sovereign citizen movement and
ideology across the country.
Of course, you know, in Nevada, we saw that kind of boil over or at least
come to the front of everyone`s attention across the country. Of course,
you know, in Nevada we saw that kind of boil over or at least come to the
front of every one`s attention across the country thanks no, you know,
thanks to Cliven.
SCHULTZ: Well what is the government going to do about this? We`ve heard
that justice is going to be done by these folks who are not abiding by the
laws but yet to my knowledge there hasn`t been much movement on any of
this.
LENZ: Well in Nevada, I mean the militia movement is still very much
standing behind Cliven Bundy. You know the Federal Government has, you
know, we know through news media reports that the FBI is continuing an
investigation. But right now Cliven is, you know, free, you know, walking
about and certainly standing in bold defiance of the law.
You know, what the ultimate reality about the Sovereign Citizen ideology is
that it stands to say that the rule of law does not apply to them, that the
Federal Government is at dust illegitimate and at worse satanic. But, you
know, it`s no surprise that Cliven would recently say that he believed that
his mission or at least his duty that day was to stand against the federal
government for divine instructions.
SCHULTZ: Well OK, the Bundy Ranch and their activities of the people that
have left that ranch and had some violence through connection. You could
draw your own conclusions. Americans are smart enough to do that. But is
this isolated|? And it -- apparently it isn`t because this must permeate
through our society to some sense if the STAR report shows that this is the
greatest potential threat to America right here on our soil, your response
to that.
LENZ: Well the STAR Report interviewed law enforcement officers and their
assessments on what the greatest threat was. We at the SPLC have -- since
2010 warned of the Sovereign Citizen Movement. I mean these are people
that walk among us that have ideas that are wild conspiracy theories about
the Federal Government. There was a group for example here in Alabama, the
Republic for the United States of America which I covered quite extensively
for the SPLC.
Their President "assumed the role of leadership of this country" formed a
shadow government that had manifestations in all 50 states. This was a
group that was actually working to form the, you know, mirrored
institutions of Federal Government for the day when the day when the
Federal Government fell, whether through violent action per their rhetoric
or due to financial collapse, it was, you know, of course, you know, that
left to, you know, for whatever come what may.
SCHULTZ: Yeah.
LENZ: But, you know, these people exist everywhere. They are our
neighbors. They are our school teachers. And it`s an idea that has proven
to be particularly appealing in the last five years.
SCHULTZ: All right, Ryan Lenz of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Thanks
for your time tonight here on the Ed Show. Let`s turn now to journalist -
-
LENZ: Thanks for having me.
SCHULTZ: -- Jon Ralston, Host -- you bet. Host of the Ralston Report in
Nevada. Jon to good to have you on the national media. Pretty much seems
to have forgotten about Bundy. And now of course the spotlight is going to
be back on with this STAR report. On a local level what is the latest on
Bundy out in Nevada?
JON RALSTON, HOST, RALSTON REPORTS: Well, some of those militia folks are
still hanging out there, Ed. They are not as populous as they once were.
But they`re still very dangerous. And what`s most interesting about what
your previous guest said is how they`re among us, they`re walking among us
and they are. But those ideas are on the fringe. Yes, the Federal
Government can be over bearing but they go way beyond that to the kinds of
feeling you described.
And what`s really frightening about what`s happened and you and I have
talked about this before, Ed, is how those ideas are made mainstream by
real public officials such an assembly woman here by the name of Michele
Fiore or worse, a U.S. Senator by the name of Dean Heller calling these
people patriots, which just enables them and makes them think that you know
what? We`re not out on the fringes. We`re not alone here. We`re
emboldened. That`s what happened with what happened up in Bunkerville with
Cliven Bundy.
By the way Ed, he`s emboldened by that now. And now he`s going around the
country and speaking to these groups and saying freedom and liberty. And
now he`s evoking scripture Ed, and equating the constitution with
scripture. You know, I also think if you have the "I talked to God" card
wouldn`t you play that first?
SCHULTZ: It is -- it seems to escalate in its method of being radical, no
doubt about that. Do the people in Nevada put any blame on Bundy for the
Jared Miller Shootings and those unfortunate events that unfolded?
RALSTON: Well you laid out what Jared Miller said to this station and to
others. I guess the problem there is that there`s conflicting stories.
Some say that Jared Miller was so radical that he was kicked of
Bunkerville. But clearly he believed in some of the same precepts as the
Sovereign Citizen Movement. And that laid that Gadsden Flag on one of the
corpses.
So clearly they believed in it. But that blow back has not come back on
Bundy. The real problem is what you`ve alluded earlier is he`s allowed to
be an outlaw rancher, flouting these laws, walking around --
SCHULTZ: Yes.
RALSTON: -- giving these speeches when he should have been arrested
along time ago. He wants to invoke the constitution but he knows nothing
about the constitution. I don`t think he`s ever heard of Federal Supremacy
clause. And so he just says whatever comes into his head as we all know.
But he`s enabled by mainstream people like Sean Hannity and Dean Heller.
SCHULTZ: Well it seems that justice has escaped the Bundy Ranch. Harry
Reid said back in April that, you know, Bundy would be getting away with
this. Has the government down anything to punish him at all? And why
don`t they move on him if he is breaking the law? Are they afraid of him?
RALSTON: I don`t think they`re afraid of Cliven Bundy but they`re afraid if
they do move on him that these militia folks could resort to violence so
they`re kind of paralyze. I think they have waited as you told you a few
months ago, Ed for this to peter out for the population up there, to
dispersal but it has. But the more that they let this go on the more
embolden he gets, right? And again if you have law enforcement not acting,
they essentially are condoning it too. And what you have is the BLM folks
now arguing with the local folks here, the sheriff, about what really
happened and who did what and who didn`t instead of acting to take his cows
that are illegally grazing and to arrest him for not paying a lot of money
over not just a 5 year period an 8 year --
SCHULTZ: Yeah.
RALSTON: -- period, over more than 20 years, Ed.
SCHULTZ: And finally Jon, for the STARK Report to say that these folks and
these kinds of groups and these movement in America is the biggest threat
to this country. From what you have seen personally do you think that`s
over border or is it spot on?
RALSTON: Well it`s hard for me to tell what`s going on elsewhere. But
these feelings are as your previous guest said. And let`s face it Ed, most
of these folks are armed. They have access to weaponry. You show those
pictures again of that sniper. And they right here --
SCHULTZ: Yeah.
RALSTON: -- and who knows your neighbor could be one. You just don`t --
they exactly advertise this all the time. So is it a clear and present
danger? Absolutely and I think a lot of people who went up to Bunkerville
and the people who lived there were frightened to come walking down the
street to go to the grocery store and see these heavily armed folks walking
around their town.
SCHULTZ: All right, Jon Ralston and the Ralston Report in Nevada. Great
to have you with us tonight, I appreciate your time. We`ll follow the
story. Thanks Jon. Remember to answer tonight`s question there at the
bottom of the screen. Share your thoughts with us on Twitter. Follow me
on Twitter @edshow and of course @wegoted. Like us on Facebook. We
appreciate that. We want to know what you think.
Coming up, environmental regulators have told folks in Ohio, their water is
safe to drink after a toxic algae bloom. But there is a much bigger issue
at hand but first a Wisconsin State Representative gone over cover agent.
Representative Chris Taylor joins me to discuss how she`s exposing ALEC
Agenda. Stay with us.
(COMMERICIAL BREAK)
SCHULTZ: What`s hot and what`s not, what`s out there? Trenders here we
go. Keep in touch with us on -- @edshow on Twitter and @wegoted, like us
on Facebook. You can get my radio podcast at wegoted.com, rawstory.com,
ringoffireradio.com and free on iTunes always available 24/7. Thanks for
doing that. Ed Show social media nation has decided we`re reporting here
at today`s top Trenders voted on by you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The numbers three Trender, farm hand.
JOE GERTH: Alison Lundergan Grimes and Mitch McConnell will meet on the
same stage.
ALISON LUNDERGAN GRIMES: And what a huge crowd for Senator McConnell`s
retirement party.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh snap.
MITCH MCCONNELL: The Fancy Farm is fun but there are serious problems
confronting our country.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kentucky`s senate candidates work the land at the Fancy
Farm.
MCCONNELL: There`s only one way to change America in 2014, that`s to
change the senate and make me the leader of the new majority.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Senator McConnell with a four point lead.
GRIMES: Its time we have a Senator that represented the people of the
state instead of partisan political agents.
GERTH: It`s getting proved to be one of the biggest political activities
this entire year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The number two Trender, forever.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A living football legend and his former team making
amends.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What the hell is Brett Favre doing here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Brett Favre confirms he`s joining the Packers Hall of
Fame.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Green Bay Packers will retire Brett Favre`s number.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s about time. Am I right?
MARK MURPHY: Probably had as big an impact on the organization as anybody
in history of the organization.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know I will always be true to you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And today`s top Trender, out of the shadows.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ALEC is a nationwide consortium of elective state
legislators working side by side with some of America`s most powerful
corporations.
MARK POCAN: ALEC is a corporate dating service for lonely legislators and
corporate special interest.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A Wisconsin State Rep. is exposing ALEC`s agenda.
SCHULTZ: Each year close to a thousand bills based at least in part on
ALEC model legislation are introduced in the states.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s everything from voter ID laws to harsher prison
sentences, to dismantling EPA regulations.
SCHULTZ: An average of 20 percent become law.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the Death Star.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: Joining me tonight is Wisconsin States Representative Chris
Taylor. Chris, good to have you with us tonight. There`s -- I think a
congratulations in order here. What an innovative thing, get inside the
House and find out exactly what they are doing. Why did you choose to join
ALEC? And how did this all come about? And how productive has it been for
you?
STATE REP. CHRIS TAYLOR, (D) WISCONSIN: Well thanks so much for having me,
Ed. I choose to join ALEC because I saw bills coming through out state
legislature that we had never seen before, the attack on workers, the hold
back of collective bargaining rights, shoot to kill policies, expansion of
private unaccountable voucher schools at the expense of our public schools.
So I choose to join ALEC to find out where these bills coming from. And I
did have a predecessor. Mark Pocan who is now in Congress who started
going to these meetings. I took over his seat when he left for Congress
and continued this kind of tradition we have now in the state of following
what they do.
The people need to know where these policies are coming from, that are
willing to their state legislatures that don`t benefit them, what -- who
they benefit and what they benefit or big corporations. And they`re design
this model policies that ALEC is rolling out all around this country in so
many states are really designed to maximize corporate profits.
SCHULTZ: Yeah.
TAYLOR: They are not for the people, in fact so many of these policies
hurt the people.
SCHULTZ: Representative Taylor, is it boiler plate? Is it to the letter?
Is it to the T? I mean how accurate are these bills being out together by
ALEC and then how they show up in your state?
TAYLOR: They`re pretty close Ed. I mean I have started when we debate on
the floor to bring the model bill from ALEC that is of issue. You know
we`ve had this incredible attack on workers. We`ve had efforts in the
state assembly to roll back the ability of local entities to have living
wage ordinances. We`ve had a fight over even raising the minimum wage to
10.10. So these are very, very close these policies, very close to what
were actually seeing passed in the State of Wisconsin.
SCHULTZ: How do you get treated at these conventions? They know you`re a
lefty? I mean how does this unfold?
TAYLOR: Well it`s very interesting. They are a 501c3 corporation. They
are non-partisan. They can`t discriminate against me. I am a member.
They would probably loose their taxes and status if they started saying
people who were Democrats or people who are Progressive couldn`t go to
their meeting.
So they do -- I have noticed this was now my third ALEC conference that I
just got back from. They have, you know, they have staff who are watching
me pretty closely. But I really do go --
SCHULTZ: Yeah.
TAYLOR: -- wherever I want to go. I go to the subcommittees. I go to
the task force. I sit, I observe what`s happening and people should be
very, very alarmed about what is happening that their state legislators are
not advancing policies --
SCHULTZ: OK.
TAYLOR: -- that actually help them but help these figure out a state
corporations. And that`s really what`s going on.
SCHULTZ: What`s the big alarm right now? Like for instance where do they
stand on environmental issues right now? How aggressive are they going to
be? Because there are so many deniers out there. Do they support these
deniers?
TAYLOR: Right. Absolutely. I mean there are groups there like the
Hartland Institute that, you know are actually some of the biggest climate
change deniers. But the big issue right now are these new EPA proposed
regulations that will regulate carbon emissions from coal fire power
plants. ALEC members, you know, Kent Coal is king at ALEC. I mean you
have big coal companies. You have Peabody Energy there. You have
ExxonMobil.
You have big, big --
SCHULTZ: Yeah.
TAYLOR: -- gas and oil interest being represented. So that`s king, they
are going totally apoplectic on these proposed regulations. There was some
representatives saying this going to be the political tsunami that their
going to start. And there was a lot of discussion about states just
totally ignoring these regulations --
SCHULTZ: Yeah.
TAYLOR: -- and not participating at all.
SCHULTZ: And finally what do you do with this knowledge? I mean you come
back and give a seminar in Wisconsin about this is what really going on. I
mean what do you do with this?
TAYLOR: Well, you know, my goal is really to educate people about what is
happening both in my own state and around this country, --
SCHULTZ: Sure.
TAYLOR: -- that we have a group --
SCHULTZ: OK.
TAYLOR: -- that is not accountable to the people. And have state
legislators that are advancing policy items that are rolling back workers
rights, are rolling or taking money from our good public schools to
privatize public education, that are gutting environmental regulations. So
I want to get the word out. I want to make sure people know that this
Scott Walker agenda that we see in the state of Wisconsin, this is an ALEC
agenda. This agenda does not --
SCHULTZ: OK.
TAYLOR: -- benefit the people of the states.
SCHULTZ: All right, Chris Taylor, Representative from Wisconsin, great to
have you with us tonight here on the Ed Show, good work. Coming up Glen
Beck admits he made a mistake?
Well Glen it wouldn`t be the first time. I agree with you on that.
Pretenders is coming up. Plus an algae bloom in Lake Erie is making
drinking water dangerous for the people of Ohio. We`ll find out if climate
change is to blame at all. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur of Ohio is here to
weigh in on the situation. Would you drink that?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCHULTZ: Welcome back to the Ed Show. Thanks for watching tonight. As
many of you are aware this network, MSNBC has sponsored free healthcare
clinic around the country since 2009. These clinics put on by the National
Association of Free and Charitable Clinics have provided health services to
tens of thousands of people who otherwise would go undiagnosed. I have
seen it there phenomenal.
This Saturday in Madison, Wisconsin to the National Association of Free
Clinics and Charitable Clinics will again host a clinic for those in need.
The clinic will be held in the Exhibition Hall at the Alliant Energy
Center, August 9 from 10a.m to 5p.m. If you need to see a doctor or to
volunteer to help patients go to nafcclinics.org.
The full implementation of the Affordable Care Act obviously has helped
millions of Americans of this country to gain access to healthcare. But as
we`ve told you many times here on the Ed Show there are still millions of
people who do not have coverage. And this is a great way to help them get
the help they need, help amount in Madison coming up this Saturday.
Seek around rapid response panel was next. We`re right back.
BERTHA COOMBS, CNBC CORRESPONDENT: I`m Bertha Coombs with your CNBC Market
Wrap. The Dow Jones Industrial average snapping a four day losing straight
game, 76 points. Today the SNP was up 13 and the Nasdaw climbs 31. Shares
of financial like AIG are higher after hours, the company hosting revenue
at earning that easily beat analyst estimate and gas prices are moving
lower. According to Triple A, it`s the cheapest August at the pumps since
2010. Group says prices could fall below $3 of gallon by the end of the
year.
That`s it from CNBC. We`re first in business worldwide.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCHULTZ: Welcome back to the Ed Show. Thanks for watching tonight. This
is a story I think all Americans need to pay attention to. This could your
backyard. Thousands of people in Ohio and Michigan are being denied a
basic human right. How about some safe drinking water? A water ban around
Toledo, Ohio has finally bee lifted but plenty of questions still remain.
A water emergency was declared because of a toxic being produced by an
algae bloom in Lake Erie. Water Plant Operations along the Western Lake
Erie have been worried about this very scenario for years, a growing number
of algae blooms have turned the water into a pea soup color in recent
summers.
Official say boiling the water, a common method to prevent contamination
only makes the toxin more concentrated. Earlier today the Mayor of Toledo,
Ohio lifted the ban. Governor John Kasich had previously declared a state
of emergency.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. JOHN KASICH, (R) OHIO: I want to make that I would be comfortable
with my family, my daughters, my wife drinking the water. And when I`m
comfortable with that then I think we`re in a position where we can say to
the people here in Toledo that we feel good about it and we can move
forward.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: Ohio Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur is demanding more transparency
from environmental regulators. No data has been released to the public.
People can`t be sure they are not just drinking toxic water. The
environmental concerns are not the only reason a good chunk of Americans
are being denied this basic human right. People just 60 miles North of
Toledo in Detroit are fighting the water utility company to be able to turn
their faucets on. The Detroit Water and Sewage Departments is a roughly 5
billion dollars in debt and has turned out to be one of the most difficult
pieces of Detroit`s bankruptcy.
Conservative law makers solution to the problem is to shut off running
water to financially struggling residence. Finding access to safe, clean,
affordable water has been a third world problem until now. Now it seems
that folks of the United States have to worry about what`s in your water.
Joining me now on our rapid response panel, Ohio Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur
and Dr. Jeffrey Reuter, Director of Ohio`s Sea Grant College program at
Ohio State University. Great to have both of you with us tonight. I think
of very serious story. You can`t drink the water but all of a sudden you
can. Congresswoman, what happened to make them lift the ban and what have
residents been dealing with there?
REP. MARCY KAPTUR (D) OHIO: Well the U.S. EPA was involved in doing the
testing in Cincinnati, Ohio. And the microcystis levels were reduced to an
amount that met the world health organizations standards. And so this
morning the Mayor of Toledo lifted the ban. But that will not solve the
problem of algae blooms in the lake. We have a long term job ahead of us.
And I could just show you a map the watershed in which this occurred,
Toledo, Ohio exist here.
This is Ohio, this is part of this. This is Michigan. This is Indiana.
It`s the largest watershed in the entire greatly lakes draining into the
largest river that flows into the great lakes, the Maumee River. And the
accumulated runoff from this region, a tri-state region which nobody really
controls, there`s no mechanism to make this region work in concert with one
another but those taxes eventually ended up here and then they unloaded in
the lake.
This is been happening for a number of years and this particular Algal
Bloom wrapped around the water crib and there was -- it was too
concentrated. It got in the water system and they had to clear that out
and they had to filter more of it out but the problem of the loading
continues. We have to find an answer to regulate the flows of a material
into our rivers and streams because every year we face this problem and
it`s been getting worst.
So, this was a real warning too us Ed.
SCHULTZ: OK. Dr. Jeffrey Reutter with us from Ohio State University. Dr.
what causes this and how can it be reversed?
DR. JEFFREY REUTTER: The algae that causes or creates the toxin is a form
blue-green algae or cyanobacterias, the more accurate terminology for that.
It`s a warm water form of algae. So as things get very warm in the summer,
you`re more likely to see the blue-greens. They require high
concentrations, high-levels of phosphorus primarily but nitrogen is also
important.
It turns out that in fresh water all over the country, phosphorus is
typically phosphorous is typically the limiting nutrient and the harmful
Algal Blooms that we`re seeing in Toledo are also occurring in about half
of the states right now and also in Canada and a number of other places
around the world.
We have to -- in order to solve this, we have to reduce the amount of
phosphorous leaving our farm fields, it`s coming out from our sewage
treatment plants, failing septic tanks, a number of sources. There are
really things we can all do.
The biggest source in the Maumee River because that river drains 4.5
million acres of agricultural land is agricultural runoff. So we have to
keep the nutrients, the fertilizers, the manure on the fields and not
letting get in to the water.
SCHULTZ: Dr. can`t a water treatment plants solve this problem?
REUTTER: You can exceed the complicity of the water treatment plant but
think of it this way Ed, you`re absolutely right. The temporary fix has to
be to arm our water treatment plants with the capabilities to remove the
toxin. They do that, common way is by adding some types of activated
carbon or charcoal that removes toxins from the water and then you filter
out the charcoal. But that`s very expensive.
And if the situation is bad enough, you can exceed the complicity of the
plant to remove the toxin. And if does nothing to protect our beaches
where a millions of people swim, the ultimately -- the better fix is do not
have the toxin in the water in the first and the only way to do that is to
reduce loading of phosphorous.
SCHULTZ: OK. Congresswoman Kaptur, did Governor Kasich do the right
thing? And do you think your constituents are OK with this?
KAPTUR: Well, I think it was a temporary and necessary measure but I think
as Reutter says, the real problem us within this region you have enormous
acreage of soybeans, of corn bean produced and importantly, animal feeding
operations with large manure pits in different run over into Indiana, Ohio
even Michigan they (inaudible) Dutch dairies that when bankrupt but left
all of that in the field that reaches down into the streams and river and
it has to be cleaned up.
We just can`t pretend that it isn`t there. This is a living organism and
we have to learn to live together. As I said the head bone is connected to
the neck bone, is connected to the shoulder bone. The rivers and streams
and --
SCHULTZ: Sure.
KAPTUR: -- ditches all end up draining into the Maumee and then into
lake Erie.
SCHULTZ: All right. It is a story that we will follow. Very alarming. I
understand that in the city of Toledo this weekend there was not a battle
of water left on the shelves to be sold. People are very concerned about
it and we will follow the story.
Why was that band lifted? And we`ll get back to that at a later day.
Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur and Dr. Jeffrey Reutter, --
KAPTUR: Thank you.
SCHULTZ: -- I appreciate your time tonight. Thank you so much.
Coming up, here is one for the deniers out there. Climate change is to
blame for massive craters in Russia. Reese Halter joins us to talk about
it. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCHULTZ: And at pretenders tonight was it something I said? Glenn Beck,
the TV exile has a confession to make. Running his mouth eventually caught
up to him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GLENN BECK: When you live your life five hours a day on live television or
radio that you`re going to say stupid things. But we all live and learn.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: Who choose to be on five hours a day? Stupid doesn`t begin to
scratch the surface of what Beck said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GLENN BECK: Bill is the average American here and I`m President Obama.
This is the way I feel. I feel like President Obama is just saying, you
know, what? But they`ve got that. They haven`t had a progressive
leadership in Detroit for almost half a century. Progressive policies are
keeping these people in slavery. Slavery to government, welfare,
affirmative action, regulation, can travel overseas.
Obama is apologizing for the Frenchy French, for our arrogance. You know,
he`s vowing to the Saudi Arabian king, I don`t know if you saw that one.
This President I think has exposed himself as a guy over and over and over
again who has a deep seated hatred for white people or the white culture.
I don`t know what it is.
He`s also closing Gitmo and letting the terrorist unto the under the
streets.
This guy is, I believe a racists.
Maybe I`m alone but I think it would be this faster if he just shot me in
the head. You know what I mean? How much more can he disenfranchise all
of us?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: Glenn Beck`s submission didn`t go far enough as I see it. His
commentary wasn`t just stupid, it was vile.
Not a lot has changed. If Glenn Beck thinks he`s learned anything, he can
keep on pretending.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCHULTZ: Welcome back to the Ed Show. Finally tonight, the appearance of
three mysterious craters in Northern Siberia last month prompted numerous
conspiracy theories.
Now Russian scientists sent to the site believe they have determined how
the massive craters formed and it looks like global warming played a major
role. The seemingly bottomless craters appeared to have been cause by
thawing permafrost.
Scientist say, "Unusually high concentrations of methane were present at
the bottom of the first crater. They believe this is directly link to the
abnormally hot summers experienced in the area in 2012 and 2013."
As temperatures rose, permafrost thawed and collapsed releasing methane
trapped by the subterranean ice. The problem is when more methane and CO2
are released into the atmosphere, global temperatures increase, which in
turn can melt more permafrost. Bottom line, this is vicious cycle. We
don`t have a time to deny this any longer.
Dr. Reese Halter, Author of the "Insatiable Bark Beetle" joins us tonight,
conservationist and biologist with us here on the Ed Show.
Dr. Halter, what can be done to stop this chain reaction? How do we
reverse this when more and more of these craters keep showing up? What do
you think?
DR. REESE HALTER, CONSERVATION BIOLOIST: Ed, this is a taking time bomb.
The only think we can do is reduced the amount of fossil fuels that were
spewing daily, 85 million tons of greenhouse heat-trapping gas is into the
atmosphere.
And here is a thing, the unintended consequences are epic because if we
look at the most perfect carbon dioxide warehouse that`s have ever evolve
on our planet are ancient forest, they`re telling us that were in serious
trouble.
By the way, forest are dying -- mature forest are dying on every forested
continent. These mature trees for every one ton of wood, they`ve suck that
at the atmosphere a one and half tons of CO2 and they`ve given us one ton
of oxygen.
This is a very serious issue because is we go to the lungs of earth, the
Amazon jungle, the Amazon jungle started to show us in 2005 that it was in
serious trouble. We had a storm in 2005, the blow over -- a half of
billion trees. Then later that year Ed, a one and one, 500 year drought
happens and another couple billion trees died.
Two years later in 2007 as earth began to warm we had fires, the equivalent
of one million World Cup Brazilian soccer fields burning and then the
mother of all drought in 2010 in the Amazon that killed another couple of
billion trees.
SCHULTZ: So, the permafrost, I mean, this is something that really hasn`t
been seen as a problem in the past, at least not to the novice eyes of
those who follow climate change in this country and around the world.
But this is -- go ahead.
HALTER: It`s been full on -- we`ve had our ice on this radar screen big
time men. This is a gas that`s 72 times stronger than carbon dioxide of
trapping heat. We`ve been watching -- what`s happened is the soil is
frozen.
So that when the soils are warming as they are now they`re beginning to
decay. As they decay, they release methane. And this is an unstoppable
time bomb and the kicker about are forest that are dying, the Amazon, is
that the Amazon creates their own rain clouds everyday Ed.
This is a white shield around the equator that gets the highest amount of
solar radiation that provides moisturized earth but it also -- it reflects
the incoming solar radiation.
So when we look -- three is dead we have no shield.
SCHULTZ: Yeah. Dr. Halter, is this similar to anything else you`ve
studied?
HALTER: No. This is the full meal deal man. In other words, our life
support system on planet earth is breaking down.
Hello? I hear earth calling SOS. The question is, is anybody home Ed?
SCHULTZ: Well, I hope they`re home. We got a lot of deniers out there
across the country -- across the world actually but we are the number one
country in the world when it comes to climate change denial. There`s no
question about that but when you see this kind to stop and hear that the
permafrost is melting, if this doesn`t wake people up, I don`t what will.
Dr. Reese Halter, we will have you back and continue our discussions here
on climate change. I appreciate your time so much tonight. Thank you.
That`s the Ed Show. I`m Ed Schultz. Politics Nation with Reverend Al
Sharpton starts right now.
Good evening, Rev.
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The Ed Show for Monday, August 4th, 2014
Read the transcript to the Monday show