tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-384039592024-03-08T09:45:47.087-05:00Vermont: Now and Zen<center><img src="http://www.writerwithinyou.com/0blog/blogbannernosurge.png"></center>News, comments, events, politics, culture, way of life, people, and more that specifically concern Vermont and its rich mix of residents.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176965651216608839noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38403959.post-85625354338359038732007-05-04T16:18:00.000-04:002007-05-04T16:21:42.031-04:00The Unbelievable 30%Actually, all humor aside, I highly recommend <a href="http://www.allthingsdemocrat.com/2007/05/03/the-invasion-of-the-30-body-snatchers/">this piece</a> by Rozius (of <a href="http://roziusunbound.blogspot.com/">Rozius Unbound</a> fame and infamy) available at <a href="http://www.allthingsdemocrat.com/2007/05/03/the-invasion-of-the-30-body-snatchers/">All Things Democrat</a>. It asks the very serious question: how the hell is it that there remains about a <a href="http://www.allthingsdemocrat.com/2007/05/03/the-invasion-of-the-30-body-snatchers/">30% core of Americans </a>in just about every damned poll who still support George W. Bush through every horrific thing he has done (and failed to do) as president-in-cheat.<br /><br />This 30% figure has stayed almost a constant for the last two-plus years when so very much more awful has happened not just on Bush's watch but directly because of what he does. (And brownie points to anyone who knows what American "tragedy" is referenced in the book/movie, "<em>Invasion of the Body Snatchers</em>.")Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176965651216608839noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38403959.post-53819974953983028322007-05-02T23:31:00.000-04:002007-05-02T23:49:53.838-04:00Radio You?I'm passing this along because I am a major proponent of this (and frankly, I'm considering doing this on my own, both over the airwaves along with simultaneous Webcast - and yes, I promise NOT to sing).<br /><br />Have you ever dreamed of running your own radiostation? Here's the chance to make it happen.<br /><br />The Federal Communications Commission is about to open up the publicairwaves to local communities.<br /><br />The federal agency will open a brief window inOctober for issuing full-power, noncommercial radio licenses.Now may be the last chance for you or your community group to secure alicense.<br /><br />But you have to be ready, organized and committed:<a href="http://action.freepress.net/ct/g12LZ0p16BOv/">Visit GetRadio.org to Learn More</a><br /><br />Free Press is working in partnership with <a href="http://action.freepress.net/ct/gp2LZ0p16BOg/">Prometheus RadioProject</a>, <a href="http://action.freepress.net/ct/gd2LZ0p16BO5/">the Future of Music Coalition</a>, and <a href="http://action.freepress.net/ct/tp2LZ0p16BOf/">the Radio for PeopleCoalition</a> to help communities across the country set up their own local,noncommercial stations.<br /><br />Here's what you need to do to secure a spot on the dial:<br /><br />Visit our Web site at <a href="http://www.GetRadio.org">www.GetRadio.org</a><br /><br />Enter your ZIP code in the "frequency finder" to see if space on the dialis available near you Answer the GetRadio questionnaire to see if you'reeligible to apply.<br /><br />This opportunity may be our last chance to reclaim a segment ofthe radio spectrum for the public. Over the past several decades, localradio stations have been bought up and consolidated under a handful of largecommercial conglomerates. The result has been lousy, cookie-cutter formatsthat sound the same anywhere you go.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176965651216608839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38403959.post-49157803554318015572007-05-02T22:53:00.000-04:002007-05-02T23:14:10.497-04:00Be There, Friday to Learn About Voting Fraud and How To Counteract ItWe know how much you love Ben Cohen (of Ben & Jerry's), our founder and creative visionary. Well, Ben and Greg Palast, a hero of the verified voter movement, will be together in Montpelier, VT this Friday to talk about voting integrity and the work we have left to do to secure our elections. And you are invited.<br /><br />When: Friday, May 4th at 7:00pm<br /><br />Where: Unitarian Church of Montpelier, 130 Main Street (at School Street) (<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=130+main+street+montpelier+vt&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=33.352165,81.738281&ie=UTF8&ll=44.261552,-72.574418&spn=0.007361,0.019956&z=16&iwloc=addr&om=1">map</a>)<br /><br />Greg was a pioneer journalist who exposed the dirty secrets of electronic voting, and Ben was the creative spark behind TrueMajority's famous "Computer Ate My Vote" campaign -- which helped eliminate paperless voting in states across the country. See them together at Friday's event which is hosted by Vermont voting activist and WGDR's Jim Hogue.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176965651216608839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38403959.post-56790620228241982272007-04-06T15:59:00.000-04:002007-04-06T16:01:07.486-04:00April 15-22: Join The Boycott to Impeach For Peace and JusticeMore information <a href="http://www.indymedia.org/en/2007/02/880592.shtml">here</a> on the action against the Bush Administration.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176965651216608839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38403959.post-81986670779591829662007-04-06T15:32:00.000-04:002007-04-06T15:35:01.485-04:00Bigger Than You Think: The Story Behind The Pet Food Recall<a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2007/04/03/petscol.DTL&feed=rss.news">The San Francisco Chronicle</a> offers you the skinny on what has killed thousands of beloved cats and dogs thanks to tainted pet food.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176965651216608839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38403959.post-4914775065677401562007-04-06T15:29:00.000-04:002007-04-06T15:30:35.736-04:00Sweet Irony: Newt Gingrich Helps Bankrupt UVM's College RepublicansAh, sweet mystery of life... <a href="http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070406/NEWS01/704060311/1009&theme=">nothing spells greed like GOPeons named Newt Gingrich</a>. From the Burlington Free Press:<blockquote><span style="color:#000066;">There was a certain irony in the recent demise of the College Republicans at the University of Vermont. What ultimately proved to be the club's undoing was an appearance on campus by a national Republican heavyweight: Newt Gingrich.<br /><br />When the club invited Gingrich to speak at Ira Allen Chapel on Oct. 6, 2005, he settled for an undisclosed honorarium that was apparently higher than the College Republicans could afford. They took out a $7,000 loan from the Student Government Association to help pay the bill, but more than a year later, when the loan still wasn't fully repaid after several ultimatums, the Student Government Association decertified them. In other words, the College Republicans were removed last month from UVM's long list of "recognized," or subsidized, student clubs.<br /><br />That left the College Democrats and the International Socialist Organization as two of the more prominent political organizations for students, and it left political conservatives with virtually no formal organizational outlet on campus.<br /><br />This raises the question of how diverse the political climate is at UVM, a school where liberal or left-of-center views are widely seen as predominant. </span></blockquote>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176965651216608839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38403959.post-67364400903060463462007-03-16T15:34:00.000-04:002007-03-16T15:42:38.687-04:00From Siberia To Mud Season To Blizzard Yet Again?For the first time in three months, temperatures here in Vermont hit above freezing which was great cause for celebration. However, we hit aboving freezing here in South Woodbury with well more than two feet of snow still in place from the St. Valentine's Day record blizzard and a big snowstore after that, which meant that Mud Season (one of the two additional seasons Vermont boasts besides the standard four; Black Fly Season is the other one) commenced.<br /><br />Now, after days of trying to move along dirt roads where the ruts are two-feet or more deep, in a ride that was FAR more harrowing than anything any amusement park can or would dream up, we're back to just over single digit temps, the mud has frozen and now, we're told to expect a possible blizzard starting before midnight.<br /><br />Oh goodie. More snow. More stuff to melt next time temps hit the seasonal average of a day-time high of 38 degrees Fahrenheit. So we can either stop freezing our asses off but be forced to stay home at the risk a bad accident OR have frozen toes while you're able to get out of the driveway in the car.<br /><br />Oh joy. Oh bliss. Oh $@*$!Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176965651216608839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38403959.post-85713977660292290072007-03-14T17:09:00.000-04:002007-03-14T17:20:41.023-04:00Civil Rights Under Siege In IsraelThis letter from <a href="http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070314/NEWS/703140330/1022/OPINION02">Mark Hage of Montpelier in the Time Argus</a>, I believe, states some excellent points: <blockquote><span style="color:#000066;">Thank you for your editorial ("Israel's Dilemma," Feb. 23) on the controversy in Israel over a manifesto that calls for the country, officially a "Jewish state," to become a bi-national state with full equality for all citizens.<br /><br />Since the mid-90s, Palestinian citizens have intensified their political and legal efforts to achieve the same rights as Jews. There are more than one million Palestinian citizens in Israel, and they live under apartheid-like conditions. Hundreds of rural communities have been established since Israel was created in 1948, but are closed to Arab citizens. For 60 years, vast tracts of private Arab landholdings have been confiscated by government authorities to benefit Jews exclusively.<br /><br />Most Palestinian children, prior to the university level, attend segregated, inferior and under-funded schools. Arab towns, the poorest in the country, are short-changed annually when it comes to municipal budgets and funding infrastructure projects.<br /><br />Palestinians are no strangers to police brutality, and Israeli cops, like Jewish soldiers, are prone to being trigger-happy when their weapons are aimed at Arabs. In October, 2000, police shot dead 12 unarmed Palestinians and a man from Gaza during protests against Israel's repressive measures in the occupied territories. No Jewish officers were indicted for this atrocity.<br /><br />Job discrimination against Palestinian workers is widespread, and substantial sectors of the Israeli economy are off-limits to them. The civil service is the country' largest employer, but in 2004, just 5 percent of its 55,000 workers were Palestinian. Islamic and Christian holy sites get a pittance of their funding from public coffers, and according to English journalist Jonathan Cook, "almost all of the Muslim and Christian holy places that existed in Israel before 1948 have been destroyed, fenced off, locked up or converted for the use of Jewish communities."<br /><br />Israel is confronting a civil rights movement within its 1967 borders, and a national liberation struggle in the West Bank and Gaza. Both challenge the fundamental tenets and structures of Zionism, which elevate Jewish blood, privilege and religion over democracy, equality and the rule of law.<br /><br />Mark Hage<br /><br />Montpelier</span></blockquote>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176965651216608839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38403959.post-36722515808563968962007-03-14T16:56:00.000-04:002007-03-14T17:09:22.446-04:00Double Tragedy in CabotThose who watch Vermont news no doubt heard of the <a href="http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070314/NEWS01/703140371/1002">death by hit-and-run driver of a 27-year-old Cabot m</a>an, Jason Bear, Sunday evening, left to die in a ditch along the side of Route 215. The tragedy was compounded when it was discovered that the person who hit this by all accounts sensitive young father of a five-year-old son was none other than his stepfather, a man my age, also of Cabot, William Luther.<br /><br />I realized I was probably in the same store when the dead young man was looking at DVDs and was traveling along that same road myself that evening. I wish I had some sense of what had happened so I could have gotten this young man assistance since he may have lived for some time after he was hit.<br /><br />Many locals have criticized Luther for the action - not just leaving the scene of an accident and not trying to get his stepson help - but also for trying to cover up his crime by damaging his Jeep by first running it into a cement buttress and then into trees before he arranged to have the vehicle towed some distance away. But I suspect this was just a very sad case of someone panicking and then, as a result, doing absolutely everything wrong. I doubt those who make such mistakes ever believe ahead of time they would be capable of going to such lengths but, in truth, tragically, it happens all the time.<br /><br />The only part of this that angers me is that Luther, like so many others, used, "I was drinking" as an excuse for what happened. But drinking and driving is a conscious act, so when you drink alcohol (or take drugs) and then get behind the wheel, "I was drunk" simply is no excuse. It enrages me everytime I hear someone use drugs or alcohol as a defense against an act they commit.<br /><br />Otherwise, however, this case just saddens me: one life destroyed, another well on its way to such, and the rest of the family and close friends left to grieve for what might have been if Luther had not been drinking or out driving, or if he'd sought help for Bear immediately.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176965651216608839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38403959.post-42419220972045219582007-03-14T15:55:00.000-04:002007-03-14T16:56:23.698-04:00Unemployment In The State Is RisingStory <a href="http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070311/BUSINESS/703110339/1006/BUSINESS">here</a>, but the statistics don't show another face to the issue which should make these stats look far worse: the number of Vermonters under-employed and those who work 2-3 jobs, often without any benefits, and still can't make ends meet since Vermont is NOT a cheap place to live.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176965651216608839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38403959.post-26638430915179452912007-02-28T14:08:00.000-05:002007-02-28T15:00:42.930-05:00Vermont ConfidentialSay hello to one of my new Green Mountain discoveries, <a href="http://vtconfidential.com/"><span style="color:#009900;">Vermont Confidential</span></a> (the blog). Looks good!Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176965651216608839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38403959.post-62936800631345537992007-02-16T14:44:00.000-05:002007-02-16T15:58:59.020-05:00Vermont Made History Twice This Week, Actually[Ed. note: Cross-posted at <a href="http://cut-to-the-chase.blogspot.com">Cut to the Chase</a>.]<br /><br />Not just as the first to pass a resolution against Bush's handling of the Iraq war through both sides of the legislature (Iowa followed soon thereafter), but because our St. Viagra's day blizzard was the second worst in recorded weather history (and man, walking through chest-high corridors of snow with well over my head drifts is REALLY increasing the sense of cabin fever).<br /><br />I like the first record; the second I could have done without (or done, but not with continuing single-digit-at-best temps).<br /><br />Yeesh.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176965651216608839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38403959.post-1171430545666808542007-02-13T23:02:00.000-05:002007-02-14T00:22:25.673-05:00Say Hello to...<a href="http://vermontsecession.blogspot.com">Vermont Secession</a>, the blog, which is already off to a rousing start!Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176965651216608839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38403959.post-1171425711233421862007-02-13T23:00:00.000-05:002007-02-14T00:26:35.110-05:00Vermont Votes On Its Own Iraq War ResolutionFrom <a href="http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/02/13/154241">Democracy Now</a> today (update: the resolution passed in both the state house and senate): <blockquote><span style="color:#000066;">In Vermont state legislators are voting on its own Iraq war resolution. Vermont could become the first state in the nation to pass a legislative resolution calling for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. 139 People Died in Iraq on Monday In news from Iraq, at least 139 people were reported killed across the country on Monday. Earlier today 16 people died in a suicide bomb attack in central Baghdad. The blast occurred outside a food warehouse used to distribute subsidized food rations. </span></blockquote>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176965651216608839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38403959.post-1171424625613862672007-02-13T22:39:00.000-05:002007-02-13T22:43:45.620-05:00We, Who Are About to Fry, Pollute YouRight after midnight, I'm going to bite the proverbial bullet, click the button, and transform this blog, along with <a href="http://cut-to-the-chase.blogspot.com">Cut to the Chase</a>, to the new Blogger platform.<br /><br />I'd love to lie convincingly enough to myself - and you - to think everything will be fine post-conversion but I've worked with software too long to believe this is even remotely possible. ::cough::<br /><br />So, cross your fingers. S'ok?Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176965651216608839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38403959.post-1170193227814107262007-01-30T16:39:00.000-05:002007-01-30T16:40:27.820-05:00A Note From A Cousin of Casey Casavant, Iraq Vet and Blackwater OperativeSince I had my say - in which I hoped to reflect some admiration for the dead former Iraq soldier, <a href="http://cut-to-the-chase.blogspot.com/2007/01/vermont-neighbor-among-those-dead-in.html">Casey Casavant</a>, and my feeling that he was not just "another" Blackwater "soldier of fortune" op, but perhaps failing badly in doing so - I feel it's only right to post, where it will be seen, a comment that arrived from <a href="http://www.haloscan.com/comments/kchase/116995885967591226/#294222">Tamera Pariseau</a>, who identifies herself as the E Montpelier VT native's cousin: <blockquote><span style="color:#990000;">Casey wasn't "forced" to do anything. Casey was doing something he believed in, whether we agree with it or not, and for that I am extremely proud of him.<br /><br />Casey's family is and always has been very proud of him and his service to his country. Please don't tarnish that by making assumptions about things you know nothing about.<br /><br />I've never been a believer in this war, but I'm damn proud of my cousin.</span></blockquote>You should be proud of your cousin.<br /><br />As I wrote, I am no fan of Blackwater or of the Bush agenda in Iraq; that is quite separate, however, from those called upon to serve in the U.S. military. Your cousin did a most difficult job that was asked of him, not once but in three separate tours for the U.S. military.<br /><br />My comment about "forced" through three tours was taken straight from the media, which has (often and quite reprehensibly) misreported; I should have made that clear.<br /><br />My sincere sympathies to you and your family. I've lost loved ones in war as well as lost those I knew because they came back forever, irrecoverably changed by what they experienced. It's most terrible, even in the best supported wars.<br /><br />I am encouraged, however, by the number of Google and other searches I see on Casey's name. Too often, I'm afraid, the dead in Iraq - civilian and military - go anonymous for all but their family and friends.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176965651216608839noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38403959.post-1170135374734488892007-01-30T00:35:00.000-05:002007-01-30T00:36:14.740-05:00Montpelier's Thom Hartmann Takes Helm From Al Franken At Air AmericaLooks like the great - and quite nearly, the late - experiment in anything other than hard right radio, Air America, has been saved. And as Air America's "flagship" personality, Al Franken, steps down to explore a run for U.S. Senate for Minnesota (kick Norm Coleman's ass, Al), Montpelier, VT's own Thom Hartmann will step in to replace Al in the prime time slot.<br /><br />You can read the entire story, including how it was former NYC consumer advocate Mark Green's brother, Stephen, who is buying Air America to save it from dissolution, on the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/01/29/exclusive-air-america-re_n_39897.html">Huffington Post</a>.<br /><br />Thom is already on the radio, including on Air America, and the author of several books, including "<a href="http://www.powells.com/partner/30768/biblio/1576754146"><em><span style="color:#666600;">Screwed, The Undeclared War Against The Middle Class</span></em></a>" (a must-read, IMHO).<br /><br />Give 'em hell, Thom!Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176965651216608839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38403959.post-1169958687441525892007-01-27T23:24:00.000-05:002007-01-27T23:31:27.446-05:00One of the Blackwater Employees Killed in Blackhawk Helicopter Crash in Iraq a Neighbor<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">[Ed. note: Cross posted at our national sister blog, <a href="http://cut-to-the-chase.blogspot.com">Cut to the Chase</a>.]</span></span><br /><br />From the <a href="http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070127/NEWS01/701270334/1002">Times Argus</a> (E Montpelier is my neck of the proverbial frozen woods):<blockquote><span style="color:#000066;">A Vermonter who graduated from U-32 High School was one of the five Blackwater security employees that died Tuesday morning when their helicopter went down in Baghdad.<br /><br />Casey Casavant, 36, played soccer, hockey and lacrosse and was a cowboy at heart, according to his sister, Kristen.<br /><br />"He was just fun-loving, smart-alecky; one of the funniest people you'd ever meet," she said in a telephone interview from Montana, where her family moved when Casey was 6 years old.<br /><br />The second-to-last child of four, Casavant moved back to East Montpelier with his brother to live with his father when he was in the seventh grade, Kristen said.<br /><br />Casavant graduated from U-32 in 1989 and went on to Norwich University for approximately a year before joining the Air National Guard, then the Air Force, and the Army, eventually becoming an Army Ranger.<br /><br />"That was his true passion," Kristen said. "He just believed in what he was doing; he believed in protecting his family and country."l</span></blockquote> Now, I am NOT pleased with Blackwater; not its leaders, administration, or its sweetheart deal as privitized military black ops/security for the Pentagon. They're doing some terrible things in Iraq.<br /><br />But this fellow was forced through three tours of duty in Iraq in the Army and only then decided to go to private contractor status under Blackwater (I'm told it's easier to quit the military if you agree to join up with one of the "Christian" mercenary praetorian guard types like Blackwater).<br /><br />Thus, I view Casavant differently than I would the usual Soldier of Fortune wannabe who joins up for the big money to go play black ops in Iraq.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176965651216608839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38403959.post-1169609642429180502007-01-23T22:33:00.000-05:002007-01-23T22:34:02.436-05:00Testing 1-2-48Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176965651216608839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38403959.post-1169605468151417422007-01-23T21:23:00.000-05:002007-01-23T21:24:28.153-05:00Why All The Applause And Cheers For the President at The SoTU Address?Why?<br /><br />Give me one <em>good</em> reason. Telling us he will balance the budget, when you know full well this will come through more cuts to basic services (public education, health care, services for our returning troops) yet with bigger tax cuts to the wealthiest citizens, is more smoke and mirrors.<br /><br />When do we stop this deception? Stop even allowing this man (and again, with him, I use the term quite loosely) to pretend he has answers when his answer to everything is:<br /> <ol style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><li>more war</li><li>more tax cuts to the wealthy</li><li>privitize <em>everything</em></li></ol>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176965651216608839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38403959.post-1169605091436110612007-01-23T21:16:00.000-05:002007-01-23T21:18:11.436-05:00Blogger...I'm sure there is a good <span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">::cough::</span> reason why Blogger has not seen fit to post a single (damned) message in more than an hour. After all, there is <em>always</em> an excuse, although they rarely bother to give one anymore.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176965651216608839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38403959.post-1169604959259833482007-01-23T19:46:00.000-05:002007-01-23T21:15:59.266-05:00What Is The State Of The Union?I noticed that CNN and other outlets were suggesting people fire up their camcorders and record their own State of the Union (SoTU) address. I'll spare you the video and audio - my hair is having a bad year so far - but here's my take on the state of America:<ul><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">America is disheartened, disillusioned, depressed, and despairing.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">Under Mr. Bush's "watch" (and, except for all the spying he does on our mail (snail and electronic), our phone calls, our blogs and other Web sites, et al), we've watched our country driven to bankruptcy on existential-only threats while billionaire contractors made huge new profits in Iraq and Afghanistan and here at home with homeland (in)security no-bid contracts only to show no real performance.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">The president, while waging war on the working and middle class (sadly, much of the working class no longer can afford to deceive itself into believing they are middle class anymore), has talked non-stop about bigger and bigger tax cuts for billionaires and wildly-wealthy-already corporations like energy companies that have already secured the biggest taxpayer-to-corporation welfare checks in history.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">But Americans have some responsibility for our "state" as well. We have not usually participated in our so-called representative democracy with many of us not even bothering to show up to vote; of those who do, many don't bother to call or write their reps to voice their approval or disapproval over what they do.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">We need to take our country back and become far more vocal as well as knowledgeable about what is going on. If we don't want America to be an empire, then WE must step up to the plate and make our government realize we need to focus Washington's attention on education and health care and domestic policy and STOP the madness with trying to reshape the rest of the world in the image of corrupt Capitol Hill.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">We have seen our elected representatives all too often fall down on the job. So ultimate responsibility must fall to us. If we can't trust them to do their jobs, then we must not fail to do ours as citizens, as voters, and as global citizens as well.</span></ul>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176965651216608839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38403959.post-1169599487736010642007-01-23T19:32:00.000-05:002007-01-23T19:44:47.750-05:00Will Vice President Dick Cheney Be Forced To Resign Now?<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">[Ed. note: Cross-posted to our national blog, </span><a style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="http://cut-to-the-chase.blogspot.com">Cut to the Chase</a><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">.]</span></span><br /><br />From some of the word out of the opening day of testimony at the Scooter Libby/PlameGate/CIA Spy Leak trial comes some of the first serious questioning of whether Cheney's (bad?) actions will result in his resignation.<br /><br />From <a href="http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/01/23/will-cheney-resign/">Crooks & Liars</a> (and see my previous posts on this topic <a href="http://cut-to-the-chase.blogspot.com/2007/01/speaking-of-presidential-lies-and.html">here</a> and <a href="http://cut-to-the-chase.blogspot.com/2007/01/more-on-scooter-libbycia-spy.html">here</a> today):<blockquote><span style="color: rgb(0, 86, 0);"> Considering that <a href="http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/01/23/libby-sacrificed-to-save-rove/">Patrick Fitzgerald has clearly outlined a trail</a> that leads right to the office of the Vice President, the obvious question hangs in the air: If this whole CIA leak case was authored by Cheney, does he need to resign?<div class="storycontent"> <p>Digby: <a href="http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2007_01_01_digbysblog_archive.html#116957751746718548">Holy Moly</a></p> <blockquote style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"> <p><em>Norah O'Donnell is asking Andy Card and Leon Panetta if the president is going to have to ask Dick Cheney to resign as a result of what's being alleged at the Libby Trial. (They both punted.)</em> </p><p><em>If that's the beltway chatter, look for the Republican noise machine to go into high gear.</em></p></blockquote> <p>Beware of <a href="http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/02/19/the-many-responses-of-lady-maccheney/">Mary Matalin</a>'s upcoming appearances, I'm just sayin'…</p> <p>The timing of this really couldn't be worse. On the day of Bush's State of the Union speech, you have a former senior official pointing fingers at your closest advisor, a Republican prosecutor pointing fingers at your Vice President, and polls that show that <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16755951/">two-thirds of Americans have given up not only on his plan for Iraq but on his presidency</a>.</p></div></span></blockquote>Ironically, in the same breath, <a href="http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/01/23/luntz-tells-dems-to-be-nice/">Republican pollster Frank Lutz told Democrats</a> they had to play nice now that they are in the majority in Washington (Luntz sang a much different tune when Republicans were in power!):<blockquote><span style="color: rgb(0, 86, 0);">GOP pollster Frank Luntz has been advising conservative Republicans for years on how to exploit language to smear Dems and win elections. It was Luntz, for example, who teamed up with Newt Gingrich to shape the Contract with America in 1994.<div class="storycontent"> <p>And now, Luntz has taken to the pages of the Huffington Post to <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frank-luntz/words-that-dont-work_b_39208.html">offer the left some advice</a>: don’t act like his Republican clients.</p> <blockquote style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"> <p>I am not in the habit of offering partisan linguistic advice to Democrats. But in the genuine spirit of bipartisanship - seriously - I thought this is the perfect time to convey a simple point to the still-euphoric faces of Democrat activists: Don’t twist the knife. […]</p> <p>Democracy is at its best when its practioners use language to unite and explain rather than divide and attack…. We need an intelligent debate, not a sound-bite contest.</p></blockquote> <p>Given Luntz's record, this <a href="http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/9698.html">just doesn't make any sense</a>.</p></div></span></blockquote>I think playing nice and decent should be the norm, regardless of who is in power. But all we got was nastiness and a war of sound bites, with Republicans telling Dems they might as well go home and twiddle their thumbs because <em>they</em> were in charge for years.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176965651216608839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38403959.post-1169597846569117782007-01-23T19:05:00.000-05:002007-01-23T19:17:26.576-05:00Goodbye, Alps! Hello, Global Warming!The Global Warming/climate change bad news - just like the egregious effects we keep having upon it - just keep coming: scientists now estimate <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070123/ap_on_sc/austria_melting_glaciers">the glaciers of the Alps will be gone</a>, as in melted, by 2050, or a few years after the world may lose most of its fish used in human diet.<br /><br />Sorry, Austria: the president just really needs to ride almost alone in that gas hog of a limousine even just to get a cheeseburger!Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176965651216608839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38403959.post-1169597100655249502007-01-23T18:35:00.000-05:002007-01-23T19:05:00.746-05:00Vermont Iraq War Veterans Decry President's Surge Plans for IraqIn case you missed it, here's the Times-Argus' coverage of <a href="http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070121/NEWS02/701210417/1003/NEWS02">Saturday's protests against President Bush's Iraq escalation plans which included a few Iraq War veterans</a> who say this is a very, very bad idea.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176965651216608839noreply@blogger.com0