(Vermont Public Radio?!?!?!

This does not smell good, and I’ve never even heard of it. Great job, Wes… – promoted by odum)

Cross-posted over here

What would you think about the idea of a strategic partnership between the FBI and the private sector aimed at “sharing information and intelligence to prevent hostile acts against the United States”?  If you’re like me, you might first begin to wonder who it is that gets to define and determine what these “hostile” acts are.  Also, if you were like me you’d have some serious questions if such a group were to claim to provide it’s members with “value-added threats, advisories, and warnings.”  See, this isn’t a further inquiry into telephone companies illegally providing the Federal government with whatever the hell they ask for, this is about a pretty secretive FBI program called Infragard.  Infragard members (business leaders, academic institutions, and individuals in control of infrastructure like roads, airports, radio stations) work hand-in-hand with local FBI field offices to “receive education and training on counter-terrorism, counterintelligence, cyber crime and other matters relevant to informed reporting of potential crimes and attacks on the nation and U.S. interests.”  Note potential crimes and the inclusion of the term “U.S. interests”- who’s interests are they talking about? certainly not those of a regular Joe like me (otherwise they’d undoubtedly be working on providing me affordable health care- that’s in my interest).

In exchange for being the Fed’s eyes and ears, members receive secret warnings of terrorist threats before the public does, and even before elected officials.  One business executive even claims they are given permission to “shoot to kill” in instances of Martial Law (according to this article– which you really must read).

Formed in 1996 during the Clinton administration (yes, the Democrats aren’t immune to this crap) Infragard is just one more piece of the intertwining of the government and business- which just so happens to be one of one of Mussolini’s central tenets of fascism.  Like I said, be sure to check out the article above, as well as Infragard’s own website; if nothing else, so that you can get your own sense of exactly what these folks are all about.  Note their links page, which is mostly a few governmental sites (like the Department of Justice and Homeland Security) along with the World Bank (that uber-fine institution beloved worldwide for their transparent, democratic process and their incredibly generous programs which have brought untold riches and prosperity to every corner of the globe, from Argentina to Haiti and beyond).

And if anyone’s wondering, yes Vermont has it’s own chapter.  They appear to be a notable partnering that includes Champlain College, Norwich University, Chittenden Bank, and most interesting of what I could find (membership is a pretty well guarded secret) Vermont Public Radio’s Rich Parker serving as president.  Grrreat! I  feel better and safer now that I know.

(front page worthy – it’s on a lot of our minds, no doubt. – promoted by JDRyan)

Louis Porter had an item in yesterday’s Times Argus about the large role that Vermont members of the Credentials Committee might play in the Democratic National Convention. Who receives the nomination could hinge on whether the Florida and Michigan delegations get seated.

Porter identifies Dean loyalists Kate O’Connor, Bob Rogan, and Kathy Hoyt as members of the elite DNC-appointed core of the Credentials Committee. So it comes down to whether the Deaniacs will cave to Clinton pressure and seat the banned delegations (gutting the authority of the party to regulate its primary schedule), which will award most of their 360-some delegates to Clinton, who walked a very fine line (and some say, stepped way over it) about campaign appearances in the shunned states.

So that raises the question of how Dean and his campaign stalwarts feel about Clinton. I don’t have an answer. I have a vague recollection that there was no love lost between the Clintons and Howard Dean, even if they are essentially cut from the same political cloth.

Another piece that doesn’t figure into Porter’s calculus is that VT DNC delegate Billi Gosh — a major donor in Vermont and die-hard Clinton supporter — was just elected to the (temporary) Credentials Committee. (Vt State Committee Treasurer and establishment supporter Michael Inners and political newcomer Dottie Deans were also elected to the [two other] temporary DNC Credentials Committee[s].) Final Committee delegates will be elected at the State Convention.

Finally, there’s Dean’s quote:

I think we will have a nominee sometime in the middle of March or April. But if we don’t, then we’re going to have to get the candidates together and make some kind of an arrangement. Because I don’t think we can afford to have a brokered convention.

So why is it we bother with primaries?

As the Legislative session begins, a proposal to fix our structurally deficient bridges has come to the table. In a surprising twist of history, it is our Legislators taking the lead on this issue instead of the Agency of Transportation.

How Neal Lunderville never gave up his first job to the Governor below the fold.

For years folks at AOT and DOT have pointed out that their annual budget has been raided by the Governor's office in order to fund projects somewhere else in the administration. Not this year. Governor Douglas' former political advisor and recent political appointee as Secretary of AOT is more concerned with Vermont's bond rating and overall state budget than the safety of our roads and bridges. His plan, the “Road to Affordability”, eliminates a number of highway projects and defers a considerable amount of upgrades until the distant future when this work will be even more expensive.

Heckuva job, Lunderville.

On the other side of the coin, our State Legislature is moving Vermont forward with an inventive solution. Their plan is to let the State Treasurer decide how to arrange a comprehensive bond which will allow for the necessary upgrades to our bridges – many having not been replaced since the Flood of 1927.

There is more than irony in Lunderville's “Road to Affordability” nonsense. Lunderville has been quoted since January 21st discussing issues outside of the responsibility of his office on issues such as the overall state budget, the Governor's political views, and inferences to Vermonts AAA bond rating. This suggests that he is still wearing the hat of Douglas' political advisor instead of the Secretary of Transportation.

If a Vermont bridge collapses, Mr. Lunderville, what will have to say then?

Nate Freeman

It’s renewable. It’s a great industrial product.

It grows with ease.  It’s cheap.  So why is it illegal?

(This diary didn’t get enough attention, so I’m bumping it up. – promoted by odum)

Around the United States, including here in Vermont, where hundreds of members of the Vermont National Guard have been sent to war, we see that the military is overwhelmed as it tries to assist servicemembers.

Here at Veterans For America, where I am proud to be Director of Policy, we are determined to do something to help the men and women who have served us. Part of our efforts include our easy-to-use registry that will help us get you the help you need (or help for someone you know).

Please click here to register with Veterans for America’s Wounded Warrior Registry.

If you or someone you know needs help, we will work to make sure that you get it — it’s as simple as that. We will answer every single request we get. Sometimes it can be just knowing how to fight through the bureaucracy and get the mental health appointment you need or it might be how to get your family counseling.

Please let us help you or someone you know get the help you need and deserve.

Veterans For America was founded over thirty years ago by Bobby Muller, who was paralyzed by a bullet in Vietnam while leading a Marine patrol.  Originally named the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation, VFA now works all across the country, focusing on the high rates of mental health problems and mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI) as a result of our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

This Wounded Warrior Registry will help us determine how many military men and women need help and what is the best way to get them that help.

We also have recently published online “The American Veterans And Servicemembers Survival Guide.”Available free to all as a download, it is a great resource for veterans and servicemembers alike.

To learn more about what we do, and how we help servicemembers and veterans alike, please click here. Thank you for your help and support.

A little day-job pimping here, which I don’t like to do, but I don’t want GMD readers to miss out on the cool vlogging happening at the Vermont Natural Resources Council these days. At the beginning of every week VNRC staffers report on the progress of environmental legislation in the Statehouse. This week’s report was a quickie update, placed in the context of the Environmental Platform put together with input from most of the environmental groups in the state, as well as Rural Vermont. It also makes a pitch for the upcoming Environmental Lobby Day planned for next week. Very cool stuff, and worth a weekly check in…