…..and here and here

When President Obama  unveiled the ARRA American Recovery and Reinvestment Act logo in March ,as the stimulus funds first entered the food chain he said “These emblems are symbols of our commitment to you, the American people – a commitment to investing your tax dollars wisely, to put Americans to work doing the work that needs to be done. So when you see them on projects that your tax dollars made possible, let it be a reminder that our government – your government – is doing its part to put the economy back on the road of recovery.”

The signs show that our tax dollars are at work for us. Many Republican and of course Democratic governors across the country have not been shy about putting up the ARRA signage at highway bridge and paving projects but  now with the program rolling along and with the successful completion of some of the earliest projects Sen. Judd Gregg has decided he doesn’t like the signage or the publicity they bring to the recovery projects .He seems to be pulling a full New Hampshire pennywise routine on this issue after looking so foolish earlier in the year with his back and forth on the Sec. Of  Commerce  job in the Obama administration and  newspaper reports of  personal profiting from real estate investments at the former Pease Air force base redevelopment .  

DOVER – U.S. Sen. Judd Gregg wants to ax the plaques, as in those highway signs alerting motorists to work being done thanks to the federal stimulus package.

He said the signs do nothing except let lawmakers “pat themselves on the back” about passing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The New Hampshire Republican said the legislation, which he opposed, has been a “disappointment” and costs in excess of $1 trillion.

Gregg filed legislation this week to prohibit the use of stimulus funds for signs that advertise taxpayer spending.

Senator Gregg does  have more than passing  knowledge of how to pat ones self on ones own back.

– Gregg earmarked$500,000 in federal money to Plymouth State University for the “Judd Gregg Meteorology Institute.”

– “Gregg Hall” at the University of New Hampshire was dedicated after Gregg secured $266million  in federal funds for the university.

– “The Judd Gregg Library” was dedicated after Gregg secured $150,000 for the Nasua Policy Athletic League.

http://www.fosters.com/apps/pb…

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/…

( – promoted by odum)

Many Central Vermont residents have noticed the change this year in how large acreages of field corn are being grown along the Winooski River between Plainfield and East Montpelier.  For the first time (see Update below on this point), we saw large fields of dying grass with new blades of corn growing up right in their midst.

This can mean only one thing: the largest local growers are now using corn varieties that are genetically engineered (GE, also known as GMO, for ‘genetically modified organism’) to withstand large doses of broad-spectrum herbicides, which will normally kill most plants. Only conifer trees and a few particular varieties of flowering plants are naturally resistant to herbicides like Monsanto’s Roundup.  The only way corn can possibly grow in fields of recently herbicide-killed grass is if it contains the same company’s so-called “Roundup Ready” package of artificially inserted genes from bacteria and petunias. One or two other companies market GE corn varieties engineered to resist their own proprietary herbicide (e.g., Bayer’s “Liberty Link), but Monsanto’s “Roundup Ready” varieties are by far the most prevalent.

Many people have been under the impression that Fairmont Farms and other large growers have been growing GE corn all along, by virtue of the roadsigns advertising particular corn seed varieties. Those signs alone really don’t say much at all, other than that the corn is all of a specific variety. Advertised varieties are not necessarily GE.  On the other hand, the corresponding roadsigns in southern Quebec, for example, nearly all designate specific GE traits, such as “RR” (“Roundup Ready”), “LL” (“Liberty Link”), and “BT” (for insecticidal genes obtained from Bacillus thuringiensis bacteria).

Last week, Free Speech Radio News (6 pm on WGDR in Plainfield) carried a story from Argentina describing a new study from the country’s top medical school, which showed that Roundup-family herbicides (based on the active ingredient, glyphosate) are lethal to amphibians at lower doses than was previously documented.  You can listen or download this story at http://www.fsrn.org/audio/mons… (or simple go to the page for Thursday, June 18th from fsrn.org). In South America, GE soybeans have overtaken vast acreages of what used to be pasture land. Here in Vermont, the main commercial crop continues to be corn for feeding to dairy cows. Acceptance of genetically engineered corn varieties here has significantly trailed national trends, but may now be catching up.  Nationwide, over 2/3 of US field corn is genetically engineered, along with more than 90% of the soybeans.

“Roundup-Ready” herbicide tolerant corn is being sold to Vermont farmers as a way to practice “no-till” agriculture, with implicit environmental benefits. Indeed, some rotations of corn with other crops can be implemented with neither tilling nor herbicides.  But this particular variety of herbicide-dependent “no till,” while it may grant farmers a significant convenience factor and enable them to plant ever-larger acreages with less labor, can in no way be described as environmentally friendly.

In the early years of this decade, voters in 85 Vermont towns passed resolutions opposing genetically engineered food and crops in Vermont. In 2005, Gov. Douglas vetoed a rather cautiously worded bill that was aimed to put some legal clout behind this commitment. Now that we’re seeing more visible fields of GMOs arise here in Central Vermont, what will be the public response?

UPDATE:  In some email conversations following my initial posting of this to some personal contacts, some agreed this was new this year, but one person, a regular commuter alongside some of the fields of interest, said she’d seen the same phenomenon in previous years. Readers, what have you observed?

How did YOU feel when Muntadar al-Zeidi threw his shoes at Dumbya Bush last December?

New research from Vanderbilt University indicates the way our brain handles how we move through space-including being able to imagine literally stepping into someone else’s shoes-may be related to how and why we experience empathy toward others.

(Ability To Literally Imagine Oneself In Another’s Shoes May Be Tied To Empathy, Science Daily, 06/24/09)

Well then …

I’ve been thinking about this vis-a-vis Iran, and I can’t come to a firm conclusion.

Would you want expressions of public support if you were out marching against a regime that was willing to use deadly force to enforce its’ edicts? Would you want other governments to take active stances in your fight for expression and personal rights?

What do YOU think Jane and John Doe Iranian want from us this very day?

I do know how angry it makes me when our own governments physically attack demonstrators who are largely non-violent. I do know it puts me out front and center in shows of support even if I can’t be at the physical location of the assaults. I do know it would be nice to have the Vermont legislators speak loudly and clearly against such attempts to stifle our constitutional rights to assemble and petition government.

I also know politicians across the globe use suspicion of “outsiders” and the concepts of local exceptionalism to whip up government driven fear based reactions in the public.

I tend to think if I were an Iranian dissident I’d want Obama to do exactly what he is doing now: quiet rhetoric that tells me the world is watching while I try to change a system I know and understand.

But I’m not sure … I’m still trying to fit into those Iranian shoes.

(crossposted on five before chaos)

and that would be… Glenn Beck. Yeah, that Glenn Beck, he of the hysterics, teabagging, hatemongering, and America's most high-profile purveyor of right-wing bullshit conspiracy theories. And of course, you know the other guy, Thomas “Obviously a Good Confederate” Naylor, of the punchline known as Second Vermont Republic, the Vermont seccessionist group that GMD brought to your attention two years ago of having lots of friends in the Neo-Confederate movement.

So, anyways, fact-checking (oh, who am I kidding, reality) has never been one of Beck's strong suits, so of course he has Naylor on his show for an interview. Given that Naylor's completely lost the support of the left in Vermont due to his love of the Stars n' Bars and all it stands for, he must figure, what the hell, why not shoot for the paranoid right? Beck heaps tons of praise on him, of course, and unquestionably accepts Naylor's ridiculous claim that a whopping 60,000 registered Vermont  voters support secession (yet SVR, oddly enough, has about 1,000 supporters), and I've yet to meet anyone who takes Naylor seriously at this point. Well, I can think of one person… I'll get to him in a minute.

You can read the very cordial interview between Beck and Naylor here. Naylor starts off by thanking Beck for “stirring the pot” (would that be those rabidly succesful tea parties, perhaps?) , and then imparts such wisdom as:

The movement rolls on, in spite of the fact that Vermont is probably the most left-wing state in the country and voted very strongly for Barack Obama. This poses a challenge for us. But people are beginning to see that, really, there's not much difference between his policies and those of George W. Bush…. People were more angry at George W. Bush, but now, under Obama with the economic meltdown, there's genuine fear.

Yes, Unreconstrcted Confederates such as Naylor have a lot to fear from Obama, at least in their warped world view. As for this “movement rolling on”, well, Dr. Naylor, that train left the station two years ago. 

Beck, like Naylor's organization, also has the attention of the Southern Poverty Law Center, the exemplary hate-watch group which released a report last year on SVR, with this beautiful quote from Naylor himself that really shows what the man is all about:

In the face of these criticisms, Naylor remains defiant. “I don’t give a shit what you write,” he told the Report. “If someone tells me that I shouldn’t associate with the League of the South, it guarantees that I will associate with the League of the South.”

Beck is on record as saying how the far-right, racist John Birchers are “starting to make more and more sense to him.”

Tommy Reb doesn't have too many friends left in these parts, but he can always count on Rob “Is he a racist? I dont know. And frankly, it is none of my damn business, at a personal level,” Williams of Vermont Commons, whose integrity lies flapping in the wind like a noose from a magnolia tree, posted in a blog post at that site that I'm not going to link to, the Beck video, with this brief commentary:

And Mr. Beck seems surprisingly lucid and thoughtful this evening.

Indeed. These people never seem to learn, PhD's notwithstanding.

The ATV on state land issue appears to have a little important back-story. The rule change may be allowed as a result of an intentional change in transportation bill wording initiated by the Governor and passed with little notice by legislators.This brings to mind the Governor’s curious crack at the close of the session about it having been a sloppy session,or words to that effect.How straightforward was the Governor in dealing with the legislators ? The state won’t rise or fall because of this but it certainly makes one wonder what over goodies the Governor may have slid into our laws over the years .ATV versus conservationist is just such a perfect divisive issue (a distraction ?) for the man to happily crow about as the state grinds into recession .

The public comment period for this has been extended and the rule change may be considered by a legislative committee.

The transportation budget bill approved by lawmakers this year and signed into law by Gov. James Douglas deleted the phrase “on private property” from the statute that allows the state’s association of ATV riders to spend fee and penalty money on trail maintenance and enforcement. That change – unnoticed by many lawmakers at the time – set the groundwork for permitting ATV trails on public land.

..Agency Secretary Jonathan Wood said he explained to the House and Senate Transportation Committees the effect of the change.

“That was explained to them and that was passed,” he said.

But

both lawmakers involved in the ATV issue and conservation groups opposing the new rule said Monday they did not know the transportation budget included the ATV language, and that ANR had not warned them of the word change or the proposed rule during the legislative session.

http://www.timesargus.com/arti…

Thanks to Tom’s Astronomy Blog for the pointer:

About a month ago, in the midst of a frustrated picque, I launched the Facebook group 1000 Vermonters for change. Y’all remember that, right?

The big dynamic that works against us in trying to take the Governorship is, as often mentioned, the primary election, coming so close as it does to the general – especially if you feel, as many of us on the left and engaged with the netroots do – that a primary contest is an absolute necessity to put together the voter interest and media attention necessary to win in November, as well as to have an opportunity to choose the best candidate, rather than have one chosen for us by the political illuminati (such as they are) or simply by default. And one way that it hurts us is by leaving little time for raising competitive funding after spending on a primary battle.

So, here’s my solution. I’ve created a Facebook group: 1000 Vermonters for Change. My goal is to get 1000 people to join over the next year – 1000 people who commit to sending a $100 contribution to whoever wins the Democratic primary, the day after the primary election. That’s $100,000 and its a pretty big boost.

Well, I’m thrilled to report that we’re already over 20% of the way to our goal, with well over a year to go. The group’s membership continues to tick upward steadily, and currently stands at 210 members. Add in the 4 who indicated they were signing up but don’t have Facebook user accounts, and its at 214. That’s already $21,400 pledged to the winner of the Democratic primary the day after that winner is chosen, all to help do what we can to mitigate the drawbacks of a primary, leaving us to benefit from the necessary advantages that such a contest provides.

Good stuff. And thanks to everyone who has stepped up to the plate thusfar. Hopefully we’ll see some of you at the big Hamburger Summit next weekend in Montpelier (aka the “Bloggers Barbeque,” which isn’t just for bloggers, y’know.)

(thanks for the update BP!)

Quick Diary ACTION ITEM: GMD has been a great place to follow the proposed expansion of ATVs onto public lands. Check out

BP’s

ATVs on state land and a Free Press puzzle

and Left Field’s

Wild Matters: Ban ATVs on State Land

and

Activist Malpractice: VNRC

Though I read these thoughtful pieces, I did not register that the public comment period remains open only til today June 22. So if you haven’t yet, please weigh in at

ATVRULE@state.vt.us

thanks and enjoy a peaceful summer

What if you knew her/ And found her dead on the ground / How can you run when you know? — Neil Young, “Ohio.”

In 1970, American folk/rock singer, Neil Young, sang his timeless tribute to the four students who were killed while protesting the American invasion of Cambodia during the Vietnam War. Neil Young's song, “Ohio,” reminds us of the Kent State Massacre on May 4, 1970, a terrible event that sparked a national uprising against the United States government and the Nixon Administration.

I thought of Neil Young's song yesterday, June 20th, when I first saw the video of Neda Soltani's tragic death. The uncensored video is something most Americans, safe in their homes, do not want to see because it is considered “too graphic.” Yet I watched the video of her death over and over again, knowing that, as upsetting as it is to watch a young woman die so suddenly, it is a responsibility to do so in order to see the face that shows us the real cost of freedom. Neda, whose name was still unknown to the world on the day she died, shows us the unrelenting truth of the sacrifice of Iranians during this hopeful, courageous and inspiring struggle against their government for a freedom they deserve.

From Drop Box

On May 4, l970 members of the Ohio National Guard fired into a crowd of Kent State University demonstrators, killing four and wounding nine Kent State students. The impact of the shootings was dramatic. The event triggered a nationwide student strike that forced hundreds of colleges and universities to close.  

When I searched for a video of Neil Young singing, “Ohio,” I was fortunate to find a live taping from 1989, shortly after the Tiananmen Square protests. Young introduces the song, saying, “This is a song for the students killed in China this summer.” These were the students who sat in peaceful protest against their government until they were shot or run over by tanks. They, too, will always be remembered.

Today, one day after Neda's sacrifice, I extend this tribute to all people who have dared to stand up in protest in their struggle against oppression. I humbly hope that the people of the world will see the true sacrifice for freedom in Neda's face, and in the struggle of Iranians today.

The image of Neda will forever join the image of a fearless Chinese student standing down four army tanks in 1989, and of a 14 year-old girl kneeling over the body of a slain student at Kent State University.

*