All posts by NanuqFC

Maine Marriage Results (breaking, to be updated as needed)

[[Last update, 8:30 a.m., Nov. 4: From Vermont Freedom to Marry:

With 87% of precincts reporting, voters repealed Maine’s equal marriage law by a 52-47 margin, setting aside that state’s recently-enacted law allowing same-sex couples to legally marry.  (The law had not yet taken effect.)  We decry this hurtful and unjust outcome that harms Mainers in every community, in every family, and in every walk of life.

{heavy sigh} ]]

[[Update #3: 51.99% for repeal of marriage equality; 48.01%  for preserving marriage equality as of midnight with 75% of precincts reporting. I’m going to bed, and I’ll take another look in the morning. Aren’t we glad we don’t have a second-guessing referendum system here?!]]

[[Update #2:  Yes (for repeal) 51.58%    No  171171 48.42%; word is that the cities’ votes are in and it’s now the rural and absentee votes that are hanging. Not looking hopeful; likely recount with numbers this close.]]

According to the Bangor Daily News, Maine voters are following the script of 30 other states by supporting the repeal of the Marriage Equality law their legislators passed and their governor signed last spring. As of  10:20 pm, the margin is 51.83% for repeal to 48.17% against repeal and in support of keeping marriage equality.

[[Update 1: 28% of the precincts reporting at 10:20 pm]]

There are a LOT of precincts still to report their votes, including Lewiston & Auburn in Androscoggin County;  Caribou and Houlton (sharing over 10k voters between them) in Aroostook County (far north, inland, potato country), and not to mention St. Agatha with 666 voters;  much of semi-urban and urban Cumberland County including Portland, South Portland, and Brunswick precincts; Franklin County, with only three towns showing over 1,000 voters (New Sharon, Rangeley, and Strong); Hancock County (Bar Harbor and Ellsworth and surrounding areas, including Township 28 with 3 registered voters); Kennebec County, including the state capital Augusta, Waterville — home of Colby College, my alma mater — and a whole slew of towns with over 1000 voters apiece; Knox County (Camden area, mid-northern coast); Lincoln County (Damariscotta and Waldoboro being the two biggest towns not yet reporting, mostly coastal, includes Boothbay Harbor); Oxford County, home of Paris and Denmark and Peru and Sweden, along with Fryeburg, along the NH border inland; Penobscot County, including Bangor and Orono (University of Maine); Piscataquis County — northern and inland, devastated by the loss of manufacturing jobs over the last 40 years, especially in Dover-Foxcroft; Bath area, home of the Bath Ironworks, major shipbuilding, with recent layoffs announced — in Sagadahoc County, north of Portland; Somerset County, whose most recognizable town to those of us who don’t live there is Skowhegan; Waldo County, which includes Belfast (north of Camden, southeast of Bangor, if you’re following along); Washington County (we’re almost done here) where if you went further north along the coast, you’d be in New Brunswick, Eastport and Lubec right along the border, and Township 19 has 2 registered voters; and finally, York County, at the other end of the state, including Kittery (home of many mega outlet malls), and Biddeford, and Kennebunkport (home of you know who, at least in the summer); and Saco, and York Beach, York Center, and Ogunquit by the sea.

It’s gonna be a long night.

The Personal Is Political: Wedding Bells

My partner and I (both lesbians nearing age 60) are getting married Saturday. Legally. By virtue of the courage of 124 Vermont state legislators in voting to override the Governor’s veto last May.

Think about that. 124 people decided to do the right thing, and as a result, my partner and I are getting married.

I’ve been an activist since the 1970s & 80s, a strong feminist since I was in high school and helped fight a school board ban on girls wearing slacks to school. A lesbian almost since then (with a brief foray into born-again fundamentalist self-repression).

You may have seen my photo last spring, an AP shot that was published all over. I was holding a sign at a news conference that read, “If we’re equal, will you trade your marriage for my civil union?” I never, ever thought I’d end up being a poster girl for marriage. Marriage was “mahogamy,” the patriarchal ownership by men of the means of producing farm workers and inheritors. It certainly had nothing to do with what I wanted for my life.

M & I have been together for 29 years and 8 months. We’re a family. We’ve built a family of choice — actually several overlapping and successive families of choice — over the years. Our families of origin came around to accept us — mine since I graduated college, hers since around 1995. They all came to our civil union celebration 9 years ago.

I didn’t expect the civil union to make a difference. We’d been together 20 years at that point.

[more on the flip]

But it did. It felt as though the public profession of our commitment to each other in front of friends and family crafted a frame around our relationship within which we could go even deeper. The fact that it apparently made some of our rural small-town neighbors more comfortable with us — my theory is that they finally had a category for us, a name for our relationship — was gravy.

That civil union is still in effect. It hasn’t gone away. But it counts only within the borders of the state of Vermont.

So, we’re getting married. It’s a low-key, very informal event, something we view as the state — and we hope soon the federal government — catching up on equality’s paperwork.

And make no mistake, equality is the issue. As long as government is allowed to call our relationships something other than marriages, it’s discrimination, no matter what benefits come with it. Separate isn’t equal.

The odd thing is that — except for M & me — all of the people involved, the folks who are coming as witnesses and the friend officiating as a Justice of the Peace, are straight.  

I’m not expecting this wedding to change anything for us, but I might be surprised again.

This weekend also includes National Coming Out Day, the National LGBT Equality March on Washington, and President Obama’s speech to the Human Rights Campaign dinner. We’ll be there in spirit while enacting our own steps toward equality.

And our heartfelt thanks to all who called, wrote, emailed, persuaded, cajoled, and lobbied — and to those 124 legislators who voted — in favor of equality at last.

Hug Your Family: the Passing of Tom Belrose

It was a shock when I was flipping through Tuesday’s Free Press looking for the comics and the crossword puzzle and stumbled over a photo of someone I knew who was in his 40s on the obit page.

Thomas Marvin BelroseIn the last couple of years Tom Belrose worked with VPIRG, the Vermont Democratic Party, and Vermont Freedom to Marry. I met him when he became the VDP field organizer for Franklin County and worked with him often over the election season from August to November last year. I pointed him at Vermont Freedom to Marry when he was looking for a job last spring, and he became the Franklin-Lamoille Field Organizer working to get marriage equality through the legislature and enough support for representatives to vote to override the governor’s veto. He was a persistent and dogged worker, nearly always cheerful, always trying to help.

The car accident in which he died was a head-on collision on narrow two-lane road near the Montgomery-Belvidere town lines, and Tom was pronounced dead at the scene (he drove an old Jetta, I think, pre-airbag). The other driver is still in the hospital, with ‘non-life-threatening injuries.’

He bought me a beer a couple of weeks ago at our Franklin County “First Friday” liberal bar gathering, which is the last time I saw him. When I last talked to him on the phone, he was worrying about whether Franklin County employers were not calling him back because of the Freedom to Marry work on his resume – which, as a straight man, he did because he believed in social justice for everyone.

He also smoked like a chimney, greeted nearly everyone with “How we doin’ today?”, was perpetually running behind schedule, and was wont to make erroneous declarations of ‘fact’ on some subjects, although if presented with actual facts would admit he might not know as much as he thought he did.

And he was a good guy with a good heart and a dedication to spending what turned out to be 44 years making this corner of the world a better place to live in.

His wake and funeral are Friday Sept. 25 in Swanton at the Kidder Funeral Home, with visiting hours starting at 1 pm immediately followed at 3 pm with funeral services and interment.

Hug your families, call your friends: we never know when our time is up.

His family has requested that in lieu of flowers, those who wish to commemorate Tom’s life donate to a college fund for his daughter, Leah Michelle Belrose, c/o Michelle Hubbell, P.O. Box 71, Johnson, VT 05656. 

Celebrate the Constitution Sept. 17

The Committee on the Protection of Constitutional Rights is hosting a birthday party and appreciation celebration for the U.S. Constitution (note to Kestrel: yes, including the amendments) in the House chamber of the Statehouse, with refreshments in the Cedar Creek Room.

It’s all happening on September 17, Thursday, from 5-6:30 pm.

The speaker for the occasion is Professor Sheldon Novick of the Vermont Law School, where he has taught Constitutional law and American legal history, among other subjects. He’s also the author of a well-received biography of a Supreme Court Justice of whom nearly anyone who survived high school American Studies classes has heard: Oliver Wendell Holmes (no, no, not the guy played by Basil Rathbone who went around saying “Elementary, my dear Watson!”  That was Sherlock Holmes).

More on the flip.

We’re talking about Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., 30 years on the US Supreme Court, nominated by Teddy Roosevelt (on the recommendation of Henry Cabot Lodge), served until FDR was elected.

But I digress.

Professor Novick’s topic is “Toward a More Perfect Union.” From the press release:

People have always disagreed about the meaning of the Constitution, beginning with its first words, “We the People of the United States.” The Preamble seems to speak of one people, but owing to compromises made with slavery and tradition, not everyone could be a citizen, vote, or hold office. Gradually, since the Civil War, non-white men and women of all races have been gaining full legal citizenship. Our federal republic has been moving toward the “more perfect Union” free of compromises that the Preamble promised. President Obama says that his appointment of the first Latina to the Supreme Court is another step in that direction.

And wouldn’t you know it, the host group is a subcommittee of the VDP State Committee. Seems like Democrats are the only ones who actually care about the Constitution since oh, say, the year 2000, although schools are now required to “develop programming” to observe the Constitution’s birthday every year. (The regulation was set up in 2005 and somehow got through a Republican Congress as an unfunded mandate for any educational institution receiving federal money.)

C’mon down to the Statehouse on Thursday. I’m not promising birthday cake, but how often does anyone get to blow out 222 candles?

If you can’t make it, check out the Constitution Day website. Find out which “Founding Father” you’d be.

Here are some words that figured prominently in the one I was identified with: “extremely smart,” “happily married … no children,” “stir up support,” “not flamboyant,” “thoughtful leadership.”  

Britain Apologizes to Alan Turing 55 Years Late (Updated)

[Update: it eventually struck me that there are implications for all those military folk being cashiered from their service simply because they are gay, many of them linguists in Arabic and Pashtun and other languages directly relevant to the safety of U.S. troops. And President Obama could halt the discharges with an Executive Order, but refuses to do so. — NanuqFC]

For all the computer geeks out there, here’s a story about Alan Turing, originator of the Turing Test for machine intelligence and the first storable software for Manchester University’s Mark 1 (first recognizable modern computer), code-breaker of the Nazi Enigma cipher of World War II, recipient of the Order of the British Empire, Fellow of the Royal Society — and post-war convict (h/t to Pam’s House Blend, although the diarist there asserts that Apple Computer’s logo is an homage to Turing, who committed suicide by eating a cyanide-laced apple, found beside him when his body was discovered. Snopes and common sense say not so.)

His crime? He was gay.

The Guardian also has the story.

Alan Turing was convicted of “gross indecency” after reporting a break-in by a man he’d picked up and taken home weeks earlier. During the investigation, he acknowledged he’d had sex with the man.

He got to choose in 1952 between going to prison and being injected with estrogen for a year to kill his sex drive. He lost his security clearance as a result of his conviction and was denied entry to the U.S. Alan Turing committed suicide two years later at age 41.

And on September 10, 2009, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, responding to an online petition, issued an apology for the way Britain treated Alan Turing and many other LGBT people with prejudice and criminal prosecution.

Way too little, way too late, but a piece of our cultural history that should be shared and appreciated.

And, if you’re curious, check out Turing on Wikipedia.

Phelps Turns Into GLAD Fundraiser

Thanks to the efforts of a very sharp Montpelier High School Senior, every anti-gay canard, every homophobic slur uttered during the Westboro “Baptist” Church’s visit to the school tomorrow morning will result in donations to Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD). The Times Argus has the story, and there’s a FaceBook page, too.

By Peter Hirschfeld Vermont Press Bureau – Published: August 31, 2009

MONTPELIER – When members of the Westboro Baptist Church utter their first homophobic invective Tuesday morning, the clock begins.

As they unfurl their anti-gay flags, raise their “God-Hates-Fags” banners and condemn the passage of this nation’s first same-sex marriage law passed by a Legislature, the minutes will add up, one on top of another, until the Kansas group packs up and departs for its next destination.

Joe Carlomagno will be watching the clock closely. Not to count down the seconds until the protesters are gone, but to add up the money they’ve inadvertently raised for the targets of their vitriol.

“A lot of people from Montpelier High School were planning some really radical counter-protests, and I just didn’t think that would be an effective way to make a statement about equality and equal rights,” Carlomagno, a Montpelier High senior, said last week. …

“I’m asking people to donate one dollar for each minute this group comes to protest,” Carlomagno said. The money will go to Gay & Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, a nonprofit organization that seeks to end discrimination based on sexual orientation.

GLAD, you may remember, played a major role in supporting Vermont’s progress into civil unions, then the lawsuit resulting in the Massachusetts Supreme Court’s ruling striking down discrimination in marriage in the Bay State. Now they’re challenging a major section of DOMA on behalf of several Massachusetts couples.

Other options: donate to the Vermont Democratic Party which needs to re-elect the legislators who stuck to their principles and voted for the bill and/or to override the Republican governor’s veto of equality.

Donate to Vermont Freedom to Marry which played a huge role in keeping patient pressure on the legislature and keeping the issue in the public eye through massive fieldwork.

Donate to Outright Vermont, which is the organization based in Burlington that helps kids who are being bullied or harassed in high schools around the state because of the perception or reality that they’re l-g-b-or-t to stay in school and get the education they need and are entitled to.

As Carlomagno told the T-A: “It seemed like a good way to take advantage of an otherwise ugly thing, and to use that publicity to do some good.”

Advice from Montpelier for Sept. 1 [Updated Below]

I confess, I’m of two minds about the upcoming visitation from members of the Westboro (Kansas) “Baptist” Church. One mind knows that the cure for hate speech is more speech, a public demonstration that the community at large does not accept the values being expressed, and will stand up and protect whatever principle or group is being attacked without reason. The Niemoeller quote (and its permutations) is relevant here (“First they came …”). Although, a strong argument could be made that by being more-or-less equal opportunity haters (“We hate everybody God Hates, and God hates everybody but us!”), the Westboro folks are in no real danger of ever achieving the influence of a national political party — at least, I haven’t heard yet that the national Republican Party has embraced their beliefs, applied to become members, or invited Pastor Phred himself to join the councils of the GOP faithful.

My other mind’s opinion is somewhat reflected in the message issued by the Honorable Mary Hooper, Mayor of Montpelier, on behalf of the Montpelier City Council, with good advice and sound reasoning for how the citizens of Montpelier and other guests can best deal with the visitation of the hate-mongers from Phred’s Phamily Phollowers (h/t to Sheryl; emphases mine). However, I bridle at the idea that counter demonstrations should not be held in the interests of “public safety.” Historically, city and state governments can and will justify the suppression of free speech “in the interests of public safety.” Still, is silence always to be construed as assent? Why give Phred’s Phamily what they want?

I definitely would rather have the headline of the day be “Gay Couples Celebrate Equality in Marriage” than any message of hate from Phred’s Phear-Mongers.

Mayor Mary S. Hooper

on behalf of the Montpelier City Council

and City Manager William Fraser



As has been widely publicized, members of the Westboro Baptist Church from Topeka, Kansas will be visiting Montpelier on Tuesday morning, September 1st to protest the enactment of Vermont’s gay marriage legislation.  The group plans to conduct three separate 30-minute demonstrations at Montpelier High School (7:20 AM to 7:55 AM), in front of the Vermont State House (7:55 AM to 8:25 AM), and at Montpelier City Hall (8:30 AM to 9:00 AM).

A small group of ten or fewer church members will hold signs and, likely, chant slogans and songs to express their religious and moral beliefs. These signs and slogans are purposely designed to be highly offensive, insulting, and hurtful. They seek to provoke others into angry confrontations and to possibly bait others into breaking the law.

The City of Montpelier condemns the Westboro Baptist Church’s message of hate. Surely our high school students, citizens and visitors deserve better than to be subjected to nasty messages denouncing primarily gay people but also Jews, Catholics, fallen soldiers, President Obama, and the United States of America.

We are fortunate to live in a country where citizens are guaranteed the right to free speech and free assembly. The City of Montpelier fully recognizes and respects the rights of the Westboro Baptist Church and will take proper action to assure that those rights are honored and that public safety is preserved.

It may be tempting to confront and challenge this group verbally, physically, or in some form of silent counter protest. In the interest of public safety and order, however, the City government of Montpelier urges people to please ignore this group and simply stay away from the demonstrations.

WHY STAY AWAY?

First, the Westboro Baptist Church is not visiting to engage in a discussion, forum or intellectual exchange about issues. They are here to shock, provoke and proclaim their views. A counter demonstration is exactly what the Church members hope to create; the larger the crowd the more publicity they generate and the more their message ends up on television and in newspapers.  They announce their schedule in advance for the sole reason of giving people time to create a stir.  Assembling against them is playing directly into their hands. Through its legislative actions, Vermont has already made a strong and important statement against discrimination.

More — plus poll — after the flip.

Second, and perhaps most importantly, there are very real public safety concerns – particularly at the High School – if crowds arrive to counter demonstrate. Montpelier High School rules and policy are clear that no one is allowed on school property during school hours except students, staff, parents and those having authorized business with the school. As such, both the Westboro Baptist Church AND any potential counter protesters  are required to hold their demonstrations on the Bailey Avenue sidewalks. The intersection of the High School driveway and Bailey Avenue is very busy and hazardous on normal school days. Adding large numbers of demonstrators to this area could create safety problems for the students, demonstrators, other pedestrians, and vehicular traffic. People should not risk injury to themselves or others just to prove a point. Police and school officials will assist students with getting to class safely and uneventfully. Please assist with this process by staying clear of this area.

Third, demonstrations by the Westboro Baptist Church around the country have had a consistent outcome – the people most likely to get arrested, commit a crime, or get in trouble are counter demonstrators. The church members are professional demonstrators who visit different sites on a daily basis. They utilize attorneys, cameras, and ample advance event planning. They are well versed on permissible legal limits and do not cross them. Conversely, individuals or ad hoc groups who arrive to confront the Church usually have good intentions of staying calm and within legal bounds but are frequently not well organized and allow themselves to be caught up in the moment and baited into actions resulting in their arrest. No one will get arrested if no one shows up. Please do not reward a message of hate with an intolerant or illegal response.For those who feel they must make some sort of counter statement or appearance, we urgently request that you do so at the State House Lawn where there is much more room to keep parties separated and does not present the same traffic and safety hazards.

The Westboro Baptist Church group is scheduled to leave Montpelier by 9:00 AM on Tuesday. People are well advised to consider planning any necessary visits to City Hall, the Department of Motor Vehicles, other State Street offices, and the Credit Union accordingly. By simply waiting until after 9:00 AM, one can easily avoid being subjected to offensive signs, hearing insulting chants/songs, getting caught in traffic, or inadvertently engaging in some sort of confrontation. Those employed in and around these areas should take note of the schedule and consider potential alternate arrival routes or times.

We thank everyone in advance for their cooperation. The community of Montpelier has a tradition of generosity, engagement and thoughtful dialogue. We ask that you rise above and show this group the attention they deserve – none.

[Update: I hear that R.U.1.2? Queer Community Center in Burlington is encouraging folks to pledge some amount for each minute the WBC folks are in the state. Good idea! — NanuqFC]

THE FIRST VERMONT PRESIDENTIAL STRAW POLL (for links to the candidates exploratory committees, refer to the diary on the right-hand column)!!! If the 2008 Vermont Democratic Presidential Primary were

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Leahy Backs Repeal of DOMA & DADT

Three things have happened: 1) The Senator was on the Tim Johnson radio show on WTSA in Brattleboro yesterday. A caller asked the Senator whether he would support the repeal of DOMA. The Senator reportedly said he would support repeal. 2) The Senator has released a letter explicitly indicating his intention to support the repeal of DOMA (excerpt below). 3) The Senator’s office has released a letter indicating he would support repeal of DADT (excerpt 2).

On DOMA:

As a Vermonter who has been married for 46 years, I am a great fan of the institution of marriage.  […]

I believe that all people should be treated equally and that the issue of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender rights — like the rights for women, racial minorities, and people with disabilities — is one of basic civil rights for all people.  Secondly, states, not the Federal Government, have traditionally set laws on marriage.  Just as Vermont passed a bill to recognize same-sex marriages, I believe that each state should retain authority to define marriage as it sees fit.  

Now that states that have voted to give full marriage rights to same-sex couples, the Federal government should not interfere with those laws.  Vermont and other states have chosen to give these rights to same-sex couples, and states should be allowed to do that. DOMA now can be used to withhold those rights in some instances, and I would vote to repeal it.

On DADT:

The current policy on service of gay and lesbian citizens is that they can serve as long as they keep their sexual orientation secret. […] This policy has resulted in the discharge of more than 10,000 [sic; the number is actually more than 13,000] well-trained, committed individuals due to their sexual orientation.  Instead, I believe each and every member of our military should be judged solely on their ability to get the job done for our country regardless of their sexual orientation.  

On March 3, 2009, the Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2007 was introduced in the House of Representatives.  This bill would repeal the current Department of Defense (DoD) policy concerning homosexuality in the Armed Forces by prohibiting discrimination against any member of the Armed Forces or any person seeking to become a member.  […] This bill has been referred to the House Committee on Armed Services where it awaits further consideration.  Should similar legislation be introduced in the Senate, I plan to support it.

These statements didn’t come out of the blue. Local activists pushed to get the Senator to take a public stand ahead of the VDP State Committee’s endorsement vote for Leahy on July 18.

 

In the last two weeks an unknown but relatively substantial number of Vermonters – including VDP chairwoman Judy Bevans — have called or emailed the Senator’s office to raise the issue. According to state committee supporters of LGBT equality, without a public statement from Senator Leahy, there might have been as many as 18 votes against endorsement — * enough to derail what would otherwise be a foregone conclusion.* [corrected: if every voting delegate attended the meeting, there would be 47 votes; an endorsement requires 2/3 plus one or 32 votes; 47-18 = 29]

It became an issue because Senator Leahy voted for DOMA in 1996.

The statements are also happening within the context of the U.S. Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Judge Sotomayor, a major priority for the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

So far so good. Our senior Senator has promised to support repeal of two laws enacting official discrimination against Americans on the basis of their sexual orientation. So, for that matter, has the President. Let’s keep the pressure on so their statements are only the beginning of real action.

Longest Day, Politics Edition

Sunday June 21 is the longest day of the year, the Solstice.

And it looks like it’s going to be a really long day for politicians and activists who like to keep up.

You could start the day at 1 pm at state Senator Ed Flanagan‘s brunch at the seventh-floor townhouse he shares with his spouse Eric Lustgarten in  the big, newish lake-view building at Main and Battery St. in Burlington. There’s no fundraising or political pitch in the invitation, but it is likely that Ed (the former bulldog Auditor) will announce that he is at least “exploring” a run for Lt. Governor.

Former Governor Phil Hoff and his wife Joan are hosting a fundraising do for Doug Racine at $250 and $500 per, though it’s actually at the home of Rep. Joan Lenes on Governor’s Lane in Shelburne.

Deb Markowitz has sent out invitations to her fundraiser happening the same day, reportedly featuring former Governor Madeleine Kunin and a bevy of other high-powered and well-heeled women, including foundation-connected Crea Lintilhac, who donated over $25k to various campaigns last year, and Billie Gosh, Vermont’s genetically double-X DNC delegate, and Burlington developer Melinda Moulton. [Update: Invitations are out, but the event, I’m now told, is WEDNESDAY the 24th from 5:30-7 pm]

A little lower down the political ticket is the annual Solstice gathering at Franklin County Senator Sara Kittell‘s home on the Chester Arthur Road in Fairfield. She and lawyer-husband Bill have hosted the potluck get-together for years. Kids, dogs, food, beer, wine, neighbors, friends, family, politicians and all start gathering around 5 pm and party into the dark, at the first sign of which, fireworks (of the backyard variety) appear. A fun time is had by all.

Green Mountain Boys’ and Girls’ States begin sessions this year on the Solstice and run through Friday. It’s a nonpartisan practice run for a select group of high school kids on civic involvement, including running for office (sponsored by the American Legion and the Legion Auxiliary). The boys are conferencing at Lyndon State College (Northeast Kingdom) and the girls are caucusing at Castleton State College. (In the far distant past in another state, I went to such a session, where I was the speechwriter and campaign manager for the successful Girls’ State gubernatorial candidate).

I’m sure there are more political events out there for the Longest Day. Please feel free to add the ones you know about.

Oh, yeah, can’t forget: It’s also Father’s Day. It may not be political for most of you, but don’t forget to thank him for being a mensch.

Welch on VPR Friday noon

Peter Welch will be the primary guest on Vermont Public Radio on Friday, June 19, on the noontime show Vermont Edition, which will be hosted by Bob Kinzel. According to their site’s blurb (also heard on promos):

Congress is tackling a comprehensive health care reform bill. Congressman Peter Welch discusses the prospects for this legislation and his support of a climate change bill that includes the controversial cap-and-trade provision.

He’s been a busy guy. Wonder where Peter is vis a vis Howard Dean’s proposals.

No mention of the recent war supplemental vote. Perhaps someone from here would and could call in to ask about that, too.

NanuqFC

Better the occasional faults of a government that lives in a spirit of charity than the consistent omissions of a government frozen in the ice of its own indifference.  ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt