( – promoted by Sue Prent)

Following up on my post about affordable housing a couple weeks ago, I received word from a well-placed source that the Town of Bennington has wisely opted to defer the community development loan for Applegate Apartments by a vote of 5-1 last night.  That will mean a lot of good for a couple hundred working families, as well as the entire community as the redevelopment proceeds.

The meeting was well-attended, with 15 of Applegate's residents there, as well as the principal of the Molly Stark Elementary school and other concerned citizens of Bennington, to advocate for affordable housing and to educate the Selectboard.  It seems clear that once members better understood how the loan program works and the value of having people able to afford living in their town, their decision was quick and easy.

Congratulations to all!

Remember a couple months ago, when House Minority Leader Don Turner hinted that a prominent business figure was mulling a run for Governor? Yeah, my response was to put Skip Vallee in a sombrero and publicly hope that he was The Guy. Purely for entertainment value, natch.

Well, once again, reality fails to match fantasy. According to WCAX-TV, which should at least have good contacts within GOP circles, the mystery businessman is Scott Milne, majordomo of Milne Travel and scion of a moderate Republican family — including former State Rep. Marion Milne, who was one of the few, the brave Republicans to vote in favor of civil unions back in the day. A vote that ended her State House career.

Milne, sez WCAX, “considers himself a moderate independent and wants to focus on the economy in Vermont.” Yep, making the right noises for the brand-spankin’-new Phil Scott VTGOP. And Milne, compared to Vallee, owns a business that provides the same level of public visibility without all the political baggage of, say, a fossil fuel distributorship suspected of price-fixing in the Burlington market.

Milne certainly seems a reasonable candidate. As does State Rep. Heidi Scheuermann, who failed to make a promised announcement last week but is still pondering a run.

And if I were in charge of the VTGOP, I’d be actively encouraging both of ’em to run.  

Look, the odds are long on beating Governor Shumlin. Sure, his popularity is down; but he’s got a million bucks in his warchest without really trying, and the Dems are still a country mile ahead of the Repubs in terms of organization and resources. In these circumstances, a Milne/Scheuermann primary campaign would give the party a real jumpstart. The VTGOP would occupy the political spotlight for the rest of the spring and most of the summer. It could be a campaign of ideas, not recycled dogma or attacks. And those ideas would represent the new, moderate face of Republicanism that Phil Scott is trying to foster.

The primary would drain resources from the candidates, but the free publicity would be more than worth the sacrifice. Defeating Shumlin remains very unlikely in any event, but a Milne/Scheuermann contest would help put the VTGOP on the road back to electoral relevance. It’d beat the hell out of recycling Randy Brock or, ahem, Skip Vallee.

Now as for me, the liberal blogger, I’d rather see Bruce Lisman pull a Godzilla, bigfooting his way into the political spotlight without thought for the consequences. But after Peter “Scoop” Hirschfeld reported last Friday that Lisman was “seriously” considering a run, the retired Wall Street panjandrum kinda-sorta walked it back. Paul “The Huntsman” Heintz:

Reached Monday, the retired Bear Stearns exec claimed he told Hirschfeld nothing new – and that he’s no more “serious” now than he ever has been.

“I said, ‘People have been asking from the beginning [about a gubernatorial bid]. I take seriously what people ask me and tell me,'” Lisman clarified. “The word ‘seriously’ got moved around.”

That’s about the least impassioned version of the old “I was misquoted!” chestnut I’ve ever read. Lisman isn’t “seriously” considering a candidacy; he just “seriously” considers it when people tell him he ought to run.

Which, according to Lisman himself, people are doing all the time, and have been “from the beginning.” Uh-huh. Perhaps Bruce is unfamiliar with the concept of people kissing the asses of the rich and famous, telling them exactly what they want to hear.

It’s possible that Lisman is getting cold feet because the Democrats are apparently conducting some opposition research. I hear they’re trying to get reporters interested in Lisman’s infamous “Finding Skin” speech from 2010, chronicled by me in this space in the spring of 2012. That’s the speech where Lisman called the 2008 Wall Street meltdown “this thing that happened,” stated that economic growth should be the single priority of government, and effectively called for tax cuts for the rich and higher taxes on the working poor. (Because, see, the working poor don’t pay federal income tax, and thus they have “no skin in the game.”)

Speaking of opposition research, we should not forget Lisman’s membership in a secret Wall Street fraternity whose annual dinner apparently includes a whole lotta sexist and insensitive “entertainment.” Also, didja know that Lisman is a member of the Forbes Magazine Board of Directors? Has been for ten years. D’ya suppose he’s played a few rounds with Steve Forbes?

Ahem. I seem to have strayed from the theme of this diary. Bruce Lisman is one of those shiny objects that diverts my attention.

Anyway, Milne-Scheuermann: the rare primary contest that would do its party much more good than harm. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying I’d vote for either of them. But they’d bring a fresh profile to the VTGOP and diminish the clout of the dead-enders who led their party into the wilderness.  

( – promoted by Sue Prent)

This week the Vermont House of Representatives voted unanimously to concur with the Senate proposal of Amendment of H.225 – the Taser bill.

Barring any technical problems that might pop up during vetting of the bill by his staff (which is a common disclaimer with any bill that hits his desk), it was reported by his staff that Governor Peter Shumlin intends to sign the bill into law.

H.225 came about and was introduced after the 2012 death of MacAdam Lee Mason, who died as a result of being shot in the chest with a Taser used by a Vermont State Police trooper.

Read news articles concerning these matters, here (via Times Argus; 5/9/2014), and, here (via vtdigger; 5/9/2014). Read an ACLU Vermont blog post on the subject (5/8/2014), here.

Upon receiving news about the passage of H.225 by the state legislature, Mr. Mason’s mother, Rhonda Taylor, penned and shared the following statement intended for publication (posted with direct permission):

I would like to thank so many, and find it difficult to know where to begin. I am grateful to the legislative committees in Vermont for their hard work and dedication in developing a bill (H225) that sets the standard of Electronic Control Device, e.g.Taser use in Vermont. Many advocates for civil, disability and human rights, legislators, LEAB and concerned citizens came together, working relentlessly over many months, to create this meaningful bill. Thank you! I also want to thank all Senators and House Representatives for recognizing the need for and their final approval of this bill on May 8th, 2014.

The H225 Bill defines specific guidelines for use, while also requiring and providing the training needed for all officers in the State when dealing with those in crisis or confronting persons with disabilities; in ways that will deescalate many situations.

Had the standards and training been in place in June of 2012, my son MacAdam Lee Mason would not have been killed by an unwarranted police tasering.

I am looking forward to the Governor signing this most welcome legislation into law! Vermont will soon set a precedent that I feel sure other states will follow.

Sincerely,

Rhonda L Taylor

Related:

Law Enforcement Advisory Board (LEAB)

When I was a girl of 19, I met Canadian author and environmental advocate, Farley Mowat and his wife Claire, to whom he was married from 1965 until his death May 7 at 92.

I was a humble office clerk at Classic’s Books in Montreal and had the mixed blessing of meeting a few luminaries of the literary world as they passed amongst us lesser beings in the course of normal business.  

Chief amongst those experiences was a lunchtime encounter with Mordecai Richler, who caught me minding the phones alone at my desk and demanded entry to my boss’s office.  When I inquired as to his business, Mr. Richler drew himself to his full height and asked indignantly,

“Don’t you even know who I am?”

I admitted that I did not; and when he told me and I was still no further enlightened, was subjected to a tongue lashing that drew my boss from his office to sweep Mr. Richler into his room with great apology and recriminations toward the peon.  

I was an American kid who had read “Catcher in the Rye” in high school, rather than “The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz;” and furthermore, I was just obeying orders.  

That was the single most humiliating experience among many humiliating experiences at that miserable job.

The year was 1969.

One of my happier experiences that same year was the visit by Mr. Mowat and his supremely kind and patient wife.  They were promoting a minor book in his prolific career, “The Boat Who Wouldn’t Float,” but he was already well-known to me for “Never Cry Wolf.”

As I recall, Mr. Mowat was loud and colorful in his red kilt, but pretty jovial.  We were quietly told, by the shop manager, that he was extremely shy and required a bottle of rum (?) to be supplied at every book signing to bolster him for the press of public attention.  Mrs. Mowat was friendly and appreciative of everyone’s efforts to make Mr. Mowat feel comfortable and relaxed, gently admonishing him when she felt he might be getting carried away.  He took it well.

Sympathetic to wolves, mostly nice to people and a booming voice of concern for the environment while the majority of us were still cutting teeth, Farley Mowat was a complex character who lived and died according to his own terms.  

The fact that Claire remained with him, through thick and thin for fifty years, is the best testimonial any man could wish for.

Thank you, Farley Mowat, for your lifetime of service to the environment.

( – promoted by Sue Prent)

Last night, I attended a PSB public hearing in Shoreham concerning Phase II of the Vermont Gas pipeline. 250-300 people, predominantly Addison County residents, turned out at Shoreham Elementary School to hear testimony and public comment concerning the intensely controversial pipeline extension which would pass from Middlebury through gate stations at Cornwall and Shoreham before crossing under Lake Champlain to International Paper in Ticonderoga. Speakers against Phase II outnumbered speakers in favor of the project by approximately four to one (my tally of sixty-plus speakers.)

Speakers against Phase II fell into a couple main groups:

Objections on legal grounds:

*Pipeline Phase II is not in compliance with the Addison County Regional Plan which explicitly precludes development of energy infrastructure involving “undue out-of-state transmission.”

*Regarding the taking of private property by eminent domain, Sec. 1. 12 V.S.A. § 1040 says:

“(a)  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no governmental or private entity may take private property through the use of eminent domain if the taking is primarily for purposes of economic development…”

 exception is made for public utilities, …

“including entities engaged in the generation, transmission, or distribution of electric, gas, sewer and sewage treatment, or communication services;”

(Note: Vermont Gas is not a public utility.)

*Conditions on Phase I MOU’s regarding land acquisition are not being observed or enforced. There are insufficient assets in the easement fund. Land agents for Vermont Gas are performing actions identical to real estate agents in their interactions with landowners but are not being regulated accordingly. At present, there are irregularities concerning disclosure and those same agents regularly attempt to advise landowners, representing themselves as mediators (which they are not). An independent council must be set up to represent public interest in matters of compensation for land taken by eminent domain.

*Public Trust has been abused: the review process for the pipeline has been different from that for other recent applicants with similar projects; no “Least Cost Independent Analysis” review  was required for pipeline Phase II – why not? PSB is violation of its own protocol.

*An incredible vagueness of landowner agreements (especially for those who will never be hooked-up but will nevertheless have Vermont Gas proprietary structures on their properties forever) was cited verbatim.

*Addison County residents are not satisfied that PSB has done due diligence for what will inevitably be a long-term (50-year) project should Phase II proceed.

*Town meeting referendums against Phase II with over 90% approval throughout Addison County were noted.

Objections on economic grounds:

*GazMetro, a company with over $5 billion assets, was allowed to front load the $80 million cost of pipeline planning & construction on  Vermont ratepayers. The project will benefit an out-of-state corporation and a foreign holding company (GazMetro.)

*NYS said no to running the pipeline more directly through the Adirondacks. Why are we hosting it?GazMetro has a non-binding bid on railway transport through existing NYS rail corridor. Alternatives exist – why were they not explored?

*Homeowner conversion from oil to natural gas would cost $10,000+ per household and would deliver customers to a single supplier holding a monopoly on the fuel.

*Vermont Gas claims of savings of $2,000 per household are grossly inflated. In any event, availability of natural gas to individual homes and communities throughout Addison County will be limited to the village centers of Cornwall and Shoreham. Homeowners adjacent to the pipeline will bear all the risk but will receive none of the benefit.

Objections on grounds of concern for environmental damage and climate change:

*An enormous pond of toxic sludge dumped by International Paper sits buried in the lake sediment off Ticonderoga. It has not been mitigated as it has been deemed too dangerous to disturb. Directional drilling will tunnel through the sludge pond and the pipeline will be laid through or under it.

*Engineers Construction Inc. of Williston, the company retained for directional drilling for the pipeline, will be faced with a 5000′ transit of the lake bottom. The longest drill ECI has accomplished to date is 800′ (per company info.)

*Lake flora and fauna at great risk in the event of either pipeline failure or disruption of the toxic sludge pond off Ticonderoga (during directional drilling or subsequently.)

*Many speakers cited the recent White House report on climate change in urging the PSB not to grant Certificate of Pubic Good. The  general sentiment is best expressed by one speaker who said,

“In the year 2014, no further development of fossil fuel infrastructure can be seen as being in the public good. It has been sold to us a by the governor and others as a bridge fuel to large-scale renewable energy. It is not a bridge fuel!”

Speakers in support of Phase II included spokespersons from both NYS and VT chambers of commerce, regional development boards, business groups and industry. The following is a fair representation of their sentiments:

*Ticonderoga Chamber of Commerce likes the project and says it is vital to the economic health of the town. United Steel Workers of IP like it, for similar reasons; Ticonderoga Regional Development likes it, noting that IP operates “within the confines of a national park” and is therefore very sensitive to environmental concerns and regulations; North Country Chamber of Commerce also likes it and notes that IP’s continued health and presence in Ticonderoga is essential to North Country economic health.

*Shoreham Fire Department would rather fight a pipeline fire than a truck or train fire, as far as natural gas is concerned.

*OMYA  of Florence likes it; they are currently using liquified natural gas in their operations but could easily modify their equipment.

*Vermont Business Round Table likes it. Vermont foresters like it, as they are major providers of pulpwood to IP.

*Several self-identfying scientists noted that converting from #6 diesel to natural gas yields a 33% reduction in carbon/sulfur emissions; that fracking is safe – it has a 60-year history; and that methane is colorless and tasteless and easily soluble in water.

*Candidate Emily Peyton, resplendent in a scarlet tricorn, noted,

“Every house can be an independent energy station.”

Whatever that means.

There was a teeny little piece in the Freep that caught my eye a few weeks ago announcing commencement speakers for area colleges and universities, presumably culled from press releases. On the list was Norwich University’s announcement of its commencement speaker, also released on its website:

Commencement: General Keith Alexander

Former director of the National Security Agency General Keith Alexander will be Norwich University’s 2014 commencement speaker.

Alexander, who completed his 39-year Army career on March 28, 2014, served as the commander of the U.S. Cyber Command and director National Security Agency and chief of the Central Security Service.

Norwich university’s website offers a bit more on Gen. Alexander’s former job responsibilites:

As the NSA director and CSS chief, he was responsible for protecting national security, foreign signals intelligence, combat support, and protecting U.S. national security information systems.

I wonder how many times General Alexander has been asked about spying on Angela Merkel. Or the rest of us. And about Edward Snowden.

If you check out the (former) cyber spy chief’s interview with John Oliver for his new show Last Week Tonight, you’ll get material unlikely to be seen or heard at this Saturday’s commencement (such as Alexander’s embrace of Oliver’s rebranding suggestion, “The only government agency that really listens”).

From Norwich’s commencement info:

On Saturday, May 10, at 2 p.m. during commencement exercises Alexander will address approximately 400 students matriculating from 33 undergraduate programs and one master’s program. The ceremony, which is free and open to the public, will be held in Shapiro Field House.

[emphasis added]

Will activists show up on Saturday to protest the violation of privacy of ordinary citizens by the National Security state? Stay tuned.

Recent days have brought a series of journalistic head-scratchers to the pages of Vermont’s Largest Newspaper. As the Legislative session roars toward the finish line with several meaty issues unresolved, the Freeploid has been trolling the backwaters of Vermont politics.

Last week, we saw a very friendly profile of Darcie “Hack” Johnston, whose current engagement involves a Republican gubernatorial candidate on the other end of the continent. Yesterday came a front-page exploration of the question nobody is asking: “Is Emily Peyton the new face of Vermont’s GOP?”

Yes, perpetual fringe candidate Emily Peyton. For the time being, she is the only declared Republican candidate for Governor; but she has absolutely zero chance of becoming “the new face of Vermont’s GOP.”

And today we find a mercifully brief take on the Liberty Union Party, emphasizing the advancing age and frail health of the perpetual fringe organization that lucked into a guaranteed ballot spot this year thanks to the Republicans’ (and Progs’) failure to nominate a candidate for Secretary of State. (The LU’s Mary Alice Herbert garnered 13% of the vote as the only ballot-listed opponent to Jim Condos.)

Not to downgrade the honest efforts of Peyton, Diamondstone, et al., but they are basically irrelevant in any serious discussion of Vermont politics. I don’t mind paying them a token amount of attention… but why, oh why now? This is the kind of stuff you save for a slow day in midsummer, not during the final fortnight of the Legislature.

And even if the Freeploid’s editors think their readers are uninterested in the miniutiae of legislation, there is important stuff happening in our politics. Like the possible candidacy of Bruce Lisman for Governor. And the possible candidacy of Heidi Scheuermann; she has said she will announce her plans this week. And the drive by Democrat John Bauer to gain public financing for his campaign for Lieutenant Governor, which could actually make him competitive with Phil Scott.

I fear that the Freeploid’s wandering eye is a portent of an eventual downsizing of its political bureau, which already lost Candace Page to (a very active) retirement. If the ‘Loid’s leadership doesn’t believe they needs two reporters at the State House when the action is fast and furious, how much longer until they decide they don’t need two State House reporters at all?  

Last week, I had a cup of coffee with the new guy at Campaign for Vermont: former Howard Center program exec Cyrus Patten, now Executive Director of Bruce Lisman’s Playhouse.

Aw, heck, I shouldn’t be so cynical… just because the Wall Street millionaire founded the organization two and a half years ago, poured over a million bucks into it, and made himself the conspicuous front man for all things CFV. Well, he did until recently, when he stepped back from the microphone even as he started giving generous contributions to Republican causes and floated a trial balloon about a candidacy for Governor.

Ahem, well, I guess that’s a lot to be cynical about. But the 31-year-old Patten insists I’ve got it wrong. He paints Lisman as a native Vermonter who is “deeply concerned about the state.  …If you had millions of dollars, would you invest in Vermont in a way that would help? I think a lot of us would.”

Yes, if I had a big pile of money, I hope I’d invest some of it in positive change. I wouldn’t necessarily launch a public-policy organization and put my face and name all over it; I’d maybe think more along the lines of charity or education. But that’s just me.

Oh, there I go being cynical again. Patten struck me as an honest, articulate guy who cares about building the organization. With his close-cropped hair, crisp bowtie and handsome spring jacket with an embroidered CFV logo*, he comes across as a slightly preppier version of the endlessly energetic young folks who cycle through the VPIRG office. And I don’t envy him the task that lies ahead. In some ways, CFV is an established presence; but in many ways it’s a shell of a “grassroots” outfit, since no financial commitment is required for membership. Until now, it’s depended entirely on the image, connections, and bank account of Bruce Lisman. You could argue that CFV is starting from scratch; and Cyrus Patten doesn’t bring the same assets to the table as Lisman.

*Possible thank-you gift for future CFV donors, hmmm?

He describes CFV as a “centrist” organization, despite its largely conservative membership rolls and its consistently heavy criticism of the Democratic majority. “We can only demonstrate that we are nonpartisan, that we don’t subscribe to a particular party or side of the political spectrum. …We have to show that we are nonpartisan through our policies, through our communications and our actions, and I intend to do that.”

Beginning steps: black-hat lobbyist Shaun Shouldice no longer flacks for CFV. And (as you may have noticed) Tom Pelham has cut way back on his endless drumbeating for Challenges for Change, the failed Douglas Administration initiative. And to be fair, CFV’s big push for ethics reform is not at all a partisan issue.

After the jump: Disengaging from Lisman’s wallet.

Patten continued, “A lot of people are disenchanted with politics as usual, and they are coming to the centrist place where they are finding Campaign for Vermont.” The right-heavy membership, he says, is a natural consequence of the Democrats being in power: if the Republicans were in charge, CFV’s membership would tilt the other way.

As for CFV’s financial dependence on Lisman’s fortune, that’s still true — at least for now. “He has made a commitment to ensure that the organization is successful. That means bridging us until others step up and we can find other funding sources.”

Patten will soon launch a paid-membership model, although the option of unpaid membership will remain available. And CFV’s website now features a list of donors. It’s just a list of names, with no dollar figures, so it’s impossible to assess the relative weight of individual contributions. A suggestion: If CFV doesn’t want to list exact amounts, it could provide ranges, as many nonprofits do. Say, $1-100, 100-1000, and 1000+. That’d give us a sense of who’s giving the big bucks.

As of today, the list includes 44 names for 2014 so far, and only 13 for 2013. That’s a long way from its claimed membership of over 1,000. So we haven’t begun to answer the core question: Are those “members” dedicated enough to make a financial commitment to CFV?

Patten’s tough task would become even tougher if Lisman launches a candidacy for Governor, or otherwise injects himself into partisan politics. Say, by kickstarting a Heidi Scheuermann campaign with a big fat check. Patten has had numerous conversations with the man he comfortably refers to as “Bruce,” and he’s gotten no indication that Lisman plans such a move. “I can tell you that if he is inserting himself into partisan politics, he has not told me about it. That’s the honest truth.”

Although, he adds, the idea of a Lisman candidacy might not be such a bad thing. “I have to say, he’s in touch. I actually think he is connected to Vermonters on a number of issues and where they stand on those issues. So that wouldn’t be a horrible thing if he changed the conversation on the political stage in some way.”

But Patten acknowledges that it would make his job more challenging: “We would have to work harder to demonstrate that that’s not what this was about from the very beginning.”

His goal: Creating “a self-sustaining, viable grassroots organization by continuing to connect with mainstream Vermonters, tapping into their opinions on issues that affect them.”

Or as I would put it, turning the rhetoric of Lisman’s Campaign for Vermont into a real, honest, beholden-to-no-one nonpartisan public policy organization. Despite my cynicism, the new guy deserves the benefit of the doubt. I think the odds are against him, but he ain’t Bruce Lisman, and I’ll judge him by his own actions.  

I am totally thankful to Terry Hallenbach for bringing to the public the discussion regarding our Vermont monetary policy. Most people have not equated private bank policy with the “unseen hand of the marketplace”, but sure enough, the economy is orchestrated just like puppets on strings by these financiers.   If I have begun dialogue then excellent! What can we do to circulate enough money to accomplish all the work we need  to do, and to give everyone the right to enough money to live with dignity?

I noticed in the comments that there were numbers of comments that were personally derisive. Well, that will always happen, I hope those people begin to focus on the real issue, and that is how to increase humane behavior, and cope with the predicaments at hand. Climate change, economic war against the majority, toxification of the planet and our food supply, addictions created by big pharma and a combination of hosts of people with a lack of personal purpose.  

There was one especially outrageous comment, suggesting that I “live off my father at 55” . I would not live off anyone, as if I am blood sucker. In fact I asked him for his financial support to give me the freedom to do the work I do, and it is out of respect that he gives it.   Yes, I could be making money, and having a small business, or whoring myself to big money.  In fact I am a member of a consulting group for hempcrete construction.  I have found however, that money is neither worth enslavement, nor is it worth godlike status, nor will it magically bestow happiness when reaped in excess.  Addiction is as heavy in wealthy classes as it is in poverty.

Money is quite simple, it is actually just a means of accounting. Ours is a rigged accounting system, it is not serving humanity, or Vermont.  Our victimhood is a matter of ignorance of the purpose and mechanisms of money.

More than money, the most important aspect of life, is to learn, and where one can form a sense of purpose to serve the greater good, that person is blessed beyond mere tokens of wealth.  

While the commenters may not be able to imagine it,  I alone of the candidates have the capacity to bring about a fairness and an integrity that we sorely need in this state.  I stand for that vision, and I am unashamed.  I am thankful that I can. I hope to have a little more fun this election season, however, which is why I call myself De Udder Party. I will suggest that the GOP choose a bovine mascot replace the elephant. Its just too weird to have an elephant mascot when no elephants naturally reside in the USA ! Furthermore, it’s plain as the nose on your face that the mascot was chosen by white men with inferiority complexes over African prowess. No wonder they chose an african animal with the great big trunk to represent them. Its time for a change and the Bovine is the divinely perfect choice.

 Every war is a conspiracy, each and every war is a economic one, fought for the financial gain of a few dark and secretive families. China and Russia have been poising themselves to replace the US dollar as the world reserve currency, and we know that Irag went down for  threatening to sell oil in the Euro.  It is my hope that we are wise enough in Vermont to see through that hoax.  It is my hope that we are ready to become far more self reliant, and more peaceful than we are now.

  Many cannot talk about the hard issues, and they chide me for doing so, but here are the easy issues.  Everyone loves clean water, clear air, a warm home, a full larder, so let me compete as a candidate so I can give you ideas of how most everyone can have them! Would it be such a bad thing to elect me and find that I am crazy for Vermont, and for its strength, its beauty, and the people here who are so close to nature, and the nature here.  

I want to see us rise up against this corporate empire and make it irrelevant, and grow strong children all of whom have unique purpose, to be in a State that can feed itself and power itself, and invite the rest of the world to watch us increase personal freedom from taxation and debt.  I think we can. I know we can.  What you have going on with money as speech and tar sands and taxation and imprisonment and poisons in the food, air and medicines is insanity.   Cruelty is insanity, harming the perpetrator more than the victim.  So, lets work on what really matters,fairness.  Let’s get more in touch with each other, and care about the next person, and let’s work together.  Let’s feel like humanity again, not vampires.  Lets know the difference between good crazy and bad, good crazy is brilliant, I got some of that going, and none of that other. So keep those comments coming! and lets do some publicity stunts, I hear the Green Mountain Boys 2.0 and the Red Courage Girls are coming to town!

Screw the Farmers Market. Here’s how to spend Saturday, May 17.

With legislative elections approaching, we must be active and effective. We must learn to organize and communicate our message at a grassroots level. We need new leaders to come forward at the local level, to take a stand for free-market and limited government principles. …

American Majority, in partnership with the Ethan Allen Institute, is pleased to announce that we will be holding a New Leaders and Activist Training in Rutland, Vermont.

Oh boy oh boy oh boy.

The session costs a mere 20 bucks (10 for students) and “includes lunch.” Such a deal.

Topics include planning a campaign, fundraising, and “connecting with voters.” Presumably the latter category includes How To Avoid Saying Stupid Shit About Women, How To Avoid Saying Stupid Shit About Minorities, and How To Make A Tired Discredited Message Seen Fresh And Relevant.  

American Majority’s purpose is to develop a “national farm team of conservative leaders.” It’s another cog in the vast right-wing machine of innocuously-named “educational” organizations. More damning details from SourceWatch:

American Majority is involved in organizing protest and the health care “Recess Rallies” occurring in August 2009 in House districts. They also participate in Tea Party rallies…

Kenneth P. Vogel of Politico.com credited the organization with providing “deep-pocketed backing” of groups involved in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race in 2011, and grouped them with the Tea Party Express.

American Majority works with Michelle Malkin, RedState.com, American Liberty Alliance, Smart Girl Politics, Americans for Limited Government, FreedomWorks, the Sam Adams Alliance and other groups to organize opposition to health care reform.

That about sums it up. Welcome to Vermont, conservative nutbars! And our thanks to Rob Roper and the Ethan Allen Institute for bringing these folks to our state.