The Hemp-Growing Nudist Wing of the Vermont Republican Party

funnnnnny! (0.00 / 0)

lmao

Hoo boy! That's enough for now.

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by: John Bauer @ Tue Oct 17, 2006 at 10:44:12 AM UTC

Seriously! (0.00 / 0)

This is just a town over from where I live, and I can testify that if the Republicans are running out of juice here, the state party may be close to complete marginalization. 

This has been a swing region where Democrats struggled for as long as I can remember; I'll wait until election day to judge, but this is another sign that this area (where the Upper Valley fades into rural central VT) may be realigning to Democrats.

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by: Tim Wolfe @ Tue Oct 17, 2006 at 19:28:06 PM UTC

additional info also worth noting (0.00 / 0)

Odum: What you failed to mention about candidate David Atkinson is that he is also on the ballot for the exact same seat as a Libertarian (here and, here; via Vermont Libertarian Party Website/blog).

This is, at least in my opinion, also worth nothing.

Quoting from the article:

[...]

''We do share a lot,'' said Atkinson, who said he will be listed as a Libertarian/Republican on the ballot. ''Libertarians are fiscally conservative, but socially liberal - so we agree on the Democrats on social issues and we agree with the Republicans on financial issues.''

[...]

--end quote--

Even deeper in, the article also mentions how:

[...]

Atkinson migrated to Vermont after a 14-year stint at the Cape-tip, during which he won two terms as selectman, advocated for nude beach rights and a lower drinking age, and pronounced July 3, 1999, as ''Free the Seed Day,'' urging citizens to plant hemp seeds on public property.

[...]

--end quote--

What the article failed to mention however, was that Atkinson had lived in Vermont previously, prior to moving to the Cape. According to the bio on his Website, he has deep roots in Vermont, first moving to the state in 1981.

The bio of his found within a profile of him (within an article profiling various VT House primary candidates, here; via Times Argus; 9/9/2006) also mentions: [...] "I moved here in 1981, left in '90 and came back in 2001. So, 15 years, and I have owned property here since '87. Attended a one-room school in Mendon, Mass., and broadcasting school in Boston.

[...]

--end quote--

Maybe you are either not aware of it or simply do not recall Odum, but -- if I remember correctly -- prior to leaving the state in 1990, David Atkinson was a candidate running for Governor of Vermont in the same year.

In fact during the VPT (what was at the time called Vermont ETV) televised debate featuring all the candidates for that particular office, while the other candidates were speaking and debating, he stood there doing bead work. Later, the mental health screeners and others came after him and he was forced drugged (i.e., given injections of psychiatric medications against his will) and maybe even hospitalized. If memory serves me correctly he might even have been forcibly drugged, am not really sure about the details, but some of it might have taken place either at his home or or property or elsewhere in the community, at least from I vaguely recall I think from an account reported by him at the time (something which VT law law did not at the time allow outside of Vermont State Hospital (VSH): i.e., forced non-emergency drugging outside of VSH; of course, some tried to justify it as an emergency even though it was in truth not one). It seems they merely wanted to cart him off to some psychiatric ward or whatever and wherever and he refused. Apparently, according to what I remember hearing at the time, even some within his own political party thought he needed help. It was all in the papers at the time. Afterwards he left the state as a result. I only share this as it is a part of some of the shameful Vermont political history from then and, not at all to disparage him, especially since I do not believe any of that should have been done to him.

Actually I am glad he is back and running. I had been wondering what happened to him after all these many years. In addition, I also think it is better he is running for this level of office (i.e., state representative), rather than something statewide like he had attempted before, at least until he has had more experience in political office say as a representative or whatever first, should he actually be elected to the seat.

Although the news articles themselves are not archived online, I search the Vermont Newspaper Project and found the citations for some of the various Rutland Herald articles concerning the event. Check out the search results (for the terms David+Atkinson searching the database for Rutland Herald articles only), here (there was also probably Burlington Free Press articles too, but I restrained my search the the RH for the time being).

Using the various article citations provided, the articles can be researched and read by if anyone wanting to then look up the articles on microfiche at say the state law library or elsewhere they may be available.

Morgan W. Brown

Montpelier, Vermont

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by: norsehorse @ Tue Oct 17, 2006 at 19:51:38 PM UTC

whoops, bad link (0.00 / 0)

The link for the search results for article citations using the VT Newspaper Project in my above comment post did not end up working. However one can simply click onto the link provided for the project above and do the search manually by using the terms: David+Atkinson.

Morgan W. Brown

Montpelier, Vermont

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by: norsehorse @ Tue Oct 17, 2006 at 19:55:20 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Whoops #2: How'd That Darn "h" Get In There Anyway? (0.00 / 0)

Within the stand alone sentence following the first paragraph of my first comment post above, somehow the letter h snuck itself into a word, changing the meaning of the sentence altogether. Ugh! Only caught it just now.

Had meant to write:

[...]

This is, at least in my opinion, also worth noting.

[...]

Darn sneaky h's, will have to be on better guard for them and other such sneaky letters like them in the future.

Morgan W. Brown

Montpelier, Vermont

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by: norsehorse @ Wed Oct 18, 2006 at 01:14:03 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Hardhitting (0.00 / 0)

Wow, what a hardhitting piece.  But why, exactly, did Atkinson have to be hit?

Frankly, he's right about many things, beginning with the drug war.  Nobody else dares to even discuss it.  It's far out there to suggest that we waste billions of dollars fighting a losing drug war? 

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by: ANONYMOOSE @ Tue Oct 17, 2006 at 23:31:36 PM UTC

Come on, P... (0.00 / 0)

I know you're a smart guy, which is why it's hard not to assume that when you miss the point so utterly and completely, it's not intentional (besides...didn't you write a "goodbye cruel odum" post some time ago...?).

Read it.... you know... the part I wrote. It cites the searching for candidates on a bulletin board, and the rejection of a southern accented candidate (as a native southerner myself, that one really irks me), and the apparent need to comb Massachusetts selecboards for Vermont candidates by the GOP. I hit Atkinson on the suggestion he might raffle some pot, and I stand behind that criticism. Then I state that I'd rather vote for him than most GOP candidates.

Even the title itself... the "Hemp-Growing Nudist Wing of the GOP"... action alert, dude: there IS NO "Hemp-Growing Nudist Wing of the GOP!" So why is he their candidate? This is the state of affairs of the Orange County Republicans, and that's what the post is about! If I wanted to "hit" Atkinson, I'd get into his colorful Vermont history.

Call me nuts, but I keep holding out some distant, ray of hope that you can actually discuss issues and at least pretend to come to common ground with others who do not choose to join your club. That your anti-Dem wrath has not turned into jihad.

Nullius perfectus est

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by: odum @ Wed Oct 18, 2006 at 14:29:50 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Re:The Hemp-Growing Nudist Wing of the Vermont Republican Party (0.00 / 0)

Election is far over and now everybody is busy on how to solve the economic crisis that our country is facing. More people and even companies today are greatly affected. One wonders what people were thinking when the GM PUMA was unveiled.  No, it isn't a GM branch exclusive to an Argentine sports teams; instead the GM PUMA is the Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility vehicle. It is being branded the GM Segway.  GM partnered with the scooter's creator and came up with a two wheeled electric vehicle, although it isn't sure how many will get a personal loan for one.  It has a range of 35 miles, and top speed of 35 mph.  It is purported to avoid obstacles and stop before running into other vehicles.  If you liked the Segway, then a personal loan for a GM PUMA might be for you.

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this article is appreciateable (0.00 / 0)

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by: albertpaul68 @ Mon Apr 11, 2011 at 07:31:34 AM UTC