they said

hand it over

and he did

didn’t stop once

to think about it

you have to be

careful

dealing with thugs

it’s not worth it

none of it

not justice

freedom or love

it’s all just money

take it all

he said

I’ve got a wife

and two kids

where are your wife

and two kids

they said

he told them

down on your knees

they ordered

you don’t know

our names or faces

this never happened

yes sirs

he said

just please don’t

hurt me

they laughed

you stay right there

they said

don’t move

he didn’t move

a muscle

he was still there

waiting when

they came back

Peter Buknatski

Montpelier, Vt.

(We are trained to ‘hand it over’ in this society.

Not worth getting hurt over a little cash.  So, shit, Obama is Everyman.)

UPDATE: The bill has just passed on the floor of the House. The D’s were withholding their yes votes until they got all the R’s on record.

The following Editors and Contributing Editors of Green Mountain Daily, after consideration and discussion, do not and cannot in good conscience support the Reid/McConnell U.S. Default bill. The legislation is not, as its sponsors claim, a “compromise” solution to a default crisis manufactured by GOP maneuvering. The bill, in its current form, is not a “compromise” under any reasonable use of that word. The bill accedes to radically extreme Republican Tea Party demands and does so at the expense of government responsibility. The bill does not solve the Republican manufactured default crises. Instead it rewards the Republican Tea Party for their reactionary intransigence, and their unwillingness to take their congressional responsibilities seriously.

At the same time, it is clear that default on our debts is not an option. Executive Branch options available to President Obama to avoid default without congressional approval, while distasteful and unprecedented, would all be preferable to the option currently under consideration. Unilateral action under the 14th amendment would be far preferable to the wholesale dismantling of critical discretionary programs and the crippling of medicare through unsustainable cuts to providers, that would ultimately be triggered under the Reid/McConnell bill. In addition, the destructive consequences of draconian cuts to other critical programs and jobs as our economic recovery is showing signs of failing would be intolerable.

We therefore urge Senator Leahy and Representative Welch to follow the example of Senator Sanders and vote against the McConnell/Reid bill which would be harmful in the extreme to Vermonters, as well as middle and working class families across the country.

BP

Jack McCullough

Eddie “kestrel9000” Garcia

Maggie Gundersen

odum

Sue Prent

Caoimhin Laochdha

greenvtster

JDRyan

mataliandy

NanuqFC

  NRC chairman Jaczko had requested that the NRC commissioners fast track the Fukushima task force’s safety recommendation in 90 days. However that isn’t likely as Thursday three of five commissioners announced their votes in favor of going slowly.

It’s official: the chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has been outvoted on his proposal that the panel decide within 90 days on the recommendations it received from its Fukushima task force.

Rep.Ed Markey said the NRC had in essence directed the NRC staff “ to endlessly study the 90-day staff report before the commissioners consider the recommendations”  

And the Nuclear Energy Institute wants to divide and conquer any new regulations  

Marvin Fertel, president and CEO of the Nuclear Energy Institute, told Wall Street analysts at a briefing Tuesday. In other areas, the recommendations of the task force call for "significant changes in the way NRC regulates," he said. Those issues should be considered separately, he said.

.Full steam ahead and No Real Control

NEI does not expect the post-Fukushima recommendations to slow license renewals, power uprates or new plant approvals by NRC, Fertel said. Reactor design approvals, including for Westinghouse's AP1000 – the design being used at the two new US nuclear projects closest to completing NRC license reviews and beginning construction – are continuing to move forward, he said.

Here (after the flip). Take a load off (point and click inside the game screen, then use the arrow keys and the space bar to play)…

So as some of you know, I’ve been sick as of late (some details here for anyone interested).  It’s slowed me down a bit, but it’s also pushed me to experiment and focus more on birds and bugs not far from home.  Most of these photos were taken in my yard, and all within a few miles. As usual, clicking on them leads to larger versions with more details (shutter speed, ISO, etc.).  

Great Blue Heron:

Yellow Warbler, spotted from my porch:

Eastern Kingbird.  I have better photos with more detail of the kingbird itself than this, but I love the composition and overall scene of this shot.

Dragonflies:

Baby Downy Woodpecker, doing funny wing things I’d never seen one do before:

Juvenile Green Heron– I almost missed this bird.  It was very well concealed and I just found it by accident.  Again, I have much clearer and crisper photos of green herons, but I’ve never captured one hiding in a tree before, so that’s kind of cool:

Given the Agency of Natural Resources’ recent history under the Douglas administration,  I was not happy with the impression I got that developers of the Lowell Wind Project would most likely suffer little in the way of consequences for violations committed by their sub-contrators.  This did not seem to bode well for the effectiveness of the newly reorganized ANR of Sec. Markowitz.

It was therefore with some relief that I read in this morning’s paper that the ANR does not intend to let this one slide.  

Asked about Green Mountain Power’s expressed hope to begin the construction phase on August 1, ANR Chief Counsel, Jon Groveman had this to say:

To me, that is the sweet sound of the ANR reminding developers of where its priorities are meant to be.

I realize that, having just emerged from the shadow of long years of bias in favor of developers’ interests under Douglas, the new ANR may not have sufficient legal mechanisms in place to trigger actual dollars-and-cents assessments in the case of violations such as have been committed at Lowell.  It is to be hoped that they will work with the legislature to establish such mechanisms, which will enhance the effectiveness of their rules in the future.  

In a state where everyone is asked to tighten their belts and the Governor is averse to raising taxes, doesn’t it make sense to assess effective monetary penalties whenever our valuable environmental resources are put in jeopardy?

This is a variant on what could be called the Mugabe Solution. Via cnn.com:

Sovereign governments such as the United States can print new money. However, there’s a statutory limit to the amount of paper currency that can be in circulation at any one time.

Ironically, there’s no similar limit on the amount of coinage. A little-known statute gives the secretary of the Treasury the authority to issue platinum coins in any denomination. So some commentators have suggested that the Treasury create two $1 trillion coins, deposit them in its account in the Federal Reserve and write checks on the proceeds.

Heh. A $1 Trillion dollar coin. Heh heh. Two of ’em, even. Heh heh heh.

Of course, then the dollar tanks, gas goes to $10 a gallon (but bye-bye trade deficit when our now low-cost exports hit the world!).

But still. How’d ya like to find one o’ them under the couch cushions?

( – promoted by odum)

Credit to Burlington Social Media Day King Shay Totten for being on top of the story regarding outgoing UVM President Fogel – http://bit.ly/qJxyzW A number of folks have questioned whether the events involving Mr. Fogel’s wife Rachel Kahn-Fogel are even newsworthy.  The answer to the question is that whatever went on with Ms. Kahn-Fogel just doesn’t matter.  All that matters for the time being is that Mr. Fogel is evidently being given a package deal (for resigning a year early, for reasons that will never be truly clear to the public) that can best be described as a golden handshake, parachute and handcuffs all rolled into one.  

I have to agree with sometimes blogger, sometimes state senator, sometimes professor and always-great guy, Philip Baruth’s observation in  the Free Press the other day http://bit.ly/qApvyM

He soured on Fogel’s performance, though, when the economy tanked and the president authorized fat performance bonuses for top administrators while laying off people at the lower end of the pay scale. “In bad times, that really makes people indignant, and it should,” said Baruth, a Democratic state senator.

The next president should bring more equity to the pay structure and move away from the corporate-style leadership that Fogel displays, Baruth suggested. Fogel’s $300,000-plus salary, and the similar amount being paid to the newly hired dean of the UVM School of Business Administration, Sanjay Sharma, are understandably upsetting to people in this economy, he said.

Now United Academics, the union representing the UVM faculty is finally weighing in saying that the UVM Board should be “ashamed and embarrassed” over Fogel’s compensation package and that the union is “dismayed and profoundly disappointed” with the package. http://bit.ly/qTaY42 Those are some pretty poignant words in the mostly staid game of intra-university diplomacy.  A number of my Burlington constituents are UVM professors and for the most part they have not been shy about decrying the inequity of this deal.

The real question that folks here should be asking is how is it that the 9 (yes that’s right nine http://bit.ly/pAui07 ) members of the Vermont Legislature who sit on UVM’s Board of Trustees (composed of 25 members in total) aren’t raising questions about the renegotiated compensation package?  Can you imagine how this would be handled if we were talking about the Governor (who makes far, far less in salary and perks) instead of the UVM President?

And what about the argument that if we don’t move on and we don’t offer a “competitive” compensation package, we will never get a leader/fundraiser who has the ability to run the University?  Hogwash.  The same again could be said about leaders and fundraisers who wanted to run for Governor and there was no dearth of qualified candidates, who also happened to know how to raise money.  Can you imagine if the UVM Board, just once stepped up to the plate and said hey, we are going to try to do something different here, we are going to pay the incoming UVM President the EXACT compensation package that we currently pay the Governor (this salary in itself when compared to other states is quite generous (10th)  http://bit.ly/qJGuun)  

Look, I’m not saying that people at the top levels of business, non-profits and government should not be compensated generously . . . they should.  They take more risks by accepting such positions and with few exceptions, work far longer hours then those in positions of less responsibility.  But there are limits and paying someone $195K to teach English, after having a year and a half highly paid vacation with full benefits, is grossly unfair to the rest of the English faculty.  Even more importantly, it is a smack in the face of every state and municipal employee in the State of Vermont, none of whom, from the Governor on down make anywhere close to that amount and likely have nowhere near the work schedule flexibility that a tenured, full professor enjoys.  

The Jedi Council has spoken.  What has been done has been done for the good of the Empire . . . or if you prefer a different epic “for the greater good”.  Move along now, move along . . .  

There are plenty of reasons why the ongoing nuclear disaster in Japan is no longer front-page news.  Rupert Murdoch, the terror attacks in Norway, brinksmanship over the debt crisis in DC; there have been plenty of hot-blooded stories to claim our immediate attention in the months since the Japanese nuclear disaster began to unfold.  

The terrible reality is that this story will grind relentlessly onward, without resolution, and with nothing to break the gritty monotony of utter helplessness.   Cultural restraint, which typifies the Japanese people, does not lend itself to an outcry for world attention, but to suffering alone in simple disbelief and grieving acceptance.

A compelling new documentary on the fallout situation in northern Japan, produced by NHK, has just been made available.  Nearly an hour-and-a-half in length, the story is told quietly and without embellishment by independent Japanese science researchers and the people who used to make a life in the lovely region that is now a “hot-zone.”  

I warn you; it is heart-breaking.

I’m sorry, I’ve been failing you all. No hubbub, no gossip, no nuthin-along-those-lines from me for ages now. That GMD readers had to be surprised by the turnover of the VDP leadership? Oh, the humanity!

So I’ll try to re-engage. Lessee here, what’ve I got…

Well in Democratical land, some quick background on the latest move that is the culmination of months of groundwork laid by outgoing Chair Bevans. First, incoming Chair Perkinson was placed in charge of the VDP Finance Committee (contrary to bylaws mandate that the job be held by the Treasurer). Then, based on his work in Finance, Bevans promoted his run for Vice Chair. Before she let out word of her resignation, she urged Dottie Deans to be ready to run for Vice Chair, and thus were the wheels greased for an orderly transition bringing the Chair back to the Chittenden County power circle (where VDP insiders prefer it to reside), backed up by a Vice Chair from outside the area with connections to donors.

Sound sleazy? It’s really not. A little tacky, maybe, but you have to understand what the Democratic Party “incorporated” exists to do. It is not an advocacy organization, like the Progressive Party tends to act as – rather it’s simply the organizational infrastructure tasked with supporting the incumbent Governor (primarily), as well as other elected Democrats. To do that efficiently and effectively means as little turmoil in transition as possible – thus the motivation to slide things through quickly (and the inevitable hand of Governor Shumlin behind this transition). The last time the-powers-that-be lost control of the process, they ended up with a usurper from Orleans County slipping past them into the Chair: Judy Bevans. When Paul Millman was courted to run against Bevans, many on the State Committee rallied behind Bevans and the challenge was dropped. With an incumbent Democratic Governor, pressure is even stronger to exert a tighter control against those in the State Committee who might like to see the Democratic Party become more of an advocacy organization than a re-election machine.

So yeah – ironically, this means that Judy Bevans has made sure there won’t be another Judy Bevans slipping into the position behind her. Did they have any reason to believe there might be? Well, there was a scary left wing blogger who made some threatening noises about it (but really, how could I bear to leave all you guys?).

How about them Republicanses? Well, the rumors that have been flying for months that Brian Dubie may be looking for a rematch with Governor Shumlin keep intensifying. Insiders suggest he’s “strongly” considering a bid. Word is he took the 2010 loss pretty hard.

Dubie Mark II would be different, however. No crazy out-of-state GOP slash-and-burn hack running his campaign this time. Instead, a Dubie rematch would be staffed by Vermonters.

As far as other names being tossed around, Randy Brock is definitely out, but our pal Tom Salmon Jr. is strongly considering a Gov run (one wonders if he thinks he can run for Governor by running against Sen Sanders?). Also, Len Britton’s name is circulating through the rumor mill, but the Rs would obviously be disinclined to coalesce behind him.