(Two very differently toned Memorial Day user diaries from readers who have served. This is the second, originally posted elsewhere. I’m promoting both to encourage discussion, or at least thoughtfulness. It’s worth remembering that, although politicians like to speak of veterans as a monolithic group (that support their particular agenda, of course), they are anything but. I encourage readers to check out both diaries before commenting. – promoted by odum)

So it’s Memorial Day, which means that the US is awash with mostly obligatory tributes to military personnel.

I hate this shit.

I didn’t fight for your freedoms.  In the six years I was in, I never once defended your right to vote, or to carry a gun, or to be secure against unreasonable search and seizure (that one doesn’t really apply anymore, anyway), or any of the other things you enjoy as a citizen of this country.  I just didn’t.  Neither did anyone who went to Iraq, or Afghanistan, or Vietnam.  It’s all bullshit.  It’s a fucking lie that we tell ourselves and each other so that we don’t have to think about why we send young men and women to serve, suffer, and die for old men’s vainglorious ideas and profit margins.

I passed through Burlington, WI on Saturday to visit their annual chocolate festival.  Who could say no to that, right?  Well, while there (this being Wisconsin), I got myself a beer.  To do so, you had to put up with the shitty metal cover band in the beer tent.  There’s a 45-year-old lead singer acting a fool–pouring beer on his own goddamned head, making dumb-ass sexist remarks, saying stupid shit about his teen-aged daughter, etc.  Since that wasn’t reprehensible enough, he then proceeded to thank all the veterans in the crowd, specifically pointing out one man whose–well, I’ll just quote this asshole.

I wanna thank all of our veterans for what they do for us.  Every guy in the band, our fathers were all in the military.  My dad was in Korea!  This guy right here in front–his son is in Iraq right now.  He’s over there FIGHTIN’ FOR OUR RIGHT TO PARTY!

I wanted to rush the stage and strangle that fuck with a microphone cord.

Read the rest of this post at First Draft.  

A young classical guitarist named James Gram will be performing in concert Saturday June 4 at 7:30 p.m. at the Unitarian-Universalist Church, 130 Main Street in Montpelier.

I am told that he gets none of his musical talent from his father. Hopefully he’ll get some coverage, at least…

Most insiders are assuming that Republican Lt. Governor Phil Scott has no burning desire to stick out his political neck to run for Governor against Peter Shumlin, and will instead leave that to the likes of Auditor Salmon or Barre Mayor Lauzon (excuse me just a moment whilst I clean my monitor of the spittle generated by my hysterical laughter after typing that sentence). Of course, that also raises the issue of whether a Democrat may emerge to run against Scott for Lite Guv next yesr?

It’s a face-saving conceit that it’s too early to be talking seriously about running for Lieutenant Governor – except, of course, that it’s not. In fact, now is the time (after the first session of the biennium) when interested folks should start getting their names into trial-balloon circulation.

But there’s nary a peep. I’ve heard a couple names tossed out in a speculative manner, but they sound more like wishful thinking on behalf of the speculators, rather than actual buzz based on any meaningful talk.

The problem is, the incumbent is a tough opponent for any Democrat. One Statehouse insider joked to me that no one would want the “suicide mission” of running against him.

Scott comes in with a lot of advantages that are very, very hard to overcome in one of the “minor” statewide contests that don’t bring in a lot of earned media and money. He’s likable and liked, moderate, willing to work with people, and is a minor celebrity already, given his racing career. He tried on the role of angry partisan chest-thumper during the Senate’s vote on Vermont Yankee last year, but then left the role by the roadside when it wasn’t a good fit. He’s also the incumbent, and will have the name recognition thing all over any opponent.

Scott’s already the kind of opponent that takes a little more than just a by-the-numbers electoral effort. Steve Howard did that last year; organization, voter ID, message work, earned media, fundraising – and he did as well as could be expected. To beat Scott, a Democrat is going to have to bring something out-of-the-box to the table in an effort to catch fire. And he or she is going to have to raise a lot of money to keep the fires burning. (And yes, that’s a lot of mixed metaphors for a mere two sentences).

It can be done, but the question is: do any of our current crop of D’s in the political mix have what it takes to do it? If not, who goes out there just to make sure Scott is challenged so he doesn’t become a political juggernaut and simply graduate to the Governor’s position when the current Dem retires (as what happened with Jim Douglas, who went unchallenged in his final run as Treasurer).

So – who are you hearing, and barring that, who would you like to hear releasing trial balloons?

Last weel I posted a great big warbler quiz.  Below are the answers.

Bird #1: Notice the black and white all over the bird?  That’s why it’s called a Black and White Warbler.

Bird #2: The biggest ID of the Blackburnian Warbler is the bright orange/red wash on its face.

Bird #3: The Northern Parula is a fairly colorful bird, noted for its mixture of blue and yellow.

Bird #4: The Yellow Warbler is, by far, the most yellow of the warblers.  Almost entirely yellow save for a little orange/red on the chest (not always visible) and wings that are a little darker:

Bird #5: It’s easy to confuse some forms of the common yellowthroat with this bird, the Nashville Warbler  Grey head, eye ring, and yellow throat and body is its primary ID marker, but some forms of the Nashville also show a red spot on top of the head.  The biggest way to distinguish it from the yellowthroat, however, is the legs, which are black, as opposed to the lighter legs of the yellowthroat:

Bird #6: See that line across the eye and the rounded bit beneath it?  If you rotate that, you get a “P” form, which is how I remember the Prairie Warbler, a small, beautiful bird, which has a flash of white in its tail when it flies (similar to the dark-eyed junco).

Bird #7: That black mask and darker wing on an otherwise yellow bird is a primary characteristic of the Blue-Winged warbler:

Bird #8: The Northern Waterthrush is a light bird with dark, well-defined, streaks.

Bird #9: The above bird is easy to confuse with the Louisiana Waterthrush, which is like a faded out version of the Northern.

Bird #10: I think of the American Redstart as kind of like a warbler-sized oriole.  That’s not really right, but that orange and black compressed into such a tiny body makes it easy for me to remember.

Bird #11: The key factor here is that orange spot on the head of the Ovenbird:

Bird #12: That combination of the black throat and the yellow-green head can only mean black-throated-green warbler:

Bird #13: This blackpoll warbler is tricky to ID, even for experienced birders:

Bird #14: This is the fall form of the Pine Warbler.  You’ll see its Spring plumage form a little later:

Bird #15: that chestnut color on this bird’s side is a tip off that it’s a Chestnut-Sided Warbler:

Bird #16: Yellow bird, red streaks and red cap make for a fairly easy ID of a Palm Warbler.

Bird #17: Blue head, white around the eye, white eyebrow and streaking coming down from a ring around the neck with a yellow chest are classic marks for the Magnolia Warbler.

Bird #17 is easy to confuse with bird #18, but there are a few tell tale differences: eye ring vs white around/near the eye and a simple necklace rather than streaks down the chest are the marks I use.  Here’s bird #18, the Canada Warbler.

Bird #19 & #20 are all different versions of the Yellow-Rumped warbler.  To me, it reminds me of a magnolia with white on teh chest instead of yellow:

Bird #21: The color on the breast can be classified as “bay” so this is a Bay-Breasted Warbler.

Bird #22: The black throat on an otherwise dark blue bird is a defining factor of the Black-Throated Blue warbler.

Bird #23: you’ve seen this one earlier, too.  It’s the spring plumage of the Blackpoll Warbler.

Bird #24: this is the female version of one from earlier, which is a very tough ID if you’re unfamiliar with the female form of the Black-Throated Blue Warbler.

Bird #25: we see these all Summer long in Vermont.  The yellow throat and the commonness of the bird classify it as a Common Yellowthroat.

Bird #26:This is the Spring version of a Pine Warbler [my error] Yellow-throated vireo.

Bird #27: this is the non-breeding form of the Tennessee Warbler.

Bird #28: if you see a bird that looks somewhat like a yellow warbler but with a black cap, it’s a Wilson’s Warbler.:

Bird #29: this one was a shock to find– it’s a Townsend’s Warbler, which is virtually unheard of in New England, but one hung out in New Hampshire for some time last November.

Bird #30: This is the female form of the American Redstart.

As usual, treat this as an open birds & birding thread.

Thanks everyone.  Good birding!

(Two very differently toned Memorial Day user diaries from readers who have served. This is the one that came in first. I’m promoting both to promote discussion, or at least thoughtfulness. It’s worth remembering that, although politicians like to speak of veterans as a monolithic group (that support their particular agenda, of course), they are anything but. I encourage readers to check out both diaries before commenting. – promoted by odum)

There are many freedoms that all Americans enjoy solely because of the geographic location of our birth. We are privileged to have had men and women come before us who tirelessly worked to build a better tomorrow, sacrificed their wealth to preserve the way of life they had enjoyed so their children could do the same, or those who have mourned their sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, brothers or sisters who gave their lives in battle, preserving the very freedoms we sometimes take for granted today. In light of this Memorial Day holiday, I challenge you to remember those who came before us and to be cognizant of various freedoms we enjoy because of them.

Obviously, there are a great number of freedoms that we have and certainly more than could be placed in this short essay. So, in light of that, I will attempt to classify and define our most common freedoms. There seem to be three basic types of freedoms; endowed freedoms, granted freedoms, and personal freedoms.

Endowed freedoms are those bestowed upon us, as indicated by our Founding Fathers in their Declaration of Independence. These are described as inalienable – or those that cannot be taken from us – because these freedoms were not given to us by someone or something. These are freedoms (or rights) that each person is born with; “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” These rights serve as the basis of all of our freedoms, rights, laws, culture, and society.

Secondly, granted freedoms are those freedoms given to us by our Government. These freedoms are outlined in broad terms within the United States Constitution and further defined within the individual “many States” Constitutions and municipalities, each varying depending on the State or municipality in which you choose to live. The first ten amendments to the Constitution define the freedoms that we, the individual, enjoy as granted by our federal government. We have the freedom of religion, to have our voice and opinion heard publicly, to peaceably assemble, to own firearms, to personal privacy, freedom from unlawful searches, to due process, to a trial by jury, and freedom from cruel or unusual punishment. All other freedoms that are not specifically mentioned within the first eight amendments or within the Constitution are retained by us or by us and the States.

Finally, personal freedoms are those that we allow ourselves (and our children or families) to enjoy. They include the ability to choose what possessions we acquire, what we eat, what we choose as entertainment, or what level of success we strive to attain. We have the freedom to choose our faith – or choose to have no faith at all; that we choose to love – or choose to love no one; or that we choose to care for each other – or to care only for ourselves. These freedoms are the most intimate, the most personal, and the most cherished. These are those freedoms that many a person has died preserving.

In my relatively short adult life, I have had the privilege of serving in our United States Navy, during which I traveled to more the fifteen separate countries. Each country contained a certain beauty, a distinct culture and a unique history. But nowhere on this planet is freedom better demonstrated as the standard of life than the United States. Each of our freedoms and rights are only possible because of our past soldiers, sailors, and airmen have jealously and selflessly fought and died to preserve them. They have left those freedoms for us to guard and preserve, now that  they had passed on. For this, they deserve remembrance.

I pray you and your families have a blessed Memorial Day.

After six years of repeated attempts to engage the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Advisory Committee on Reactor Safety,  Arnie Gundersen of Fairewinds Associates was finally given five-minutes of their precious time in a hearing that allotted a full two hours of that time to industry representatives.

Despite the brevity of his opportunity, and despite persistent interruptions, Arnie ably made the argument that, in light of recent developments at the Fukushima reactors, the NRC can no longer take the position that there is “0%” chance of containment failure at boiling water reactors in the U.S.  

In Japan the validity of that NRC position has been thoroughly tested.   Failure of the containment vessels occurred in all three reactors that were tested in the Fukushima disaster (two, in the minutes following the earthquake, before the tsunami even hit.)  As predicted by the Fukushima experience, the failure rate should now be at 100%!!

Gundersen Gives Testimony to NRC ACRS from Fairewinds Associates on Vimeo.

Been out looking at the damage. Downtown Montpelier flooded, but has drained. Rivers are still high, and some roads are in bad shape, but they’re open now. One of the two town rec fields (not the one where the Mountaineers play, the one near the interstate) is a complete lake, and it’s hard to imagine it not being a lake anytime soon. The main road up to the largest regional school has a 20 foot chasm in the middle of it with a torrential river running through it. The drainage pipe that had run under the pavement when the chasm was still a road is some 50 feet downstream, bent and partially lodged in a tree.

And it’s worse as you go towards Barre. In the section of Berlin that lies between, National Guard trucks are still about, and there is more road damage, as well as signs of significant commercial flooding. Lots of mud. I didn’t make it to Barre, but it sounds like a disaster. I saw pictures of entire roads destroyed.

Last Spring was no fun, but it wasn’t this bad. It was, however, a bit more nasty than usual in the south and midwest. All of which leads one to ask; is this an anomaly, or is spring really turning into this? Might this be a taste of the new normal, given that it’s consistent with what we’ve been told for years to expect from climate change?

Too early to make any conclusions perhaps, but it doesn’t feel too early to wonder anxiously.

I know cuz my neighbor banged on the door at 3 AM. Very Paul Revere. Heh.

The graph below is from cemetery curve downriver a bit from downtown, but the others aren’t much better (but they didn’t have projections).

The Health Care bill has been signed into law, believe it or not (and it’s garnering a lot of attention from outside the state). Now comes the fun part: implementation.

Governor Shumlin has also vetoed S.77, which would have required new drinking water wells to be tested for arsenic and several other contaminants starting in 2013, costing (likely) in the range of roughly $140 per well, based on the testing regime that survived the committee process.

The Governor’s comments: “We have a responsibility with every bill that we pass to ensure that we are not imposing costs on hardworking Vermonters in rural areas. Every mandate from Montpelier must be balanced with this reality. Vermonters, on average, are earning what they made ten years ago.  The vast majority of Vermont’s well water is clean and safe.  The General Assembly’s desire to promote safe drinking water is one we all share, but I don’t believe the government should mandate the testing of every single new well, with the cost and burden on individual private property owners that this bill would impose.”

Strikes me as an odd bill to veto. How do we know if “the vast majority” are safe if we’re not testing the vast majority? As expenses go, this seems like a modest one considering the total costs involved. This was likely more of a “statement” veto, but it doesn’t strike me as a statement that will resonate with many, if anyone.

Vetoing at the end of the day, with a perfunctory press release, and on the same day as he signed Health Care is a clear sign that he hopes the news  of the veto will pass under radar, but first vetoes are inherently noteworthy, so that won’t happen.

And it sure won’t happen among legislators. Word is that the Governor gave no indication he was going to have a problem with this bill, and in fact it seems to have passed by voice vote (as there’s no roll call listed on the leg web site), which underscores how non-controversial it was. The only opponents seemed to be the realtors, but they seemed to be placated when some of the testing requirements were removed in committee, bringing the total test costs down considerably.

Very odd. More on this soon. I’m gonna do some digging.

Here is an updated version of a non-partisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities chart.

Notice that in addition to the Bush tax cuts, two wars plays no small roll in this scenario.

Expiration date:

…simply letting the Bush tax cuts expire on schedule (or paying for any portions that policymakers decide to extend) would stabilize the debt-to-GDP ratio for the next decade.   While we’d have to do much more to keep the debt stable over the longer run, that would be a huge accomplishment.