The Caledonian Record – Vermont’s local paper with all the hard-right-wingnuttery of a Michelle Bachmann communications shop with about five times the crazy (no, not kidding) has an egregious “poll” up.

It wouldn’t necessarily matter, but we do live in the only state where goony internet polls are taken seriously as news items by professional reporters, and are presented with a straight-face as legitimate tools of public policy (thank you, Representative-Doctor Till), so this goes a bit beyond embarrassing. The (Broken) Record will no doubt treat readers to a slew of slobbering, torture-fetish editorials if it’s right-wing readership predictably give the result they’re fishing for.

So by all means, if you have a spare moment, when was the last time you freeped a poll? Here’s the link: http://caledonianrecord.com/index.asp?PollID=209#PollSection

( – promoted by odum)

I don’t think I’ve ever seen Bernie’s hair this neat.

Go Bernie!  Speak truth to power!

With all the well-intentioned hooplah that surrounds large-scale wind development in Vermont, people rarely ask developers if they plan to use local workers to install the turbines and then actually hold them to it.  The Associated Press reports the general contractor for the Sheffield and Coos County, New Hampshire, wind projects – Wisconsin-based RMT – may utilize UTAH workers for a large portion of the job.  All the while hundreds of Vermont construction workers are un(der)employed.  Sheffield, developed by FirstWind, will consist of 16 turbines at a $90 million value – a very large project by Vermont standards.

LINK TO THE AP STORY:

http://www.boston.com/news/loc…

According to Ironworkers Local 7 Business Agent Michael Morelli, RMT will pay the UTAH crew approximately $25 per hour, $7.25 in fringe benefits, and a $123 daily per diem for travel expenses.  This is about $48 per hour total package.  To hire a Vermont union ironworker to do the same tower erection work, it would cost $40 per hour total package.

Let’s be clear – it’s apparently cheaper for RMT to do the right thing by hiring a local union ironworker (or even an open shop Vermonter!) rather than importing a presumably non-union worker from 2,000-plus miles away.  Union ironworkers, and most union craftspeople from other trades for that matter, all have or can gain access to the necessary training in wind technology and tower erection to get the job done on time and on budget.  Heck, there are Vermonters from the “open shop” who would be more than capable, too.

So what gives?  And will Vermont politicians, community activists and environmentalists stick up for their neighbors if this is indeed true?

Governor Shumlin has been signing quite a few bills of late, showing that a dose of the “one-party rule” so maligned by the party out of power can be effective. More on that list soon.

Interestingly, though, not every Democrat is singing kumbaya before the cameras – even if nobody’s lining up to throw tomatoes just yet. The back-and-forth reported on by VPR this week could be a foreshadowing of a greater, growing dynamic:

(Host) The Shumlin Administration is developing an environmental map of the state that will highlight good and bad places to site wind projects in the future.

[…] Agency Secretary Deb Markowitz says the goal is to provide wind developers with important information at the early planning stages of a project so that changes can be considered before the project is too far along in the review process:

[…](Kinzel) This approach doesn’t sit well with the chairman of the House Natural Resources committee – East Montpelier Rep. Tony Klein:

(Klein) “The mission of the Agency of Natural Resources is to protect Vermont’s natural resources it is not and has never been the mission of the Agency of Natural Resources to help developers or help anybody get their permits.”

On the merits, both parties have good points in this case. They are both right to speak up and make those cases. The new map will be helpful, and should be moved forward for all the reasons cited. Yet, this is not the first time we’ve heard fears the Shumlin administration may be inclined to give business interests primacy over environmental protection. As such, Klein does his job by firing a rhetorical shot across the bow.

But progressive Democrat Klein’s comments do not come from a vacuum. There are growing stories of traditional Democratic allies in the advocacy community being dictated to, dismissed, or even bullied if their agenda conflicts with the particulars of some of the administration’s fast-tracking priorities. Those stories have spilled into the legislature where there are murmurs that could be the seeds of real trust issues, as some Democratic lawmakers begin to have concerns about staying relevant before a Democratic administration which seems to be constructing a unique new political power elite class in Montpelier – one that does not include many (if any) legislators. It’s this environment that led to the comments from Klein.

Stay tuned.

( – promoted by odum)

(cross-posted from Vermont Watch, here)

*Updated 2x* (featuring updates with additional information, below the fold, see *Update 1 & 2*)

Are you concerned about families or individuals who are living homeless or at risk of becoming homeless within Vermont?

Are you among those who are seriously committed to doing what it takes to end homelessness across the state?

Are you someone who is currently living homeless, at risk of becoming homeless or formerly have lived homeless?

If the answers to one or more of the above questions is in the affirmative (i.e., true), join others at the upcoming Governor’s Housing the Homeless Summit to discuss concrete solutions designed to help people living homeless move to stable as well as permanent housing.

Six key issues were identified and organized work groups have developed proposals to address each one. At the Summit, these proposals will be presented for discussion and changes, resulting in recommendations to Governor Peter Shumlin’s administration.

The Summit is open to the public and will be held at the Vermont State House in Montpelier on Tuesday, June 7th from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM.

To help organize the day and, although it is not necessary in order to attend the event, those interested in attending are asked to respond to Diane Nealy or by phone at (802) 241-2244 (subject: Governor’s Housing the Homeless Summit).

To obtain updated versions of the six work group proposals prior to the Summit, make a request to the above contact person as well.

*Update 1*: Below via copy and paste method from an attachment is a second notice concerning the Governor’s Housing the Homeless Summit being held at the Vermont State House on June 7th. Although RSVP’s are requested to help in planning ahead for the event, including for those who plan to take lunch at the state house cafeteria, the event is open to the public and people are welcome to attend without providing an RSVP. On Tuesday it was learned that thus far 110 people have already provided an RSVP of their intention to attend the summit.

From the Vermont Agency of Human Services (VT AHS):

Governor’s Summit on Housing for the Homeless

SECOND NOTICE

We are sending this second notice about the Governor’s Summit for four reasons:

1. To remind you that lunch will not be provided at the Summit. If you would like to purchase lunch in the statehouse cafeteria, please rsvp to Diane Nealy at diane.nealy@ahs.state.vt.us to ensure the cafeteria will be prepared to handle the number of requests. Please RSVP by May 30th. You may bring your own lunch or visit one of the nearby restaurants.

2. Six proposals for changes in how we address homelessness will be presented at the Summit. Each attendee will have the opportunity to participate in work sessions on two of the six proposals. We will ask that when you register that morning to select which two sessions you would prefer to attend so we can use the larger rooms in the statehouse for the work sessions with the highest expected attendance.

The workgroups that will be presenting their proposals are:

• Security Deposit Guarantee/Risk Pool

• State-Subsidized Rental Subsidies

• Specialized Housing Options

• Increasing Permanent Housing Options

• AHS Housing Policy

• Access: Barriers to Housing

We are posting the proposals on the AHS Website. The proposals that are being posted were the most recent as of May 9th and are subject to change. We will have the final versions posted by the time of the summit.

3. The Summit is intended to address major concerns that impact Vermont’s ability to successfully address homelessness, and evaluate new approaches in how we do business. We recognize that there are other discussions that must happen soon about the best use of state funds appropriated to combat homelessness, but those discussions will happen on a separate track and will not be addressed at the Summit.

4. Following is the agenda so far:

9:00 – 9:30 – opening remarks, and introduction to the day, with remarks by Governor Peter Shumlin

9:30 – 10:40 presentation of three of the six proposals emanating from the six work groups

10:40- 11:00 break

11:00 – 12:00 presentations of the other three proposals

While the intent is not to take questions during the presentations, we will ask participants to write questions that can be shared during the afternoon sessions.

12:00 – 1:00 lunch on your own

1:00 – 1:50 first work session, in which participants can discuss and comment on the proposals.

2:00 – 2:50 second work session

3:00 – 4:00 Governor Shumlin joins us to hear the results of the work groups discussions and

give us a charge for next steps

Thanks and we look forward to seeing you at the Summit.

*Update 2*: The work group proposals for the upcoming Governor’s Housing the Homeless Summit can be found on the AHS Website, here.

The ones posted are current as of May 9th. It is my understanding that, either by the end of the month or just shortly prior to the Summit being held, final versions will be posted.

Here we go again.

(425) 643.1131; FAX (240) 384-7297For response to this letter:diehold@comcast.net May 10, 2011 News Release Re: Legal proof that President Obama’s Certificate of Live Birth is a forgery.Dear Sir/Madam,I have irrefutably proven that the Certificate of Live Birth that President Obama presented to theworld on April 27, 2011 is a fraudulently created document put together using the Adobe Photoshopor Illustrator programs and the creation of this forgery of a public document constitutes a class Bfelony in Hawaii and multiple violations under U.S. Code section Title 18, Part 1, Chapter 47,Sec.1028, and therefore an impeachable offense. When this comes to the public’s attention, it will be the greatest scandal in the country’s history—nothing comes even close. This will surpass the all previous scandals including the Watergate scandal of the Nixon administration.

So in case you're wondering, no, this is never going to end.  After all, he's never going to produce a birth certificate that proves he's white.

The phone number of the idiot who came out with this new claim is at the top of the diary. Feel free to give him a call.

August 2006 a Federal Judge ordered Unabomber Ted Kaczynski’s personal belongings from his wilderness cabin auctioned off online in what he stipulated as "reasonably advertised Internet auction.” After years of challenges in court by lawyers for Kaczynski the online auction will start this week. Items available to own will be

…his diploma from Harvard University, where he enrolled at 16, and his master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Michigan. Unabomb44 shows a photo of a clean-cut Kaczynski standing proudly in a forest. Another snapshot captures Kaczynski with his father and brother, David, who later turned him in to the FBI.

But there are also the bow and arrows he used to hunt as he withdrew from society. There are axes and other tools he fashioned himself. Mostly there are papers — 20,000 pages of loose-leaf and notebooks filled with his slanting cursive that describe what he saw as a broken structure of power that Kaczynski took it upon himself to fix.

For those who may not recall, between 1978 and 1995 Unabomber Kaczynski injured 23 and killed three people he was captured in 1996. Millions of dollars in court ordered victim restitution is owed by him and this week’s auction proceeds will go toward that debt after 10% for the auction house. No estimate of the value was offered but a US Marshal observed the ironic revenge aspect of the online auction“We will use the technology that Kaczynski railed against in his various manifestos to sell artifacts of his life”.

Who buys this stuff? It is anticipated that the manuscripts (with all references to victims removed) might be purchased by museums or universities.

Wonder if there isn’t a different way to fund compensation for victims of violent crime other than monetizing a famous madmen’s ephemeral as trophies and possible long term investments.  

(“The UN? Oh good grief.” -odum

Debunked here:

http://www.snopes.com/politics… – promoted by kestrel9000)

I was just stunned to receive a solicitation call from the National Rifle Assn.  It was a live person on the phone initially, but then they put on a recorded statement, promising that they’d be soliciting comments afterward. The recording claimed that the UN is trying to take everyone’s guns away and that people should support their effort to protest an upcoming UN conference in NYC. I was going to listen to the whole thing and then tell them it was full of crap, but it went on far too long for my patience to hold out.

So I guess the NRA is out recruiting here in the hills of central VT. May be worthy of some investigation…

The Progressive Party State Committee Meeting was held Sunday at the Northwestern Medical Center in St. Albans.  

It was the first PP event I have ever attended; and I approached the meeting expecting to hear a lot of focus on possible candidates and future campaigns.  The pleasant surprise was that the sixty-or-so people assembled there had good policy foremost on their minds, with politics the enabling backdrop.

Others may look forward to a diminished role for Progressives in Vermont following Peter Shumlin’s definitive victory, but this wishful thinking ignores the hard-forged nature of the party’s goals for the state.   Well-accustomed as they are to being the third party in a two-party game, if Progressives are anything, it is patient and perseverant.   These are intelligent, plain-spoken people with working-class roots and a strong sense of social justice.

Martha Abbott, who strategically withdrew from the gubernatorial race in 2010 to allow Shumlin an easier win, opened the meeting with a look back at the Progressive’s drumbeat for universal healthcare that anticipated H-202 by more than ten years!

Following Martha’s opening remarks, Progressive lawmakers reported on the success they could claim in the past legislative session, and what headway they anticipate making in the upcoming one.   Most were modest but solid achievements, maintaining essential conversations about equitable funding sources, empowering labor and closing VY; but the overarching victory was passage of H.202.  Although healthcare still hasn’t been looked at as a “system,” said Rep.Chris Pearson of Burlington, creation of  a “Green Mountain Care Board” would be an important first step. Pearson remarked on how good it felt to be part of a universe in which the Democrats were actually working for passage of H.202.

Anthony Pollina challenged the Shumlin assertion that he “didn’t raise broad based taxes,” pointing out that raising taxes on healthcare providers essentially did just that since those taxes serve to increase the cost of of already unaffordable healthcare for everyone, regardless of their ability to pay.  He also challenged the idea that a surcharge on the wealthiest Vermonters who benefit from the Bush tax cuts would drive them out of the state.  As has often been observed right here on GMD, much has been proven to put the lie to that myth.

Holding Peter Shumlin’s feet to the fire is central to the PP agenda, as he is frankly seen to be susceptible to the same kind of pragmatic policy creep that has afflicted the Obama administration.  Most think he will be a better Governor if there is a strong Progressive Party nipping at his heels; and a worse one, if that incentive ever weakens.  

The afternoon was rounded out with a brief discussion of the important role the Progressive Party is playing in tri-party redistricting efforts, and an engaging address by Martha Allen, head of the Vermont NEA.

Frankly, I was impressed.

www.nytimes.com/2011/05/12/us/12burlington.html

Burlington Journal

In a Green Town, Activists See Red Over Lockheed Martin

By ABBY GOODNOUGH

Published: May 11, 2011

BURLINGTON, Vt. – Car sharing is beloved in this laid-back college town, as are solar panels, rain gardens and most anything designed to fight global warming from the ground up. A bicycle service will pick up your kitchen scraps for composting, and farmers will deliver your vegetables in a biodiesel-fueled truck.

(Remainder redacted to conform with fair-use laws. Copyrighted material may not be reproduced in its entirety. The remainder of the piece is on the link above. -kestrel9000)