MEDIA ADVISORY — UPDATE

This Sunday October 10th – Burlington Citywide Day of Climate Action 20 + organizations bring hundreds together

Afternoon Celebration with Senator Sanders, Senator Leahy, Congressman Welch, Mayor Kiss, and Gubernatorial Candidate Peter Shumlin

On October 10th 2010, tens of thousands of people will be picking up hammers, shovels and caulking guns to join 350.org’s 10/10/10 Global Work Party, the world’s largest climate action event, with over 6,000 simultaneous work projects scheduled in 183 countries.

Here, in Burlington, hundreds of local citizens will converge at Battery Park at 10am before fanning out across the city to join work projects organized by 350.org volunteers and hosted by a long list of local organizations, including: City Market, Intervale Conservation Nursery, CarShare Vermont, Burlington Bicycle Coalition, Burlington Electric Department, New Farms for New Americans, UVM’s Rubenstein School Stewards, the Chittenden County Transportation Authority, among others.

These projects will improve our city while actively combating climate change and raising public awareness about the planet’s most urgent challenge — bringing the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide down from 392 parts per million to below 350 ppm, deemed by climatologists to be the safe upper limit.

Through this global day of action, organizers and participants will convey passionate global support for the importance of the 350 ppm target, as endorsed by climate experts and activists like Bill McKibben, Dr. James Hansen, Vandana Shiva, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, David Suzuki and many more.

After the day of action, participants will again converge at Battery Park (starting at 3:30pm), to

hear Vermont leaders Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Patrick Leahy, Representative Peter Welch,

gubernatorial candidate Peter Shumlin and Burlington Mayor Bob Kiss speak to their vision on raising the bar for climate action.

Local organizer Nathaly Agosto Filión states, “Vermont has repeatedly shown national leadership,

from being the first state to abolish slavery to establishing the first school for women to pursue a higher education. We’re proud of that history! And we’re coming together for the Global Work Party to highlight examples of real climate solutions Vermonters can lead on here and now.” The Burlington event will coincide with dozens of similar events scheduled across Vermont.

Organizer Jenna Whitson says “after the failure of both Copenhagen and Congress to lead the way these work projects around the globe will tell politicians, ‘We’re working hard now to fight climate change, what about you?’ At the end of their work projects we’ll urge participants to hang up their shovels and pick up their phones, to contact elected officials to say they expect the same level of commitment to climate action from their leaders.”

The 10/10/10 Global Work Party is coordinated by the international climate campaign 350.org.

Additional information about this event and scores of international photos and videos from thousands of simultaneous events across the planet are available for the media at 350.org/media.

What: A day-long, city-wide day of action against climate change – part of a GLOBAL day of action.

Batter Park Event Includes a Free Concert by the Gordon Stone Band from 3:30 – 6:30pm

Where: Battery Park, Burlington VT and at sites throughout the city of Burlington.

When: 10am – 7pm

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For more information on the 10/10/10 Global Work Party, please visit 350.org/media.

For more information on the Burlington Work Party visit 350burlington.org

Media Contacts: Jenna Whitson 603-496-0755 jhwhitson@gmail.com or

Nathaly Agosto Filión 802-578-6277 nathaly.agostofilion@gmail.com

Seriously.

Mitch Wertlieb just did an excellent interview of Paula Routly, publisher of Seven Days, and David Mindich, a journalism professor at St. Michael's, and it is almost beyond belief.

As you might guess, the interview conerns the Dubie campaign's misuse of a survey Seven Days did of State House insiders last year in which they identified Peter Shumlin as the “most ethically challenged” legislator. What's wrong with that, you might ask? How about the fact that Seven Days sent out 400 surveys, got about thirty back, and awarded Shumlin this dubious title based on only twelve votes?

 Oh yeah, and it was all anonymous.

In the interview, Routly is somewhere between totally clueless, wilfully blind to the effects of her actions, or just floundering to get out of a bad situation. For instance, she says that Seven Days can't be held responsible for how people use their news coverage, while in almost the next breath acknowledging that Democrats started complaining to her as soon as the “survey” was published that what has happened–the misuse of the results by the Republicans–was exactly what was predictably going to happen.

Routly's rationalization is that the survey was a good way for the readers of Seven Days to get inside information about what happens in the State House, like Dick Sears's temper or David Deen's environmentalist cred. Does she really expect us to believe that there was no other way to get this information?

Obviously, there are a couple of giant holes with her argument. First, if the survey is invalid, as this one clearly was, how can she credibly claim that it was a valid basis to provide accurate information to the readers? Quick answer: she can't.

Second, Seven Days already knows how to do in-depth, probing coverage of what happens in the State House. Even without getting insiders to go on the record, which is another of Routly's rationalizations,  Seven Days did a very strong story on Ed Flanagan's problems as a state senator; some people argued that the story was unfair, but I haven't heard anyone knowledgeable in what happens in the State House claim that it was inaccurate.

As you listen to the story, and I hope you will, listen carefully to Routly's answers. Even as she admits the small size of the poll, she argues that the “most ethically challenged” rating for Shumlin is “significant” because “he won by 43% of the vote, however small it was” (of their microscopic sample).

More Routly: “I don't think we can plan our coverage based on how information is going to be manipulated.”

Nobody is saying they should. On the other hand, it is entirely appropriate for news consumers to expect that they will plan their coverage based on whether their reporters were able to actually find and report a story. In this case, Routly is totally oblivious to the fact that Seven Days did a terrible job of reporting this. When they essentally got nothing in response to their survey the responsible course would have been to decide that they don't have enough information to report and spike the story.

Now they've become a tool of the Dubie campaign, they have only themselves to blame, but Shumlin and the voters of Vermont may wind up as the victims of what can only be considered a gross example of journalistic malpractice.

Policing the Politicians … in which Mr. Totten does a bang up job of connecting a series of dots.

Content deleted for violation of fair use.  All the content from this piece is linked in the comment I posted below.

Please note: to simply copy and paste articles from other sources will get you banned.  –Julie

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Also note —

From the relevant portion of the GMD User Agreement: ” . . Publishing anything on GMD constitutes your certification that you have legal authority to post the information. . .”

The re-printed text originally posted in this diary is copyrighted, and the copyright owner is identified in the originating publications.

— GMD

If it won’t fit in the garbage, just leave it next to the can…

I’m front-paging this for the next day or two because it is likely to be over-looked otherwise, and this is a long-standing controversy that is finally going to get a public hearing by ANR.

Those who have been following the Cabot waste-spreading story will be interested to know that there will be an opportunity on October 12 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM to put questions about the operation directly to representatives of the Agency of Natural Resources.  

The grassroots group Whey To Go, which has repeatedly expressed concern about the operation and Agrimark/Cabot’s failure to build a wastewater treatment facility, are asking the public to attend the hearing at the Old Schoolhouse Common at 122 School St. in Marshfield.  Because the spraying permit held by Cabot Creamery (operated by Agrimark) is up for renewal, ANR has set-up this public hearing to “answer questions and take testimony from concerned citizens.”

Waste Water Doesn’t Belong on Farm Fields

Whey to Go offers the following summary of their issues and concerns regarding the operation:

– Cabot Creamery currently sprays 150,000 gallons of industrial waste water daily on Vermont farm fields and manure piles from Randolph to Craftsbury and Irasburg. Another 35,000 gallons/day of waste are pumped into holding pits on site.

– Whey is removed from the wastewater, processed, and sold to other food and supplement producers.

– The waste water includes a range of industrial cleaners and sanitizers that cause:

o Nausea, vomiting, and severe inflammation of the stomach and

intestinal tract

o Damage to the nose, throat, and respiratory tract

o Potentially, cancer

Cabot Creamery’s Withdrawal is Untested

– Cabot Creamery pulls 100,000 gallons/day of groundwater at their Cabot, VT plant. However, Cabot Creamery has never tested the capacity of the aquifer, and so could be threatening the groundwater source.

A History of Violations

– Cabot Creamery amassed 13 environmental violations in as many years between 1996 and 2009.

– In 1983 and again in 2005, Cabot Creamery spilled ammonia into the Winooski River damaging the river for miles. The 2005 spill killed an estimated 15,000 fish along 5.5 miles. Regulators discovered after the second spill that Cabot had not fulfilled its 1983 commitment to develop hazardous materials policies.

Cabot Should Live Up to Vermont’s Green Name

– According to the USDA, Cabot Creamery’s corporate owner, AgriMark, makes $575 million in sales annually. AgriMark should ensure Cabot Creamery lives up to Vermont’s green name and build a wastewater treatment system.

– AgriMark should provide for independent testing 1) to discover the capacity of the aquifer from which they draw, and restrict its water use at the Cabot plant to that level, and 2) to ensure neighbors’ wells aren’t contaminated with the chemicals and other pollutants stored at the Cabot plant.

Whey to Go may be reached through Jill Alexander:  4reiki@fairpoint.net

( – promoted by Jack McCullough)

October 05, 2010 – Fletcher, VT: Independent Todd Pritsky is very proud to have received an endorsement from the Vermont League of Conservation Voters.  “I'm thrilled to be listed among so many Republicans, Progressives, Democrats and other Independents who are dedicated to a conservative approach in preserving Vermont's unique character while building a sustainable 21st century economy,” Pritsky said.  Referring to the diverse slate announced today, he also remarked, “it shows that conservation goes beyond party lines and is just a traditional Vermont value.”

The VTLCV endorsement comes on the heels of Todd's earning a nod from the non-partisan group Progressive Push last week.  “I was very pleased to receive that one, too,” he said, noting that “the folks there accepted my position that fiscal responsibility and progressive policies go hand-in-hand.”

“Our discourse has really divided us for so long into Right and Left we tend to forget that we all have to work together to solve Vermont's tough problems,” Pritsky continued, lamenting the tone of recent campaigns.  “We are real people, not one-dimensional cartoon characters, and have a lot more in common than the usual labels allow.”

Pritsky offered healthcare as a prime example of an issue that can transcend political rhetoric.  “I do see it as a human right and mandated by our state constitution,” he admitted, specifically pointing to the first and seventh articles of Vermont's Declaration of Rights.

“And it just so happens that a Medicare-for-all type plan is the most fiscally conservative,” which Pritsky asserts will save Vermont money, cut labor costs, and create a more productive workforce with less absenteeism.  “It's a win-win-win that so-called conservatives and so-called progressives can get behind, but you wouldn't know that with all the spin and misinformation out there.”

His reception on the campaign trail is very encouraging to Todd.  “I'm getting support across the political spectrum because I'm not beholden to one party or rigid ideology and can consider solutions in a fresh way.”  That could explain why he garnered an endorsement early in the campaign from Full Court Press, a Democratic organization committed to holding their party accountable to the grassroots.  Pritsky is also faring very well in voting by members of the more conservative New American Independent Party, which will decide whether to endorse him in the coming weeks.

Autumn brings us an RV revival performance by Brian Dubie in his recurring occasional part-time role as Governor Jim Douglas’s co-pilot.

Believe it or not it’s being billed as the Pure Leadership RV Tour. Dubie, who some thought had been attempting to put distance between himself and Governor Douglas (they broke over wind power), is now taking a back seat to him once again as they ride the bus and tour the state.

Spreading it

As they travel Vermont’s decaying bridges and crumbling roads the two Pure Leaders invite the faithful out to join in what the campaign literature calls…

spreading Brian's message of controlling state spending, lowering taxes, cutting red tape, and expanding Vermont's economy to protect and grow jobs.

Here’s the press release from PPNNE:

Burlington (VT) – This Tuesday, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England’s Action Fund kicks off a Women for Shumlin Rally. The next governor of Vermont will make critical decisions about women’s access to reproductive health care services as health care reform is implemented. Peter Shumlin will protect access to affordable health care for women and is 100% pro-choice.

What: Women for Shumlin

When: Tuesday, October 5th at 7:30 p.m.

Where: Lake and College Building, (Atruim Room), Burlington, sponsored by Main Street Landing and the PPNNE Action Fund

Speakers will include former Vermont Governor Madeleine May Kunin, lieutenant governor candidate Steve Howard, gubernatorial candidate Peter Shumlin, Planned Parenthood, and others.

I used to work for Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. They rock. I wish I could make this, but I at least want to encourage other folks. A good turnout would be a big boost to the effort. Independent women voting on the choice issue could well be key in November.

Tonight in White River Junction at Hartford High School there is a candidate forum focused on:

• Developing a health care system that works for everyone


• Affordable childcare and access to quality early education


• Access to jobs and the impact of cuts to public services

The candidate forums are sponsored by the Healthcare Is a Human Right Campaign – Vermont Workers’ Center,  Vermont Early Educators United – American Federation of Teachers and the Vermont Center for Independent Living.

All local candidates were invited to participate.  Those who have, as of this moment, verified their participation are:

• Senate Majority Leader John Campbell


• Vermont State Senator Alice Mitka


• Vermont State Senator Dick McCormack


• Representative Donna G. Sweaney


• Representative Charles Bohi


• House Candidate Kevin Christie


• Representative Jim Masland

The forum begins at 6:30