Hey … add your own!

My gripe with CNN’s Sanchez in the above is how he actually ends up soft peddling the story by not using the word ‘spick’ himself. Yes, the word would be heard as offensive .. and that would have been a great illustration.

If you’re a normal human being, and you’ve associated yourself with this “movement” (actually a small minority group that has had it’s importance way overblown by an obsequious libral media) … you’ve been suckered … you’ve done the equivalent of responding to a Nigerian email offering you ten million dollars.

On taxes? We’re there ….

Just ahead of Tax Day, a new New York Times/CBS News poll finds that most Americans regard the income taxes that they will have to pay this year as fair, regardless of political partisanship, ideology or income level.

(Poll: Most Find Their Income Tax Fair, NY Times, 04/14/10)

That ‘most Americans’ figure comes out to 62% of the poll respondents.

On public option in medical health insurance? We’re there …

(Thanks to Think Progress for the pointer.)

Many have assumed that those advocating for repeal wanted Congress to take no further action on health care reform.  However, this survey found that 48 percent of Americans actually would like for Congress to continue working on health care system reforms as opposed to focusing on other topics.  In fact, the survey found that 63 percent of those individuals who supported repealing the legislation also were in favor of Congress continuing to work on health care system reforms.

(Indiana University’s Center for Health Policy and Professionalism Research)

Full survey here. (Previous link has the pretty graphics)

Yeah, so despite these results being in line with poll after poll … tell me .. why didn’t the surrender monkey DC Dems step up and do the right thing? Is it they really don’t disagree on the big picture with the radical right wing Republicans?

PS. I’m still waiting for weasel welch to apologize for joining his radical right wing buddies in their based on manufactured evidence assault on ACORN (who’s only real crime was trying to empower those our governments have helped to dis-empower).

We, Danielle Nierenberg and Bernard Pollack (aka BorderJumpers), are traveling across the continent of Africa looking at innovations around alleviating hunger and poverty. We are writing a weekly diary whereby we share (in less than 500 words) observations from every country we visit.

People here are very laid back and the feeling is contagious! We managed to go three days without a cup of coffee didn’t seem to mind.

You hear the words “Hakuna Matata” everywhere. Literally.

Internet services down nationwide all day? Hakuna Matata…

Flights cancelled? Hakuna Matata…

Two hours in wall-to-wall rush hour traffic in Kampala? Hakuna Matata…

In the Mukono District, about an hour outside of Kampala, Uganda, we met Edward Mukiibi and Roger Serunjogi, coordinators of the Developing Innovations in School Cultivation (DISC) project. Edward, 23, and Roger, 22 are improving nutrition, environmental awareness and food traditions by establishing school gardens at preschool, day and boarding schools. By teaching kids early about growing, preparing, and eating food they hope to cultivate the next generation of farmers and eaters who can preserve Uganda’s culinary traditions. “If a person doesn’t know how to cook or prepare food, they don’t know how to eat,” says Edward.

One DISC student, 19 year-old Mary Naku, says she’s gained leadership and farming skills from the program. “As youth we have learned to grow fruits and vegetables,” she says, “to support our lives.” Thanks to DISC, students see agriculture as a way to make money, help their communities, and preserve biodiversity.

At the HIV/AIDS Resource Center in Katuna (on the border between Uganda and Rwanda and one of many towns along what is known as the Northern Transport Corridor-a span of highway that stretches from Mombasa, Kenya through Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan and all the way to Djibouti), we were introduced to the important work of the Solidarity Center and Uganda’s Amalgamated Transport and General Workers Union (ATGWU). The Solidarity Center is a non-profit launched by the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), to empower workers around the world by helping them form unions.

The Center  and ATGWU are working with truckers, who have some of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS in Eastern Africa due to the frequent and lengthy delays at the border which often lead to boredom, drinking and unsafe sex, by providing care, support and information through one-on-one or community group outreach. The Center also provides free testing for truck drivers, already more than 5,000 of them to date.

We would be remiss if we didn’t mention that Uganda, like most of the countries in Africa, is full of contradictions. While we were there, the “Bahati Bill” was introduced in parliament, calling for life in prison-and in some case the death penalty-for people found “guilty” of homosexual activity. As gay marriage laws are passed around the world, including most recently in Mexico City, it’s hard to believe that lawmakers would punish people for being gay or having HIV/AIDS.

But as we traveled we couldn’t help but immediately feel, and fall in love with, the pulse and energy of the bustling country.

If you enjoy our weekly diary we invite you to get involved:

1. Comment on our posts — we check for comments everyday and want to have a regular ongoing discussion with you.

2. Receive regular updates–Join the weekly BorderJumpers newsletter by clicking here.

3. Help keep our research going–If you know of any great projects or contacts in West Africa please connect us connect us by emailing, commenting or sending us a message on facebook.

There aren’t many, but Vermont does have a handful of PACS representing traditional liberal constituency groups that make endorsements in elections. Most notably there are PACs associated with labor unions, such as the NEA and VSEA, but there’s also the Vermont League of Conservation Voters and Democracy for America (which does involve itself in Vermont races).

In past years, these endorsements have amounted to little. They’re rarely a surprise, and their impact has only been on the fringe issue of how well Anthony Pollina does against the Democrat on whichever ballot his ballot-line-du-jour is for that cycle.

This year, with a hotly contested Democratic primary, it’s potentially a very different political dynamic for these groups – if, and only if, they choose to endorse in the primary. Whereas such endorsements in the general election amount to little more than electoral background noise, endorsing in the Democratic primary would have an enormous impact. Democratic primary voters listen to these groups; and primary endorsements would certainly impact the outcome.

It would, however, be controversial within the groups themselves, with the potential to create real rifts within them. Still, you don’t make omelets without breaking eggs, and if these groups want to discover that elusive electoral relevance that has escaped them in the past, this is the opportunity.

And staying out of it would not simply reinforce the status quo. Refusing to demonstrate the courage and leadership needed to jump into the primary fray would add to the perception of electoral ineffectuality. On the other hand, successfully flexing institutional muscle in the primary would make them that much more influential in the next election, which would be the general in November.

Will liberal interest groups be moved by the Challenges for Change train-wreck to make a bold move and endorse before the August election, or will they continue to settle for simply being part of the electoral scenery?

( – promoted by GMD)

Big news this week for the Healthcare Is A Human Right Campaign.  

S.88 Could get voted out today of the House Healthcare Committee (see: http://www.workerscenter.org/n… ).  

Vermonters all over the state are calling for action.  (see: www.workerscenter.org/takeaction )

On Sunday the Burlington Free Press endorsed the bill in an editorial. (see:  http://www.burlingtonfreepress… )

There is a benefit concert in Burlington, “Grassroots Rockin’ for Healthcare Reform”. (see: http://www.workerscenter.org/a… )

The May 1st Healthcare Is A Human Right rally with Sen. Bernie Sanders is shaping up to be one of the biggest rallies at the Statehouse in Vermont’s history.  (see: www.workerscenter.org/may1 )  

So when I first introduced the “Star Trek or Star Wars” question, John Odum indicated that Doug Racine had given the correct answer in answering Star Trek. This phenomenon, where a highly respected and powerful member of a community weighs in on a topic, thereby irreversibly spoiling the validity of a question, will now forever in statistics be known as the “Odum taint effect.”

Or so I thought the taint was irreversible. In this clip, you can see Matt Dunne single-handedly rescue the question, reject its binary structure, see beyond the options offered and find a third way. Having a governor who can create new answers could take some getting used to.  

Before he discusses his current science fiction favorite (no, not the original show with Lorne Greene), Matt shares some of his concerns about the cynicism he hears on the campaign trail, a trend he finds striking given the tradition of idealism Vermont tends to pride itself on. His articulation of these concerns resonates strongly, and I was reminded of his points when I read this recent front page post on GMD.

Matt then demonstrates a lack of cynicism in sharing ways to find savings in our public education system without having to resort to draconian measures such as the forced consolidation of schools. The clip closes with his revelation of a third way, and a strong recommendation to the uninitiated (such as myself) to boldly enter the twenty first century and not content ourselves with past imaginings of our future to guide us.

Part 1 HERE

Part 2 HERE

[Note: No endorsement implied. Just continuing the VTblogosphereTV tradition of showcasing the qualities of the guest.]

Matt Dunne’s Campaign website

Vermont’s Future issues website

Volunteer

Contribute

( – promoted by JulieWaters)

On Saturday, I had the opportunity to attend the Farm to Plate summit, held in Rutland. This event was part of a process that began last year with legislative action that was part of the Recovery Act economic development stimulus bill. This bill was largely crafted in the Senate Economic Development committee, on which I sit, and the House Commerce Committee, with input from the House and Senate Agriculture Committees on this part of the bill. The bill included $100,000 for the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund (VSJF) to develop a 10-year strategic economic development plan for the agricultural sector in Vermont. Much work has been done to date, and Saturday’s event was both a report and an opportunity for Vermonters to offer their feedback on the plan as it is shaping up.

I was encouraged to see over 300 people at this event, and to find out that more than 800 have participated so far in the process led by the VSJF. I was further encouraged by the presentations by both Ken Meter, the keynote speaker, and Ellen Kahler, director of the VSJF.

Although Ken’s presentation had some distressing statistics regarding the decline of the agricultural sector over the past several decades, these same statistics showed the incredible potential that is right here in Vermont to both stimulate our economy and promote good health in our communities. Ellen’s presentation of the VSJF’s research further confirmed this great potential. I am looking forward to the VSJF’s final report, and I am looking forward to working to implement the recommendations they come up with.

In the jobs bill that just passed the Vermont senate, we again included funding to continue the VSJF’s work on the Farm to Plate initiative (as well as funding for farm-to-institutions and farm-to-school, and to get the Vermont Seal of Quality restored). Ellen also pointed out in her presentation that several private funders have contributed as well. This investment is critical for us to build a strong local food system in Vermont, increase our resilience and independence as a state, and get our economy growing.

Already in Vermont, there are over 54,000 jobs that are related to our food system. This is 20% of all private sector jobs in the state. The potential to increase the number of jobs in this sector is great. In order to do this, though, we must invest in infrastructure, and also find ways to allow more direct sales between farmers and consumers. Also, we must get more local food into our grocery stores, restaurants, schools, and institutions. We have done much already in this area, but we have really only scratched the surface of what is possible. With a good 10-year plan in place, we will be able to focus our efforts in this area, and I look forward to doing that as governor.

-Doug Racine

Little-Noticed Items in FY2011 Budget Call For, Among Other Things, Millions to be Spent on New Arms Sales, Programs to Beef Up Anti-Terror Efforts in Africa and to Professionalize Continent’s Military Officer Corps

Training: An unidentified U.S. soldier (left) directs Mali army troops during a training exercise. Mali is one of nine African nations whose armies are being trained to combat al-Qaida by U.S. forces. The training is part of an overall expansion of U.S. military assistance to Africa — including arms sales and training programs — in the 15 months since President Obama took office. (Photo: Luc Gnago/Reuters)  

(Posted 5:00 a.m. EDT Tuesday, April 13, 2010)

By DANIEL VOLMAN

Inter-Press Service

When President Obama took office 15 months ago, it was widely expected that he would dramatically change, or even reverse, the militarized and unilateral security policy that had been pursued by the Bush administration toward Africa, as well as toward other parts of the world.

After more than a year in office, however, it is clear that the Obama administration is following essentially the same policy that has guided U.S. military policy toward Africa for more than a decade. Indeed, the Obama administration is seeking to expand U.S. military activities on the continent even further.

In its fiscal year 2011 budget request for security-assistance programs for Africa, the Obama administration is asking for $38 million for the foreign military financing program to pay for U.S. arms sales to African countries.

The administration is also asking for $21 million for the international military education and training program to bring African military officers to the United States, and $24.4 million for anti-terrorism assistance programs in Africa.

U.S. HIKES SUPPLIES OF ARMS TO SOMALI ARMY TO FIGHT INSURGENTS

The Obama administration has also taken a number of other steps in the past year to expand U.S. military involvement in Africa.

Last June, administration officials revealed that Obama had approved a program to supply at least 40 tons of weaponry and provide training to the forces of the transitional government of Somalia through several intermediaries, including Uganda, Burundi, Djibouti, Kenya, and France.

In September, Obama authorized a U.S. Special Forces operation in Somalia that killed Saleh Ali Nabhan, an alleged al-Qaida operative who was accused of being involved in the bombing of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in August 1998, as well as other al-Qaida operations in east Africa.

In October, the Obama administration announced a major new security assistance package for Mali – valued at 4.5 to 5.0 million dollars – that included 37 Land Cruiser pickup trucks, communication equipment, replacement parts, clothing and other individual equipment and was intended to enhance Mali’s ability to transport and communicate with internal security forces throughout the country and control its borders.

Although ostensibly intended to help Mali deal with potential threats from al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), it is more likely to be used against Tuareg insurgent forces.

PENTAGON CONSIDERING NEW MARINE STRIKE FORCE FOR AFRICA, IF NEEDED

Last December, U.S. military officials confirmed that the Pentagon was considering the creation of a 1,000-strong Marine rapid deployment force for the new U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), based in Europe, which could be used to intervene in African hot spots.

Two months ago, in his testimony before a hearing by the Africa Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Johnnie Carson declared, “We seek to enhance Nigeria’s role as a U.S. partner on regional security, but we also seek to bolster its ability to combat violent extremism within its borders.”

Also in February, U.S. Special Forces troops began a 30-million-dollar, eight-month-long training programme for a 1,000-man infantry battalion of the army of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) at the U.S.-refurbished base in Kisangani.

Speaking before a Senate Armed Service Committee hearing in March 2010 about this training programme, General William Ward, the commander of AFRICOM, stated “should it prove successful, there’s potential that it could be expanded to other battalions as well.”

During the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Ward also discussed AFRICOM’s continuing participation in Ugandan military operations in the DRC against the Lord’s Resistance Army. Despite the failure of “Operation Lightning Thunder,” launched by Ugandan troops in December 2008 with help of AFRICOM (included planning assistance, equipment, and financial backing), Ward declared, “I think our support to those ongoing efforts is important support.”

And in March 2010, U.S. officials revealed that the Obama administration was considering using surveillance drones to provide intelligence to government troops in Somalia for their planned offensive against al-Shabaab. According to these officials, the Pentagon may also launch air strikes into Somalia and send U.S. Special Forces troops into the country, as it has done in the past.

NEW MOVES REFLECT U.S. EYEING AFRICA AS NEXT BATTLEGROUND AGAINST AL-QAIDA

This growing U.S. military involvement in Africa reflects the fact that counterinsurgency has once again become one of the main elements of U.S. security strategy.

This is clearly evident in the new Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) released by the Pentagon in February.

According to the QDR, “U.S. forces will work with the military forces of partner nations to strengthen their capacity for internal security, and will coordinate those activities with those of other U.S. government agencies as they work to strengthen civilian capacities, thus denying terrorists and insurgents safe havens. For reasons of political legitimacy as well as sheer economic necessity, there is no substitute for professional, motivated local security forces protecting populations threatened by insurgents and terrorists in their midst.”

As the QDR makes clear, this is intended to avoid the need for direct U.S. military intervention: “Efforts that use smaller numbers of U.S. forces and emphasise host-nation leadership are generally preferable to large-scale counterinsurgency campaigns. By emphasising host-nation leadership and employing modest numbers of U.S. forces, the United States can sometimes obviate the need for larger-scale counterinsurgency campaigns.”

Or, as a senior U.S. military officer assigned to AFRICOM was quoted as saying in a recent article in the U.S. Air University’s Strategic Studies Quarterly, “We don’t want to see our guys going in and getting whacked…We want Africans to go in.”

Thus, the QDR goes on to say, “U.S. forces are working in the Horn of Africa, the Sahel, Colombia, and elsewhere to provide training, equipment, and advice to their host-country counterparts on how to better seek out and dismantle terrorist and insurgent networks while providing security to populations that have been intimidated by violent elements in their midst.”

Furthermore, the United States will also continue to expand and improve the network of local military bases that are available to U.S. troops under base access agreements.

The resurgence of Vietnam War-era counterinsurgency doctrine as a principal tenet of U.S. security policy, therefore, has led to a major escalation of U.S. military involvement in Africa by the Obama administration that seems likely to continue in the years ahead.

# # #

Daniel Volman is the Director of the African Security Research Project in Washington. He is the author of numerous articles and reports and has been studying U.S. security policy toward Africa and African security issues for more than 30 years.

# # #

Special Report Copyright 2010, Inter-Press Service. reposted by permission.

So we’re in a bit of a budget crunch.  Money is tight, and we’re trying to find ways to become more efficient.  Salaries are being cut.  People are facing layoffs.  

But we can afford this:

The state of Vermont plans to spend $120,000 to buy Internet blocking software to prevent employees from accessing pornographic and other inappropriate Web sites while at work.

Really?  

Look, I have nothing against stopping people from downloading porn with equipment purchased with my tax dollars, but… let’s be clear about this.  The state already has software which can monitor your content.  People do get fired on occasion for spending time at work surfing porn.  But still, we apparently need to spend $120,000 on an outside consulting company to, I guess, be extra certain about it.

And let’s just remember: $120,000 for an outside consulting project is never just $120,000.  

(Continuing the site policy of promoting diaries from officeholders and officeseekers – promoted by GMD)

Back in the day, bloggers and new media types used to meet more than once a year at the Hamburger Summit.  We had the Blogger’s Bistro, and other events at which we could talk trash about Donald Rumsfeld.  And so Charity Tensel (formerly of She’s Right) and I have taken it upon ourselves to put the band back together, if only for a few hours.

On April 22, Earth Day, my State Senate campaign will be sponsoring an event called After Work Off-Line (AWOL), at the New Moon Cafe in Burlington, from 4:00 to 6:00.  The idea is to bring together all of the on-line types who have been powering the campaign so far:  bloggers, Facebook supporters, Twitterites, digital software CEO’s, digital filmmakers, etc.

Steve Benen, now of Political Animal, will be in the house.  NTodd Pritsky, now running hard for the House, will be in the house.  And Charity and Haik, and all the old gang you remember from the misty reaches of 2006, will be back and in rare form.

If you can make it to Burlington, the pastry will be free, the coffee hot, the wifi powerful. Hope to see you then.

Best,

Philip

for VDB