From the Racine campaign:

MONTPELIER, VT-Sen. Doug Racine announced today that he has hired a Field Director for his gubernatorial campaign. Amy Shollenberger, 38, of Montpelier will head up this effort.

[…] Shollenberger has more than ten years of grassroots organizing, policy, and political issue campaign experience, including work as a press secretary and legislative assistant for a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and as a senior policy analyst for Public Citizen’s Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program. In Vermont, she worked for the Lamoille Valley Tobacco Task Force and the Chittenden County Domestic Violence Task Force, and she served as Rural Vermont’s director, where she developed campaigns to increase farmers’ ability to sell products directly to consumers.

“I am excited to be working for Doug,” Shollenberger noted, “He is very strong on issues that I care about, and he is committed to making government work for the people of Vermont to improve opportunities for Vermont families…

Shollenberger is the third hiring for the Racine for Governor Campaign.  Shollenberger joins Sam Winship of Rutland and Mark Larson of Burlington.

This is a major hire. Shollenberger has one of the best reputations in the state for organizing. More than that, though, she is held in high regard by the Ag crowd, many enviros, and members of the Progressive Party. She also has regional clout in more rural areas, such as the Northeast Kingdom, where Racine is weaker.

Smart, smart, smart.

Thanks to the efforts of a very sharp Montpelier High School Senior, every anti-gay canard, every homophobic slur uttered during the Westboro “Baptist” Church’s visit to the school tomorrow morning will result in donations to Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD). The Times Argus has the story, and there’s a FaceBook page, too.

By Peter Hirschfeld Vermont Press Bureau – Published: August 31, 2009

MONTPELIER – When members of the Westboro Baptist Church utter their first homophobic invective Tuesday morning, the clock begins.

As they unfurl their anti-gay flags, raise their “God-Hates-Fags” banners and condemn the passage of this nation’s first same-sex marriage law passed by a Legislature, the minutes will add up, one on top of another, until the Kansas group packs up and departs for its next destination.

Joe Carlomagno will be watching the clock closely. Not to count down the seconds until the protesters are gone, but to add up the money they’ve inadvertently raised for the targets of their vitriol.

“A lot of people from Montpelier High School were planning some really radical counter-protests, and I just didn’t think that would be an effective way to make a statement about equality and equal rights,” Carlomagno, a Montpelier High senior, said last week. …

“I’m asking people to donate one dollar for each minute this group comes to protest,” Carlomagno said. The money will go to Gay & Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, a nonprofit organization that seeks to end discrimination based on sexual orientation.

GLAD, you may remember, played a major role in supporting Vermont’s progress into civil unions, then the lawsuit resulting in the Massachusetts Supreme Court’s ruling striking down discrimination in marriage in the Bay State. Now they’re challenging a major section of DOMA on behalf of several Massachusetts couples.

Other options: donate to the Vermont Democratic Party which needs to re-elect the legislators who stuck to their principles and voted for the bill and/or to override the Republican governor’s veto of equality.

Donate to Vermont Freedom to Marry which played a huge role in keeping patient pressure on the legislature and keeping the issue in the public eye through massive fieldwork.

Donate to Outright Vermont, which is the organization based in Burlington that helps kids who are being bullied or harassed in high schools around the state because of the perception or reality that they’re l-g-b-or-t to stay in school and get the education they need and are entitled to.

As Carlomagno told the T-A: “It seemed like a good way to take advantage of an otherwise ugly thing, and to use that publicity to do some good.”

The Communication  Workers of America released a report that shows overall US internet speed falling behind most of the world .

Both the FreePress and the Times Argus quote numerous experts on high speed internet in the state and most agree with the reports findings  .

When asked to respond Vermont DPS’s Steven Wark sniffed that the report was politically motivated because the workers have a vested interest in the expansion of high speed internet through out the country !

A shared goal ? Leave aside for a moment the quick as a lightning strike knee jerk anti-worker bias .Isn’t it  plain as your face obvious that  a vested interest in expanding high speed internet is identical to what the state of Vermont claims to be promoting ! Isn’t it called the E-State initiative or some catchphrase title ?

In its Speed Matters press release, the CWA noted that “Internet download speed in Vermont has actually slowed down, even as the speeds in the rest of the nation get faster.”

Although the Department of Public Service, the consumer advocate in utility cases, has been highly critical of FairPoint’s operations, PSD spokesman Stephen Wark called the CWA report “politically motivated.”

Wark said the CWA and its workers have a vested interest in seeing the expansion of high-speed Internet throughout the country “and portraying just about anywhere in the United States as falling behind.”

http://www.timesargus.com/arti…

Westboro Baptist Church — In Vermont This Week to Protest Its New Same-Gender Marriage Law — Has Long Condemned Homosexuality as an ‘Abomination,’ But Its Members Have Long Criminal Records and Its Iron-Fisted Leader Has a History of ‘Abominable’ Personal Behavior Himself, Including Wild Binges on Booze and Drugs and Repeated Episodes of Violent Abuse of His Wife and Children

(Posted 5:00 a.m. Monday, August 31, 2009)

NOTE TO READERS: On Tuesday, Vermont’s same-gender marriage law, which the state’s legislature passed over Governor Jim Douglas’ veto, will take effect, according full marriage rights to the state’s gay and lesbian residents exactly nine years and two months after its pioneering civil-union law took effect. On that day, members of the Reverend Fred Phelps’ virulently anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church plan to stage protests against the new law. Vermonters are divided on how to deal with the WBC’s protests, but what many may not know is that not only is Westboro a tightly-controlled cult whose members are exclusively relatives and in-laws of Phelps, but its longstanding condemnation of homosexuality as an “abomination” masks a dirty secret: That its members have lived rather “abominable” lifestyles of their own — Namely, repeated run-ins with the law and its leader having a history of out-of-control binges on alcohol and drugs and repeated physical abuse of his wife and children. The following article, which was originally posted in 2006, is being re-posted in updated form today, for the sole purpose of exposing the moral hypocrisy of the Phelpses.

By SKEETER SANDERS

(Originally published June 26, 2006)

An incredible thing happened a little over three years ago.

The daughter of the leader of a Kansas-based ultra-paranoid, anti-gay cult made a guest appearance June 10, 2006 on one of the three major 24-hour TV news networks,  ostensibly to discuss the cult’s highly controversial protests at the funerals of American soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But the discussion  quickly degenerated into a bitter, name-calling shouting match between the guest and the program’s host, with the guest calling the host a “bimbo” and the host firing back, “You’re an abomination!”

What made the live exchange so incredible was that it happened not on CNN, not on MSNBC, but on the right wing’s favorite news network, Fox News Channel. Even more incredible: The host is herself a conservative evangelical Christian who got into a heated, Bible-quoting duel with Phelps-Roper.

‘YOU’RE GOING TO HELL!’ FOX ANCHOR TELLS CULTIST

Appearing on the weekend edition of Fox’s “The Big Story,” Shirley Phelps-Roper, the chief spokeswoman for the Westboro Baptist Church and the eldest daughter of the sect’s iron-fisted leader, Rev. Fred Phelps, was asked by the program’s host, Julie Banderas, why her sect’s members were staging protests at the funerals of fallen soldiers with slogans such as “Thank God for Dead Soldiers,” “Thank God for IEDs [improvised explosive devices]” and “God Hates Fags.”

The cult claims that the killing of U.S. troops in the two war-torn countries are “God’s vengeance for America tolerating homosexuality.”

That didn’t sit well with Banderas, herself a conservative evangelical Christian — and she was loaded for bear.  “What would you do if you had a son in the military?” she asked Phelps-Roper.  “Would you damn him to hell as well? Because you’re going to join him there if you had a son!”

From that point, things quickly got heated. “I have eight sons and I have three daughters,” Phelps-Roper responded, “And none of them would dare, dare fight for a nation that has made God its number-one enemy!”

“You are the devil!” Banderas fired back. “If you believe in the Bible, miss, you’re going to hell!”

INSULTS FLY BACK AND FORTH

Banderas: “The Bible says ‘the fear of the Lord is hatred of evil,’ [from the Book of] Proverbs. ‘Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.’ Perverted speech like yours: ‘God hates fags.’ You are preaching absolute bull– and you know what the final letter is!”

Phelps-Roper: “If you don’t tell them that this nation is full of idolatry, full of adulteries —

Banderas: “Full of insane people like yourself, ma’am!”

Phelps-Roper: “You’re  proud. You’re proud of your sins. You can’t do enough sinning. You think ‘gay’ pride, bimbo! You have sinned away your day of grace!”

Banderas: “OK, you are an abomination!”

Phelps-Roper: “America is doomed! America is doomed! Before your eyes, missy, you’re gonna see the destruction of America!”

Banderas: “If America is doomed, then why don’t you get out? Why are you in this country? Why are you an American? Are you an American?”

Phelps-Roper: “I am exactly where my God put me to tell you plainly, that you are going to hell, and there’s nothing you can do about it!”

Banderas: “Why don’t you take your church to another country, then, ma’am? Thank you so much. You should not be proud to be an American, and thank you. Good-bye!”

The following day, Banderas was interviewed by fellow Fox News anchor Trace Gallagher about her war of words with Phelps-Roper. Said Gallagher:  “Most would say that she [Phelps-Roper] is a little on the whacky side.” To which Banderas replied, “Yeah, a little bit.  And she claims to be a Christian! Hah!”

The ‘Skeeter Bites Report didn’t learn of the exchange until two weeks later, but when its editor and publisher viewed a video clip of the exchange on YouTube, he was astonished at what he saw and heard. Not so much that it took place at all, but that it happened on, of all places, Fox News. And the editor wasn’t alone. It also astonished many other bloggers and pundits as well — progressives and conservatives alike. The clash had been all abuzz across the Internet.

(The clip of the clash between Banderas and Phelps-Roper — which follows an interview with the father of a fallen soldier whose funeral was picketed by Westboro — clash can be viewed HERE.)

A subsequent interview of Phelps-Roper on Fox News’ now-defunct “Hannity and Colmes” talk show found the conservative Sean Hannity and his liberal former co-host Alan Colmes in rare agreement: Both blasted Phelps-Roper, with Hannity telling Phelps-Roper point-blank, “We’ve had a lot of nutty people on this show . . . but you are as mean and as sick and as cruel as anybody that I’ve had on this program. The fact that you use religion to justify your hatred this way is frankly mind-numbing.”

Colmes was far more blunt, tearing into the Phelpses’ anti-Semitism as well as their homophobia. “You and you father hate not just gays,” he told Phelps-Roper.  “You hate Catholics, you hate Jews . . . You father referred to the Holocaust as ‘miniscule.’ You led a protest at the Holocaust Museum in D.C. You said Jews are ‘the real Nazis.’ You are an abomination! You ought to be ashamed of yourself. You are an embarassment to this nation! How dare you do this to the families of our soldiers!”

FAMILY OF FALLEN SOLDIER WINS LAWSUIT AGAINST WESTBORO

Westboro’s funeral protests have been so highly offensive to the grieving families and friends of our fallen soldiers that a Pennsylvania man has taken the cult to court, charging it with “intentional and outrageous” conduct both during and after the funeral of his son.

Albert Snyder, whose son, Marine Lance Corporal Matthew Snyder, was killed in a non-combat vehicle accident in Iraq, filed suit in May 2006 “to deter this group of people from these disruptive and mean-spirited protests at the funerals of deceased members of the military,” according to Snyder’s attorney, Craig Trebilcock.

Phelps-Roper, herself an attorney, vowed to countersue Snyder, accusing the father of “conspiracy to violate [Westboro’s] civil rights and a violation of [the cult’s] civil rights.”

In November 2007, a federal court jury in Baltimore found Westboro guilty of violating the Snyders’ privacy and of inflicting emotional distress and ordered the cult to pay the Snyders $10.9 million in compensatory damages and $8 million in punitive damages.

A federal judge subsequently halved the jury awards to $2.9 million in compensatory damages and 2.1 million in punitive damages.

A LONG RECORD OF CRIMINAL CHARGES AGAINST THE PHELPSES

That Phelps-Roper was so quick to fire back at Snyder’s lawsuit should surprise no one, for the Phelps clan has a long history of filing frivolous lawsuits, according to the district attorney’s office in the Phelpses’ hometown of Topeka, Kansas.

In fact, a review of public records by The ‘Skeeter Bites Report has uncovered a wealth of civil and criminal charges against the Phelpses dating back nearly 20 years — in the case of Fred Phelps, more than a half-century — and evidence of abuse by Fred Phelps against his wife and children.

Fred Phelps first ran afoul of the law in 1951 when he was arrested in Pasadena, California on charges of misdemeanor battery against a police officer. The charges were later dropped. By 1987, however, getting into trouble with law enforcement would become a Phelps family trademark.

At the time, Fred Phelps and five of his children — Margie, Jon, Elizabeth, Shirley and Fred Jr. — were charged by police with extortion, witness intimidation, harassment, making false accusations and filing frivolous lawsuits.

The senior Phelps, who was a practicing attorney, was also facing disbarment hearings. He ended up striking a plea bargain in which he agreed to resign from the Kansas Bar and never again practice law in exchange for the charges against his children being dropped.

Throughout the 1990s and well into the soon-to-be-concluded first decade of the 21st century, the Phelps clan has run afoul of the law on numerous occasions in their hometown, but the Topeka district attorney often declined to press charges, mainly because every time charges were pressed against Westboro or one of its members, the cult retaliated by filing class-action lawsuits against the city, the police  department and the complainant.

Westboro’s hair-trigger litigiousness, however, could not protect Jonathan Baxter Phelps from being brought to justice, albeit on relatively minor charges. Jon — whom many Kansans said was the one son of Fred Phelps who was most like his father — was arrested more often than any other member of the family, save for Fred himself.

‘OBNOXIOUS’ JON PHELPS HARASSED WOMEN WITH LEWD, OBSCENE GESTURES

Jon turned out to be the most obnoxious member of the Phelps clan, according to the  Topeka Capital Journal, which published a major expose of Westboro in 1994. Jon Phelps regularly shouted obscenity-laced comments to passersby at Westboro pickets and often issued verbal threats at women to sexually assault them.

The newspaper reported that Jon was taken into police custody after a raid on the Westboro compound in December 1993 for an incident stemming from a local theater group’s production of the holiday classic, “The Nutcracker.”

Jon stood outside the theater and asked passing children, “Did your daddy stick his [BLEEP] up your [BLEEP] last night?” while holding a sign that read, “Fags: The [BLEEP] Goes Up the [BLEEP].”

He was subsequently convicted of misdemeanor assault, witness intimidation and disorderly conduct.

PHELPSES AGGRESSIVE IN DEFENDING THEIR FAMILY, SECT IN COURT — TO NO AVAIL

In that same case, several charges against other Westboro members were later dropped; the trials that followed saw every member of Westboro over the age of fifteen testifying in the defense of their family and fellow congregants; over 100 defense witnesses were called in all.

Margie Phelps was found guilty of filing a false report with Topeka police and Fred Sr. was found guilty of disorderly conduct as defined by aggravated intimidation of a witness; all three lost their appeals. The Phelpses promptly filed lawsuits against the city and took their cases to an appeals court, where their lawsuits were dismissed.

In 1995, Fred Phelps’ eldest grandson, Benjamin — who operates the cult’s Web sites — was convicted of assault and disorderly conduct after spitting in the face of a passer-by during a Westboro picket and then laughing about what he did.  Security cameras of a nearby business caught the incident on tape.

In 2004, Fred Phelps Jr. was arrested for possession of marijuana, but no charges were pressed. That same year, Margie Phelps and her son, Jacob, were arrested for trespassing, disorderly conduct and failure to obey a police officer after disregarding the officer’s order that they were not allowed to enter a business’ private property for the purpose of staging one of Westboro’s now-trademark “God Hates Fags” protests against the company’s inclusion of gays in its employment non-discrimination policy.

DIRTY SECRETS THE PHELPSES DON’T WANT THE WORLD TO KNOW ARE EXPOSED

All of this — and much more — is a matter of public record. But what the Phelps clan really doesn’t want the public to know is that their patriarch has a history of alcohol and drug abuse — and physical abuse against his wife and children.

It’s a history that was exposed in 1994 by Capital Journal > reporters Steven Fry, John Michael Bell and Joe Tashcler, in a series of articles titled, “Hate for the Love of God.” The series was later edited by Bell into a book, Addicted to Hate.

The book was never published, however, due to a dispute between Bell and the Capital Journal’s parent company, Stauffer Communications. Bell subsequently sued Stauffer Communications in Shawnee County District Court, alleging the Capital Journal owed him compensation for overtime and to clarify ownership of his notes and work product — his book.

Bell took the unusual step of attaching the entire manuscript of the book to his lawsuit, making it a public document. Significantly, the Phelpses — who are well-known for their hair-trigger litigiousness — have never sued the Capital Journal for libel. Because Bell’s manuscript is an official court document, the Phelpses cannot sue anyone who uses it. What follows in this article, therefore, is based upon Bell’s manuscript (The full text of the manuscript is available HERE).

A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE BY FRED PHELPS WHILE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF BOOZE, DRUGS

The dirty secrets of Fred Phelps Sr.’s life dates back to 1962, when Fred Sr. graduated from Washburn University in Topeka. Sometime after his graduation, Fred Sr. became addicted to amphetamines and barbiturates, which he often took while also dousing large quantities of alcohol.

One of Fred’s sons, Mark Phelps, recalls the earliest memory of his father was that he shot a dog while in a drunken rage for the dog defecating on the Phelpses’ front lawn. The dog’s owner sued Fred for animal cruelty, but he successfully defended himself in court. But the incident led many of Westboro’s members who were not related to the Phelpses to quit in protest. Mark Phelps later quit Westboro himself.

“Several former Westboro members would sneak onto our front yard in the middle of the night and place signs that read: ‘Anyone who would stoop to killing a dog someday will mistake a child for a dog,'” Mark said.

REPEATED EPISODES OF WILD TANTRUMS AFTER DAYS OF ISOLATION

Fred remained hooked on drugs and alcohol for six years after the incident, according to Mark, and would often go on eating binges. He would also go for days or weeks without leaving his bedroom.

When Phelps did emerge from his bedroom, he would throw temper tantrums — throwing food, smashing dishes and screaming at his children for not eating, Mark said. When he became too exhausted to continue with his tantrum, he would take his wife Marge back into his bedroom to have sex while his children cleaned up the mess he left  behind.

“It established a life habit for me,” Mark Phelps recalls. “Even today, the moment I get home, I’m thinking, ‘Is Daddy mad?’ Our walls were stained with food. And my mom used to cry because she couldn’t keep good dishes.

“My father would also bust holes in the walls and doors,” he added. “If they [the holes] were on the outside, he’d fix them quickly [to avoid generating suspicion from the neighbors]. But on the inside, he’d leave them unrepaired for months.”

FRED FORCED HIS KIDS TO SELL CANDY FOR THE SECT

As a result of his binges, Fred ceased to earn money for the family — and because he barred his wife from working, it fell to the Phelps children to become the family breadwinners.

During this period, the clan’s sole source of income was the children’s door-to-door sales of candy, which Phelps called “The Children’s Crusade.” Phelps assigned each of the children sales quotas; those who failed to meet those quotas were beaten with a mattock handle, a farming tool that is twice the density of a baseball bat.

The campaign often found the children selling candy in high-crime areas of Topeka and Kansas City. It was in Kansas City when a then-teenaged Jon Phelps and his eight-year-old sister Rebecca were assaulted by a transvestite after Jon “held forth the latest ‘fag’ joke making the rounds at his junior high school.”

The transvestite, angered by Jon’s remark, pulled out a switchblade knife and chased them into an alley, where, as sister Margie Phelps recalls, “Jon got ‘bitch-slapped’ by a guy in a dress to teach him a lesson.” Jon Phelps has maintained a particularly  intense hatred toward transgenders ever since.

PHELPS KIDS TURN TO PETTY CRIME AFTER CANDY SALES DRY UP, TO AVOID BEATINGS

Eventually, revenue from the candy sales began to dry up, but Fred adamantly insisted that the money keep coming in. Fearing more beatings, the Phelps children began stealing from businesses around Topeka and resorted to other petty crimes, including purse-snatching.

They were often caught, but the DA was reluctant to prosecute, for fear of violent retribution from Phelps.

By the mid-1960s, Marge Phelps had had enough of Fred’s abuse. She loaded the children into the family car and attempted to flee from Fred, but none of her relatives and friends had the resources to accommodate 11 extra people.

She was left with little choice but to return to the Westboro compound, where Fred promptly beat up his wife.

A NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE BY FRED LEADS TO MORE ABUSE OF HIS KIDS

In 1968, Fred Phelps attempted suicide while high on methamphetamines by trying to shoot himself in the head with a shotgun. He was so stoned, however, that he missed and ripped a hole into the roof.

Shortly thereafter, Phelps overdosed on a “speedball” cocktail of alcohol and amphetamines, slipping into a coma. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he remained comatose for a week.

After returning home from the hospital, Phelps put himself on a detoxification diet, eating no solid food for several weeks and drinking only water. He then decided that his children do the same, denying them food and forcing them to run ten miles a day.

Even his two youngest children — who at the time were six and eight, respectively — were forced into the regimen. If any of the kids finished the race ahead of Fred, he would severely beat them.

Even though by this time he had returned to work as a lawyer, Phelps still forced his children to sell candy.

(In conducting research for their expose, the Capital Journal reporters discovered that Phelps had defrauded the candy manufacturer, which promptly sued him after the newspaper published the reporters’ findings and won a judgment of $125,000. It remains unclear, however, if Phelps ever paid back the company.)

PHELPSES GUILTY OF GROSS MORAL HYPOCRISY

With their shameful record of criminal activity and physical and psychological abuse — to themselves and to others — Fred Phelps and his clan have no moral authority to claim that God hates anyone.

They certainly have no moral authority to condemn others for “disgusting” lifestyles when their own lifestyle is hardly an example of moral, upstanding citizenship.

The bottom line is that the Phelpses are the ultimate moral hypocrites and richly deserve every ounce of scorn that they’re receiving for their reprehensible and clearly un-Christian — even anti-Christian — actions.

What goes around, comes around.

# # #

Copyright 2009, Skeeter Sanders.  All rights  reserved.

Do you like Bill Moyers? He is not happy with the Democratic Party. He lays out the problem very, very clearly in this video:

In it he says that the problem is the Democratic Party, that we have two corporate parties, the Republicans and the Democrats. If we don’t pass meaningful health care reform, don’t put Ted Kennedy’s name on it. If what we get because of the influence of heavy money in our party a very watered down bill, that is not health care reform. Money, money, money.

Watch it, especially if you’re not outraged yet. Then decide what you’re going to do about it.

Bill Maher Interviews Bill Moyers  

I confess, I’m of two minds about the upcoming visitation from members of the Westboro (Kansas) “Baptist” Church. One mind knows that the cure for hate speech is more speech, a public demonstration that the community at large does not accept the values being expressed, and will stand up and protect whatever principle or group is being attacked without reason. The Niemoeller quote (and its permutations) is relevant here (“First they came …”). Although, a strong argument could be made that by being more-or-less equal opportunity haters (“We hate everybody God Hates, and God hates everybody but us!”), the Westboro folks are in no real danger of ever achieving the influence of a national political party — at least, I haven’t heard yet that the national Republican Party has embraced their beliefs, applied to become members, or invited Pastor Phred himself to join the councils of the GOP faithful.

My other mind’s opinion is somewhat reflected in the message issued by the Honorable Mary Hooper, Mayor of Montpelier, on behalf of the Montpelier City Council, with good advice and sound reasoning for how the citizens of Montpelier and other guests can best deal with the visitation of the hate-mongers from Phred’s Phamily Phollowers (h/t to Sheryl; emphases mine). However, I bridle at the idea that counter demonstrations should not be held in the interests of “public safety.” Historically, city and state governments can and will justify the suppression of free speech “in the interests of public safety.” Still, is silence always to be construed as assent? Why give Phred’s Phamily what they want?

I definitely would rather have the headline of the day be “Gay Couples Celebrate Equality in Marriage” than any message of hate from Phred’s Phear-Mongers.

Mayor Mary S. Hooper

on behalf of the Montpelier City Council

and City Manager William Fraser



As has been widely publicized, members of the Westboro Baptist Church from Topeka, Kansas will be visiting Montpelier on Tuesday morning, September 1st to protest the enactment of Vermont’s gay marriage legislation.  The group plans to conduct three separate 30-minute demonstrations at Montpelier High School (7:20 AM to 7:55 AM), in front of the Vermont State House (7:55 AM to 8:25 AM), and at Montpelier City Hall (8:30 AM to 9:00 AM).

A small group of ten or fewer church members will hold signs and, likely, chant slogans and songs to express their religious and moral beliefs. These signs and slogans are purposely designed to be highly offensive, insulting, and hurtful. They seek to provoke others into angry confrontations and to possibly bait others into breaking the law.

The City of Montpelier condemns the Westboro Baptist Church’s message of hate. Surely our high school students, citizens and visitors deserve better than to be subjected to nasty messages denouncing primarily gay people but also Jews, Catholics, fallen soldiers, President Obama, and the United States of America.

We are fortunate to live in a country where citizens are guaranteed the right to free speech and free assembly. The City of Montpelier fully recognizes and respects the rights of the Westboro Baptist Church and will take proper action to assure that those rights are honored and that public safety is preserved.

It may be tempting to confront and challenge this group verbally, physically, or in some form of silent counter protest. In the interest of public safety and order, however, the City government of Montpelier urges people to please ignore this group and simply stay away from the demonstrations.

WHY STAY AWAY?

First, the Westboro Baptist Church is not visiting to engage in a discussion, forum or intellectual exchange about issues. They are here to shock, provoke and proclaim their views. A counter demonstration is exactly what the Church members hope to create; the larger the crowd the more publicity they generate and the more their message ends up on television and in newspapers.  They announce their schedule in advance for the sole reason of giving people time to create a stir.  Assembling against them is playing directly into their hands. Through its legislative actions, Vermont has already made a strong and important statement against discrimination.

More — plus poll — after the flip.

Second, and perhaps most importantly, there are very real public safety concerns – particularly at the High School – if crowds arrive to counter demonstrate. Montpelier High School rules and policy are clear that no one is allowed on school property during school hours except students, staff, parents and those having authorized business with the school. As such, both the Westboro Baptist Church AND any potential counter protesters  are required to hold their demonstrations on the Bailey Avenue sidewalks. The intersection of the High School driveway and Bailey Avenue is very busy and hazardous on normal school days. Adding large numbers of demonstrators to this area could create safety problems for the students, demonstrators, other pedestrians, and vehicular traffic. People should not risk injury to themselves or others just to prove a point. Police and school officials will assist students with getting to class safely and uneventfully. Please assist with this process by staying clear of this area.

Third, demonstrations by the Westboro Baptist Church around the country have had a consistent outcome – the people most likely to get arrested, commit a crime, or get in trouble are counter demonstrators. The church members are professional demonstrators who visit different sites on a daily basis. They utilize attorneys, cameras, and ample advance event planning. They are well versed on permissible legal limits and do not cross them. Conversely, individuals or ad hoc groups who arrive to confront the Church usually have good intentions of staying calm and within legal bounds but are frequently not well organized and allow themselves to be caught up in the moment and baited into actions resulting in their arrest. No one will get arrested if no one shows up. Please do not reward a message of hate with an intolerant or illegal response.For those who feel they must make some sort of counter statement or appearance, we urgently request that you do so at the State House Lawn where there is much more room to keep parties separated and does not present the same traffic and safety hazards.

The Westboro Baptist Church group is scheduled to leave Montpelier by 9:00 AM on Tuesday. People are well advised to consider planning any necessary visits to City Hall, the Department of Motor Vehicles, other State Street offices, and the Credit Union accordingly. By simply waiting until after 9:00 AM, one can easily avoid being subjected to offensive signs, hearing insulting chants/songs, getting caught in traffic, or inadvertently engaging in some sort of confrontation. Those employed in and around these areas should take note of the schedule and consider potential alternate arrival routes or times.

We thank everyone in advance for their cooperation. The community of Montpelier has a tradition of generosity, engagement and thoughtful dialogue. We ask that you rise above and show this group the attention they deserve – none.

[Update: I hear that R.U.1.2? Queer Community Center in Burlington is encouraging folks to pledge some amount for each minute the WBC folks are in the state. Good idea! — NanuqFC]

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From the “sore loser” files, per the Burlington Free Press:

The Rev. Craig Bensen said the organization he helped found to oppose the same-sex marriage lawsuit and legislative initiative – Take It to the People – was never anti-gay.

“Our focus was the marriage question and the right way to deal with it,” said the minister of the Cambridge United Church. He’s still pushing for what he calls a fairer way for all Vermonters to weigh in on this core societal question.

Here’s the deal, and it’s a pretty simple thing: Vermonters have had nearly a decade to weigh in on this question.  They will have another election in just over a year which allows them to voice their satisfaction or displeasure with the decisions made by their legislators with respect to this issue.  If this is truly a deal-breaker for Vermonters who oppose same-sex marriage, then it should be easy to get enough legislators elected to vote to change the laws back the way they were before this session.  But that, clearly, is not enough for Benson:

Bensen hasn’t given up his quest to allow Vermonters to speak on the question of same-sex marriage, but it is now part of a broader strategy to give Vermonters a greater voice in government.

The new group, letvermontvote.org, wants a constitutional amendment defining marriage as one man and one woman, which would reverse current law.

The group also advocates a citizen initiative process so Vermonters could speak at the ballot box on issues as important as this marriage question, Bensen said: “We think that would be a good option for Vermont citizens to have.”

What Benson is asking for is, in effect, mob rule.  He wants the ability to rile up voters who are easily able to be manipulated on the emotional level to enact his own agenda, regardless of how much support it has statewide.  It’s easy to get people up in arms over an emotional issue, especially if they’re ready to believe whatever lies you tell them in order to reinforce their existing prejudices.  Benson’s organization wants 5% of the population to be able to initiate a ballot referendum.  We might as well open the floodgates then, because 5% of the population would sign referenda suggesting that Barack Obama is actually a Kenyan.  You could probably get 5% of the population to sign a referendum to the effect that Thomas Jefferson was a Kenyan.  

Allowing 5% of the population to push their agenda on a statewide ballot referendum is only useful if your objective is to push minority rule through shouting over the rest of the population.  It is not Democracy.  It is chaos.  In the presence of chaos, anyone with a sufficient number of useful idiots at their disposal can hold a lot more power than they should.  

So how's this really going to shake out?

First off on the GOP side of things. First, it should be mentioned that some of these folks whose names are floating are no doubt being talked about, rather than talking about running themselves.  And if Dubie decides to go for the top spot, he likely clears the field of high powered candidates. If he doesn't, you're going see a big ol' primary. In fact, anybody but Dubie would need a primary in order to raise their statewide profile in the face of a Democratic primary which will be garnering a tremendous amount of press and public interest, giving the winner a big leg up in name recognition and interest. This isn't to say that Dubie won't draw a challenger, but it'll likely be a fringe one – whether that's a fairly run-of-the-mill fringer like a Wendy Wilton or a true lost-in-the-supermarketer like Brian Pearl is an unknown.

That leaves a crowd for Lieutenant Governor – but that crowd could be whittled down if the current AG or Auditor open up their spots to move up the food chain.

Sorrel perennially likes to mess with people's heads about running for Governor. If he's serious, now is the time obviously, but he probably isn't. The fact is that there are already two candidates in the race who have raised well into 6 figures, have staff on the ground, and have tied up most of the (limited) big contributors in Vermont. Vermont politicians do have a history of being a little divorced from electoral reality, but this most recent crop is a bit more sensible, and many will have an understanding of the tremendous uphill climb they'd be looking at. Sure, Shumlin will jump in – but he was going to anyway. The Governor's announcement just gives him a convenient entree.

Smith could of course create a lot of buzz if he jumped in, but translating that buzz into campaign cash could be problematic. Most of the big givers have chosen a horse, and the available money he could leverage through his role in marriage equality is likely already lined up behind Shumlin.

The long and the short is; when the dust settles, the lists will be large, but nothing like what's being talked about.

How does this sea change effect those already in? That depends. Markowitz has been trying to replicate the Obama effect of running less on issues than on image – an image of being above the partisan fray. With Douglas gone, that's going to be a less meaningful vibe to inhabit, although it will only take a minor bit of tweaking to keep it relevant.

The electability argument could take a dramatic turn, however, if Dubie is the Republican, as Racine can remind voters that he is the only Democrat who has ever beaten Dubie. Of course, the reply will be that it was a long time ago and Dubie is a different candidate now – but obviously, Racine is as well.

You have to figure that, right now, the Dubie scenario is most likely. Insiders suggest he'd like the job, he's let his name be floated in the media, and he's already got the blessing of Douglas.

X-factors in all this? Matt Dunne seems increasingly likely to run for something. He's got a statewide network of supporters, but again – his problem will be closing the money gap. He may well opt for lower-hanging fruit. The Progs sound increasingly unlikely to get into the top-spot mess, and will be a lot more likely to run for Lieutenant Governor. 

But one could also imagine either Salmon or Illuzzi jumping into the race as an independent. Neither would have a chance at the top spot – Illuzzi's past legal problems would be a major liability, and Salmon is simply too ridiculous, and has managed to infuriate most of the people who helped get him into office in the first place, apparently deciding that the only one he really needs to impress is Harlan Sylvester. 

Whew.

At this point, one could just write/muse/speculate forever about the likely combinations and dynamics. Probably time to just put down the laptop and walk away. In any event, what looks like the wild west now will certainly look a lot calmer soon, and in a matter of weeks, we should have a clearer – and tamer – sense of what 2010 will hold.

Stock up on popcorn. 

Yesterday I drove my oldest child to college, and this morning I helped her move into her dorm. A momentous and poignant moment in her life, and in mine. At our hotel last night, we happened to watch a documentary on Ted Kennedy.  Amidst the emotions of the moment, the references to lessons the Kennedy’s had learned from their parents, Joe and Rose, struck me with particular impact. Ted Kennedy grew up being taught that his life would be measured by the contributions he made to society. He was taught that public service is an honorable and patriotic pursuit, to be held in esteem and respected. He was taught that it mattered, and that it was worth the effort. In an interview with Barbara Walters soon after his second brother had been assassinated, she reflected on the Kennedy commitment to life public service, then turned and asked him if it was worth it given the high price it had exacted? Ted was almost visibly taken aback, and you could see a rare glimpse of the pain still fresh in him. He paused, and then softly but decidedly responded, “Yes, yes I believe it is.”

The passing of Ted Kennedy is a bigger national event than I had thought. It’s bigger and has more of an impact on me than I expected or realized. In the solitude of my drive back from my daughter’s new college home, I listened and was moved by the eulogies given by his two sons. The funeral rites are being shown live as I write this on cable stations across the dial. The reexamination of Kennedy’s life upon his death has brought to light for me not just the depth of importance this man had to our nation, but the significance of his passing. A radio commentator compared it to the end of the Fellowship of the Ring, as the last of the ringbearers passed into the west. A little corny it seemed, but like the mythic images of Camelot, based on some sense of inspiration lost.

There have been all too few moments of national inspiration, or even of partisan inspiration if you must qualify it, in my lifetime. Kennedys eulogizing their fallen brothers and speaking of their dreams. Martin Luther King. Obama’s nomination speech.

But even Barack Obama seemed small on this day.

(more)

Ted Kennedy was a politician, but he was driven to do good by guiding principles that were fundamental to his philosophy, his politics, and his faith. At his graveside, a letter was read from Kennedy to the Pope; a last petition on his own behalf, admitting his shortcomings and requesting blessing from the leader of Kennedy’s church. In this letter he includes his life’s work to achieve universal health care for all Americans as part of his petition, evidence of his devotion to the catholic principles of helping those less fortunate. A young Kennedy maybe 12 years old led the intercessions in the mass, including praying that what his grandpa called “the  cause of his life” on healthcare reform be granted, lord hear his prayer. Can you imagine any other politician today including such a petition or appeal for an issue? A posthumous appeal for the employee free choice act? For privatizing social security? A cap on carbon emissions? It’s not only the issues that fall short, it’s the lack of passion and commitment to issues so fundamental and unalienable that it transcends poll-driven position statements.

Kennedy had that inherent passion and commitment, to work to help those less fortunate in a variety of ways that presented themselves. From civil rights to minimum wages, to education to health care, Ted never needed to run a poll to guide his positions, nor did he need a wordsmith to dull the edges of rhetoric to avoid offending segments of the voting public. He simply steered by his principles, and followed his heart.

These qualities are missing in our public sector today. While Ted was eulogized as a person in a deeply emotional and moving way by his sons today, there was no younger brother, or any other standard-bearer to give a eulogy that “kept the dream alive”.

I was born at a hospital in Hyannis within walking distance of the Kennedy compound, just days after JFK’s election as president. For my entire life, I have always carried a deep respect for public service that was grounded in the principles inspired by the Kennedys and the vision that they so eloquently communicated in word, and in more importantly, portrayed in action.

He once famously said, “For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.”

For all those whose cares have been Sen. Kennedy’s concern, the work does indeed remain. Let us hope it goes on. In a cruel irony, these are critical days for health care, and seem to be pivotal times for our nation as our party and President Obama’s principles and commitments come into question.

He rephrased his earlier words when endorsing Obama at the convention last summer, saying, “The work begins anew. The hope rises again. And the dream lives on.”

Who will inspire us to that calling now that the lion rests?

Cross-posted from www.asrblog.com

The Green Mountain State is often cited during national conversations about progressive ideas: local food production, CSAs, green technology, recycling programs and energy efficiency are all areas that Vermonters hold in high esteem and for which we receive recognition.  Co-op models are also present all over the state in the form of numerous credit unions and food cooperatives, engaging members and returning profits to them rather than shareholders, which is the case with banks and supermarkets.  So what about healthcare?  We have Bernie Sanders leading the charge on single payer, even requesting that Vermont be the pilot state for such a project, yet it has not gained traction.  I believe the reason lies with the old fashioned private vs public sector difference: entities like food co-ops and credit unions are privately run and provide good service to those who choose to invest, opposed to government initiatives which get tied up in beaurocratic BS, spending money they didn’t earn and get no where.

So how are we to address healthcare reform if the public option can’t pass the Senate, medicare will be bancrupt in less than a decade, and people remain uninsured?  Democratic Senator Kent Conrad of North Dakota proposed and has been advocating for Medical Co-ops, arguing that there’s the interest for such entities across the country (especially in the North East and North West) and his sources say they would insure 12 million people while driving down price through increased competition.  Well, I like the sound of that, locally based co-op models providing free market competition is double whammy Libertarian, though Senator Conrad has not explained exactly how he envisions Washington DC encouraging and nourishing these entities, which leaves me with skepticism about him.  The principle is good though and he references the success of small co-op models in his own state, large co-ops like Ocean Spray, and the one successful medical co-op in the country GroupHealth.

GroupHealth was established in Washington state in 1947 and now provides medical care to 580,000 residents of Washington and Idaho.  They have their own medical facilities to provide general and specialized care and 2/3 of their members use these facilities exclusively.  There are in-network doctors at many other locations and out-of-network coverage is reasonably priced.  Research is also conducted at the Group Health Center for Health Studies, having published over 1800 scientific articles since 1983, funded by both private and public grants.

This highly successful co-op is the one example that proves wrong all those who dismiss Conrad’s suggestion as impossible to accomplish, stating that established insurance giants have too much control of the landscape to allow such entities to thrive.  There is some truth there, for instance the state of Iowa passed legislation to encourage the development of health co-ops in 1990 and the one that attempted to open died after two years.  But GroupHealth exists and the question that blares out in my mind is “why is it not in Vermont?!”

Perhaps it is because many Vermonters love medical doctor Howard Dean who believes in the government solution public option, or because many Vermonters love Bernie Sanders who champions single payer.  I believe these are poor leads to follow and that Vermonters need to address their healthcare needs the same way many have addressed their agricultural and banking needs.  I’ll repeat, GroupHealth has 580,000 members, which is just shy of the entire population of Vermont; we need to apply the co-op model to our health system, leaving Montpelier out of it as much as possible and certainly DC completely out of it.  Howard Dean and Bernie Sanders are too far removed from the state and jaded by big government philosophy, it’s time for Vermonters to take care of Vermonters.