There were a few priorities that emerged from the net activist meeting we held late last year. One of them was a package of changes to the electoral system. Any hopes for IRV soon foundered after a Burlington mayoral election revealed its shortcomings, allowing opponents to make the perfect into the enemy of the good and sink its prospects. Moving the primary earlier in the year got watered down and ultimately shoved into a corner to die in the House. And nobody even brought up a return to campaign finance reform (though I’m a little more sympathetic there as every attempt gets vetoed or sued into oblivion). In terms of making our electoral system more fair going into the all important election that will determine who holds the redistricting cards, this legislature gets a big fat ‘F’ (okay – the Senate gets big extra credit for passing something – maybe a B-?).

But there were a couple other priorities of the group that I want to honor before putting together another meeting – and with the legislature in recess, now seems like the time.

The big dynamic that works against us in trying to take the Governorship is, as often mentioned, the primary election, coming so close as it does to the general – especially if you feel, as many of us on the left and engaged with the netroots do – that a primary contest is an absolute necessity to put together the voter interest and media attention necessary to win in November, as well as to have an opportunity to choose the best candidate, rather than have one chosen for us by the political illuminati (such as they are) or simply by default. And one way that it hurts us is by leaving little time for raising competitive funding after spending on a primary battle.

So, here’s my solution. I’ve created a Facebook group: 1000 Vermonters for Change. My goal is to get 1000 people to join over the next year – 1000 people who commit to sending a $100 contribution to whoever wins the Democratic primary, the day after the primary election. That’s $100,000 and its a pretty big boost.

Now obviously, this won’t be for those folks who would never support a Democratic candidate. And its not a suicide pact either – if we elect our own Zell Miller, nobody’s gonna show up at your door with a crowbar demanding the cash. Still, it’d be something powerful and meaningful that we could do right now. Folks who give large amounts of money can afford a hundred more. Folks like me who cant afford squat can commit to putting the occasional $5 bill into a jar to build it up to $100 by September of 2010.

It’s not too early to step up to the plate and do this.

Now I know not everyone is on Facebook, but it has such powerful (and growing) viral qualities, that it makes sense to do it there. Here, again, is a link to the group, and I encourage you to join Facebook if you haven’t by clicking here, and then returning to this diary to click on the group link. Send it areound to everyone you know. I’ll put a permanent link on the sidebar and include some banner links soon that can be used for other blogs or personal webpages.

1000 people. In more than a year. We can do this.

(cross-posted from Beyond VSH blog, here)

*Updated*

Food for thought:

“The key to change… is to let go of fear.”

                               — Rosanne Cash

It is high time for change! And, we are it (i.e., the very change we seek), if only we let go of our fears and move ahead together.

A glimpse back, albeit brief, concerning Vermont’s mental health system in order to help in envisioning just how much progress or rather lack thereof has been made thus far:

Week of February 23, 2007

Vermont Guardian

[former statewide weekly newspaper; since retired]

Editorial

Full-time focus

[emphasis mine]

[…]

It’s time for less talk about titles, and glossy blueprints, and more about ways to provide the right care at the right time, and put the patient, not policy, first.

Read the editorial in full and, make certain to note the date or rather year it was originally published (i.e., February 23, 2007), here.

With that duly noted, listen to Vermont Public Radio (VPR) Vermont Edition at noontime today (Tuesday, May 12, 2009) when the show features the following focus at the top of their show after the news (here):

For the second time in a year, the federal government has denied certification to the Vermont State Hospital.  We look into the continuing issues of patient care and building upkeep at the state-run mental health facility.  The continued failure to meet federal guidelines is costing the state close to$10 million a year in lost federal revenue. We check in on the state’s reaction, and on plans for alternatives to the Waterbury hospital.  Our guests include Vermont’s Mental Health Commissioner, Michael Hartman, and Republican State Representative and longtime mental health advocate, Anne Donahue.

One can listen to the show live either locally via radio or online using the VPR audio player or, otherwise, listen after the show has aired and it is posted online afterwards (click onto “listen” within right-hand sidebar on episode page), here.

(episode page includes related informational links at bottom of page)

*Update* Join live blog coverage during the VPR VT Edition broadcast concerning Vermont State Hospital (VSH), here (via Beyond VSH blog; using CoverItLive live blog tool).

*Note*: added link to live blog tool; added change quote & comments; last updated on Tuesday, May 12, 2009 at 4:54 AM (ET).

People tend to have a really myopic perspective. Of everything. I’m just as guilty as the next guy. However, it’s important that we begin to dig deeper to really try to see the truth below the surface. The right/left paradigm always seems to get in the way. Both the right and left are guilty of it. The right cries “Socialism” at every turn while the left dismisses any opposition with accusations of using “right-wing talking points.” We all see problems, many times we agree on the preferred outcome but disagree on the path to get there.

Coming from the right (on most but not all issues) I would like to think that when I talk to people who come from a more progressive or liberal perspective, they truly do not understand that their methods to fix problems contribute to a totalitarian state– be it state, national or global in scope. I’m still stumped as to how one can champion the re-localization movement and yet still somehow look to bureaucracy to fix things. It’s usually bureaucracy that stifles growth and efficiency and because of that innovation.

The efforts to decentralize, re-localize and encourage more local consumption and spending are paramount to a healthy state. However this is no easy feat as our culture has so rapidly spiraled into “buy now, pay later” instant gratification, soul-sucking materialism. For whose benefit? And at whose expense?

Read more here: http://www.campaignforliberty….

{First, a cheap plug for my blog Senate Guru.}

As many of you know, over the last five days, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, in partnership with a number of progressive organizations and blogs including Senate Guru, asked those in the netroots, “Should a Draft Sestak movement be created to take on Sen. Arlen Specter in the Pennsylvania Democratic primary?”

The results are in and they are overwhelming.  85% of Pennsylvanian respondents and 86% of respondents nationally want Democratic Congressman Joe Sestak to challenge Arlen Specter in the 2010 Democratic Senate primary.  The poll has even gotten the attention of Congressman Sestak, as the PCCC points out: “I am honored that so many of you took the time to vote in the recent grassroots Straw Poll. Let me tell you, I and many others were paying attention. If I decide to run it will be in large measure because of the grassroots energy of so many people like you. Until I and my family make that decision, please accept my thanks and my best wishes as you continue be active participants in our people-powered democracy. Thank you so very much!” Due to such an overwhelming response, a Draft Sestak Fund has been created on ActBlue.  To contribute and further encourage Congressman Sestak to enter the race, click on the image below:

If you need any additional motivation to contribute to this effort to draft a real Democrat to oppose Specter in the primary, consider Specter’s actions since announcing his Party switch:

1) Specter opposed the Obama budget.

2) Specter opposed the “cramdown” mortgage/bankruptcy reform, siding with banks over families.

3) Specter reiterated his opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act.

4) Specter reiterated his opposition to President Obama’s nomination of Dawn Johnsen to the Office of Legal Counsel.

5) Specter announced his support for Republican Norm Coleman over Democratic Senator-elect Al Franken in Minnesota’s Senate race.

6) Specter promoted a website that appeared to raise money for cancer research but, in actuality, simply raised money for his campaign.

7) Specter denied reports that he told President Obama that he would be a “loyal Democrat” despite multiple reporters sticking to their story.

The netroots have displayed overwhelming support for Congressman Sestak to take on recently-Republican Arlen Specter.  Help the effort by contributing to the Draft Sestak Fund.

We recently confirmed that filmmaker Heath Eiden will be presenting a screening of his new movie “Dean and Me” at DemocracyFest; July17-19 in Burlington, VT! http://www.DemocracyFest.net

The film is about Howard Dean’s presidential campaign and there is a long list of grassroots people (many from Vermont) featured in the movie…too long to list here, but you can see the list on the film’s website: http://thegrassrootsmovie.com/…

Of coarse, we hope to see you all at DemocracyFest, but if you can’t make it to the event, we hope you will check out the movie when it is released to the public. Kudos to Heath for putting so much time and energy into documenting Dean’s historic grassroots campaign!

"We are in a situation now where it is not only too expensive to live in Vermont, it is too expensive to die in Vermont and now it is too expensive to leave. –Sen. Randy Brock (R-Florida)

They mocked him in the halls of liberalism, but he was right. And the roadsign in Colchester was roundly dismissed as a harmless prank – but they knew, oh god they knew. 

Brock was right. It's too expensive to live – its too expensive to leave – and its too expensive to die. Everyone thought it was a silly comment – even a mind-numbingly dumb thing to say. 

But it was true, heaven help us it was true. All that remains for us from Brock’s equation is pain, suffering, and an eternity as the undead. For gods sake – anyone who reads this – stay away from Vermont… its now really bad for business… oh, god, if only I'd…voted….Republican…. arrrrrrrgghh!!!!!

An AP stringer report is flooding news media across the country. The report claims that the Vermont Democratic State Committee has called Obama “soft” on prosecution of the previous Administration.

Oy.

Nothing like a little lazy journalism to spice up Mother’s Day news reporting.

What we did was ask the Administration to uphold certain legal standards, and to disentangle our country from the civil rights mess left behind by the Bush Administration. Unlike the simplified AP view of the story, we fully accept and understand that (a) the Administration has A LOT on its plate, and (b) they were essentially left a ticking civil-liberties time-bomb by their predecessor.

More, including the full resolution below the fold:

Our Civil Liberties subcommittee has listed laws that appear to have been broken by the previous Administration, and ask the current Administration to avoid certain tactics as cases work their way through the courts. The hope is that this resolution will provide guidance as the Administration feels their way through the dark morass of tangled legal conundrums left behind by the Bush Administration.

We are thrilled to have a smart, committed Democratic President, who is known to listen to well-reasoned arguments, and to take action based on his assessment of those arguments. President Obama has said, sometimes directly, sometimes indirectly, that he needs the grassroots to apply pressure to counter the pressure from the right, to make it easier for him to do his job. This is some of that counter-pressure.

We hope other State Committees will take up similar resolutions.

Resolution Concerning Civil Liberties

Whereas recent disclosures of internal memoranda by officials in the Department of Justice, and reports of independent bodies, such as the International Red Cross and the Senate Intelligence Committee, are beginning to provide a view into the illegal actions of the previous administration;

 
And Whereas the interests of the American people in ensuring that they have a full knowledge and understanding of the activities undertaken in their name, and in ensuring that the United States be restored to its position as a world leader in the furtherance and protection of human rights and civil liberties, can only be served if a full accounting of the activities of the previous administration is done;

Surveillance and Unreasonable Search and Seizure

And Whereas the 4th amendment to the US Constitution states that “the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”

 
And Whereas certain agencies, officials and employees of the U.S. Government are alleged to have engaged in warrantless, unreasonable, and unjustifiable electronic surveillance, without any demonstration of probable cause, in contravention of the 4th amendment;

Suspension of the Writ of Habeas Corpus

And Whereas Article 1, Section 9 of the US Constitution states that “The privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.”

 
And Whereas US certain agencies, officials and employees of the U.S. Government are alleged to have suspended Habeas Corpus rights when there was neither a rebellion nor invasion;

Torture and Legal Prohibitions against Torture

And Whereas the United States is a signatory to the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Forms of Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment (CAT), ratified by the United States in 1992;

 
And Whereas Congress enacted policy giving effect to the CAT;

 

And Whereas certain agencies, officials and employees of the U.S. Government are alleged to have created policies promoting, approved of, and/or engaged in acts of torture, in contravention of the CAT, good intelligence practice, 8th Amendment Constitutional prohibitions against cruel and unusual punishment, and Article 6 which states in part, “This Constitution and the Laws of the United Sates which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the Supreme Law of the land; and the Judges of every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.”

 
And Whereas the CAT prohibits the involuntary transport of individuals to countries where there are substantial grounds for believing the person would be in danger of being subjected to torture, regardless of whether the person is physically present in the United States.

 
And Whereas certain agencies, officials and employees of the U.S. Government are alleged to have created polices promoting, approved of, or engaged in the practice of Extraordinary Rendition, in which persons are captured and then knowingly and intentionally transported to countries where there are substantial grounds for believing the person would be in danger of being subjected to torture;

Sovereign Immunity

And Whereas the current US Presidential Administration and Justice Department have attempted to block or otherwise prevent investigations and prosecutions related to the above alleged illegal activities;

 
And Whereas the previous Administration had adopted a policy and practice of asserting the defense of “sovereign immunity” not only as a defense to civil liability, but also as a means of shielding the administration against legitimate inquiry into the legality of its conduct;

 
And Whereas the assertion of sovereign immunity by the previous Administration has extended far beyond any legitimate interpretation of the defense to shield government officials from liability for actions taken which could not, under any circumstances, have been founded in a good faith belief in the legality of those actions;

 
And Whereas the current Administration has, in pending litigation, indicated its interest in perpetuating and expanding the illegitimate defense asserted by the previous Administration, implying that only if the Government chooses voluntarily to disclose any evidence gathered by illegal means can those who used illegal means to gather said evidence be sued for their illegal actions;

 

Now Therefore, the Vermont Democratic State Committee calls upon the current Administration and Justice Department to cease attempts to block investigations and prosecutions related to said activities, and to cease any and all claims to sovereign immunity for these activities.

Rep. David Zuckerman summed up the prospect of an override on the Governor’s inevitable veto of the recently passed budget (one which, as a political progressive, I would give a C to at best). From the Freeps:

“I voted no because I didn’t like this budget,” he said, noting that one of his objections was an $18 million reduction in the transfer of general tax dollars to the Education Fund. “But I’m fairly certain all the Progressives will vote yes to override because the alternative is an even greater property tax shift.”

The Progressive caucus was not uniform on this vote. It’s always worth noting when the Prog caucus is not uniform on anything this significant, but in this case it underscores the developing context to this budget; as a standalone piece of legislation, its a major let-down. If, though, it provokes a veto that is then overridden, it comes off looking like a perfect balancing act between what lefties might prefer, versus what we could expect to realistically get.

The veto stakes, then, are higher than usual. The momentum for a real power shift in Montpelier is on a precipice, and this override vote will determine whether or not we’re still basically at status quo, or whether there’s a new sheriff in town after all. And the prospects look good, just not great.

A second override of a gubernatorial veto would be huge. First because, up to this session, Douglas hasn’t been overridden once. Second, this wouldn’t be any veto – its the freakin budget – the grandaddy of all veto override votes. And third, coupled with the forward-thinking vote of conscience and leadership that the marriage equality override vote was, the two will couple into a narrative of vision, ethics, pragmatism and power that will have ripple effects into the next election season.

Moderate “democrats” of the Frank Cioffi set (who have not, as Cioffi has, essentially sold their souls in a reputation-restricting manner to Jim Douglas republicans) will organically reconsider their alliance with the Governor, as their confidence in his politically supremacy will loosen. Some may come back.

Also, some constituency organizations and activists who work with the Dem leadership during the session but seem to hardly be able to wait to throw them over for untested politicians or token Republicans will see a newly relevant legislature as newly relevant to their own interests.

Both these dynamics have not insignificant electoral overtones.

And both could be undone by whatever happens between any successful override vote and the end of next year’s session. If successful (and we’ll all have to work hard to make that happen), lawmakers would be well advised not to read their success as a mandate to go further to the economic right, as I suspect some powerful legislators would like to see happen. In fact, it would be a golden opportunity for the usual lefty suspects in the Senate as well as the House to cobble together some sort of little-p progressive sub-caucus, like the one on Capitol Hill.

After all, bargaining collectively is a good and powerful thing everywhere else, no? And can you think of a better way to start building more bridges between the Progs and the Democratic left?

I have no details, but that negotiations were going on all day – not with the Governor, where they broke down, but within the caucus. According to Hallenbeck, at least some of the focus returned to unhappy Dems – particularly over the impact on the education fund and the hit to the Current Use program.  No word on who the 7 non-voters were and why they didn't put their votes where their mouths were. There may be perfectly good reasons, but that is a significant amount.

It seems, though, that House leaders were able to win back over some waverers, so perhaps the tweaks were worth it. I haven't had time to look over it, but below the fold are two documents from the Speaker's office, the first a longish one that summarizes the budget (its in very "go team!" terms, so you have to read through the rhetoric) and another that details the cuts.

More to come, but I want to highlight a couple things. One – the state personnel cuts are far from fully laid out. Most of them are itemized in a $14.7 million line called "State employee savings" under "Other Misc Cuts." This strikes me as a rather crude, even heartless way to write off so many people's livelihoods in such a scary economy. "State employee savings" sounds like a new banking plan, rather than what it really is. "Job reductions" would have been blunter, but less yucky.

Also within is a chart laying out the projected overall tax impacts on different income levels. Yes, the marginal rates are still dropped, but the budget makes the case (as you see below) that overall progressivity of the tax code is enhanced. I'm not sure what these numbers are based on, but hopefully there'll be more information to come.

This will get vetoed, but looking at those numbers, an override may not be out of the question. I'm looking at the "52" number, rather than the "91." It'll be telling to find out which 2 could be persuaded, and who exactly the missing votes are. As I say, if this is enough of a right-left balance within the caucus to override a veto, then all its weaknesses become strengths, and the new House leadership can come out of this smelling like roses after all. We'll see.

The files arrived from the House damaged in some way that's causing me to tear my hair out, so at present I'm forced to save them below as image files, rather than text. 

Now this chart is a bit deceptively selective, as Shay pointed out this morning, along with some background as to who is falling on which side of what:

The leadership’s plan doesn’t take into account the increased taxes people will pay when they buy booze, tobacco, satellite TV, digital downloads and gas – or when it comes time to pay property taxes. Those taxes will go up under the Democrats’ plan. The governor’s original budget, it should be noted, would have raised property taxes by $65 million, and had more layoffs and program cuts, as well as plenty of fee increases (rather than gas taxes) to pay for repairs to roads and bridges.

A number of Progressive lawmakers, and liberal Democrats, do not like many aspects of the legislative leaders’ package – they argue the budget still puts much of the burden on low-income Vermonters, as well as others including the disabled, elderly and children…

…Of the 10 in the Senate who voted against it, five were Democrats: Sens. Doug Racine, Ed Flanagan, and Tim Ashe of Chittenden County joined Dick McCormack (Windsor) and Mark MacDonald (Orange) to oppose the plan.

Documents below:

Warblers are small, insect-eating birds, that are often difficult to identify and a lot of fun to watch.  I’ve managed to “successfully” (in that I have a photo which will definitively ID the bird, not that I necessarily have a good photo) photographed twenty different types of warblers, all in New England.  

The blackburnian warbler on the left is one example of the not particularly successful photographs.  It’s one of the few times I’ve ever seen a blackburnian, and it was when I had a less powerful camera and lens combination (400mm lens, 6.1mp camera at the time; now I have a 500mm w/a 14.2mp camera).  

After the fold, you’ll see a few more photos that are of the poor quality of this one, but most of them are some of my better work, and a few of them are among the best photos I’ve ever taken, such as this blue-gray gnatchatcher:

The blue-gray gnatchatcher (which is not a warbler) is 4.5″ long, and in this photo has nesting material in its mouth.

My base of operation is in Vermont, but these photos spread throughout the surrounding states (though none are more than a few hours away from Southeastern Vermont).

One of the reasons I love trying to photograph warblers is because they present a real challenge while not being impossible, and when you’re lucky, you can get incredibly close to them.

One quick note: all these photos are clickable, leading to larger versions of the photos with details (camera type, location of photo, etc.).

I don’t have time to write up collections of photos that often, so if you want to get regular updates, you can subscribe to my photo alerts, which is announcement only and posts either a daily or weekly (your choice) digest of all my recent additions.

I hope you enjoy the warblers!

Yellow-rumped warblers are among the first to return each Spring and the last to leave:

The yellow rumps are fairly ubiquitous here in Spring, but can stick around well into October.

Black-throated green warblers are really neat to watch.  They’re not common birds for me, but I usually get to see a few every year:

I’ve only ever managed to get one photo of a wilson’s warbler, though I’ve seen them a few times.  Hopefully this year will yield better results:

This Northern Parula was a lot of work, but well worth it:

This magnolia warbler was a great find, and not far from home:

This blackpoll was very tricky to identify (fall warblers throw a lot of people off):

Again with the confusing fall warblers: this one’s a pine warbler, though I wouldn’t know it from the guidebooks alone:

Yellow warblers are just incredibly cute.  These were all taken within a half hour’s ride from home.

American redstarts are extremely difficult to photograph, but I think I did okay here.  This one was in my yard:

Black and white warblers nest in my yard, but I rarely get good photos of them at home.  These are from some of my better birding areas:

Those last two have a funny story behind them– they’re of the same bird.  I was in a wooded area, trying to find a black-throated blue (see next photo), and I have the bird’s call on my cell phone.  I played it to try to see if one would respond.  No Black-throated blue responded, but suddenly this big noise was right above me, chitting away.  It took me some time to realize that it was this black-and-white warbler that apparently didn’t like me being there.  Not only did it chide me the whole time I was photographing it, it followed me for about 20′, continually chiding me the whole time.

The black-thraoted blue warbler is one I spent a lot of time trying to get good photos of before I found this one:

I rarely find prairie warblers, but when I do, I always try to get a good photo:

All my experiences with prarie warblers are in Maine, though I know one was spotted in VT last week.

Common yellowthroats are, well, common, but they’re still a lot of fun to photograph:

I’ve never seen a Nashville warbler close to home; my only sightings of them are further north (Maine & Northern VT & NH).  This is one of the better Nashville photos I’ve gotten:

This is probably one of the best palm warbler photos I’ve ever taken:

This blue-winged warbler is the latest addition to my warbler collection.  It was a lot of work to track down, but worth it.  We first heard it and tried to find it, but it kept diving into bushes and I kept just not getting the photo.  After about 20 minutes, it just flew overhead and landed in a nearby tree, and I finally got the shot I wanted of it:

This chestnut-sided warbler was also really tricky to find, but vigilance paid off.  These are extremely small and fast-moving birds, but sometimes they will stay still for a moment or two:

This is the one and only time I’ve ever photographed a canada warbler.  Eventually I will do better:

Ovenbirds are not uncommon, but I’ve only ever managed to get this one photo of one:

I still don’t have photos of waterthrushes (Louisiana or Northern) and the mourning warbler constantly eludes me, but I live in hope.