Opinion

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Brattleboro Petitions, Election Schedule, and Consent of Candidate Form for March Elections Now Available

by Not Signed In | Politics

Petitions for Brattleboro Town Officers, Windham Southeast School District (WSESD) Board Members, and Town Meeting Members are now available at the Town Clerk’s office.  Town elections will be Tuesday, March 1 at the American Legion, and the Annual Representative Town Meeting will begin on Saturday, March 19, location and format will be announced at a later date.

Petitions for Town Officers and WSESD Board Members must contain at least 30 valid signatures of registered Brattleboro voters and be filed in the clerk’s office no later than 5:00 P.M. on Monday, January 24 in order to have their name placed on the ballot.

Candidacy for Brattleboro Town Meeting Moderator

by DavidGartenstein | Politics

I will be a candidate to be elected Brattleboro Town Meeting Moderator.

A lawyer by trade, I have worked for 17½ years at the Windham County State’s Attorney’s Office prosecuting serious felony and other cases.  My municipal service in Brattleboro includes 6 years on Selectboard with 4 years as chair, 3 years on the High School Board, 2½ years on Town School Board, 9 years on Development Review Board with 5 years as chair, and being a Town Meeting representative.

U.S. Representative Peter Welch Announces Candidacy for United States Senate

by Not Signed In | Politics

BURLINGTON, Vt. — U.S. Rep. Peter Welch on Monday announced he is running for U.S. Senate. Welch called on Vermonters to join him in fighting for a progressive agenda in the Senate.

“We are at a pivotal moment,” Welch said. “Vermont families are struggling through multiple crises: a global pandemic, the consequences of climate change, and a racial reckoning generations in the making. The result of this election will determine control of the Senate and with it, what we can accomplish for Vermont families. If Vermonters elect me to the U.S. Senate, I will be ready to fight for progressive change on day one.”

Vermont Senator Leahy To Retire

by cgrotke | Politics
Senator Leahy

Senator Leahy just announced that he will not be seeking another term as Senator for Vermont.

He went to the Vermont Statehouse to deliver his speech this morning. He recapped his career highlights and things he was especially proud of over the years. Helping Vermonters, especially for women and children, agriculture, protecting the Constitution, the Violence Against Women Act, protections for LGBTQ and Native Americans, civil liberties, judicial nominations, Small State Minimums, and federal funds for Vermont.  He mentioned his wife Marcelle often.

How Would Americans Feel if Bombed & Invaded by Their Veterans Like 13 Smaller Countries Were?

by jay janson | Op/Ed

If Americans could only imagine what it was like for the citizens of thirteen much smaller nations to have been bombed and invaded by the American veterans who are celebrated on Veterans Day in the USA every November 11.

How would Americans take its own countryside being high altitude carpet bombed the way Laos, South Vietnam, North Vietnam and Cambodia suffered? What if twice the amount of bombs dropped in Europe, Asia and Africa during the Second World War, were dropped on the United States of America over a 15 year period like was done to Vietnam? – if USA were invaded over the same period by of a superpower army of up to a half-million better armed soldiers with tanks and napalming air support?

Brattleboro Budget Process – A Look Back 20 Years

by cgrotke | Op/Ed

The Brattleboro Selectboard has begun budget season. It’s the time of year when citizens should speak up if they want something funded or defunded. 

It’s also the time of year Representative Town Meeting Reps should be paying close attention, attending meetings, asking questions, and sharing information they learn with those they represent.

It’s quite easy to do nowadays, but wasn’t always this way. The current board likes to mention that they have traditions and that things are done a certain way, but that’s only been the last few years.

More Goals For The Brattleboro Selectboard To Consider

by cgrotke | Op/Ed

The Selectboard was reviewing and adding to their goals at their most recent meeting. There are a few more items they should take up:

End Weigher of Coal Position

This is just embarrassing in 2021. Brattleboro should rid itself of any mention of coal. It’s such an easy thing to do.  Town Managers since Barb Sondag have promised to get this done. All it takes is sending an article to Representative Town Meeting.

Nuclear War is Being Planned! Henry George & Thorstein Veblen Warned War Is Capitalism’s End Game

by jay janson | Op/Ed

Preparations for nuclear war have been in the news, even mainstream news, more than just occasionally:

NATO unveils master plan to defeat Russia in nuclear war, Voice of London, UK., October 23, 2021 [1]

America’s failed weapons test shows Washington is currently hopelessly outgunned by Beijing in the race for hypersonic supremacy International Journal, Oct. 22, 2021 [2]

China says new hypersonic missile a blow to US ‘strategic superiority,’ New York Post, Oct. 17, 2021 [3]

This writer is puzzled by the absence of fear of nuclear war as a topic of concern.

Tax Retail Sales, Churches, Corporations to Reduce Consumer Carnage Holidays

by Vidda | Op/Ed

Holidays are lethal. The undue stress of celebrating holidays wrecks the health of our little golden biosphere. Holidays are also not necessary for our personal well-being, and, in some cases, they are stressful and unhealthful to too many people.

Since the turn of the 20th Century when southern soft drink brands started using Santa Claus as an advertising ploy to increase soda sales in the northern winter markets, the lethal nature of human holidays has been tearing earth’s resources asunder.

Oscar Wilde said, “Give me the luxuries, anyone can have the necessaries.” Even Oscar Wilde would agree today that consumer carnage holidays are a luxury we can no longer afford. The fact that too many of the holidays are religious-based means nothing in the context of people hell-bent on the self-destructive nature of continuing holidays.

Foreseen! A Celebrities Led Movement To Halt USA Nuclear War Preparations

by jay janson | Op/Ed

USA Congress plans to spend a $1.5 trillion on improved nuclear weapons! [1]

“If We Don’t End War, War Will End US,” [2]

Twenty years after the end of the Cold War there are at least 23,000 nuclear warheads still in existence, with a combined blast capacity equivalent to 150,000 Hiroshima bombs. The U.S. and Russia together have over 22,000, and France, the UK, China, India, Pakistan and Israel around 1,000 between them.

Cannabis is Coming – Will Town Taxpayers be the Losers?

by Timmy | Op/Ed
cannabis

As some may already know, I was appointed by the Vermont Senate to represent municipalities’ interests on the Cannabis Control Board’s Advisory Committee. While I wouldn’t claim to have the level of “expertise in municipal issues” that some other longer-serving Selectboard members in Vermont might have, I feel that my past work advocating for the rights of towns, cities and villages does give me some insights, and I’m doing my best to represent local taxpayers during many rapid deliberations over the shape of the upcoming retail cannabis marketplace.

I want to make very clear my opposition to a hastily made decision by one of our sub-committees, the Market Structure, Licensing, Taxes and Fees Sub-Committee, without reasonable input taken and considered from the Vermont municipalities. This committee has evidently already voted to “cap” what local town clerks can charge for a cannabis license to $100 yearly, a laughable amount considering the fact that the state portion of yearly fees being currently considered are between $5,000 and $10,000.

How About ‘Taking a Knee’ Against USA’s Infamously Greater Racist Homicide in Other Peoples Countries?

by jay janson | Op/Ed

The ‘Taking a Knee’ Phenomenon Shows Celebrities have extraordinary power to influence public protest against injustice.

The wide spread effectiveness of the ‘Taking the Knee’ phenomenon is proof that celebrities have extraordinary power to influence public action in protest of social injustice

(This would seem to imply, by the way, that a celebrity’s power to influence brings a higher level of citizen responsibility to speak out – yet so few do.)

Gary Stroud FWD ABC News: Young People Highly Stressed From Government Inaction On Climate

by Kurt Daims | Op/Ed

Here is disturbing information to show how serious the climate emergency is for youth, our communities and the world. People should take a hard look at this and take action. Not knowing what to do is not an option. The people need to to take action NOW. Be SAFE. Be well. Be Warned. Leave your thoughts below.

Here is a link to the article:

Vermont AFL-CIO: Vote The United Slate – Van Deusen For President – Brown For Executive VP – Working Class Power!

by David Van Deusen | Op/Ed

As we near the 2021 Vermont AFL-CIO Annual Convention (September 18 & 19 at Jay Peak, Northeast Kingdom) I again ask our 11,000+ Union members to support the full United! slate in our internal elections, including Ron Schneiderman (UFCW) for VP At-Large, Danielle Bombardier (IBEW) for Secretary-Treasurer, Dwight Brown (AFSCME) for Executive Vice President, and myself, David Van Deusen (AFSCME) for re-election to the office of President of our State Labor Council.

Since United! took power in 2019 (and again swept elections in 2020) we have transformed the Vermont AFL-CIO into the most progressive State Labor Council in the United States. Through United! we have also seen the Vermont Labor Movement invigorated with our rank & file taking an active part in Conventions and Political Summits (COPE) at levels not seen in decades. Over the last two years:

What? A World Boycott of US Products Until US Stops Its Embargo of Cuba and Leaves Guantanamo?

by jay janson | Op/Ed

A Half-century Long Brutal USA Embargo Against Tiny Cuba! 184 Nations Vote For its End & Against US & Israel

NEW YORK, June 23 (Reuters) –

‘U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration continued Washington’s tradition of voting against an annual United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for an end to a U.S. economic embargo on Cuba.

The resolution was adopted for the 29th time with 184 votes in favor, three abstentions and two no votes – the United States and Israel. The U.N. vote can carry political weight, but only the U.S. Congress can lift the more than 50-year-old embargo.’

No Government Besides Israel Supports US Embargo

Taliban Falsely Called an Insurgency! Taliban Was the Government of Afghanistan When USA Invaded in 2001

by jay janson | Op/Ed

Taliban WAS the Government of Afghanistan for 4 Years When USA Invaded & Put in a Drug Lord Regime and For 20 Years the Taliban Continued To Govern Half of Afghanistan Outside the Cities and Coalition Military Bases

Chronology:
1978, Afghani King overthrown. Popular women liberating Socialist gov. installed in Kabul.
July,1979, Prez Carter secretly funds its overthrow by fundamentalist war lords.

Who Told a US President to Nuclear Bomb Women and Children? Watch Out! They Might Do It Again!

by jay janson | Op/Ed

Shall we understand that US crimes against humanity, including the use of nuclear weapons on civilians in cities, have been committed in a democracy and under a democratic system of government? Or shall we realize that the source of all this continuing genocidal mayhem and nuclear threat are the wealthy and powerful investors in war headquartered mainly on Wall St. in New York City, who own and control the government.

The Selectboard Is Perfect. Or Maybe The Representative Town Meeting Is A Rubber Stamp

by Kurt Daims | Op/Ed

The people must make RTM representative and creative, to insure RTM represents the people and looks beyond the money and infrastructure concerns of the selectboard. Join your neighbors.

At the 2021 RTM the selectboard assigned twenty-five articles for the RTM to consider. Many times the debate ended before everyone was finished, and all twenty-five were approved with huge majorities, many above 90% . Does this mean the selectboard is perfect, or does it mean the RTM is an uninformed rubber-stamp ?

At a recent selectboard candidate forum there was a show of hands of people who had read the town charter, and hardly anyone in the audience raised a hand. The surprise was that some people campaigning and on the selectboard had not read the charter, either.

Big Bucks – A Trillion

by tomaidh | Economics

A trillion is a million million.1,000,000,000,000. That’s a 1 followed by 12 zeros. The entire US economy (GDP) is 21 trillion dollars.

On September 10, 2001, then U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld disclosed that his department was UNABLE TO ACCOUNT FOR roughly $2.3 TRILLION worth of transactions. The next day, the U.S. sustained the terrorist attacks that changed the world, and this startling revelation was forgotten.