Living story sections
For better or worse, we start the June dashboard numbers roundup, with numbers from the Vermont Department of Health and Brattleboro Memorial Hospital with looks at nearby counties in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
You can find the May dashboard reporting here, and the April numbers here.
I was part of the Vermont Peace Movement from 1882 to 1984. A very short time indeed. However it was packed full of intense moments of friendships and activism with David Dellinger (who then lived in Peacham, Vermont) and Abbie Hoffman both of the Chicago 7. We were arrested numerous times during those Nuclear Freeze days of Helen Caldicott. When David Dellinger endorsed Jesse Jackson for President in the 1984 Vermont primary I deeply pondered what it would take to bring about a world where “Imagine All the People Living Life as One”. How do you vote in a change of heart?? So here is another page of my life to consider as once again our country is in the midst of anguish and pain. Thank you, Melevav of the old Common Loaf Bakery, Brattleboro.
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Radical of Radicals – Depth of A Movement
Hundreds of protestors in Brattleboro on Sunday joined in the nationwide protests over the killing of George Floyd.
Lining Main Street from one end to the other on both sides of the streets, were social-distanced people with masks and signs, chanting and singing. This crowd was probably as big if not bigger than the Iraq War protests in 2003.
A sampling of signs:
Black Lives matter
Justice for Floyd
Tonight, over 2000+ Vermonters converged on the Burlington Police Department in protest of the racist murder of unarmed Black man George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis PD. Over the last 48 hours, rebellions & demonstrations have broke out in a multitude of US cities. In Minneapolis citizens overran the police department building where the officers responsible for the killing were based. Violent confrontations have flared between protesters and law enforcement in many urban centers outside Vermont. President Trump has called for looters to be shot, and has threated to mobilize the U.S. military.
In Burlington, the demonstrations were lead by Black Lives Matter. Amongst the many protesters were VT AFL-CIO District Vice President Dwight Brown, AFSCME Local 1343 President Damion Gilbert, and Progressive State Representative Brian Cina (who is also a member of DSA).
Brattleboro Senior Meals Menu June 1 to June 5
IMPORTANT INFORMATION AT THE BOTTOM OF THE MENU
June 1 Franks & Beans
Potato Salad
Cole Slaw
Watermelon
The Brattleboro Recreation and Parks Department is pleased to announce that the Living Memorial Park Pool / Rotary Water Playground will be opening for the season on Saturday, June 20th, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. Priority will be given to Brattleboro Residents and will be open to Non-Brattleboro-Vermont Residents as space allows. Due to COVID-19, the pool schedule, fees, and procedures have been updated.
Pool Reservations: Pool reservations will be taken daily beginning at 10:00 a.m., and reservations can only be taken at the swimming pool by calling (802) 254-6700. Only 25 people including staff will be allowed into the gated area at a time. Please note that only same day reservations will be accepted, and you can only reserve one time slot a day. Additional slots may be available by calling the Pool after 2:30 p.m. When making a reservation you will be required to provide your address, phone number and first and last name of everyone in your reservation party. If all time slots are full you can add your name to the waiting list in case of no shows or cancellations.
There was an unusual demonstration on Putney Road, this past Sunday.
Messages of hope. A number of people in fantasy costumes. Some of the banners and signs had a symbol which I am not familiar with — anyone have any ideas what it is?
As the death toll continues to climb in the U.S. and worldwide during the COVID 19 pandemic, economic and social needs are becoming more of a priority than the prevention of morbidity and mortality. Societies are opening and trying to be as cautious as possible, but even scientifically based efforts and careful monitoring are nothing more than a crap shoot. Every move we make is nothing more than wishful thinking, because we still do not know a lot about the potential of the virus
If you want to stay safe during the coming months the only way to do so is to minimize your contact with other people, wear a face mask in public places and use hand sanitizer liberally. This may sound like the same old mantra and it is, because the COVID 19 virus is still multiplying among us and we have no cure and only supportive treatment for those who contract the virus.
On Memorial Day, after mourning our loved ones, taken away from us by our ruling criminally insane murderous investors in Weapons of Mass Destruction on Wall Street, let us at least indict these pathetic racist colonial powered accumulators of capital in our hearts and minds and look to the day when pale skin bankers will no longer wield such incredible power over the planet and humanity.
On Wednesday, May 27, the State of Vermont will be distributing a large amount of free food in the student parking lot at Brattleboro Union High School from 10a – 2p. Everyone is welcome, you will be asked only the community you are from (this is for Brattleboro and the region around us) and how many people are in your household. You will not be asked names or your financial information.
I stepped out of the rally organizer’s van. It was like stepping into a churning river, the thought flashing through my mind, “I was coming out!” At last, my newly formed convictions of conscientious objection to war and oppression would become known. I was taking a big risk, but the world seemed entrapped in the deathgrip of war and injustice. Stepping up to the microphone I was in full dress military uniform. It was December of 1981 in Southern West Germany and many Germans were wanting to control their destiny.
King cried out “The greatest purveyor of violence in the world is my own government.” Obama’s pastor, “God Bless America? No! God damn America for her crimes against humanity!” Michael Moore, “sick and twisted violent people that we’ve been for hundreds of years, it’s something that’s just in our craw, just in our DNA. Americans kill people, because that’s what we do. We invade countries. We send drones to kill civilians.”
Brattleboro Senior Meals Menu May 25 to May 29
IMPORTANT INFORMATION AT THE BOTTOM OF THE MENU
May 25 CLOSED MEMORIAL DAY
May 26 Beef Stroganoff over Noodles
Glazed Carrots
Peas & Pearl Onions
Oranges
Brooks Memorial Library is part of the Growing Hope Campaign!
Come to the Main Street library entrance from 10AM – 5PM, Monday – Saturday, up a sign that says sunflowers, growing hope, or even a picture of a sunflower and we will give you a packet of seeds for you to plant! You can also request seeds when you order items through our curbside service.
The Growing Hope Campaign is a partnership between Brooks Memorial Library and Building a Positive Community in Brattleboro, to distribute sunflower seeds to people who would like to have some hope growing, wherever they are. You can now get sunflowers from Brooks Memorial Library, with curbside pickup. Packets may also be found at the tiny libraries on Spruce Street, Coombs Street, and near the Oak Grove School. Please let us know if they have run out!
Brattleboro Senior Meals Menu May 18 to May 22
IMPORTANT INFORMATION AT THE BOTTOM OF THE MENU
May 18 Quiche Lorraine
Oven Roasted Potato
Squash
Pears
As the pandemic evolved there seemed to be hope for a unified effort to combat a common enemy. Despite the political polarization in the United States, it did seem possible that we might be able to cast aside some of the “us vs them” mentality to join forces and minimize the death and destruction that the COVID 19 pandemic is causing.
Instead, we have business as usual. The U.S. president is displaying more and more signs and symptoms of progressive mental illness. Everything is about him and, if you don’t agree with his unfounded recommendations about dealing with the virus, then he will punish you by withholding support and supplies from your state.
As the viral pandemic of 2020 reached American shores, certain clear actions were required. Life is worth living, so it must be preserved! Those in positions of public responsibility bear the weight of decision-making. Our survival depends on their just policies. How would human lives be best safe-guarded? How would vital services necessary for our well-being be maintained while simultaneously curtailing public gatherings? A virus needs time to spread from person to person, ensuring its deadly existence.
Brattleboro, Vermont. May 20, 2020 10 -11 am Brattleboro Area Hospice’s Taking Steps Brattleboro (TSB) program will host a zoom Advance Care Planning/Advance Directive Question and answer Information session. If you are interested in attending, please contact Don Freeman by email: don.freeman@brattleborohospice.org or calling 802.257.0775 ext 101 and leave your contact information so that you can receive the emailed zoom invitation and/or telephone call-in number.
Interested people are encouraged to attend this informational session to ask questions about how to complete or update an Advance Directive for healthcare including where do I find the forms, who should be named as an healthcare agent, who do I give the completed form to, and how do I talk with my family about my healthcare wishes if I am unable to speak for myself? Anyone over 18 years old should have a completed Advance Directive. This is the third weekly zoom informational session, which will be held each Wednesday from 10-11 am through June 24, 2020.
I just found a bunch of respirator-style facemasks in my closet. I’don’r even remember how I got them. I’d like to get ‘em out on the street, where they’re needed.
Right now, they are in two boxes, one containing 20, and one with 60 masks. I’d like to sell them in those quantities. Please call me if you can use them.
Vermont dogs and wolf-hybrids 6 months of age and older must be licensed per Title 20, Section 3581(c) of Vermont State Statutes. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all licenses being renewed must be processed through the mail or online at www.brattleboro.org. Alternatively, you may drop your payment and forms in the black lock box in the Municipal Parking lot, attached to the wooden light pole.
Vaccination against rabies is required by Vermont Statutes before licensing. A current vaccination means:
