Politics section
Interesting story at The American Prospect – they are disclosing all of the names of the members of the Democratic National Committee:
Opening the DNC’s Black Box
Why we’re publishing a previously undisclosed list of all 448 members of the Democratic National Committee
The story says that members of the DNC generally don’t have contact information for other members, intentionally, so that they can’t organize:
On Wednesday, Isaac Evans-Frantz submitted to the Brattleboro Town Clerk 120 petition signatures to appear on the ballot for Brattleboro Selectboard. That is 4 times the amount needed by law to get on the ballot. By the end of the day the town clerk had confirmed that Isaac will in fact appear on the ballot for a one-year position. The election is March 4 at the American Legion.
“Brattleboro faces major nationwide challenges – an opioid crisis, a housing shortage, a growing gap between the wealthiest and poorest people, and a climate emergency,” Isaac said. “Brattleboro needs a new leader who will help make our town safe, affordable, and welcoming for all.”
Advocates and social service agencies that support homeless people are preparing for funding battles over the next four years that they know they are very likely to lose. With Republicans in control of the federal government, we can expect to see cuts to programs and a general stigmatization of homeless people as mentally ill substance abusers who should be herded into programs that should help them.
It is a false construct. Most people have come to realize that when Republicans say that homeless people need to seek out mental health support first, that the power brokers really don’t care what happens to them. The power brokers know that there are never enough people or programs to support homeless people with mental health and substance abuse issues.
BRATTLEBORO – On a blustery cold Saturday, December 14, standing with supporters in front of the Brattleboro Post Office on Main Street, Isaac Evans-Frantz announced his campaign for a one-year seat on the Brattleboro Selectboard. The election will be on March 4, 2025. Seeing the other side of the street bathed in warm sunshine, while he and his supporters shivered in the shade, Evans-Frantz invited everyone to move toward the light and quickly regroup across Main Street for speeches, songs, and distribution of campaign materials.
“During the coming difficult years,” Evans-Frantz, who was born and raised in Brattleboro, said, “Brattleboro needs a new leader who will stand up for all of us. The current selectboard has made decisions contributing to a potential 22% increase in property taxes. Most of our incomes are not increasing by anywhere near this amount. In a year where calls to the police for serious crime increased by 16%, the selectboard passed an ordinance that would fine building owners when some residents report crimes. The current selectboard, left unchecked, risks making life harder — and less safe – for people in Brattleboro.”
There are a lot of evil, power-intoxicated people ruling countries all over the world. With the imminent ascension of a new evil person in our own country I was prompted to do some research to see if my fears of a world dominated by dictators and oligarchs might be closer to reality than most people realize.
Consider this. According to the United States Institute of Leadership and Diplomacy, “There are currently 49 dictatorships and authoritarian regimes in the world (21 in Africa, 18 in Asia, 7 in the Middle East, 1 in Europe and 2 in Americas). We define a dictator as the ruler of a land rated “Not Free” by the Freedom House in their annual survey of freedom.” That number was reduced to 48 with the fall of Assad in Syria, but who knows what kind of government will replace him?
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 4 at the American Legion, located at 32 Linden St., Brattleboro, VT 05301.
Annual Representative Town Meeting will begin on Saturday, March 22, 2025 at 8:30 a.m. in the BUHS Gymnasium.
Does Equal Protection Under The Law Require All People With Similar Federal Criminal Convictions To Be Pardoned, Just Like President Biden Pardoned His Son, Hunter Biden?
President Joe Biden pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, for alleged federal tax and federal gun related crimes. Now, shouldn’t President Joe Biden pardon ALL people in prisons in the United States of America for the same or very similar Federal crimes?
Are you a Vermonter who winters in Florida? Wanna have some fun? Remember many years ago in 2000 when Hillary Clinton was a carpet bagger from Arkansas to New York, and she ran for office in NY and won? Are you a Democrat who lost the Nov. 5th, 2024 election in Vermont and you’ve been thinking of hiding your head in the sand? How about Florida?
It’s quite clear that the incoming president intends to dismantle as many established institutions as he can. When you consider the people he has nominated for his cabinet it is impossible to find anyone who is even remotely qualified for the job. My first reaction was laughter, but when I gave it more thought I realized that we are witnessing the creation of a puppet government.
If you want to destroy existing government the best thing to do is to hire incompetent people to help run it. These people are so weak, in terms of character as well as qualification, that Trump will be able to have complete control over them. They are all sycophants and they have made it clear that they will do whatever their master requires of them. They all owe him big time.
Of all of the nominations, a few stand out as particularly dangerous. Matt Gaetz has been accused of inappropriate relationships with minors and of having a habit of drug abuse. The House Ethics Committee was investigating him but once Trump nominated him for Attorney General he quit the House and that ended the investigation.
Now, more than ever, is a time for those of us who are experiencing difficult emotions to move on. It is not that easy, but if we let immoral, unethical and brain-dead people climb into our consciousness then we will lose whatever sanity we have. It is a new world and we have to find ways to protect ourselves from things that should not be.
I am finding a great deal of comfort in being around people who are feeling the same things as I. We do not have to speak directly about what has happened to our psyches and we can indulge in activities that create distractions for us. It is almost the same as someone who has experienced a traumatic event and who finds comfort in being around those who have experienced the same thing.
Good evening,
Please see attached for the “unofficial results” for Brattleboro’s General election. These are the results from the ballot tallies, not including write-in votes, and not including other towns’ results for the State and Federal races.
Thanks to the amazing poll workers and the American Legion who made today possible! The day was smooth and safe, with a lot of voters casting their ballots both early/absentee, and in-person today!
Thank you,
Hilary
Video below….
Federal Law requires nearly all male US citizens and male immigrants, 18 through 25, register with Selective Service.
https://www.sss.gov/
There are two possible scenarios that could play out after the November 5 election that are causing a lot of anxiety for a lot of people. Then there is one outcome that would ease some of the psychic pain many of us have been feeling and that is the election of Kamala Harris as President.
A Harris win would mean that the specter of fascism and rule by a deranged egomaniac would not happen. But what worries me is that there are so many Americans who have bought into the evil plans that Trump has proposed for this country. If Trump loses I don’t think that he will walk away with his tail between his legs and quietly drift off into the sunset. His ego is too big and his need for recognition is too great. He will seek out a new way to spew his poison to anyone who will listen.
There is a plan (Project 2025) in place for the Trump cabal to totally restructure American government if he wins, and I think the people who crafted this insane plan will find a way to at least keep the issues alive even if they cannot take the reins of the federal government. They are already working to push their agenda in states in the same way they are trying to make abortion illegal.
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2024-election-forecast/ is the current home of 538, Nate Silver’s project to provide statistical insight into politics and specifically the electoral college.
On Sunday the forecast was 52% Trump, the first forecast I’ve seen favoring him. Just now, 50-50, hence this post.
538 started forecasting in 2008 and has been rather good. In 2008 Obama was 90% late and in the last few days became 99%; nonetheless they did not see Indiana turning blue. In the 2016 election Trump was given 11-16% until the last few days when it screamed up to 24%–when working with chess engines the trending can be more important than the evaluation, and I think that’s what happened then.
In the light of Trump’s most recent campaign shenanigans, seemingly more outré each day- foul language, falling asleep, working the fryer, false accusations, disquisitions on phallus size, dance performance- this on top of his long string of unusual practices- mocking disabled people, belittling war victims, sexual assaults, absconding with secret documents, etc…it occurs to me this display clearly derives from the archetype of the Trickster.
The Trickster appears in various guises in almost all cultures throughout history. Shape shifting, boundary busting, upsetting the status quo by way theft, subversion, unorthodox behavior, inexplicable alliances, and undermining established morality. There’s always an element of twisted humor; Bugs Bunny, the Joker, Brer Rabbit, Loki, the incarnations are varied and always idiosyncratic, the energy irrepressible and unpredictable.
Below and attached is information that might be helpful to know for the November 5, 2024 General Election.
Fill Out Your Ballot
All active registered voters in Vermont were automatically mailed a ballot in early October. Please make sure to follow the instructions provided with your ballot, including:
Signing the certificate envelopeand ensuring your ballot is insidethe certificate envelope.
Using ablack pen to mark your ballot.
Do NOT use a markeras it can bleed through to the back of your ballot, requiring a replacement ballot.
If you have not received your ballot, or if you have any questions about your ballot, please contact the Town Clerk’s Office at 802-251-8157. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
It has been a year of continuous warfare in the Middle East. The spark that started the conflagration happened when Hamas killed 1200 Jews in a bold and ruthless attack. Many of the hostages they took a year ago have either died or not been heard from and families of the hostages are living in a constant state of frustration.
Israel responded to the attack predictably and over 41,000 Palestinians have been killed and much of Gaza has been destroyed. The Israeli bombing of Gaza continues and over 1.9 million people (90% of the population) have been displaced from homes that no longer exist. Famine and disease are daily reminders of just how hopeless the situation is for Palestinians.
Most of the leaders of the civilized world have been calling for a cease fire in Gaza but their pleas and diplomatic efforts are falling on deaf ears.
It has been impossible to craft a deal acceptable to Hamas and the Netanyahu government.
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders has promoted a Medicare for All bill starting in 2017, re-introduced in May 2024, and it has not passed.
Write-in candidate, Cris Ericson for U.S. Senator, discusses Bernie’s bill and how she would amend it so it will pass.
The big hang up is money, honey. Where does money come from? It doesn’t come from the United States Senate, those fine folks just vote to spend it!
So, where does money really come from? Cris Ericson discusses the United States Treasury and how they manufacture money by the billions.
November election ballots arrived in the mail and there are some candidates that are lesser known. I know many of you are going to vote for one of the two major party candidates, but it doesn’t hurt to see what those other folks would like to do. Here’s your guide to the other names and parties on the ballot, and issues they care about.
Claudia de la Cruz and Karina Garcia, Socialism & Liberation
“End Capitalism before it ends us. We will end the rule of the billionaires once and for all” is the big message of the “Vote Socialist” campaign site homepage. Their plan:
