Opinion

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‘Kill the Messenger’ is a 2014 film based on a true story, the work of journalist Gary Webb in uncovering the circumstances behind the CIA’s, Nicaraguan Contras’, and organized crime’s roles in massive drug trafficking, leading to the early 1980s crack cocaine epidemic. This in turn led to the USA’s over-incarceration binge, which has imprisoned black Americans in numbers vastly out of proportion to their percentage of the general population.

[Gary Webb’s original journalistic revelations in these matters were originally published in the San Jose (CA) Mercury News, and he later compiled them into his 1998-99 book ‘Dark Alliance: the CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion’.]

I’ve been hearing a lot of scary news among the pundits whose screeds populate my news feed in the morning.  Usually they pertain to what horrible things will happen if this or that person (usually Donald Trump or Bernie Sanders) is elected.  This got me thinking about what would happen if any of them were actually to win – as one of them is almost certain to do.

In our latest episode, the election year continues to astound and amaze. Despite some political poker faces and a bit of bluffing, no one yet has a winning hand. About the only thing that can be said with certainty is that no one will really know for some time to come. This will cause heart palpitations for some, but for the rest, it provides us with more time and space for armchair political commentary.

I asked Town Clerk Annette Cappy about some of the lingering questions regarding recount and revotes.

– Are we satisfied with the most recent recount numbers?

Annette Cappy, Brattleboro Town Clerk: I am. The second recount mirrored the election results exactly for both David Gartenstein and Avery Schwenk. Dick DeGray picked up 2 votes. Those results seem very reasonable. Using the tabulators doesn’t necessarily ensure 100% accuracy. There is always a slim margin of error whether using tabulators or counting by hand, which is why the process of recounts is included in the statutes.

Bart Simpson predicts a President Trump – and he’s a disaster!

In the 2000 episode “Bart to the Future,” ‘The Simpsons’ joked that President Lisa Simpson (THAT Lisa Simpson) would inherit a budget disaster from President Donald Trump.

New York, NY — Friday, March 18, 2016 — (SAP: Satirical Amalgamated Press) — Hillary Clinton has announced that she is planning to leave the Democratic Party and join the Republicans.

Faced with the ascendancy of the junior Senator from Vermont, Bernie Sanders, Clinton explained in an interview today that she feels her chances of being nominated her party’s candidate for the presidency will be better among the Republicans.

I was greatly criticized by friends of Jane Sanders for commenting on Facebook that she should improve her wardrobe and leave the “hippy” dresses behind here in Vermont. What incentive would help her to decide to make her wardrobe more upscale? After all, she is the wife of a U.S. Senator; but does her appearance look like a “First Lady”?

What Does Jane “Win” If Her Husband, Bernie Sanders, Wins The Election For President?

For starters, Jane “wins” the First Lady’s Office in the White House!

Curly Haugland, a Republican National Committee member, says the nomination process is pretty straightforward: The party, not the voters, chooses the nominee.In an appearance on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Wednesday morning, Haugland, a North Dakotan and current member of the RNC’s Rules Committee, said that any assumption otherwise is misguided.

“That’s the problem: The media has created the perception that the voters will decide the nomination,” he said. He went on: “Political parties choose their nominee, not the general public, contrary to popular belief.”

Technically, this is true. The nomination is decided by delegates to this summer’s convention, not directly by voters. But it’s probably not a terribly helpful argument to make at a time when Republican establishment types are openly talking about wresting the GOP nomination from Donald Trump at the convention. Trump has said doing so could lead to “riots.”

In order to comply with the Open Meeting Law, this warning is being submitted in anticipation of the BCA’s decision today to proceed with a recount of the March 1 vote. If the recount request is denied or another date and time is chosen, this meeting will be cancelled and another scheduled.

….

BRATTLEBORO BOARD OF CIVIL AUTHORITY
Selectboard Meeting Room
Thursday, March 17, 2016
10:30 AM

Very early in his campaign, around the time he declared it back in mid-May, I wrote to Bernie and said “Avalanches don’t only start with a thunderclap or a gunshot … sometimes they start with a little tiny snowball that starts to form at the very top of the mountain.”The Bernie Sanders avalanche is about halfway down the mountain now, and the few little snowballs, which became many, are just starting to morph into a tremendous cascade.

The post-March-15 primary season will see the American people either part of this avalanche, or else they will see it coming. It will sweep up all in its path. Bernie Sanders and his supporters are a force of nature, and nothing will deny us or defeat us!

The Brattleboro Board of Civil Authority will meet on Wednesday, March 16 at 2:00 p.m. in the Selectboard Meeting Room for the purpose of conducting a hearing and accepting testimony relating to the conduct of the March 10 recount for select board race. If the board determines that any violations of the recount procedures occurred and that they may have affected the outcome of the recount, a new recount shall be ordered.

Bratteboro’s Town Meeting Representatives are having a special meeting today to discuss and vote on the possible move of a police station to the north end of town. Just over 100 representatives are there, and voting begins at 10 am. Results later today.

Sanders can’t win in the south! Clinton can’t win in the north! Cruz is considered a sane alternative to Trump! Kasich just needs Ohio! Rubio will win if he comes in 5th better next time! They’re all nuts!

Our strange election year continues, with polls being terribly inaccurate at times, traditional efforts to stop opponents backfiring, and major media following rather shaping results.

Up is the new down. And quite a few states have yet to weigh in.

A new thread to talk politics through the next big round of primaries.

Brattleboro Town Selectboard will hold a pre-town meeting information forum on Wednesday, March 9 at Academy School beginning at 7:00 PM. At 6:30 p.m., town meeting members of each district will be available to meet with constituents to offer residents an opportunity to share their views and discuss articles to be voted on at the annual meeting.

Also, at that time, district 2 will be accepting nominations to fill a town meeting member vacancy for 1 year. Any District 2 resident interested in being considered for this position should be present at Wednesday’s 6:30PM caucus. Classroom locations at Academy School for each caucus will be posted in the school lobby that evening. The public is invited to attend their district’s caucus and stay for the information meeting.