Opinion

For opinion pieces on any topic.

Was Hillary Clinton Wearing An Ear Piece During the House Select Benghazi Hearing and Being Provided Answers?

by CrisEricson2016 | Politics

If Hillary Clinton was wearing a hidden ear piece during the House Select Benghazi Hearing on October 22, 2015, and if someone was giving her answers through the ear piece, so that in effect, the answers were not her own; is that wire fraud?  Is it fraud?  Is it acceptable in this day and age for any person in any type of federal hearing to wear an ear device and have their answers provided to them by someone the person doing the questioning can not see?

Is the American public so used to political candidates who are entirely dependent on others to write their speeches and set up teleprompters for them, so that the candidate is really merely a puppet, that the public just shrugs at the idea that Hillary Clinton might be wearing an ear piece and that her answers are not actually her own ideas, her own thoughts, but someone else’s?

He’s (Not) In.

by KAlden | Politics

So, Joe Biden is running. I’m somewhat surprised – I thought he might feel that his family couldn’t take the stress and drama of a campaign so soon after the death of his son. I’m sure he and his family were torn about the decision.

I like Biden. Despite him having to constantly remove his foot from his mouth. Or maybe because of it.

Not sure yet where he’ll fall in the Hilary/Bernie dynamic in terms of voter support. I’d vote for him over Hilary.

The race just got a little more interesting.

The Sign of the Cross – Cristo Crucificado

by Vidda | Op/Ed

Why anyone should wonder that Americans are such a violent society is beyond me. Most of us grew up in everyday sight of Christian crosses.

And, because the cross became such a ubiquitous object of worship and veneration, society is blinded by a whitewash of respect for it.The incredibly brutal graphic depiction of the crucifixion, real or imagined, is with us every day of our lives as an ever-present reminder of the violence woven into the consciousness of our social fabric.

The story behind the cross represents a literal pictogram of the worst characteristics of human nature.

Team Democrat

by Lise | Politics

The recent presidential debate gave us a chance, finally, to see all the Democratic candidates on the same stage, defining their positions and their differences. Although I’m pretty sure already who I’m voting for, I’m not sure it was possible to declare a clear debate winner. If you viewed this as an undecided, which I’ve tried to some extent to do, Hillary was good but clearly well-rehearsed while Sanders was himself but not rock solid. The other three candidates, Chafee, Webb, and O’Malley, had their strengths and weaknesses in varying measure. But there was no big moment, no knockout punch. I came away thinking that adherents of different flavors of “left” would come to different conclusions about who did best.

But although there was no decisive victory for any one candidate, the debate gave us a chance to look at some options, displaying more diversity than might have been expected among five members of the same political party. To our benefit, this played out in some marked differences of opinion and a few strange bedfellows.

Usual US Criminal Insanity! Presidential Heroes of Mostly Children Genocide in Vietnam? John Kerry’s Ass

by jay janson | Op/Ed

TEXT:
During the CNN Democratic Presidential Debate, yesterday millions of simple-minded Americans listen to the now time worn touting of various candidates as heroes, for having “fought for their country in Vietnam.” 
 
Here is what former Democratic candidate for President and present Secretary of State John Kerry testified about the American war in Vietnam before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1971.

“Because We Say So”

by spinoza | Politics

This paragraph jumped off the page while I was reading from Chomsky’s new(ish) collection of essays.

“Elections are run by the public relations industry.  It’s primary task is commercial advertising, which is designed to undermine markets by creating uninformed consumers who will make irrational choices- the exact opposite of how markets are supposed to work, but certainly familiar to anyone who has watched television. “

Published this year, by City Lights.

In UN of Appearances Latin Americans Don’t Call for Nuremberg Prosecution – In 2009 Gaddafi Did

by jay janson | Op/Ed

DESCRIPTION:
Though Argentina Bolivia Cuba Ecuador Venezuela and Nicaragua condemned US wars and murderous exploitation during this year’s UN Gen. Debate, they as other delegates, lamented the current deplorable condition of today’s world of death and destruction, of poverty and starvation calling for everyone to work to rectify the situation. No delegate even once called for justice through prosecution. Gaddafi UN speech quoted.

Iran and Appeasement at UN General Debate Also No Call for Justice via Nuremberg Prosecution of US

by jay janson | Op/Ed

DESCRIPTION:
Article is in regard to the address of  President Hassan Rouhani of Iran before the UN General Assembly during its 2015 General Debate, the general atmosphere of appeasement during the debate, and an unwillingness, even by delegates of nations bombed and invaded by US or NATO, to uphold the UN Charter that contains the Nuremberg Principles of international law.  Part of a series of articles on the UN General Debate.

TEXT:
This article is in regard to the address of  President Hassan Rouhani of Iran before the United Nations General Assembly during its 2015 General Debate (9/28/2015), the general atmosphere of appeasement during the debate, and an unwillingness, even by delegates of nations bombed and invaded by US or NATO, to uphold the UN Charter that contains the Nuremberg Principles of international law.

30,000 Murdered in Argentina while Pope Francis Was Top Jesuit – Millions While Pius XII Was Pope

by jay janson | Op/Ed

DESCRIPTION:
Pope’s visit, blown up to super large proportions, a media inculcated impression that God’s representative on planet Earth is blessing America as its investors in profitable use of US Armed Forces go on destroying nations and peoples.  Article not intended merely to unmask the Pope we are being hyped about, but to show the Papacy has long been an instrument of the wealthy who brutally misrule most of humanity

Double Header In Nearby Massachusetts

by tomaidh | Politics

Richard D. Wolff and Naomi Klein are both appearing in Mass next Tuesday, September 29th. (Wolff, Amherst @ 4pm & Klein, Mt. Holyoke @ 7pm)

It’s possible to see them both.

Anybody want to accompany me? 257-1829

Where Have All The Comments Gone? The Participation Problem

by cgrotke | Op/Ed

A few people have noted that iBrattleboro commenting has dropped off a bit recently and wondered why. Usually, iBrattleboro follows the general trends in town, and Brattleboro as a whole has seen community participation dropping off for some time now.

Few people run for the selectboard or school boards, and town meeting struggles to find representatives. Public participation at selectboard and school board meetings is minimal. Few people commented publicly on major zoning changes being debated. Parents barely batted an eye when Common Core was implemented.

Food drives and non-profit fundraising efforts struggle to meet goals. Citizens haven’t been motivated to hold fundraising events for needed police and fire facilities. Skatepark fundraising efforts are quiet. And so on.

What If UNICEF’s Djokovic-Novak Said Survivors of US Bombings Deserve Justice and the Guilty Punished?

by jay janson | Op/Ed

What a bombshell it was when Martin Luther King called his government “the greatest purveyor of violence in the world!” – large bold headlines in every newspaper all around the world. Now, nearly a half century later, and tens of millions of additional innocent human beings, a third of them children, slaughtered to protect the super wealthy’s mostly white capitalism, as it continues profitable exploitation of all humanity, what If a few world famous celebrities listened to their conscience and spoke up as King did?

In Support of Panda North

by JohnWilmerding | Op/Ed

A variation of my letter shown below appeared in the Brattleboro Reformer on Thursday. I was responding to a local resident calling for a boycott of Panda North. I would like to ask my friends and neighbors to show support for this fine family-owned restaurant whose owners and staff have been respectful of us and served us for 27 years, and have not been “disrespectful” as the previous letter-writer had suggested. These folks should not suffer because of mis-information.

Please continue to patronize Panda North … after more than a quarter-century here, they deserve our support.

Pulverization! Sept. 11 Was An ‘Inside’ Job

by Vidda | Op/Ed

Fifteen years later I still have the same thoughts about the events of 9/11 I’ve had from the beginning.Since I lived in New York City most of my adult life, I have an intimate view of the original Trade Towers. The immensity of them was something you had to see in person. Photos can give you an idea of their size, but not as well as standing under them, being inside of them or on the observation deck of the South Tower.

Towers 1 and 2 were built to withstand multiple Boeing 707 impacts. By 1973 both towers were fully constructed.

Progressive Party Organizing Meeting

by spoon | Politics

Official warning:  All Progressive Party voters in the town of Brattleboro, in the county of Windham, are hereby notified, in accordance with 17 VSA # 2303, to meet in caucus on Monday, September 21, 2015 at 145 Green Street, Brattleboro at 6 PM.

     The agenda is:

         1.  Election of the Town of Brattleboro Committee

         2.  Election of Officers by the Town Committee

Supporting Iran Nuclear Deal, Sanders Cites Lessons from War in Iraq

by Not Signed In | Politics

WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 – In a Senate floor speech later today, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will detail his support for an agreement to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. In prepared remarks, Sanders likened critics of the agreement to those in Congress who voted to take the United States to war in Iraq in 2003.

“Those who have made every effort to thwart the diplomatic process and have spoken out against the Iran agreement, including many in this chamber, are the same people who spoke out forcefully on the need to go to war with Iraq,” Sanders said.

“I voted against the war in Iraq. Sadly, much of what I feared in fact did happen. I do not want to see it happen again.”

Candidates For Vermont Governor

by cgrotke | Politics

I’ve been noting presidential candidates, but we also have an upcoming race for Vermont Governor. So far as I can tell, six people have annouced their intention of running for the state’s highest office. It is your challenge to learn about them and report what you learn here so others can benefit. Become a local correspondent for the VT race.

In alphabetical order, to get you started:

Stock Market Volatility and The Little Guy

by Lise | Economics

About six weeks ago, even those of us who are barely paying attention started to hear ominous reports out of China. The stock markets in the world’s second largest economy had taken a turn for the worse and were shedding value to an alarming degree – 7% one day, 8% another, to the tune of a whopping 35% by the time Black Tuesday rolled around. This occurred despite continual action on the part of the Chinese government since May to shore them back up or at least stop the bleeding. Market turbulence had set in and the central banks of that country seemed powerless to stop it. Watching all this from half a world away, the big question on everyone’s mind became: when is this going to hit us? On August 21, 2015, it did.