Opinion

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.

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.

The selectboard of a small town is one of the most unique aspects of democracy. There are many similarities between a selectboard member and a state representative or senator as well as a federal politician, but I think the level of accountability on the most local of levels is unique.

I have only been in the selectboard position for six months and I am trying to understand what accountability means. We have meetings where the people who live in our community can come and face us directly and question and criticize us. They have access to us by phone, e-mail and perhaps, most importantly, on the street.

We do not travel somewhere to do our political business and we engage in our community on a daily basis. People learn to recognize us and feel comfortable engaging in conversation whenever they see us. This is about as pure as democracy gets.

Dear Brattleboro Voter,

You will be receiving an absentee ballot in the mail for the November 5, 2024, General Election. The State of Vermont will be mailing ballots during the week of September 23. The local Justice of the Peace ballot will be on the reverse side. 

If you have not received your ballot by October 7, please contact our office at 802-251-8157 or townclerk@brattleboro.gov. Otherwise, please wait for your ballot to arrive.