Op/Ed

I have always considered myself to be a zionist. It seemed fair to me that the Jews of the world ought to have a homeland and that a logical place for it would be the place described in the bible as the home of their predecessors: the Hebrews.

 I knew many Palestinians when I lived in Saudi Arabia. They were all professional people holding responsible jobs in the Kingdom and they rarely ever spoke of Palestine. Actually, most of them had earlier moved to other countries like Jordan and got their educations in Europe or the USA.  It never occurred to me that they might have been forced out. One friend, an engineer/contractor, was from Jerusalem. He revealed that his grandfather was the Grand Mufti. I had no idea what a Mufti was, but I later found out that he had the right last name. He, too, never mentioned life in Palestine.

At 5:30 on the morning of October 28, 2011 our Brattleboro Fire Department responded to a fire alarm in the Elliot Apartments complex on Elliot Street. A 76 year old cigarette smoker had ignited a fire that killed her, injured and hospitalized two others, temporarily displaced 55 tenants for the day, caused extensive burn damage in one apartment, created serious water damage in apartments below and caused costly and time-consuming repair damage.

All of that just because of one careless cigarette smoker…

An estimated 7,600 smoking-related fires in residential buildings occur each year in the United States. Each and every year cigarette smoking-related fires are a leading cause of residential fire deaths.

After our long cold winter and equally long cool spring, I found myself really looking forward to sweltering heat.  As I shivered on my well-shaded back porch, blanket over knees in June, I dreamed of hot weather shimmering over my house, bringing warmth and comfort to my cave-like apartment.  I looked forward to finally being able to wear shorts, sleeveless tops, and even sundresses.  I rooted for the inside thermometer to finally reach 70.  And finally it came — summer— and I was happy and put on my sundress, while all around me (it seemed) everyone else put on their air conditioners!

Yeah, we’re exceptional, all right!

Since the end of World War II, the United States has:

• more than 50 foreign governments, most of which were democratically-elected.
• on the people of more than 30 countries.
• Attempted
  to assassinate more than 50 foreign leaders.
• Attempted to in 20 countries.
• Grossly interfered in democratic elections in at least 30 countries.
  

Tom Franks’ recent Open Letter explained why we resigned from the Brattleboro Food Co-op Board, so I won’t repeat what he said. But I do want to thank those shareholders who voted for me, apologize to you for not serving out my full term, and further explain my actions.

An open letter to the shareholders of the Brattleboro Food Cooperative and the general community:

Last week I and another individual resigned from the Board of Directors of the Brattleboro Food Cooperative. It was made clear to us that seven of the nine other board members believed that we had violated the board code of conduct and their trust. While we disagreed with the majority of the board, we did not believe we would be able to change their minds.

ALERT! NEW VERMONT ELECTION LAW!

In the State of Vermont, Democrat Governor Peter Shumlin has created a new way to fill the private for profit prisons. His new law which he just signed 2014 will send people to prison for up to 15 years for allegedly falsely stating a fact or matter to a town clerk.

The vote to ratitify the contract is happening on Wednesday. I must admit that I do admire the committment and effort that the union organizers have shown. And I love their devotion to their vision of the best interests of the Coop community. I don’t agree with their opinion that we need a union. But I am posting this because the vote is premature.

I was  and I came across a comment that deserves repetition in light of our current and yet unsolved budgetary crisis. Though this post is about a “Y”, much of its criticism is worth reviewing:

Why does Brattleboro instead nickel and dime our tourists and shoppers at the parking meters, fix $65,000 ice machines to make a skate rink when we live in VERMONT, New England, and could have an outdoor rink that would also attract winter visitors, why does this town build gyms for 14 MILLION dollar police and fire stations with a few dozen employees rather than invest in a “Y” for ALL the (taxpaying) residents?

If you haven’t heard of the Koch Brothers by now, you mustn’t be breathing.

It’s not their wealth that is bad, it’s the way they are using it.

It’s really too bad that the skate park in Crowell Lot was shot down. Elm Street simply won’t have the same character, if it ever happens. We should learn to have faith in our youth. Otherwise fear trumps progress.

Getting inebriated is an intentional human behavior — it is not a mistake or an accident. Neither is it a mental health crisis. It is, in fact, perfectly normal human behavior well within the range of good mental health. Just like the drugs themselves, it is a question of degree (or percentage) of usage and effect.

Deeply ingrained in the desired effects of drug use is another perfectly normal human behavior: Moderation. In fact, moderation is the largest component of drug use behavior. It represents the behavior of up to 85-95% of all human drug use (…with one glaring exception – cigarettes, which run roughly at a 98-100% addiction rate).

Today in Brattleboro, in 1881, the Phoenix reported:

Again we are reminded that one of the worst nuisances is the man who is up at early dawn, making his lawn mower ziz, ziz, rasping the whiskers off the lawn.

I found this interesting, in that it seems to be a frequent, modern-day occurrence as well.

June 16, 2014 Emily Peyton on VPR Vermont Public Radio is famous for its political caste system, the worst discrimination in Vermont, denying political candidates equal participation in debates, and putting them in “castes” such as the major party “caste” and the minor party “caste” and the independent candidates with little money “caste”, and then  the indpendent candidate with millions of dollars “caste” which includes only U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders who receives his money from Democrats and then suddenly switches,  as if false labelling a product, to “independent” after the  Democratic Primary.

by jay janson published widely in its initial version.

BACKGROUND of EVENTS LEADING to the ESTABLISHMENT in 2020, of the SPECIAL COURT to TRY US CITIZENS and CITIZENS of NATO NATIONS for GENOCIDE

It’s now the year 2022. Major world events during the last eight years have altered the economic, political, military balance of power in the world. As expected, emerging economies led by China, India, and Brazil experienced the greatest productivity and financial growth.

From Cris Ericson by email June 6, 2014
To:   .
Honorable Paul L. Reiber, Chief Justice
Honorable John A. Dooley, Associate Justice
Honorable Marilyn S. Skoglund, Associate Justice
Honorable Beth Robinson, Associate Justice
Honorable Geoffrey W. Crawford, Associate Justice
cc: info@stopthef35.com

DESCRIPTION:
Left Forum, “largest annual conference of left and progressive intellectuals, activists, academics, organizations and interested public.” This year’s theme seems to have been: MLK was Wrong!: Americans CAN make a better USA, WHILE continuing to kill the poor overseas in spite of cost in human and financial resources. Harry Belafonte, Angela Davis, Cornel West, others focused on injustice to Americans, ignored US-NATO genocide

TEXT:

Government to people: be quiet!

Over that last few years town government has voted too often against the people.  In 2010 there was a
referendum on Pay-As-You-Throw trash collection.  The police-Fire Project (PFP) and the parking garage were approved by the RTM after being rejected by the people.  In April the people rejected the 2015 budget
by referendum because of high taxes and the PFP, and on Monday (June 2) the selectboard and the RTM adopted it.  (Well, the budget had been approximately $16 million and now it’s ALMOST $16 million.)  After the budget referendum Mr. Gartenstein admitted that the referendum was largely about the PFP, but at recent hearings and at the RTM on Monday the board threatened that anyone discussing the PFP would be declared out-of-order.

In yesterdays Reformer there was an article about the Police/Fire project and its future.  It talked about the Police & Fire Facilities Oversight Committee.  The article goes on to state that it is unacceptable to the PFFOC to simply repair what needs to be repaired.  They apparantly want a project that will last for the next 50 years rather than a band-aid approach that has been discussed.