Opinion

For opinion pieces on any topic.

Don’t Celebrate July 4th Birth of a U.S.A. Founded by Owners of African Slaves – Wait! Be Patient!

by jay janson | Op/Ed

Every year, Americans are supposed to celebrate July 4th as the founding of a U.S.A. both free and enslaved. The fourth of July is a federal holiday. 

On July 4, 1776, the population of the United States, then the Thirteen Colonies, was estimated to be about 2.5 million people. This population included both free individuals and enslaved people.

Out of this population, approximately 500,000 individuals were enslaved African Americans. The remaining population, roughly 2 million people, consisted of free individuals, which included various groups such as European settlers, Indigenous peoples, and a smaller number of free African Americans.

Vote Christopher I for King

by cgrotke | Rumors

After careful consultation with my cats and a mention to my family, I hereby throw my crown in the ring to become your next King.

I will be a youthful 60 years old when I ascend the thrown, so no worries there. My joints ache a bit and I need reading glasses but I can form complete sentences on my own that have some basis in truth.

One of the first things I plan to do, loyal subjects, is to make the White House a bit more fitting for a king. It needs a moat, for example, and perhaps an audio-animatronic dragon that spits fire and allows Taylor Swift to perform inside of it.

Between Rounds

by AnneODyne | Politics

In the first televised presidential debate between JFK and Nixon- I’m not old enough to remember- the tide swung in favor of the more telegenic Kennedy, when Nixon’s candidacy went down awash in beads of face sweat and furtive glances.

In certain matters Americans are forgiving. Will Smith is back. Even Nixon was able to rise again. But in other matters we are an obstinate people. And irrational to boot. I don’t understand it, but have often observed the phenomena. Why are the optics of Jan 6th malleable? Why are Nazi’s back? The world can be mad and maddening, that fact goes back to antiquity.

Returning to the present moment. Biden’s debate performance is fixed in the collective mind, nothing can or will erase his frozen expression and underwater responses to softball opportunities. Leaving for now the conundrum of Biden’s opponent being a recidivist and deranged narcissist, the question becomes: are Americans willing to vote for a dead man over a return to Trumpian autocracy.

Cross Out Plan A, Cross Out Plan B, Now See Plan C: Write-in Candidate Cris Ericson on the Progressive Ballot for U.S. Senator

by CrisEricson2016 | Politics

Plan A was when the Libertarians nominated me back in April to be their U.S. Senate candidate, but then they threatened to sue me for expressing my freedom of speech. They accused me of “spam” when I posted Facebook news about other Libertarian candidates for U.S. Senator in other states. How is that “spam”? I was learning about the Libertarian views and wanted to share what I was reading. Any of them could have told me on Facebook they didn’t enjoy the posts I shared, but they did not. Any of them could have blocked me, but they did not.

At some point I got around to reading all of their Rules, which I had not previously found on their website, because they are not posted in a way you could find them. Reading their Rules shocked me, so I contacted a Libertarian candidate in another state who said there was no way they could have those Rules in his state Libertarian party. I questioned their Rules on line and was then attacked by the Libertarians who threatened to sue me. For what? After they kicked me out, and rescinded my nomination, I watched the Libertarian national party convention online and saw that lots of members question the rules. Hmph!

The Fear of Revenge

by RDavis | Politics

The fear of revenge is already having repercussions throughout the world. The credible threat by the American would-be lunatic dictator is being taken seriously and that means that free speech and freedom of expression are under siege. Make no mistake about it. Even though the election is not until November, the fear of a Trump win is making some people act as if he has already won and they don’t want to be on his enemies list.

A case in point has been made clear by New York Times columnist Michelle Golberg in the June 16 Times in her piece titled “The Trump Movie You May Never See”. The movie “The Apprentice” has been recently released. It focuses on the relationship between a young Donald Trump and Roy Cohn. Cohn was a notorious New York “fixer” and a hero worshipped by Trump. Some describe Cohn as Trump’s primary mentor. You only need to look at a picture of Cohn to get a creepy feeling of how evil he was.

We Watched Them Murder Many Thousands of Captive Children in Their Concentration Camp! Woe Unto Us 

by jay janson | Op/Ed

It’s now June of 2024. Nearly 40,000 human beings, mostly women and children are dead, maybe 90,000 injured, many with limbs amputated, and another 10,000 lie buried beneath the ruble of the approximately 80% of the destroyed homes and other buildings of what were the cities of Gaza,

Let’s go back eight months to the beginning of this extraordinary and heartless slaughter happening openly for all the world to see via videos and photographs.

The Most Important Vote Ever

by RDavis | Op/Ed

The November presidential election will be the most consequential election in the history of the American republic. We’ve heard that before, but this time it’s for real. If a convicted felon, who also happens to be a deranged egomaniac intent upon turning this country into a dictatorship, wins this election the United States will head into uncharted territory.

Those who support the orange maniac don’t see any problem with this new direction. It is clear to me and many others that those who follow Trump are the worst kind of cult followers. It still confounds me how the U.S. congress Republican majority still supports him. They have made it clear that all they care about is votes and they have decided that following him is their best bet for grabbing more power.

I Miss A Parade

by cgrotke | Op/Ed

Brattleboro used to have a healthy number of local and visiting parades; nowadays not so much.

Some of the earliest parades were put on by the volunteer fire brigades around town. There were lots of volunteers firefighters in the 1800’s and if the reports are correct, they liked to parade around town at least once a year to show of their uniforms, equipment, hoses, and in-house musical bands. Coronets were popular for a while.

Brattleboro marched up and down Main Street to celebrate the railroad arriving in town for the first time.

Money Making Military Will Praise War & Parade During America’s Memorial Day of Solemn Mourning 

by jay janson | Op/Ed

U.S. Memorial Day, originally intended as a solemn day of mourning for families of dead veterans has long become an opportunity for jingoistic war celebration, deceiving politicians and recruiting officers to parade and glorify warfare as a means to entrap young volunteers for future wars.

Instead of solemn mourning, on Memorial Day, war promoting corporate media, having tricked so many Americans into fighting and dying in unjust, murderous wars based on lies, now hypes our loved ones’ inglorious death as beautiful military service to  entice recruits for their continuing wars.

U.S.A. UK EU Journalists Accessories to Gaza Genocide Prolong It Deceivingly As ‘Defensive War’

by jay janson | Op/Ed

Journalists of wars prolonging U.S. and NATO nations media are providing cover for a monstrous genocidal crime against humanity by portraying the Israeli U.S. provisioned devastating bombing and air strikes on Israel’s military occupied Gaza Strip as ‘defensive war.’

“Israel can’t claim a right to defend itself from the people it oppresses and whose land it colonises,” UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese, April 8, 2023.[1]

Should Safe Injection Sites Be Legalized?

by RDavis | Politics

Rhode Island and New York City allow people addicted to drugs to inject themselves at safe injection sites without fear of prosecution. The drugs these people use are illegal but they are given a pass if they go to one of these sites. Vermont is about to pass legislation that would allow cities and towns to set up these sites if the local municipal body approves it.

The bill, H. 72, has passed the Vermont House and is now in the Senate Health and Welfare Committee and is expected to be passed into law. Governor Scott has made it clear that he will veto this bill, so the big question is whether or not there will be enough votes to override his veto.

Brattleboro Selects BFD For Trash Collection

by cgrotke | Rumors

The Town of Brattleboro received four bids for the new trash collection and recycling service. At Tuesday’s meeting, the Selectboard chose the Brattleboro Fire Department to do the job.

“It’s been our experience in the last few months that having the fire department do everything in-house is more cost-effective for taxpayers,” said the Assistant Town Manager.

Can’t Impeach-Prosecute Joe Biden For Illegally Continuing to Supply Bombs Dropped on Homes in Gaza

by jay janson | Activism, Op/Ed

Biden has been guilty of breaking a U.S. law against providing U.S. weapons to a nation using them against a civilian population as Israel has been doing openly for five months.

“When the President of the United States becomes aware of the possibility of violations of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA), the law mandates specific actions:

Prompt Notification to Congress: The President is required to promptly notify Congress about the potential violations.”

Officer Did Not Falsify Evidence

by Kurt Daims | Op/Ed

CORRECTION: The officer did not falsify evidence. To falsify evidence means to alter it after it is admitted into a court record. That’s really serious and worse than what happened. Here’s what happened.

The Brattleboro “health officer” came to our emergency homeless shelter February 7 2023. We had three RVs for free shelter. He had been told that there were no sewer connections to the RVs. See the video. at brmse.org .

Awful Feeling! ‘Starving Palestinian Children Are Watching Me Eat Their Food ‘- Can’t Take It Anymore

by jay janson | Op/Ed

Am feeling some slight pangs of hunger as I sit down to my dinner, and the thought automatically arises, ‘how could a starving person take the immeasurably more severe hunger pain caused by the strong contractions of the stomach when it’s empty,’and that makes me think of the poor desperately hungry children being starved in Gaza. Am still aware of the good taste of the food in my mouth but suddenly am not enjoying eating.