Anarchy is Not the Same as Freedom

Some news from Vermont travels slowly to the United Kingdom, and it is only now- thanks to a LONG overdue trip to Green Mountain Daily- that I've read about the assault on Governor Jim Douglas at this year's 4th of July Parade in Barrie.

I've gone from having a lot of respect for Jim Douglas to disagreeing with most of his political agenda for the state of Vermont. I will be glad when the Democratic Party comes up with a viable candidate who can show the skill and savvy to retake the Governor's chair.

But this incident is, frankly, deplorable. It is, plain and simple, an assault.

More than that, it is a threat to one of the most precious things in our state: Vermont Democracy.

I've always been amazed at how accessible our Vermont public leaders are. If you want to talk to a U.S. Senator, Congressman, or a Governor on the street- it's pretty simple...you just walk up and say hello.

That's how Democracy SHOULD BE and Vermont seems to do it better than anywhere else. The only status a public servant has, or should have, is that they are Primus inter pares- First Among Equals- by virtue of the respect shown to them by those who choose them.

Failing to show respect for the office and the one who holds it is also a failure to show respect to the people who elected him.

In theory, even the President of the United States is nothing more than Primus inter pares- but security issues have long since removed his (or her) person from the comings and goings of day to day life.

So to, in the larger states...that kind of isolation (I suspect) breeds arrogance in the minds of leaders, and tends to generate a sense of overawe on the part of the public...this, of course, is NOT Democracy at work at all.

The sad part is that, in the United States as a whole, we have shown that we MUST accept some degree of separation between office holder and public...Booth, Guiteau, Czolgosz,and Oswald gave us that bitter gift.

Think how different a Bush Presidency might have been (or even ask the question, would there ever HAVE been a Bush Presidency?) if the office had not become so shrouded by the needs of security.

In Vermont, however, we are fortunate enough to have avoided this paradigm, so far.
But, in choosing to express, physically, that which could far better be expressed verbally- Matthew Manning, the Pie Thrower, has put our democracy at risk.

While there are some who seem to see him as a champion of freedom, I can't help but see him as a foe to democracy- some who wants to live in a world where you fight by throwing things rather than throwing words and ideas...

Democracy only works when we act like adults...a world in which things are thrown rather than ideas rapidly becomes a world in which everything is reduced, not to a question of right or wrong, but to a question of strong, or weak...

That is not Democracy, it is not even civilization- it is brutal, bloody jungle law- in which the only freedom enjoyed by those of us with average strength is the freedom to try and hide from predators. Not the world I would choose.


One Final Note:

Last but not least, it was politically stupid. Who winds up looking credible here: the Santa Claus clad Pie-Throwing maniac, pursued and thrown to the ground - or the Governor, who "calmly wiped the pie from his face" and kept marching in the parade...whom do you think most Vermonters cheered most?

All this action showed was that, no matter what you may think of his policies, Jim Douglas is, as a person, a class act- and that is part of the reason he keeps winning elections.

More H. 520 ...at Green Mountain Daily

I spent WAY too much time yesterday blogging about H. 520 and the Democrats' .... well, I don't know what to call it. My gut still says capitulation, but others have labeled merely a "strategic" mistake...

Anyway, I always enjoy playing over in the Green Mountain Daily sandbox with Odum, Jack, JD Ryan, Brattlerouser and others... it certainly beat working.

And the comment threads were fun....

If you just can't get through the day without a dose of Rip and Read (or goDLC)... check out:

Let Me Rephrase That...Another Take On H.520

and the comment string on yesterday's cross-post:

Dems Cave on H.520, or, Now I know How Rush Limbaugh Felt.

Democrats Loose TractionorShhh, shh, the GOVERNOR'S coming

Well, you know what they say...it's all fun and games until somebody looses an "aye".

Vermont Democrats have talked tough, but at the last minute, they ducked and swerved on H. 520. The picture at left shows my present opinion of Democratic Leadership. (And yes, I suppose some of my fellow bloggers are entitled to watch me eat a piece of humble pie at the blogger's barbecue.)

First, in an excess of politeness, they decided NOT to move the July 11th veto session until later in the year to give themselves more time and more votes to override the Governor's Veto on H.520.

From the AP (via Boston.com):

Symington had said the day before that she was contemplating delaying the
July 11 vote until September to accommodate some lawmakers that said they
couldn't make it to the Statehouse that day.
But Republican legislators
wanted the session held July 11, as scheduled.
"I've had a commitment from each and every one of the 49 Republicans to be there on July 11, but I know that Democrats don't have a full slate," said House Minority Leader Steve Adams, R-Hartland.
Symington said she decided not to change the date after speaking with the minority party caucuses.

That's what I like about Democrats...we're so NICE! We speak to the minority and make things convenient for them....and I'm sure, positive, that the Republicans would do the very same for us...they are such decent folk. (Careful, dear reader, or some of my dripping sarcasm will fall on your shoe.)

Now, after talking tough and even bringing AL GORE into the act...Vermont Legislators turned tail and dropped the tax on Vermont Yankee at the last minute...maybe, they begged Governor "BIG JIM" Douglas....you'll like us better now, please, sir, please?

And of course, the Gov. smiled and said, "No. I don't like you any better than I did before. I'm STILL going to Veto your bill. And now, I've taken your measure and found that you, despite your numbers, are lacking in strength, in determination, and will power."

And I'm sure we Democrats will growl, and show our tiny little yellow teeth, and then go cower in a dark hole somewhere.

This was a clear case of what we should do (H.520- combating global warming, promoting exciting new Vermont businesses, not giving Nuclear Power a cheaper tax rate than wind energy) and what we shouldn't do...

As a friend of mine just put it: "Sometimes, you have to draw the line and just stand there...win or loose."

Sometimes, it's the Heroic Last Stand (the Alamo, Masada, Roland and Rear-Guard) that gives others the courage to carry the fight to victory...but Vermont's Democrats have refused to do that. They have decided to play it very safe...

...and that makes me very sad, very sorry, and frankly, very much less likely to lick a stamp or write a check the next time around.

More On H. 520

A couple of good editorials on H.520 today....

From the Rutland Herald: June 19, 2007

[After Stamping his Veto on the Legislature's Engery Bill] Douglas has come up with his own energy-efficiency program, and he is urging the Legislature to act on it.

If the override fails, Plan B for Symington will come in January when the Legislature reconvenes. The Legislature is not prepared in a special session in the middle of the summer to act on a complex proposal like the one Douglas has offered, which has come, not in the 11th hour, but in the 13th...

Douglas cannot stymie the Legislature's action, then loft his own plan into the debate after the fact, then pretend that he is the one taking the initiative. The Legislature took the initiative, and now that Douglas has shot down the Legislature's bill, he must accept responsibility for the lack of action.

By Judy Bevins, Vice-Chair, Vermont Democratic Party, Letter to the Editor: Times Argus

All [H. 520] does is readjust the rate of taxation Vermont Yankee pays, which was frozen in place by the Republican-controlled Legislature and the governor in 2003, making that rate the same as what new wind developments will pay.

And then Jim Douglas vetoed the bill. Why? Because he worries about the "message" this sends to the business community. Actually, the message that the governor is sending to his friends in big business is, "Whisper in my ear, and we'll make a deal."

It was only after his inaction started hurting him politically that Jim Douglas cobbled together a "plan" to address energy efficiency. What does the governor's plan do? It requires average Vermonters and Vermont businesses to take out loans to pay for efficiency measures. The message Gov. Douglas has sent Vermont citizens and small business owners with this so-called plan is, "Want to save energy? Why don't you go further into debt. You can afford it, right?"

The problem is many Vermonters, already struggling with high costs and debt from a variety of sources, including home mortgages, student loans and credit cards, can't afford it. Rather than close a loophole that allows a business to pay less than its fair share to both the General Fund and the Education Fund, Jim Douglas is putting the burden on the backs of ordinary Vermonters.

Delenda est Carthago H.520: Overriding The Veto

I am not an expert on the History of the Roman Republic. But what I do know leads me to believe that I would never have gotten along with Marcus Porcious Cato The Elder and, (which is basically to say the same thing in a different way) if Marcus Porcious Cato was alive today-- he would have been a neo-con.

Thus, it may seem odd that I would turn to Cato as inspiration in the fight to save H.520....the Vermont Energy Bill.

(The Vermont Legislature passed H.520, Governor Jim Douglas has Vetoed it...and it's going to take a lot of work on everyone's part to help the Vermont Legislature rise to the occasion and Override the Veto..."Ed's" post on GMD is a great summary of the issues involved.)

However, Cato the Elder was nothing if not single minded, and like him or hate him, his single-minded approach lead to results. Having decided that the Rome's rival city-state, Carthage, constituted a major threat to the Republic, Cato developed a single minded obsession with that city.

He therefore ended every single speech, no matter what the topic, with the phrase: "Delenda est Carthago"- which means: Carthage must be destroyed.

And so his speeches would sound something like this: "....and so we must implement this agricultural policy...AND CARTHAGE MUST BE DESTROYED."

Eventually, Cato's single-mindedness paid off, and Carthage was literally wiped off the face of the earth.

Why tell this story? Simple...I would like to propose that Vermont's liberal blogging community adopt a similar tactic between now and the July vote to override the Governor's Veto of H.520....

...write about whatever you want...but somewhere in each post...don't forget to mention "...AND H. 520 MUST BE PASSED."

You could even write in Latin if you want...but, like George W. Bush, I’m not sure if there is a Latin word for "Veto".

At any rate, I hope you have a great weekend...and H.520 MUST BE PASSED.

Please Note: This post appeared, in slightly different form, at Green Mountain Daily and H.520 Must be Passed.

Republican Roustabout Raises Bad Behavior Bar to New Heights.

Have you seen the Birmingham News this morning? Well, you're in for a treat! In my last post, I opined that Jim Douglas was resorting to the "Rule By Fiat" strategy of George W. Bush....but of course, our Vermont Republicans are down-right civilized compared the the more virulent "Dixie Strain".....

Most Republicans claim to value action over words. Mostly, as far as I can tell, there are two main reasons for this:

• Number One: because a damn big bunch of Republicans can't string two words together in a workable sentence and,
• Number Two: people who can usually end making those same Republicans look like freaking morons. So Republicans resort to name calling or, in the case of Jim Douglas, all out avoidence of the issue.

But folks, I am here to tell ya- Alabama State Senator Charles Bishop, done took his party's disdain for discussion to a whole new level when he walked across the Senate Chamber and Walloped Democrat Lowell Barron right upside the head. Yaaaaahooooo!

I'm gonna let you read the article for yourself...but I'll be damned if this here Senator Bishop feller ain't gone and raised the bar for Republican behavior-- I fully expect Dick Cheney to act like a MAN and to let HIS fists do the talking next time he and Leahy meet..."Ffff You" just won't cut it any more.

H 520. Overriding a Douglas Veto

I've already written about my support for H 520, the energy bill which the Vermont Legislature passed, and which Governor Douglas swears will wither under the heel of his veto, and which the Democrats who control the Vermont House are going to fight to keep alive in a summer session.

I believe that, in addition to a strong symbolic blow against Global Warming (at, at the beginning of an uphill battle, symbolism is actually very, very important), this bill would also be the first step towards creating a business climate in Vermont which would favor small innovative companies...companies which would supply good jobs, and opportunities for citizen ownership and Independence...building, in short, post-industrial version of Jeffersonian Democracy.

There are other reasons to want this bill passed over Jim Douglas' objections. As John Odum, over at Green Mountain Daily has pointed out:

Legislative Democrats had their chances for a significant power shift increase dramatically today - and they have Jim Douglas to thank for it.
Despite an enormous, broad-based push on its behalf, the Governor has made it clear he will veto the climate change bill, which has become less and less controversial the more members of the media, the legislature and the public have had time to familiarize themselves with it...

...if a Douglas veto -any veto - is overridden, that'll be the headline in all the papers the next day. And the perceived power shift will have the potential to send shockwaves into the next session, as well as the next election season.

The Burlington Free Press raises an interesting point in a Monday Editorial( yes, the Burlington Free Press...no, I'm not kidding) on Governor Jim Douglas and H.520. In speaking of Douglas' alternative to H 520, the Free Press asks:

At the same time, if the administration had the ideas and the power to act on global warming without legislation and without a new tax, then why did the governor wait until after the session to make his move?
...At the same time, if the administration had the ideas and the power to act on global warming without legislation and without a new tax, then why did the governor wait until after the session to make his move?

I think, alas, the answer to the paper's question is obvious: Vermont Republicans have adapted the Republican National Strategy.

The Republican national strategy, which has worked so well for George W. Bush, boils down something very simple: ignore the will of the people, they will go home eventually.

This is a strategy which has stymied progress and overridden the express choice of the people time and time again- the most recent and obvious example being the failure of the U.S Congress to force an end to the now pointless Iraq War.

And I think it is now clear that this Republican National strategy is seeping down to the State Level.

Ruling by fiat is so much simpler than engaging in debate with one's opponents. So much easier than crafting compromises.

Rather than engage in a debate, the administration will wait for the legislature to have it's say, and then, go ahead and do exactly what it wants, secure in the knowledge that the people won't be back in sufficient numbers come summer time....

...we'll see, I guess.

Al Gore Endorses Vermont's H520 Energy Bill

I just got an email alert from the Vermont Democratic Party...

Breaking News: Climate Change Bill gets Gore's support!

Vice President Al Gore has educated the nation on the threat of global climate change. Now, the Vice President has taken notice of the Vermont legislature's groundbreaking Energy Efficiency and Affordability Act and is offering his support for this legislation.

Vice President Gore confirmed Wednesday morning that he will issue a live statement in support of Vermont's legislation via video conferencing Thursday, June 7 at 3 p.m. Senate Pro Tem Peter Shumlin and Speaker Gaye Symington will introduce the Vice President at the Vermont Interactive Television studio in Montpelier. If you can't make it to the capital, satellite studios will be open in Bennington, Brattleboro, Middlebury, Williston and Saint Albans.

Of course, this makes me happy...however...as a member of the cast of Audio Dream Theater...I already knew Gore was in tight with our team!

Post Script

Although some businesses have expressed concern about H.520 others realize that this is a "pro-business" bill...or, at least, it's pro the kind of businesses that SHOULD define Vermont...Hear audio of the Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility Press Conference here.

Also, Freyne has an interesting email from Rep. Tony Klein on his blog--here's the quote:

I noticed the [Douglas Administration] never mentioned the
companies that do support H.520 like our homegrown Ben and Jerry's, Green
Mountain Roasters and NRG Systems among many others. These companies were
created here by Vermonter's.

The Companies that [the Douglas Administration]seems to only represent
certainly weren't created here and certainly don't have their headquarters
located within the boundaries of Vermont.

Well Said.

The NEW New Nixon Audio Dream Theater Returns

They may have called Bill Clinton the "Come Back Kid", but perhaps the American Politician who reinvented himself most successfully, time and time again, was Richard Nixon. In each new permutation, we were told that this was "The New Nixon".

Well, this twisted and fascinating man is gone now...and, wherever he is, it must really irk him that he can't make just one more comeback.

At least he couldn't...until now!

You see, Nixon IS back.

And it's all thanks to Philip Baruth over at Vermont Daily Briefing.

Thanks to Philip's wizardry at the typewriter, Nixon has found his way back into the arena in the latest episode of Audio Dream Theater's League of Extraordinary Republican Gentlemen.

Episode 3: Statehouse of the Living Dead features the voice-work of:

• Philip Baruth as the Narrator and Brian Dubie, Wonder Boy.


• Neil Jensen (Publisher of What's the Point and Green Mountain Daily's own front pager Vermonter) in a masterful turn as Al Gore, and also a surprise cameo as Henry Kissinger.


• With Special Guest Star Kathryn Blume. Blume is one of the actresses who lead a world wide protest against the war in Iraq by helping to inspire 1,029 performances of Aristophanes's anti-war farce, Lysistrata, around the globe.

It probably goes without saying that I feel very lucky to be a part of this little acting company...but I'll say it anyway, because I am.

I hope you enjoy Statehouse of the Living Dead! at least half as much as I enjoyed working on it!

The New Jeffersonian Democracy

cross-posted at Green Mountain Daily:

I'm in favor of the energy bill that was passed this session, and I'm sorry (but not surprised) that the Governor plans to Veto it.

More than just a climate change bill, I truly believe that the thinking behind this measure represents a step in the right direction for Vermont from a political and business prospective as well as an environmental one.

From the Burlington Free Press:

Supporters of the bill argue it offers a number of opportunities to save
Vermonters money on heating bills and, in the process, generate jobs.

Chuck Reiss is a Hinesburg homebuilder who's hoping for a change in state law that
would allow a group of homes he's building to share a wind turbine and sell the
excess power to utilities. That change in law is contained in the bill Douglas
has promised to veto.

"It's time to start helping small businesses instead of
large businesses," said Reiss, owner of Reiss Buildings and Renovations, who
added that he has several neighborhoods interested in running group wind
turbines if the law allows it.

In addition to striking a blow on behalf of the environment, this bill can also start setting the stage for a modern version of Jeffersonian Democracy here in Vermont.

In his original vision for this country, Jefferson saw a nation of small landholders...none powerful enough to tyrannize over their neighbors, and yet all enjoying the fruits of their labor and invested in "the system".

For Jefferson, the economic engine he envisioned was primarily agricultural. But the principle holds true in today's post industrial Vermont Landscape as well. The principal of many of us, owning our own business, making decisions here at the local level and wielding a collective amount of econonmic and political power is just as important to the health of our democracy as are efforts to decrease our reliance on oil to the environment.

This bill would begin to help generate economic stimulus needed to speed this process.

One of the things that I've always (begrudgingly) respected the Governor for was the way in which he made the point that Vermont kids SHOULD be able to grow up and do well economically RIGHT HERE AT HOME...

However, by opposing the logic of this bill, the Governor is turning his back on the future of Jeffersonian Democracyand the cause of meaningful employment here in Vermont in favor of a Hamiltonian emphasis on Big Business. The few good jobs we might gain for our youth would pale in comparison to the number we would loose by turning our back on small, forward looking, locally owned and managed Vermont Businesses.

I am glad to read in the Free Press that Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility and other Groups are, according to director Will Patten, "not going to take no on this issue" .

Again, from the Free Press:

Patten said his group will continue to try to persuade the governor not to
veto the bill. Failing that, he said, the business owners hope to persuade
enough legislators to override the veto when the Legislature returns for a veto
session July 11.

According to State Senator Ginny Lyons and State Rep Robert Dostis (who I heard at the recent VBSR convention) letters to leaders really ARE effective...and I hope to write a few. Maybe you will too.

Mos' Doug Goes to the White House Jim Douglas and George Bush hold executive sleepover-Rip and Read Has Photos!!!.

I'm a bit pressed for time this morning, so I hope to revisit this entry later (revising it, expanding it, and maybe correcting some of the spelling). However, I got my e-newsletter from the Vermont Democrats yesterday, and the big news is that Governor Douglas got to spend a couple of nights and have a private dinner with the President.

In their weekly digest, the Vermont Democratic Party wrote:

Considering he's surrounded by sycophants and pre-screened audiences, it's nearly impossible for President Bush to hear the concerns of most Vermonters. ... There's still no word from Douglas on what they discussed. As the Burlington Free Press reported, Douglas said, "I don't want to go into too much detail about a private conversation."

Considering the mystery about what went on....Rip and Read will publish the following photo. Sources say it was taken during Douglas's stay with the Bush family...but frankly, we have our doubts.

Is this a photo of Jim Douglas and George Bush? We report. You decide.

More on the story at the Bennington Banner
http://www.benningtonbanner.com/search/ci_5295948

I've Been Workin' on the Railroad The League of Extraordinary Republican Gentlemen

LISTEN TO: THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY REPUBLICAN GENTLEMEN. EPISODE 02- CROUCHING DOUGLAS, HIDDEN SHUMLIN.


Well, I've been having fun with politics lately, but I haven't been blogging. Instead, I've been up in the laboratory whipping up a political confection, The League of Extraordinary Republican Gentlemen. The recipe comes from the mind of Vermont Daily Briefing's Philip Baruth- I've just been lucky enough to been invited to assemble the ingredients.

We've been joined by What's the Point's, Neil Jensen-- you won't want to miss his brilliant voice-work in this piece.

Our Story follows the adventures of Governor Jim Douglas and Boy Wonder Brian Dubie as they navigate the labyrinth of Vermont Politics...

Visit Vermont Daily Briefing to hear their latest adventure...If you missed the first installment, it is here.

What the --- uh, Heck? Who said What Now?

Good Gracious, I just read Friday's Freyne , did you? It seems that the recent edition of AARP gives Jim Douglas mostly ALL the credit for having gotten the Catamount Healthcare Program through against the impossible odds of Montpelier Partisan Gridlock.

The title of the Article is "Jim Douglas: Putting Health Care Before Politics". He has been recognized with an Impact Award from the Magazine, which puts him in the company of such luminaries as Robert DeNiro, David Hyde-Pierce, and Marlo Thomas *(god...I thought she was dead.)

Now, like Freyne, like many, I had only one reaction to this bit of news: You have GOT to be kidding me!

It was my recollection that Douglas fought very hard to KEEP the law from being one of "the most progressive in the country" and that the running battle for health care reform took more than one session of the Legislature ...thanks to the Governor's resistance.

On Freyne's post there is a comment from a reader, Liane Allen. She writes:

I got a phone call today around 4:30. My husband was in a car accident - in a tiny Acura Integra, which encountered an SUV...

The front of the car went under the SUV.

Think about how you would react as these images run through your mind, if you had no health insurance.

Did you catch your breath?

Good.

Every day, that's the tension felt by families all over this state and this country...

...In one damp moment on a dark road, we came 12 inches from losing everything. We came 12 inches from facing a life of new and terrible choices: food or physical therapy, homelessness or hounding by bill collectors?

And, as Ms. Allen goes on to correctly point out, we have not emerged from the woods yet. The other day, I was talking with a small business owner: "I used to to look at people who had no health insurance and wonder how they did it." [I am paraphrasing, but this is close to exactly what he said.] "Now, I've had to drop my health insurance due to prohibitive payments. Sooner or later, those who are voting to keep their precious tax cuts will feel the bite of this issue too."

We agreed that this is a rising toxic tide: before you know it the ground you thought was high and dry is flooded, and you, too, are swept away...along with the rest of the so-called middle class.

Now, I have to admit a certain affection for "Mos Doug" . When you put him up against the kind of right-wing vipers that infested the halls of Congress until last November, he is exactly the kind of Republican I wish there were more of. ..Someone you can respect on a personal level while vehemently disagreeing with most everything else they put forward. A worthy opponent.

Still, giving Douglas an award for the work that was so clearly done by Gaye Symington, John Tracy and other Democrats is laying it on a BIT thick, don't you think?

A visit to the ARRP site is worth the trip...there's a picture of Jim Douglas sitting in the middle of a heard of cows. I can only assume that the deep, deep piles of bullshit have been photo-shopped out.