Seven Days’ political columnist and blogger Peter Freyne is taking the week off, so Exit Voices has been featured in Peter’s normal spot in the paper. Here’s the link. Thank you Seven Days, for supporting democratized media!
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Recent Posts
- Exit Voices in Seven Days
- EV Video 013 - Ward 2 round-up!
- Town Meeting Day Open Thread #1
- EV Video 012
- EV Video 011
- EV Video 010
- EV Video 009
- EV Video 008
- EV Video 007
- Vermonters Writing About TMD
- EV Video 006
- EV Video 005
- EV Video 004
- EV Video 003
- EV Video 002
- EV Video 001
- Poll Pics From Cathy Resmer
- Shelburne’s Sidewalk Debate
- Hoping for Bad Weather
- Brattlerouser on Brattleboro’s Indictment Resolution
Exit Voices in Seven Days
Posted by admin on March 5th, 2008EV Video 013 - Ward 2 round-up!
Posted by admin on March 5th, 2008Here are some more voices of Vermont voters exiting their polling places…
Note: this will be the last video post for tonight. We have loads more to share though, so stay tuned to Exit Voices in the coming days and we’ll continue to share videos from Town Meeting day and report on Vermont political perspectives through to November. As always, the floor is yours…
Town Meeting Day Open Thread #1
Posted by admin on March 4th, 2008In the comments section below, please answer these two questions:
1. What motivates you to go to your town meeting or polling station and vote?
2. If you could add a comment on your Ballot for your elected officials to read, what would you say?
Alternately, tell us what you said at your Town Meeting, why you refused to vote, or what makes you crazy about our system of democracy.
If you are confused or don’t know how to leave a comment or see other comments, click here.
Please note: this post will remain at the top of Exit Voices all day on Tuesday March 4th. We will be adding new content throughout the day. These new posts will appear directly beneath this post. Keep checking back and keep commenting!
Be sure to watch CCTV channel 17 tonight for all the election night coverage, including your comments from Exit Voices! A live stream of the broadcast is available here. (Real Media stream)
EV Video 012
Posted by admin on March 4th, 2008Here are some more voices of Vermont voters exiting their polling places…
EV Video 011
Posted by admin on March 4th, 2008Here are some more voices of Vermont voters exiting their polling places…
EV Video 010
Posted by admin on March 4th, 2008Here are some more voices of Vermont voters exiting their polling places…
EV Video 009
Posted by admin on March 4th, 2008Here are some more voices of Vermont voters exiting their polling places…
EV Video 008
Posted by admin on March 4th, 2008Here are some more voices of Vermont voters exiting their polling places…
EV Video 007
Posted by admin on March 4th, 2008Here are some more voices of Vermont voters exiting their polling places…
Vermonters Writing About TMD
Posted by admin on March 4th, 2008Here’s a quick rundown of some of the TMD action around the Vermont blogosphere…
- Vermont View is doing a great job, featuring several posts today about political hapenings around the state, including piece on the Brattleboro indictment vote, electioneering Montpelier style, and the apparent Obama blowout here in Vermont.
- Broadsides features an essay about how the power of Town Meetings in Vermont has been curtailed over the years yielding a process that has few teeth when it comes to statewide politics.
- Green Mountain Daily is featuring some thoughtful thoughs and speculations about today’s results.
- iBrattleboro’s got Brattleboro Town Meeting pictures!
- Front Porch Forum may be the busiest online forum in the state when it comes to Vermonters discussing issues and candidates with each other. According to FPF founder and moderator Michael Wood Lewis, 150 different people have posted messages to the forum recently about the Moran Plant question in Burlington alone! Too bad those posts aren’t permalinked anywhere. That would be a valuable resource and a fascinating archive of this election cycle.
- Walter Jeffries has a post at Sugar Mountain Farm about the absurdity of voter ID systems in West Topsham, Vermont.
Most of the links under the Vermont Politics list in the right side bar have current posts about this Town Meeting Day and/or Vermont presidential primary. Take a tour through these blogs and let them know you stopped by!
EV Video 006
Posted by admin on March 4th, 2008Here are some more voices of Vermont voters exiting their polling places…
EV Video 005
Posted by admin on March 4th, 2008Here are some more voices of Vermont voters exiting their polling places…
EV Video 004
Posted by admin on March 4th, 2008Here are some more voices of Vermont voters exiting their polling places…
EV Video 003
Posted by admin on March 4th, 2008Here are some more voices of Vermont voters exiting their polling places…
EV Video 002
Posted by admin on March 4th, 2008Here are some more voices of Vermont voters exiting their polling places…
EV Video 001
Posted by admin on March 4th, 2008Here are some voices of Vermont voters exiting their polling places…
Poll Pics From Cathy Resmer
Posted by admin on March 4th, 2008Seven Days Online Editor Cathy Resmer submitted these pics that she snapped this morning out at the polls…
The ObamaMobile!
Barbara Shaw-Dorson, Hillary Clinton supporter, and Cece Wick, Barack Obama supporter at St. Mark’s Youth Center in Burlington’s New North End.
In front of Burlington’s Lyman Hunt Middle School: Steve McIntyre (Democrat running for City Council), Marianne Ward, Carmen George (former Democratic City Councilor), and Teresa Hyndman.
Shelburne’s Sidewalk Debate
Posted by admin on March 4th, 2008Last night the citizen’s of Shelburne convened for their Town Meeting and debated, among other things, an article regarding some proposed sidewalk/recreation path construction in the town. Below is video of a smattering of citizens rising to address the issue before the town’s selectboard. Shelburne residents voted on this issue today by Australian ballot.
Hoping for Bad Weather
Posted by admin on March 4th, 2008A blogger in the Northeast Kingdom is hoping for a good late winter storm to keep the tourists away from the Danville and Peacham Town Meetings so that he and the other die-hards can have all the civic-minded fun…
I started going to town meetings about 22 years ago, and consider it a point of pride that I haven’t missed one yet. This includes a meeting during a terrific ice storm that left almost a half-inch thick shell on all the cars, trees, roads and power lines. There were only about 12 of us in the gym that year, compared to twoo or three-hundred. I moved to a new town about five years ago and haven’t had a spring storm like that ‘big one’ back in Monkton … um … it might’ve been ‘95 or thereabouts - can’t really remember.
Anyway, we’ve got snow, rain, sleet, ice and high wind in the forecast for tomorrow (Town Meeting Day). Another winter storm, and the spring storm season is just getting off to a great start. I’m hoping for low turnout this year. It makes the meeting move faster and get a little more interesting because only the die-hards and the opinionated show up. Of course that may also impact the Obama/Clinton ratio, but we won’t know in what way although you can be sure we’ll hear about it on Wednesday when everybody will say they know what Tuesday’s weather caused.
I’ve got four 25lb bags of rock salt betting on the ice storm. I can’t lose.
I’ve got to teach a class in the morning at The Academy in the first period, but I’ll be out in time to get to the Danville Town Meeting. I’m also on the board of The Northeast Kingdom Astronomy Foundation which is putting up an observatory in Peacham, so the plan is to rush down to Peacham for lunch and be there for when an article we’re warning comes up for a vote. (We’re asking the town to give the school board the authority to negotiate use of school land for this private observatory which will be used as a resource for the school.)
All this excitement and ice and wind … it’s going to be a great day.
Brattlerouser on Brattleboro’s Indictment Resolution
Posted by admin on March 3rd, 2008By Brattlerouser [Crossposted at Green Mountain Daily]
It’s the eve of Town Meeting Day and Brattleboro is in the worldwide spotlight…. again. As many of you know, a local activist petitioned to get a non-binding resolution on the ballot calling for the following:
A documentary film crew is in town and they’re interviewing local activists, selectboard members, and WKVT’s Steve West. Kip Konwiser is the producer of Mad As Hell and the idea evolved from a book being written by Vincent Bugliosi, a former deputy district attorney from Los Angeles and the man who prosecuted Charles Manson. Here’s what the producer said in today’s Brattleboro Reformer:
Turns out they’ll be also be filming Iraq war vet Matt Howard later this week. But I digress… What do people think? We haven’t really had a discussion here. With all the attention we’ve spent on impeachment including “patrioticresponse’s” diaries, why are they getting this much attention? I for one don’t think they should and I also think this resolution is nonsense. But that makes me a minority in the Brattleboro area. Wanna know why I don’t support this? |
Organizers claim the resolution, although symbolic, can have legal teeth provided it’s taken to the next level. The organizers I know are seeking legal help from Francis Boyle and Connecticut Green Party candidate Harold Burbank. Here’s their legal argument:
1. I have a hard time believing anything Francis Boyle advocates for. This is the same guy who claimed Amnesty International was infiltrated by the CIA and the British Secret Service. Boyle was also a legal advisor to the PLO and his work is frequently posted on 9-11 conspiracist sites (like infowars.com). As far as Burbank, I’ve never heard of him until now. The fact he’s a Green Party candidate running for Congress in Connecticut doesn’t help either. This HAS to appeal beyond the left fringe but organizers don’t want to accept that. This is why they have to tone down their rhetoric and get support from influential people beyond their own political preferences. 2. As far as I know, The “common law application,” is WAY outta date. It may have been good law in the 1700s, but no more. An informed blogger on DKos wrote the following:
Bingo. So why don’t organizers know that and why isn’t the discussion focusing on issues like this? Instead we got nothing but sloganeering, lofty rhetoric, and all these missives about what are you going to do to stop Bush & Cheney. 3. Here’s the other problem I have which NONE of the organizers can answer: You cannot indict somebody by referendum. You indict somebody by presenting the case to a Grand Jury. The Grand Jury hears testimony, including that a crime (defined by statute) was committed in the Grand Jury’s territorial jurisdiction, and the Grand Jury votes an indictment. When an indictment is reported out by the Grand Jury, an arrest warrant is issued. Here there are some other problems with indictment by referendum. First, there’s no crime as defined by statute. “Crimes against our constitution” is not a crime. The Declaration of Independence is not a statute. Second, it’s a stretch to figure out how the crime may have been committed within the territorial jurisdiction of Vermont. How do you legally prove that false and/or how do you prove that the resolution is legal and enforceable? Organizers like Dan DeWalt and Kurt Daims claim, it’s not about arresting anyone but really to “stimulate meaningful dialogue.” Through a referendum? How is that possible? It’s an opinion poll as far as I can see. I think this is just another naive tactic done the same old way and will get the same old results. If it passes, DeWalt and co. claim victory and spin this to high hell. The media will cover them and the Bushies will continue to laugh. I guess my problem with it all is activists thinking their approach and their ideas of the Bushies are the right ones. They also think the more they get their message out, people will come to their senses and think, ‘oh yeah, they’re right about all this.’ These issues have more complexities and nuances that they’re willing to admit and this is one of the main reasons why I can’t associate myself with Brattleboro activists, even though I’m on the same page with them on the issues. Hope I made sense, y’all. I guess this sounds more like a rant than an argument. I hope it doesn’t pass. I think this does more to hurt the impeachment cause and people who don’t associate with activist or left causes will get turned off even more. How can we not think this WON’T turn a lot of people off too? I don’t think Brattleboro activists involved with this issue get that. Thanks for letting me get this out. I figured you all at GMD would understand where I’m coming from. |