Where Did He Learn That?

Here's some news that supports letting your kids watch TV and movies. At least the kind that depict escaping from captivity.

Clay Moore's mother and stepfather don't want to think about what might have happened if they hadn't made him repair his ripped school uniform jacket instead of buying him a new one.

A safety pin from the torn jacket's sleeve _ and the 13-year-old's composure in frightening conditions _ freed him after a gunman kidnapped him, duct-taped his wrists and left him deep in thick woods 20 miles from home, the boy's stepfather said Tuesday.

Clay put the pin in his mouth, picked away at the tape and walked away hours after he was taken. He found a farmworker in a field and called his stepfather, Steve Kelle, from the man's phone, "as calm as if he was calling from a friend's house," Kelle said.

This story is amazing. What an amazing kid.

More on Odum...

Steve West, of 1490 WKVT's "Live and Local," who had Odum on his show to talk about the Second Vermont Republic issue, has a post on his blog about the whole mess. Check it out.

Speaking of Live and Local, which is out of Brattleboro, they are doing a Burlington show featuring local area political bloggers/alternative media folks. VDB has more.

Check out that line up, huh? Should be interesting.

Special Guests include Alex Ball (Rip and Read), Haik Bedrosian (Burlingtonpol), Peter Freyne (Freyneland), Neil Jensen (What’s the Point?), Cathy Resmer (802 Online), Bill Simmon (Candleblog), Charity Tensel (She’s Right), Shay Totten (Vermont Guardian), and of course, VDB.

I hear they plan to tie me to a chair and make me watch An Inconvenient Truth. He he.

The Inconvenient Truth about Gore

Let's dispense with the discussion about whether or not global warming is indeed caused by man and warranting of a political solution.

Let's, for the purpose of this post, assume that (1) the earth is indeed warming to the point that it will be disastrous to life as we know it, if it isn't stopped, and (2) said warming is being caused by man's mass-consumption of fossil fuels and the resulting carbon emissions.

If these two things are true, it follows that we must do something drastic to cut back on our carbon emissions, like, yesterday. Tomorrow is too late. Heck, even today might be too late, right?

That type of drastic measure will undoubtedly require some sacrifice. It will require us to do without things that we would rather have. Although we will feel some minor discomfort, maybe even some moderate discomfort, it will surely be better than the cataclysmic climate catastrophe that awaits us if we do nothing.

Surely, the leader of the global warming movement is setting the example of this sacrifice, right? Surely, he is going without such frivolities as a heated pool, right?

Well, one would think. Unfortunately, here in America, we have come to expect little of substance from our leaders.

The news was out today, just after Al Gore's global warming documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth," won an Oscar, that Gore is consuming energy in mass quantities, according to charges by a watchdog group in Tennessee.

Now, we conservatives already knew this, but today we were given the gift of Gore's response.

Spokeswoman for Gore, Kalee Kreider, did not deny the allegations, but assured us that Gore purchases "green power" to neutralize his carbon emissions.

Let me paint a picture of the rationale used by such hypocrites carbon neutral folks as Gore and Rep. Peter Welch.

See, according to this model, energy use is a fixed amount. What I mean is, we use roughly the same amount of energy every year. An example of this is, when I look at my electricity bill, the comparison between the kilowatt-hours used this month is usually the same as those used the same month last year.

So, imagine the energy is a pool. Perhaps it is a heated pool in back of Gore's mansion. Who knows? Just picture a pool.

This pool represents the amount of energy we will all use.

The logic behind carbon offsets is that it does not matter how much energy I draw out of this pool - even energy that is created by burning carbon-emitting fossil fuels - as long as I put back energy created by green sources via investing money in green energy development. Eventually, the theory goes, the pool will be completely filled with green energy.

It really makes sense, if you want it to.

But, see, I would rather take off my Gore-love blinders and think about this another way.

The energy I take out of the pool was generated by non-green sources. Let's call them "dirty sources." If I really want to stop global warming, my offsets will not do enough. I also need to stop drawing from the pool of dirty energy. At least until those green sources are up and running.

In this case, the case where I really care about stopping this global warming, I must make sacrifices - real sacrifices - to reduce my energy consumption, while continuing to give just as much of my money to the development of green sources. I need to take less out of the pool, while continuing to fill it with green energy.

What does the Gore spokeswoman have to say about all this?

Focusing on Gore's personal electricity consumption misses the point of "An Inconvenient Truth," Kreider said, which is that governments and the public can work together to reduce emissions.

It misses the point? Really!?! No. It hits the point just fine.

See, if Gore really believes his own documentary, if Gore really thinks that the end of the world is upon us if we do not make these changes now, he would cut his emissions, not just invest in green energy so he can pretend that those emissions that he caused don't exist.

And if all of his power came from green sources, even solar panels to be installed on his estate, he would still cut his consumption, so that his extra energy could be sold back to the power company for use by someone else who is currently relying on dirty sources.

But, he doesn't. He doesn't. So, what does that mean?

You figure it out.

Odum Says Goodbye to Blogging (opts to keep job, feed family)

Okay, chances are you already read this somewhere else because either She's Right is not your first stop on the VT Blogosphere, or She's Right is your first stop, but you already came and went to another blog, since it is already after 9:00 am.

I'm sorry; I have kids to feed and stuff like that in the morning.

The news sending shock waves through the Vermont political blogging world this morning is that the much loved, and much hated, John Odum of Green Mountain Daily has left blogging.

Odum is the founder of Green Mountain Daily, Vermont's answer to the Daily Kos. (Funny thing about that, I had never read the Daily Kos when I found GMD, and still only read it when it is linked - usually by a GMDer.)

Odum - and GMD - has been a driving force behind the political blogging explosion in Vermont over the last year.

I met Odum at the blogger BBQ at Burlington's North Beach last summer, which he and popular VT blogger Philip Baruth of Vermont Daily Briefing co-hosted. Odum is a very personable guy, who did not deserve to be put in the position of having to choose his job (and by extension the welfare of his family) over his passion for political blogging. Not that anyone deserves that.

This is a great loss for political blogging. Odum's thoughtful posts and comments kept GMD in the realm of sensible discussion. He was an anchor, a rock, keeping the blog focused on remaining relevant and holding it back from slipping into the realm of radicalism.

Surely, GMD will continue to remain relevant in Vermont political discourse, but with out Odum, it will never be the same.

Today, the blogosphere weeps.

Related links:
Odum's goodbye post at GMD
Vermont Daily Briefing's reaction
Reason and Brimstone's reaction
Five Before Chaos' reaction
802 Online's linkdump-style reaction
Rip and Read's reaction

(Links will be added as they come in)

City Council Candidates

(Updated @ 3:30)

I have updated the side bar with links for the City Council candidates who have campaign websites. (Thanks to Joan Shannon of Ward 5 for e-mailing me her new website, which prompted me to make the updates.) If anyone knows of a candidate website that is not listed, please let me know.

In case you missed it, the Free Press has begun to profile the ward races. Sunday was ward 1. Today, ward 2. It continues throughout the week. Limited coverage is online at the Free Press website, but as usual, they do not put all local content online. (I normally subscribe this time of year for that reason. For some reason this year, I never got around to it.)


Update: I take it back. They do have all of the coverage online. Either it wasn't there when I looked this morning, or I missed it. Either way, please note that there is an article about the race and an "In their own words" section. They are on different webpages, but all info can be found by going to the "Local/Vermont" tab.

And don't forget about the Channel 17 election forums. Schedule and podcast links are in this post.

I know that I have been slacking on the local election coverage. I hope to get some new stuff posted today or tomorrow.

Bus Routes, BHS, and the Gas Tax (or some other modest non-property tax source)

On the Front Porch Forum for my neighborhood, there has been a conversation about the CCTA bus schedule and the start time at BHS.

See, the current CCTA bus routes from the South End get the students to BHS either a half hour before school starts or 10 minutes late.

For CCTA to fix the problem (within their current structure) would require a major schedule overhaul. So, some parents have asked the School Board to adjust the start time of the high school by 10 minutes.

According to a post by School Commissioner Fred Lane (W5) on Feb. 16:

Superintendent Collins told the Board that the principal is responsible for determining the start time for each building (within reason). BHS Principal Amy Mellencamp was planning on meeting with parents to discuss the issue this week (although that may have been delayed by the snow storm); one of her concerns is that postponing the start time even by 10 minutes will affect BHS student participation in after-school activities, including sports.

Okay, so the High School is not likely to alter its start time. Back to square one - the bus schedule.

In a post by CCTA Commissioner Chapin Spencer dated Feb. 21:

The big picture issue that I want to raise is this: The problem of convenient bus service to BHS is a symptom of a larger problem and would be solved instantly with one "simple" change: having bus service every 15-minutes during peak commuting times. One bus every 30 minutes is not convenient for the modern American. If we truly want to reverse climate change and keep Burlington a livable city, we need to provide convenient alternatives to driving. With 15-minute bus service, South End buses would connect to a North Avenue bus departing Cherry St at 7:30am, getting students to BHS right before school at 7:45-7:50AM .

The City of Burlington pays its fair share to CCTA - over $1.2M/yr in property taxes (~70% of the funds CCTA receives from all area towns). Our problem: transit companies outside VT receive more money from their regions and states. Here in VT, the State has given us no alternative than to be chained to the local property tax (sound similar to education funding issues?!?!). Rep. Keogh has proposed alternatives at the State level but has found little traction in the Legislature.

All we need to provide 15-minute service during rush hour for BHS students (and everyone else) is a penny on the gas tax or some other modest non-property tax source.

The final verdict from the school board was (as reported to Front Porch Forum by Ward 5 Commissioner Amy Werbel on Feb. 22):

The school board curriculum committee met on Tuesday night and discussed the South End BHS bus situation. We determined that it is more feasible to work with CCTA than to change the start time at the high school. Jurij Homziak (Ward 6 commissioner) is working with City Councilor Andy Montroll to draft a joint resolution urging CCTA to create reasonable bus routes that enable students to ride rather than driving or being driven. This is an obvious benefit for everyone.

I think we are going to hear a lot more about this issue in the coming weeks, or even months, while people work to find a solution to this problem.

Certainly, there is a need for more frequent bus routes during peak times, not just for BHS students but for all people who take the bus (and those who would take it if the schedules were more convenient).

That need will be weighed against the budgetary constraints that Vermont is in right now and the already too heavy tax burden.

The Real Rebublican?

A while back, Jeremy Ryan posted a comment asking me what I thought about Congressman Ron Paul, as a Republican presidential candidate. I never got around to posting about that.

Today, I read a great piece, "Ron Paul, the Real Republican?"

It begins,

When you read about a vote in Congress that goes something like 412-1, odds are pretty good that the sole "nay" came from Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas. He so consistently votes against widely popular bills, in fact, that the Washington Post recently gave him the moniker "Congressman 'No.'"

Paul isn't a reflexive contrarian--he doesn't oppose just to oppose. Rather, he has a core set of principles that guide him. They happen to be the same principles envisioned by the framers of the U.S. : limited government, federalism, free trade and commerce -- with a premium on peace.

When most members of Congress see a bill for the first time, they immediately judge the bill on its merits, or if you're more cynical, they determine what the political interests that support them will think of it, or how it might benefit their constituents.

For Paul, the vast majority of bills don't get that far. He first asks, "Does the Constitution authorize Congress to pass this law?" Most of the time, the answer to that question is "no." And so Paul votes accordingly.

Take a look at the rest.

I think Paul sounds great. I don't see him running away with the nomination, but as the writer of the column suggests, I agree that he could bring discussion of some issues and positions that are long overdue for a discussion, especially within the Republican Party.

Paying for Efficiency

This morning, the Burlington Free Press ran a story about one of the bills being proposed by the Vermont Senate as part of their global warming initiative.

The bill is still being shaped in the Senate Natural Resources Committee, but the gist is this: An efficiency charge would be assessed on all heating fuels, just as it now is on electric bills. The money would pay to help Vermonters make their homes and businesses more energy-efficient.

I must say that this article gave me pause given that the news last week was that fuel assistance programs were running out of money already and we are still in February (a mighty cold one, too, I might add). Odd that the Senate would propose to add to the cost of heating our homes.

The Free Press leads in with a quick look at the pro and con sides to this proposal.

Vermonters could save money, make their homes more comfortable and create jobs in the process, according to supporters of proposed legislation designed to enhance energy efficiency.

The trouble with it, detractors say, is that everybody's heating bills would increase to pay for it. There are other ways to achieve the same goal, they contend.

I really have no problem with energy efficiency. It is long overdue. In fact, I wish my landlord was a little more mindful of energy efficiency, given that I am the one paying the gas bill for my drafty apartment.

The bottom line is that Vermonters are tapped out. We don't have the money to pay more for our heating fuel. Many of us are barely making ends meet as it is.

I'm not trying to be alarmist. I am trying to be a realist.

My downstairs neighbor was borrowing my vacuum the other day and she was worried about how she will pay her gas bill. Mine just arrived today, and I can see why she was so upset. We keep our thermostat set at 65 and our bill is still much higher than it was this time last year.

Don't get me wrong, I would never propose that we base policy on my personal budgetary woes, or those of my hard-working neighbor, but I think that we are less the exception and more the rule.

There are no new sources of revenue that the legislature will be able to tap into. The money all comes from the same set of pockets and those pockets are fast becoming empty.

It is time for the Democrats to decide which things they want to keep, and which ones they will have to let go. We cannot afford to fund their entire utopian vision for Vermont.

Burlington Election Forums on Channel 17

Hey, I'm back and I actually have three posts coming down the pipeline.

First, I want to fill you all in about the Channel 17 debates replay schedule.

There are two blocks: the ballot item presentation, followed by all council candidate forums and the school budget presentation, followed by all school board candidate forums.

The candidate forums do not go in numerical order.

Here's a link to the sched. I will post it at the end of this post.

If you do not want to watch all of the debates, you can go to the Channel 17 podcast page and find the ward that you want to listen to on your computer or MP3 player.

Okay, I'll make it easier for you. Here are the links to the audio of each debate.

Ward 1 - Sharon Bushor (I) - uncontested 2-year term

Ward 1 - Ed Adrian (D), Dick Bove (I) and Megan Munson-Warnken (P) - 1-year term

Ward 2 - Jane Knodell (P) and David Rogers (I)

Ward 3 - Tim Ashe (P) and Loyal Ploof (I)

Ward 4 - Jim Holway (D) and Kurt Wright (R)

Ward 5 - Rene Kaczka-Valliere (Green), Joan Shannon (D) and Basil Vansuch (I)

Ward 6 - Andy Montroll (D) and Tom Licata (I)

Ward 7 - Ellie Blais (I) Linda Deliduka (D) and Craig Gutchell (R)

So, go on and do your civic duty and be an informed voter. Feel free to share the links with other Burlington voters. The debates are less than 15 minutes per candidate, so in most wards, you only have an ~30 minute show to listen to.

Okay, enough preaching. (It's probably only to the choir anyway.)

Here's that sched.

Burlington City Council Election Forums
8 total air times:

Fri, Feb 23, 2007 at 8:00:00 PM
Sat, Feb 24, 2007 at 1:00:00 AM
Sat, Feb 24, 2007 at 7:00:00 AM
Sat, Feb 24, 2007 at 1:00:00 PM
Sat, Mar 3, 2007 at 8:00:00 PM
Sun, Mar 4, 2007 at 1:00:00 AM
Sun, Mar 4, 2007 at 7:00:00 AM
Sun, Mar 4, 2007 at 1:00:00 PM

Burlington School Budget & Candidate Forums
8 total air times:

Mon, Feb 26, 2007 at 8:00:00 PM
Tue, Feb 27, 2007 at 1:00:00 AM
Tue, Feb 27, 2007 at 7:00:00 AM
Tue, Feb 27, 2007 at 1:00:00 PM
Wed, Feb 28, 2007 at 8:00:00 PM
Thu, Mar 1, 2007 at 1:00:00 AM
Thu, Mar 1, 2007 at 7:00:00 AM
Thu, Mar 1, 2007 at 1:00:00 PM

On to some of those posts I promised...

She's Right Turns One

This past Saturday was the one year anniversary of She's Right. I meant to do a post, but I never did one (as you can see).

For some reason I haven't felt like blogging lately. I haven't really been reading blogs much either. I just don't really care that much. There is so much going on in the world that matters more than what a bunch of ideological political hacks are hollering down the echo chamber.

Ugh, I hate feeling like this. I want to get excited about blogging, but it isn't doing a darn thing for me. It's really weird.

I saw Joan Shannon in the library today and I remembered that I missed the City Council debates on Channel 17 last night - for my own ward! I - a person who loves politics so much that in college, I would get up early Sunday morning, even after going out and getting totally plastered the night before, just so I could watch Meet the Press - missed the City Council debate for my own ward. I didn't even tape it.

Luckily, Channel 17 re-airs those things multiple times.

Anyway, I am posting this because I feel like I should post something. I mean, you guys care enough about what I have to say to take the time to stop by, so I should at least have the consideration to post something, right?

I'm hoping to be out of this funk soon. Bob's computer parts came in today (shhh, he doesn't know yet), so he will be able to fix our computer. I have been staying off it because the fan on the power supply is about to kick the bucket and I didn't want to tempt fate. (We got a new, bigger hard drive for him to install, too.) Once he gets things running again, I am sure that I will fall right back into my internet addiction and you'll have plenty of reading material.

In the meantime, if some one knows of anything that is happening that will get me excited about politics again, please let me know.

Hey there!

Yes, I did survive the snow storm. We are still digging out, though. Or I should say they are. I live in an apartment, so technically others are paid to do the shoveling. Although, I did get out and do some myself this morning and Bob did quite a bit.

The official snow total for Burlington was 25.3 inches. Needless to say, the kids are psyched.

We got through the storm without incident, except that the heavy winds blew out the pilot light on our heater last night. We got it going again with little trouble.

The big night of Channel 17 Burlington City Council debates was supposed to be last night, but it was canceled due to the weather. Word on the street is that it was rescheduled for Monday.

I have been completely out of the information loop for what seems like an eternity, but has actually been about two or three days. My computer has been purring like a kitten lately, which is not a good thing for a computer, so I have been off-line.

My husband just ordered a new part for it last night, so I hope to be back to blogging very soon. Perhaps while we are waiting for the part to come, I will get a chance to steal a few moments on his computer to post. That machine is in our bedroom, so I can't really go on it unless someone else is home to watch the kids.

So, have a good weekend, if I don't get a chance to post before then.

Channel 17 Election Forums

Hey blog readers. Sorry that I have been missing for the last few days. I have been sick. Is it me, or do I say that a lot? I don't know why, but this winter has been a real bear as far as sickness is concerned in my home.

Anyway, I wanted to remind you that the Channel 17 election forums for Burlington are this week.

Yesterday, they had some school board races.

Tonight, Tuesday 2/13

5:25-6:10 - Burlington City Council Ward 1 (1 year term)
Ed Adrian (D), Dick Bove (I), Megan Munson-Warnken (P)

6:15-6:30 - Ward 1 Uncontested
Sharon Bushor

6:35-7:05 - Ward 2 Council
Jane Knodell (P), David Rogers (I)

7:10-7:40 - Ward 3 Council
Tim Ashe (P), Loyal Ploof (I)

Tomorrow, Wednesday 2/14

5:25-6:10 - Ward 7 Council
Ellie Blais (I), Linda Deliduka (D), Craig Gutchell (GOP)

6:15-7:00 - Ward 5 Council
Rene Kaczka-Valliere (G), Joan Shannon (D), Basil Vansuch (I)


7:05-7:35 - Ward 6 Council
Andrew Montroll (D), Tom Licata (I)


7:40-8:10 - Ward 4 Council
Jim Holway (D), Kurt Wright (GOP)

I hope to have some coverage of these debates, but I can't say when.

Don't forget to check out BurlingtonPol for local election coverage, too.

No More Playing the Flute While Driving

I wasn't going to post anything else today, but I couldn't help but comment on this new piece of legislation from the vault of stupidity.

Lawmakers are considering a measure that would ban eating, drinking, smoking, reading, writing, personal grooming, playing an instrument, "interacting with pets or cargo," talking on a cell phone or using any other personal communication device while driving. The punishment: a fine of up to $600.

I can understand the cell phone thing, even though I don't agree with it, but no eating or drinking? Can we chew gum?

No smoking? Where in the world are people supposed to smoke? They can't do it anywhere else in public.

I would also like to know if breaking up a kid fight falls under the category of "interacting with pets or cargo."

The worst part is, I can't even blame this on the Democrats. The bill's sponsor is Rep. Thomas Koch (R-Barre).

"What finally pushed me over the edge was when I was at a stop sign and somebody opposite me was trying to navigate around the corner with a cell phone to the ear in one hand and a cigarette in the other, and she wasn't doing very well."

Let's just hope no one ever flips him off while driving.

Christianity, Same-Sex Marriage, and the Republican Party

The other day, Andrew Sullivan had a post about Giuliani's bid for President.

Giuliani is running as a secular, modern conservative to run what has become a religious, theological party. His fate is going to be a fascinating insight into what American conservatism can now mean. And the Christianists are not going to put up with secular, inclusive, reality-based conservatism.

I think that the label the Republican Party has earned in recent years,that it is trying to impose a theocracy, comes down to one issue: gay marriage.

Personally, I wish this issue would just go away, but it won't. So, instead, I decided that I should try and make some sense out of it.

I've been listening to a series entitled, "House or Home?" on the Christian radio series "Living on the Edge" that I download from iTunes every day. (This series is a must hear for any Christian family that wants biblical principles to guide them toward having a closer family.)

The first part in the series talks about marriage as a holy covenant. It was mostly about viewing marriage as a covenant for life, not something you will try, and see if it works out.

It goes on to talk about the things that we do that take away from the sacredness of this perfect union that God designed for a man and a woman. Those things include divorce, living together before marriage, sex before marriage, sex outside marriage, and homosexual acts.

It is clear if you are a Bible believing Christian, that God created man and woman to have different attributes. The union of a man and woman is meant to yield a partnership where each benefits the other with the unique gifts that God created them with, and results in a fuller life for each of them.

I believe this. I believe that God created man and woman to be in a lifetime partnership.

I also believe, as it applies to government, that people have the right to live their lives as they choose.

Not everyone is a Christian. Not every Christian believes the Bible. Not every Christian who believes the Bible, believes that practicing homosexuality is wrong.

I'm not even sure that it is wrong, per se, but I do believe that the divine design that God created was for a man and a woman to become united as one flesh.

But this isn't about what I think is right or wrong. That is the point of this post. Our laws are not about what one group thinks is the morally right or wrong way to live your life.

Surely divorce, sex before marriage, and sex outside of the marriage are just as violating to the holy marriage covenant. Yet none of those things are illegal. Why should same-sex marriage be any different?

I have yet to hear a good answer to that question.

Divorce among Christians is actually slightly higher than among non-Christians. If you ask me, what is destroying the American family is not same-sex relationships, it's divorce.

What about the children?

I think that God designed the family to have a mother and a father because they each bring a unique relationship to the child's life. I believe that this is the ideal situation for a child to be raised in.

Again, this is not about what I think is ideal. My own family isn't ideal. My older two children are not my husband's biological children.

More importantly, there are countless same-sex couples that are wonderful parents. And, let's not forget that there are countless heterosexual couples that are awful parents.

Do we really want the government to dictate how we should raise our children? Don't forget, there are people who claim that raising your child with religion is abusive.

It's funny, I've been thinking about this post for a couple of days, but haven't gotten around to doing it. Now it looks like same-sex marriage is going to be a big issue in the Vermont legislature.

This is the issue that could destroy the Republican Party - and I don't mean because swing voters are not opposed to gay marriage. It is the thing that could destroy the Republican Party from within. There is already a split forming between those who want the party to stand for liberty and those who want the part to stand for Christian values.

Once the GOP starts championing the governing of our personal lives, it ceases to be the party of freedom and smaller government. We have seen that happen over the last six years, as more spending and less freedom has replaced less spending and more freedom.

As a Republican, I do not want to see the party fractured beyond repair.

As a Christian, I do not want to see our freedom eroded. Living in a society that is largely hostile to our beliefs, we need our freedom.

Mayors Against Legal Guns?

A while back, Burlington mayor Bob Kiss joined onto the Mayors Against Illegal Guns.

There was a brief "What the heck? This is Vermont, we love our guns, " but that quickly dissolved into a, "What are you some sort of moron? He's only against illegal guns."

Case closed.

Well, some of us knew that this group was more than Mr. Mayor would have us think (or maybe even more than Mr. Mayor knew) and now you can read the scoop from one mayor who has left the group.

I do support the efforts to strengthen laws and prosecute individuals who dispense or use illegal guns, and getting them out of the hands of criminals. However, upon further review of the coalition, it appears they may have a different agenda than I anticipated.

I am concerned the coalition is working on issues that conflict with the beliefs we share in Alaska about legal gun ownership, and I'm also concerned gun ownership advocates are not part of the full discussion within the coalition. We cannot afford to risk protecting our Bill of Rights and the rights of legal gun owners.

Because of these conflicts, I have written to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, chair of the coalition, and have asked him to remove me as a supporter of the coalition.

That comes from Mayor Mark Begich, of Anchorage, Alaska, in a letter to the Anchorage Daily News.

(Hat tip: Alphecca. If you are interested in Second Amendment issues and you are not already reading Alphecca, you should be. Jeff keeps an eye on the news so you don't have to!)

Zoning rewrite follow-up

Yesterday, the mayor held a press conference about the zoning rewrite issue that I brought up in this post.

The Free Press has coverage here and Channel 17 will post the streaming video of their coverage sometime today.

I don't have the time to blog a proper follow-up on this because everyone is sick today (including my husband, who stayed home from work). I will post my thoughts later.

Welch goes carbon neutral

Okay, this is my last post on Global Warming, or else I am going to have to make a category for it.

So, today, everyone was gushing over the announcement that Rep. Peter Welch is off-setting the carbon output of his DC office.

How?

A Vermont company allows you to compute the carbon footprint of your household based on energy use and travel. Then, you can pay a yearly or monthly fee based on the amount of carbon dioxide that you are responsible for. That money is used to create wind and/or methane power - you get to choose.

Here is my proposal. Every single American that is concerned about global warming needs to sign up for this. That way, not only can liberals be free from blame when they engage in their rants against Big Oil, but also, conservatives can claim another victory in the free-market versus government-regulation debate.

That's what I call win-win.

I might sign up for it myself. After all, $37/month is a small price to pay to be able to tell JD Ryan to kiss my carbon neutral behind!

Channel 17 updates

Tonight at 7:00 pm, Channel 17 will have complete coverage of today's press conference in Burlington about the zoning rewrite issues.

Channel 17 also begins their Town Meeting Day election coverage starting Thursday and Friday with Williston.

Burlington election forums air live next week. I will post a reminder later this week.

You can view the full schedule of election forums here.

More on Global Warming

Update (3:45 pm)

I came across this interesting piece on global warming today. I thought I would post it in honor of the anonymous commenter on this post yesterday.

Global Warming, as we think we know it, doesn't exist. And I am not the only one trying to make people open up their eyes and see the truth. But few listen, despite the fact that I was the first Canadian Ph.D. in Climatology and I have an extensive background in climatology, especially the reconstruction of past climates and the impact of climate change on human history and the human condition. Few listen, even though I have a Ph.D, (Doctor of Science) from the University of London, England and was a climatology professor at the University of Winnipeg. For some reason (actually for many), the World is not listening. Here is why.

You can read the column here.

Remember, don't shoot the messenger. I didn't write it, nor am I a climatologist.

Update: JD Ryan submits his refutation of this column (and its author) in the first comment on this post.

One more Burlington politics post

Updated @ 10:59 am and again @ 2:35 pm.

Big story in the Free Press about a possible scandal involving the zoning re-write.

It seems that the consultant who was doing the re-write was being paid $65/hour, totaling more than $200,000 to date. Apparently, this is acceptable for a short-term contract, like her original 90-day one, but for the length of time she has been making this much money, it is way out of step with what city employees make. The mayor only makes in the $80,000-range.

The tabloid angle of this whole snafu is that said planner is alleged to be having an affair with the city employee who authorizes her contract and her paychecks, city attorney Joe McNeil.

Okay, the article doesn't use the word "affair" and I have no specific knowledge, other than that is the official rumor.

The Free Press has the dirt, but their links only work for a week, usually.

UPDATE: The mayor and representatives from City Council will hold a press conference at noon today to talk about the zoning re-write.

The City Councilors are: City Council President Ian Carleton and Councilors Jane Knodell, Ward 2, Andy Montroll, Ward 6, and Kurt Wright, who represents Ward 4.

Update 2: Channel 17 will have complete coverage of the press conference at 7 PM tonight.

PSA

The Burlington Greens invite you to join them for a public screening of the documentary "American Blackout" which chronicles the recurring patterns of voter disenfranchisement from Florida 2000 to Ohio 2004 while following the story of Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney. The event is Wednesday, February 7th at 6:30 P.M. at the Euro Gourmet Market & Cafè on 61 Main St. in Burlington. Discussion follows. Free and open to the public.

http://www.americanblackout.com/

http://www.burlingtonvtgreens.org/

I am not endorsing this film and I probably won't be attending, but I wanted to let you all know about it.

Random Thought

Given that it is a whopping 5-degrees out right now (that's excluding the wind chill of as low as 20-below), I think this is a good opportunity to point out the folly in citing the unusually warm temperatures in December as "proof" of global warming.

I am not saying here that global warming is or is not happening, or that it is or is not caused by humans.

What I am saying is that for every person who said, when it was really warm out, "It global warming." There will be an equal number of people saying, now that it is dangerously frigid, "So much for global warming."

Note to those concerned about global warming: it does not help your case to cite the weather on any given day as proof.

Okay, I am going to go curl up with a blanket and a good book. It's cold out there!

Burlington Forums

Jeremy Ryan set up a discussion board for Burlington elections and stuff. It would be really great if a lot of people started using this forum for discussion.

Currently Ward 2 City Council candidate David Rogers has posted something.

Check it out.

A quick note...

Updated 2/5 11:16 am

As you can see, I changed my header image. What I realized later was that since the text in the image is part of the template, not the image itself, if someone happens to change the font size on their browser from the default, the header image may get cut off or repeat (depending on if your font is larger or smaller than the standard). Also, I only tested this in IE and Firefox.

Update: Never mind. I fixed the image problem (Duh! Just set the image height!)

So, (finally, she makes her point) please let me know if it looks funky in your browser. Be sure to tell me what browser you are using.


Thanks!

Burlington's "9/11 investigation" ballot item

I had a chat with Doug Dunbebin (former City Councilor) a couple of weeks ago about the ballot question regarding a new 9/11 investigation.

I have been meaning to write something up on this, but it keeps getting put off, so I thought I would post the press release I received from the group behind the ballot question.

A question calling for a new 9/11 investigation is officially on Burlington’s March 2007 ballot. A group of Burlington residents has collected the required number of petition signatures and now voters will decide:

“Shall Vermont’s Congressional Delegation be advised to demand a new, thorough, and truly independent forensic investigation that fully addresses the many questions surrounding the tragic events of September 11, 2001?”

The question does not advance any particular alternative theory concerning the events of 9/11. Rather, it focuses on the need to get answers to hundreds of questions raised by members of the intelligence community and family members of 9/11 victims. These individuals with firsthand knowledge claim that many serious problems and concerns raised during the 9/11 Commission’s hearings went unsolved and unanswered.

In a January 21, 2007 Burlington Free Press article, one of the family members responsible for getting the 9/11 Commission established called its final report “pathetic.” Lorie Van Auken said “we wanted experts not just to be called, but to follow up on questions.” Van Auken explained that “the Burlington ballot item is valuable because it brings attention to these unanswered questions.”

In an open letter to the 9/11 Commission chairman, FBI whistleblower Sibel Edmonds stated the report was “seriously flawed in its failure to address serious intellingence issues” and that “these omissions cast doubt on the validity of your report and therefore on its conclusions and recommendations.”

Chairman Kean, in an August 2, 2006 Washington Post article, raised serious doubts about key witness testimony. “We to this day don’t know why NORAD [the North American Aerospace Command] told us what they told us.” said Thomas H.
Kean, the former New Jersey Republican governor who led the commission. “It was just so far from the truth.”

Since the president and many members of Congress have used the events of 9/11 to justify wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, wiretapping, the USA PATRIOT Act, torture, indefinite detentions without charges, and the recently passed Military Commissions Act that suspends the writ of habeas corpus, the group believes these serious, credible questions about 9/11 must be answered.

You can check out the group's website for more information. I hope to get a chance to post some of my own thoughts about this before Town Meeting Day. (Hey, that gives me a month, right?)

School Board Races

Here is the line up for the Burlington School Commissioners races:

Ward 1 -- Keith Pillsbury (incumbent, unopposed)
Ward 2 -- Jen Lazar (unopposed; Commissioner Erik Hoekstra is retiring)
Ward 3 -- Marissa Caldwell (incumbent) v. Denise Foote
Ward 4 -- Wally Elliot (incumbent, unopposed)
Ward 5 -- Fred Lane (incumbent, unopposed)
Ward 6 -- Jurij Homziak (incumbent, unopposed)
Ward 7 -- Bob Hooper v. Tom Treat (Commissioner Paul Hale is retiring)

(Courtesy of Fred Lane via Front Porch Forum)

The post in which I ramble about my own blog

I am coming up on my one-year blog-o-versary, so I thought I would share a little history of She's Right and talk a little about where the blog is headed. (I know, I am total dork.)

She's Right started out as a website (technically a blog, I suppose, but I was not familiar with that word yet) where I posted my political rantings on a weekly basis, beginning in 2001. I have been wanting to post some old She's Right, just so you could all see how much I have mellowed out. Let me put it this way, when my husband Bob, who was my boyfriend at the time, read it, he said that I reminded him of a columnist that he really likes named ... get this ... Ann Coulter!

Unfortunately, all of my old She's Right material is on a CD dump from my old PC, which I can't find anywhere. The only thing I do have is this one piece that I sent to opinioneditorials.com about Howard Dean and healthcare.

Once I became interested in being the Chair of the Burlington Republican Committee, I decided to take down She's Right because I thought it was too divisive.

Then in 2005, when I decided not to be the chair for another term, I approached Channel 17 about doing a live @5:25 show from the perspective of a conservative woman, since there were already two shows from the feminist perspective. A couple of my conservative woman friends thought it was a great idea and one, who used to read my old She's Right site, suggested that I call the show "She's Right."

I thought it was a great idea because I already owned the domain name and I wanted to have a website with information on the show.

The first She's Right aired in September of 2005.

Then in February of 2006, I received an e-mail from none other than Haik Bedrosian from BurlingtonPol.com, telling me to check out his blog for Burlington pols. I was hooked and shesright.blogspot.com was born on February 17, 2006.

Shortly after, I integrated the shesright.org site information with the blog and redirected that URL here. I saw no point in having a website and a blog with the same information.

Since its inception, this blog has evolved in many ways, but I guess that is to be expected because we, as people, evolve (and I don't mean from apes).

When I first got involved with politics it was because I wanted people to see that conservatives are not as bad as they are made out to be. I don't think I am evil. And I certainly am not greedy and rich.

I think that I have been at least mildly successful in getting other people to listen to me, even if they do not agree, and at least respect that I am not such a bad person.

I also stayed away from talking about my conversion to Christianity in recent years because, well, it is so stereo-typical for a conservative Republican to also be a Jesus freak.

I even started a separate, anonymous Christian blog called "In His Grace," but I found it too hard to keep up with three blogs. There are a handful of posts on it about my experience with the grace and love of Christ.

Now that cat is out of the bag that I am a Christian, maybe I can also work on changing people's views of Christians, the way I have tried to change people's views of Republicans.

I doubt that I could ever lead someone to Christ via a blog, but I would be satisfied with debunking the stereotypes that people hold about Christians. So, I am going to talk about religion issues a little more in what I hope will be a thoughtful and respectful way. (Okay, I know running a four part series entitled, "Things Said by Atheists that are Untrue or otherwise Irritating" was not a good start. That was meant to be a tongue-in-cheek jab at JD Ryan. How was I to know that it would be the most widely linked posts I ever did?)

I am going to be changing the layout a little over the next day or so and also updated the blog with a new subtitle/blog description. Feel free to share your feedback with me through comments or e-mail.

As always, I thank you for reading She's Right. Without people to read, there really is no point in having a blog, now, is there?

Channel 17 debate schedule up

Here is the Channel 17 debate schedule for Town Meeting 2007. The schedule includes, Burlington, Williston, Essex Town, and Winooski.

I'll try to post reminders before each debate for Burlington comes up.

It's so cliche, but it is the spending (stupid)

There is a story in the Free Press this morning about the legislative hearings on property tax.

Jim Stevens, 67, is retired, but works two part-time jobs as a mail carrier and bus driver to supplement his retirement income. He said he and his wife live on less than $24,000 a year in a home they purchased in Newark six years ago.

Thursday he drove to Montpelier with some of his neighbors to complain about the growing burden of his property taxes.

"My tax has gone up 53 percent since I came here," he told members of the House Education and Ways and Means committees, the two House panels charged with examining ways to curb school spending and property tax growth. "I don't know why you have to tax us to death."

When he thought lawmakers weren't paying close enough attention to the testimony, Stevens raised his voice. "Do you hear me? Do you hear the people who are talking?" he asked. "I'm not trying to tell you a sob story. I'm trying to tell you what is going on."

Stories like this are typical here. I remember that first time I ran for City Council and went door-to-door, I heard story after story of senior citizens who were being taxed beyond their means. One woman was almost in tears, wondering if she would have to sell her home. And that was in 2003. Taxes have increased substantially since then.

One commonly offered solution is a shift from property taxes to an income tax.

Rep. Harvey Otterman, R-Topsham, promoted greater reliance on the income tax in his testimony, noting the value of people's property doesn't represent ability to pay taxes. "The income tax is the one tax that does represent your ability to pay."

I agree that property tax is not a good indicator of ability to pay. I also know that the excessive property tax burden can make home ownership cost prohibitive for some people.

However, I caution people about embracing an income tax as the panacea for the school spending dilemma. If we do not get the spending under control, the income tax levels will inevitably creep up, even for those who cannot afford it.

According to this compilation of census data, the median income in Vermont for a full-time, year-round working male is only $32,457, and for a female that figure is $25,322. That means half of Vermonters make less than that.

If school spending continues to increase at current levels, the income tax will hit all Vermonters hard in a matter of no time.

When Act 68 was passed, it temporarily took the focus off the dollar amounts of the school budgets. Any new change in the funding mechanism could have the same effect. Hey, I'm not going to pay it, so of course I'll vote "yes."

What happens when the budgets get so big that the families who are just scraping by have to pick up part of the tab? Will the school budgets go back down?

This year, the Burlington School District is asking for a 9.08% increase. Our population is not growing at that rate. Our incomes are not growing at that rate. We cannot afford to sustain that rate of growth, regardless of the funding mechanism.

We need to control school spending.

The question is, will lawmakers take that seriously?

Compassionate Cause for February 2007

The She's Right Compassionate cause for February is Prajwala.

In the beginning of January, I saw the profile of Sunitha Krishnan on PBS's Religion and Ethics Newsweekly. I highly recommend that you watch the video or read the transcript of the interview with this amazing woman.

From PBS,

Krishnan began working to combat sexual violence in what she says is its most pervasive form -- prostitution. After getting a doctorate in social work, she and a Catholic brother, who died in 2005, founded Prajwala, which means "eternal flame." It is dedicated to removing -- she says rescuing -- women from brothels. It begins with helping their children. In 1995 she started a school with five children. Today, aside from this boarding school for HIV positive kids, Prajwala runs 17 schools across the city of Hyderabad with 5,000 children.

I hope that you would consider supporting Prajwala.

New side-bar addition

I just added a section to the side-bar for local election coverage. I know that most of you are not locals, but I have a love for local democracy that I just can't ignore.

I'll take it down after the election.

To read all of my local politics posts, you can go to "Posts By Category" in the side-bar and click on "Burlington Politics."