For 30 years, I've been a member of the Putney Friends, or Quaker, congregation. Thus, my curiosity was piqued, reading in The Commons about a local group named Friends of Putney, in regard to the proposal to build much-needed housing in Putney on Alice Holway Drive.
I wondered: Are they as dedicated to social justice work as Quakers/Friends? Were they walking in the same light as John Woolman when he started his abolition work in the mid-18th century - or continuing that work today on many social justice fronts, including a recent public statement urging reparations?
Upon further review, it seems not so much, as some of the group's members could be seen in this last election campaign going door to door for the Republican candidate for the Vermont House, supported by Vermonters for Good Government, a group formed and operated by members of Vermont Right to Life Committee and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington. Other issues the VFGG candidate was against include climate action and vaccinations, all while calling for “more balance” in Vermont politics.)
I looked a bit further.
Nader Hasim is ready to lead and use his skills, experience, and dedication to serving Windham County residents in the Vermont Senate. He has my vote and I hope he has yours as well. I've gotten to know Nader over the last four years, serving with him in the...
There isn't a time when I go outside Vermont, that something doesn't spark me to think of calling it a “Vermont appreciation trip.” I can't think of better people or a better place to be, or of better work to do, than helping keep Vermont moving forward. That's why...
While the early bird does get the worm, it's also true that, often, the second mouse gets the cheese. So, being first isn't always optimum, and taking one's time can have its own benefits. We like to think that way in the Legislature as our state constitution provides for a long, deliberate process before an idea becomes law. That can be frustrating for some, especially in our instant-gratification culture. But I liken it to the slow food movement. Good things...
The smell was what I noticed first - not unlike what you sense when a neighbor is burning brush down the road. “Down the road,” though, turned out to be smoke from wildfires in Manitoba and California which were staining our skies and burning our eyes and lungs last summer. That was the headline. The body of the story dove deeper into the effects and how fires in Canada and California were affecting air quality here, with experts ranking it...
While CRT - critical race theory - is getting headlines these days, CTS is really what's going on. CTS - changing the subject - is Mitch McConnell and his local minions carrying water for Donald Trump and their attempt to distract from America's - and Joe Biden's - successes in cleaning up the mess that Trump left. Most of all, President Biden has appreciably calmed things down from the daily rollercoaster of chaos that was the hallmark of the former...
Whether it's the latest baseless contention that President Biden wants to ban meat or the ongoing unfounded contentions of election fraud, facts do matter. Thankfully Vermont voters - and a majority of voters in our country - are proving they don't buy fact-less attempts to deceive. So it is “curiouser and curiouser” as to why the ongoing attempts to spread fact-less opinions? Across the nation, at least 60 cases have been brought to court alleging voter fraud in the last...
After understandably hearing from many teachers recently, with serious concerns about the pensions they've been paying into for decades, I am hoping the following will offer up-to-date, helpful information. First, though, I want to thank all teachers for their years of dedicated service to our children. They are our future, and their education is the key to that future. As I like to point out, when I hear someone complain about the cost of education: The kids of today will...