WEST TOWNSHEND-Nancy Braus, former owner of Everyone's Books, unequivocally states: "Vermont does not ban books." She has a point. The state of Vermont and public school districts do not appear to be banning books.
But Braus, when she owned the bookstore, did her best to block her clientele from access to certain books - specifically anything written by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Not only would she not have his books on display in her store, she would not order them for patrons.
This is Braus's version of book banning. She lost my patronage and that of many others.
Has she turned over a new page? Or is she hiding behind semantics and a mural?...
Vida King perpetuates the myth that masking prevents the spread of virus and other unseen pathogens. Viruses, smaller than bacteria, are by definition microbes and not visible to the naked eye or under an ordinary microscope. Viruses are only visible under an electron microscope. I'm wondering how writer Vida...
Elayne Clift compares current culture in the United States with that of Germany during the Nazi takeover, specifically related to a woman's reproductive rights and the right to think independently and to read freely without censorship. I would like add to Clift's thoughts the fact that we Americans -
Without a doubt, Connecticut has been the leader of reproductive rights legislation. In 1879, Fairfield County Rep. Phineas Taylor (P.T.) Barnum sponsored a law prohibiting use of “any drug, medical article, or instrument for the purpose of preventing conception” by anyone in the state. If the name Barnum sounds familiar, it's because P.T.'s name is immortalized in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus brand. He's the 19th-century entrepreneur whose carnival sideshows extracted coins from pockets as folks witnessed...
Finally, thanks to Covid, everyone knows about the work of respiratory therapists. We're now recognized as the profession that manages folks connected to mechanical ventilation. Nurses and doctors rely on respiratory therapists' knowledge and experience to help patients return to breathing on their own. Now that I am retired, the best use of my 25 years of experience in respiratory therapy work is to publicly share my knowledge and point of view. Let's start with masks. There are two types:
To vaccinate or not to vaccinate: That is not the question. The unasked question is this: How am I caring for my immune system? We all stew in this pandemic brew together - vaccinated folks in the research group, those without the vaccine in the control group. So when someone reveals their vaccine status, rest assured it is what's best for that person. When there is risk related to your body, choice is an essential aspect of the democratic process...
As of Jan. 6, 2021, the United States of America is certifiably insane and in a coma in need of critical care. There is no quick remedy; no drug will do the trick. Maybe surgery is the best option. But surgery by itself is not the answer. Therapy, centuries of therapy, might dig us out of the diagnosis hole of insanity and bring us back to the real world of democracy as expressed in our hallowed Constitution. As it is...