"Where the hell have we been?" Wednesday

My apologies to our readers (if there are any of you left) for the, oh, roughly 40-day break here at LSWTF.com. I don't know about the other contributors, but I've been busy as shit this last month (tried three cases, fun times). Really, I've got no excuse for myself. Hopefully we'll be back in full effect soon.

Without further delay:

In Vermont news: the Vermont Legislature overrode Gov. Jim Douglas' veto of same-sex marriage legislation that passed both the House and Senate last week. Douglas says this is no time for celebration; it's time to move on. Other opponents: repent, for this is a sign that the end is nigh. Everyone else: planning for the fall wedding season. My prediction: the fall foliage will have never looked so good for thousands of Vermont couples.

In international news, the crew of a U.S.-flagged ship retook their ship from Somali pirates today. Why is this not surprising to me? The captain, Richard Phillips, is from Underhill, Vermont, proving once and for all that Vermont's slogan should be "We're small, but we're fierce!"

In baseball news (and because I'm a Red Sox fan), Josh Beckett seems to have returned to form, striking out 10 Rays yesterday in Boston's 5-3 win over defending A.L. champ Tampa Bay. I know, it's the first start of the year, but I was seriously happy to see Beckett hitting 96-97 on the gun after he looked like he was tossing BP in the ALCS last year. Lester goes tonight for the Sox against Scott Kazmir.

Yeah, I bought one. Better safe than sorry.

Lastly, in news I didn't see coming, gun sales are booming in part because of the sour economy. While spending a few hundred dollars on something you may never use sounds counterinuitive, never underestimate the powerful paranoia your fellow Americans feel. Your neighbor Bill just lost his job at the factory. You could A) help him with his electric bill, if he'll let you or B) buy a gun in case Bill goes nuts and decides to steal grandma's silver. Seems most folks are choosing B. Only in America.

Vermont Political Round-up - 8/21/08

Here in Vermont, our gubenatorial race is heating up. It's a three-way race, with Democrat Gaye Symington and newly-independent Anthony Pollina (formerly of the liberal Progressive Party) challenging incumbent Republican Jim Douglas. As you might expect, the mud-slinging is just hitting high gear.

Governor Douglas and challenger Pollina have taken Symington to task for her recent financial disclosures. Seems that while the candidate was willing to make her finances public, she was not willing to air her husband's finances. Now, I agree that we should expect transparency from candidates for public office, but something about Pollina and Douglas's criticism strikes me wrong. Her husband isn't running for office. Shouldn't he have some kind of privacy? I suppose that if your spouse is running for office you should expect to have your life exposed to the public, but where's the limit?

But Symington isn't the only one with money troubles. A few weeks ago, Pollina dropped the Progressive Party and decided to run as an independent. That's fine. What's not fine is his refusal to return $27,000 in campaign contributions from 34 supporters, a result mandated by Vermont elections law. In Vermont, major-party candidates, those candidates who face primaries, can collect up to $2,000 from each contributor. Minor-party and uaffiliated candidates - independents like Pollina - can only collect $1,000 per contributor because they don't face a primary. Pollina decided to run as an independent, and now refuses to give back some of the money he collected. The State Attorney General is investigating.

As Vermont Daily Briefing puts it, Pollina has "jumped the couch." So much for Vermont's Mr. Campaign Fiance Reform.

Lastly, Republican Karen Kerin is challenging incumbent Democrat William Sorrell in the Vermont Attorney General race. Kerin, of Royalton, comes across as the tough-on-crime candidate, criticizing Sorrell for spending too much time on environmental and other non-criminal matters. So, what are her ideas for enhancing Vermont's criminal justice system. Well, for one, she's all for expanding Vermont's DNA database. By taking DNA from underage rape victims' aborted fetuses.

Not touching that one with a ten foot pole.

The MSFP of 2008 and back to the grind

After what I call "The Major Social Faux Pas of 2008," and because of a load of work I have to get done, I took a break from posting here. However, some news stories are just too good to pass up, work and whatever-you-call-what-Dews-did be damned. Onward!

In Vermont news, Governor Jim Douglas got a pie in the face during Montpelier's Fourth of July parade. The pie pugilist turned out to be a man in a Santa suit upset with Douglas's decision to let the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant's owners bail on their duty to create a decommisioning fund. And then things got weird. Barre mayor Thom Lauzon, who was walking with Douglas in the parade, took off after the not-so-jolly tart tosser when the mayor noticed that Douglas's security wouldn't leave the governor. Mayor Lauzon tracked down the man, used his ninja moves, and brought him to the ground (I'm not kidding here, just watch the video).

Aside from the obvious concern for the Governor's safety (how in the world could a guy get that close?), this would be hilarious but for Lauzon's actions. I'm a Barre guy. Thanks for making my town look ridiculous once again, mayor. Awesome. Perhaps you should wear a cape and a mask to the next city council meeting.

In other news, South Carolina has a plan to let Christians purchase special license plates. Frankly, I have nothing against special license plates per se. But, as usual, the devil is in the details. Seems that if you want a Star of David license plate, a plate to express your faith in Islam, or if you want the world to know you're a Hindu, that'll cost you a few thousand dollars, much more than the Christian plate. Plus, you can't have a trendy message, like the "I Believe" message on the Christian license plate. And don't worry, as the article notes, if you're against this plan, you both have a bias against Christianity and you don't believe in freedom of speech. Right.

Lastly, and certainly not least, an approving nod to my friend AK at Anachronistic Polytheism for her pithy commentary on the Facebook TMI Phenomenon. Yes, I know you get hammered on the weekends. Yes, I know you went home with that girl with too much make-up in the boob shirt last weekend and are now planning matching ass tattoos and now co-own a dog. And, yes, I also know you have an ugly baby now (damn, that's an ugly ass baby!). But, really, do you need to put every possible bit of information about yourself on Facebook?

Back to work, folks. Enjoy your Monday.

Anthony Pollina in Barre: A LSWTF.com Field Trip

Background: the Vermont gubenatorial contest is officially a three-person race. Incumbent Republican Governor Jim Douglas is seeking re-election. Progressive Party candidate Anthony Pollina, a policy advisor to then-Congressman, now-Senator Bernie Sanders and community organizer, is the third party candidate. Democratic Speaker of the House Gaye Symington threw her hat into the mix late in the game, on Monday, May 12th. Pollina has begun his campaign with a series of forum, with one in every Vermont county through the month of May. Last night, he held his Washington County event at the Old Labor Hall in Barre.

I must admit that going into this, I was very, very skeptical of Mr. Pollina. My impression of Progressives in Vermont is that they mostly share the same values as Vermont Democrats, but they either think themselves much smarter than the Democrats or they are so far afield politically that they would never be satisfied with the Democratic agenda. That's exactly what I found last night: a room full of very unsatisfied people, and a man (at least by his word) willing to give them a voice. I certainly prejudged him and his politics, and I'll admit it. Frankly, although I consider myself fairly liberal, the brand of liberalism that has taken hold in Vermont is sickening, like one of those too-sweet, girlie alcohol drinks you find in convenience stores. But, as Dr. Gonzo pointed out yesterday, we've come to an age where the media sucks, and I felt it was my duty to listen to the man and give him a fair shake. Thus, I went to the Labor Hall.

I arrived at the Labor Hall before six yesterday evening, and there were a few folks kicking around, talking about this and that. A pretty, college-age girl was working the door, taking names and contact information. Just as I got done filling out the usual contact information form, I got a phone call about a job opening, and I meandered outside, where it was quieter, so I could talk. I watched people trickle in. The mix was fairly standard for a politically liberal event in Vermont: a lot of working people dressed very plainly; a younger, well-dressed (yet casual) crew clearly playing with someone else's money, trustafarians as my buddy Rob likes to call them; the standard grey-haired older liberal crew; and then a few interlopers, like me, just there for the show and free food.

Pollina walked in around six and started working the room. The one thing that grabbed me immediately was how unremarkable he was. With certain politicians, when they walk into a room, they command your attention. I've seen it with city council members, state legislators, senators, and governors. They know they're a big deal, and so will you. Pollina was different. He was quiet, and it wasn't until someone engaged him that you saw him light up and engage. He seemed, well, normal, I suppose.

He worked the room for a solid half hour, and it seemed like he was trying to shake everyone's hand at least once while giving people who wanted to talk with him a chance to speak. He took the mic and began the show around seven, and his schtick was exactly what a candidate of his stature, and really any candidate anyway, should do. He let people talk to him.

The format of this show was simple. Pollina, taking center stage, spoke for a few minutes, and then his aides brought out a big tackboard. He asked everyone in the room to stand up and tell everyone else what they wanted to change in Vermont, every idea ended up on a piece of paper on the tackboard. The crowd was eager, and that's Pollina's hook. He gives people a chance to speak their peace. Everyone went for it. People wanted universal health care, with big applause when someone threw out the term "single payer." They wanted Vermont Yankee closed, again with huge applause. They wanted a local-based economy, a clean economy, and a liveable wage for all Vermonters. They hate George Bush. They wanted all money out of politics, though I have no idea what that means, really. They wanted better education for all, renewable energy (heard that one a dozen times), and they wanted the U.S. out of Iraq, to which Pollina promised to be a vocal critic of the war. The list went on.

The mood needs description. People were passionate, and there was a touch of anger and resentment. One woman's voice quivered when she spoke about her desire to end the war. A union man was forceful, direct, and point his finger when he spoke about workers being mistreated in Vermont. An internist could barely disguise his disgust when he spoke about his dealings with insurance companies. When the word corporation came up, it was hurled like a four letter word (which, to me, is a sign of ignorance, but that's another matter). Pollina didn't bring any power to the event; he didn't need to. He merely directed the current.

In the midst of all this, Pollina only really commented on what people had to say. Something here, something there. After a while, he asked everyone to get into small groups and talk about what was most important to us. We picked the economy, though the discussion wandered a bit. One woman threw out that she'd like to see state-run child care. Maybe no one informed her that is what schools are for nowadays. After a few minutes, we talked to the whole group and Pollina about our single biggest issue. When that was done, the event more or less ended, and Pollina stuck around to answer questions.

Pollina's show last night was, in my mind, kind of brilliant. He got on everyone's good side by letting them vent their frustrations. He gave them a focus for their anger without actually saying much himself. There was no multi-point platform, no scape goat, no anything, just a room full very vocal people, all liberal, speaking their minds. At the end, you could tell these folks felt satisfied, felt relieved, and they were on his side. This was cathartic for them, the liberal version of an evangelical prayer meeting. They were casting out their devils, and Pollina was their pastor. Because of this approach, Pollina comes across as a genuinely nice guy to someone like me who had never met the man before and never heard anything about his personality.

I approached Pollina after the show was over and I had finished my vegetarian lasagna (note: really folks, what the hell was the point of the veggie lasagna? It's effing gross!). I had two questions for him. The first relates to a story I'd heard from some Democrats. Back in 2002, when Pollina ran for Lt. Governor, he and the Democratic candidate lost to Brian Dubie, the Republican. Story goes that Pollina, smug as can be, showed up and partied down with Dubie at the victory party.

My question to Pollina: why the hell did you do that?

His answer? According to Pollina, he and the Progs were having their election party in the same Montpelier hotel as the Republicans. Rather than give Dubie a phone call, he walked over and congratulated him in person. He said that the media conflated the whole thing. His answer sounded simple, sounded reasonable. If anyone out there knows the real story, let me know.

My other question was one he's heard a thousand times: why are you running when it increases the odds of victory for the Republican governor, one many people, including Pollina, see as an essentially negative man who doesn't believe in taking risks and who doesn't really lead Vermont. Peter Freyne, the Seven Days political columnist, calls the governor Governor Scissorhands, cause mostly all he does is spend his time cutting ribbons. Pollina spent some time talking about a lot of things. He spoke about the Democrats' long delay in picking their candidate, how he'd tried to get the Dems to back him, and how there's just animosity on the Dems' behalf. He's running because he thinks he's the best candidate.

Then he slipped. Some of his ego showed.

He said that he thought the Dems feared Pollina would be the next Bernie Sanders - on their side, but not a Democrat, taking up high office, an immovable object that they really couldn't object to. It was the tiniest crack. Fifteen seconds in the five minutes of his time that he gave me, but it was telling. The guy really thinks he can do this, and he thinks pretty highly of himself.

I went home last night with a much higher opinion of Mr. Pollina than I had going in. Will I vote for him? No. He appears to be a coalition builder, a man who will listen to people, but I didn't see him as governor material, mostly cause I didn't see his ideas last night. He would be great in the legislature, great in the role of setting an agenda that would be sensitive to what everyday Vermonters want. But not governor, not in my opinion.

DC & H's Five for Friday

Happy Friday everyone. I hope you all had a great Singles Awareness Day.

First off, out of my home town, comes Jaime Deforge, 28, who wanted to teach a bartender a lesson about handling too much cash at one time in public. Mr. Deforge brought a loaded handgun to the bar, dropped the weapon, and then put it on the bar in order to show the bartender just how easy it was for someone to sneak a gun in. His BAC was .22. I wish I could say that things like this happen infrequently, but, well, this is Barre. After the bartender told him he had to leave, he replied that it was all okay because he's in the National Guard. I say hopefully not for long. Summing up his predicament, Mr. Deforge said "I just don't want to be treated like a dirt bag." Unintentional comedy factor = 10.

Second, and also out of Vermont, is Republican candidate John McCain making a stop in Burlington for an appearance with our Governor Do-nothing, err, Douglas. Hundreds of supporters showed up, which means that the entire Vermont Republican Party was in Burlington yesterday, along with a couple hundred curious folks. I'm kind of puzzled, however. Why even make the trip? It's not like 1) he's going to need our delegates this badly and 2) like he'll lose this state to the Huckster. Did he really think that a bunch of old-time Yankee Republicans were going to go to Huckabee? But really, the thing that really confuses is this: why has a Republican presidential candidate come to Vermont before a Democratic one?

Third, despite all this foolishness from the Republicans, I am glad to report that Senator Arlen Spector of Pennsylvania has solved all of our domestic and foreign problems. He has to have. Why else would he be spending his time investigating the NFL's role in Spygate? Good work Senator.

Fourth, I'm not done picking on Republicans today. Yesterday, the House voted to issue contempt citations to White House counsel and former Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers and White House chief of staff Joshua Bolten in connection with their roles in the US Attorney firings. But, nearly every Republican in the House walked out in protest. The Republicans' rationale was that the House should've been addressing a bill they said will enhance our national security instead of the contempt citations. Look, Republicans, you're dead wrong on this one. If our President has been trying to corrupt the justice system, we should know. I'm pretty sure some minor national security bill can wait a day or two. Shame on you again, Republicans.

Fifth and finally, some candid photos from the campaign trail. I wished we'd had this one yesterday.

Vermont governor reverses track on drug cases

Since I've been writing about this for about a month or so now, I thought I'd offer what seems to be the last of it. Governor Jim Douglas has announced that he's reversing his policy of skipping State's Attorney Robert Sand on major drug cases. The Governor's reasoning: he'd originally thought that instead of exercising discretion, Sand had a blanket policy of sending first time drug offenders with no history to a court-sponsored diversion program.

The governor's excuse is that when the story broke, he was misinformed. Seems he was encouraged by Sand's recent meetings with local (and Sand-supporting) law enforcement. It probably helped that the newspapers around were also flooded with letters chastising the governor as well as prominent folk like Vermont's former Chief Justice taking the governor to task, but if the governor wants to say he was misinformed, well, there you go.

As an interesting side note, kudos to the newspaper the Barre-Montpelier Times-Argus for the thoroughness of their coverage here. They pinpointed what actually may have been the cause for all the problems: a local TV station doing what television reporters often do, gloss over the facts. Compare WCAX's coverage on this with the earlier link. So much for checking your facts before going on air, eh WCAX?

General rants about the quality of television news coverage to be had in the comment thread. Buenas suerte!

Former Vermont Chief Justice: Douglas wrong on pot cases

Franklin Billings, Jr., former Chief Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court, has taken Gov. Jim Douglas to task over the Governor's order to law enforcement to skip the Windsor County State's Attorney in marijuana and other drug cases. Chief Justice Billings says that the Governor is both interfering with the prosecutorial discretion the voters in Windsor County have given to Robert Sand, who, as State's Attorney, is an elected official. Douglas argues, weakly, that Sand is abusing his discretion and says that he's received many letters supporting him, particularly from law enforcement around the state.

Personally, I don't know where Gov. Douglas is getting his support from. Letters to the editor in the newspapers around the state are with Sand, and I think that Chief Justice Billings hit it right on the head. Douglas is trying to circumvent our prosecutorial system (and the voters in Windsor County) for his political gain. I have many friends who have met the Governor and they all say he's a nice guy, but he's wrong on this one. Sand is doing the right thing. We need action on the issue of drug policy, and Sand is using his office in a progressive and proactive way to do what he thinks is right. Kudos to Sand, it takes guts to do what he's doing.

We'll see how this thing plays out. Really, there ought not be a big confrontation on this because I don't see either Sand or Douglas backing down. I do think that Douglas, in an attempt to look tough on drugs, took the wrong approach here. Vermonters want drugs out of the state, but they also want a smart and effective drug strategy, not just the same old "lock-'em-up-and-throw-away-the-key" approach that is costing us many millions of dollars per year. It's time for a change.

Vermont county prosecutor takes stand on drug laws

Robert Sand, a state's attorney (akin to a district attorney or prosecutor elsewhere) in Windsor County, Vermont is standing by his decision to send a sixty-one year old attorney found in possession of two and a half pounds of weed to court diversion. The governor, Jim Douglas, is pissed. Douglas has ordered the state police to bypass Sand's office and go to the Vermont Attorney General with significant drug cases arising in Sand's county.

Although I've worked on the defense side of criminal law in the past, I have to say I really agree with what Sand has done here. In Vermont, corrections is the largest department in state government with over 700 state employees. Vermont conservatives (yes, we have those here) bemoan our "generous welfare state." But, then conservatives like Douglas go and try to make examples out of someone like Attorney Sand, sending the message that they want to feed the corrections beast. It defies logic, but that's politics.

As anyone familiar with Vermont can attest, we have a drug problem up here. A lot of those folks whose use and sell end up in jail several times during the course of their lives. Although we can only speculate about the particulars of this case in particular, what Sand decided to do is very common sensical and very practical: he's sending this person to get help and try to figure herself out. He's not sending a sixty-one year-old woman to jail. He's not making her pay huge fines. He's not giving her up to the Feds. He's trying to fix her problem with one of the best tools he has available.

Kind of reminds you of a prosecutors real job: seeking justice.

But, sadly, it doesn't seem like that is what Gov. Douglas has in mind. Why seek justice when you can look good as a "law and order" governor?