News Flash! Welch Agrees to Public Antiwar Meeting On Sunday (updated again)

November 8, 2007 By M. Colby 4 Comments

publicmeeting.jpgAn ad hoc group of antiwar activists has learned this morning that Congressman Peter Welch has agreed to meet with us in public. The meeting will take place this Sunday (November 11th) at 1:30 at the Aldrich Public Library in Barre, Vermont (6 Washington Street). [Update: Please note the new meeting place.] This is a public meeting and everyone with concerns about the Iraq War are encouraged to come to voice those concerns and learn what Congressman Welch is planning with his future war votes.

The specifics of the meeting are currently being discussed and updates will be posted here as they become available. But, in the meantime, spread the word and help us get people to the meeting.

We look forward to speaking with you, Mr. Welch, and we appreciate your willingness to participate in this public meeting.

Filed Under: activism, blog, vt politics, war & peace

Calling All Dreamers – Antiwar Meeting Tonight

November 7, 2007 By M. Colby Leave a Comment

water.jpgHey. It’s democracy time again. And the grand dreamers will be meeting again this evening at the Kellogg Hubbard Library in Montpelier from 6-8 pm to discuss antiwar activism. If, like me, you enjoy the art and spirit of politics, this meeting’s for you. It’ll feed the soul and inspire the action that you know you’re yearning for. Come on, don’t deny it. It’s okay. In fact, it’s quite normal to wonder about the nefarious policies of our nation. And, better yet, it’s quite reasonable to actually risk something – say, public ridicule (yawn) – to do as Thoreau asked all the lovers of democracy to do when our government is engaged in policies that run counter to our social, civic, political and moral compass: “Let your life be a counter friction to stop the machine.” Indeed.

What’s truly remarkable about this meeting is that the group has no name. And no leaders. And no dusty bylaws. Or officers. It’s just an organic collection of people who have simply realized that there is not enough being done to stop this war. Worse, we’ve come to realize that the lethargy of the population when it comes to this war is being reflected in the lethargy of our elected officials who refuse to be bold in their efforts to stop it. And so we meet to plan an end to the slumber and do as Mother Jones once begged the dreamers to do: Wake the sleepers!

Somewhere along our nation’s democracy voyage the responsibilities that come with citizenship have been watered down to the point where voting is considered by most to be the highest act of participation. The results, of course, are longer and longer campaigns (read: distractions) from a shorter and shorter list of political elites saying basically the same things: Go to sleep, I will handle everything. Ha! And we wonder why a Bush and/or a Clinton have been in the White House for 27 straight years – and counting. Yes, indeed, go to sleep. Or not.

But until we take the duties between elections seriously, we get what we deserve: More empty campaign rhetoric and less electoral action. And on and on it goes.

What to do? Consider the words of Tolstoy in his famous “Letter to the Liberals:”

Merely the simple, quiet, truthful carrying on of what you consider good and needful, quite independently of government, and whether it likes it or not. In other words: standing up for your rights, not as a member of a committee, not as a deputy, not as a landowner, not as a merchant, not even as a member of Parliament; but standing up for your rights as a rational and free man, and defending them, not as the rights of local boards or committees are defended, with concessions and compromises, but without any concessions and compromises, is the only way in which moral and human dignity can be defended.

I hope to see you at the library tonight.

Filed Under: activism, blog, vt politics, war & peace

Friday Random Blogging

November 2, 2007 By M. Colby 2 Comments

shhhh.jpgOkay, I just finished sitting down and having a long talk with Snarky Boy. I let him know that it was NOT okay to use foul language when our nation is at war. I mean, what if the soldiers heard it? What kind of support is that? And I made it very clear that no matter how frustrated he may get with politicians who get elected to do something and then do nothing about that something, he must not – repeat: not – let his emotions get the best of him. This is America. This is Vermont. This is a civilized nation. And we cannot – repeat: cannot – let the foul language or our emotions get in the way of the killing. Not for a minute. Got that Snarky? Now crawl back into the deep recesses of my mind and leave this poor, innocent nation alone. We’ve got killing to do. Support the troops – speak kindly, believe it all, and keep funding the war. Amen.

Whew. Cross that off the list. Besides, I never like publicizing the conversations I have with myself. It just feels kind of weird. And the next thing you know, someone’s gonna get the wrong idea. They might, for example, think that I’m rude. Or playful. Or narcissistic. Or odd. Or stupid. That’s okay. Because it sure beats sitting on my hands quietly in the cheap seats. Oh damn, there I go getting all sentimental about democracy. Life would be so much simpler if I could just shake the notion that speaking out and standing up is what citizens are supposed to do. Oh, but the language!

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Speaking of rude, did hear about that woman in Alabama who broke the rules by sitting wherever she wanted to sit on the bus? Shame on her. Why didn’t she just call her congressman? And didn’t she know that she was likely to turn people off by violating the rules and norms of the moment? She’s lucky she didn’t do that in politically correct Vermont because she would have never lived down the shame of it, huh?

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And speaking of no sense of humor, how about the Democrats in South Carolina who are fighting Stephen Colbert’s efforts to get on their presidential primary ballot? Yep, the leaders of the Democratic Party of South Carolina voted 13-3 in favor of keeping Colbert off the ballot. But the best part of the story is this statement issued by one of the Dem officials:

[Colbert’s] really trying to use South Carolina Democrats as suckers so he can further a comedy routine…and he serves to detract from the serious candidates on the ballot.

Frankly, I’m not sure who’s bullshitting whom more here. Is it Colbert “suckering” the Dems for a “comedy routine” or the Dems suckering the people with its “serious candidates”? Help.

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What’s up Doc? The most bizarre story of the day for me was the Associated Press piece about the Burlington doctor facing sexual assault charges. If you missed it, here’s the money quote from the article about the charges Dr. Joseph Abate, an orthopedic physician at Fletcher Allen Health Care, is facing:

He was first charged in June, after a 22-year-old patient accused him of improperly touching her genitals during an exam for knee surgery.

Ew. But the lawyer for Dr. Abate says “It’s medicine, not sex, that is described in these [events].” Good luck with that.

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Freyne to the Rescue: You had to know that Peter Freyne wouldn’t let too much time tick off the clock before seeking to make amends with the Welch folks for his – gasp! – coverage of the antiwar protests directed at Welch. The inside word is that Welch’s folks let it be known that they weren’t happy with the spotlight Freyne gave the obvious “riff-raff.” It was, as you’ll recall, very fair coverage, especially considering all the other paper-based media outlets in Vermont completely ignored it.

But Freyne gets back to his lap dog ways on his blog today by trumpeting Welch’s work on…huh?…Enron. Yes, Enron. Silly me, I thought Enron was soooooo yesterday. But not to Welch. And certainly not to Freyne as he looks to mend the fences with the people he loves to play media/power elite footsie with. Giggle, giggle.

It’s one thing to make a big splash over Welch introducing legislation over something called an “Enron loophole,” but it’s quite another for Freyne to package it along with this sloppy kiss to the Welch teams’ collective behinds:

With one year to go before the votes are counted, would it be impolite of me to declare rookie Democratic U.S. Congressman Peter Welch the winner of the 2008 Vermont U.S. House race?

At the moment, Welchie’s only political critics in the Green Mountains are folks on the antiwar left who are upset that Ol’ Pedro has not supported the impeachment of the Liar in the Oval Office or voted “no” on any and all Iraq War money.

Impolite? Nah. But absurd? Yes.

Freyne proves he’s either eager to get back into Welch’s good graces or he’s stuck in the old paradigm of whom the “antiwar” crowd consists of. Or probably both. Freyne’s dismissal of the antiwar people as the “only” people critical of Welch seems to ignore the fact that 70% of Vermonters are antiwar. Hey Peter, this ain’t 2001 anymore. And as the much-publicized WCAX polls indicate, a vast majority of Vermonters are both against this war and unhappy with the way our members of Congress have continued to fund it. You don’t need a poll to know this either, just go into the streets and ask around.

The only way 70% of Vermonters will remain as insignificant as Freyne seems to be suggesting is if the Vermont media keeps ignoring their frustration and, instead, keeps serving up pandering pieces about tough talk and no action. Been there, done that.

Besides, did I miss the poll that indicated 70% of Vermonters wanted Welch to get tough on Enron?

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Something positive to end on: Ed Defresne’s music column in today’s Times Argus informs us that Anais Mitchell will be performing in the area again on Thursday night at Montpelier’s Langdon Street Café. I know I’ll be there. I stumbled upon her last show there a few months ago and was mesmerized. She’s an incredible local talent with a mighty stage presence. You can sample some of her music here.

Filed Under: blog, vt media, vt politics, war & peace

Trouble in Welchville

November 1, 2007 By M. Colby 1 Comment

stopthewar.jpgWow. As an activist for more years than I want to think about – I once went door-to-door for Jimmy Carter in Iowa (I know, I know) – I’m always in search of those rare political moments when I leave a meeting or event and feel energized and empowered beyond my expectations. Last night’s gathering at Langdon Street Café was one of those rare moments. Thanks, folks, I needed that.

The gathering, of course, was called as a follow-up to our recent actions – and arrests – in Congressman Peter Welch’s office to protest his continued support of war funding, his admonishment of antiwar activism (the MoveOn ad and the continued arrest of those seeking to speak with him) and his failure to use all the tools at his disposal in the House of Representatives to lead an antiwar movement in Congress.

As the WCAX polls confirm this week, the people of Vermont are frustrated by the relative inaction of all of our members of Congress when it comes to stopping this war. But Peter Welch seems to be getting the brunt of the activists’ focus because his campaign two years ago was almost exclusively about “stopping the war,” especially since he was running against General Martha Rainville, a proud supporter and participant in the Bush war machine.

But now, not even half way through his first term, Welch has voted in favor of bills that have provided nearly $200 billion in Iraq war money to the Bush team that he promised he was going to “stand up” to. Sorry, but if that’s standing up I’d hate to see him roll over. And Vermonters have clearly had enough.

There were about forty people who showed up last night at Montpelier’s Langdon Street Café to heed the short-noticed call to gather and plan the next steps for Vermont’s antiwar movement. There were high school students, college students, regular old joes and janes and some old cranky bastards, too (hear that, Will & Boots?). And we all had a couple of things in common: We’re fed up with the congressional inaction and we’re ready to step up the activism.

While this is certainly not the time or place to divulge the specifics of last night’s strategy session (send me a private email seeking to be included in the discussions and/or watch this site for the announcement of our next meeting), I would like to address the news of Welch’s recent actions that came out during the meeting.

As we all know by now, Peter Welch has been refusing to meet with many of his antiwar constituents. He has had us arrested (twice) and, most recently, he had his chief of staff send me a bizarre letter in which it was made clear they will not meet with me about the war.

But over the last several days, as media reports have been favorable to our actions, the mood of the public has been extremely supportive, and news of the WCAX poll has sunk into the Welch team, Peter Welch has been doing some scrambling. Here, for example, is what one Dem insider told me yesterday:

It doesn’t look good for Democrats when we’re castigating [Governor] Douglas for his “listening tour” while Welch is having what should be his core constituents arrested for trying to talk to him. At least Douglas is pretending to listen.

Exactly. And that message is being delivered to Welch in large enough doses that the rookie congressman is trying to do damage control now. Consider, for example, that Welch spent much of the last few days trying to contact many of the people he had arrested last week. That’s right. Last week, Congressman Welch wouldn’t pick up the phone to speak with us or, worse, even provide a date and time to meet with us. Instead, his office instructed the Burlington Police Department to handcuff us and arrest us for trespassing. But this week Welch has been frantically trying to call at least four of those same people. In some instances, Welch has left three and four messages seeking to have a conversation since the people haven’t been home or available.

And what’s changed? Welch has tasted the public discord with his recent votes and seen that he’s on the losing end with his silly little “I won’t talk to them” struggle with the antiwar activists. Moreover, he’s watching the polls and feeling the heat from an increasingly nervous and moribund Vermont Democratic Party.

But when Welch does talk with the antiwar activists, he’s only been making the situation worse. He hasn’t, for example, assured any of them that he’s going to vote against any and all future war funding or that he’s going to use other parliamentary tools at his disposal like a filibuster or lobbying to agree not to bring war funding votes up for a vote.

Instead, Welch has been employing a rather clumsy “divide and conquer” strategy where he’s been calling some activists, continuing to ignore others and, worse, trying to make some of the activists the issue (hmm, who could that be?) rather than his votes and actions being the issue. Nice try, Congressman.

But perhaps the most bizarre thing to come out of the personal phone calls Welch has been making to the activists is his declaration that he “made a mistake” with his late-September vote in favor of $12 billion more for the Iraq war. That’s right, Welch told two of the people he spoke with that he didn’t know that the Iraq war money was included in the bill he voted in favor of. Sorry, but that’s not too far off from the old “the dog ate my homework” excuse in terms of believability, especially when Welch has already been on record defending the vote because it was only “short-term funding for the war.” So which is it, Mr. Welch? But it can’t be both.

And now you’re beginning to see why Vermonters like those who gathered last night with so much energy are ready to take action. We’ve seen enough. We’ve heard enough. And we’re fed up with the tough-talk rhetoric that is never – ever! – followed up with tough action or a corresponding vote.

One of the students who came to the meeting last night took issue with someone calling this “Bush’s war.” “This is Welch’s war, too, because he keeps voting to fund it,” the student declared. Indeed. You fund it, you own it. No more excuses.

We’re ready to move forward with a number of great ideas that came out of last night’s discussion. I hope you will all stay tuned for the updates and/or contact me to “get on the list.” But Peter Welch – and Senators Sanders and Leahy – can help us scratch a few of our goals off the list by pledging once and for all that they will oppose any more war funding and will lead in every congressional effort possible to stop “their war.”

Imagine.

Filed Under: activism, blog, vt media, vt politics, war & peace

I Asked My Congressman to Stop Funding the War and All He Did Was Critique My Fiction Writing

October 30, 2007 By M. Colby 10 Comments

Well, well, well, I finally got a response from Congressman Peter Welch’s office today. Since our arrest last week in his Burlington office while seeking a meeting and a commitment from him to stop voting to fund the Iraq war,  Welch’s office has been completely ignoring my requests for a meeting and an explanation of his confusing blend of anti-war talk but pro-war votes.  You’ll recall, for example, that Welch voted for $12 billion more for the Iraq war in late September after also voting with the Republicans to condemn the anti-war activism of MoveOn.org. And this was after he voted for more than $120 billion for war last spring.

But, as you’ll see in the response below, Welch still isn’t interested in addressing the war or his continued support for it. Geez, he doesn’t even use the word “war” anywhere in the response. And who can blame him? I mean, it must be hard to always be saying one thing (“I oppose this war”) and then voting the opposite way (“I will vote for the war funding”).

Instead of addressing the war, Welch and his staff have decided to morph into a kind of Congressional-Miss-Manners role, whereby critiques of the etiquette of civil disobedience apparently mean more to him than his constituents’ urgent calls to end the war. Mr. Welch, there are thousands of people being killed, maimed or otherwise terrorized every day in Iraq. These are the people we were speaking for in your office. With all due respect, these are the people truly being inconvenienced – not the members of your staff who spent a few hours sharing a publicly-funded office with the public and, lest we forget, your constituents.

Finally, I guess Welch and his staff are little slow to catch on to the whole Snarky Boy routine. As I spell out on this website, I was, indeed, the creator of that character. Yes, a character, a fact that everyone else seems to understand. You see, Mr. Welch, I’m also a fiction writer – and Snarky Boy was the lead character in a collection of stories that I hope will be published some day soon. And while I’m flattered by the attention you’re giving to my character, I’m afraid your attempts to engage in a debate with him are a little too late. The stories are complete. The website is dormant. And the manuscript is being shopped around. I’ve heard, however, that Santa Claus sometimes responds to letters if you’re really jonesing to dialogue in the fiction realm. But – shhh – don’t tell the staff that he doesn’t really exist.

But back in the land of reality, the issue is not me, my fiction writing or where I stood while in your office. The issue is the Iraq war and the untold horrors being perpetrated in our nation’s name as a result of this war. And, frankly, shame on you for trying to make the issue anything other than the pain, suffering, death and destruction that millions of people are feeling as a result of the war that you continue to fund.

Trying to make this an issue about me and/or Snarky Boy is a nothing but a cheap evasion. Because there were 19 other people in that office with me seeking answers from you. And there were seven other people who were handcuffed because you refused to simply agree to meet with us at a time, date and place of your choosing. But more than that, there are nearly 450,000 Vermonters (70% of our population) who are opposed to this war, many of whom voted to send you to Congress to put an end to it. Congressman Welch, you must stop ignoring us. We are not going away until this war is stopped, the troops are home safely and the proper restitution is made to the Iraqi people.

Okay, okay, here’s the letter:

Dear Mr. Colby,

Thank you for your request to meet with Congressman Welch.

On March 21, 2007, you (and others) came to our Burlington office without an appointment and demanded a meeting with Congressman Welch.  As you will recall, Congressman Welch was in Washington that day but still accommodated your request by participating in a conference call with you.  He spoke with you for some forty minutes and responded to all of your questions.  At the conclusion of the call, you chose to remain in our office for the balance of the day.  You refused the staff’s request to leave the office at our normal 6:00 p.m. closing time.  You left us no choice but to call for the assistance of the Burlington Police Department.  Responding officers also gave you the opportunity to leave the closed building on your own but you refused.  You were removed from the building and cited for trespassing.

On the morning of October 22, 2007, you left a voice mail for a Washington, DC staff member indicating you would be arriving at our Burlington office at 3:00 pm that day and that you were demanding a meeting with Congressman Welch at that time.  Upon your arrival in the office, accompanied by members of the press, you again demanded a meeting with the Congressman.  Your request could not be met because the Congressman was not available at that time.  Despite your refusal to remain in the common area of the office as requeste by staff – you were permitted to remain in the office for the balance of the day.  You again refused the staff’s request to leave the office at our normal 6:00 p.m. closing time.  You again left us no choice but to call for the assistance of the Burlington Police Department.  Responding officers again gave you the opportunity to leave the closed building on your own will and you refused.  You were again removed from the building and again cited for trespassing.

Yesterday, October 29, 2007, you phoned our Washington, DC office and left a voice mail for a staff member.  You immediately called back asking for another staff member.  I took your call at that time and you again demanded a meeting with the Congressman.  I told you that your request would be taken into consideration and that you could expect a quick answer.  You also inquired as to whether this office was intervening in your case with law enforcement officials.  I emphatically told you that any decision about your legal case was a matter for law enforcement officials, not this office.

Finally, you have created and maintained a website (www.vermontsnarkyboy.blogspot.com) where you have repeatedly delivered derogatory and offensive remarks aimed at the Congressman and other public officials.

Here is a sample of your writing from your web site to refresh your memory:

  • January 30, 2007: Here’s how Peter the Dick will go down in 2008… Thus, Welch will face a strong third-party candidate and a Republican candidate and – holy shit – Peter the Dick will be sent home to walk his dog and enjoy his millions. … Then, of course, Peter the Dick will utter these historical – hysterical? – words: “I wish Snarky Boy well in representing the people of Vermont for the next two years.”  Oh yeah, baby.  You’ve been snarked.
  • May 1, 2007: Let’s start with Peter Welch. What the fuck is it about this guy that just makes me want to hate him? Oh yeah, he’s the embodiment of every little prick-know-it-all that we all knew in school. He was the kid, for example, who always had his homework done and – worse – joined the teacher in giving the rest of us that smug little look that said: “Why are you underachieving?”  And for purposes of my own battered self-esteem (fuck you, WordPress), I’m going to ignore the fact that Welch went on to be a congressman and I’m an underemployed painter for now.

Mr. Colby, Vermont has a rich history of vigorous debate over the many fundamental issues facing our nation.  Vermonters have conducted such debates not only with passion, but with a civility that shows respect for each other and an appreciation for the special state in which we live.  You have shown time and again by your behavior that you have no interest in civilized debate and discussion.  Instead, you seem intent on disrupting the work of Vermont’s Congressional office and staging a media event.  Therefore, your request for another meeting with Congressman Welch will not be granted because the pattern of your behavior makes it clear that it is impossible to expect a productive and civil meeting in the Vermont tradition.

Sincerely,

Bob Rogan

Chief of Staff

Office of Congressman Peter Welch

Filed Under: blog, vt politics, war & peace

Vermont Antiwar Meeting on Wednesday

October 29, 2007 By M. Colby 3 Comments

stopthewar.jpgOkay folks, you keep stopping us on the streets and sending us emails declaring that you’re sorry you missed the little adventure at Congressman Peter Welch’s office last week. Well, it’s time to get in on the ground floor of the new round of discussions about what this rag-tag bunch of peace loving, democracy infatuated folks are going to do next. Funny, huh, that it takes this much work to get a meeting and a pledge from our congressman to stop funding the illegal, immoral and otherwise obscene war on Iraq? Peter Welch just doesn’t get it. And guess what? We’re not going away. So join us for crying out loud.

This Wednesday, October 31st – yes, Halloween night – at 6:00 pm we’re having a very informal meeting at Montpelier’s Langdon Street Café to discuss what our next actions will be. Come on down for the discussion and planning. We hope to see you there.

Oh, and by the way, Welch’s office has still not returned our phone calls seeking a meeting with our congressman – calls that were placed before last week’s action.

Filed Under: activism, blog, vt politics, war & peace

Friday Random Blogging (Part Two: Blackwater & Welch Edition)

October 26, 2007 By M. Colby 3 Comments

Damn, I wish I would have gotten together with some of my buddies on September 12, 2001 and made this video. Who knew that it would result in nearly a billion dollars in governmental “security” contracts? Frankly, it does look like something Paul Beaudry and his buddies at True North Radio would have put together while working themselves into a frenzy over some big, scary, lurking (and liberal!) danger out there. But, then again, it also looks like the kind of stuff I see in Worcester everyday. Let’s face it, those Blackwater guys are financial geniuses to be able to turn this low-rent video into a billion dollars worth of taxpayer loot.

Speaking of Blackwater, our man in Washington, Congressman Peter Welch, is getting a lot of traction for his sorta-kinda-maybe tough talk on Blackwater. As you’ll recall from yesterday, Welch is responding to the drunken murderous actions by these mercenary thugs by calling for “more governmental oversight” of them. Oh baby, that’ll show ‘em.

But how does our congressman respond to people peacefully showing up to his office seeking to speak with him: Arrest them! Yep, handcuffs and all.

So let’s review Welch’s political week: Oversight for Blackwater. Handcuffs for peace activists.

But don’t expect to hear any kind of meaningful discussion about this in the Vermont blogosphere. Here, for example, is what happened over at Freyne’s blog after he did a rather fine job of reporting on the Welch protest. Um, children, can we get back to the issue, please? There is a war going on. And our congressmen are continuously voting to fund it.

Damn, there I go again – getting all rude by mentioning the issues.

Filed Under: blog, media & politics, us politics, vt media, vt politics, war & peace

Reading Around

October 25, 2007 By M. Colby 4 Comments

images.jpegGood day, class. Lots on the plate today with very little time to get to it. So let’s go into rapid-fire mode. Buckle up and read:

The Vermont Press Bureau finally got around to acknowledging the protest at Congressman Peter Welch’s office on Monday. Okay, okay, so they’re only three days late. But it gets worse. They buried their mention of the protest at the end of an article by Dan Barlow titled “Welch Says Blackwater Hurting Iraq Efforts.” Check it out.

And now let’s examine the article a bit. First, a quick response to the headline: No shit. I think the fact that “Blackwater is hurting Iraq efforts” has not only been established but it’s been established months ago. But, hey, rookie congressmen apparently need to take their sweet time to acknowledge the obvious. Welcome aboard, Peter. What’s next, you gonna announce that there were no WMDs in Iraq?

But let’s get back to the article. After Welch does his typical huffing and puffing about how obviously out of control Blackwater is, he proudly announces that he’s the co-sponsor of a bill “that would bring contractors such as Blackwater under more congressional oversight.”

Say what? These thugs are running roughshod over a supposedly sovereign nation, killing and maiming as they go, and you’re proud of the fact that you’re offering some “congressional oversight”? Boy, I’ll bet the Iraqis feel great about that. Sleep tight, folks, because Congress is watching….

The obvious solution to Blackwater in Iraq is that Blackwater must be kicked out of Iraq. Period. It’s what that Iraqi government wants. It’s what the Iraqi people want. And it’s the only thing Blackwater deserves for terrorizing the people of Iraq with their mercenary madness while lining their pockets with our taxpayer cash.

Government oversight? Mr. Congressman, Blackwater is killing innocent people. May I suggest jail?

But if you really want to get ill, watch how seriously Bush is taking the issue:

–Speaking of Blackwater, they apparently realize that the toothless yipping and yapping from Congress about their illegal actions won’t be bothering them in the long term. And so why not a logo makeover? Yep, Blackwater recently announced that they had modified their logo to remove the not-so-subtle crosshair/scope look. Here’s what Lauren Miller, a design professional, told the New York Times about the logo change:

I would say it’s a highly significant change; they’re repositioning themselves. The old log suggests that they’re targeting people. The new logo is a more ambiguous, more safe corporate logo…The subtle changes mean everything here by eliminating the scope of a sniper’s rifle.

Of course, we won’t bother with the fact that the corporate mission and corporate culture won’t change.

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Credit where credit is due: Congrats to Senator Bernie Sanders for announcing that he will be voting against the appointment of Michael Mukasey for attorney general. Now if he can just get his Vermont cohort, Patrick Leahy, to do the same. And while I’m in the warm and fuzzy mode, let me also remind you that Sanders was the only one of Vermont’s three members of Congress to vote against the resolution to condemn the MoveOn antiwar advertisement. Thanks, Bernie.

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If you missed it last week, check out this editorial by the New York Times about the state of the Democratic Party. Why is it that everyone except the Kool-aid-drinking Dem zombies can see how pathetic the party has become? The last paragraph is worth repeating:

It was bad enough having a one-party government when Republicans controlled the White House and both houses of Congress. But the Democrats took over, and still the one-party system continues.

Ouch.

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Finally, for the fun of it, check this site out: Government is Good. And while you’re there, take the “Government IQ Test” that’s featured in the sidebar at the site. I’ll show you my score if you show me yours.

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Housekeeping 101: I believe the comments problem has been ironed out (again). But I’m still working with the powers-that-be to have the comments option appear on the front page so people will see there’s a discussion taking place. So feel free to sound off. But, as always, if you want to reach me in private, write to me at: mcolby@broadsides.org

Thanks for playing.

Filed Under: blog, media & politics, vt media, vt politics, war & peace

Forget the Partisans, Organize the People

October 24, 2007 By M. Colby 10 Comments

There’s something sickening happening with politics these days. And, unfortunately, we’re all to blame. While it’s easy to get up on our hind legs and wax poetic or even rage at our elected officials for this transgression or that, the sad truth is that those politicians and their more than lethargic leadership skills are merely mirroring the lethargy of the population. Sadly, we’ve become a nation of political sleepwalkers.

Consider the war, for example. Yes, we are a nation at war. And tens of thousands of people are dying because the nation we call our own is waging that war in a place thousands of miles away. Yet the American public largely yawns with indifference over the actions of our government that are not only resulting in unfathomable death and suffering but are also undermining future hopes for peace and prosperity.

Worse, the discussion on the war has been hijacked by a kindergarten-like partisanship that only serves to fuel the hopelessness, inaction and, worse, disconnection between the people of this democracy and our leaders. You know the discussion I’m talking about, the one splashed across the front pages, yelled by the radio talkers and oh-so-well articulated by the hierarchies of the two parties. Yep, the one where the Republicans tell us to wave the flag, “support the troops” and otherwise shop ourselves to sleep, while the Democrats respond by telling us to wave the flag, support the troops and go to sleep until the next election. And then they all wonder why the public isn’t engaged.

The wet blanket of partisan bickering masquerading as “democracy” has trickled down to the street level, where the grassroots partisans try to clumsily get into the game. You know the type, they start blogs and scream about the “other guys” and refuse to see that “their guy” is neck-deep in the game of nothingness as well. Ah, the bliss of well-fitting blinders – especially when you still get your phone calls returned!

But where did the dreamers go? Where did the risk-takers go? And when the hell did we decide that the “art” in politics had to be replaced by this drab and wholly uncreative blob of bickering nonsense? Oh dreamers and risk-takers and – dare I say it – revolutionaries, we need you. Please come home and shock the system again. Because, as Mother Jones said, “we must wake the sleepers.” Because people are dying for crying out loud and I’m tired of everyone in power blaming someone else in power while those of us with no power just become dizzy from the nonsense of it all.

As readers know, earlier this week I was part of a group of dreamers who decided to pay a visit to Congressman Peter Welch’s office to express our displeasure with his recent votes to provide more money for the Iraq war and his condemnation of antiwar activism. As activism goes, it was about as low-key and civil as it comes – the nuns amongst us wouldn’t have tolerated it any other way. But we were rebuffed completely in our efforts to gain an audience with our elected official and, instead, arrested for trespassing at a taxpayer-funded office.

While Welch’s response to us was, indeed, appalling if not completely bizarre, the reaction from the public has been more interesting. Not surprisingly, the hardcore Dem partisans ran to the defense of their anointed one, Peter Welch, ignoring the facts as we presented them and, instead, deciding to cast personal aspersions about the dreamers (“hippies,” “radicals,” “un-credible,” etc. ho-hum). How very Rove-like of them, huh?

But, remember, the issue here is the war, not the personalities or fashion styles of the protesters. And these partisans love to talk about how much they hate this war, but apparently not enough to see through their partisan blindness to realize that their elected Democratic leaders keep voting to fund the war. And hell hath no fury hot enough for those who take the “risk” to point that out. But that’s okay, we’ll never be invited to the cocktail parties anyway. It’s a risk we take to truly believe in the power of democracy.

But there’s been another reaction to our little visit to Welch’s office that has been truly inspiring: The reaction from the vast majority of non-partisans. Yeah, the everyday folk who don’t dither with navel-gazing blogs, get invited to high-priced political fundraisers and who only get recognized by the Peter Welch’s of the world when he dons his bottle of hand-sanitizer every two years to get close enough to them to ask for their votes.

These folks have been excited about our action. They see, hear and recognize the bullshit being spewed by the partisans and they’re cheering us for calling it what it is. They’re the ones who saw the Dems wave the flag and vote for the war until it got unpopular and then continue to wave the flag but merely talk about hating the war. But votes? Forgetaboutit.

Last night, for example, I stopped at a general store for a snack. The second I walked in the couple that runs the place exclaimed that they saw me on television protesting. I didn’t know where it was going to go because I have no idea about their politics and – perhaps stereotypically – assumed they were conservative. And the gentleman came across the counter and shook my hand and said this: “I switched parties to vote for Welch because I believed that he was going to stop this war. I’ve been waiting for people to hold him accountable.” He then thanked me and told me to remember to tell the judge that I was “trespassing in an office paid for by the public.” Indeed.

And therein lies the lesson for me. Forget the partisans. They’ve lost the ability to dream, to be creative and, worse, to even be honest most of the time. In their thirst to get the cocktail invitations to the next great Welch or Obama or Clinton “spectacle,” they’re apparently all-too willing to silence themselves and, worse, attack those who of us who still hold onto that quaint notion that it is our responsibility to speak up – especially when people are dying.

If they don’t want to dream, so be it. But we can no longer let them kill our dreams. Forget the partisans, organize the people.

I’m hopeful again. And so it goes.

Filed Under: activism, blog, essays & columns, vt politics, war & peace

I Visited My Congressman and All I Got Was Handcuffed

October 23, 2007 By M. Colby 4 Comments

What was all that crap I wrote about “hope” yesterday? Oh never mind. Because today I’m just finding myself cranking Lou Reed’s “The Blue Mask” and wanting to slip into the almighty zone of indifference. Yes, that’s it, I think I’ll open the window for some air and a chance to let the wet wind here me utter this guttural moment of clarity: AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHH! There, I feel a little better.

Okay, there was plenty of hope yesterday as the twenty of us relics from the dustbin of democracy dragged our cranky asses to the office of our lone representative in the U.S. House of Representatives, Peter Welch, to officially deliver our dismay with his continued willingness to fund the Iraq war. Nothing radical there, huh? Well, we didn’t think so until we got to the office and his staff treated us like we had Martha Rainville masks on. Ouch.

We got about three and a half minutes to quickly express ourselves to his clearly contemptuous staff member before having their office doors slammed on our faces with the declaration that we would not be allowed to speak with Peter Welch via the phone and that they had work to do. Wham! Slam! Bam!

No wonder the Iraqis are so skeptical of the so-called democracy we’re trying to export to them. Because if  it looked anything like the slamming doors we saw yesterday while trying to express ourselves to our elected official, I wouldn’t want anything to do with it either.

And let’s remember that the twenty of us were there to speak with Welch and/or his staff about the issue he calls his “top priority.” Geez, I’d really hate to see the reaction we would have gotten had we come to address a lower priority of his.

But we dutifully stayed until closing time – just like we promised. And then the cops came — just like they promised. And then the negotiations began.

“What can we do to end this without arrests or incident?” asked the Burlington police officer.

And to that reasonable question we made what we thought was a very reasonable proposals to end the whole thing: We would leave if Peter Welch agreed to meet with us at a time, place and date of his choosing. Quite honestly, we thought it would be over and we’d soon be leaving with a promise to meet with our congressman in the near future – a meeting that became even more relevant as the news came out during our time in his office that Bush was seeking an additional $46 billion for the war.

The police and Welch’s staff huddled in the next room to discuss our offer. Calls were made to Welch’s Washington office to further contemplate the offer. We thought they were simply trying to figure out the proper scheduling.

Silly us. Because the police officer came back with the news that stunned us: “They are rejecting your offer and they would like us to arrest you if you don’t leave now.”

Got that, people? No meeting with Welch and, instead, handcuffs for the eight of us who remained after the final warning – myself included. And so, for the four of us “repeat” offenders – those who were arrested at his office last March – it’s off to court on December 4th to be arraigned on the charge of trespassing at the office of our congressman.

I’ve got my statement ready for the judge: “Yes, your honor, I was peacefully involved in seeking a meeting with my elected official, Peter Welch.” And let’s see how much jail time that gets me.

I went to Welch’s office yesterday with a gnawing desire to do something about the war in Iraq that I find so morally and legally reprehensible. I’m tired of the inaction. I’m tired of the lethargy. I’m tired of the soothing calls to “just wait” until after the election for change. I’m tired of hearing myself complain about the war but so rarely risking much of anything to stop it. And visiting our man in Congress who keeps voting for more money to prosecute this war seemed like a very reasonable thing to do. Please, correct me if I’m wrong.

Call me a hopeless political romantic, but I still believe we can stop this war. But it’s going to take more than twenty people willing to go to their congressman’s office to say, “stop the funding.” And it’s going to take more than a yawn of a response when those people are arrested for seeking a meeting.

Anybody awake out there? Let’s talk. Because the time for action is now – before Bush gets another $46 billion for war.

See you in court….

[Oh yeah, you can find some media reports of the endeavor by clicking here (including video option) and here.]

Filed Under: activism, blog, vt politics, war & peace
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