BurlingtonPol.com

"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf. "
- George Orwell

This is one of my favorite Orwell quotes. Liberals love to quote him. I wonder what they think of this one.
They should consider it the next time they are complaining about the military or the police.

 

He made that quote back when we went to war for the right reasons. I wish he were alive to witness this mess. I'm sure he'd make a wonderful statement we could quote. I have no trouble complaining about this war, the thousands of dead soldiers who died for no logical reason, the tens of thousands of civilians, women and children, lives wasted, for nothing but lies.

 

Have you ever noticed that every time a member of the ACLU is interviewed on TV, it's a bearded guy with glasses?

 

Yeah, I'm working on uncovering that conspiracy theory myself. I'll let you know when I get to the bottom of it.

 

How about that glorious tent city on the UVM Green? I was going to go set up a tent, but then I then I woke up and remembered that Mario Savio is dead and the forecast says rain.

 

Huh? There's another tent city? Remember when Dean Davis climbed that ladder to negotiate with the students that took over Waterman? ...Ah, I doubt anybody does... I can't even remember what that was about.

 

I'm a student of language and have always been fascinated how people use words, whether it be in corporatese, political spin, every day conversation, or newspeak.

Of late, I've been taken by the language currently used in the immigration debate.

Today on Fresh Air with Terry Gross (NPR), there was a commentary by Geoff Nunberg, a linguist professor in Berkeley, CA on "The Permutations of 'Alien'." It's worth a listen..

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5340507

 

RIP William Sloane Coffin.

Mr Coffin died yesterday in Strafford. He, along with Eugene McCarthy and David Dellinger, inspired me to become more active in the peace and civil rights movements.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/04/13/america/web.0413obit.coffin.php

 

It was George Davis, not Deane Davis, who climbed the ladder at UVM. The issue was cultural diversity at UVM. The ladder climbed kind of showed he lacked leadership mettle and left the position a short while after.

The late Deane Davis is a former governor, a well respected businessman and considered an architect of Act250.

There is no relation between the two gentlemen.

 

I stand corrected. Thank you for that info Cutis.

Hey! I'm in Providence, RI with Poopsie and Koko for the weekend. Tomorrow we're going to the zoo and Sunday Poopsie's cousin will take us to an Easter service at an Armenian church. I haven't done that in about 25 years. It should bring back memories.

Happy Easter!

(Anybody remember that James Kochalka song? "Hippity hoppity bunny rabbit, I've got a heroin habit...")

 

Anybody see 60 Minutes about the crime wave in China believed to be caused by their surplus of men and shortage of women for them to marry? They didn't mention it, but think of the military recruitment possibilities of a nation with tens of millions of incredibly frusterated unmarried young men with no familiies to live for. It's scary.

In other news- sources say Burlington's beloved Five Spice Cafe is to be sold soon by its owner Jerry. Perhaps you heard it here first...

It's Monday April 17, 2006.

 

The Five Spice is owned by 4 different people -- among them is Ginger, who is not married to Jerry.

 

Are the other two married to Jerry?

Maybe Jerry's selling his share. I don't know. I'm just spreading a rumor I heard.

 

That problem in China has been around for a while. I saw something on the wife trade there years ago. Basically, young girls were being taken from rural villages and sold in cities. The story featured a guy who had rescued about 100 of these girls.
The government should have thought a little harder about the one child per couple law, especially knowing how male children were preferred. Maybe an exception that would let you have a second child if the first was a girl.
See that Haik. American ingenuity could have saved them a lot of trouble. Of course, we tried to warn them about their impending population problem in the 1950s, but they thought we were trying to subvert their communist greatness. Oh well.

 

Just read something astonishing (well, not so astonishing when you realise how the current fascist administration has morphed the war on terror into a war of fear)....

Talk Left blog, one I read daily...has this post about what's happening in the Big Apple.

Smile for the camera

Your movements are recorded as you walk the streets of major cities. You know that private security cameras watch you shop for sweaters, but city streets have always been anonymous, a place to be lost in the crowd. Until now. The hope of finding private moments in a public setting, you now realize, is so last century.

Read the whole post...

http://talkleft.com/new_archives/014588.html

In Burlington, I suspect there are already cameras all up and down Church Street and even at certain intersections in the city.

And BPD has said they want to use tasers on our fellow citizens. I've heard nothing about it further since it was reported last year in Seven Days. Has anyone else?

 

Hey, Haik. Here's a great Bush quote for your below-the-title random quote of the day: "I'm the decider and I decide what's best."

 

The BPD probably said that after that gang member fired shots on Church St.
The taser is a non-lethal alternative to deadly force (aka guns). It's a pretty good idea if you look at it that way. Especially since the police can't fire in a crowded area (like Church St).

 

"And BPD has said they want to use tasers on our fellow citizens."

I doubt they actually put it that way. I don't have a problem with police using tasers. It's better than guns.

 

Haik,

I've got BIG problem with it. Guns versus Tasers is a bit like atom bombs versus rifles. Governments hesitate to use nuclear bombs because they are just too devestating. No problem with rifles, they kill one at a time.

BPD hesitates to use guns for the same reason, relatively speaking. You pull a gun, fire it, you've got a mess. You use a taser, two hours later, the guy will be fine. You give BPD tasers, they'll use them 200 times in the first year, watch.

Can you imagine BPD using a firearm on a drunk downtown? Ok, now imagine the likelyhood of use of a taser in the same situation.

 

Hmmm. Interesting point. I had a friend once (also a republican) who didn't believe in seatbelts for the same kind of reason. He said it gave people a false sense of safety and made them drive less carefully.

You make some good points Kevin. But here's a question- What happened to the plane that hit the Pentagon? Where did it go?

 

"You give BPD tasers, they'll use them 200 times in the first year, watch"
That's absurd. Police have guidelines for everything. Criteria have to be met before they can even draw thier guns, let alone shoot them. Do you think tasers will be any different?

"Can you imagine BPD using a firearm on a drunk downtown? Ok, now imagine the likelyhood of use of a taser in the same situation."
Subdueing drunks is usually done by hand. If they are violent, the police might pepper spray them or use their clubs. They will not start zapping them just becuase they got tasers.
All having tasers will do is give the police a non-lethal alternative when they can't use lethal force, such as drawing a gun on Church St.

 

When was the last time anyone heard of the BPD using excessive force anyway?

 

Haik,

I'm not understanding your question about the pentagon, why ask me?

As for BPD and tasers, of course they will use them, because it IS non lethal.

Actualy, Bob, most uses of force do not get wide exposure in the press, and so any excess would also not be reported. I do know last year, the police wound up breaking the arm of a 70 year old man because they wanted to get into his house to get to a video camera.

Subduing drunks is not usually done by hand, Bob, unless you count pepper spray and clubs as "by hand". Bob, join me downtown for a Friday Night and just watch the parade.

The Taser program promoted by BPD would cost an additional $400,000, and this is on top of the 8 million they already receive. I'm not anti-cop, Bob, but there's no rational reason for tasers here.

Kevin Ryan

 

Kevin-

I was just giving you shit about that 9/11 conspiracy show you were on. That's all,

 

They asked me on, I think theyre nuts

 

Perhaps.

 

"Actualy, Bob, most uses of force do not get wide exposure in the press, and so any excess would also not be reported."

Yeah, right.
People in this town live to protest. Police brutality would clear out half of UVM, even the tent city folk would leave their tents just to be there!

Taser the jaywalkers!

 

"Taser the jaywalkers!"

Be careful what you wish for.

 

Anyway, speaking of sunshine; we'd like to see the BPD create a civilian link to the civilian community. Have a door civilians may enter without being photographed, videotaped, and the like just to pay a parking ticket.

Creates the feeling it's 'them' against 'us'. Just more meat ax mentality/bunkerized bullying/overkill. Wonder if the commissioners get patted down.

Besides, re that sunshine. Rumor has it that AP has released the letter they sent to Chris Graf.

Brings back the good, very old days when some media were expected to assure 'equal time' to politicians of differing stripes.

Limbaugh's in, Leahy's out.
;-(