In Vermont, a Town-Meeting revolt over Iraq war

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0228/p01s04-uspo.html

This is a town with no diners, one church, two general stores, and 1,800 people. When the kindergarten teacher's son returned from Iraq after 10 months, the potluck church dinner in his honor was so packed no one had room to sit.

Only a handful of the more than 200,000 men and women who have been deployed to Iraq come from this sleepy whistle-stop. But everyone seems to know someone who has served, even died, there: a friend's husband, a neighbor, the son of the town clerk's best friend.

Here, at the foot of Camel's Hump peak, the war is palpable, not just something piped in over the nightly news. National Guardsmen from 200 of Vermont's 251 towns and cities have been shipped to Iraq, and recent statistics have shown that Vermont active service members have died there at a per capita rate higher than in any other state.

The closeness of the war, coupled with the state's penchant for taking on social causes, helps explain why a group of activists has gotten enough signatures here and in some 50 other Vermont communities to place resolutions about Iraq on the agendas of their Town Meetings, a New England ritual as local as tapped maple trees and as old as the American Revolution.

[anarchy1999]

1. Such good news to hear. I think maybe I should consider Vermont

as another "get out of here" option. Isn't NH nearby? Granny D.

I still believe though that South American, several different countries are my best option. Cuba isn't too bad either.

[bvar22]

2. Vermont is on my list.

Thom Hartmann Broadcasts from Vermont:

http://www.thomhartmann.com/

Bernie Sanders (I, Vt.) the last REAL Democrat is from Vermont.

[shadowknows69]

4. States could help end this war

by refusing to deploy their guard units. After all it's the citizen soldiers of our states that we're supposed to rely upon to defend us against enemies of the constitution on our own soil correct?

[anarchy1999]

7. I keep hoping it will happen.

Starting first in Austin, Texas. I visited the base, talked with a retiring Vet, in charge of supplies for the base.

He was looking forward to getting out and he knew far more than he shared with me and he shared lots.

On edit:

Absolute corruption at the highest levels. Dollars missing, supplies never delivered, money gone....?

On another edit:

TANG is based there. You know the one, where *W was "based" out of.

[Corgigal]

3. today in my local paper

is a story about a young woman who left her 2 month old but was killed in Iraq. This same story appeared on CNN a few days ago and said she was killed in Iran.

NO idea what to believe anymore. Sad for a tiny baby who will never touch his/her mommy again.

[booksenkatz]

9. Sad that they have to call up lactating women to go kill Iraqis

Family values indeed!
:grr:

[countmyvote4real]

5. Here's a link to the resolution and how it could be used

elsewhere:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php

[burrowowl]

6. Go Vermont!

Home to the only Socialist in the House!

[Erika]

8. Resistance to Nam started in a liberal state

Most of us felt 57,000 U.S. troops with no way of winning in sight was enough.

I've only been in Vermont once but the greeness and serenity were absolutely beautiful. I can't imagine the cultural shock that those kids felt upon arriving in Iraq.

[Moderator]

10. kick to combine threads

[cthrumatrix]

11. In Vermont, a Town-Meeting revolt over Iraq war (this is the future)

In Vermont, a Town-Meeting revolt over Iraq war

Mon Feb 28,10:05 AM ET Top Stories - The Christian Science Monitor


On Tuesday, one-fifth of Vermont towns will consider what role the state's National Guard should play in the war.

By Sara B. Miller, Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

HUNTINGTON, VT. - This is a town with no diners, one church, two general stores, and 1,800 people. When the kindergarten teacher's son returned from Iraq (news - web sites) after 10 months, the potluck church dinner in his honor was so packed no one had room to sit.

Only a handful of the more than 200,000 men and women who have been deployed to Iraq come from this sleepy whistle-stop. But everyone seems to know someone who has served, even died, there: a friend's husband, a neighbor, the son of the town clerk's best friend.

snip

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/csm/20050228/ts_csm/atowns

It's up to us to bring awareness of the evil that is leading our country.

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[wtmusic]

13. Are you against opening your eyes? n/t

[Voltaire]

14. When a country is freed amidst this nonsense

You let us know, hear?

[THX1138]

15. What "free" country would that be?

Iraq? HAHAHAHA! You're a funny guy. Thanks for the laugh.

[zippy890]

16. are you against democracy?

Here it is in action - in a town in Vermont

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[wtmusic]

24. democracy is just running rampant, isn't it

have you enlisted yet, or are you just another boring hypocrite?

[Dave Reynolds]

25. State national guard units

I thought were controlled by the state, unless federalized.

I may be wrong, though.

[oneold1-4u]

28. NG federalized

This was done when their pay began coming out of the federal war machine several years ago! The governor still can call NG for local state emergencies but he can't have any that the US might want!

[Merope215]

17. Sarcasm much?

Welcome to DU, and enjoy your stay! :hi:

[PA Democrat]

18. Lots of countries out there that aren't free.

Do you propose we bomb them all? And when are YOU enlisting?

[Autumn]

19. We didn't go to war

to free them. We went to war because they were going to attack us with WMD's . Remember?

[patrice]

22. Define freedom please. Is there only one "freedom", yours?

How about freedom from death coming at you in your own neighborhood?

For what? You assume you know the value of the outcomes at some time (when?) justifies bleeding, pain, mutilation, torture, sickness, ALL of the worst things humans can experience - on your say so.

Who died and made you "God"?

Do you know the consequences of blasphemy?

[Career Prole]

23. So was shrub...when he was campaigning in 2000.

So was every freakin' repuke regarding Bosnia.
I'm against presidents who kill with their lies, just as I'm against this president in particular.

[Skip Intro]

27. LIES - WE MURDERED TENS OF THOUSANDS FOR LIES

AND MORE LIES HERE WON'T COVER IT UP OR CHANGE IT.

And you damn well know it.

FREEDOM came in the form of flesh-ripping bombs for Iraq.

"FREEDOM" HASN'T A DAMN THING TO DO WITH IT.


And you damn well know that too.

[ixion]

20. interesting how 'freeing' = 'certain death' by your apparent understanding

I don't think that illegally invading, then brutally occupying a nation counts as 'freeing', or 'liberating'.

It counts only as 'war crime'.

(this was a reply to conceso. clicked the wrong reply link) :+

[Career Prole]

26. An example of typical freeper logic.

...Grant Lewis says the debate neither belongs at Town Meeting nor anywhere else. "It isn't going to do any good; you can't just stop something if you start something," he says. "You've got to support (the war), because people have gotten killed."
:wtf:

There you have it...the answer to the question "What kind of jackass would vote for *?!

[Rose Siding]

29. "only a handful" in Iraq, huh? -More per/capita than ANY other state

-while not one of their reps supported the war.

snip>
Vermont's National Guard and reserve units have the second-highest mobilization rate per capita, trailing only Hawaii's. And, with seven active-duty service members and four Guard members who have died in Iraq, it has lost more residents as a percentage of its population than any other state.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A9329-2005Feb8.html