GREEN DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE MEETS SUNDAY, 3 FEBRUARY

Green Democratic Alliance will be meeting Sunday, February 3rd at 2:00 P.M. at the Department of Public Works building on 645 Pine Street in Burlington. Members will be voting on candidates to endorse for city councilor in the upcoming Annual City Election. This meeting is open to the public. Read the Agenda here.

AIRTIME: GDA ON CCTV/CHANNEL 17

The Green Democratic Alliance 29 January press conference on the Moran Plant & the Smart Demolition ballot item will be broadcast on Channel 17 --

Saturday February 2: 10:25 PM
Sunday February 3: 3:25 AM
Sunday February 3: 9:25 AM
Sunday February 3: 3:25 PM

GDA needs your help! Go:encourage your family and friends to watch the broadcasts. Especially undecided voters! Talk it up. Action leads to action!

BEATRIX AT 70/BEATRIX 70 JAAR

Today H.M. Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands celebrates her seventieth birthday.


Wat?! Is de Koningin vandaag jarig?

Dat moet gevierd worden!

Volkskrant Photospecial: Beatrix' life over the years. Some I'd not seen until today.

Dutch photographer/filmmaker Anton Corbijn made HM's latest photo which were released today:






© RVD

Fotomélange Beatrix 70 Jaar

PRESS CONFERENCE

UPDATE: The press conference made it to WCAX-TV Channel 3:

Green Democratic Alliance says the pricetag is too steep. They want the building torn down. The group says so-called "smart demolition" -- where materials are salvaged and recycled -- would cost the city less than $2.5 million. The space could then be left open, kept green, and transformed into a multi-use public park with community gardens, the Moran Sculpture, and a sailing center.

"When people think about the waterfront they think small scale and not large scale mass redevelopment," explains Owen Mulligan of the Green Democratic Alliance. "There (are) a lot of people who want the building torn down and there (are) a lot of people who want a waterfront park and green space on the waterfront."

John Briggs wrote a short article for the Free Press.

Burlington voters will have a clear choice March 4 about what to do with the Moran plant.
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“Our ballot question is straightforward,” [Owen] Mulligan [Director of Green Democratic Alliance] said. “We can get a clear answer. I look forward to the results.”

Look for an expanded Briggs article in tomorrow's edition.

***

Green Democratic Alliance held its first ever press conference today, to announce that the required signatures were received and certified by Burlington's clerk-treasurer's office. Since the mid-2007, citizen volunteers have been to every neighborhood and ward in the city collecting the signatures of resident voters. Just over the required 1,340 signatures were collected.

Owen Mulligan, Jessica Tanner, and I were the GDA spokespersons at the press conference to regarding the Moran Plant campaign at 10:30 a.m., and Channels 3, 5, 17, the Burlington Free Press and other media showed up!! Look tomorrow in Seven Days for an extensive article by Ken Picard about our campaign.


Also, at the press conference, I announced that the Moran Sculpture will be the symbol of the effort

to keep the Waterfront Park accessible and green!

SOCIAL JUSTICE & WHITE PRIVELEGE

Human justice is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering and struggle, the tireless exertions and passionate concerns of dedicated individuals
-- The Rev'd Dr Martin Luther King, Jr.

It is important to take advantage of opportunities to deal with the issue of racism within ourselves, our churches, our communities, and our state. An important opportunity will be provided in a Saturday program titled “SOCIAL JUSTICE AND WHITE PRIVILEGE: Facing Reality, Building the Vision.”

The event will be held on February 9 from 9:00-3:30 p.m. at St. James Episcopal Church in Essex Junction (RT 2A). Leadership will be provided by the Dismantling Racism Commission of the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont, the Task Force for Uprooting Racism of the Vermont Conference, UCC, and the Peace and Justice Center of Burlington. $5.00 donation; lunch and all materials will be provided. Phone 802-878-4014 for further information.

'SMART DEMOLITION' FOR MORAN PLANT

After almost 8 months of petitioning Green Democratic Alliance were able to get the question of demolition on the March 2008 city election ballot. Now voters will truly have their say when it comes to the future of the Moran Plant building and surrounding site.

From the Green Democratic Alliance website---

Our goal, as the Green Democratic Alliance, is to help Burlington make that decision based on the facts and by broadening the public discussion. We are by no means opposed to many of the great ideas in the city's redevelopment plan. We simply want a healthy debate and an informed vote on redevelopment vs. smart demolition.
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Most people think of demolition as razing a structure with one swing of a wrecking ball or a single dynamite blast and then hauling the rubble to a landfill. But times have changed. When we say demolition we mean 'smart demolition' or rather a technique known as 'deconstruction'. Smart demolition or deconstruction is environmentally beneficial because the brick, steel, concrete etc. from the Moran Plant building would be recycled enabling these materials to be re-used in the construction industry or sold to a salvaging company. This prevents the materials from being carted off to a landfill and helps reduce the amount of new virgin materials used for construction projects.
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If the Moran Plant is deconstructed, our hope is that Burlington will choose to use the site as a multi-use public park that is free and open to all with park benches, gardens, and other basic amenities including retaining the granite Moran Sculpture and a home for the Community Sailing Center. We do not propose deconstruction as a means for any kind of future large-scale development projects on the Moran Plant site. We hope Burlington will choose to keep the waterfront accessible and green for future generations!
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The city's large-scale redevelopment plan is expensive and is estimated to cost $21 million in which the city's share would be $7,369,996. While the city will seek federal sources to cover its share, the possibility exists that a finance vote may go to the voters, which if passed, would mean an increase in property taxes. Redevelopment would also require a significant amount of new virgin materials which will negatively impact the environment by continuing the cycle of natural resource depletion. With a development plan of this scale, there will be a significant increase in traffic on Lake Street and on the waterfront which will further complicate waterfront accessibility and negatively impact the environment.

We believe the city's plan is short-sighted as it does not take into serious consideration many of the above mentioned factors nor does it even consider the preservation of the granite Moran Sculpture which was a result from the International Sculpture Symposium, which took place on the shores of Lake Champlain in 1990. The focus of the international collaboration of eleven established sculptors was man and the natural environment, ecology, environmental change, cultural life and history of the region. The Moran Sculpture preserved a footprint on the waterfront in hopes that it would never be developed, as stated in the Burlington City Arts: Art in Public Places/Walking Art Tour Guide. It's certainly ironic that 18 years later this beautiful sculpture may be removed to make room for development.

MORAN PLANT: YOU DECIDE....

KUCINICH QUITS WHITE HOUSE RACE

Dennis Kucinich's long-shot bid for the Democratic presidential nomination is over. He'll announce tomorrow officially that he's out of the race.

So, as an alternative voice, we have Cynthia McKinney and Gloria La Riva.

LIFT EVERY VOICE AND SING

God of our weary years, God of our silent tears,
Thou Who hast brought us thus far on the way;
Thou Who hast by Thy might, led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee.
Lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee.
Shadowed beneath Thy hand, may we forever stand,
True to our God, true to our native land.

-- Lift Every Voice and Sing
Words: James W. John­son, 1899; Music: John R. John­son

PROFESSIONAL PERSPECTIVES: FLUORIDE IN TAP WATER

Concerned about health safety of fluoride? Go:look here.

O MARGRIET! MORE THAN A PRINCESS!

Her Royal Highness Princess Margriet of The Netherlands turns 65 today! On 19 January 1943 she was born in Ottawa, Canada. Her mother, Princess Juliana, and her sisters, Princess Beatrix and Princess Irene, had taken refuge in Canada and Ottawa was a 'safe haven' from the German-occupied Netherlands.

So the Princess could maintain her Dutch nationality, the Ottawa hospital maternity unit was declared "Dutch."

"From that day on Canada became a second home", the Princess has said on several occasions. "I feel a very strong bond with Canada and it is becoming stronger as I grow older. You want to return to the place you were born." With her husband she has travelled the length and width of Canada, including a daring husky-expedition with the Inuit.

There is however, a second reason for returning time after time: the Canadians veterans, the men and women who risked their lives during the Second World War to help liberate the Netherlands.

"It is very important that we continue to show gratitude to those who liberated us, who came all the way to Europe, that we continue to respect them and keep them in high regard for peace and liberty come at a price," Princess Margriet said in a special Dutch television programme last night. You can watch a fragment here, too.

After the documentary yesterday on TV De Telegraaf publishes an interview with Princess Margriet (by Alex de Vries) today.

DEDICATED TO DEMOCRACY

Long time Burlington activist Owen Mulligan, founding member and director of Green Democratic Alliance, has announced his candidacy in the March 4th city election for Ward Clerk in Burlington's Ward 6. He is "dedicated to ensuring fair, clean, and accessible elections."

As a Ward Clerk, it will be my responsibility to oversee the integrity of the elections process and make sure the day runs smoothly.

RETREAT

Over at Lenin's Tomb there's a great post with exceptionally good comments on how some so-called anti-war organisations are retreating on Iraq war funding cuts and are too much beholden to the Democrats, and, like that war-mongering party, are changing their strategies to elect Democrats no matter what their stance on the occupation. Sounds like 2000, 2004 and, especially, 2006 all over again. Oi! What will it take for people to wake up?

THE GREAT BOSTON MOLASSES DISASTER

Too Many Chefs -

Today is the 89th anniversary of what might be the strangest food-related disaster in U.S. history.

It was a mild winter afternoon when the 2.5 million gallon molasses tank at the Purity Distilling Factory burst. A wave of sticky brown molasses rolled down Commercial Street, covering the North End of Boston in a sweet, thick muck.

In the end, 150 people were injured, and 21 people and many horses were killed by the goop. Boston's North End retained the molasses smell for years afterwards.

I should mention that I will spend the day working in an office in South Baltimore, sandwiched between the Domino Sugar factory and a farm of - yes, it's true - giant molasses storage tanks.

Just in case, I usually park uphill from the tanks.

DUTCH ANIMAL RIGHTS ADVOCATES FORCE OUT PROPERTY DEVELOPER

By Louise Dunne Animal rights activists force out property developer Radio Netherlands 8 January 2008 --

Dutch animal rights activists are claiming a major victory after a property developer decided to pull out of the construction of a new industrial park near the town of Venray in the south of the Netherlands.

The park - called Sciencelink - will house biotech research companies, many of whom carry out testing on animals. Animal rights groups in the Netherlands are vehemently opposed to the project.
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It's the first time a Dutch company has so openly given in to threats by the animal rights movement and activists who say it won't be the last. A statement posted on the website stopdierenproeven.org (stopanimaltesting) says:

"We are following the development of Sciencelink closely and will take every possible step to stop it. If other developers show any interest in taking Van de Looy's place, then we can tell them now that we will be on their doorsteps not just once, but time and again."

The radicalisation of animal rights activists in the Netherlands is of increasing concern to the Dutch intelligence service, the AIVD, which released a report on the movement's activities last year. "Home visits" were named in the report as one of the most common tactics. Activists with balaclavas or scarves covering their faces descend on the homes of employees of companies involved directly or indirectly with animal testing. They damage cars, daub slogans on the houses and threaten family members.

Read all of the report here.

MADELEINE L'ENGLE 1918-2007

By Luci Shaw Madeleine L'Engle 1918-2007 Books & Culture January/February 2008

A powerful woman, large-hearted, fearless, quixotic, profoundly imaginative, unwilling to settle for mediocrity. Tall and queenly, she physically embodied her mental and spiritual attributes. I remember occasions when, in church during Advent, she would rise to full height, spread her arms wide like the Angel of the Annunciation, and declare, "Fear not!" in a tone that allowed no gainsaying. It was a challenge impossible to ignore.
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Madeleine and I both loved to trace words back to their origins. When the word "companion" came under scrutiny we realized that it referred to those who ate bread together. She observed that when feuding countries forged some kind of peace accord and shook hands for the cameras, it didn't mean much. But if they sat down to a meal together, with bread and salt, it spoke of something more profound. The Lord's Table, with Eucharistic bread and wine, was the feast that joined us together. We regularly walked to noon Eucharist at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, a few blocks from Madeleine's home in Manhattan. And if the weather was too severe we'd stay indoors, thankful for God's presence in the fellowship of tuna sandwiches.

Read the rest of this fine memorial essay in Books & Culture (Chicago).

Thanks to Anglicans Online for the heads-up.

FEAST OF AELRED, ABBOTT OF RIEVAULX, 1167

Aelred was the first person openly acknowledged to be gay to be formally admitted into Episcopal Church's liturgical calendar.

From the Integrity website:

"Whereas the Episcopal Church USA meeting in General Convention in Anaheim, California, in 1985, with full knowledge, thanks to the vigilance of the bishop of Newark, of St. Aelred's homoerotic orientation, did approve for annual commemoration in her liturgical calendar the Feast of St. Aelred on 12 January and did provide propers for the same, Therefore be it resolved that Integrity Inc. place itself under the protection and patronage of St. Aelred of Rievaulx and, be it further resolved that Integrity, Inc. dedicate itself to regularly observe his feast, promote his veneration and seek before the heavenly throne of grace the support of his prayers on behalf of justice and acceptance for lesbians and gay men."

A Reading for January 12 • Aelred, Abbot of Rievaulx, 1167

When God created man, in order to commend more highly the good of society, he said: “it is not good for man to be alone: let us make him a helper like unto himself.” It was from no similar, nor even from the same, material that divine Might formed this help mate, but as a clearer inspiration to charity and friendship he produced the woman from the very substance of the man. How beautiful it is that the second human being was taken from the side of the first, so that nature might teach that human beings are equal and, as it were, collateral, and that there is in human affairs neither a superior nor an inferior, a characteristic of true friendship.

Hence, nature from the very beginning implanted the desire for friendship and charity in the heart of man, a desire which an inner sense of affection soon increased with a taste of sweetness. But after the fall of the first man, when with the cooling of charity concupiscence made secret inroads and caused private good to take precedence over the common weal, it corrupted the splendor of friendship and charity through avarice and envy, introducing contentions, emulations, hates and suspicions because the morals of men had been corrupted. From that time the good distinguished between charity and friendship, observing that love ought to be extended even to the hostile and perverse, while no union of will and ideas can exist between the good and wicked. And so friendship which, like charity, was first preserved among the all by all, remained according to the natural law among the few good. They saw the sacred laws of faith and society violated by many and bound themselves together by a closer bond of love and friendship. In the midst of the evils which they saw and felt, they rested in the joy of mutual charity.

From Spiritual Friendship by Aelred of Rievaulx (Cistercian Publications, 1977).

WARRIOR WRITERS: COMBAT PAPER

Head over to Speeder & Earl's coffee shop at 412 Pine St. Burlington and take a close look at Warrior Writers: Combat Paper, an artists' project started by Drew Matott and Drew Cameron of the Green Door Studio with members of the Iraq Veterans Against the War. No pun intended, but it will knock your socks off! All I can say is, Wow!

In a creative twist of the metaphor "beating swords into ploughshares," the series of prints on the show was made from uniforms worn by combat veterans; the artists cut, cooked, and beat the uniforms into paper!

The photo above, on the left, shows one of the paper prints from the exhibition.

Hurry now! GO:LOOK & INWARDLY DIGEST THIS MOVING EXHIBIT!

SATURDAY FUN

I needed a break from the ridiculous primary horse race. A friend sent me this link from YouTube: Jackie & Rosanne meet AB FAB. My favourite line is "She's the perfect weight for New York: 2 lbs above organ failure." Go:watch and cackle with laughter. (Embedding was disabled.)

MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT THOSE DAMNED DIEBOLD MACHINES

Dennis Kucinich has called for a re-count in the NH Democratic primary (he pays for it), in light of descrepancies between results in the hand-counting towns and those relying on Diebold electonic voting machines to record votes. David Lindoff at Counterpunch comments.

But there were anomalies in the numbers that have some people suggesting something else: vote fraud.

What has had eyebrows raised is a significant discrepancy between the vote counts done by voting machine, and the ones done by hand.

In New Hampshire, 81 per cent of the voting was done in towns and cities that had purchased optical scan machines from the Diebold Election Systems (now called Premiere Election Solutions), a division of Diebold Corp., a company founded by and still linked to wealthy right-wing investors. In those towns, all voting was done on the devices, called Accuvote machines, which read paper ballots completed by voters who use pens or pencils to fill in little ovals next to the candidate of their choice. The ballots are then fed into, read, and tallied by the machines. The other 19 per cent of voting was done in towns that had opted not to use the machine, and to use hand-counted paper ballots instead.

The machine tally was Clinton 39.6 per cent, Obama 36.3 per cent - fairly close to the final outcome. But the hand-counted ballot count broke significantly differently: Clinton 34.9 per cent, Obama 38.6 per cent.

Could something have happened in those machines to shift some votes away from Obama or some of the other candidates in the race, and over to the Clinton total?

I first heard about it earlier this morning on the WBUR radio program, On Point. The political news reporters were shocked....shocked! that anyone would bring up such a possibility! No surprise about their reaction.

10,000 +

I started my meandering bloggin' in August, '06. Back in July of 2007, readership hit the 5,000 mark. Today, BI has had 10,099 smacks! :-P. Thanks, peeps.

KEEP IT FRONT AND CENTER, MR GOVERNOR...

Received an e-mail from Michael Colby about an citizens action he participated in yesterday:

Hello Folks,

Mission accomplished. At Governor Douglas' State of the State speech today eight of us managed to unfurl three banners and ask "what about the war?" Four MMU students (Emily, Phoebe, and -- oops, forgot the names) got the ball rolling and then Boots, Dottye, Matt and I followed up with two more. It was surprising how supportive everyone was -- even telling us "good job" as we were being led out of the room. We'll see how the media responds. I know the students, Dottye and Matt gave extensive interviews to the Free Press, the Vermont Press Bureau and Vermont Public Radio.

It was good to remind the Governor and the Legislature that we are a nation at war. His speech, of course, didn't mention the war at all -- nor did the rebuttal speech by House Speaker Gaye Symington. I guess that's our job.

Below is the "communique" that we made available to the media after the action.

Thanks to my seven colleagues who made today a short, fun and powerful action.

Onward.

Michael posted more on his Broadsides today:

But we accomplished our goals yesterday. We wanted to make sure the war was mentioned in the State House yesterday. And we wanted to ask the Governor and the legislature to do whatever they can to help put an end to it.

Vermont Troops Home Now.

Today, in the Vermont People’s State House, a group of students, veterans and citizens decided it was time to put the issue of the War on Iraq on Vermont’s legislative agenda. And so we’ve come to Governor Jim Douglas’ State of the State address to remind him, the Legislature and all Vermonters that we are a nation waging an illegal war against Iraq – a war that has left tens of thousands dead, cost nearly $500 billion, and diverted our nation’s attention from other pressing issues that deserve our attention. This war must end now. And every elected official – indeed, every citizen – must take action now to end the Iraq War and re-focus our national and state priorities.


The Governor’s State of the State address is traditionally a time to set the state’s agenda. It is a time to assess our past and look toward the future. But the “elephant in the room” that will probably go unmentioned is the war and its impact on all of our lives. So, we ask the Governor and members of the Legislature to consider these facts:



· 26 Vermonters have lost their lives in the Iraq War.

· It has been estimated that Vermont’s share of the cost of the Iraq War is over $660 million (see reverse).

· Vermont’s National Guard is participating in the occupation of a sovereign nation.

· U.S. Military and National Guard recruiters are actively preying on Vermont high school students and others to join the armed services and serve in this illegal war.

· More than 70% of Vermonters oppose the Iraq War.


Therefore, we ask that the Governor and the Vermont Legislature listen to the people and begin to take immediate action to help end the Iraq War and/or Vermont’s role in it, including:


· A call for an immediate end to the war directed at the President, Congress, and Vermont’s Congressional delegation.

· A demand that all Vermont troops come home now.

· An end to military recruitment in Vermont’s high schools.



Out of Iraq, Out of Our Schools.

LAST NIGHT'S CITY COUNCIL MEETING

If the zoning rewrite is such a mish-mash - or as, Tim Ashe, the Prepublican city councilor, put it, a "hodgepodge of ideas" - why vote for it? As the BFP reports today, it passed unanimously. (Outgoing Councilor Cheryl McDonough removed her name as a sponsor.) Still, during the public comment at the meeting, residents Bill Stuono and Maurice Mahoney voiced extreme concern about the final draft; it would seem what they had to say did not sink in with the councilors.

BTW, check your print copies of today's Free Press. There's a zippy insert announcing the last call for information, and, presumably, public comment on the Moran Plant redevelopment pushed on the residents by Mayor Kiss and his CEDO hacks. No attribution in the advertisement supplement in the paper, you'll see. Our tax dollars at work? (CEDO gets a bulk of its funding from federal tax dollars.) Are the Democratic city councilors fuming? They should be asking a lot of questions about this advertisement and the scheduling of this final informational meeting on Thursday, 10 January at Contois. Coincidentally, it's the same day Burlington Democrats are caucusing.

MUST IMPEACH BUSH, CHENEY WITHOUT DELAY

By Frank Haddleton Letter to the Editor Burlington Free Press 7 January 2007

The conditions that have enabled the crimes, deceptions and inhuman policies of the Cheney-Bush administration are systemic and will not be solved merely by empowering a different administration.

Peak oil is at our door, meaning that worldwide oil production will decline, crippling economies that, like ours, require constant expansion and have not planned accordingly. The Cheney-Bush administration chose to hide peak oil from us and to pursue the forceful taking of the world's remaining oil rather than conservation and alternative energy. Because of this choice, easy transitions are now impossible.

The 9/11 attacks, which are the pretext for the "War on Terror," happened because Cheney ensured that they would happen.

The "War on Terror" is actually a resource war, having nothing to do with stopping terrorists or promoting democracy. Our government has a long history of supporting terrorists and tyrants in order to secure resources.

The U.S. is well into a fascist shift in which citizens fear their government and in which innocent individuals, including Americans, are being threatened, spied upon, kidnapped, imprisoned without legal recourse, tortured, and killed.

To end the fraudulent "War on Terror" and secure a livable future, we must, without further delay, impeach Bush and Cheney, finally have a real investigation into 9/11, restore the constitutional limits on our government, and then focus on the deepest terrors: resource depletion, climate change, and ecological collapse.

Consult "Life After the Oil Crash," "Vermonters for a Real 9/11 Investigation" and Naomi Wolf's "The End of America: Letters to a Young Patriot" for supporting evidence.

Link

BURLINGTON'S GDA ENDORSES KUCINICH

BURLINGTON FREE PRESS 7 January 2007 -

BURLINGTON -- Burlington's Green Democratic Alliance has officially endorsed Democratic candidate and six-term congressman from Ohio Dennis Kucinich for president in Tuesday's primary.

The group met Sunday to endorse their candidate.

Members of the Green Democratic Alliance say they chose Kucinich for a number of reasons. Among them, Kucinich voted against authorizing a war in Iraq and against funding its continuation, and Kucinich voted against the Patriot Act.

"I believe Kucinich is the candidate America's been waiting for," said Owen Mulligan, director of the local Green Democratic Alliance.

Link

SECOND THOUGHTS ABOUT FLUORIDE

By Dan Fagin Scientific American January 2008, pages 74–81
Second Thoughts about Fluoride

EXCERPTS

Page 75: KEY CONCEPTS

• Researchers are intensifying their scrutiny of fluoride, which is added to most public water systems in the U.S. Some recent studies suggest that overconsumption of fluoride can raise the risks of disorders affecting teeth, bones, the brain and the thyroid gland.

• A 2006 report by a committee of the National Research Council recommended that the federal government lower its current limit for fluoride in drinking water because of health risks to both children and adults

Page 75: Most fluoridated water contains much less fluoride than the EPA limit, but the situation is worrisome because there is so much uncertainty over how much additional fluoride we ingest from food, beverages and dental products. What is more, the NRC panel noted that fluoride may also trigger more serious health problems, including bone cancer and damage to the brain and thyroid gland. Although these effects are still unproved, the panel argued that they deserve further study.

Page 75: TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING: Fluoride is in many foods, beverages and dental products. The ubiquity of the cavity-fighting chemical can result in overconsumption, particularly among young children.

Page 78: Scientific attitudes toward fluoridation may be starting to shift in the country where the practice began.

Continue reading more excerpts of "Second Thoughts about Fluoride"...

(Full Article: available on-line for $4.95.)

VOTERS LEFT OUT: MORE OF THE SHAM(E)

Not only was a viable candidate, Dennis Kucinich, excluded from the debates in Des Moines in mid-December, but we read today how many Iowans feel about being shut out of participating in their caucuses tomorrow:

By Jodi Kantor New York Times 2 January 2008 -
Caucuses Bring Power Only to Some in Iowa

DES MOINES — Jason Huffman has lived in Iowa his whole life. Lately he has been watching presidential debates on the Internet, discussing what he sees with friends and relatives. But when fellow Iowans choose among presidential candidates on Thursday night, he will not be able to vote, because he is serving with the National Guard in western Afghanistan.

“Shouldn’t we at least have as much influence in this as any other citizen?” Captain Huffman wrote in an e-mail interview.

He is far from the only Iowan who will not be able to participate. Because the caucuses, held in the early evening, do not allow absentee voting, they tend to leave out nearly entire categories of voters: the infirm, soldiers on active duty, medical personnel who cannot leave their patients, parents who do not have baby sitters, restaurant employees on the dinner shift, and many others who work in retail, at gas stations and in other jobs that require evening duty.

As in years past, voters must present themselves in person, at a specified hour, and stay for as long as two. And if these caucuses are anything like prior ones, only a tiny percentage of Iowans will participate. In 2000, the last year in which both parties held caucuses, 59,000 Democrats and 87,000 Republicans voted, in a state with 2.9 million people. In 2004, when the Republicans did not caucus, 124,000 people turned out for the Democratic caucuses.

The rules are so demanding that even Ray Hoffman, chairman of the Iowa Republican Party and a resident of Sioux City, cannot caucus on Thursday night, because he has to be in Des Moines on party business.

Iowans begin the presidential selection process, making choices among the candidates that can heavily influence how the race unfolds. Now some are starting to ask why the first, crucial step in that process is also one that discourages so many people, especially working-class people, from participating.

Read the rest of ""Caucuses Bring Power Only to Some in Iowa"...