AL JAZEERA IN BURLINGTON ATTRACTS WORLDWIDE MEDIA ATTENTION

I love it when Burlington gets national and international coverage!

THE COUNTERSPIN program on FAIR features Ken Picard of Seven Days.

The GUARDIAN has done a piece on Tony Burman, the new boss of Al Jazeera.

In Burlington, New England, where a tiny city-owned broadcaster with a few thousand subscribers carries Al-Jazeera, complaints from locals prompted the company to announce that it will be taken off air, but a local Republican representative is supporting its continued presence, Burman claims, and that decision could be reversed.

Hmmm, I wonder who the Repub is. Any guesses?

Mr Burman will be attending next week's public forums on the Al Jazeera presence in Burlington.

TWO NEW HAMPSHIRE PAPERS with Vermont readership have editorials:

VALLEY NEWS (NH)

Channeling Free Speech
Al-Jazeera English on TV
***

Given what passes for television “news” programming in America these days, it's not astonishing that some viewers would like to banish a channel or two from the satellite or cable menu. That, however, seems quite different from what's going on in Vermont’s largest city, where Burlington Telecom is under pressure to drop the English language service of Al-Jazeera, the Arab-owned network based in Qatar.

As it happens, Burlington is one of the few places in the United States where Al-Jazeera English can be seen, others being Washington, D.C., Houston and parts of Ohio (figure that one out). It is largely invisible in this country because, in the words of the International Herald Tribune, “the reputation of its Arabic sibling as the preferred outlet for videos from Osama bin Laden has made the English-language version too hot to handle for some U.S. cable operators.”

Urging the municipally-owned Burlington Telecom to join the blackout is something called the Defenders Council of Vermont, whose 15 or 20 members conceive it as their mission to “educate the citizens of Vermont about the nature, reality and threat of radical Islam.” It seems not to have occurred to the Defenders that pulling the plug on an Arab-owned news service might not be the best way to educate Vermonters about the political and social perspectives of the Islamic world. Or that anyone offended by the programming has recourse to the TV viewer's ultimate trump card -- the remote.

This is not the only irony involved in this story, though. As the Associated Press reported earlier this week, the executive director of Burlington Telecom, Chris Burns, was only too happy to oblige the Defenders Council. He announced that the channel would be removed, but Mayor Bob Kiss put on the brakes until public reaction could be more thoroughly gauged. Perhaps in the meantime, the mayor will introduce the telecom director to the First Amendment, which, after all, is not only about the right to voice unpopular opinions but also about the right to hear them. If democracy is based on the notion that citizens best govern themselves by sorting through conflicting opinions in the marketplace of ideas, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense for a government entity to restrict the range of ideas about public affairs that are offered in that marketplace. It wholly contradicts the nation's democratic faith to believe that Americans are unable to distinguish between ideas that have merit and those that are spurious.

Beyond that, it seems to us that one of the gravest threats to national security in the 21st century is the extent to which America remains ignorant of the world and of how that world views this country. It is perhaps telling that BBC World, the BBC's round-the-clock news channel on which Al-Jazeera English was initially modeled, is also largely unavailable in the United States. In a dangerous world, Americans live in isolation at their own peril.

It is also worth noting that the English language service of Al-Jazeera recently hired as its new managing director Tony Burman, a former editor in chief of the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. He plans to increase coverage of news in the United States heading into this fall's presidential election; invest in more news bureaus; and present “more provocative” news programming and investigative journalism. In short, Al-Jazeera English proposes to do what major American broadcast news organizations used to do.

Citing the Valley News editorial, the KEENE (NH) SENTINEL writes

What Al-Jazeera says
[I]t seems to us that one of the gravest threats to national security in the 21st century is the extent to which America remains ignorant of the world and of how that world views this country. It is perhaps telling that BBC World, the BBC's round-the-clock news channel on which Al-Jazeera English was initially modeled, is also largely unavailable in the United States. In a dangerous world, Americans live in isolation at their own peril ...

WHAT IS THE CONNECTION BETWEEN AUDREY HEPBURN AND KAISER WILHELM II?

Beautiful Audrey Hepburn was the daughter of the British banker Joseph Anthony Hepburn-Ruston and the Dutch aristocrat Ella, Baroness van Heemstra (Audrey was raised near Brussels). Grandmother de Beaufort and her husband Willem, Baron van Heemstra owned House Doorn in Doorn, the Netherlands, which was bought by German Emperor Wilhelm II when in exile in the Netherlands.
Small world.


I write this bit of royal trivia, because I just read that Mel Ferrer has died. And it got me thinking, since he was married to Audrey, who was a baroness in her own right. Ferrer and Audrey spent part of their Honeymoon in the Netherlands. Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam and of course Arnhem where Audrey spent the war years. Her experiences of malnutrition there and the food given after the war made such an impression that she became a UN amassador.

THE SOUTH WILL RISE AGAIN IN VERMONT? - SECOND VERMONT REPUBLIC EXPOSED BY THE SPLC

Crossposted at Five Before Chaos, Docudharma, iBrattleboro and Green Mountain Daily.

The Southern Poverty Law Center is a well-known organization known for tracking hate groups and/or hate crimes around America. Many of you may remember the recent controversy regarding the Second Vermont Republic (SVR), Vermont's secessionist movement. John Odum of Green Mountain Daily pointed out SVR's ties to groups and individuals being tracked by the Southern Poverty Law Center and as a result, SVR came under greater scrutiny. Now the SPLC released their much anticipated report on the Second Vermont Republic and the report includes a revealing anecdote on former SVR board member and local impeachment hero, Dan DeWalt.

The authors write:

"... playing footsie with neo-Confederates has cost SVR, as several members have left the group or distanced themselves from it in recent years. Former executive director Jane Dwinel quit the group in 2006, telling the Report later that she had had sharp disagreements with Naylor. John McClaughry, a supporter of decentralization, told the Report that SVR has "shaded over to hating America." According to the Vermont Secession blog, Dan Dewalt, a former SVR advisory member, was dismissed from the group for merely raising irksome questions about Naylor's connection to groups including the league.

Even many of those who remain Naylor's colleagues are worried by SVR's new Southern friends. "You've got to watch whose conference you go to. There's no doubt about it," SVR advisor Frank Bryan told the Report. Added longtime SVR ally Jim Hogue, "If [Naylor] was very flattering toward the League of the South, and they're racist, that was probably a bad idea."

In the face of these criticisms, Naylor remains defiant. "I don't give a shit what you write," he told the Report. "If someone tells me that I shouldn't associate with the League of the South, it guarantees that I will associate with the League of the South."

THE PEOPLE BURLINGTON ARE TRUMPED AGAIN

Burlington's homeless, first time home buyers in search of "affordable housing," people living paycheck-to-paycheck, hungry people who increasingly patronise the local food bank, will no doubt be disappointed with the Design Review Board's "reluctant" decision to cave into the Burlington city council's earlier vote to go easy on the Westlake developer.

It's not really a case of politics trumping policy, as some would say. Rather, it's a case of politics trumping principles. Vermont Interfaith Action worked diligently over the past two years researching affordable housing and the Westlake project, attending DRB meetings, and even held a city-wide action last year. I don't know if this decision will be appealed, as it could be. The $400,000 will be placed in the Burlington affordable housing fund and can be used for ten affordable units. The Browns Court project could be a beneficiary.

MORE CUTS ON STUDENT LOANS TO THE POOR

FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES:

Some of the nation’s biggest banks have closed their doors to students at community colleges, for-profit universities and other less competitive institutions, even as they continue to extend federally backed loans to students at the nation’s top universities.

And TMiss comments:

This isn’t class warfare, of course. No, it’s just another example of people who just happen to be rich and parasitical sticking it to people who just happen to be poor and underrepresented in Congress thanks to the Democratic party’s love affair with Wall Street.

GREEN DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE UPDATE....

Green Democratic Alliance members will be tabling on Sunday, June 8 from 12 Noon to 6 p.m. on the Church Street Marketplace. Members will have information about the Alliance and provide voter registration. Tabling will happen on the second Sunday of each month, through September.

GDA members René Kaczka-Vallière, Owen Mulligan and and Jay Vos were re-appointed to city commissions at the City Council meeting on 2 June. René was reappointed to the Conservation Board for a four year term; Owen, to the Housing Board of Review for a five year term; Jay, to the Board of Health for a three year term.

GDA Bottle Drive continues....please drop off your bottles at 305 S. Union St. #3. There is a bottle bin on the porch labeled "GDA Bottle Drive". Your bottles can help GDA have more of an impact on the next Town Meeting Day.

Please urge Burlington Telecom (BT) to keep Al Jazeera English on its channel offerings. (You can read about what's happened so far here.) Greg Epler-Wood, who chairs both the Citizens Advisory Committee and the Burlington Telecommunications Advisory Committee appointed by the City Council, says another public forum will be held sometime in June before any recommendation is made. Epler-Wood also has invited written comments either via e-mail (greg@burlingtontelecom.net) or care of Burlington Telecom, 200 Church Street, Burlington, VT 05401. In the end, BT and Mayor Kiss will make the call.

YOUR 'LIFESTYLE' MATTERS TO VPR

Today I heard on Vermont Public Radio two ridiculously inane "sponsorship advertisements." One was by a shoe store in Montpelier that sells footwear to enhance "your Vermont lifestyles." The other was from a bed and breakfast in Hanover, New Hampshire, which is located in a "country setting." A nice get-away from the hum-drum, one would think. Not totally - and here's the disconnect - the place offers "wireless internet connection throughout the house."

DERELICTION OF DUTY

As I'm wont to do, I like to return to archival posts by my favourite bloggers and writers. Michaal Colby, one of the most brilliant writers around Vermont, doesn't really rant and rave, but voices a deep sigh in his essay about citizen malpractisce which was posted on Broadsides last March.

Imagine, if you will, if you went to a doctor and she said: “Yep, it’s cancer.” And then she left the room. Better yet, she got on the public address system in the office and announced: “This patient has cancer.” And everyone on staff and everyone in the waiting room just nodded about the horrors of it, called some folks they knew to repeat the horrors, emailed their list-serve about it, and then just carried on with their day and their lives.

We’d call that medical malpractice. Because in medicine, we don’t just expect a diagnosis, we also expect one hell of a good faith effort at treatment or, if you will, an activist remedy.

Oh, if modern-day citizenship only carried the same kind of expectations. You know, a simple kind of expectation that would follow the medical lineage between diagnosis and cure. And if we, the citizens, simply acknowledged the problems without effectively addressing them, we’d be accused of citizenship malpractice – a most serious dereliction of duty that has betrayed our ideals, our future, our health, our safety and the very foundation of our democracy that requires citizen leadership.

Consider ourselves charged – on several counts – of citizenship malpractice.

GREG GUMA REPORTS IN ON THE BT/AJE SITUATION

Greg Guma, author of The People's Republic: Vermont and the Sanders Revolution, co-founder of the Vermont Guardian and former exec director of Pacifica, has written an overview about Burlington Telecom's dropping of Al Jazeera English in an article on Common Dreams and on his blog. The comments on the Common Dream article are worth a read, too.

AL JAZEERA ENGLISH COULD CHANGE THE WAY YOU SEE THE WORLD - IF YOU EVER GET TO WATCH IT

I attended yesterday’s meeting about Al Jazeera’s English language television programs continuing on Burlington Telecom. The meeting brought 100 or so people to the auditorum. Haik dropped in and has a few things to say.


The public comment was predictable. A majority of speakers wanted BT to continue broadcasting AJE and claimed the network brings more program diversity to Burlington; gives an alternative news (non-corporatist/consumerist) to viewers; is even a respected news source in Israel (a woman and I said that, actually); the issue is about free speech; if viewers didn’t like it, they could just not watch it, switch channels or turn it off. A minority of speakers said AJE in Burlington was an affront to the Jewish community here; maintained that AJE was hateful propaganda. Paul Decelles, a city councilor said he'd never subscribe because having AJE on the schedule is an insult to the veterans who have fought and died in Iraq and other American wars. (Actually, he's a free-market capitalist and doesn't want BT tied to the city.)

I also reminded the committee that BT's Chris Burns should be reprimanded for pulling the plug on AJE without having let them know of his decision or even asking for their advice.

I'm no judge, but the small coterie of zionists who complain that AJE is a propaganda assault on Jews are projecting: this local group has a political agenda, too: Victimhood. (I have rarely seen Israelis talk about the Roma, gay, communist or slav experiences during the holocaust. I will add that Ha'aretz's opinion pages are critical of Israel policy - funny how these kinds of views never came up last night; all this is O/T and possibly the subject of another post on here.)

There was a media presence. Channel 17 will no doubt have the meeting on its website. In identical stories by Dave Gram in the Times Argus and the Boston Globe (he’s the AP stringer here) I read:

Mousa Ishaq, a Palestinian born in the West Bank who has lived in Essex Junction for 30 years, said after the meeting that Al-Jazeera is not just an Arab propaganda organ, and that those urging its removal from Burlington Telecom would find some allies in the Middle East.

"Al-Jazeera has been kicked out of every single Arab country," he said. "Arab governments do not like Al-Jazeera."

Of course they don't: many governments in the Middle East (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait) are not democratic and oppress their citizens. Al Jazeera's in-depth reports on some of these countries goes against their rule!

So I did a quick google search “why arab governments don't like al jazeera” and found several reasons. The results also showed why our American government doesn't like AJE.

The following article below is more current (May, 2008) and even mentions BT’s carrying AJE. Read all of it for more background --

This headline should become a mantra for pro-AJE forces in Burlington!

Al Jazeera English Could Change The Way You See The World--If You Ever Get to Watch It

Stebbins says the U.S. government embarked on a campaign to deligitimize Al Jazeera's journalism. "I think we still live with the legacy of that campaign," he says of the Al Jazeera English network. "They still successfully manage to associate us with radicalism."

But Al Jazeera isn't radical, he argues. Its motto, Stebbins says, is "the opinion and the other opinion," and it encourages charged and open debate. At times, that debate can become heated, especially when it comes to U.S. foreign policy. "An Al Jazeera colleague said to me, the difference is that the Western media covers the war from where the missiles were fired," Stebbins says. "Al Jazeera covered it from where the missiles landed."

These below are older stories, but noteworthy:

al Jazeera awakens the Arab world

Neslen sees the channel reporting multiple viewpoints, journalism virtually unimaginable in the Western media, "a willingness to take risks in showing controversial images of the horrors of war, reporting from ‘behind enemy lines’, critical coverage of Saddam Hussein and George Bush alike and an avoidance of the 'news pool'."

A sign of the increasing interest being generated by al-Jazeera is the release of the film Control Room. Telling the story of how the channel decided and made the news during the Iraq war, the film has already broken box-office records in the US. With senior Bush officials accusing the station of anti-Americanism, an increasing amount of Americans clearly want to make up their own minds. The Christian Science Monitor highlighted the main thrust of the film: nobody has a monopoly on truth.

Al Jazeera and the Net – free speech, but don't say that

Essentially Al Jazeera's 'Iraqi propaganda' activities are no greater (perhaps even rather less) than those of many liberal media outlets. In the UK many of these have also been criticised by the government, but they have not been the subject of major hacking attacks, nor have hosting and services companies declined to do business with them. We should also clarify something regarding the footage of the prisoners and the dead servicemen; military spokesmen to the contrary, reproducing such images is not a breach of the Geneva Convention. The Geneva Convention is directed at governments, and does not cover news organisations. Al Jazeera has arguably broadcast images of the Iraqi Government breaching the Geneva Convention, but that is not the same thing.

To get this into perspective, note that one of the most striking pictures from the Vietnam war was of a South Vietnamese officer shooting a prisoner - do we argue that this should not have been published? If Al Jazeera had footage of an Iraqi shooting a British prisoner, should that be broadcast? The other way around? Are our standards today different from those of the 60s, or do the criteria differ depending on the nationalities of the participants and/or the audience? The answers are not straightforward, nor should they be. In deciding whether or not to report a story and how to report it news organisations have to take into account the motivation of the people they're covering, standards of taste and decency and likely impact on people involved, such as friends and family.

By Western standards Al Jazeera may have breached standards of taste and decency, and may not (again by Western standards) have sufficiently contextualised bin Laden and Iraqi exercises in propaganda. But by Middle Eastern standards Western media could similarly be accused of too readily parrotting propaganda in the other direction, and of too frequently operating a system of self-censorship. There's some merit to both points of view, the demise of Arnett being a good example of self-censorship, but there's no good reason for casting Al Jazeera into outer darkness - unless of course the problem is that its coverage has been increasingly reaching a Western audience.

COFFIN ON LISTENING, A COMMON SECURITY & MEDIATION

American churches can contribute enormously by seeing how pathologically dysfunctional war is rapidly becoming. Let them affirm the psalmist’s contention that “the war horse is a vain hope for victory, and by its great might it cannot save” (33:17). Churches have a special obligation to point out that “God’n’country” is not one word, and to summon America to a higher vision of its meaning and destiny.

Via Speaking to the Soul - From “Beyond War” in A Passion for the Possible: A Message to U.S. Churches by William Sloane Coffin (Westminster John Knox Press, 2004):

Churches all over the world must see to it that nonviolence becomes a strategy not only for individuals and groups, but one taught to governments. If arms reductions are to become more likely and wars less so, then new measures have to be devised for conflict resolution. . . . Mediation must become the order of the day. Every nation should abandon its claim to be a judge in its own cause. Nations must learn to listen to one another, to affirm the valid interests of adversaries, to cease judgmental propaganda, to heed international law. We must replace the concept of national security with that of common security, an understanding that the security of countries cannot be imagined separately, for none is really secure until all are secure.

(Flag graphic courtesy of catholicanarchy.org.)

AL JAZEERA COMES TO BURLINGTON

From Ken Picard/Seven Days about the "local matter" concerning censorship of news in Burlington:

AL JAZEERA will be covering today's Burlington Telecom Advisory Committee and the Citizen's Advisory Committee meeting today at the Contois Auditorium in Burlington's City Hall.

Be there at 4:00 p.m. to stand up for freedom, justice, and the American way. :-P

A CONGRESS THAT'S MORE THAN A RUBBER STAMP

Don't expect Peter Welch, who's running unopposed (Vermont's media cover him with helpful stories), to listen to Mumia Abu-Jamal:

As America limps toward the November elections, fatigued by the exertions of war, numb to the lofty promises of politicians, in dread of the economic dragons growling on the horizon, the role of Congress could not be more irrelevant.

That's one of the reasons that GOP presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain (R. Ariz.) has called for a change in congressional tradition, to one which allows the President to answer questions before the body.

It reminded me of the March 25, 2008 vote in the British House of Commons, where members of Parliament debated whether to open an official inquiry into the reasons for starting the war. Not surprisingly, the vote lost, largely along Party lines, as the ruling Labour members voted to protect their party, which sponsored and spearheaded the Iraq War, and avoided a formal inquiry.

Most, but not all.

A dozen Labour backbenchers bolted party ranks to express their support for an inquiry, in terms rarely heard on this side of the Atlantic.

And even though the inquiry vote failed by some 50 votes, it marked a period of questioning of the sort that should actually precede wars, not follow them.
---
When should we expect such voices in the U.S. Congress? 2025?

Via Another Green World (thanks).

FIRST FEMALE DNA DECODED

The first decoding of DNA in a female was done in the Netherlands, reports DutchNews.nl.

A red-haired, 34-year-old Dutch woman has become the first woman in the world to have her compete DNA unraveled, genetic scientists at Leiden University Medical Centre announced on Monday.
---
[T]he sequencing data of a female provides more insight into the X chromosome. 'Because the X chromosome has to do all the work in one half of the population - the males - selection has been tougher during human evolution,' according to Van Ommen. 'This means the X chromosome is less variable.'

Male sequencing data has already been unraveled from Jim Watson, co-discoverer of the double helix structure of DNA, from researcher Craig Venter and from two Yoruba Africans. 'It was time to balance the genders a bit,' news agency AP reported Van Ommen as saying.

Decoding the DNA took six months, but the scientists point out they could only use the sequencing equipment when it was not being used for other projects.

ADVERTISING-DRIVEN OVER CONSUMPTION

It's been happening all over the country, but this week I heard on local radio an advert from Willie Racine's, a Jeep dealership in South Burlington.

"Let's refuel America," screams the ad. If you purchase or lease a Jeep, you'll get a guarantee of $2.99 per gallon for the next 3 years. (There are restrictions - the limit for the vehicle is 36,000 miles for the three years, but that's not mentioned in the swindle.)

I'm not promoting this scheme; I think it's an abomination. Such a deal! NOT. It's more like "Let's rip off gullible consuming Americans," but Americans are gullible and selfish and spoiled, right? - so they'll fall for it, not realising that by buying a gas-guzzlin' Jeep, they're continuing the pollutin', cosumin' culture and environmental degradation. And you betcha, these new purchases will sport an Obama bumper sticker in November!

FOUR FREEDOMS AWARDS

Each year, the Four Freedoms Awards are presented to people safeguarding the four essential human freedoms devised by former US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in a speech in 1941: freedom from fear, freedom of religion, freedom of speech and freedom from want.

Yesterday, in Middelburg, they were presented by Queen Beatrix and Princess Máxima of the Netherlands to the following recipients:

• International Four Freedoms Award 2008 Dr. Richard Freiherr von Weizsäcker (Former President of Germany)

• Freedom of Speech and Expression Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi (one of 'The Elders', the organization from which Princess Mabel is the director)

• Freedom of Worship Dr. Karen Armstrong (British author and expert on religion who contributed to better understanding of Christianity, Islam and Judaism)
  

• Freedom from Want Jan Egeland (Norwegian diplomat who played a key role in the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, resulting in the Oslo-agreements)
  

• Freedom from Fear Ms Willemijn Verloop (Co-founder, together with Princess Mabel, of War Child Netherlands, which invests in a peaceful future for children affected by war)

THE VICAR OF DIBLEY WOULD BE PROUD

About time more mitres... erm, I mean feathers were ruffled!

Via Thinking Anglicans, is a report by Jonathan Wynne-Jones in the Sunday Telegraph that Church of England bishops have met recently and narrowly voted to proceed with the historic reforms and to resist pressure to create separate dioceses free of women clergy.

In 1944, Li Tim-Oi was the first woman ordained priest in the Anglican Communion. In 1974, came the Philadelphia Eleven in the Episcopal Church. Two years later, at the 65th General Convention, TEC voted to open all three orders of ordained ministry to women. And still, there are so-called "traditionalist" dioceses in our Church which receive "alternative oversight" by a male bishop; one diocese refuses to welcome a visit from our current presiding bishop. Even after the 1976 ordinations, I thought these kinds of compromises were hypocritical. Either you ordain women, or you don't. Don't do it half-assed! The CoE bishops' decision to do away with separate dioceses for males will be voted on by its General Synod in July. I wish only that the Episcopal Church would have the balls to do the same!

HOOKED ON ROSENKAVALIER!

FOR YOUR SUNDAY MUSIC PLEASURE, Anne Sofie von Otter (Octavian) presents a silver rose to Barbara Bonney (Sophie) in 'Mir ist die Ehre widerfahren' from Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier, Royal Opera House Covent Garden 1985:

'I READ EVERYTHING.'

A SERENDIPITOUS MOMENT OR THE JOYS OF LIVING IN BURLINGTON --

This afternoon I ran into an elderly woman friend, a very hip 70something member of my parish, in the Recycle North parking lot on Pine Street. Her car was parked adjacent to mine. She was getting in as I greeted her:

ME: Hi! Good to see you.

SHE: Yeah, same here. I come to Recycle North for the books. I like to read.

ME: So do I. But I usually get my books at the library. What do you like to read?

SHE: I read everything.

ME: I have mysteries, if you'd like them.

SHE [repeating]: I read everything. Anything. [smiling & making her point, very audibly] Dysfunctional families...

ME: Bye. See you in church...

STUDENTS FREE SPEECH IN A VERMONT SCHOOL CHALLENGED

“Insist upon yourself. Be original.” -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Jesus statue project was primarily conceived by Helms, who asked Olivetti to help out. Helms, 18, says he was connecting to themes in the play, "The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail," which was on the AP course reading list. The play examines, among other things, the 19th century writer Henry David Thoreau's act of civil disobedience in refusing to pay taxes to the U.S. government while it waged what he viewed as an immoral war in Mexico.

Thoreau was trying to point out hypocrisy by the U.S. government, Helms said, and the student in turn wanted to point out what he views as hypocrisy at Mount Abraham with regard to the constitutional separation of church and state.

The school asks students to say the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance, and has a permanent mural displaying Apollo, an ancient Greek God, Helms said. Yet it wouldn't allow him to display the Jesus statue. "My thesis was that the government and the administration of our school is often hypocritical in what they allow and what they do not allow."

THE BLUNT DUTCH

I love Dutch design, and via 24 ORANGES, here's a utilitarian, quirky exmaple --

Business students of the Hogeschool Utrecht in Amersfoort came up with this in their first year to show off their business savvy.

“We talk a lot about sex,’’ says Jelle Okkerse (21). “The link with STDs was made very quickly since it is increasingly more of a problem with young people. We have so often not had a condom handy, which is why we came up with a trendy keychain, which can fit a condom.’’

KISS BURNS GOOD-BYE? BT/AJE CONT'D....

Ken Picard reports on the 05/21/08 edition of Seven Days that Burlington's mayor, Bob Kiss, has stated that BT will not be dropping Al Jazeera anytime soon. Without getting advice or even informing the BT citizens advisory committee, Chris Burns of BT decided unilaterally to drop AJE. The BTAC will meet, maybe even take public comment [shocker!] at 4 p.m. next Tuesday in Contois.

There are a whole slew of letters on the BT/AJE deal in 7D (05/21/08), too.

And Haik Bedrosian on his blog continues to offer excellent comment and wise advice.

Democrats should not attack the mayor for stepping in. He's doing the right thing. A fledgling city department is veering off course and the mayor is responsible . So is the city council.

The Republicans may not philosophically agree with the city owning a telecom utility, but at least they understand it for what it is. Burlington Telecom is a political entity. There's no getting around that. I think that's great. Some people don't and believe all telecom utilities should be commercial or private. That's a debate we can have. But if the Dems try to accuse the mayor of politicizing what the Progs and the Republicans already know is political anyway, they run the risk of appearing out of touch and/or disingenuous. I hope they don't go there.

The fact is, this is a city department. There are oversight committees and there are processes. Burns cancelled the channel unilaterally without telling the oversight committees. That's un-democratic. This is a democracy, and Burlington Telecom is a public utility. If you want to infringe on someone's first amendment rights, you at least have to go through due process.

If y'all have time and the interest --

Open Forum: Open Government Committee

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

2nd Floor, Firehouse Gallery/City Arts

7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

If the BTAC meeting on Tuesday has not room for public comment, you'll have a chance to have your say on Wednesday. After all, BT is a city department whose focus is communication! Let's hope Channel 17, that Burlington bastion of free speech records these meetings and carries them live-stream on its nifty website!

GAY IRANIAN STUDENT CAN REMAIN IN BRITAIN

With pressure, even the most unenthusiatic and slow-moving bureaucrats can change their tune.

THE INDEPENDENT

A gay man who faces the death penalty in Iran has won asylum in the UK after protests prompted the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, to reconsider his case.

Family and supporters of Mehdi Kazemi, now 20, welcomed the decision yesterday not to send him back to Iran where his boyfriend was arrested by the state police and executed for sodomy.
---
Mr Kazemi came to London to study in 2005, but in April 2006 discovered his gay partner had been arrested and named him as his boyfriend before his execution. Fearing he might suffer the same fate if he returned, Mr Kazemi decided to seek asylum in Britain. His claim was refused and he fled to the Netherlands where he also failed to win asylum before returning to Britain last month.
---
In an open letter to the British Government, Mr Kazemi told the Home Secretary: "I wish to inform the Secretary of State that I did not come to the UK to claim asylum. I came here to study and return to my country. But in the past few months my situation back home has changed. The Iranian authorities have found out that I am a homosexual and they are looking for me."

Yesterday, the UK Border Agency said it had decided to allow him asylum, granting him leave to remain for five years.

More background here.

IT'S YOUR NETWORK GOING DOWN THE TUBES

Haik as a brilliant post up about the continuing Burlington Telecom fracas... I couldn't agree more. It's a big deal, dear readers. Contact the BT oversight committee members and tell them to bring back Al Jazeera.

The Death of Burlington Telecom

Take away the soul and the philosophy and what have you got? A subscriber base of 2100 people who can't get their remotes to work. Your'e a cork in a tempest tossed ocean of Comcasts and Adelphias and Dish TVs. Nobody cares about you, little network. The only thing you had going was your commitment to free speech. The providence and the promise of opening up more and more channels of communication. The limitless possibilities.

Including Burlington Telecom, there are only two telecom providers in the United States broadcasting Al Jazeera English. Are we supposed to believe Al Jazeera wants to lose half its carriers in the United States? The choice is Burlington Telecom's to make.

There are 100 million people out there watching the Al Jazeera network. But here in America, with our so-called "freedom of speech" we don't have a choice. Virtually no one gets to see it. We should know what the rest of the world is learning. We should not be afraid of words and ideas. This isn't the middle ages.

Throughout time, whenever somebody has wanted to shut someone else up the thing to do is accuse the speaker of inciting civil unrest. I don't care if it's Galileo, Salmon Rushdie or Ozzy Ozbourne, the same dumb arguments get used. But let's examine the logical fallacy inherent in censorship, shall we? In order to know something deserves censorship, you have to watch it. If you watch it, then tell others not to, you're a hypocrite. If you don't watch it, and tell others not to either, you're an ignoramus.

THE SPIJKER AFFAIR: LIFE HAS BEEN HELL FOR THE DUTCH WHISTLEBLOWER

This is one of the biggest scandals in recent Dutch history. One could call Fred Spijkers the Dutch Don Quixote in his long and bitter fight against the apparent injustice done toward him by the State.



Source: RADIO NETHERLANDS WORLDWIDE 18 April 2008 -

Whistle-blower finds support in royal circles

Pieter van Vollenhoven, husband of one of Queen Beatrix's sisters [Princess Margriet, shown in the photograph with Van Vollenhoven], wants to act as a mediator in the case of the whistle-blower Fred Spijkers. He says Mr Spijkers is a courageous man, who he gladly wants to help.

Almost twenty-five years ago, Mr Spijkers prevented a Ministry of Defence cover-up after the deaths of eight soldiers. The eight were killed by landmines with fatal design error in the detonating mechanism. At the time, Fred Spijkers, who was a social worker for the Ministry of Defence, refused to tell the widow of one of the soldiers that his death was caused by his own carelessness. As a result of his action, Mr Spijkers still faces problems with his income, pension and tax assessments today. Several parliamentary parties [Labour, Socialists, GreenLeft, Christian Union , the progressive liberals (D66) and MP Verdonk] have called for these problems to be resolved before the summer.

The Ministry of Defence was aware of the faulty detonating mechanism as early as 1970. But it was only admitted by Defence Minister Joris Voorhoeve in 1997.

Pieter van Vollenhoven analyzes problems rationally. And sometimes he meets criticism with a touch of humour and self-knowledge. He has a really independent mind and isn't afraid to put blame where it belongs. In the letter the state-secretary for Defence was urged to request Professor mr Pieter van Vollenhoven to act as mediator; the Dutch government still has to approve his offer to help Mr Spijkers.

THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

Found on YouTube: Steve Rice, an Episcopal priest at St Michael's Episcopal Church in Waynesboro, Georgia gives a very brief, but delightfully spot on, historical overview of the current imbroglio surrounding LBGT people, women and power struggles in the Anglican Communion.

A SPINNING TOP... AL JAZEERA & BURLINGTON TELECOM RUCKUS

I missed the Channel 17 5:25 call-in program yesterday regarding the BT/Al Jazeera commotion, so I don't really know what transpired. I did know that the regular group that has that Friday spot was unable to produce their show; some people, then, would say it was meant to be that Chan. 17 ran it. Good on Channel 17!

Thanks to BurlilngtonPol and others for keeping us up to speed: Haik has more disturbing news. We shouldn't let this story slide away. Today I did a cursory glance at the still user unfriendly new Free Press website for a report on this story: Bupkis

(Relatedly, Channel 17 features local activist Sandy Baird's commentary on the 60th anniversary of State Israel and the Palestinian exodus, the Naqba.)

APARTHEID CONTINUES IN OUR SCHOOLS

Today marks the 58th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education.

During the decades after Brown v. Board of Education there was terrific progress. Tens of thousands of public schools were integrated racially. During that time the gap between black and white achievement narrowed. But since 1990 when the Rehnquist court started ripping apart the legacy of Brown, the court has taken the teeth out of Brown. During these years our schools have rapidly segregated and the gap in skills between minorities and whites has increased again. I just visited 60 public schools in 11 different states; if you took a photo of the classes I’m visiting, they would look exactly like a photograph of a school in Mississippi 50 years ago. -- Jonathan Kozol, Educator and Writer

The struggle continues!

'THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR WATER'

Ladies and gentlemen, more than 7500 people die every day because they lack adequate access to clean drinking water and safe sanitation. Only 62% of Africans have access to safe water and only 43% have access to adequate sanitation. Clean water and sanitation are not only about hygiene and disease. Sanitation is about health, dignity and development. If we invest in clean water and sanitation we invest in people and their social and economic development.

WHO DECIDES ON CENSORSHIP?

SPREADING THE WORD - A POST WAS IN THE LOCAL FRONT PORCH FORUM --
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Al Jazeera pulled from Burlington Telecom

Censorship?

Who decides what Burlington Telecom cable subscribers watch and how is that decision arrived at? If you are concerned about Burlington Telecom's proposed pulling of Al Jazeera network from its line-up, come to Ch. 17 studios this Friday at 5:00pm to be part of a public conversation, there will be an opportunity for public comment and questions. Greg Eppler-Wood, Chairman of the Cable Advisory Committee and the Burlington Telecommunications Advisory Committee along with free speech advocate Sandy Baird, will talk about the process and the challenges of free speech within a municipally-owned cable provider.

When - May 16, 2008, Live at 5:25 - studio guests please plan to arrive by 5:00pm.
Where - 294 North Winooski Avenue, Burlington
More Info - Sam Mayfield, smayfield@cctv.org 862.3966 ext. 19

CHUTZPAH

In order to maximize the number of subscribers, the cable operator usually selects channels that are likely to appeal to a broad spectrum of viewers.

Burlington Telecom offers 135 TV channels in its most expensive bundle. That's not as many channels as other cable services offer, but it's still a wide array of "choices" for viewers. There's so much schlock and pap on there, most aren't worth watching -- Fox may be popular, but it certainly ain't news, right?

The AJR wrote in September, 2007 that Burlington was the first city in the US to offer cable access to Al Jazeera.

Al Jazeera's arrival also can be attributed to the fiercely independent and free-thinking spirit of the state and to the left-leaning sentiments of its citizens. At last count, about 40 communities in Vermont had passed resolutions demanding President Bush's impeachment. The Vermont State Senate also approved a resolution asking Congress to initiate impeachment hearings against the president and vice president — the only state legislative body to have done so.

Such politics are coupled with a deep resentment among many Vermonters toward global media giants perceived as unchecked behemoths. Sanders, now an Independent U.S. senator, has organized two town-hall meetings focusing on media consolidation and cross-ownership. These gatherings are often standing-room-only affairs in which people lament media monopolies and their adverse effects on journalism and democracy.

Perhaps it is not surprising, then, that Al Jazeera's arrival on BT's cable lineup generated little controversy.

Wrong.

Apparently a small group of local Zionist malcontents have commplained about Al Jazeera's being on the line-up. Via BurlingtonPol, who got it from a blog I'm unfamiliar with, FlameApe, BT is dropping Al Jazeera. Haik calls BT a bunch of cowards, and they are. I've been watching Al Jazeera regularly on line for quite a while and they report much more than the US MSM does.

WE HAVE THE STARS.....

Discovered this on YouTube, part of a Cavett interview with Bette Davis. (Yeah, you can tell I'm gay?) She talks especially about Gladys Cooper, who was in one of my most favourite movies, Separate Tables.

"Oh boy! Good!" - Bette Davis

O blessèd spring

Hyacinths in the bollenstreek/bulb region near Hillegom, South Holland

O blessèd spring, where Word and sign
embrace us into Christ the Vine:
here Christ enjoins each one to be
a branch of this life-giving Tree.

Through summer heat of youthful years,
uncertain faith, rebellious tears,
sustained by Christ's infusing rain,
the boughs will shout for joyful gain.

When autumn cools and youth is cold,
when limbs their heavy harvest hold,
then through us, warm, the Christ will move
with gifts of beauty, wisdom, love.

As winter comes, as winters must,
we breath our last, return to dust,
still held in Christ, our souls take wing
and trust the promise of the spring.

Christ, holy Vine, Christ, living Tree,
be praised for this blest mystery:
that Word and water thus revive
and join us to your Tree of Life.


O blessèd spring © 1993 Susan Palo Cherwien
The photo was taken on my trip to Holland in April.

LEARN FROM OUR ECOLOGICAL SINS

Wise words from Chris Duggan in a Face to faith column in the Guardian about our ecological sins. --

Easter, observed just after the first full moon following the equinox, is - like spring itself - a blaze of light bursting in on darkness. The light of Christ is an invitation to the dance - come closer, go to arm's length, be pulled back. In our era we are better at learning this in relation to each other than in relation to the earth itself. We pull further and further away, crucifying not only other species, but our own fullness as part of an ecosystem. Even most models of environmentalism paint us as caretakers of a separate "natural world". Paul's cosmic Christ calls us to more than this - rediscovering ourselves as cells in the body of God's universe.

GREEN DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE MEETS THIS SUNDAY, 11 MAY

Next meeting is tomorrow, 11 May, 2:00PM at the Fletcher Free Library.
We will be meeting in the community room to discuss city issues and what the GDA foresees for the future. This meeting is open to the public.

GREEN WEEK

Here are De Stroopwafels, a funky, hilarious duo from the Netherlands...promoting green stuff:

HORROR FILM CASTING

Two males (early twenties) are needed for lead roles in a short horror film. Shooting will be in August and September. Actors will need to be available for night shoots.

PAY is $200.00 and free meals. More info here.

Open Call Wednesday, May 21st 6:30-8:30PM. Burlington Fletcher Free Library downstairs in the community room. Try out for one of the lead roles!!

... AND THE SILENCE

Dodenherdenking 4 mei/Remembrance 4 May

Today, or rather, this evening at 8 p.m. in The Netherlands - May 4th - the Dutch commemorate all those who gave their lives during WWII.

At 20.00 hrs. (8 p.m.) all observe 2 minutes silence.

H.M. Queen Beatrix, accompanied by her son and daughter-in-law, the PM and members of the Government, will all attend the annual ceremony at the National Monument on Dam Square in Amsterdam.

A much more impressive ceremony takes place in the dunes near The Hague (Waalsdorpervlakte) where many were brutally executed by the German occupiers. The first wreaths there are always from representatives and relatives of the Dutch Resistance.

SPIEGEL

I went to this contemporary dance program last night at the Flynn. "Ultima Vez" is the name of the Brussels-based company. 90 minutes of pure energy and movement. No intermission, to have one would have broken up the flow of it. They are not acrobats, but there was that aspect to it. It reminded me of some of the dances by Martha Graham and had a bit of the humor of Pilobous.

It was their USA premiere for "Spiegel," a look-back of 20 years work by the director of the company, Wim Vandekeybus.



Vandekeybus interview (in Flemish):

THE DUTCH HUNK PRINCE CELEBRATES 40

Prince Maurits celebrates his 40th birthday today.


Quotes from his Telegraaf interview (translated by Joris in the BRMB)

About living under a looking glass:

"As a member of the Orange family you must remain close to yourself. When there is such a continuous attention on you there is the danger of drowning."

About anniversaries. Party time?

"We will surely have a party. Although this 40 years milestone doesn't anything special to me. We will just give a "lekker" (= cool) dance party. Life passes quickly, one should celebrate the moments when things go well."

Amsterdam?

"I feel relaxed in Amsterdam, whevever I am. At school there is a mix of [children of] people both with a moderate income as well as millionaires. But one cannot see the difference! They all come on their bikes bringing their kids. And nowhere you can a drink on an outdoor terrace or have a dinner out like here. And there is only one Albert Cuyp." [daily market]

OBAMA ON IMPEACHMENT

Via Left I

Barack Obama has this to say about impeachment [emphasis added]:

"I often get questions about impeachment at town hall meetings and I've said that is not something I think would be fruitful to pursue because I think that impeachment is something that should be reserved for exceptional circumstances."

Nothing "exceptional" going on here, not to worry. Just the wholesale shredding of the Constitution, and the wholesale destruction of people's lives around the world.

The Vermont Democratic primary on Town Meeting day last month was a blowout for Obama. At town meetings in March '07, 31 towns in the state voted for impeachment of Bush and Cheney. Such is the craziness of 'progressive' Vermont politics that I daresay most of the impeachment, anti-war crowd from last year ended up backing Obama this year. And they'll probably give Peter Welch and Patrick Leahy a nod in September's state primary, too. Ya think?

DIEBOLD ACCIDENTLY LEAKS RESULTS OF 2008 ELECTION EARLY

Diebold Accidentally Leaks Results Of 2008 Election Early

DON'T TREAD ON ME

From today's DUNGLISH --

Sure we know what they mean, but this was found at the Keukenhof, the world’s largest flower garden, surely beautiful yet pricy and often overrun with tourists. In other words, you would expect them to write proper English and have pride in doing so.

Oh oh. The website has its problems as well, never mind that you can be welcomed in many different languages.

One highlight:
“Keukenhof offers you the opportunity to see millions of bulbs in flower”
Should be “in bloom”.

We could also make ‘walk the dog, walk the grass’ jokes. But the tulips are pretty.

THE BEST BOY BAND

Libera

THAT'S CAPITALISM FOR YOU: EVEN WHERE'S PLENTY, THERE AIN'T ENOUGH

I've just ordered Raj Patel's Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System. It'll be my reading during my plane trip to Amsterdam next week.

Lenin's Tomb mentions the book in today's post on food, food industry and starvation:

The warnings about soaring global food prices are just flooding in. From the IMF riot to the food riot. Aside from causing starvation among large swathes of consumers, fluctuations in global commodity prices typically wreak the most havoc for small producers. Multinationals and agricommerce don't have this problem, because they are diversified and have the resources to wait out slumps or spirals. While the chaos resulting from the subordination of basic human requirements to global markets can cause social collapse, an erosion of the moral geography, and intensified social conflict of the kind that has afflicted Sudan and pre-genocide Rwanda, the people who are meant to make money from it keep making money from it. Currently, the emphasis on biofuels and the shift of investors away from bad bets in subprime to staple goods have conspired to drive the prices up. So, although there is more than enough rice to meet every individual's dietary requirements, we are told there is a 'scarcity'. That's capitalism for you: even where's plenty, there ain't enough.

In light of all this, I have some questions. To wit: what is that shit you're eating? Why are you so fat, yet malnourished? Why is it that for the first time the number of obese people (1 billion) exceeds the number of starving people (850 million)? And how are those two facts related?

Answers here.

BURLINGTON'S GDA MEETS TOMORROW

Sorry for the late notice:

Green Democratic Alliance meets tomorrow (Sunday) at 2:00 PM in the community room at Fletcher Free Library (College & South Winooski). Discussion topics will be city issues (there are 4 election items on Monday's City Council meeting schedule) and plans for its recruitment outreach in the summer. This meeting is open to the public. See Agenda.

BUSH ABDICATES TO THE GENERALS ON IRAQ

Informed Comment

War turns Republics into dictatorships. The logic is actually quite simple. The Constitution says that the Congress is responsible for declaring war. But in 2002 Congress turned that responsibility over to Bush, gutting the constitution and allowing the American Right to start referring to him not as president but as 'commander in chief' (that is a function of the civilian presidency, not a title.)

Now Bush has now turned over the decision-making about the course of the Iraq War to Gen. David Petraeus.

So Congress abdicated to Bush. Bush has abdicated to the generals in the field.

That is not a Republic. That is a military dictatorship achieved not by coup but by moral laziness.

MAGIC MOMENTS FROM THE HEART OF THE JUNGLE KINGDOM!

ROYAL HANDSHAKES ASSURE US SUCCESS IN AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ

THE HAGUE (AP) - In a Joint Communiqué issued here by Her Majesty the Queen and President George Bush, it was announced today at Huis Ten Bosch, the royal residence, that the State of New York will be returned to The Netherlands and become New Netherland, an autonomous part of the Kingdom.

Also, it was also announced in London by Buckingham Palace that President Bush met secretly with Queen Elizabeth II in anticipation of his last European tour, dubbed by some pundits as the "Last Hurrah 2008." At a Palace high tea, it was confirmed that, by Executive Order, the United States will join the Commonwealth. The Prince of Wales will leave for Washington immediately to become the Governor-General of the United States. The Prince and the Duchess of Cornwall will take up residence at Mount Vernon, the former home of the first president of the US. “The estate on the banks of the Potomac will be an ideal location for organic gardening and the establishment of a Community Sustainable Agriculture farming scheme to assist inner-city Washington youth,” said The Prince’s Trust in a press release.

Analysts say both maneuvers will shore up support of what had become a coalition of the unwilling in the Afghan and Iraqi debacles. The Dutch mission in Afghanistan has become the most accident-plagued and expensive operation in recent Dutch history, however the announcement from The Hague assures that Dutch armed forces will remain indefinitely. This trade off recalls the Dutch-Anglo treaty in 1674, when the Netherlands obtained Suriname in exchange for relinquishing control over New Amsterdam. "What goes around, comes around," said a delighted Queen Beatrix. The agreement also assures that Heineken brewery will have sole distributory rights to provide kegs for US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Although Prime Minister Gordon Brown, following the wish of the population of the United Kingdom, had expressed a desire for British troops to return from Iraq, the decision to give the US commonwealth status was linked to the success of the surge, particularly in keeping British forces in Basra and would give the US a much needed boost to its morale and air attacks in the region. It is also rumoured that the president will become George, Baron of Crawford, in the Queen’s annual birthday honours list. It has already been confirmed that the United States will participate in the next Commonwealth Games.

"JA... WILDERS. THAT'S THE NETHERLANDS, TOO"

Dutch MP Geert Wilders' release this week of his new film Fitma (an Arabic word for Ordeal), has received world-wide coverage. (Headline in today's Parool: 'The hype was better than the film'.) He not as flashy as Pim Fortuyn, another populist right-wing bigot politician who was assassinated in May, 2002. However Wilders + Fortuyn=media whore and do/did anything for attention.

Martin at Wis[s]e Words writes that it's not worth the bandwidth:

I don't really want to pay too much attention to his silly little film, because it is nothing but the usual warmed over Islamophobic cliches. You know the drill: the Islam is threatening your freedom, it wants to subjugate the entire world and kill all the unbelievers, it leads to terrorism (cue images of the September 11 attacks) and so on. Bo-oring.

Here's a short film produced by Radio Netherlands Worldwide about Fitma and Wilders -- and his effect on the multi-cultural Netherlands --

ON LISTENING TO NPR

For years I've felt that national NPR news is really National Propaganda Radio. But what to do? I live in Vermont and (trying not to sound too elitist) the only "sophisticated" radio stations for listening in my car are out of northern New York and Vermont. North Country Public Radio is scruffier than Vermont Public Radio. I just like the down-home feel of NCPR's music programs and its in depth local news reports. (Although Jane Lindholm's Vermont Edition has been tackling some serious topics lately.) Both stations just completed fundraisers. NCPR's was true to its laid back style; VPR's, however, was fucking sanctimonious and geared for those localvore-consuming-faux-socialists. Maybe it's just their Vermont reserve I find annoying, but if I have to hear any more of Isn't Vermont heaven on Earth? shit, I'll start to vomit.

Richard Estes/American Leftist has a great post on why he doesn't listen to NPR! I would have to agree with his reasons for avoiding NPR for years. He provides links from a recent FAIR critique on the coverage on the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war and an article by Norman Soloman on how NPR just repeats the official Washington scripts. Richard makes an excellent point about NPR's avoiding discomforting news stories. I try to avoid to Day to Day when driving my car. That show should be called Dumbed Down Radio!

APPEALS COURT CALLS NEW HEARING FOR MUMIA ABU-JAMAL

ASSOCIATED PRESS

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — An appeals court Thursday upheld Mumia Abu-Jamal's conviction for murdering a police officer 27 years ago but rejected prosecutors' request to reinstate the death penalty for the former Black Panther.

A three-judge panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said that because the jury that sentenced Abu-Jamal to die was given flawed instructions in the penalty phase, he must either get a new sentencing hearing or be sentenced to life in prison.

I've been following Mumia's appeals on his case for a while. Here is the Free Mumia website.

Jeralyn at TalkLeft has a post up about it.

Mumia's supporters are unhappy and planning protests:

They said rallies were being planned for as early as tomorrow outside federal courthouses in Philadelphia, New York and San Francisco.

What's next?

Either side could ask the panel to reconsider the decision, ask the entire Third Circuit to consider the case, or eventually ask the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene.

DONAHUE ON 'SHUT UP AND SING'

From Real News: Phil Donahue talks about corporate media and the Iraq war:

LET THE SUNSHINE IN

Update on Tuesday 25 March: WCAX covered the story (there's a video), and I'm quoted in the on-line report.

---

Here are my remarks made tonight during the public forum at the Burlington City Council meeting regarding the resolution calling for an ad-hoc committee on municipal government transparency.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak to you all tonight.
I would like to speak in support of the proposed ad-hoc committee designed to address government openness and transparency.

Many citizens’ recent experiences have led them to believe that decisions in Burlington can be made in proverbial “smoke-filled rooms” behind “closed doors.” In the 8 years since my return to Vermont, I have a keen appreciation for the way good government operates, as opposed to my experiences of “good ol’ boy” shenanigans when I lived in Texas. Although we know that in a literal sense our Mayor and City Council members are not meeting somewhere smoking cigars and shaking hands after hours, the perception of an opaque rather than a transparent system has left the public questioning the entire process we are supposed to trust in our great democracy. Many people feel like they cannot trust the process, because when they do, projects like Westlake are allowed to occur. The public is left feeling outraged, cynical, and isolated.

This ad-hoc committee addresses these negative perceptions in our community, and begins to rebuild the trust that has apparently been lost. As a member of Vermont Interfaith Action, a coalition of seven congregations in Burlington representing 2,000 families, I have heard a lot about the isolation and frustration people feel about many processes in Burlington.

VIA hosted a public meeting last February where 300 members of our congregations and the public came, along with our Mayor, CEDO director, City Attorney, and many City Council members. Although the meeting’s agenda specifically addressed the Westlake development and its development flaws, that project serves as an example of how the system in general can fail the public. We asked the Mayor and other City officials to join VIA in a partnership to address some of the issues we identified in our six months of research regarding the Westlake development, including issues about the lack of transparency involved in the process itself.

VIA believes the proposed committee you are considering tonight addresses the concerns of many of our congregations’ members, and is a step toward rebuilding the relationship between government and the people. I ask you to approve formation of this committee. I will even go further to ask you to consider me for appointment to this committee, not only as an engaged and informed Burlington resident, but also as a member of Vermont Interfaith Action.

Thank you again for the council’s commitment and willingness to address and rectify the perception of closed and broken government.

The City Council resolution passed unanimously, with some amendments. During the back-and-forth discussion before the actual vote, one of the Councilors rather condescendingly and in a needlessly defensive manner singled out my comments, calling attention to my reference to back room politics; he clearly did not listen to what I was saying. The public perception is that a lot Burlington's governmental processes are done in an almost-stealth manner (e.g. Westlake); decisions are made before the public has had an opportunity to chime in; oversight commissions appointed by City Council need to make sure the public is involved every step of the way. Now that this resolution has been approved, next steps include a public forum asking citizens what their concerns are about open government and transparency and what they want this committee to address.

Apparently, my remarks were to be featured on tonight's Channel 3 news at 11. I don't subscribe to cable television, so if anyone saw me on WCAX, please let me know what they covered, or didn't!

THE BAPTISMAL COVENANT & CARING FOR CREATION

From the Presiding Bishop's Message for Easter 2008, particularly about our responsibility to care for the Earth and all of Creation

The Judaeo-Christian tradition has been famously blamed for much of the current environmental crisis, particularly for our misreading of Genesis 1:28 as a charge to "fill the earth and subdue it." Our forebears were so eager to distinguish their faith from the surrounding Canaanite religion and its concern for fertility that some of them worked overtime to separate us from an awareness of "the hand of God in the world about us," especially in a reverence for creation. How can we love God if we do not love what God has made?

We base much of our approach to loving God and our neighbors in this world on our baptismal covenant. Yet our latest prayer book was written just a bit too early to include caring for creation among those explicit baptismal promises. I would invite you to explore those promises a bit more deeply -- where and how do they imply caring for the rest of creation?

We are beginning to be aware of the ways in which our lack of concern for the rest of creation results in death and destruction for our neighbors. We cannot love our neighbors unless we care for the creation that supports all our earthly lives. We are not respecting the dignity of our fellow creatures if our sewage or garbage fouls their living space. When atmospheric warming, due in part to the methane output of the millions of cows we raise each year to produce hamburger, begins to slowly drown the island homes of our neighbors in the South Pacific, are we truly sharing good news?

You may read the full text here.

SING IT LOUD & CLEAR!

"Enough with the slaughter. Enough with the violence. Enough with the hatred in Iraq!"

As Juan Cole of Informed Comment writes, 'Someone should put it to music and sing it at peace rallies.'

SURINAME DEALS (AGAIN) WITH ITS DUTCH COLONIAL PAST

In the past several years, people in The Netherlands have been reflecting on what it means to be Dutch. Call it navel-gazing, but spurred on by the Pim Fortuyn show, and the brouhaha after Theo van Gogh's assassination, not a day goes by when you don't read about it. When Suriname became independent 30 years ago, planeloads of Surinamers fled their country to The Netherlands. Now, according to the New York Times, Suriname is undergoing a reflection about its language(s) and using it as a means to break away from its colonial past.

“We shook off the chains of Dutch colonialism in the 1970s, but our consciousness remains colonized by the Dutch language,” said Paul Middellijn, 58, a writer who composes poetry in Sranan Tongo.

Nevertheless, Mr. Middellijn said English should be declared Suriname’s national language, a position shared by many Surinamese who want stronger links to the Caribbean and North America. “Sranan will survive because nothing can replace it as the language of the street,” he said.

“It is a form of communication perfect not just for poets but for the Chinese groceryman or Brazilian miner who arrived a few months ago,” he continued. “Are they going to go through the trouble of learning Dutch? No way.”
---
“I do not speak Sranan,” said Suprijanto Muhadi, the ambassador from Indonesia, the former Dutch colony that sent Javanese laborers here until the eve of World War II. “But a manservant I brought from Indonesia a year ago picked it up much easier than Dutch.”

The use of Sranan became associated with nationalist politics after Desi Bouterse, a former dictator, began using Sranan in his speeches in the 1980s. The slogan of his National Democratic Party, the biggest in Suriname, remains “Let a faya baka!” Sranan for “Turn the lights back on!” or, figuratively, get things working again.