Farm Show Tales

January 27, 2010

It was fieldtrip day in homeschooling land – again.

Yesterday: The Vermont Farm Show.
Mission: Maple sugaring education.
Reason: Dreams.
No, Reason!: Habits.

That’s better.

–

Besides walking into the Barre Auditorium to the sight of Governor Jim Douglas and Lt. Governor Brian Dubie bowing to the just-arriving Maple Princess and saying, “we’re not worthy, we’re not worthy,” the Farm Show was as expected: Carhart & wool plaid, baby. And little animals and even littler – yeah littler – samples of farm goods for show. Say that fast. Nevermind.

I needed catalogues and contacts for a proposed new maple sugaring adventure (read: oh no). And being the sly entrepreneur I decided a day marked “maple day” at the Vermont Farm Show would be a good place to be. I’m smart that way.

While I got want I wanted (read: confusion), I also got entertained by my daughter, Bel, who called out from a booth deep within the auditorium masses: “Dad, look! The ATV-riders club! And stickers!”

Ah, a chip off the old block. Sarcasm rocks. Unless, of course, it doesn’t.

Bel plastered the refrigerator with the ATV magnets she took (as offered) at the ATV-riders’ table. She also provided me with a copy of the “holiday edition” of the club’s newsletter.

Taste this little nugget that was inside from the column, “From Our Vice President…”:

How about the guy at ANR’s Proposed ATV Rule meeting that brought his chainsaw, then fired it up? Now that was different. I’ve been involved in many meetings during my time with [riders’ clubs], and not once has someone fired up the Husky at one. That was truly a proud moment in anti-ATV history, NOT!!

Cool. Thanks for the plug. Because it was, indeed, a proud moment. You know, what they used to call “democracy.”

But thanks for the magnets.

–
On Being Deb Markowitz: I like Deb Markowitz. For non-Vermonters, she’s the Secretary of State, a Democrat who is now seeking the governor’s office.

I like her because that’s what you have to do when you live in small-town Vermont and you know her and her family because of the not-so-strange fact that you, too, are a living, breathing person occupying Central Vermont. It’s just because of that. No more.

But her politics? Milquetoast liberal, at best.

And in a Democratic primary filled with fellow milquetoasters, Markowitz has got to up her feistiness quotient when it comes to the core liberal issues. Markowitz did just that yesterday by publishing an op/ed calling for a “no” vote on the re-licensing of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant – this session. As in: Now.

Good for her. Now let’s see her lobby for it and turn her grassroots “donors” into grassroots activists.

It’s not lost on this writer that Markowitz is playing a not-so-veiled game of hot potato with the Vermont Yankee issue. By calling for a vote “now,” Markowitz is throwing it into the laps of three of her primary challengers: The three who are members and leaders in Vermont’s Senate (Peter Shumlin, Susan Bartlett and Doug Racine).

Of course, Shumlin, Bartlett and/or Racine could take the lead on making such a vote actually happen this session. Imagine that. And, by so doing, they could also declare to Democratic primary voters that they’ve demonstrated an ability to lead on a very important issue in Vermont.

But then I remember this: They’re all Democrats.

Drats. Foiled again.

–

But all I really wanted to say about Markowitz was this: Why did she involve herself in a back-and-forth with Peter Buknatski via the comments section at Green Mountain Daily. In terms of trying to show gubernatorial judgment, that’s a certain disqualifier. Let’s hope the Secretary of State and gubernatorial-wannabe learns to use her time more wisely in the future.

–

The right-wing wields teabaggers. The left-wing coddles milquetoasters. And so it goes.

Posted by M. Colby | Filed Under blog 

Comments

One Response to “Farm Show Tales”

  1. Peter Buknatski on January 27th, 2010 1:58 pm

    I was addressing my last comment to someone named reelvermonter, whose comment to Deb, Odum apparently pulled (it’s now listed in Hidden Comments) before you wrote your little slur, asshole. The only comment I addressed to Markowitz was “Well good. Now you stand for something.” And she did NOT reply to that, so where’s this back-and -forth you imply?

    You’re just pissed that you can’t run for anything ‘important’ cause EVERYBODY else is running. Or maybe you’re sucking-up to Deb cause she might endorse you for Sec. of State. Douglas was a Sec. of State. Deb’s a Sec. of State. Hang in there, and, in 10 years or so we’ll have Sec. of State Colby, who will, in 20 years (or so), run for Governor with a ‘We Need A Douglas Again’ campaign theme.

    But by then, with Vt. Yankee and the various nuclear wars, they’ll be nobody left alive to vote. Thank God.

    Next time, get yer ferkin’ story straight. Or are you angling for a job with FOX News?

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