America's oldest war criminal

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Monday May 27, 2013 · 6:24 AM PDT

2013/05/27 · 06:24

Today millions of Americans will pause from their barbecues and family gatherings to remember the American heroes who fought and died in the service of their country. This is altogether fitting, for even when the cause has not been just, they served, and risked all, on our behalf.

By coincidence, today is also the ninetieth birthday of a man who least deserves another day, not to speak of another year, of life.

JackMcCullough

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Sunday January 27, 2013 · 12:53 PM PST

2013/01/27 · 12:53

You've probably heard that Tom Harkin has announced that he will not be running for reelection to the Senate in 2014.
You may think of him as a reliably liberal and pro-union voice in the Senate, and you'd be right. What you might be less aware of is that he's also one of the best friends of quacks, health scammers, and the antiscientific mindset in Congress.

JackMcCullough

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Wednesday January 23, 2013 · 6:07 PM PST

2013/01/23 · 18:07

The wrong side of history looks like.

It's been a couple of days, and I continue to think that President Obama's second inauguration speech was as inspirational as the first, although in different ways.
The first was inspirational in large part because it actually happened, and we still had that element this year. You couldn't watch the television coverage without seeing interviews of black people who just had to be there because they never imagined that in their lifetime they would be watching the inauguration of a president who looked like them. It's impossible to overstate the power.

JackMcCullough

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Monday December 17, 2012 · 9:55 PM PST

2012/12/17 · 21:55

In the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre and their threat to picket the funerals there's a petition on the White House site to have the Westboro Baptist Church "legally recognize[d] as a hate group". It already has over 158,000 signatures.

Tempting as it is, you shouldn't sign it.

JackMcCullough

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Wednesday November 14, 2012 · 4:07 AM PST

2012/11/14 · 04:07

You really can't believe everything you read? Even on Facebook?

So I was going through some of my nightly Facebook reading Tuesday night and I see that one of my friends has "liked" a group on Facebook called "Defend My Dividend". Okay, it's obviously a conservative group, and they're against taxes, which they have every right to do.

JackMcCullough

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Thursday November 01, 2012 · 8:42 PM PDT

2012/11/01 · 20:42

I've spent my entire legal career as a Legal Aid lawyer. After I graduated from law school in 1979 I worked at Legal Aid of Western Michigan for four years, and I've been working at Vermont Legal Aid since 1983. I've loved not necessarily every day of it, but definitely every year, and it's mainly because the work and the Legal Aid movement makes it possible to bring about positive change both for individual clients and for large segments of the population touched by poverty, neglect, and injustice.

Working in Legal Services for so long I know that we don't make our achievements alone, and I'm proud not only of what I can accomplish but when my colleagues are able to accomplish great things.

This is one of those stories.

JackMcCullough

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Sunday October 21, 2012 · 6:26 AM PDT

2012/10/21 · 06:26

As we remember George McGovern, I am struck by a quote from his book What It Means To Be a Democrat.

As quoted in the Times, McGovern says:

“We are the party that believes we can’t let the strong kick aside the weak,” Mr. McGovern wrote. “Our party believes that poor children should be as well educated as those from wealthy families. We believe that everyone should pay their fair share of taxes and that everyone should have access to health care.”With the country burdened economically, he added, there has “never been a more critical time in our nation’s history” to rely on those principles.“We are at a crossroads,” he wrote, “over how the federal government in Washington and state legislatures and city councils across the land allocate their financial resources. Which fork we take will say a lot about Americans and our values.”

There is no question among the writers and readers here that the Democratic Party does not always live up to its ideals. There are some who seem to take particular pleasure in pointing out our shortcomings, while ignoring those of the Republicans. Nevertheless, the reason the Democratic Party can be challenged for failing to live up to its ideals is that the Democratic Party has ideals. When our party disappoints us it is because we know it's capable of more than it sometimes achieves.

When we work here for more and better Democrats George McGovern is the kind of Democrat I, for one, am thinking about.

George McGovern is near death

JackMcCullough

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Wednesday October 17, 2012 · 7:09 PM PDT

2012/10/17 · 19:09

There is sad news tonight. Former Senator George S. McGovern, who ran as an antiwar candidate against Richard Nixon in 1972, is near death. His family reports that he was admitted to hospice a few days ago and is "unresponsive".

“He’s coming to the end of his life,” his daughter, Ann McGovern, told The Associated Press. She declined to elaborate but noted that her 90-year-old father has suffered several health problems in the last year.

JackMcCullough

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Saturday October 13, 2012 · 7:05 AM PDT

2012/10/13 · 07:05

Cross posted from Rational Resistance:

We've written about this before: a local resident, Marilyn Hackett, successfully sued the town of Franklin and this year won an injunction preventing the town fathers from beginning their annual Town Meeting with a prayer.

It was a heroic effort and the news reports at the time documented the abuse she was subjected to based on her willingness to stand up for her principles. Perhaps most shockingly, one of the suggestions from the town was that if she doesn't like the prayer she just shouldn't show up at Town Meeting. That's right, in the view of some of her fellow townspeople it would be reasonable to condition her right to participate in the governance of her town on her acceding to their religious views.

Today the Burlington Free Press has an update, and guess what: bigotry and intolerance are still rampant in Franklin.

JackMcCullough

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Thursday October 11, 2012 · 5:01 AM PDT

2012/10/11 · 05:01

Many regular readers know that I work for a small nonprofit up here in Vermont, and we made a decision a long time ago that even if we had to make sacrifices in salary to support the important work we do, we would try to make sure all our employees have good health coverage. It costs a lot of money, but our employees get to go to the doctor when they need to and people with serious health issues are able to get the care they need.

What I have in front of me right now is a memo from our executive director explaining the rebate our organization has received from Connecticut General (CIGNA) because they overcharged us for health insurance last year.

JackMcCullough

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Thursday September 27, 2012 · 7:05 PM PDT

2012/09/27 · 19:05

Cross posted from Rational Resistance.

Okay, this will probably be my last post about the NFL referee lockout.

It should be obvious: I'm for labor, against the bosses. Also against the scabs.

Tonight, though, it's about the bosses. The contract is settled, the real referees get to go back to work, and all is right with the world.

JackMcCullough

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Thursday September 13, 2012 · 7:10 PM PDT

2012/09/13 · 19:10

Cross posted from Rational Resistance.

Just a few thoughts about the embassy violence this week.

It appears that the reason that some Islamic extremists are mad at the United States is this stupid anti-Islam movie that some guy made. You see, based on what they've been told of the way the world works, or at least the way the world they're familiar with works, it would be impossible for some anti-Islam extremists in the United States to make such a movie unless it was supported by the United States government. It's really just inconceivable to them that the intolerance of a few extremists is not typical of everyone in the United States and our government.

In response, conservatives in the United States are arguing, as they have argued before, that the actions of the people who attacked and burned our embassies and killed our ambassador represent the actions and beliefs of all Muslims. You see, based on what they've been told of the nature of Islam, it would be impossible for some anti-American extremists to take such actions unless those actions were supported by Islam around the world. It's really just inconceivable to them that the intolerance of a few extremists is not typical of all Muslims.

Wait, what?

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America's oldest war criminal

Tom Harkin Leaving the Senate

This is what . . .

Don't sign the petition

is it astroturf season on Facebook?

A personal note

No difference?

George McGovern is near death

Bigotry and Intolerance in Franklin, Vermont

BREAKING: Obamacare Works

Apology? He's got to be kidding.

Do they need a mirror?