Just as states with progressive lawmakers and activists have themselves initiated innovative programs over a wide range of issues, state-based progressive blogs have helped provide us with a point of view, inside information and often an edgy voice that we just don't get from the traditional media. This week in progressive state blogs is designed specifically to focus attention on the writing and analysis of people focused on their home turf. Let me know via comments or Kosmail if you have a favorite state- or city-based blog you think I should be watching.
Inclusion of a diary does not necessarily indicate my agreement or endorsement of its contents.
At South Dakota Madville Times, caheidelberger writes—Rounds Supporters Shifts to Harry Reid as Voting Issue; GOP Running Out of Win?
On those rare, refreshing occasions when Troy Jones posts an article on Dakota War College, the I.Q. of that blog doubles. Of course, double of nothing is....
On Monday, Jones issued a defense of Mike Rounds's Senate candidacy. Jones expands on a theme Rounds tries (unsuccessfully) to develop in his latest TV ad, saying the EB-5 scandal is all the Democrats have to campaign on.
I feel some Republican projection coming on: Jones's post makes it sound like Republicans are feeling boxed in by Rounds's missteps and feel they have nothing but tired old fears of Harry Reid and other national Democrats to run on. Jones pleads with South Dakotans to overlook "our concern" (Jones's possessive pronoun suggests he too smells something fishy) and elect a Republican Senator to have a chance of ending the logjam caused by the Nevada Senator's majority leadership.
As recently as last month, the party line at DWC was that Reid hated Weiland and that Rounds's victory was inevitable. But now Jones says Weiland is key to Reid's and Obama's and Franken's and Hillary Clinton's (!) liberal rule. South Dakotans have to elect Rounds to end the emasculation of Thune, Rubio, Cruz, and Paul.
At
MiscellanyBlue of New Hampshire,
William Tucker writes—
FSP founder Jason Sorens: N.H. could pose “serious secessionist challenge” to U.S. government:
The founder of the Free State Project says New Hampshire could pose a “serious secessionist challenge” to the U.S. government in 30 to 60 years. Even as the group’s president Carla Gericke works to dispel the notion that secession is their endgame, Jason Sorens makes a case for it in the Washington Post:
Consider New Hampshire’s possible future. While the Free State Project does not endorse independence for New Hampshire – or any specific legislation – its “Statement of Intent” endorses government limited strictly to protecting people’s rights. Free Staters generally support more autonomy for the state. If the federal government won’t let New Hampshire opt out of the vast federal Leviathan, then what?
New Hampshire joined the union on condition that it remain a fully sovereign state free to break the tie with the United States if that link were no longer in its interest. [...]
In his original Free State manifesto, Sorens laid out his secession strategy. “Even if we don’t actually secede, we can force the federal government to compromise with us and grant us substantial liberties. … We could use our leverage for liberty," he wrote in 2001. Thirteen years later, Sorens reiterates that strategy
More excerpts from progressive state blogs can be found below the orange gerrymander.
At Nebraska Appleseed, Becca Brune writes—(Finally) Starting Soon: The Bridge to Independence Program!
With notice of the approval from the federal Department of Health and Human Services on August 19th, Nebraska’s Bridge to Independence program must begin within 60 days of this notice of approval. However, we are excited to share that the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services has announced that the Bridge to Independence program will begin early, on October 1, 2014.
Bridge to Independence (B2I) is a program that extends services and support for youth who age out of foster care until they turn 21. This includes a monthly stipend that can be used for housing support, youth-directed case management and Medicaid. In this voluntary program, young adults can decide if they want to sign up and can do so at any time after they age out and before they turn 21.
Appleseed has been working to get the word out to partners through community trainings and by providing educational materials on the Bridge to Independence program. We have updated our B2I website with helpful fact sheets for young adults as well as professionals. The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services has developed a website, which will be live soon. They have also hired and trained a B2I staff of supervisors and Independence Coordinators, or case managers, who are gearing up for the upcoming start date.
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Michigan Liberal,
Eric B. writes—
Every independent, undecided voter across the state breathes a deep sigh of relief:
I got a terrifying email last night while I was at my day job. Very Serious Persons won an important victory in the War of Political Theater.
Finally.
Michigan voters won't be deprived of a proper discussion between the men who want to be their chief executive, thanks to a late-hour effort to move both campaigns into the same space on how, where and when a structured, televised town hall forum could take place.
Republican Gov. Rick Snyder and his challenger, Democratic former congressman Mark Schauer, deserve credit for being open enough to the possibility that this could get done.
So, we'll spend a bunch of time leading up to this "debate" talking about the "debate," and then everyone who is interested in politics wil watch the debate while everyone else—95 percent of independent, undecided voters—will watch something else. After it's over, everyone who is interested in politics and has already mostly made up their minds about who they're going to vote for will talk endlessly about who won the debate and who scored points, while everyone else—95 percent of independent, undecided voters— will yawn and get on with their lives, making up their minds based on vague perceptions of the political environment and how they are doing personally at the moment. A week after it's done, the polling numbers will gradually start to slip back to what they were post-debate (if they were moved in the first place) and by the election it will be as if no debate had ever been held.
The End.
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NC Policy Watch,
Rob Schofield writes—
One giant leap for Duke, one small step for the environment:
The Charlotte Business Journal reports that Duke Energy has decided to change its present course and bury the coal ash at another one of its South Carolina sites in a lined landfill.
Hallelujah.
As has been noted multiple times by environmental experts, moving toxic coal ash to lined landfills is the only realistic option when it comes to keeping this nasty substance out of our water supplies. And the longer Duke dithers and delays, the greater the risk that another Dan River disaster (or, God forbid, another Kingston, Tennessee calamity) will hit our state.
Fortunately, the main, high technology devices involved in moving the ash are something called a bulldozer and a dump truck. The problem is that it takes a heckuva lot of them working for heckuva long time to get the job done (which, of course, costs a heckuva lot of money).
To which all a body can say in response is: “Tough. Duke, you made the mess along with gigantic profits on the tab of ratepayers. It’s time to get to work and repay some of the debt you owe to society.”
Let’s hope this new development from south of the border is a harbinger of something more than just a small step for the future of our environment.
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Democratic Diva,
Donna writes—
Yes, women are going to jail for abortion. Right now. Wake up, Arizona Democrats:
Katie Halperin of the New York Times interviewed the mother in Pennsylvania who is beginning a harsh prison sentence for obtaining abortion pills for her teenage daughter. [...]
Anti-choice activists deny that women themselves will be prosecuted for abortion but Halperin notes that several cases of that have occurred, despite abortion being legal. [...]
Which means that anti-choicers are (shockingly!) lying about their punitive intentions toward women. Always have been. Some conservatives, like Ian Tuttle of NRO, seem to know the game is up and and are now advising women to just do what anti-choicers want so as to avoid be hurt or jailed. [...]
This is no longer in the theoretical realm. It is real. It’s only a matter of time before it’s happening in Arizona (if it isn’t already). So why aren’t voters getting a constant message about how Doug Ducey (and the other Republicans) will put women in jail for abortion? How many young women are going to sit out this election because no one scared the shit out of them about the very real possibility of being jailed for an abortion or even a miscarriage under an anti-choice Doug Ducey administration with an equally anti-choice Attorney General Mark Brnovich enforcing his agenda? Yes, ads telling women voters that Doug Ducey will put them in jail would be met with stern disapproval from the AZ Republic ed board but so what? If conservative gasbags aren’t outraged by your attack you’re doing it wrong.
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Juanita Jean's of Texas,
Juanita Jean writes—
Loose Definitions:
Okay, okay, I hate to be tacky. Oh hell, who am I kidding? I majored in tacky at college.
A group of Texas women decided it was time to support their men, who they rightly refer to as a “bunch of redneck men.” The wife of Open Carry Texas founder CJ Grisham decided it was high time to counteract Moms Demand Action, an anti schoolhouse massacre group.
She decided to turn herself into a pickup truck gun rack and invite all her gun packin’ girlfriends to meet her in San Antonio to show off their guns. They refer to themselves as Goddesses with Guns.
I don’t think Aphrodite is gonna have to turn in her crown.
(See, sometimes tacky just walks into your house without even knocking on the door giving you no choice but to invite it to dinner.)
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Ohio Daily,
Anastasia Pantsios writes—
Nina Turner Gets Some Big Endorsements:
Two people who will protect voting rights: Nina Turner and Cuyahoga county executive candidate Armond Budish.
There’s no question which candidate would be the better secretary of state for ALL Ohioans. And it’s not incumbent Jon Husted. Husted has turned his office into the Secretary of Voter Suppression office, repeatedly suing to shut down voting opportunities that primarily impact minorities, poor people, working people, urban residents, the elderly, and students. He’s lost every time, but continues to spend our tax dollars appealing these cases.
And there’s no question that who is in that office could have major national implications for 2016. If the presidential race is close, the nightmare scenario the newspapers were salivating over in 2012 (which wasn’t close) could come true: the entire presidency could hinge on a few votes in Ohio, most likely Cuyahoga County. And Husted would be doing his damnedest to make voting as difficult as possible for the residents of Cuyahoga — and Franklin (Columbus) and Hamilton (Cincinnati) and Lucas (Toledo) and Summit (Akron) and Mahoning (Youngstown) county residents
Maybe that’s why a few heavy-hitters have stepped up in recent days to issue public endorsements of Turner.
Senator Sherrod Brown sent out a fundraising email on her behalf, in which he said:
In the past few years Ohio’s legislature, together with the current Secretary of State, have worked to cut early voting hours and limited access to the polls. That’s not my idea of “protecting the right to vote. When your Secretary of State starts restricting the very rights he’s supposed to protect, it’s probably [probably?] time for a new one.
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North Decoder.com,
Chet writes—
ND Trust Lands Commissioner: More "Hot Women" News Stories, Please:
In an email exchange through the North Dakota Land Department, North Dakota Trust Lands Commissioner, Lance Gaebe (pictured), suggested that rather than write more stories exposing corruption and questionable ethics in North Dakota government, a reporter from a national news website should "do a story about how oil field service companies hire hot women to help man their trade show booths!" (emphasis added)
As Trust Lands Commissioner, Gaebe is appointed by the Board of University and School Lands (BUSL). The BUSL is made up of Governor Dalrymple, AG Stenehjem, SOS Jaeger, State Treasurer Schmidt and Superintendent of Public Instruction Baesler (Citation) Everything Gaebe does as commissioner is, as a matter of law, subject to the approval and supervision of the BUSL. (Citation) Dalrymple, Stenehjem, Jaeger, Schmidt and Baesler all supervised and approved of the sending of Gaebe's "hot women" email to one of his staff members.
To put the email into context, you'd have to know that a reporter -- Steve Horn -- for DeSmogBlog, a national climate science news reporting service, has done some interesting stories on the cozy relationship between big private equity firms and some of North Dakota's top elected and appointed officials. In one story, Horn wrote for DeSmogBlog about how a Manhattan-based private equity firm had hired disgraced former General David Patreus to come jet-set around North Dakota with North Dakota Treasurer Kelly Schmidt catching free rides on the equity firm's private jet. There are serious questions about whether it's appropriate (and legal) for an elected official to accept a corporation that's working on securing business with a board on which Schmidt serves. Anyway, it's an interesting story as it portrays yet another example of unchecked ethics problems in North Dakota's corrupt government.
Also, note that you haven't read anything about the questionable ethics of Schmidt's corporate jet-setting in any North Dakota newspaper, heard about it on the radio, or seen anything about it on TV.
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,
Steve Kline writes—
Personal Protection Wanted, Apply in San Jose:
Moving to San Jose? Don’t forget to bring your own police officers. And be prepared to pay for them. That might very well be the sales pitch in the near future, as San Jose residents become increasingly fed up with their City leaders decimating the local police force. It seems the new trend to ensure personal safety here in the 10th largest city in America, is to hire private security to make sure no one is breaking into your home, stealing your valuables, or committing other, more serious crimes.
I’m not talking about affluent, gated communities who routinely employ paid security guards. We’re starting to see middle-class neighborhoods, with residents who also work hard for what they have and don’t want to be victimized, hire private security. What else can they do when they cannot depend on a police officer to come to their aid when they call?
With response times for police hovering around 20 minutes, neighborhood and homeowner’s associations throughout San Jose are paying for mobile private security guards to protect their homes and possessions. In addition, we’re now urged by our city leaders to get video cameras we can share with the overworked and understaffed police to use for crime investigation.
All of this added homeowner security costs money and much of it is very expensive. But city leaders seem to be saying to us: “We’re not going to pay for adequate public safety measures, so you’re on your own, San Jose.”
The source of this San Jose “private policing” was the passage of the 2012 Measure B. This proposition was the centerpiece of an economic miracle sold to San Jose voters by the Reed/Liccardo Snake Oil Company. The current result is that there is no real savings because homeowners are paying more for private security guards, home camera systems, increased insurance premiums, and other things.
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Appalachian Voices,
Sarah Kellogg writes—
Hundreds of North Carolinians attend final fracking hearing:
Earlier this month, hundreds of North Carolinians gathered in Cullowhee, N.C., for the fourth and final public hearing on rules drafted by the N.C. Mining and Energy Commission (MEC) to regulate hydraulic fracturing for natural gas in the state.
The afternoon started with a press conference and rally to show opposition to fracking in North Carolina. About a hundred people joined the rally to hold “No Fracking” signs and listen to a series of speakers including Appalachian Voices’ Amy Adams, the mayor of Hayesville, and Ron Gulla, a farmer who travelled from Pennsylvania to speak about his experience living with fracking.
Gulla raises cattle next to a fracking operation, and spoke with great concern about the health issues and increased death rates among his farm animals since drilling began. The farmer brought the some in the crowd to tears as he described the cancer and eventual death that fell upon his neighbor, a fellow rancher and friend named Terry Greenwood, after fracking began on his land.
Speakers Denise DerGarabedian (founder of the Coalition Against Fracking in WNC), Amy Adams, Susan Leading Fox, and Mayor Baughn stand in front of the anti-fracking crowd.
The rally concluded with Susan Leading Fox, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and multi-generational native of western North Carolina. Fox spoke about the social costs that come with the fracking industry, including increased crime rates and displacement of low-income renters. After her emotional speech, her husband sung a Native American song to a steady drum beat, and the crowd listened intently as a prayer was sent out to protect North Carolina from the fracking industry.
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Dirigo Blue of Maine,
Gerald Weinand writes—
LePage threatens to pull out of all debates because PAC ad accurately quotes his press release:
Paul Merrill of WMTW-TV in Portland reports today that Gov. Paul LePage says he may not attend political debates because of Democratic Party challenger Rep. Mike Michaud did not denounce an opposing television ad. The ad, sponsored by the PAC Maine Forward, a coalition of liberal groups, accurately quotes a press release issued by the Governor’s office on 25 June 2014.
This threat follows LePage pulling out of a speaking engagement two weeks ago, and his pulling out of debates during the 2010 campaign, as his handlers realized the need to limit his appearances before cameras.