Residents of Keene are protesting a plan by their city's police chief to buy an armored military assault vehicle. Keene is home to around 23,000 people and is surrounded by miles of forestland and farmland with only occasional houses. A photo of the tank-like vehicle is at:
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7009/6466601767_2a976fff9a.jpg
More photo are available by going to www.google.com and clicking "images" then entering "LENCO BearCat Special Missions Public Safety Vehicle."
The following article is by Karl Grossman. He is a professor of journalism at the State University of New York in Old Westbury, a long-time investigative reporter, and author of the book Power Crazy: Is LILCO Turning Shoreham Into America’s Chernobyl?
The nuclear power program in the United States was set up rigged—to allow the federal government to push atomic energy with state and local governments “pre-empted” on most issues.
A federal judge ruled on January 19 in favor of Entergy Corporation of Louisiana, which sued Vermont because the state ordered the company to permanently close its Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant just over two months from now, on March 21. "Despite a lifetime of seeing the little guy go down in the United States 'justice' system, many of us felt that the fact that we have justice and the truth on our side should have made a difference in the federal court system," said Nancy Braus of Brattleboro. She is a member of the Safe and Green Coalition, which works to close Vermont Yankee.
On December 12 in Brattleboro, protesters occupied a nuclear corporation’s board room. Meanwhile, activists seeking to close the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant are gearing up for a vote next month in the Vermont senate on whether the state’s top nuclear regulator – who many say has been too friendly to the industry – will get to keep his job.
Vermont Yankee is three miles from Massachusetts and a stone’s throw from New Hampshire.
On November 8, the people of Northampton will decide whether farmland and forestland should be turned into parking lots, strip malls, ChemLawns, and other kinds of so-called development. “Northampton residents should save the Community Preservation Act by voting ‘no’ on Question 1," said Kristin DeBoer. She's director of www.KestrelTrust.org
"The Act is one of the best tools towns have for conserving the farms, rivers, and forests of the Valley," DeBoer said.
When will the first woman be elected president? Experts say a good way to make that happen soon is to elect more female governors and members of Congress. On October 25 former New Hampshire senate majority leader Maggie Hassan www.MaggieHassan.com announced she is running for governor. She is a Democrat and a lawyer. The election is about a year from now.
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photo of Maggie Hassan from www.MaggieHassan.com
The Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant is three miles from Massachusetts and a stone's throw from New Hampshire. A major accident or act of sabotage at the reactor would kill thousands of people and leave an area the size of the Valley uninhabitable. Such a disaster is so likely that no insurance company will insure the facility; taxpayers would pay the costs of a meltdown. The hundreds of tons of nuclear waste at Vermont Yankee is the most toxic material on earth.
Some 700 peaceful protesters were arrested in recent days in New York City. The Occupy Wall Street protesters’ web site says, “We are getting kicked out of our homes. We are forced to choose between groceries and rent. We are denied quality medical care. We are suffering from environmental pollution. We are working long hours for little pay and no rights, if we're working at all. We are getting nothing while the other 1 percent is getting everything. We are the 99 percent.” The protesters' web site is:
Seven local bands, some of which tour nationally, played at a festival whose mission was to close the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. The music festival was on September 17 in Newfane, Vermont. The bands were outstanding. Among the highlights were Simba and Pulse Prophets. Hundreds of people attended; many danced. The autumn weather was sunny and comfortable.
Here are the web sites of the bands that performed:
On August 30, protesters were arrested for non-violent civil disobedience at the gates of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. Activists are asking the public to attend a rally on September 12 outside the federal court in Brattleboro, the location of a trial that will likely decide whether Vermont Yankee will operate until March 2012 or until 2032. The reactor is three miles from Massachusetts and a stone’s throw from New Hampshire.
Claire Chang is a spokeswoman for www.NukeBusters.org
