NON PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID MORETOWN, VT Vermontwww.vtcommons.org CommonsNumber 20 |Fall 2007 PERMIT NO. 9 VOICES OF INDEPENDENCE “A Gem — literate, thought- U.S. Out of Vermont provoking, radical.” Orion magazine

Eat Locally: Growing A The New England Vermont Commons is a print and online forum for exploring the idea of Vermont independence—politi- Statewide Localvore Secession Tradition cal, economic, social, and spiritual. We are unaffili- ated with any other organization or media, and inter- Movement PART III ested in all points of view. We welcome your letters, thoughts, and participation. By Robin McDermott By Donald W. Livingston IN THIS ISSUE t was two years ago this past August that a small In this issue we present the final installment of Profes- Igroup of women in the Upper Valley (the White sor Livingston’s three-part series discussing the roots of 1 Growing A Statewide Localvore River Junction/Hanover NH area) decided they a New England secession tradition. Readers can find Movement, by Robin McDermott would try eating only local food for the month of Parts 1 and 2 in the Spring 2007 and Summer 2007 1 The New England Secession Tradition, August. Inspired by a group who were doing issues of Vermont Commons, or on the web. Part III, by Donald Livingston something similar in San Francisco who called 2 Long Live The ‘Untied States,’ Editorial themselves Locavores, the Upper Valley women he Convention of 1814-1815. This decade- 3 Letter to the Editor decided to call themselves Localvores (with an “l” Tlong movement was not a revolution, but a 5 The Great Hydropower Heist; How in local) and started a food movement that has lawful action legitimated by the Constitution. Corporations Colonized our Watershed changed the way Vermonters are eating in just How so? As Jefferson and Madison taught, the Commons, Part II, by Richard Foley two short years. Last summer, it is estimated that Constitution is a The first serious secession move- 6 Vermont Vox Populi: An Interview with more than 1,000 people across the state of Ver- ment began in New England in 1804 and culmi- Filmmakers Deb Ellis and Denis Mueller mont took the EAT LOCAL Challenge. While this nated in the Hartford compact ratified by sover- 8 Secession’s Arrival in the Blogosphere; year’s numbers are not yet in, the Localvore group eign states. As a sovereign party to the compact, Notes from the Middlebury Institute, in Burlington is predicting 1,000 participants in each state has the right and duty to protect its cit- by Kirkpatrick Sale their area alone. New Localvore groups have izens from an unconstitutional act of the central 10 The Food Less Traveled, by Enid sprung up across the state and range from large government by nullifying it, thereby forcing a Wonnacott groups in Burlington, Montpelier, Rutland, and decision by the other sovereigns on the constitu- 12 Leaving an Imprint, The Greenneck Brattleboro, to groups of just a handful of partici- tionality of the act. And as a last resort, a state can 13 The Virtues of Local Bookstores and pants in smaller towns like Brookfield. secede from the Union. This constitutional right Businesses, by Christopher Morrow continued on page 4 continued on page 20 22 Endgame Trilogy: Peak Oil, Global Warming, and Terrorism, by Thomas Naylor 24 BREAKING NEWS! U.S. Not the Great- est, by Kirkpatrick Sale

FALL ON THE WEB

• John Dowlin on “State of Emergency: Bringing Home the VT National Guard” • Carl Etnier on “Peak Oil: Vermont’s Virtual Planning Forum • Don Livingston’s “New England Secession Tradition:” – Downloadable PDF • Your cards and letters • NEW! “U.S. Out Of Vermont” T-shirts

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Road Food: September saw dozens of signs sprouting up along central Vermont's Route 100, urging Vermonters to take the Localvore Challenge. CREDIT: ROB WILLIAMS 2 VERMONT COMMONS SUMMER 2007 Editorial U.S. Out Of Vermont: Long Live the “Untied States”

ast June, the Associated Press’ Vermont from a state that has willingly sent its own sons between the captains of D.C.’s beltway and the LBureau ran a news story entitled “Vermont (and now daughters, too, in the Iraqi desert and captains of industry. Independence Movement Gains Traction.” Picked Afghani mountains) to fight and die on behalf of What’s hot now, in our globalized 21st century up by the national news wire, the article, written America since the independent republic of Ver- world, is what author Naomi Klein refers to (in by Bureau Chief John Curran, made its way mont joined the United States in 1791? her new book) as The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of around the world via the Internet, prompting Perhaps the citizens of Vermont, along with the Disaster Capitalism – simply stated, the “shock and words of encouragement and ridicule, condemna- rest of the world, are beginning to realize that the awe” creation of stupendous profits by the very tion and support, from citizens all over the world. United States is no longer the democratic republic few through exploiting the misery of the many. And at Montpelier’s Riverwalk Records on State it once was. This includes war-making and counter-“terror- Street, one of the season’s hottest-selling items Indeed, as Americans, we are now citizens of an ism” efforts (increasingly confused as the same became a simple black T-shirt reading “U.S. Out Empire ruled by an ever-more-powerful thing), and the profiting from other disasters: real Of Vermont.” Despite the steep price – $20 each – military/industrial/media/energy complex. (Katrina), imagined (Avian Flu), or manufactured the store sold more than 500 of them this past And the problem, the tragedy, of the United (9/11). summer alone. States is one of scale. We are simply too BIG. This is what the U.S., as an Empire, has become, “U.S. Out Of Vermont.” How to explain the We are a nation where each member of our as we enter the 21st century. popularity of such sentiment? House of Representatives is supposed to represent And no amount of big-heartedness, generosity, Some of the energy is faddish, no doubt, while more than 635,000 individual citizens. We are a or good will – qualities that actual working Amer- other left-leaning Bush-bashers reflexively point country where even state and local elections are icans of all political stripes possess in spades – will to, as a primary cause, the past seven years of now (mostly) conducted via computerized touch turn the ship of Empire away from a rendezvous “King George” and Vice Resident Cheney’s Belt- screens controlled by proprietary corporate com- with destiny, in the form of climate change, global way reign. puter codes. We live in a surveillance state, where Peak Oil, an endless war (“on terror”), global But “U.S. Out Of Vermont”? This from a state all of our daily transactions are increasingly mon- financial meltdown, and the fruitless (though very that has enthusiastically contributed, to the rest of itored, collected, and stored by a faceless few profitable, for some) pursuit of an imperial policy the country, Ethan Allen’s defiance, John Deere’s whose identities we seldom know. We move in the of “full-spectrum dominance” – America the plow, Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, Robert Frost’s midst of what former Bush I HUD regulator Colossus attempting to bestride the entire world, poetry, Joseph Bentley’s science, Grace Potter’s Catherine Austin Fitts, writing for Vermont Com- and (no joke) outer space, too. music, John Dewey’s pedagogy, and more pancake mons (Summer 2006), calls an imperial “tapeworm Unless. syrup than you can shake a maple limb at? This economy,” a system created by an unholy alliance Unless we “untie” the United States. U.S. out of Vermont. And Kansas. And Florida. And Mississippi. And Ohio. And California. Contributors Indeed, citizen movements in no fewer than 25 other states are exploring secession. Vermont is Keith Davidson is a cartoonist, musician, and handyman who lives in Vermont’s Mad River Valley, not alone here. where he tends bar at American Flatbread restaurant. The “Untied States.” Erik Esckilsen lives in Burlington, where he teaches college writing and writes novels for young But where do we start? readers, short fiction, and screenplays. We start where we live. And work. And play. We’ve been exploring this question for more than Richard Foley, of Brattleboro, is a professor at Keene State College in New Hampshire, where he two years now, in print and online. has taught energy policy and technologies for the past 25 years. Here’s a short list: ‘The Greenneck’ lives and writes in the rusted-out shell of a one-ton Chevy pickup somewhere in We start with “homestead security”: inventing Cabot. new forms of renewable energy to power our homes, our workplaces, and our communities. Donald Livingston is professor of philosophy at Emory University, whose latest book is Philosophi- We start with “food sovereignty”: learning how cal Melancholy and Delirium, Hume’s Pathology of Philosophy (University of Chicago Press). He is to grow, harvest, and store our own food again, currently writing a book on the moral, legal, and philosophical meaning of secession. and supporting our struggling family farmers all Robin McDermott is a co-founder of the Mad River Valley Localvore Project. She and her hus- over the country who are doing the same. band, Ray, operate their business, QualityTrainingPortal, from their home in Waitsfield, where We start with “people power”: re-inventing local they also grow much of their own food. and mass transportation systems that use less energy more efficiently. Christopher Morrow runs the Northshire Bookstore in Manchester Center, and is a founding We start with genuine financial freedom: collec- member of Local First Vermont. tively investing in local economies and local cur- Thomas Naylor, economist, businessman, and author, is co-founder of the Second Vermont rencies. The Berkshares project, Ithaca Hours, and Republic. our own Burlington Bread all provide models and lessons for what works and what doesn’t. Kirkpatrick Sale, editor-at-large, is the director of the Middlebury Institute and author of After And this list is just a beginning. Eden: The Evolution of Human Domination (Duke). Ultimately, untying the Empire in this new cen- Hervey Scudder, of Brattleboro, is president of NorthEast Center for Social Issues Studies (NEC- tury will not begin in the D.C. corridors of power, SIS), which promotes a sustainable energy future for Vermont. or corporate shareholder meetings, or the control rooms at CNN and FOX news. Lee Webb is the author of A History of Electric Utility Regulation in Vermont, 1880-1965. It will begin, not with the U.S., but with us. Rob Williams is a teacher, historian, writer, and musician, and is associate publisher and (web)edi- U.S. out of Vermont. tor of Vermont Commons. He lives in Waitsfield. Long live the “Untied States.” Rob Williams Enid Wonnacott is executive director of NOFA-VT, a nonprofit association of farmers, gardeners, Editor and eaters committed to local farms, healthy food, and vital communities. FALL 2007 VERMONT COMMONS 3

Letter to the Editor Another Perspective on “The Greenneck” respects above all else (besides honesty and thrift), it’s plain hard work. He himself spends much of Editor, Vermont Commons: his life sweaty and dirty – and rather unattractive, So, the “Greenneck” recognizes but “doesn’t care” no doubt, to the tourists who roll through his about “the contradictions” (for example, between town. On the rare occasions he has to travel, he having solar panels on his house and also having a looks in amazement at the clean hands of the too-big engine on his Chevy)? The Greenneck, other people in the airport or the highway rest then, by this example from his column in the Ver- stop (as his own seem permanently soiled), and in mont Commons Summer 2007 issue, is amoral; his absolute astonishment at the long fingernails of recognition of the contradiction in his behavior is many of the women there – those of his own wife worthless. are country-short – and he realizes that those What a real “greenneck” would recognize, and women don’t do anything real. And then he won- accept, is the extraordinary difficulty of aligning ders if all those folks will be heading to his town in his deeply held values and his actions, and the near desperation in a decade or so, and whether they’ll impossibility of achieving a perfect alignment. But have anything useful to offer in exchange for his he keeps steadily plugging away at it; the contra- know-how. In his darker moments he wonders if VERMONT COMMONS dictions in fact continuously pester him. he might have to use his hunting rifle to protect www.vtcommons.org A greenneck is fiercely committed to family and his family and land from ravaging gangs coming community self-reliance, and independence as far north out of a crumbling Boston or New York. Publisher Ian Baldwin Associate Publishers Rick Foley and as possible from a culture rooted in thoughtlessly The greenneck is generally a reluctant activist. Rob Williams and carelessly doing permanent violence to the He admires and has enormous respect for Bill (Web)Editor Rob Williams land and its creatures (while he understands and McKibben’s unwavering commitment to truth and Managing Editor Will Lindner generally accepts the short-term, and not lasting, to action on climate change. But a few years ago Art Director Peter Holm violence inherent in providing for oneself, as in when he heard the guy, during a talk he gave at Editor-at-Large Kirkpatrick Sale hunting, or slaughtering domestic animals for UVM, jokingly say – apparently as an excuse for Subscriptions J. Arthur Loose food). A greenneck wants to see his own and his not growing much food himself – “I have a black Business Manager Pat Ullom neighbors’ “skill sets” ever expand, knowing that thumb,” he thought to himself, “That’s bullshit. Ad Designer Serena Fox to the extent that one’s true needs (food, clothing, Anybody who really wants to can have a decent Web Design Figrig at www.figrig.com shelter, tools, and so on) are supplied from distant garden. He’d just rather be writing books and Web Host Eggplant Media at places, to that degree one is not free (and not speaking before audiences.” Which is more or less www.eggplantmedia.com secure). And he always has a vegetable garden, and okay, as the greenneck would certainly rather be his family takes care of a small orchard. Somebody planting beans, which are almost definitely going Editorial Committee he knows can repair chainsaws, if he can’t do it to produce a sackful of food, than jetting all over Ian Baldwin, Rob Williams, Rick Foley himself, and somebody else nearby is a welding the continent trying to convince fairly stupid peo- wizard, able to fix any busted piece of metal. The ple that all hell really is coming soon to a summer Contributing Editors guy down the street can shear sheep, and there’s a near you, and knowing that most of them just Jacqueline Brook, Cheryl Diersch, Marna Ehrech, woman who doesn’t live too far away who can won’t get it. The greenneck likes results. But he Alvino-Mario Fantini, Gary Flomenhoft, John Ford, turn a 500-square-foot plot of flax into five linen does head to the Statehouse when necessary. And Karen Gallus, Bill Grennon, Jim Hogue, Anita Kel- shirts, no problem. In fact, in a real greenneck sort he’ll share his beans with Bill. man, J. Arthur Loose, Tim Matson, Sharon McDon- of place, there are enough skills to rebuild a civi- The greenneck is plenty worried, however, by nell, Thomas Naylor, Susan Ohanian, David White, lization (or to survive peak oil, climate change, the big-picture calamities coming along. And he’s Helen Whybrow, and Kate Williams and the dissolution of the Union). plenty appalled by the pathetic state of prepared- A greenneck shakes his head at people who ness even in rural Vermont. Surveys from the road Editorial Office and Submissions don’t know how to do anything, who haven’t a suggest to him that maybe 20 percent, at best, of 308 Wallis Drive, Waitsfield, VT 05673 clue how to provide anything needed for them- his townspeople are putting anything into their [email protected] selves. He wonders with a mixture of pity, scorn, mouths that they themselves have grown or raised. and bemusement how most people can be happy And he’s all for Community Supported Agricul- Business Office buying everything. And then he gets back to work. ture, and some of his best friends have shares in the P.O. Box 66, Orwell, VT 05760 Because if there’s one thing the greenneck year-round CSA run by the big organic vegetable grower in town. But what’s going on? Those Subscriptions friends have plenty of land of their own. He thinks $20 a year for 4 issues Advertise with Vermont Commons to himself that a CSA is maybe just another sort of [email protected] Vermont Commons is distributed through the consumerism, buying what you could produce Vermont Commons, mail and at a growing number of Free Ver- yourself, because you don’t want the hard work PO Box 1121; Waitsfield, VT 05673 mont News Boxes throughout the Green and like most other people would rather be “recre- Mountain state. ating,” and your connection to the roots of life is Advertising withered even though you live in the country. The [email protected] AD RATES CSA share doesn’t actually do anything to empower and build the confidence and self-reliant Business Card $30 skills of the CSA member. It’s just another pur- 1/8 page $60 Vermont Commons welcomes your input. chase (albeit enlightened and righteous). 1/6 page $80 Please e-mail letters to [email protected] or The greenneck has been around for a long time. 1/4 page $115 post to 308 Wallis Drive, Waitsfield, VT 05673. 1/3 page $150 Back in the day, he might have been called an Although we will try to print your letters in their Half page $220 agrarian. But it doesn’t matter to him much what entirety, we may edit to fit. Please be concise. Be 2/3 page $280 word is used. What matters is the land. sure to include your contact information (name, Full page $400 address, telephone, and e-mail) for verification Back cover $600 Jeff Bickart purposes. Craftsbury 4 VERMONT COMMONS FALL 2007 continued from page 1 The term Localvore no longer needs to be defined when you use it. Articles across the coun- try have reported on Localvore activities, often cit- ing San Francisco and Vermont as the origins of the movement. Personally, I get at least one call a week from a TV station, newspaper, or magazine asking about the Localvore project. So rather than reporting on what the Localvores are, I would like to share some stories about what this fledgling movement has done in its two short years of exis- tence, and what needs to be done in the future to maintain the momentum.

Increased Sales for Vermont Farmers Farmers across the state have reported booming sales this summer. Mad River Valley farmer Dave Hartshorn of Santa Davida Farm says that his sales have exploded this year. Everything he brings to the Waitsfield Farmers Market on Saturdays is sold and savvy shoppers know they need to get to the market early to get the best selection. Another Mad River Valley farmer, Hadley Gaylord, who is a diversified farmer and has a herd of 250 beef cat- tle, reports that he is selling all of the beef that he has. While the problem for farmers used to be sell- ‘Vermont Independence’ starts with food independence, a goal substantially forwarded by the growing Localvore movement. Espe- ing their products, the problem now has become cially in autumn – harvest and canning time for homegrown and local produce like these garden tomatoes – it’s time to think about keeping up with the growing demand for the local revitalizing local living economies. CREDIT: ROB WILLIAMS food that they provide. This is great news for young people who are interested in farming. It met in Vermont says the same thing: “Prove to us side of the state wanting to do an article on the gives them hope that they are getting into a career that you want something and we will grow it for success of our local food movement. But, more with a real future! you.” When a farmer runs out of something that important than the spotlight, is that other com- used to last the entire year, it sends a strong mes- munities are being inspired by what we are doing The Return of Forgotten Crops sage — “We want more!” and are taking up their own Eat Local efforts. As In the 1800s the Champlain Valley was the bread- much fun as it is with Vermont being the leader basket of New England. Yet today very little Increased Awareness of Food Rights in the Eat Local movement, if other, bigger wheat is being grown in Vermont. The UVM Agri- This year’s agriculture viability omnibus bill that states don’t follow we will never break the hold cultural Extension Service and some Vermont was signed by the governor in late May got a lot of that the industrial food system has on what we farmers are exploring ways to bring wheat back to people talking about their right to good, local eat nationwide. Vermont. A fascinating article about the project food. The bill became known as the “chicken bill” appeared in The Times Argus in mid-August. It because one part of the bill made a significant Broadening the Localvore Community turns out that the “father of wheat breeding”, one change to the existing poultry processing regula- Even with the great participation we have had in Cyrus Pringle, born in 1838, hailed from East tions. After George Schenk of American Flatbread the Eat Local Challenges this year, it accounts for Charlotte. Three of the wheat varieties he devel- bucked the system and threatened to serve “unin- a small number of residents in the state. As a truly oped were named Champlain, Surprise, and (my spected” chicken from a neighboring farm in his grassroots effort with no budget and no full-time favorite name) Defiance. According to Heather restaurant in June of 2006, people who previously staff, the Localvore leaders in the state have had Darby, UVM coordinator for the project, “Defi- knew nothing about the poultry-processing regu- to get creative with how we get the message out. ance was the most famous of all three and the lations were talking like experts, arguing for or In mid-July several state leaders including Gover- most widely adapted across the United States.” against the change in the law. I know that I never nor Jim Douglas, Secretary of Agriculture Roger The article reported that Defiance was the variety really wondered where chicken I was served in a Allbee, and House Speaker Gaye Symington took most widely grown in Washington State where restaurant was from or how it was raised until I the Eat Local Leadership Challenge. Speaker most of the country’s wheat is grown, from the got involved in supporting the bill through Rural Symington took the challenge very seriously and late 1800s into the early 1900s, and is a parent of Vermont. The big message with the passage of the baked bread using all local flour to share with her many varieties used today. Large-scale wheat pro- “chicken bill” is that consumers have a RIGHT to colleagues. Others ate vegetables they had grown duction could be returning soon to Vermont. Sev- decide what they eat. Providing they have the or meat from wild animals they had hunted last eral test crops have been grown throughout the facts, let the eaters decide what is good for them season. state this summer and area bakers are eagerly and what isn’t. More than 400 people showed up By getting high-profile people to participate in awaiting the results. at American Flatbread in Waitsfield for “Chicken the challenges and getting creative with other Event 2” in June to eat the now-legal chicken- events, the Localvores are getting their message Local Food Shortages topped flatbreads and to celebrate the passage of out and at the same time hopefully educating Dried beans, popping corn, and sunflower oil are the new law. influential people who can spread the Eat Local ingredients that many Localvores will have to do message to a broader audience. without during the September challenges this Spotlight on Vermont year. While these items were available this time Vermont is quickly becoming a model for other So What’s Next for Local Food? last year, they are now highly sought after and communities across the country. Articles about Localvore groups throughout the state will con- when they hit the grocery store shelves they move Vermont’s Eat Local scene have appeared in the tinue holding the Eat Local Challenges as they fast. While the food shortages are a disappoint- Boston Globe, the New York Times, and most have been for the past two years. The Challenges ment to Localvores, they encourage farmers to recently The Nation. There is not a week that are a fun way to help people learn about our expand their crops. Just about every farmer I have goes by that I don’t get a call from someone out- continued on page15 FALL 2007 VERMONT COMMONS 5

The Great Hydropower Heist How Corporations Colonized Our Watershed Commons The Historical Context for Understanding Vermont’s Electric Power Industry Part Two of a Two-Part Story By Dr. Richard Foley, Hervey Scudder, and Lee Webb

n Part I of this essay (published in the Spring lobbyists really earned their paychecks. In one fell thousands of acres of farmland, villages, and I2007 issue of Vermont Commons), we decon- swoop, they maneuvered the state into removing roads. structed the initial invasion of investor-owned util- local control and thereby shielding the IOUs’ The commission slammed the Power Company ities (IOUs), focusing on the Connecticut River Achilles’ heel. Instead of being burdened with deal- on two counts. First, along with other IOUs, the Power Company, which in 1902 launched a bril- ing with hundreds of potential local regulators company was raking in huge profits on its liant bait-and-switch marketing campaign that with clear allegiances to their communities, the exported power. Second, it was failing to extend paved the way for the corporate takeover of one of out-of-state investors could focus all their resources service to its local Vermont customers; in a classic the crown jewels in the Vermont “Commons,” the on influencing one state regulatory agency. And example endemic to the “resource curse,” the Connecticut and Deerfield rivers. Damming large early on, the nascent Public Service Commission Power Company was exploiting a natural and portions of the watersheds, the company gutted was intentionally under-funded, resulting in over- “indigenous resource” and refusing to share with much of the decentralized local power capacity worked, less-than-qualified personnel supported the “indigenous people.” while exporting the vast majority of the dams’ out- by IOU hand-picked consultants. The commission recommended that the state put south and east to the New England grid’s large To paraphrase architect and industrial ecologist control the export of electric power, much as Maine metropolitan and mercantile customers. William McDonough, regulatory agencies regu- had banned exports in 1909. But the combination of As the second half of the Hydropower Heist late us, the public. Not the agencies’ partners, the the company’s and its IOU allies’ lobbying efforts story will show, for the next 100 years a stream corporations. Regulators decide what quality of and public-relations campaigns persuaded the Legis- IOU “raiders” relentlessly continued their invasion service, at what cost and at what level of toxicity, lature to ignore the recommendations. of our state, building more dams and snapping up we the public will have to tolerate – arsenic and A few years later, spurred on by public outrage dozens of municipal electric utilities. The aggres- fluoride in our water, sulfuric acid in our rain, nox- of the Vernon and Deerfield dams rip-off, the PSB sive energy moguls solidified their holdings to the ious particulates and unburned hydrocarbons in made a second attempt to implement state regula- point that by 1930, 95 percent of Vermont’s con- our air, genetically modified organisms in our tion of exports. The Power Company challenged sumers were held hostage to out-of-state IOUs food, radioactive strontium-90 in our atmosphere the order in federal court, which, in turn, ruled in that owned 99 percent of the electric power plants from weapons fallout; and exotic emissions from 1919 that Vermont, or any state for that matter, in the state. Vermonters paid “through the nose” automobiles, refineries, power plants, pharmaceu- had no jurisdiction over such interstate commerce for electricity. Worst of all, nine out of 10 Ver- tical and manufacturing operations. such as export contracts. We might add here that mont farmers could not get electricity! So when you hear or read about “regulations,” at this point in time the federal government lacked Turns out that all Vermonters, not just the folks you may want to think carefully what about the jurisdiction. The court’s ruling rendered the state in Windham County, have been sold down any level of risk the regulations are imposing on you powerless to enforce the “public interest” intent of number of “rivers.” and your community. “Regulator” is shorthand for the original Connecticut River Power Company the fox guarding the hen house. charter. The Fox Guarding the Hens’ House: Who’s Many analysts agree that these watershed deci- Regulating Whom? The Weasel Guarding the Hens’ House: Big sions triggered the longstanding, ongoing battle Before continuing with the story of the damming Brother Knows Best over Vermont’s electric power exports. of what was known as the “Great River” and the To supplement their control over the regulatory related saga Vermont’s 100-year struggle against process, IOUs turned to their corps of savvy, arm- IOU Raiders Invade the Rest of Vermont investor-owned electric utilities, we need to look twisting lobbyists to influence the state Legisla- If southern Vermonters first fully experienced the at how IOUs were positioning themselves to con- ture and administration. To disarm public inquiry, “resource curse” that currently bankrupts devel- trol as much as possible (and profitable) of Ver- IOU dollars and influence-peddling found ready oping countries as outside interests exploit and mont’s electric generation, local distribution, and collaborators in local newspapers. If that strategy export their resources to the detriment of the regional transmission infrastructure. proved problematic, they could always count on environment and indigenous populations, their We should start you off with one little question. the emergence of the new breed of regulator – the fellow Vermonters soon found themselves in a Are you under the impression that the Vermont federal government’s multi-tentacle control over century-long struggle with a ravenous pack of Department of Public Service (DPS) and the Pub- interstate commerce. investor-owned utilities held in check – theoreti- lic Service Board (PSB) exist to represent your Take for example, the issue of exporting home- cally – by state regulators. interests as a consumer, and to regulate the elec- grown, cutting-edge renewable electricity at the The decade of the 1920s literally lit up America tric utilities? Well think again. Here’s some history turn of the last century. As the Connecticut River – demand of electricity doubled every few years – around the real question: Who’s regulating Power Company’s electrical power flowed south and ushered in the IOUs’ ruthless campaign of whom? and east from the Vernon dam and the Deerfield monopoly and Enron-like manipulation, corrup- In 1909 the IOUs – not consumers advocates – River system of dams, the Legislature finally tion, and outright thievery. By 1929 IOUs had successfully lobbied for the establishment of the appointed, in 1912, a Commission on the Conser- bought out the lion’s share of Vermont’s patch- Vermont Public Service Commission (PSC), vation of the Natural Resources of the State of work of municipal and small private utilities and which later evolved into the current Department Vermont to look into the matter. After all, the thereby controlled more than 90 percent of the of Public Service and its complementary quasi- public implications of hydroelectric power were electricity generated and about 75 percent of the judicial agency, the Public Service Board. IOUs enormous. The construction of reservoirs and power distributed in Vermont. wanted the state to recognize them as “public util- dams on both rivers (the Connecticut forms Ver- Colorful rogues abounded – like Chicago mogul ities” – a clever misnomer for privately owned, for- mont’s boundary with New Hampshire, while the Samuel Insull, and the infamous Minneapolis- profit entities. 71-mile-long Deerfield courses from south-central based duo of Forshay and Ohstrom. By 1929, Second, IOUs wanted the PSC to supercede Vermont into Massachusetts and its eventual ter- Samuel Insull’s Central Vermont Public Service municipal authorities. Here the IOU lawyers and minus at the Connecticut at Greenfield) flooded continued on page 16 6 VERMONT COMMONS FALL 2007

Vermont Vox Populi Moving Images on a Moving Train: An Interview with Deb Ellis and Denis Mueller

ilmmaker and University of Vermont film pro- offers a model for our own action. I have always also interested in the use of art and performance Ffessor Deb Ellis understands well the hoped that our film would introduce a larger audi- in the resistance community. These threads are medium’s potential for social change. Her 2004 ence to his work. That is our success. winding together documentary on radical historian Howard Zinn, DM: I think we show his great humanity. I You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train, offers a thought Howard would be this angry guy, but Have you always been interested, as a filmmaker, in films compelling cinematic portrait of an influential fig- instead he was this charming and very warm per- dealing with social and political issues? What do your ure across varied contemporary movements son. He taught me that one can be angry at the film roots look like? toward social justice and equality. Co-produced injustice that exists in the world but retain a sense DE: I have always been awed by the ability of film and -directed with Ohio-based Denis Mueller, the of humor. to convey incredible emotion. So, it seemed natu- film screened at festivals worldwide, springboard- ral to use film as a way to talk about social issues. ing the collaborators into their latest project, as What inspired you to make your next project? I grew up under the influence of photographic yet untitled, which is about Iraq War veterans’ DM: I am a working-class guy and have been inter- essays –Life magazine, The World of Man, et cetera. resistance to the current war. We asked Ellis and ested in antiwar veterans for a long time. Deb So, I gained a lot of my entrée into the lives of oth- Mueller for an interview just prior to the launch of found this wonderful story about the Patrick and ers through immersion in photographs. I had a the 18th annual Vermont International Film Festi- Jill Hart that cuts to the bone, so we decided to do sense of the power of images, and I think that val (held in Burlington-area locations, October 11- it. It is a logical progression for us. We have made fueled my interest in film. 14; see www.vtiff.org), which Ellis heads as board a film about the FBI attacking social movements, DM: I was overwhelmed by Barbara Kopple’s president. She and Denis share insights on the and a film about Zinn, so to make a film about a great film Harlan County USA. I also am a child of inherent challenges in making movies with strong social movement in progress and a very personal the ’60s and love film. It just seemed to me to be a political themes – and ways that technological story seemed perfect to me. way to combine my politics with art. advances are fostering the production and distri- DE: In June 2006, Denis and I attended an event bution of films with a “message.” The interview in Buffalo, New York, and Erie, Ontario, called How does your work as the Vermont International Film was conducted for Vermont Commons by Burling- “Peace Has No Borders.” [It] was an amazing cel- Festival (VIFF) board president, and de facto artistic ton writer Erik Esckilsen. ebration of solidarity and support for U.S. war director, fuel that interest? DE: I would say it works the other way around! It First off, how were you able to gain such open access to My advice to students who want to is my interest in the power of bringing people Howard Zinn, a figure much admired but, one suspects, together around films that fuels my interest in much hounded as a subject of films, books, articles, become filmmakers is to find out a lot working with the festival. Every year, my hope is and the like? that the festival can provide a venue for commu- Deb Ellis: First, while Howard may be “hounded,” about the world that has nothing to do nity experience and discussion. This year I am par- he’s a remarkable open and alive person. Once ticularly excited to have a lineup of films that Denis made initial contact, our friendship grew. with filmmaking. To change the world, express the experiences of people from around the We have a mutual respect for each other. Howard world, such as Bamako (dir. Abderrahmane Sis- became sort of amused that we would show up at you need to understand the world. sako, Mali/USA/France, 2007), in which African various places around the country to see him. civil society proceedings against the IMF and Howard has always shared his scholarship, his per- World Bank take place in the courtyard of Melé, a sonal papers, and himself. This incredible good resisters who had chosen to refuse to go to bar singer, and her out-of-work husband, Chaka. will followed our film. Everyone we contacted in Canada rather than be deployed to the Iraq the- Manufactured Landscapes (dir. Jenifer Balchwal/ relation to the film agreed to work with us. Even ater. Canada/2006) follows acclaimed photographer when Howard was wondering if we’d ever finish, Before the event, I did some article searches to Edward Burtynsky to China as he captures the he allowed us the time [even though] at that point, find out about the organizers, and the resisters. effects of the country’s massive industrial revolu- there were people with access to more resources Very few people in the States were aware of the tion and leads us to meditate on human endeavor calling him. I am forever grateful to Howard for growing stream of resisters going to Canada. I was and its impact on the planet. Other films include his trust in our work. very interested in the implications of such a signif- War Dance (dir. Sean Fine and Andrea Denis Mueller: I contacted Zinn and sent him a icant decision being made by such young men and Nix/USA/2007), about the journey of three for- film I had made about the Vietnam Veterans women. When I found Jill and Patrick Hart’s story mer child members of Uganda’s Lord’s Resistance Against the War (VVAW). He and his wife, Roz, in a Buffalo paper, I wanted to know more. Patrick Army who make it to the finals of Uganda’s really liked the VVAW film. After he saw that film, Hart was a nine-year member of the Army. He national music and dance competition. Strange I sent him a film Deb and I had made together, The had spent a year in Kuwait and was about to be Culture (dir. Lynn Hershman Leeson/USA/2006) FBI’s War on Black America, about the effects of the deployed to Iraq. He decided to go to Canada, and is about the surreal nightmare of internationally FBI program COINTELPRO. Howard felt that made the decision without telling his wife. He acclaimed artist and professor Steve Kurtz accused our point of view coincided with his. When we knew she would turn him in. Jill now confirms of being a “bioterrorist.” And there’s more, met, I found out that we shared a working-class now that if she had known, she would have turned including an incredible run of Vermont films. One background and we seemed to hit it off. At the him in. Today, Jill and their son have joined Patrick of the Vermont films is Jeff Farber’s Living on the time no one had approached him about a film. I in Canada. We have spent time with Patrick and Fault Line, about the intersection of family dignity guess our timing was good. Jill over the past year and a half, following them and racial injustice in the experiences of Ver- through their application for immigration, and mont’s transracial families. What does your film contribute to an understanding of their move from ardent “new” resisters to being a It is an honor to work with the staff and board Zinn that may not have been out there in the public dia- family living and growing in a new country. of the festival, and numerous supportive commu- logue before You Can’t be Neutral on a Moving Train? Since meeting Patrick and Jill, we have come to nity members, to bring these films to a Vermont DE: I think that You Can’t Be Neutral provides an know many of the resisters, and their support audience. I am looking forward to another year of entry into Zinn’s work by introducing the audi- community in the U.S. and Canada. We have films, conversation, and incentive to work to ence to his humanity. Most importantly, the film become interested in the transmission of genera- make the world a more peaceful and sustainable presents a person who has thought deeply about tional memory between the Iraq War resisters and place. his experiences, and has acted on his beliefs. He the Vietnam Veterans Against the War. We are continued on following page FALL 2007 VERMONT COMMONS 7

How does a film festival like VIFF manage to present sub- stantial, issue-oriented films while avoiding a sense that the festival program is politically “heavy” or dogmatic? DE: We have an incredible range of work we show. For example, this year we’ll be screening a film called Havana Blues (dir. Benito Zambrano/ Spain/Cuba/France/2005), a captivating love letter to life on the “crazy isle” of Cuba. The film follows a group of musicians – not the Buena Vista Social Club – struggling to make it big time. The festival has a point of view, in the sense that we choose films we feel are important. We want to make sure we have films for many audiences. There are a lot of ways filmmakers can speak to an audience.

Back to Peace Has No Borders. What will audiences find most surprising or intriguing about the subject of war resistance as you are covering it? DM: I hope they will understand that Iraq is not about a failed mission – it is, of course – but the real point is the problem is much darker. I hope we can get the audience to understand that if we only think in those terms we will be in another war with the same consequences. The other thing they will find surprising is that the resisters like Canada VIFF president and independent documentary filmmaker Deb Ellis in her Burlington editing suite. PROVIDED BY DEB ELLIS and want to stay there. DE: I think the other thing that our audience will I have limited vision beyond what I am immersed back to filmmaking. To change the world, you find intriguing is the consciousness of the in at a particular moment! There are always a few need to understand the world. Film becomes a resisters. These are people who have made a deci- little projects festering, and maybe I’ll have the way to talk about what you know. I see too many sion to fight against a war they believe is immoral, time to finish them now. I’m so happy to be at students who want to emulate what they see at and often, they have found extremely creative UVM, close to home and in my community again. the theater rather than thinking about what they ways to express their resistance. I counted the time I’ve spent in my car driving over really have to say—and I mean “have to say.” the past five years and it equals the equivalent of 97 Unless you have something you have to say, there What are some of the challenges that you have faced in days, if I was driving 60 miles an hour the entire is no purpose. This doesn’t mean you have to making the film? time. That’s too much time in a car! I can’t believe make didactic films that tell the world what to DM: Right now it has been money, as always, and how many people I’ve run into in the last few think. Rather, it means you’ve taken the time to be finding the time to get to Canada. I am sure there weeks, just riding the bus, walking my bike, living passionate enough about finding a way to express will be many more. (laughs) my life. I’m encouraged by the possibility of time. what you care about most. Take the time! And DE: Money and time! What else stops people with believe in your experience. a passion to make a film? Otherwise, we’re set. You’re also a film teacher, so what advice do you, or DM: Make your art an art based in experience. would you, give to an aspiring indie filmmaker who By that I mean, not your experience or mine, but What would you say are some of the most exciting wants to change the world with movies? an experience that is based on the world in which changes afoot, either technologically or culturally, for DE: My advice to all students who want to become we live. The other thing is to have the courage to independent filmmakers? filmmakers is to find out a lot about the world that not have an agenda. This does not mean one does DM: I think that there are more outlets for inde- has nothing to do with filmmaking. Find some- not have a point of view, but allow your film to pendents. We are still drops of water compared to thing you are passionate about. Discover new grow in an organic fashion, and learn from your the ugly hurricane of the mainstream, but it is worlds and people. Experience – THEN come characters. • improving. DE: I guess I’m not sure that more outlets mean more opportunities for serious independent film- makers like us. Who knows? On the other hand, I think we now have more ways to interact with our audience from pre-production through distribu- tion. How independent filmmakers take advan- tage of this opportunity is key. T-Shirts I’m most interested in story. I think we get too tied up in technology. There are always new tech- nologies, and they always offer more resolution $15 each and promises. It’s important to know how to inter- act, but ultimately, it’s about story. If we have a www.vtcommons.org good story, we can get it out. It’s a lot of work!

What’s the next film project on your horizon? DE: We’re working on the next film on the horizon! 8 VERMONT COMMONS FALL 2007

FROM THE MIDDLEBURY INSTITUTE By Kirkpatrick Sale Secession’s Spontaneous Arrival in the Blogosphere

Here is an example of what can happen when the idea of People wonder what would happen if Medicare leave the US. I just don’t believe enough people secession gets talked about these days. This is a selected and Social Security ended. Medical care would get care. It’s easier to slap a global warming bumper version of a blogpost article on secession that was intro- a whole lot cheaper and natural medicine would sticker on your car than it is to stop a government duced earlier this year, as well as some of the responses. become mainstream. By not spending half their from murdering its own. Secession is a hot topic, the need is great, and citizens income on taxes, people would have more money Whether people like it or not, they must choose. are beginning to recognize its viability. for their future. If someone gambled it all away, Support a nuclear war or do something. I wish I —Kirkpatrick Sale, Director, Middlebury Institute. snorted it up their nose, or lavished themselves could do something to stop this madness. No one The link:www.picassodreams.com/picasso_dreams/2007/08/ with luxuries, that was his right – and his personal person can do it. If we don’t work collectively now, a-simple-soluti.html#comment-78542794 responsibility – to handle the consequences. If we we will all be working in Halliburton-built collec- were personally accountable for our actions, fewer tives much like the Soviet and German prisoners…. August 05, 2007 people would engage in wasteful behavior. With- A Simple Solution – Secession out government telling us how to spend our Posted by: liquified viscera | August 05, 2007 at 10:08 PM By Kelly Ann Thomas money, we could decide which charities or causes . . . While I’m all for keeping our environment I do not understand how it is that the majority of to support. If I want to donate to help with some- clean, governments cannot make that happen, Americans understand that their government is one’s health costs, I will. If I see George W. Bush since government is the largest polluter and lying, stealing, torturing and killing in their name, passed out on the sidewalk, I have the right to not destroyer of the environment that there is. and yet few people act on their convictions. They contribute to his recovery program. At present, I agree that secession is the only thing that can continue to pay taxes, they continue to support the we are conditioned to demand the government save this former republic. The federal government corrupt system, they continue to deploy to Iraq, has usurped so much power over the states (in vio- and they allow fraudulent elections repeatedly. lation of our Constitution) that the states can There is no escaping the financial collapse of the The only peaceful way to end this never recover it. May more people become US economy. There is no solution to Iraq [other] tyranny is if all the states secede from enlightened of this fact before it’s too late!! than immediate withdrawal. The US infrastruc- ture is ancient. Our oil refineries are old, bridges the US. No more PATRIOT Act, no Posted by: Tonesg | August 05, 2007 at 11:10 PM and buildings are on the verge of collapse, and a I agree on secession, its a great idea. I believe Ron few more hurricanes and earthquakes will be more dismantling of habeas corpus, Paul has the answers to save America, but if we enough to shut down the economy. come up short, secession is an option. We all say we want a peaceful revolution, but I and no more bodies in Iraq. don’t see much revolution. Protests don’t work – Posted by: Tarun K Juyal | August 06, 2007 at 06:09 AM they only give the Homeland Gestapo opportunity solve our problems. With bailout after bailout, it’s Already done: http://www.freestateproject.org to photograph you and put your face in a database. easy to understand why the masses aren’t worried. I don’t think there are many people who refuse to The Knight in Shining Armor is at the gates of the Posted by: Jolly Roger | August 06, 2007 at 06:39 AM pay taxes. Not enough that it makes a difference…. fortress because Hollywood tells us it is so…. Secession is an answer. Unfortunately, the US Fed- A friend suggested a general strike. I don’t think Bush is about to unleash a nuclear war and no eral Government already proved (in 1865) beyond it will work, because too many people would be one seems to care. This is why I felt the need to continued on following page afraid to expose their beliefs to their boss, employer, neighbors, coworkers, family and friends. Especially the work force. With the econ- omy sailing the way of the Titanic, most people cannot afford to lose their jobs. It’s like an episode of the Twilight Zone, where 1984 meets Brave New World, and Soviet-style communism collides with German fascism. I think I hear Caesar calling. And they have won. It is 1984. The tyrants have enslaved a population to such an extent that there is nary a peep. All the underground talk about V for Vendetta, yet few have done anything to stop tyranny. So, what happens now? In my view, the only peaceful way to end this tyranny is if all the states secede from the US. We alleviate ourselves from federal debt, localize the economies, and get rid of federal control. No more Patriot Act, no more dismantling of habeas corpus, and no more bodies in Iraq. Yes, some of the welfare states will be forced to actually con- tribute to their own welfare. No more farm subsi- dies, no more handouts. If I want to help some- one, it is my choice. The states can ally themselves regionally (which seems much more efficient given our shared utilities and resources) or not. It’s all about local control. Sure, there would be a few horror stories along the way, but it’s still better than citizen internment camps. We don’t need government to take care of us. FALL 2007 VERMONT COMMONS 9

continued from previous page books like “America Deceived” from • They violate the entire Constitution by any shadow of a doubt that any States that assert Amazon. starting 2 illegal wars based on lies and on rights to themselves will not be tolerated. • They violate the 2nd Amendment by confis- behalf of a foreign gov’t. One other solution is to have a President brave cating guns during Katrina. Support Dr. Ron Paul or force secession. enough to dismantle his own government; this is • They violate the 4th Amendment by con- why Ron Paul is so very dangerous and why he is ducting warrant-less wiretaps. Posted by: Director | August 06, 2007 at 03:33 PM being hamstrung by the media... because he might • They violate the 5th and 6th Amendment Bravo! you have some great ideas actually do it. by suspending habeas corpus. • They violate the 8th Amendment by tor- For more information on the growing global secession movement, visit www.MiddleburyInstitute.org. Posted by: ShadesOfKnight | August 06, 2007 at 09:11 AM turing. You might be on to something here. Others agree: http://vermontrepublic.org/

Posted by: bonanzaman | August 06, 2007 at 10:38 AM Secession is the only answer for a gov’t that con- )UHH9HUPRQW tinues to violate our rights: • They violate the 1st Amendment by open- ing mail, caging demonstrators and banning 7RZQV&DPSDLJQ

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The Food Less Traveled By Enid Wonnacott

hen I heard Michael Abelman speak in Ver- Wmont last year, there was one statement he made that I have returned to frequently through- out the year: “Pleasure is a better motivator for change than guilt.” He continued, “How do we provide an invitation, rather than a harangue?” It is hard to determine what thing or combi- nation of things motivates social change. This is a question that traverses disciplines, whether studying educational change or political change. I have been interested in motivations for behav- ior change throughout my academic and profes- sional careers – most recently, what will moti- vate kids to make different food choices in school, and how can we most effectively impact child eating behaviors? School food change has gained so much national attention, not because of the pleasure children will experience when they pull their first carrot out of the ground, but because of the increased incidence of Type-2 diabetes and obe- sity. What determines which foods a second grader will choose when he or she gets to the end of the lunch line? Most likely, it will not be the school nurse’s voice or their parent’s voice or the memory of something they read; more likely, their decision will be influenced by the experience Thanks to the hard work of Rural Vermont, Mad River Valley Localvores, George Schenk’s “American Flatbread,” farmer Hadley they have had with that food. Did they help plant Gaylord, and concerned legislators like Carol Hosford (D-Waitsfield) and David Zuckerman (P, Burlington), local Vermont farmers those cabbage seedlings in their school garden? can now sell their chickens to local businesses without onerous and expensive federal regulatory inspections. Find out more at Did they visit the farm and help harvest those www.ruralvermont.org and www.vermontlocalvore.org. KEITH DAVIDSON potatoes? Did they prepare a taste test for their peers in their classroom? Food communities est in the food they eat, where it comes from, how The Northeast Organic Farming Association of When adults think about their food choices, what it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of Vermont (NOFA-VT) has worked with Food is motivating them? What are the messages that the world” (according to its website). Works and Shelburne Farms for more than 10 influence those purchasing decisions? Consumer I was fortunate to attend Slow Food’s Terra years on a collaborative project called Vermont surveys say that “freshness” and “taste” are the Madre in Turin, Italy, last fall. Accompanying the Food Education Every Day (VT FEED). A focus of predominant motivators, but factors such as the event was a celebration of regional foods called the project is to change the palettes of Vermont perceived health benefits, contribution to the local the Salone del Gusto, where small-scale food pro- youth, so that when they get to the lunch line, economy, and price are also influential. I think our ducers come from all over the world to showcase they can choose food from farms in their commu- greatest challenge and greatest strategy to influ- their products. The event is dedicated both to nity and they will choose those foods. It has always excellent food and to the extraordinary people seemed commonsensical that if a school is within who produce it. At the Salone I tasted wines from walking distance to a farm – as many are in rural In our goals of influencing the food the Piedmont Valley and prosciutto from Sienna Vermont – those schools should have a food-pur- (not to mention the molten chocolate). All of chasing relationship with those farms or at least choices of children and adults in Ver- these foods have a history and a story. A focus of other Vermont farms. the Slow Food event was to celebrate food tradi- Due in part to VT FEED’s work, and to commu- mont, we have to consider all of Ver- tions, to recognize foods unique to a region, and nities that were working on these efforts before to create a connection to a place through the foods VT FEED came along, there are now 75 schools mont, and make sure that all Vermon- of that place. out of Vermont’s 300 public schools that are inte- One of the speakers at Terra Madre was Davia grating the math, history, and science of local ters have access to fresh, local food. Nelson, a National Public Radio correspondent farms into their curriculum and purchasing local working on a program called “Hidden Kitchens,” food for their lunch line. I love that I can eat lunch a series that explores how communities come at the Brewster Pierce Elementary School in ence food choices, as we have learned through our together through food. Davia spoke at the Terra Huntington that has been prepared with the veg- work with schools, is for individuals to experience Madre about her experience visiting and chroni- etables harvested by the students from a neighbor- food through growing, harvesting, preparing or cling all kinds of American kitchen cultures. She ing farm, that the farmer has songs written about developing a relationship with that food and food said that “America is in need of a movement; there her by the students as part of an artist-in-residence producer. was a peace movement and an environmental program, and that when farmer Sarah Jane comes The organization leading the crusade toward a movement, and now we are in need of a food to lunch she receives a standing ovation. I was, new food culture nationally is Slow Food, “a non- movement.” again, reminded of Michael Abelman when he profit, eco-gastronomic member-supported Similar arguments have been made during the said, “I’ve seen chefs who prepare local foods organization that was founded in 1989 to counter- current Farm Bill debates. Michael Pollan recently receive mythical rock-‘n’-roll status. It’s time for act fast food and fast life, the disappearance of wrote that most Americans are not engaged in the farmers to receive the same.” local food traditions, and people’s dwindling inter- continued on following page FALL 2007 VERMONT COMMONS 11 continued from previous page process of creating the Farm Bill, that many peo- ple don’t know a farmer nor care about agricul- ture – but we all eat. He recommended that “this time around, let’s call it the Food Bill.” Of course, Vermont is different, in that most Vermonters know farmers, and most Vermonters care about agriculture, but it begs the question, “How would our agricultural system be different if our country created a Food Bill or a Farm and Food Bill every five years?” As with other massive pieces of legislation, it is hard to get individuals engaged in the process of commenting on sections of the bill, calling their congressional representatives, or understanding the finer details. Having conversations with my peers about the Farm Bill reminds me of trying to engage individuals in the finer points of NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement). These are omnibus works that are hard to experi- ence by individuals. NOFA-VT decided to go to where the people are this summer and have dis- cussions about some of the details of the Farm Bill – we have tabled at places such as Hunger Moun- tain Coop and the Addison County Field Days. But, of course, the Farm Bill is not just about farms; it is about programs that impact farmers and reauthorization for nutrition programs that reach many Vermonters. And in our goals of influ- encing the food choices of children and adults in Vermont, we have to consider all of Vermont, and make sure that all Vermonters have access to fresh, local food. Improving youngsters’ diets and encouraging the “Localvore” ethic are compatible goals. Here, a young Vermonter learns how to I am particularly inspired by a project I have press her own apple juice the traditional way at a Saturday farmers market. CREDIT: ROB WILLIAMS worked on this summer (with excellent organiza- tional partners) to increase the capacity of farm- about their experience in those terms, but that is The Localvores meet quarterly to analyze Ver- ers’ markets to accept electronic food stamps. The what brings us back to a farmers’ markets or moti- mont’s food transportation and storage infrastruc- project was supported by a USDA grant (which vates us to renew our share in a Community Sup- ture, to identify crops that we need in greater sup- was authorized through the 2002 Farm Bill). ported Agriculture (CSA) farm, or plant our own ply (grains, beans and oil crops), and to share com- Farmers’ markets in Vermont do not have the garden to nourish our family. We are predomi- munity-outreach efforts. technological capacity to accept food stamp bene- nantly motivated by pleasure. And because Ver- Although many regions in the country are hav- fits, now that those benefits are electronic and no mont has more farmers’ markets and CSAs, per ing the “local or organic” debate, fueled by high- longer issued as paper coupons. Basically, by pro- capita, than any other state in the country, then I profile stories challenging the emergence of viding wireless swipe machines to three pilot mar- guess we can argue that we have the greatest organic food in Wal-Mart and questioning the kets this season (Winooski, Brattleboro, and Bel- capacity for pleasure! ethics of consuming food that has been trans- lows Falls), the markets are now able to accept ported so far when a consumer could buy those EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) cards or debit Localvore same products more locally, Vermont, fortunately, cards. This is significant because the federal Food The energy of the Localvore movement in Ver- does not have to spend time on that discussion. Stamp Program provides more than $4.5 million mont confirms that Vermonters at a very grass- The history of the organic movement in Vermont per month in food benefits to low-income Vermon- roots and community level are harnessing our is a story of small farms, developing an infrastruc- ters, none of which were being captured by local capacity for pleasure using food as a medium. ture for local food sales and “food for the people, farmers because Vermont markets did not have Localvores are individuals committed to eating not for profit.” In Vermont, organic is synony- the capacity to accept those food dollars. With food produced within 100 miles of their home. mous with local. And although NOFA-VT was not successive expansion of the program, not only will They serve as examples of the emergence of a founded to promote the organic Twinkie or farmers’ markets be more accessible to lower local food movement throughout the country. organic coca-cola, there are sound reasons to sup- income populations, small farmers in Vermont In Vermont there are Localvore pods organizing port the transition of multi-thousands of acres to will benefit from increased sales and develop rela- in communities to challenge and support each organic production to meet the demand for tionships with individuals in their community that other to eat local foods for a day, a week, a month, organic processed products. they did not reach before. Again, it just makes or throughout the year. These learning communi- Vermont consumers don’t have to debate common sense to circulate food dollars, as much ties are operating at a much more complex level whether to buy an organic strawberry or a local as possible, within our local communities. The than just planning for their meals for the week. In strawberry, organic wheat or local wheat, organic project gives terms such as “community economic the Mad River Valley (www.vermontlocalvore. cheese or local cheese. We can have both. Let’s development” and “relationship marketing” new org), when a farmer’s barn collapsed last winter debate more meaningful topics, such as how do meaning to me. due to the snow load, the Localvores held we build a vital food culture in Vermont? How can Farmers’ markets provide an opportunity for fundraisers, supplied meals for the family and we support all Vermonters having positive food food consumers to purchase food directly from organized work crews And in Brattleboro, Post Oil experiences that influence their consumption and the person who grew that food. Every individual Solutions (www.postoilsolutions.org) is organiz- purchasing decisions? If I were creating an agricul- who visits a farmers’ market is engaging in a pleas- ing a Localvore challenge and engaging the com- tural testament for Vermont, the first testament urable food experience. Most people don’t think munity in issues of climate change and peak oil. would be “Know Thy Farmer.” • 12 VERMONT COMMONS FALL 2007

The Greenneck Leaving An Imprint

s the Greenneck emerges from a long, dark sons, one is always looking forward, preparing for The Greenneck did one other thing this sum- Acocoon of work, he feels compelled to reflect what is to come. In August, that means firewood mer: He attended a memorial service for a neigh- on a summer that seems to have slipped through (should it have been done in May or June? You’re bor who died rather unexpectedly at the age of his fingers. To be sure, there were accomplish- damn right it should’ve. But it wasn’t). The old 52. ments beyond the mere exchange of words for saying about firewood, that it warms you three Do these things connect? They do. Because you money. He ran fence, with the intent of contain- times – once when you cut it, twice when you cannot attend a funeral without considering, at ing his cows so that he might not spend any more stack it, and thrice when you burn it – can seem least for a moment, what you want your mark to of his evenings chasing them through the forest. absurdly understated when you’re cutting and be on your little corner of the world. At least, the He shoveled innumerable spadefuls of composted stacking on an 80-degree August afternoon. Greenneck cannot. cow shit onto the gardens. He walked into the And this is what he thinks: We are no longer a woods with a can of gas and a chainsaw, and nation of producers. By and large, most of us earn walked out with an armload of cedar posts. He fit We are no longer a nation of produc- our living on the whims and wants of others. Very, windows to the openings in his new porch, for the very few of us make anything that is an absolute most part well enough that they opened and ers. We earn our living on the whims necessity. Most of the time, the Greenneck is no closed with ease. different; his words might occasionally entertain And now, looking through his office window and wants of others, and most of the and inform, but they fill no one’s stomach. Riding over the lay of his little farm, the Greenneck sees his bicycle might bring a smile, or a certain self- a certain comfort. The meat birds and a steer, fat- time, the Greenneck is no different indulgent satisfaction, but none beyond the tening nicely on pasture. A winter’s worth of hay Greenneck will benefit. in the barn. A woodshed so full the floor sags. It’s Not that he’s complaining. At some point along But over the past few weeks – indeed, in the a cozy list, a reminder that no matter what else the way, cutting firewood became so compelling weeks to come – he actually made something. He happens this winter, none will go without. to the GN that he chose to forgo a bike ride just to may not have made it well, but even that truth But there were little of the activities that once put up another half-cord. At some point along the doesn’t diminish the pleasure of it. Nor does it the defined the man. The longest bicycle ride of the way, he decided he’d rather spend a Saturday diminish the knowledge that when his time summer, to date: 2.5 hours. The number of moun- working on a barn than climbing a mountain. comes, should it be tomorrow, or 50 years from tains climbed: 0. Times gone swimming: 2. There are times he regrets these choices; times tomorrow, he will have left behind something tan- To be sure, there will be more warm days to he yearns for that feeling that only comes of riding gible, something that endures beyond the limits of come. But already, a chill is in the evening air. hundreds of miles each week, when pedaling a his too-humble body. Already, the GN has turned his attention fully to bicycle feels more natural than walking. Such a For more Greenneck musing, visit www.wickedout- the seasons to come. When one chooses to live on mark of devotion. But then, so is stacking fire- doorsy.com and with the land in a climate of changeable sea- wood in August.

A stirring message, wherever you find it. The Vermont Independence flag depicts 13 white stars on a blue field, against a green background. Visit www.vtcommons.org/store to show your support. CREDIT: ROB WILLIAMS FALL 2007 VERMONT COMMONS 13

Free Vermont Media On the Virtues of Local Bookstores and Businesses By Christopher Morrow

“When you sell a man a book you don’t sell him Independent media, like independent book- Does it matter where a reader gets this book? just twelve ounces of paper and ink and glue – you stores, are key to keeping diverse and relevant Does the transaction have larger implications? sell him a whole new life. Love and friendship and voices heard. I was sad to see the demise of the It’s interesting to look at these questions in light humour and ships at sea by night – there’s all heav- “Vermont Guardian” newspaper, which provided of the “Local First” campaigns spreading across en and earth in a book, a real book I mean.” a weekly dose of news, information, and opinion the country. Dozens of towns, cities, and states are Christopher Morley in Parnassus on Wheels, 1917 that fostered considered discussion. But Vermont sprouting alliances of locally owned, independent still has a number of independent media sources business with the aim of raising people’s aware- he specialness of the book world lies in the that we can support and which enrich us regularly. ness of the value of looking locally for goods and Tfact that we deal in enrichment. Much akin to WDEV radio is one great example. Although we services. (See www.localfirstvermont.org for our brethren on the farms of our fair state, we pro- don’t get it down my way, I have discovered it information about Local First Vermont.) vide sustenance – “heaven and earth.” While we lately and am grateful for its eclectic mix of pro- The primary argument tends to be that spend- sometimes trade in books other than “real books,” gramming. It is programming for real people, not ing money locally keeps money in the community, the passion of booksellers and readers tends to lie focus groups from corporate headquarters. thereby strengthening it. The multiplier effect in books that provide something meaningful – WTSA in Brattleboro, WBTN in Bennington, works to keep money circulating in a community ideas, entertainment, education, emotion, story. VPR, and others also keep us rooted and many times over if it is spent at a locally owned Unlike farmers, we are not responsible for birthing informed. business. This makes sense, as these companies all and nurturing our goods; we are more like festival We still have some good independent newspa- have local staff, lawyers, accountants, and suppli- organizers trying to choose the best mix to satisfy pers in Vermont, too. The Rutland Herald and oth- ers. Their owners and managers are here, not in a our customers. A good bookstore has something far-off corporate headquarters. A study in Austin, for all festival-goers. Exotic chicken species, cotton Texas, revealed that more than three times the candy, smash-‘em-up derbies, merry-go-rounds, A study in Austin, Texas, revealed that amount of money stayed in a town when it was pig races, flavored popcorn, the 4H winner – all are more than three times the amount of spent at the local bookstore as opposed to a chain. there to be discovered. Studies in Illinois and Maine back up this finding. Each year, more than 175,000 titles are pub- money stayed in a town when it was But there are many other reasons to support lished, with a couple of million titles in print at local businesses. Stores located in downtowns – as any one time. Even the largest of bookstores can spent at the local bookstore as many locally owned, independent businesses are – only hold a fraction of these. So the art in book- tend to use fewer public goods and therefore fewer selling lies in being a good filter. The foundation, opposed to a chain. Studies in Illinois tax dollars. For instance, a study in Barnstable, of course, is knowing your customers. There are Massachusetts, found that a big box retailer “gen- two primary stages. First, there is the buying and Maine back up this finding. erated” a net deficit to the town of $468 per 1,000 process. The buyer sifts through those tens of square feet, whereas a specialty retailer produced thousands of books deciding what to put on the a net annual return of $326 per 1,000 square feet. shelves. Second, the bookseller, in conversation ers provide us with materials that keep us Locally owned businesses draw tourists, too. I with the customer, puts the right book in the right informed about our neighbors, our state, our was told that a recent survey of tourists indicated hands at the right time. This is not as easy as it world. Civic engagement requires an informed that one of the primary reasons they come here is might sound. populous. And having independent sources for because of Vermont’s distinctiveness. They don’t Vermont is lucky. Vermont has many good com- our information that aren’t serving distant corpo- want to shop at the same stores they have back munity bookstores. In fact, Vermont has the high- rate overlords with concerns that are irrelevant to home. In an increasingly homogenized world, est ratio of bookstores to people of any state in Vermonters is important and shouldn’t be taken communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind the country. We have a bookstore for every 15,000 for granted. businesses and distinctive character have an eco- or so people. I like to think this fact is related to In his recent book, Design for Ecological Democ- nomic advantage. our interest in each other, in the landscape, in cre- racy, Randolph Hester says, “Strong democracy Also worthy of note is that small businesses give ating lives worth living. Good readers are prone to cannot blossom without the forum for thoughtful more to nonprofits than big businesses do. In fact, civic engagement, broadly defined. Think of the and deliberative cooperation.” In this amazing small businesses give more than twice as much per artists up in the hills, the dazzling number and book he is talking largely about the physical employee as large firms do. As most of the job variety of nonprofit organizations, the locally design of our suburbs and cities, saying that poor growth in the country is from small business, this owned, independent businesses still blooming. design has led to a “loss of shared experience, is important to communities. Of course, this bounty of bookstores is under local knowledge and civic mindedness.” But the There are numerous reasons that independent threat. Membership in the American Booksellers same forces are at work diminishing local control business alliances and “Local First” campaigns are Association is about a third of what it was in the over our media, as recent trends in media owner- resonating with Americans. Not least is that local 1980s and is in steady decline. Most of the mem- ship and deliberations at the FCC have shown us. ownership ensures that important business deci- bership has gone out of business and the majority We would be wise to be proactive in designing sions are made locally, by people who live in the of the ones left are not profitable. Vermont, our media landscape to maintain and enhance community and who will feel the impacts of those because of the nature of our population, has suf- multiple sources of locally rooted media. To the decisions. fered less than other states from this trend. But we degree that media become commoditized, we In Phase 6 of the Vermont Job Gap Study should not count on this lasting much longer. In lose out. (www.vtlivablewage.org) it was estimated that fact, we have lost two good bookstores this year – Vermont residents and businesses exported cash in Essex Junction and Bristol. I know that many of Local “assets” to the tune of $16 billion a year for goods and our bookstores are struggling. I am struggling. In the 21st-century bookselling world, many services – more than $26,000 for every Vermonter. But it is my decidedly biased view that the book- books have become commodities. The same book There is a compelling case to be made that divert- stores of Vermont are important factors in pro- can be bought in California or Vermont or Texas. ing dollars that would normally flow out of state moting conversation on the issues of today, not to It can be bought at a price club, by mail order, to local businesses makes economic, social, and mention the historical context of what we are online, at a big box chain, at a specialty store, or at even environmental sense. As the economy limps experiencing now. a local independent. continued on page 14 14 VERMONT COMMONS FALL 2007 continued from page 13 tricity, because the impacts of buying insurance ing your day, they are about whether you have to along for working people, gas prices fluctuate, and from a gecko are not included in the price of insur- travel in your car for half an hour to get diapers or the insecurity of perpetual war festers, the intu- ance, because the impacts of shipping vegetables a chain saw. itive aspect of this argument is gaining traction 1,500 miles are not included in the price of pro- David Korten, in his important book The Great with people from all walks of life. duce, we can live our lives ignoring our connec- Turning, has this to say: “Imperial societies main- tions to the larger world and each other. But it is tain their dominator structures by consolidating We are connected all too obvious now that we are connected, that we control over all three spheres of public life – eco- For me, these arguments hold substantial truth. are interrelated in ways ecological, economic, and nomic, political, and cultural – thus limiting peo- However, I also worry about the loss of the intan- spiritual. ple, families, and communities to whatever gible human connections that are created, nur- At first blush, or with certain filters on, it can options the institutions of Empire find it in their tured, and celebrated in an environment rooted in appear that the localism argument is one of iso- interest to offer. Having little control over their knowledge of a particular place. There are no lationism, but it is actually one of interconnec- lives and struggling to make ends meet, people studies to assess the quiet damage to society as we tion. Pretending we are isolated beings who withdraw from active engagement in civic life, lose our gathering places, our community centers, should live our lives maximizing our individual causing the creative problem-solving capacity and our bookstores. utility by sourcing goods and services at the intrinsic to a vital community life to atrophy from Or perhaps there are. cheapest rate is silly (and suicidal). The age of neglect. The basic framework for the birthing of In Bill McKibben’s recent book, Deep Economy, individualism is running into the web of reality. [an alternative] is simple: make life-affirming val- he traces studies of human happiness over the The fragility of sourcing our energy, our goods ues... the values of the prevailing culture; renew decades and how our happiness has related to and services, and our food from afar are appar- the democratic experiment to restore to people, increased consumption. It turns out that while ent. The need for oil drives foreign policy, the families, and communities the power to give gross domestic product per person has tripled tendency toward big and cheap empties our expression to those values.” since 1950 – while we have created the first society downtowns, the international flow of food poi- Having access to independent media and book- of mass affluence in the history of the world – our sons us. So localism just advocates paying closer stores is vital to furthering conversations about stated level of happiness has stagnated. According attention to the web of reality, to the way the what life-affirming values Vermonters cherish and to Americans, more and cheaper and faster are not fundamentals actually work, to the fact that there how to promote these in the “spheres of public necessarily better. McKibben points to local are implications to how and where we spend our life” that will shape our future. Vermont can pro- economies, rooted in community, as essential ele- money. vide leadership to the country in this endeavor, for ments of a healthy 21st-century society. These implications are not abstract; they are whether we secede or not, we can help articulate Because the impacts of spewing CO2 into the about what you see when you walk down your a positive, possible vision, and help make large- atmosphere are not included in the price of elec- street, they are about who you interact with dur- scale change happen. •

The view from the Green Mountains looking west toward Lake Champlain reminds us that (as Ethan Allen famously exclaimed, borrowing from Biblical tradition), “The Gods of the Hills are not the Gods of the Valleys.” CREDIT: BEN FALK FALL 2007 VERMONT COMMONS 15 continued from page 4 to that point, we need more people farming and lion in new economic output, including $69 mil- state’s ability to feed itself. Most people have more land for farming. lion in personal earnings from 3,616 jobs. There is become very complacent eaters, giving little In the Mad River Valley a consortium of not-for- a lot of opportunity out there for people who thought to the food they are being served. As long profit organizations is in the process of buying a want to help rebuild an infrastructure for local as it is fast, cheap, and tastes reasonably good 20-acre farm that is ideal for vegetable production food. (often thanks to lots of fat, sugar, and salt) most and perhaps raising small animals. The Rutland people seem to be happy. Bu, the transformation Food and Farm Link (RAFFL) has developed a Changing Our Way of Thinking from a mostly all-local diet of 100 years ago to one plan for an incubator farm similar to Burlington’s We need to retrain ourselves to eat more season- where virtually nothing local ends up in most peo- Intervale model. Schools like the University of ally. Rather than pressuring farmers to consider ple’s grocery carts these days has been a slow boil. Vermont and Sterling College are teaching kids costly greenhouses, or worse yet running farms in As a result, most people don’t see what has hap- that farming is a cool and noble profession, and warmer climates in the winter to ship food back pened. In a sense, the challenge can shock people more young college graduates are looking for home to Vermont, we need to change our way of into the reality of how dependent we have ways to start their own businesses raising and thinking. Being a Localvore means more than par- become on food from far beyond the borders of growing food. Organizations like the Vermont ticipating in an Eat Local Challenge once or twice our state. But once the awareness is there and the Land Trust and the Vermont Housing and Conser- a year; it means changing the way we think about demand for local food is growing, there is a lot vation Board are working to conserve land for the food that we eat. While last year I considered more that needs to happen in order for the state to farming use and to link farmers to those lands giving up salad greens in the winter a sacrifice, this be able to meet the growing demand for more through various programs that they offer. A lot is year it will simply be a way of life.• local food. going on to support farming in Vermont, and hopefully these activities can serve as models for We Need Farmers and Farmers Need Land communities throughout the state to encourage Pete Johnson of Pete’s Greens in Craftsbury says and support more local food production. that Vermont “can feed itself,” but in order to do that we are going to need more farmers – and Infrastructure Vermont Society those farmers need land. If Vermont is going to be able to feed itself year for the In the Mad River Valley where I live it is impos- round, we need to build an infrastructure that will sible for a young family interested in farming to support that. Some farmers are able to store their Study of Education purchase land. Only two of the six farmers who own produce for the winter, but most cannot. Per- come to our farmer’s market have farms in the haps instead of thinking of winter storage as a ONT SOC M IE Mad River Valley. We are fortunate that farmers responsibility of the farmer some enterprising R T E Y are willing to travel to our market because all of people or organizations will see a business oppor- V them sell just about everything they bring to the tunity and add another important piece to the market each week. The demand is clearly there. local food puzzle. Ariel Zevon did just that, and F

O Without these out-of-town farmers, not all of the after more than a year of planning and fundrais- VSSE N R O people in our town who want local food would be ing opened LACE (Local Agricultural Commu- T I T H A able to buy it. What happens when our out-of- nity Exchange). LACE, located in Barre, sells local E C town farmers get more demand for their food in produce, vegetables, meats, cheeses, eggs, and ST DU UDY OF E their home towns of Peacham or Tunbridge? other local foods, and also has a café and a com- Pete’s Johnson’s vision of the local food system munity kitchen where food is put up for the win- in Vermont is that towns and villages become ter and people can learn about food preservation. more self-sufficient in feeding themselves. Pete As with the greater need for farmers and land, Supporting Public Education through: imagines that someday his market area will shrink we also need a complementary infrastructure to r Advocacy just to the Craftsbury area and that other towns support a more local food system. The Vermont will have their own farmers providing diversified Department of Agriculture encourages Vermon- r Conferences crops, meat, eggs, and dairy products so that con- ters to substitute 10 percent of the food we r Publishing sumers and farmers don’t have to travel great dis- “import” into Vermont with local products. It has r Research tances to sell and buy their local food. But, to get been estimated that this would result in $376 mil- r Professional Development r Consulting N Founder of the John Dewey Award for outstanding contributions to the education of young people in America. Awarded annually at the University of Vermont N Recalling the past— Interpreting the present— Anticipating the future

Contact information: VSSE P.O. Box Brandon, VT 05733 802-247-3488 [email protected] www.vsse.net 16 VERMONT COMMONS FALL 2007 continued from page 5 Because Vermont had been saddled with outranked all the other IOUs and local an IOU-dominated public-utility infra- producers combined, with more than 89 structure based on IOU and federal col- 50 percent of Vermont’s consumers lusion (from abuses of eminent domain beholden to the CVPS monopoly. By to the failure to meet consumers’ needs),

1928, Forshay and Ohstrom had pur- 91 Aiken feared that the feds would flood chased six power companies and even more valuable agricultural land and merged these assets into Green Moun- short-change consumers. Ironically, tain Power, which controlled power to 89 Aiken’s aversion to early federalized Comerford Moore 48 of Vermont’s 220-plus towns. McIndoes power projects based on hydropower Meanwhile, starting in 1921 the Ryegate translated into his reluctant support of Boston-based Connecticut River Power the federalized “peaceful-use-of-the- Company doubled the generating VERMONT 91 atom” and eventually the construction of capacity at Vernon to 48,000 horse- the Vermont Yankee atomic (nuclear) 89 power, and a few years later added the power plant on the Connecticut River. Searsburg and Harriman dams to boost In the 1940s, Republican Gov. Ernest the Deerfield River system to 125,000 Gibson proposed a Vermont State Power horsepower. But in 1926 the company Authority to import and distribute a por- was reorganized as New England Wilder tion of the 2 million kilowatts of low- Power Association (eventually known 91 cost hydropower from the massive St. as NEPCO) and folded into a Russian NEW HAMPSHIRE Lawrence River project. Under the lead- doll of holding companies, ultimately ership of CVPS President Albert Cree, 89 controlled by a new ownership group the IOUs worked with the more conser- dominated by the International Paper Bellows Falls vative wing of the Republican Party and Company. International Paper rapidly their common allies in the press to defeat compiled a new utility empire and the prospect of Vermonters benefiting as orchestrated the construction of the original investors in this low-cost power 60,000-horsepower Bellows Falls dam source. Deerfield Vernon (one of New England’s largest at the In the 1950s the issue reverted to a time, 1928), followed by the 300,000- lesser opportunity: what entity – a public horsepower Fifteen Mile Falls on the MASSACHUSETTS power authority or an IOU — would upper Connecticut in 1930 – the largest access the St. Lawrence power? Again, in New England and the fourth-largest Looking at a Vermont map, one can see the the great hydropower heist at work, as out-of- the IOU-Republican team headed by in the United States. state corporate interests colonize Vermont's hydropower/energy commons and bleed it dry Gov. Joseph B. Johnson, Brattleboro Those how tout the clichés of current to enrich their own private bottom line. State Sen. Robert Gannett, and the ubiq- wisdom – “economy of scale,” “the effi- uitous Cree, successfully battled for IOU ciency of centralization,” and “let the market mont IOUs simply caught the tidal wave of corpo- access to the power through a new IOU, VELCO decide” – should study the IOU track record in Ver- rate influence over federal governance and found (a consortium of Vermont IOU’s headed by mont: the financial fraud of corrupt corporations, additional leverage in the evolving, but never CVPS), to deliver the power to Vermont. their interconnected layers of operators, vendors clearly articulated federal national electrical Thirty years of IOU control netted Vermonters and holding companies each skimming off profits; energy plan that bolstered IOU control over a continued high electric rates (despite the St. the inept technical performance marked by excess national transmission grid drawing power from Lawrence contributions) and fewer job opportuni- generation, poor load factors, and duplicated trans- ever-larger, centralized power plants. Vermont’s ties as Vermont industries migrated south to take mission. IOUs emerged after WWII as small players in the advantage of the lower rates offered by TVA and nationwide organization of the corporatist big other federal public-power authorities. Century of Consolidation: Beware of boys — regional IOUs that had successfully The 1960s largely consolidated the IOU control Corporatists Bearing Gifts ensconced the electric utilities as protected of generation, transmission, and distribution We could sum up the next 70 years of out-of-state monopolies, largely under self-imposed “federal within Vermont. For the third time, Cree and the IOUs versus Vermont consumers with the adage supervision,” but still responsible parties in nego- Republicans (led by insurance tycoon Luther “the more things change, the more they stay the Hackett and Richard Mallary, Speaker of the same.” Once the IOUs consolidated their hold- “Regulator” is shorthand for the fox House and ultimately Cree’s successor as the ings, they worked hand-in-hand with the Republi- CEO of CVPS) beat back the Democrats’ can Party (Vermont was effectively a one-party guarding the hen house. attempts to access inexpensive hydropower from state up until the 1960s) to control the chronically Canada – the proposed massive Dickey-Lincoln under-funded state regulators. When regulators dam on the St. John’s River and the Pas- did attempt to do the right thing by responding to tiations with state regulators. samaquoddy Bay project. consumer complaints of high rates and lack of In short, Vermont’s IOUs are still playing by the Two big payoffs orchestrated by the IOUs – for service, the Republican-controlled administrations rules that “regulate” the utility industry, which our collective benefit, of course – arrived in the and legislatures authorized regulators to hire “out- they and their national corporatist cohorts largely 1970s. One consisted of multiple contracts for side industry experts,” who validated the IOUs’ crafted over the past 100 years. hydropower from – Surprise! not from the dams cooked books and their series of requests for rate It’s instructive to look at what the “corporatists- on the Connecticut and Deerfield rivers, but from increases. know-best” agenda has gifted Vermonters in the the massive 10,000 megawatt (MW) Hydro-Que- Second, as we illustrated in the first part of this last 50-plus years. bec project that set records, according to well- essay, the original IOU raiders simply morphed During the Aiken years, Congress initiated the researched sources, for the amount of earth into modern “corporatists” as the federal govern- 1936 Rural Electrification Act, established the Fed- moved, environmental degradation, and ill treat- ment – starting with the Civil War – systematically eral Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), ment of indigenous populations. Vermont’s IOUs stripped states of their original powers to issue which oversees the licensing of hydroelectric agreed to high prices (in the 10 cents/kilowatt- charters of incorporation and to enforce corpora- dams, and pushed for regional public power proj- hour range) in return for secure contracts that tions’ obligation to serve the public good. Ver- ects like the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). continued on following page FALL 2007 VERMONT COMMONS 17 continued from previous page exports more than 80 percent of that “contribu- able and cost-effective technologies, as well as would not wind down until a phasing out from tion” (chalk up two for the corporatists). financial incentives (combination of federal and 2008-2015. Or, put another way, if the state owned the state grants) have made these direct investments a The other gift has proved more permanent. In dams Vermont would instantly reach the current less-pricey option; and like conservation, these 1972 the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station goal touted in Montpelier — “20 percent energy energy dollars stay longer in Vermont. went online, its majority owners – Central Ver- independence by 2020.” 3) Stay-out-of-my-way attitude Innovative business mont Public Service and Green Mountain Ver- Who’s regulating whom? and institutional leaders selected “captive” co-gen- mont – publicly basking in the glow of the sooth- Who benefits? eration technology — power plants burning vari- ing slogans promoting the peaceful atom, electric To quote historian Lee Webb: “In every major ous fuels to produce both electricity and space heat power “too cheap to meter,” and safe, clean, eco- battle over regulatory policy, the private utilities to meet their internal energy needs. For example, nomical spent nuclear fuel recycling and waste [IOUs] effectively used their political power, legal Brattleboro’s Bob Johnson designed and built the reduction. The Atomic Energy Commission’s expertise, and public relations programs – all paid state-of-the-art Delta Campus around such a co- (AEC) – a particularly aggressive expression of the for by Vermont electric users – to defeat supporters of gen concept to fuel his 120-employee optical filter “military/industrial complex” – deployed teams stronger public regulation and public ownership.” operation. The generators running off British across the globe to promote nuclear power plants diesels could qualify the plant as self-sufficient, and to find utilities and industries willing to build Respect for the Small: Size Does Matter except that the local bank wouldn’t loan the con- them. This powerful federal agency “convinced” Do we have any choice in where we get our elec- struction monies without a connection to the IOU Vermont’s reluctant IOUs (CVPS and GMP) that if tricity, except from IOUs? The Douglas Adminis- grid. This form of “energy independence” in many they didn’t build an atomic plant in Vernon, then tration has already selected the “more big-bad- ways replicates the old water/steam mills and AEC would find outside investors who would. business-as-usual” option that translates as addi- competes directly with IOU-priced power. As a result of AEC’s coercion, Vermont’s IOUs tional dependence on the status quo, the fossil- 4) Respect for small-is-sustainable “Distributed and regulators found themselves negotiating rela- fueled, IOU-dominated New England power grid. generation” has become the term to capture the tively minor issues like rates, while the feds (AEC So what can we Vermont citizens do? latest, hottest trend in the electric utility industry /NRC) monitored the life-and-death matters of The answer is certainly not to leave it up to the — smaller, decentralized generating stations that radioactive waste storage, license extension, and current editions of the governor or the Legislature. can be customer-owned, or developed and oper- overall safe operation of an atomic power plant. ated by third-party “independent power produc- Since the New Millennium, Vermont’s regula- “In every major battle over regulatory ers” (IPP) or some combination of IOU/IPP part- tors, in combination with an IOU-friendly Repub- nership using a variety of fossil fuels, renewables lican administration and federal agencies, have policy, the private utilities effectively (wind, hydro, photovoltaics, wood) or exotics gifted Vermonters two disasters: the failure to step (landfill gas, fuel cells, wind-diesel hybrids). up to the plate during the bankruptcy-induced sale used their political power, legal Even the IOU corporatists are realizing that big- of the Connecticut and Deerfield river dams ger (large power plants; pumping electrons over (Canadian-based transnational, TransCanada now expertise, and public relations pro- hundreds of miles of transmission lines) is not bet- owns the dams), and the creation of a permanent ter. The industry has come up with an acronym – radioactive dump on the Connecticut River. grams to defeat supporters of NTA, or non-transmission alternatives – that cap- After almost 30 years of “running” Vermont tures the emerging synthesis of conservation, effi- Yankee, the consortium of original owner/opera- stronger public regulation and public ciency, and distributed generation. tors headed up by CVPS and GMP found the com- In fact Vermont’s public power producers fit the bination of rising operating costs, the closing of ownership.” — historian Lee Webb. “small is better” ideal and have more in common sister “Yankee” plants, potentially problematic reg- with small local businesses than their IOU Big ulatory action, under-funded decommissioning Brothers. Most people would agree it has been the reserves, and an uphill battle to recover stranded The heroes will be well-informed, principled, and thousands of for-profit, ethically run small busi- costs through rate increases, outweighed their motivated citizens, taking responsibility individu- nesses – be they retail stores, farms, service financial capacity. So in a bold move our home- ally and collectively. We will play champion to our providers, manufacturers, or idea producers – that grown IOUs decided to sell the plant to the high- all our Commons – the water, air, forests, as well as have benefited our communities by fueling new est bidder. With the Public Service Board’s bless- our manmade infrastructures serving the public jobs, economic opportunity, and innovation. Cap- ing, one of the corporatist big boys, Entergy – a good. We will restore the respect for the Small. italism with a respectful small “c.” $14 billion, 14,000-employee Louisiana-based Here are five mindsets. For example, a self-selected group, Brattleboro giant – purchased Vermont Yankee in 2002. 1) Yankee frugality Old-timers know this one: District Energy, has targeted their town for an Entergy simply had the investment capital and Don’t use as much electricity. Although conserva- expanded version of that kind of co-generation nerve (unlimited funds for public relations) to go tion and increased efficiencies don’t eliminate the approach known internationally as a “district heat- where Vermont’s IOU’s feared to tread – to resus- need for some basic level of supply, the cumulative ing system” — a combination of a 5-30 MW electric citate the old reactor based on a controversial impact of a collective effort minimizes dollars sent generator running of any of a number of fuels (oil, three-part plan to boost reactor power to 120 per- to IOUs and releases monies for local investment. natural gas, coal, biomass) and an insulated under- cent, extend the plant’s operating license, and con- The unique, award-winning conservation utility, ground distribution system of pipes carrying hot struct outdoor dry cask storage to make room for Efficiency Vermont, has led the way in helping and chilled water (think municipal water and sewer hundreds of tons of radioactive waste. Vermonters cut demand to the point that conser- and add space heating and cooling to the mix). BDE Although the Legislature may have one more vation, efficiency, and new renewable supplies would like to introduce the first new, biomass- shot at denying the license extension, both state have met our growth in demand despite the fueled project to the United States. We have and federal regulators have agreed to all three con- incredible pressure resulting from modern “con- enough waste wood in Windham County to make ditions and pushed Vermont into the permanent sumer conveniences” (electrical-intensive appli- the fuel supply for a 20-30 MW plant sustainable. radioactive-waste-dump business. ances, information/entertainment systems) and Although the initial investment carries a hefty price True to their IOU-written script, Vermont regu- commercial growth over the past decade. tag ($30 million -$200 million, based on the size and lators supported the sale and subsequent expan- 2) Yankee ingenuity More and more Vermonters number of generating plants and distribution net- sion of atomic power on the Connecticut River have been installing solar, photovoltaics (PV), works), BDE realizes that Brattleboro exports $30 based on VY’s present and future contribution to wind, and small hydro systems to supply their million annually just to stay warm and do business. the state’s electricity supply (chalk up one for the homes and businesses (Vermont leads the country And according to engineering firms that do this corporatists), while the Canadian company that in PV systems per capita). The combination of type of project, the numbers look good. owns the Connecticut and Deerfield River dams awareness of climate change, access to more reli- continued on following page 18 VERMONT COMMONS FALL 2007 continued from previous page petrodollars and circulate more of our local dol- the digital counter click away as it calculates the 5) Dream Big Vermont’s most logical option lars, while getting closer to the equivalent to 100 bill to the U.S. taxpayers. I watched dumbfounded would be to add to the number of truly “public mpg. Here’s the win-win: think of the dams and the inexorable climb toward… Who-knows-what? power” producers, the 22 small municipal utilities our “native” distributed generation as our own Somewhere between $1.2 trillion and $2 trillion, and cooperatives, some of which run small hydro refineries and service stations. depending on the length of the conflict and the and wood-burning plants. These co-ops and 5 )Tap two deep pockets: Wall Street-types and our extent of the downstream accounting criteria. “munis,” currently service one in seven Vermon- tax dollars To recover our Commons by investing On the state level, we could have purchased ters. Public Power customers frequently pay less in these sustainable projects, we can use the same dams on the Connecticut and Deerfield rivers out- for electricity than the IOUs’ consumers. How formulas as the Texas wind farm developers who right – meeting about 20 percent of our current come? Because compared to IOUs, the Public now boast about their #1 ranking as the leading demand and positioning ourselves to allocate our Power folks tend to be: state in wind power production. Sure, the vast 1.5 cent/kWh electricity in a projected 5-10 plains of that former Republic supply plenty of cent/kWh New England wholesale market. Now • leaner (less management overhead); wind, but those sharp cowboys have accessed the that would be fun – to sell our low-cost power for • more flexible (re-investing “profits” in their exploding alphabet soup of funding incentives — big bucks to our neighbors (currently sister states, systems and in energy conservation); RECs (renewable energy credits), RPSs (renew- but in a secessionist scenario our favored, global- • and more responsive to consumer/mem- able portfolio standards), CCs (carbon credits), ized trading partners). To own the “cash cow” out- bers, who have a direct voice and vote on CREBs (clean renewable energy bonds), as well as right means we could parcel out low-cost power to policies and decisions. a complicated mix of federal and state induce- stimulate local industry and re-invest “profits” in ments. Believe it or not, there are deep pockets out making Vermont energy-independent. The shortest route to adding to our state’s Pub- there with such an appetite for tax breaks that they Dividing $626 million by the number of living lic Power portfolio is pretty obvious, if we can invest in Texas wind, take their write-offs over 10 units in Vermont, we could project investing shed the IOU/regulator propaganda. Here are five years, and then sell off the money-makers because $2,232 in energy efficiency measures for each and scenarios: they can’t be bothered with the pedestrian task of every household. Imagine the fuel savings and 1) Name it the Connecticut River Authority (CRA) improvement in our quality of life. Or grant each and they will come. Purchase the dams one-by-one What can we Vermont citizens do? community an allocation (based on the number of to build a regionally controlled, locally owned living units) to invest in upgrading housing stock CRA. Local Vermont-New Hampshire consor- Certainly not leave it up to the current or developing community electric-power genera- tiums would purchase their individual dams and tion. plug them into CRA system, using the current editions of the governor or the Legis- Take Londonderry, a town famously resisting lever of eminent domain and the increasing development of a commercial wind farm. Under appetite of financial institutions for investments in lature. The heroes will be well- this formula, the approximately 750 full-time resi- “sustainable projects.” dential living units multiplied by $2,232/share 2) Build municipal wind farms. Find a developer informed, principled, and motivated would give Londonderry more than $1.67 million that specializes in building “turn-key operations” – to invest in its energy future. The town could which finance and build projects and then turn citizens, taking responsibility individ- choose to invest in energy self-reliance through a them over to a local entity (municipal utility, coop- locally owned wind farm, a wood-chip generator, erative, or even a fire district). Such projects would ually and collectively. We will play or energy efficiency measure – including pooling neutralize complaints about the “industrialization their money with their neighbors like Peru, Strat- of our ridgelines” and encourage NIMBYs to com- champion to our all our Commons ton, or Bondville. Good-bye NIMBY label. promise, since they will have more control over But our mortaged support for that expression of the project and ultimately, ownership. the single most unsustainable activity – war – 3) Invest in district heating. Copy those wingnuts supervising O&M (operation and management). pales in comparison to our annual contribution to down in Brattleboro, you say? Thirty years ago, no Perhaps Vermont will never afford to host an the federal government’s planned war economy. such district heating systems existed in Sweden. NFL franchise to compete with the Dallas Cow- Chalmers Johnson, the acknowledged dean of Currently, more than 50 percent of all residential boys, but we can certainly lure financial markets East Asian studies and author of Nemesis: The Last and commercial spaces are heated by these local to invest in our vision as the #1 sustainable, Days of the American Republic, analyzed the total systems, and the Swedes are aiming for 75 percent energy self-sufficient state. annual allocations to support the U.S. war coverage in the next decade. Crazy stuff ? Most The no-brainer is simply to allocate monies machine in 2006 at $720 billion. Swedes living in town turn up the thermostat like from the $2 billion State Employees Retirement Extrapolating from Johnson’s calculations, we you and I turn on the faucet. Fund to invest in OurSelves. Not just the measly Vermonters paid out roughly $1.025 billion last 4) Plug-in transportation True plug-in hybrids are millions-over-the-years that is being proposed by year to grease the war machine. Was it an invest- just around the corner, not just retrofits of Toyota the state treasurer, but chunks large enough to ment, as our Washington “leaders” claim, to keep Priuses or Honda Civics. Designed from the leverage or outright purchase the dams, invest in ourselves safe? Or was it to keep ourselves warm, ground up to travel 50-100 miles on battery power locally owned commercial-scale wind farms, dis- to keep us behind the wheel of our gas guzzlers, alone (before the gas engine kicks in), “plug-in trict heating systems, and countless other worthy to keep the lights on? Perhaps that $1.025 billion is hybrid” vehicles like the much-hyped, coming- projects like helping Vermonters purchase the the cost of Vermonters’ enrollment in the real soon-to-your-dealer Chevy Volt will revolutionize new plug-in hybrids. National Energy Plan and The American Way of our gas-guzzling fleet. The key concept is that Life. when you plug in your car at night to charge the Confront The Dark Side, Walk In The Light It’s a high price, for a state with an independent batteries, you’ll be paying pennies for the power – Finally, the most logical and radical and ethical spirit and so many resources of its own.• 2 cents to 3 cents per kWh, at off-peak rates. investment strategy of them all: admit to our Those electrons will give you huge savings over addiction to cheap, exploited energy sources and $2-$3-per-gallon gasoline. Hence the auto industry work toward political independence, or the “S” is touting “100-mpg equivalency” for the plug-in word. Yes, secession Advertise with revolution. At last count, the federal government had billed In short, Vermonters’ investments in indigenous Vermonter taxpayers for $626 million for the Vermont Commons or homegrown electricity (PV/battery storage, war/occupation of Iraq that now carries a $431- for rates, e-mail [email protected] wind, biomass, “cow power,” landfill, hydro) will billion price tag. Talk about sticker shock! Go to pay off handsomely. And we’ll export fewer costofwar.com or nationalpriorities.org and watch FALL2007 VERMONT COMMONS 19

Environmentally Focused Experiential by Nature

www.sterlingcollege.edu 20 VERMONT COMMONS FALL 2007

Livingston continued from page 1 protect the state in its constitutional rights. will ever suffer itself to be used as an instrument of was widely asserted in the New England press. As For many New Englanders, a war with Britain coercion? The thing is a dream; it is impossible.” one editor put it: “whenever its provisions [the meant indirect support of the tyrant Napoleon. A What Hamilton found unthinkable would actually constitutional compact] are violated, or its origi- pamphleteer declared that the past two years had be carried out by the newly formed Republican nal principles departed from by a majority of the led to the belief “that if the General Government Party only 47 years after the Hartford Convention. states or of their people, it is no longer an effective did not immediately make peace, that New Eng- In the end, the leaders of the Hartford Conven- instrument, but that any state is at liberty by the land would secede from the Union and make a sep- tion decided not to propose secession but instead spirit of that contract to withdraw from the arate peace for themselves.” Gouverneur Morris, a nullified certain acts of the central government, union.” signer of the Constitution, had long urged a con- and sent commissioners to Washington to propose The first secession movement in America was federation of New England and New York. New amendments. The Convention, however, did not over the question of size. The Louisiana Purchase England Federalists despaired of peace and called adjourn, and agreed to meet again if the war con- territory more than doubled the size of the Union. “for as many of the States as dislike the War to form tinued and their demands were not met. The lead- New Englanders had little interest in a western themselves into a new Government and make ers of the Hartford Convention had been urged to wilderness that would drain their population and peace for themselves, leaving the way open for the action by the people through their Town Meetings, give power to the agricultural South whose eco- other states to join them whenever they become and many were disappointed at this missed chance nomic interests were entirely different. Pickering tired of the contest.” Governor Strong of Massa- for independence. Theodore Dwight wrote to Pick- hoped the British would capture New Orleans and chusetts even sent an embassy to Canada to inquire ering in January of 1815, saying of the Convention: control the mouth of the Mississippi. The western about a New England armistice with Britain. The “They certainly have not done as much as was states would then join with Britain, as they had Town of Newburyport asked Massachusetts to expected of them by the great Body of the people thought of joining Spain when she controlled the “declare that our resources shall be appropriated to of this State.” And the editor of the New York Mississippi. A widely publicized pamphlet urged our defense, that the laws of the United States shall Evening Post wrote that the Convention’s Report is be temporally suspended in their operation in our “quite inferior to the public feeling in the Eastern territory, and that hostilities shall cease towards States. The people there are in advance of their New England Abolitionists put forth Great Britain on the part of the free, sovereign & leaders.” In anticipation of secession, some busi- independent States of New England.” ness leaders had pledged not to remit excise taxes. the humane proposition that the best As the meeting of the Hartford Convention approached, the exhilarating prospect of secession ‘No Union with Slaveholders’ way to handle all the problems facing and a New England federation was in the air. One The war ended as the Hartford commissioners Federalist editor explained: “The plan as we reached Washington, and with it the main griev- the Union in 1860 was simply to understand it, is to make the convention of 1788 ances that had fueled the state nullification and the basis of their proceedings and to frame a new secession movement. But had the war continued, divide it. But another and darker view government, to be submitted to the legislatures of a New England federation might have come into the several states for their approbation and adop- being. A legacy of the Hartford Convention is that would eventually prevail. tion. The new constitution to go into operation as it gave national prominence to the Jeffersonian in the former case, as soon as two, three, or more theory of the Constitution, with its corollaries of of the states named shall have adopted it... state interposition, nullification, and secession. the Hartford Convention to consider forming “a Instantly after, the contest in many of the states South Carolina’s nullification of the tariff in 1828 new confederation, grounded on experience… will be whether to adhere to the old, or join the and 1832 was the same act as that of New England The Western States beyond the mountains, are not new government.” nullifications. And when 11 states did secede in taken into view in this connexion... Their outlet is Founding Father Gouverneur Morris fully 1861, they appealed to the same Jeffersonian the- through the Mississippi… If the Union of the expected the Hartford Convention to propose ory of the Constitution as the New Englanders. States is preserved, the Western region will drain secession of New England, and he hoped New So did the Abolitionists. The movement began off the Atlantic population, consume the resources York would join: “The question of the boundary in 1831 with the publication of William Lloyd Gar- of the Union and reward us by removing the seat to be . . . the Delaware, the Susquehanna, or the rison’s The Liberator. Garrison and his movement of Empire beyond the mountains. What then Potomac.” John Lowell urged the Hartford Con- argued that the best way to subvert slavery was seems to be most obviously to the interest of all vention to first declare the Constitution suspended secession of the North from the South, thereby concerned? Let the Western States go off, and take by the states. This would mean that “the people of withdrawing the financial and legal support that care of themselves. Give them the public lands to that State are no longer holden to perform their sustained the institution. The masthead of The pay their debts with, and thank them into the bar- engagements to the National authority. They can- Liberator read “No Union with Slaveholders.” The gain... Then let us, who belong to the old family, not be traitors or rebels. They may be treated as American Anti-Slavery Society passed the follow- try, by the agency of such men as are to meet at enemies, like the citizens of any foreign state, if a ing resolution: “That the Abolitionists of this Hartford... [to] revise our family compact . . . that wrecked and abandoned and desperate policy country should make it one of the primary objects a lasting and beneficial Union might be formed.” should induce the National rulers to declare war of this agitation to dissolve the American Union.” New Englanders opposed the war with Britain against such a state.” John Quincy Adams – no friend of the Hartford and the Embargo Acts of 1808 and 1813 that Alexander Hamilton raised this question two Convention – nevertheless believed an American wrecked their vital shipping trade. A Newbury- decades earlier in the New York Ratifying Conven- state could secede. In 1839 he gave a speech cele- port editor declared: “We have always been led to tion. He said the central government could coerce brating the 50th anniversary of the Constitution. believe that a separation of the States would be a individuals anywhere in the Union under its enu- The Union, he said, is held together not by force great evil… But rather than prosecute the present merated powers. But it could not coerce a sovereign but by consent and common interests. Should that war, which will eventuate in the ruin of the North- political society that refused to comply. Hamilton ever break down, “far better will it be for the people ern and Eastern States . . . we think it by far the asked: suppose that “Massachusetts, or any large of the disunited states to part in friendship from least of the two evils.” Memorials from the towns State, should refuse and Congress should attempt each other, than to be held together by constraint. poured in demanding state nullification and seces- to compel them... What picture does this idea pres- Then will be the time for reverting to the prece- sion. From New Bedford, Massachusetts: “The ent to our view? A complying State at war with a dents which occurred at the formation and adop- time has arrived in which it is incumbent on the non-complying State; Congress marching the tion of the Constitution, to form again a more per- people of this state, to prepare themselves for the troops of one State into the bosom of another… fect Union by dissolving that which could no longer great duty, of protecting, by their own vigor, their Here is a nation at war with itself. Can any reason- bind, and to leave the separated parts to be reunited inalienable rights.” Some thought the state should able man be well disposed towards a Government by the law of political gravitation to the center.” set up its own custom house and enforce free which makes war and carnage the only means of Four years after this speech, Adams and other trade, and that the state fund a force of 30,000 to supporting itself ? But can we believe that one State continued on following page FALL 2007 VERMONT COMMONS 21

Livingston continued from previous page two million troops were in the South fighting none better than in New England. ª Northern leaders would call for secession should secession while a million were in the North sup- Texas be annexed to the Union: “Annexation pressing resistance to the war. Former president would be identical with dissolution” and would Franklin Pierce of New Hampshire courageously “fully justify it.” This speech was given only 17 criticized Lincoln’s unconstitutional actions and years before South Carolina seceded. the war. New England abolitionists such as George When Southern states did secede, abolitionists W. Bassett continued to unite secession with aboli- were overjoyed. This was the sentiment of The tionism: “The same principle that has always made me an uncompromising abolitionist now makes me an uncompromising secessionist. It is the great A false nationalist history had to be natural and sacred right of self-government.” made up and sold to the people: an The thoughtful Massachusetts abolitionist Lysander Spooner, who had long supported a slave American version of the Platonic insurrection, opposed the war and afterwards wrote a penetrating critique demonstrating that a noble lie. It was now said that the racist North did not invade to free slaves. The war was, as Lincoln said, a struggle to establish a terri- BALANCE YOUR BODY American people in the aggregate are torial monopoly on coercion on the continent, AND ALL ELSE and so was a typical 19th century European war of sovereign, and not the peoples of the “unification.” Lincoln was the Bismark of the WILL FOLLLOW. United States. But at what a cost. If fought today, several states. and adjusting for population, the war would have yielded more than 5 million battle deaths, not to Therapeutic and relaxation mention wounded and civilian casualties. Douglass Monthly edited by Fredrick Douglass, and Spooner wrote: “All these cries of having ‘abol- techniques. Specializing in of abolitionist Horace Greeley of the New York Tri- ished slavery,’ of having ‘saved the country,’ of bune who declared after the Confederacy was having ‘preserved the union,’ of establishing ‘a restoring posture, relief from formed: “We have repeatedly said . . . that the great government of consent,’ and of ‘maintaining the chronic pain and deep relaxation principle embodied by Jefferson in the Declaration national honor,’ are all gross, shameless, transpar- of Independence, that governments derive their ent cheats – so transparent that they ought to for your whole being. powers from the consent of the governed, is sound deceive no one.” and just; and that if . . . the cotton States, or the Since the “Civil War,” our nationalist historians Call to schedule an appointment. gulf States only, choose to form an independent have worked to guarantee that the cheat will not nation, they have a clear moral right to do so. be discovered. But European-style nationalism Whenever it shall be clear that the great body of was not the founding American tradition, nor did Southern people have become conclusively alien- it take root in America until the late 19ththcen- ated from the Union, and anxious to escape from tury. After World War II, nationalism began to lose it, we will do our best to forward their views.” its grip in Europe, and is now in evident decline. New England Abolitionists put forth the Post-Lincolnian America is the last of the old humane proposition that the best way to handle 19ththcentury nationalisms. all the problems facing the Union in 1860 was sim- The New England secessionist tradition out of ply to divide it. The Union after all had swollen to which abolitionists such as Spooner spoke is part four times its size in only 50 years. of the Jeffersonian tradition available to all Amer- But another and darker view would eventually icans. If European-style nationalism is spiritually prevail. French Revolutionary nationalism was and morally bankrupt, Americans have ample www sugarmountainmassage com sweeping Europe and by the 1830s had come to intellectual and moral resources in their tradition Mad River Valley Health Center - Rt. 100, WaitsÞeld America. Nationalism required a unitary state from which to forge new decentralist policies, and “one and indivisible.” Such a state, however, was nowhere to be found in the American tradition, which knew only of sovereign states seceding and   -AIN 3TREET s 2ANDOLPH 6ERMONT  s    forming federations which were plainly divisible #ELEBRATING  9EARS since the current one was the result of dissolving the “perpetual union” of an earlier one. So a false nationalist history had to be made up and sold to #HANDLER #ENTER FOR THE !RTS IS A COMMUNITY BASED ARTS the people: an American version of the Platonic ORGANIZATION IN 2ANDOLPH 64 noble lie. It was now said that the American peo- SERVING #ENTRAL 6ERMONT AND THE 5PPER 6ALLEY REGION WITH A ple in the aggregate are sovereign and not the peo- YEAR ROUND SERIES OF PERFORMAN 7ESTON0LAYHOUSE4OURINGPRODUCTIONOFh-ASTER(AROLDvANDTHEBOYSˆ4HURSDAY ples of the several states. Lincoln would famously CES ART EXHIBITS AND EDUCATIONAL /CTOBER 0-!THOL&UGARDgSCOMINGOFAGESTORYSETINS3OUTH!FRICA OPPORTUNITIES IN HISTORIC #HAND say in his first inaugural that the Union is older h%VERY,IFE3HALL"EA3ONGvˆ3UNDAY/CTOBER 0-!'ALA#HORAL#ONCERTFEATURING LER -USIC (ALL AND 'ALLERY THEMUSICOF6TCOMPOSER'WYNETH7ALKERNEWMUSICFOR#HANDLERSCENTENNIAL than the states and that it created them as states. -ONTPELIER 7OODSTOCK .ORWICH h9OU'OTTA(AVEA$REAMvˆ&RIDAYAND3ATURDAY/CTOBERAND 0-!NEWYOUTH AND (ANOVER .( ARE ALL WITHIN

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C SUPPORT FROM INDIVIDUALS  %RIC-INTEL1UARTETˆh!*AZZ(OLIDAYvˆ4HURSDAY$ECEMBER 0-&EATURESTHEJAZZ and Greeley abandoned the humane and thor- W BUSINESSES AND FOUNDATIONS MUSICOF6INCE'UARALDIFROM!#HARLIE"ROWN#HRISTMAS ASWELLASORIGINALMUSICBY%RIC-INTEL oughly American policy of peaceful secession and W ANDCLASSICHOLIDAYSTANDARDS W supported the bloodbath. But not all New Englan- ders did. Sherman testified before Congress that 22 VERMONT COMMONS FALL 2007

VERMONT LIBRE The Endgame Trilogy: Peak Oil, Global Warming, and Terrorism By Thomas Naylor

o empire has ever stood the test of time. The its inflammatory, shoot-from-the-hip, “axis of evil” Guard; and create a voluntary citizens’ brigade to NU.S. – us – is no exception to the rule. The rhetoric. Sixth, close the Guantanamo Bay prison. reduce tension and restore order in the event of American Empire is going down. It faces three When the dust settles over the Middle East, his- civil unrest or natural disaster. Only then will the imminent, interconnected, indubitable, endgame tory may show that it would have been virtually threat of terrorism be abated. defining threats –peak oil, global warming, and impossible to conceive of a set of policies more Realistically, the prospects for solving these terrorism. Not only is our government clueless as likely to provoke terrorist attacks against the problems appear indeed to be bleak. As our mind- to how to deal with these problems, in most cases United States and its allies than those chosen by less president and impotent Congress try to mud- its policies actually compound them. the federal government. Arguably, the greatest dle through, the risk of economic and political The Bush-Cheney response to the cheap oil threat to America is the United States itself. chaos is staggering. In response to exponential endgame is to demonize Islam, transform America If we truly wish to reduce the risk of attack increases in crude oil prices, the dollar could easily into a technofascist state, and, through its foreign from abroad, we should close most of our 725 mil- tank, precipitating an international economic cri- policy based on the concept of full-spectrum dom- itary bases in 153 countries; withdraw all Ameri- sis and World War III between the haves and the inance, hegemonize the supply of oil in the Middle can troops from Europe, Japan, and South Korea; have-nots, between oil producers and oil con- East so as to keep our economic engine running. unilaterally destroy all of our nuclear weapons of sumers, and between Muslims and non-Muslims. As for the threat of global warming, Team mass destruction; dismantle our extraordinarily The endgame is not pretty. Bush’s response can best be summarized by one expensive, ill-conceived, untested missile defense The only way to save the world may be the word: denial. Pretend the problem does not exist, system – Reagan’s folly; abolish the National peaceful dissolution of the American Empire. • and maybe it will go away. The threat of Islamic terrorism worldwide is a problem of our government’s own making. It is grounded in American arrogance, ignorance, racism, imperialism, and unconditional support for the terrorist state of Israel. President Bush’s so- called war on terror is an insidious campaign to create fear and hatred among Americans and Europeans toward Muslims so as to rationalize a foreign policy aimed at doing whatever is neces- sary to control their oil in the Middle East. According to James Howard Kunstler in his provocative book The Long Emergency, the only way to survive the cheap oil endgame will be by becom- ing “increasingly and intensely local and smaller in scale.” As the cost of petrochemical products soars, we will have no other choice than to “downscale and re-scale virtually everything we do and how we do it, from the kind of communities we physically inhabit to the way we grow our food to the way we work and trade the products of our work,” says Kunstler. By downscaling we will use less oil, create less carbon-dioxide, and reduce global warming. The end of cheap oil will precipitate the demise of globalization as well as the quality of life as we know it in the United States today. Large urban areas such as New York, Chicago, Houston, and Los Angeles may simply cease to exist, as well as airlines, the interstate highway system, the auto- mobile industry, corporate agriculture, and most multinational mega-companies. Large consoli- dated public schools and humongous state univer- sities will go the way of the dinosaurs. And the federal government will be impotent to protect us. If there is a solution to the problem of global warming, it may lie entirely with our ability to tighten our belt, cut back on the consumption of hydrocarbons, and come to terms with the prob- lem of peak oil. Unfortunately, there are no quick- fix solutions to either the problem of peak oil or global warming. If our government is serious about ending the threat of terrorism, it must do six things. First, declare an end to the war on terror. Second, shutter the money-guzzling Department of Homeland Security. Third, withdraw all American troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. Fourth, eliminate all eco- nomic and military aid to Israel. Fifth, discontinue FALL 2007 VERMONT COMMONS 23

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DISPERSIONS Breaking News: U.S. Not the Greatest By Kirkpatrick Sale

ne of the major obstacles to getting people to think about secession seri- It is, for one thing, violent—probably the most violent nation without a war Oously is a deep-seated feeling, larded about with patriotism and jingoism on its own soil. On the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Peace Index, and pride, that the United States is the best country in the world. Bar none. which factors in arms production and war budgets in addition to actual war- By any measure. So what’s the point in seceding from it? fare, the U.S. ranks 96th out of 121 nations – while the most peaceable are Of course, if it was the best country there could still be plenty of reasons Norway, New Zealand, Denmark, Ireland, and Japan. And according to the to want to secede from it. Like having an independent country that could figures crunched by the Citizen Peacebuilding Program at the University of make its own different policies and laws. Like having a nation that was small California Irvine, the ranking of violent deaths per 100,000 people puts the enough to provide a real representative democracy. Like having a government U.S. at 42d, with a rating of 7.9, compared to the top five, Norway (1), Greece on a scale where things could actually run efficiently and problems could be (1.3), Spain (1.3), Austria (1.7), and the Netherlands (1.7). solved. Like escaping a country that is too corrupt, too big, too beholden to In other words, the U.S. is nearly eight times as violent a place as Norway. corporate interests to do things like managing Iraq, running a war, rescuing The only major developed countries below us in the rankings are Poland, and rebuilding New Orleans, cutting nuclear armaments, saving Social Secu- Israel, Portugal, and most of South America. rity, securing borders and coping with illegal immigrants, fighting a war on It is also a politically apathetic society. Ranked on a world scale, the U.S. has drugs, fixing the health system and providing insurance, improving primary one of the worst records for voter turnout in elections since 1945 – it ranks education, allotting stem-cell research money, fixing the trade balance, secur- 139th out of 172 nations, with 48.3 percent of eligible voters, compared to a ing the dollar, and… need I go on? global average of 65 percent and to the top five nations, Italy (92.5), Cambo- But that is in fact begging the question, for it leads us to realize that this is dia (90.5), Seychelles (90.2), Iceland (89.5), and Indonesia (88.3). If we measure not the best country in the world, by a great many measures, and that there are many other nations that do right things and do them well. Let’s look at a few measures. “Basically, you die earlier and spend more time disabled if “Land of the free.” Is this not the freest country in the world, as our teach- ers always told us? (Let’s say that freedom is good. Leave aside that some free- you’re an American rather than a member of most other doms, like a rampant free market, are not all that wonderful.) Well, not for the advanced countries.” — Christopher Murray 2.3 million people behind bars, not only a higher number but a higher per- centage of people incarcerated (700 per 100,000 citizens) than any country in the world. Indeed, we have less than 5 percent of the world’s population, yet by U.S. off-year elections, in which only about a quarter of the population 25 percent of the world’s prisoners. And the majority of them are there votes, we come in next to last, only Mali, which has had only two elections because they were not free to use (and sell) their choice of drugs. ever, performing worse. This “democracy,” in other words, really isn’t; if By the criteria set each year by Freedom House for political rights and civil fewer than half the citizens vote, and something over a quarter of those liberties – another general measure of freedom – the U.S. ranks pretty well. decide elections, we are talking about minority rule, not democracy. But 25 other countries also rank at the top. And that ignores the fact that polit- That connects, of course, to scale. One reason Americans don’t vote is that ical freedom is severely curtailed by the amount of money necessary to run they don’t connect to the institutions to which they elect candidates—those for office – which at the federal level, as we’ve been seeing, is now something are remote and bloated, and they are totally unresponsive to the people who like $150 million just to get in the primary, and close to $1 billion to get in the elect them, so why even bother? Who thinks that members of the House, general election. Freedom for millionaires and those who can bilk them. who are in fact representing on average 650,000 people each, know or care Health might be another appropriate criterion. Measured by life expectancy, anything much about their constituents, except the ones who contribute in a the U.S. ranks 42nd in the world – 42nd! — and behind a host of much smaller big way to their campaigns? As for the presidency, we have ample evidence nations like Andorra, Japan, Macau, San Marino, and Singapore, the top five. that the occupant can manipulate the voters (and the machines) to win an Andorrans live on average 10 years longer than Americans. Or take infant mor- election and thereafter pay no attention to what they may want. It is for such tality rates. The U.S. ranks 183d in the world, well behind the top five: Singa- reasons that almost all of the nations in the top tier with high voter turnout pore, Sweden, Japan, Iceland, and Finland. And in terms of effectiveness of are small, many of them very small (the only sizeable ones are Indonesia and health care, the U.S. ranks 37th. Add to that the shameful fact that the United Italy)—because not only the votes, but the voters count. States is the only industrial state without a universal health system, and ranks So there it is. Not the greatest country in the world. Has some good fea- dead last in the percentage of people covered by health insurance. Christopher tures, maybe – jazz, say, and Hollywood, and spectacular scenery, and an Murray, who examines world health policies for the World Health Organiza- awful lot of wealth in the pockets of a few. tion, says bluntly: “Basically, you die earlier and spend more time disabled if But as to places to live, a great many other countries are superior. No point you’re an American rather than a member of most other advanced countries.” in keeping it together just for that. • Well, all right, our health care could use some improvement, but we’re still the richest nation on earth and we can take care of it. But, no, we are not the richest per capita. The latest rankings for Gross &HUWLÀHG2UJDQLF Domestic Production put the U.S. sixth, behind Luxemburg, Equatorial *CPFETCHVGF Guinea, United Arab Emirates, Norway, and Ireland. And as to poverty, we are the leader among industrial nations; the percentage of population below 50 $TGCFUHTQO percent of median household income is below eight in Iceland, New Zealand, Finland, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands, while in the .QECNN[ITQYP U.S. it is 17. Sociologist Steven D. Hales, writing in The Good Society earlier this year, cre- )TCKPU ated a complicated system of ranking nations according to health, happiness, and standard of living. The scores: Norway 37, Iceland 35, Sweden 30, Nether- ć lands 27, Australia, Luxembourg, Switzerland 24, Canada, Ireland 23, Den- mark 22, Austria, Finland 21—and United States 19. No matter that the details of his system might allow for some distortions— the plain fact is that the best country in the world by his measure is twice as  good as America. And all that leaves out several other important features of American society. $W&RRSVLQ&HQWUDO9HUPRQW WKH8SSHU9DOOH\