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Connecting dots to Douglas



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Published: June 28, 2009

Recent letters and editorials questioning the wisdom of letting ATVs loose on state land miss an important point: this proposal doesn't actually come from the Agency of Natural Resources. ANR's professional staff already has told a study committee on ATVs how damaging these machines can be, and how hard it will be to manage them on state lands. This idea isn't coming from ANR's beleaguered land managers.

This proposal comes straight from the governor's office. And it isn't about what's best for Vermonters or for state land, it's about partisan politics. Gov. Douglas has opened this can of worms to energize his conservative base, and to distract us from the destructive impacts of his policies and program cuts. And after his defeats in the last legislative session, this handy controversy also helps Douglas change the subject.

It's the sort of thing that Karl Rove engineered for George Bush. By whipping everyone up over abortion, gay rights or national security, attention could be shifted away from Bush's ruinous economic and foreign policies.

Dragging our wonderful state forests and parks into a political parlor game like this does a disservice to the generations of Vermonters who've worked so hard to secure these lands for conservation and responsible use. Perhaps giving over state lands to ATVs will shore up the governor's popularity with a particular group of voters. But giving in to a narrow special interest like this is bad public policy, and is bad news for the rest of us.

Ginny McGrath

Montpelier








READER COMMENTS


"That Guy, (sigh, another nameless person desperately lacking in testosterone), thanks for the free plug. However, you made a couple of mistakes. I am not a DJ on the site and your estimate is a little off. With 767 members from 47 states and 38 foreign countries, and over 40,000 hits per month, I think the site deserves more credit than "little known." I'd wager it has more visitors per month than a certain radio staton in southern Vermont."

Wow -- I'm guessing that you're insinuating that you have more online listeners than the Springfield station you quit / were fired from / were "retired" from? You know, the one you still obviously carry as a chip on your shoulder?

Mighty impressive... kinda like boasting about being taller than Verne Troyer, but hey, we all need to feel good about ourselves, right?

767 members from 47 states and 38 foreign countries? Let's see: that comes out to nine people per nation / state. Hmmm... since I'll wager that a plurality if not a majority of those numbers are in Vermont and/or New Hampshire, that means that some of those states and/or countries are represented by, what, one or two or three people?

Tell you what, Ray: stick to making comments about liberals and lost national morality. The more you reveal about yourself and your own business, the less impressive you become... presumed levels of "testosterone" and all.

Oh, and Ginny's still right.
-- Posted by That Guy on Wed, Jul 1, 2009, 11:45 am EST

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That Guy, (sigh, another nameless person desperately lacking in testosterone), thanks for the free plug. However, you made a couple of mistakes. I am not a DJ on the site and your estimate is a little off. With 767 members from 47 states and 38 foreign countries, and over 40,000 hits per month, I think the site deserves more credit than "little known." I'd wager it has more visitors per month than a certain radio staton in southern Vermont.

But I digress. Notta, excellent rebuttal, and while we do (and likely always will) disagree on poltics, I thoroughly enjoyed your version of the Bushman family history.
-- Posted by Ray Lemire on Wed, Jul 1, 2009, 4:49 am EST

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Ray, you have some of the story right but let me fill you in on the rest; The Bushmans (now deceased) were a famous R&B act in and around the Detroit area back when soul was king. Mom Bushman had 8 children, mostly by Dad but some by other members of the band. One of those children was Ann as you suggested but what you didn't mention was that Ann was so crazy she had her skin and hair color changed but couldn't seem to erase the family trait of ... well, shall we say "nutcase" for lack of a better term.

When I came along as the youngest member of the troop Ann had already been banished to parts unknown and I was named Notta Nother Crazy Bushman to differentiate me from my sister, Crazy Ann. You seee, due to the testing that whad become available by then, Mom and Dad knew that I had escaped the family curse of which Ann had a double dose.

Due to problems on the marquees of many of the venues we played in during those years, the promoters convinced Mom and Dad to legally shorten my name to Notta Bushman so it would fit up there with my siblings. That's the truth as it was told to me by my paternal Grampa, Sniffda. But that's another story.

As for Ann, the family arranged for her to marry a guy named Charlie Coulter but after he spent a winter locked up with Crazy Ann he lost his mind and has since had a rather strange tattoo plced on his forhead. Later, in an attempt to escape his witch of a wife he divorced her, went into hiding in the desert in California, formed another group of his own and changed his name to Manson so people wouldn't know that he had been married to the increasingly delusional and ugly Ann. Now that she's infamous (that's the word, not "famous") and Charlie is in the pokey for some crime he and his new family committed out of desperation to get away from Crazy Ann, the Bushmans seldom speak of her. The shame runs deep ... not just because she's a flaming nutball ultra-conservative but because she brought shame upon her one-time husband and drove him over the edge to a life of crime. Of the two of them I have always preferred Charlie. Even to this day ... and I'm no supporter of Charlie either. Make no mistake about that!

And that's the whole story. Now let it go.

Oh, yuh ... Ginny! Yep, she's a very astute woman and very fortunate not to have been brought up in my family. Now, wait a minute; at the last family reunion there was talk about a long-lost family member from up around Montpelier, who was so ashamed of being somehow linked to Ann that she disowned the whole family of us. You don't suppose that Ginny is ... Nah, couldn't be. Then again ... She's smart, I'm smart ...maybe, huh?
-- Posted by Notta Bushman on Tue, Jun 30, 2009, 10:20 pm EST

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ooch thats gonna leave a mark....
-- Posted by John Smith on Tue, Jun 30, 2009, 8:47 am EST

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Notta,

Your response seems to explain everything but I want to be sure. Why would your parents name you Notta if in fact you were actually their child? Naming you Notta Bushman clearly implies you were Not A Bushman, so my guess is you were adopted. Wouldn't it be marvelous to discover your real parents were right-wing fanatics named Coulter who had to decide betwen keeping you or you sister Ann?

Ann used her education well and went on to become a national political commentator (admittedly a nut but famous, nonetheless) while you, completely unaware you had that precious conservative blood flowing through your veins, wasted your time in school and now spend your time promoting increased taxes, the lowering moral of standards and writing letters to the Rutland Herald.
-- Posted by Ray Lemire on Tue, Jun 30, 2009, 5:12 am EST

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Notta Clueman, I'm just reporting what is out there on the internet. You subscribe to the Cesarian philosophy of killing the messenger when he informs you of things that you would rather not hear.

You are still bashing Bush etal and I suspect you will continue on until you die, it is sure easier than having to think about what you say.
-- Posted by Joe Bradley on Mon, Jun 29, 2009, 7:24 pm EST

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Hey, Ray Lemire, what makes you think that it's NOT my real name, pal? I've explained this over and over and over again but you evidently missed it so: My parents, the Bushmans, named me Notta just after my birth. I've used that as my legal name ever since. You can read it right on my birth certificate. See? There you go. I hope that puts an end to this silly questioning over and over. Do you ever ask for the None None twins to produce evidence of their being named None None and explain why there's such a coincidence that BOTH of them appear here on a regular basis, always expressing opposite opinions? No! Maybe because one of them agrees with your right-wing stance on things? OK, that's the end of it then.

Joe Bradley, you'll note that I didn't take the original shot at at the Rove/Bush notion. I simply agreed that it's entirely possible that their tactics are still in use right here in the Green Mountains and that I find that to be interesting. Besides, didn't you support the Bush/Rove guys when they were prancing around The White House, plotting against America? So, why would you object when someone points out that maybe their tactics in use here? Shouldn't you like that?

Oh, and Joey, what's with this: "Horse riders and mountain bikers, be aware that militant hikers want to lump you in with ATVers."

That's a bit of a stretch, isn't it? When horses and mountain bikers are riding on ATVs or cross-country motorcycles I'll be opposed to them on the trail too. In the meantime perhaps you shouldn't be reading more into things than is real. You might find yourself accused of the same kind of lies and truth-stretching practiced by the Bush/Rove/Cheney/Limbaugh/Hannity manure-spreaders. Just sayin' you MIGHT. Just lookin' out for ya, buddy. Wouldn't want those mean ol' libs to be accusing you of anything ...
-- Posted by Notta Bushman on Mon, Jun 29, 2009, 5:22 pm EST

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CF

I think you should try lowering the other oar into the water.
-- Posted by None None on Mon, Jun 29, 2009, 4:58 pm EST

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Lol Comfy,

Yeah, I understood it as well.

Joe and the others are just upset whenever anyone thinks rationally. Especially if it may discredit their precious GOP/Republican Party.

To think politicians don't use smoke and mirrors?

That is truly an insane thought. If this was being mentioned against liberals and democrats they would be singing a different tune. It's just how they operate. They have an agenda. They truly love their party like a sports fan loves their "sports team".

It doesn't make sense to me. This isn't a game. It's not a sports team. Don't they realize this isn't a "Sport's Team". It's not a game of who wins and who loses. But it is for many....

If you have a Republican in office. We lose. If we have a Democrat in office. We lose. If we have a liberal in office. We lose.

Why don't we start looking for individuals that will help us win? Why do we keep supporting those that ruin our future?

It's not rational. But here we are. And the parties love it. They love the fact they can keep f**king us over and over and we'll keep crawling back for more. They will give us a little. And take a lot. And we just keep coming back for more!

I guess we just like the abuse? What do you think?
-- Posted by CF Reality on Mon, Jun 29, 2009, 4:48 pm EST

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Horse riders and mountain bikers, be aware that militant hikers want to lump you in with ATVers.

I think, in their spare time, the militant hikers ride bicycles, naked, through Montpelier.

http://venturacountytrails.org/News/0041-TrailConflicts/NewsPage.htm
-- Posted by Joe Bradley on Mon, Jun 29, 2009, 9:04 am EST

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Sadly,Notta is the only one so far who seems to understand what the above letter was about.
-- Posted by Comfy Anon on Mon, Jun 29, 2009, 5:07 am EST

Sadly Comfy, you avoid the political barb that this letter tosses at the Republicans under the guise of the ATV issue.

It is, truly, tragic that you and Notta missed it altogether.
-- Posted by Joe Bradley on Mon, Jun 29, 2009, 8:57 am EST

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I did a little investigating of my own and discovered the ATV's are filled with gay couples riding into the state in anticipation of becoming married.

Conclusion: It's the liberals' fault!

Seriously, I deducted major points from Notta Bushman's comments for somehow tyinmg this issue into the Rove/Bush days, and for not being courageous enough to use a real name. It's all about credibilty, Notta. If you can't post your name, that implies weakness in your argument, or maybe it's just plain embarassment.

Give me "Mr. Straightlaced" any day of the week. Has this country and in particular, this state sunk so low that a person with morals is to be considered a punchline for a joke?
-- Posted by Ray Lemire on Mon, Jun 29, 2009, 7:45 am EST

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I googled ATV Destruction and got 870,000 results
I googled ATV Damage and got 2,450,000 more sites

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1594/is_3_11/ai_62298549/

"A report by the White House Council on Environmental Quality titled Off Road Vehicles on Public Lands says ORVs (including ATVs) have damaged every kind of ecosystem found in the United States."

"The damage done by ATV use in the backcountry goes beyond an explosion of user created trails that is killing vegetation and causing soil erosion, says Gayle Joslin, a biologist with the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks."

http://www.greenspiration.org/environ/articles/ATVosaur.htm

"Twenty years ago, New Zealand banned the use of off road vehicles everywhere but on farms, treating them like small tractors (their original purpose)."

"By driving in wetlands and salt marshes, compacting soil and sand, churning up streambeds that will take decades to recover (if ever), drivers may be having a hoot, but the true costs of such reckless behaviour are immeasurable."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnZkyC06LDI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elFLzFWkShk

http://www.publiclandsnl.org/issues/atv/destruction.php
Check the photos at the above link to see the so called NO DESTRUCTION of ATVs.

http://www.mymcadoohome.com/documents/ATVDamagePhoneModem.pdf
more photos here, be sure to look at them all.

http://ebs.gmnews.com/news/2007/0125/Front_page/001.html
"When one trail gets flooded because of erosion, the riders simply create another one through the woods."

"They do a lot of damage, and they destroy everything," resident Mike Smith said. "They're nasty and arrogant. They come from all over."


http://www.wildwilderness.org/content/view/852/61/

http://northstar.sierraclub.org/campaigns/forests/atvs/index.html
"The powerful spinning wheels of ATVs, dirt bikes and mudder trucks are inherently destructive to the delicate plants, thin soils and steep slopes of the our state's prairies and forests. Erosion multiplies their damage and pollutes our valued trout steams, wetlands and beautiful lakes. When they proliferate, rare wildlife habitats are degraded and residents and visitors lose cherished peace and quiet.".
-- Posted by None None on Mon, Jun 29, 2009, 6:51 am EST

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Sadly,Notta is the only one so far who seems to understand what the above letter was about.
-- Posted by Comfy Anon on Mon, Jun 29, 2009, 5:07 am EST

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kamikaze machine? exaggerated much there guy? another propagandist looking to make it sound worse then it ever could possibly be
-- Posted by None None on Mon, Jun 29, 2009, 12:00 am EST

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mark's right!

George Bush, Karl Rove and Jim Douglas riding around on ATVs, splashing mud on hikers and tearing up the trails??? You're right Notta and Ginny, its all a conspiracy!

And now for our halftime show:

http://eclectech.co.uk/mindcontrol.php
-- Posted by Joe Bradley on Sun, Jun 28, 2009, 9:52 pm EST

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Ginny, you seem filled with hate. You should seek help.
-- Posted by None None on Sun, Jun 28, 2009, 1:44 pm EST

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Yeah, I see Karl Rove's influence all over this. [sarcasm]
-- Posted by mark on Sun, Jun 28, 2009, 11:24 am EST

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Allen & Joe - boys, boys, there's no good reason to spin what Ginny wrote. She never wrote that Rove and Bush had anything to do with Jim Douglas' apparent political act. What she implied was that Bush/Rove type tactics are at work here. I find that to be an interesting idea and one worth investigating.

Why DOES the governor back a wacky proposal like this? I don't think he's an ATVer, is he? Can you picture our straight-laced governor in a white shirt and tie, Mr. Peepers glasses akimbo, piloting one of those kamikaze machines through an ATV-produced mud holes on state land? I certainly can't. There's something darker going on and maybe Ginny is right in her theory.
-- Posted by Notta Bushman on Sun, Jun 28, 2009, 9:36 am EST

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Yet another individual that sees an alterior motive with an issue that has been discussed for years. ATV use and state lands isn't a new issue. This type of letter is typically written by individuals with no knowledge of ATV's and there owners and those that have never read articles about the limited use of the state lands would be. ATV use in other states is much greater than in VT and is done without adverse impacts on the land. It has been made to sound like ATV users are some how different and represent another group of outdoor enthusiasts. Many ATV users are also snowmobile users and respect the sport and the opportunity.

The ATV changes just could be next in line after the major time spent on the budget and gay marriage.
-- Posted by None None on Sun, Jun 28, 2009, 9:25 am EST

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Sorry Ginny, when you invoke the names of Karl Rove and George Bush and imply that they, somehow, had something to do with the ATVs being allowed on public land, you come off like a conspiratorial nut-job.

I was going to ask you where you came by your information that Jim Douglas was the one who opened up the land to ATVs, however, after reading your letter I am convinced that you tuned into some inter-galactic transmission with your tin foil hat.

If you go to Burlington International Airport, I'm pretty sure you can hitch a ride on a black helicopter.
-- Posted by Joe Bradley on Sun, Jun 28, 2009, 9:17 am EST

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Ginny - You are obviously a very liberal, earth crunching individual as reflected in your innability to talk about an issue without bashing Bush and Karl Rove. What do they have to do with ATV's in Vermont? Talk about the issue, benefits, dissadvantages and get off the political soap box.

I suppose you are another Vermonter who has spoken out about how Bush is in tight with the oil companies and how we need to get off of our foreign oil addiction. Now wind farms are being proposed in Vermont and the "Environmentalists" are hiding behind the keep the green state unspoiled blanket. Enough is enough.
-- Posted by Allen Seiple on Sun, Jun 28, 2009, 7:03 am EST

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