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Kai Mikkel Førlie
Member since Feb 16, 2014
Recent Comments
Re: “Citing Email About Afterburners, F-35 Critics Want New Noise Study”
Too bad the author fails to challenge Leahy's spin doctor by referencing the damning reporting by the Boston Globe which details the lengths to which Leahy interferred in the original basing evaluation by using his powerful position on the Senate Appropriations Committe to force a corrupt decision in Vermont's favor. How quickly they forget....
https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/20…
Posted by
Kai Mikkel Førlie
on 08/30/2019 at 7:35 AM
Re: “Walters: Environmentalist James Ehlers to Run for Governor of Vermont”
I'll say it: Mr. Ehlers is an exciting candidate! Hes adept at navigating all kinds of complicated relationships and responsibilities; is a dedicated activist whos not afraid to speak his mind; is articulate and well-studied; and is passionate & pragmatic about our environment what we need to do to ensure its health. He understands the obligation that he, as a dad, has to fight for a better world. He 'hangs' equally well w/Republicans, Dems, Progs, Libertarians, independents, hunters, fishers, enviros, scientists, fellow activists, working families, suits in boardrooms to folks on the street...you name it. Sure, he can ruffle feathers but hes also known for working in broad coalition to bring about meaningful reforms that benefit everyone and the world we occupy. At the helm of LCI, he's been a leading voice in the struggle to persuade state and local government, industry, agro-business, landowners & other stakeholders to take responsibility for the way we denigrate our most precious resource: water. His name will be new to some but I have little doubt that once folks get to know him and his platform, his popularity will soar. I'm actually looking forward to the upcoming gubernatorial race! Good luck James!
Posted by
Kai Mikkel Førlie
on 07/28/2017 at 2:31 PM
Re: “What's in the Water? In Some Places, Traces of Lead and Chemicals”
Sadly, this is just the tip of the iceberg.
https://www.facebook.com/Water-Wise-Vermon…
Posted by
Kai Mikkel Førlie
on 04/02/2016 at 5:01 PM
Re: “Burlington Police Shoot and Kill Mentally Ill Man”
We, and by extension copse, can only do so much. If someone chooses to hurt themselves in the privacy of their own home then that's just something we have to be willing to live with. We can attempt to talk them down or trick them into giving us an opening to subdue them. But if things get heated and subduing them is no longer a possibility then we need to back off. A life-taking like this should be the rare exception NOT the rule. But the statistics in this country say otherwise.
Posted by
Kai Mikkel Førlie
on 03/24/2016 at 2:39 PM
Re: “Burlington Police Shoot and Kill Mentally Ill Man”
To those who support the actions of the police, I ask, “Why are you unwilling to examine the basic fact that this event simply would not have happened in a country (like England) where police actually live up to the "protect and serve" motto? Isn't it a possibility that your judgement is tainted by the fact that you operate within a system that presupposes a completely different set of values? Might it be a worthwhile exercise to imagine a different way of doing things? Or, better yet, to actually look at the techniques in use in countries where cops don't go around murdering multiple people a day, year-in and year-out?
The point here is that non-violent alternatives were available yet these alternatives were cast aside in favor of aggressive action. As a helpful analogy, I ask, "Is it OK if cops execute a person standing on a bridge contemplating suicide?" Absolutely not! Police are supposed to offer that person their support and do what they can to prevent them from jumping and/or hurting others. They are NOT supposed to shoot them in cold blood! I’m not believer, but these cops "played god". Like so many before them, they stepped over the line, moving from protector to executioner. Naturally, I want police to protect people from themselves and others but there's a limit. Looking critically, it was the police who escalated a tense standoff situation by breaking into the man's apartment when all they needed to do was wait outside and observe. Folks who work in psychiatric hospitals don't go around murdering distraught patients and neither should the police!
Posted by
Kai Mikkel Førlie
on 03/24/2016 at 2:38 PM
Re: “Burlington Police Shoot and Kill Mentally Ill Man”
I have two responses to this senseless and totally unnecessary cold blooded murder:
British police versus man with kitchen knife: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fvbcBZQ_9…
British police versus man with machete: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cX5CPx4RKW…
Or, even more obvious: Station a couple of officers and a mental health expert outside the guy's apartment door (the only means of ingress/egress), send everybody else on their way and wait. Would that have been so hard? Instead we waste untold man-hours and end up with a tragic death. What a terrible waste all around!
This is police work at its absolute worst, but this kind of thing is far from infrequent:
https://www.facebook.com/KilledByPolice/?f…
Posted by
Kai Mikkel Førlie
on 03/23/2016 at 9:39 PM
Re: “Vermont Gives $1.4 Million for Phosphorus Reduction Projects”
Exactly James. Not only are we having to absorb the loss in property values, decrease in tourism dollars, primary and secondary health risks and reduced quality of life, but we get to hand over our tax dollars (which should go towards addressing the source) to private business boondoggles. Hell of a way to tackle a problem.