Green Mountain Meandering Missives

Photo: Vermont State House (taken by Morgan W. Brown). Revisiting Mental Health Treatment within Vermont The very nature of self-determination as well as independence would seem to dictate not merely having freedom of choice, but rather also include both the freedom and the right to ensure one's self-defined and self-expressed wishes, choices and decisions are not defined, limited, narrowed or controlled by outside influences, no matter how well-intended or well-meaning. Each person needs to decide as well as do what is best for themselves and, as such, they are the only one who actually knows what that is during any given moment or circumstance. When it comes to health care and, most particularly concerning mental health treatment and related matters, save (i.e., except for retaining one's own) true and actual freedom of choice regarding such decisions, this means that like most anything else in this life there are truly no absolutes, nor should there be any imposed on any pe

  P hoto: Person living unhoused outdoors resting on a bench in Montpelier, the capital city of Vermont (photo shared with the direct consent of the person pictured; image credit: Morgan W. Brown). Thoughts on Political Leadership: Safeguarding The Bottom Line Screenshot, via Google Search (term: safeguarding meaning). Screenshot, via Merriam Webster Dictionary (term: bottom line; click onto image to view enlargement). When it comes to governing and providing sorely needed political leadership, particularly during times of financial troubles as well as when there is a serious humanitarian and social crisis, at least to my way of thinking as a layperson, the main concerns as well as top priorities of an elected politician or otherwise a candidate seeking political office should not merely be about the administration and management of government, but rather be toward providing proper leadership, particularly and most importantly when balancing competing as well as diverse interests and n

Archived Video: Press Conference - End Homelessness Vermont: Loss of Emergency Shelter for Hundreds of Vermont Households (via ORCA Media, via YouTube; Length: 47:08 minutes/seconds):   Related Press Release : Media Advisory: Press Conference on Loss of Emergency Shelter for Hundreds of Vermont Households Contacts:   Frank Knaack [...] Brenda Siegel , [...] , 410 227 3173 Lawmakers, Housing, Homelessness, Disability Organizations Raise Alarm about Loss of Emergency Shelter for Hundreds of Vermont Households  Montpelier, VT – On Wednesday, September 25 lawmakers and representatives from Vermont housing and homelessness organizations will discuss how the implementation night and hotel caps within the General Assistance Emergency Housing Program have and will continue to result in the loss of emergency shelter for hundreds of Vermont’s most vulnerable households. Organizations will also make specific policy recommendations to mitigate this crisis. What: Press Conference on Loss of Em

Updated 4x (view updates below, updated press coverage & informational resources; + another VPO blog post link; + ACLU Letter; last updated on 9/20/2024 at 5:30 AM): Archived Video: Municipal Leaders Call for Immediate Action To Address the Homelessness Crisis (held on 9/18/2024 at 10:00 AM; length: 45:33 minutes/seconds; via ORCA Media): Related Press Release: For Immediate Release Tuesday, September 17, 2024 Municipal Leaders Call on the State to Take Immediate Action to Address Homelessness Crisis  WHERE/WHEN: Wednesday, September 18 th , 10:00am, City Council Chambers, Montpelier City Hall, 39 Main Street, Montpelier, VT 05602 Contact: William Fraser, Montpelier City Manager 39 Main Street Montpelier, Vermont 802-223-9502 WFraser@montpelier-vt.org MONTPELIER, VT—Municipal leaders from across Vermont to call on all three branches of State government to take charge of the growing homelessness crisis and assume their legal responsibilities for the un-housed.  “We stand together

Humor Break:  Over the years, after searching high and low, I have never come across anyone who had square feet, which leaves me somewhat perplexed about how, in terms of measurement, there could be such a thing as "square feet" or a "square foot". 🦶🤪