Green Mountain Meandering Missives

  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 a...

Video: Ralph Nader's take on the US 2024 election (via The Take; Al Jazeera English; via YouTube):

Had come across the first interesting video concerning the history as well as myths about the  U.S. Constitution last evening (due to a YouTube suggestion) and the second interesting video of a debate regarding the same matters while preparing to embed the first video within this blog post (during the draft stage; above link via The White House): Video 1: The Original Intent of the Constitution | Myths of American History (via The Great Courses ; via YouTube; length: 31:55 minutes/seconds): Video 2:  Original Intent of the Constitution ( via Institute of Politics Harvard Kennedy School ;  via YouTube; length: 1:32:30 hours/minutes/seconds): For more information, check out the following: The Constitution: How Did it Happen? (via the National Archives); Original Meaning and Constitutional Interpretation (via Constitution Annotated); How the US Constitution Has Changed and Expanded Since 1787 (via the History Channel); Video: Understanding the U S. Constitution (via City...

Montpelier City Meeting campaign sign season (Main Street roundabout; photos taken in the early, foggy, morning of Sunday, March 3, 2024).

  Democracy Matters A virtual snapshot from behind the scenes at the election polls on City Meeting Day in Montpelier last year (2023) (Selfie: Former Justice of the Peace, Morgan W. Brown, after arriving early in the morning at City Hall on City Meeting Day, 2023) As a newly elected Justice of the Peace (JP; since resigned, in September 2023) as well as a (now former) member of the local Board of Civil Authority (BCA), having officially taken office along with other new and incumbent JP's on February 1st (2023), I had an opportunity to volunteer as a poll worker for several hours during the City Meeting held in Montpelier last year (Tuesday, March 7, 2023).  Although I have previously intended to do so from time to time in years past, this was my very first time volunteering at the polls as a poll worker.  While my father had brought me to the polls as a youth whenever he voted; and, later on, having voted myself when I first became of age to participate (in 1976, firs...