On the Ballot Officially, Bear Raids Beehives
At the Vermont Secretary of State in Montpelier
Folks,
As of Friday morning, I am officially on the ballot for Vermont Senator for Addison County! Thanks to you all for your hard work and great ideas. Your contributions have served to get the Independent word out there, encourage people to register to vote, even built a parade float.
But I’m not gonna do an NPR on you and beg for even more funds. Funds’ll come, somehow. What’s really needed is organisational help. I’d like to set up a community forum in Addison County every month until the election. A forum in which people from all walks of life can address the candidates directly with concerns, questions, and even vent steam together with neighbours on how broken the system is. If you know something about community organising and publicity, please contact me directly, robert@senatorwagner.com.
Friday morning I also discovered that a bear had raided our beehives, in spite of extreme measures to prevent this. And that another animal had breached the temporary gate to the vegetable garden, and chewed up the beet tops and the blueberry seedlings. We put together the remaining bees in one hive that still had a queen (fortunately), and in the evening when they quieted down, started putting in an electric fence. That’s when the bear came back.
Made a lot of noise, as it poised itself to eat the remaining honey, combs and young bees. It turned toward us. I shot it.
I’m not much of a hunter. Got it in the butt. But that was enough… it ran away. Scarpered. Spent the night in the orchard with the gun across my legs, but it didn’t come back.
Morning came, put on a fresh clean shirt and headed to the Community Forum in Burlington at City Hall organised by Todd for VT House, where I thoroughly enjoyed myself on the panel, talking Vermont issues with real people.
Back home later… reflected on the fact that the Legislature must keep Vermont’s firearms laws the way they are: liberal & progressive! Resist any attempt of the politically correct Democrats to take guns away from Vermonters or control them. And nullify any foolishness coming out of DC that would interfere with this basic right. After the Fugitive Slave Act, the Patriot Act and the Military Commissions Act, anything is possible. This is why I am asking you to send me to Montpelier. Vermont’s unique identity must remain intact.
