Editorial
Vermont Woman's Candidate Endorsements

Vermont Woman endorses the following candidates for United States Senate and House, Governor and Lieutenant Governor on November 7. Our decisions were formulated by one-on-one interviews conducted between June and August, in which we vigorously questioned each candidate about his or her position on a range of issues we believe are of utmost importance to our readers. (See September 2006 or visit vermontwoman.com for the summaries of those interviews). Since then, we have continued scrutinizing these individuals, analyzing their statements and actions as this endorsement committee has come to its final conclusions.

The endorsements that follow are intended to clarify candidates’ positions on matters of direct concern to our readers including, but not limited to: women’s health and reproductive rights, environmental protections, civil liberties, demonstrated and potential leadership, and the “war on terrorism.”

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Doggedly Determined to Find Cancer's Cure in Vermont

Dr. Krag's Groundbreaking Research –
from Bench to Bedside

By the time of our late afternoon interview, David Krag, S.D. Ireland Professor of Surgical Oncology at the University of Vermont (UVM), needs a pick-me-up, so off we go to hunt down a coffee stand. Krag, a tall, lean man, moves through the labyrinthine Given Building with the barely suppressed energy of a child after dessert. As we take the stairs down four flights he begins – without waiting for a question – by explaining that the mortality rate from breast cancer could drop by 30 percent, if we just ensured that existing “best practices” were followed in all instances. By the time we hit the coffee stand he has moved from the need to systematize care, to the difficulty today of managing the quantity of medical information on even the smallest of subjects, let alone processing it as a physician and providing the most up-to-date care for patients. He pauses to order a large French roast and a double espresso, both for himself. “I get a little tired in the afternoons,” he explains, almost apologetically.

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Kim and Scott Ireland: Not Just Leaving it to Luck

Entering Kim and Scott Ireland’s home is like walking into a museum. Covering both sides of the entryway and filling glass cases running down the center of the hall is baseball paraphernalia of every imaginable sort. Signed balls. Photos. Hundreds of vintage baseball cards. Scott loves baseball. He collects cards. He owns season tickets for the Red Sox games. But even knowing this, and even after passing through the shrine in the front hallway, it is still surprising to sit down at the kitchen counter and get a full view of the regulation sized Little League field – complete with dugouts – in the back yard.

This is not simply baselines mowed into someone’s back field where kids can toss the ball around. Last summer this field hosted a number of games for teams made up of kids who wanted to continue playing after the regular Little League season was done. And one of the first thing players from both teams did when they showed up for a game was to put on the sunscreen that can always be found in each of the dugouts. Sixteen years ago, Scott was diagnosed with melanoma, a form of skin cancer caused by overexposure to the sun. Sunscreen at the Ireland house is mandatory.

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Straight from the Donkey's Mouth and the Elephant's Trunk:
Candidates for Auditor of Accounts and Secretary of State Tout the Reasons They Deserve Your Vote

Continuing our coverage of Vermont’s statewide races, this month we bring you candidates for Auditor of Accounts and Secretary of State. Lest you be tempted to wonder at the importance of these particular races, remember that incumbent Governor Jim Douglas previously served as Secretary of State. What is more, recent elections from Florida to Ohio have demonstrated the potential impact – for good and for ill – of state Secretaries of State beyond their own border. Vermont Woman invited all candidates for these two offices to submit short personal statements on why they deserve your vote. We have printed all the responses received below for your consideration as you head to the polls.

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Publisher's Message
The Legacy of Silver-Haired,
Silver-Tongued Ann Richards

Former Texas Governor Ann Richards, 73, died on September 13, 2006.

She battled hard as she faced death, just as she fought political and personal adversity her entire life.

Some fights she won, like achieving sobriety for 26 years, and becoming the first woman governor of Texas in 50 years.

But she did not win this one.

Richards died of cancer of the esophagus barely six months after diagnosis.

Those of us who loved her, and even those who did not, felt profound grief when hearing the news, knowing her passing would leave a void no one can or will fill for a long, long time – perhaps ever.

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The Striking Optimism of Faith

The Brattleboro Museum and Art Center is currently showing an exhibit of works by Faith Ringgold, the celebrated African American artist who works in many mediums, including silkscreened quilts, prints, and books. The exhibit, which opened in July, runs through March 4, 2007.

Ringgold’s work is art as advocacy: playful, political, colorful, and surreal. It is not heavy-handed, yet it interrogates our country’s record of history, patriarchy, racism, and privilege directly, and with courage. Her unique body of work is inspired by the legacy of her people and her gender. Ringgold is an optimistic activist who invites us to say what we mean and do what we say. “If One Can, Anyone Can. All you Gotta Do Is Try,” declares her Web site greeting.

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