MONTPELIER--Vermont JAILers and others attended a rally in our capitol city Montpelier on January 28th, 2004 and set up in front of the Washington County Courthouse in Montpelier. Scheduled for 1 p.m. inside was the suit to open Howard Dean's sealed gubernatorial records--Judicial Watch v. Howard Dean.

Due to my involvement in a rear-ender, my group of travelers was unable to get there with important signs and props during the time the 25 or so protesters were there. Just imagine if all of the rest of us could have gotten there!!

Many participants are associated with J.A.I.L., P.O.S.T., and other groups plus individuals who are frustrated with the state of our State's abuses of the People. Attached are pictures. Thank you Cecil for most of them. I Decided not to post the faces of the children attending (for the time being).

I eventually made it to Montpelier but many of my friends had departed by that hour. Some of us took the time to sit in on a house judiciary committee meeting, I also delivered some copies to the Republican Campaign Headquarters and left literature at the library.

The Judicial Watch v. Howard Dean hearing, it is my understanding, was continued. We will do it again and the rest of us will make up for the lost opportunity due to weather and other unforeseen circumstances that thwarted us. Thank you Michael for copying and providing handouts when the hog's share of copies were trapped in my car enroute; also Kathee for your presence and role; Nicole for videotaping; David for the many phone call prompts; Rosemary for putting notice out to your list; and everyone else for all that you did. Here are comments from attendees:

Wendy said:"We missed you at the rally, hope everything is all right. There was quite a crowd and things broke up around two. .... The hearing was very short. Lin and Dick Day went into hear it and said the judge did not agree with the state's attorney defending Howard Dean and put it off to another calendar call. There were a variety of signs, a lot against SRS and a few Judicial Accountability and I think maybe two about Dean's records. Nicole videoed the event, and she could probably tell you more about it."

Bill said:"In one sense the demonstration was a success in what was not acknowledged by big media, Chris Graff could be seen slinking away with his head down with no acknowledgement that there was any activity in front of the courthouse. Another WCAX TV reporter walked in front of the signs playing dead. Saw a Burlington Free Press reporter going into the office down the street without concern. Nothing in the Burlington Free Press this morning.On the other hand I saw people in cars, honk, give the ole thumbs up and wave in the form of support, one party stopped for discussion. On the sidewalk people accepted the material passed out listened to the message,became engaged in discussions about government and those that simply walked by read the signs that everyone was carrying. They were curious about themessages.This was typical of all demonstrations I have previously attended in Montpelier the media ignores while the curiosity of the people goes unsatisfied by them. The people want to know!Informed people will make the right choices."

Michael said: The cops stopped by and told us that we could not obstruct the sidewalk....

Lynn said: [did not make it to the rally but was watching WCAX news]"we watched WCAX looking for you ! I saw the court room was empty (no one was able to get to the 1pm-er?) and couldn't help but feel how interesting it would have been to have been there for all to see! Especially Sorrel when he watched the tape l, later! Did you note that Parsons was very put-out with Howdy at the very start of the newscast because they were denied access to him for that Trippi scoop!Wow! And after all that freebie publicity Div gave him!!! He was very sarcastic and caustic when delivering any news thereafter regarding Howie. I can't wait to see what the tone will be for the next few days! Is the love affair over?! ... Good for you that you bounced (sorry) back so well from that. You have high energy levels! ...Thanks for coming out the way you did to give me that once-in-a-life-time ride! "

Marseilles Parsons: (Responding to a query about "those people who were in front of the building, why didn't I see that on the news?""we [at WCAX-tv] were there for the court hearing these people are demonstrating about presumably. Some Dean files have been locked up for ten years. there was a story last night."...The following is information that was on the newscast, coming to me from WCAX: Less than 16 hours after presidential candidate and doctor Howard Dean told supporters they had successfully sealed some political wounds suffered in Iowa... Attorneys were in a front of a Vermont judge who must decide whether some sealed boxes of the records from Governor Dean's tenure should be opened....At issue... Public access to ALL 345 boxes of paperwork left behind in the State Archives. Dean negotiated a special deal with archivists that forbid inspection of nearly 150 boxes of documents for ten years. Researchers for Dean's presidential opponents complained... And Judicial Watch filed suit to open Dean's secret files.((Andrew Manitsky/Judicial Watch attorney: "there is an executive privilege,but what's happened here is that Governor Dean has not met the burden of establishing that privilege." ))...((William Griffin/Deputy Attorney Gen'l: "over the last 15 or 20 years,Governors and the state archivist have negotiated as to what papers go into the state archives and I think the agreement entered into here was the standard agreement - the difference was there was 3 or 4 years added to the sealing period." ))...Today Judge Alan Cook heard from Scott Huminski who says the Attorney General's office should not be defending Dean. Judge Cook said he would rule shortly on the North Carolina man's intervention.... Judicial Watch is looking for a speedy resolution to the case that the yare continuing to pursue despite Dean's second place finishes and declining fortunes on the presidential trail.

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