I received a subscription to salon.com for Christmas from my boss, so I don't feel too guilty about reading it at work... (he reads Candleblog too--hi Rob!). Anyway, today's Salon is big on Vermont.

Long Live Secession! is a story about the U.S.'s history and current flirtation with the notion of states breaking off from the union and going it alone. Vermont author and professor, Thomas Naylor, is featured prominently in the article. I met Professor Naylor last week when he appeared on an episode of KA Live, a bi-weekly political/social/hip hop/dance show on VCAM. The producers of the show asked me if I had heard of the prof--I had not, but now I see why they asked.

Also in today's Salon is Why Dean Should Take Charge, an opinion piece about why Gov. Howard Dean is the right choice for the DNC chair:

Political and media elites in Washington are at once horrified and dismissive of Dean's quest. They insist that Democrats would be crazy to pick a raving liberal like Dean as their next party chairman. But as is so often the case, this inside-the-Beltway conventional wisdom is based on dubious "facts" and assumptions about how ordinary Americans relate to politics. Dean is exactly the leader Democrats need to become relevant again.

The Florida Democratic chairman's statement to the New York Times reveals just how out of touch the Washington establishment is: "I'm a gun-owning pickup-truck driver and I have a bulldog named Lockjaw," said Scott Maddox. "I am a Southern chairman of a Southern state, and I am perfectly comfortable with Howard Dean as DNC chair."

And the reason Florida Democrats like Dean?

"What our party needs right now is energy, enthusiasm and a willingness to do things differently," Maddox added. "I think Howard Dean brings all three of those things to the party."

As always, watch a short ad and get a free Salon Premium day pass to read the whole articles. It's worth it.