Online Chat
Brookfield School
April 11, 2000

Session Start: Tue Apr 11 10:28:43 2000

*** Sen_Leahy (senator_leahy@63.82.114.253) has joined #Brookfield

[Ben-Danae] Hello Senator

[Mell-Alyc] what is your middle name?

[Sen_Leahy] Hi, glad to be with all of you.

[Mell-Alyc] great

[Kate_Alis] Hello! How are ypu doing?

[Ben-Danae] you

[Sen_Leahy] My middle name in Joseph. I am the second Patrick J. Leahy. The first was my grandfather who was a granite cutter in Barre.

[Ben-Danae] interesting

[Mell-Alyc] where were you born

[Sen_Leahy] I was in vermont this weekend. What did you think of the storm?

[Ben-Danae] What do you think of womens rights in the middle east?

[Ben-Danae] it was amazing

[Sen_Leahy] Mell I was born in Montpelier Vermont.

[Kate_Alis] I heard you want to help Vermont's enviorment. What are your plans for that??

[Mell-Alyc] My name is relly Mellissa

[Sen_Leahy] Women have far greater rights in our country than they do in many parts of the Middle East. Most countries prosper far more when they realize that allowing women equal rights with men helps them.

[Mell-Alyc] hi I am Alycia

[Ben-Danae] I see

[Mell-Alyc] ho

[Sen_Leahy] Thanks Mellissa and Alycia. I have a daughter named Alicia.

[Kate_Alis] If you run for govenor,and you were elected govenor, what would your plans be?

[Kate_Alis] Sorry if I'm rushing you with questions!:):):)

[Sen_Leahy] I do not have any plans to run for governor. I think our present governor does a fine job. I will continue to work to get funding to clean up our rivers, streams and lakes and to stop some of the pollution and acid rain we get from the midwest.

[Kate_Alis] Cool Mr.Leahy!

[Kate_Alis] :):):)

[Sen_Leahy] I am doing my best to keep up. I do my own typing so please excuse any typos

[Ben-Danae] Will you do anything about the growing crime and drug manufacturing in Columbia?

[Kate_Alis] That's OK

[Mell-Alyc] do you like where you live?

[Kate_Alis] This is Alison do you suport music in our schools? If so why?

[Sen_Leahy] The best way to stop drugs from Columbia would be if we Americans would stop buying drugs and spend more of an effort to keep our own citizens from using illegal drugs.

[Mell-Alyc] Whats your favriot color?

[Ben-Danae] i see

[Sen_Leahy] Alison I think everyone should have some music education - it is part of our life.

[Ben-Danae] What will you do to eliminate mines in war-torn countries?

[Mell-Alyc] why?

[Kate_Alis] I feel the same way. Do you think sports should be mandatory in schools?

[Sen_Leahy] My favorite color is blue and I live in Middlesex Vermont on a dirt road in an old farm house that we have had for nearly 50 years.

[Sen_Leahy] Slow down a bit and I will try to catch up.

[Ben-Danae] no problem

[Kate_Alis] ok

[Sen_Leahy] Landmines: Every year we spend 13million dollars in the Leahy War Victims fund to help those injured by landmines. I also help to raise another 200 million to remove landmines from the ground around the world. Eventually i hope we can ban everyone from using landmines anywhere because it is usually innocent civilians who are killed.

[Ben-Danae] wow

[Mell-Alyc] Do you like ancering all these qusitons?

[Kate_Alis] I hope so too

[Sen_Leahy] I do enjoy answering your questions and i try to do this with a different school every week.

[Ben-Danae] Who do you want to be the president, or would you rather not say.

[Kate_Alis] doesn't that take alot of time

[Sen_Leahy] I don't mind the time in answering the questions. Most days I work 12 or more hours anyway and this is fun.

[Kate_Alis] cool

[Mell-Alyc] What part of Vermont do you like best?

[Sen_Leahy] I am supporting Al Gore who is a friend of mine. We have the same birthdays and have been friends for 25 years. I feel he will do a great deal for education.

[Mell-Alyc] What is your wifes name/are you maired?

[Sen_Leahy] I love all of Vermont. The view from my farm house is very special because I have known it since I was a child, I love sailing on Lake Champlain and hiking in the Green Mountains. The area where you are is one of the prettiest parts of Vermont especially in the Fall.

[Mell-Alyc] sorry i ment married

[Sen_Leahy] I am married to the former Marcelle Pomerleau. She was born in Newport Vermont and we were married in Burlington. Our children were born in Burlington and went to school there.

[Mell-Alyc] Do you know that you are called the cyber senator?

[Kate_Alis] this is our web page address www.vita-learn.org/bres

[Mell-Alyc] do you like that name?

[Sen_Leahy] I do know they call me the cyber senator but there are a lot of senators who use computers and the internet besides me.

[Sen_Leahy] I get called a lot of names some times - cyber Senator is one of the nice ones.

[Ben-Danae] Hi my names Danaé. What kinds of things do you like to do outside of the office?

[Kate_Alis] Why are you called the cyber senator

[Mell-Alyc] Whats your favriot state?

[Sen_Leahy] Danae I like hiking, snowshoeing, scuba diving and photography. Those are my chief hobbies.

[Kate_Alis] Do you like animals

[Sen_Leahy] Vermont has always been my favorite state.

[Kate_Alis] thats nice

[Sen_Leahy] Each of my children have dogs and I enjoy playing with them.

[Mell-Alyc] Do you have any pets???

[Ben-Danae] Why is it your favorite state

[Kate_Alis] How many kids do you have

[Sen_Leahy] I don't have any pets because I travel back and forth between Vermont and Washington many times each month and it makes it impossible to have pets.

[Sen_Leahy] I have three children and one grandchile.

[Ben-Danae] We are the sixth grade ...... We all think this is very interesting

[Mell-Alyc] I have a brother named Anthony he is a 6 year old!

[Sen_Leahy] With computers and the great teachers you have you can learn far more than I was able to in the 6th grade. Think how fortunate you are and how lucky your community is to have smart kids like you - and how lucky you are to have the teachers you do.

[Ben-Danae] I have always been interested in scuba but I am too young to get certified

[Kate_Alis] About to weeks ago the 5/6 team went to see the play "bridge to Terabithia" based on the book written by Katherine Paterson. I read the book.(me Kate) Not that that has to do with anything I just said but...

[Ben-Danae] And I went to the Geo Bee

[Sen_Leahy] I hear you have a math and technology evening coming up. Your parents must be very proud of you.

[Sen_Leahy] Is that Katherine Paterson of Barre?

[Kate_Alis] I hope so

[Ben-Danae] yes

[Mell-Alyc] I love horses.I have two one is Sparky and the other is Pepper.

[Kate_Alis] Yes,she is

[Sen_Leahy] Katherine is a wonderful person as is her husband. I hope you get a chance to meet her.

[Kate_Alis] Who told you anout our math and tecnology night?

[Ben-Danae] Do you know the Falconary regulations for VT?

[Kate_Alis] Katherine came to our school when we were in 4th grade

[Sen_Leahy] Does one of you do falconary?

[Ben-Danae] I want to

[Kate_Alis] It was cool(Travis(a fellow classmate) says "Hhhhhiiiii")

[Sen_Leahy] My daughter rides and I can imagine it is a lot of work taking care of Sparky and Pepper.

[Mell-Alyc] I am a 6 grader. Mellissa and I get to go to highschool! yea!

[Kate_Alis] Liar Mellissa and Alycia

[Sen_Leahy] We have time for one more question before I have to go to a meeting .

[Kate_Alis] Sorry. I read Mellissa's thing wrong!:(:(:(:(

[Ben-Danae] Whatis the meeting

[Kate_Alis] Whats the mmeeting

[Sen_Leahy] All the Senators get together informally on Tuesdays at noon to go over the agenda for the coming week or to plan for meetings we have with each other, the President or others in government.

[Mell-Alyc] Good bye it was a pleasure talking with you1

[Ben-Danae] Bye. it was nice talking to you

[Kate_Alis] Well, we will let you go to your meeting. BYE BYE!! See ya!

[Kate_Alis] :)

[Sen_Leahy] Great talking with you to. I am proud of you and I know your parents and teachers are too. They work awfully hard to make sure you have a good education and you are getting it. Bye for now.

[Ben-Danae] thanks

[Kate_Alis] Bye bye Senator Leahy