Vermont

Online Chats

[oneroom1]  Glad to be here. I am now surrounded by 17 beautiful first through fourth graders, aged 7 to 10. AP and Channel 22 are also here. Hello Senator

[PatrickL]  I wish I could be there with you in person but we are all excited in Washington to be doing this.

[oneroom1]  We are too. Jack has a question for you. Have you ever seen a land mine?

[PatrickL]  I am not the world's best typist so I apologize if I make some mistakes.

[oneroom1]  That's fine. We're learning too.

[PatrickL]  I have seen landmines all over the world and have two deactivated ones on my desk. They are horrible weapons that should all be banned. They kill mostly children and innocent civilians.

[oneroom1]  Brian wonders if you've ever seen the Granville School web page.

[PatrickL]  Love the picture of the school on the front. Who is the student?

[oneroom1]  That's a picture of Benny. He's going to be a bug scientists. Dylan asks, where do you live?

[PatrickL]  I live on a tree farm that belonged to my parents in Middlesex Vermont. I drive down route 100 often.

[PatrickL]  I also have a house in the Washington area where I live when the Senate is in session.

[oneroom1]  Brooke wonders if you might stop by our school sometime

[PatrickL]  I would like to drop by sometime. Unfortunately we are often in session while you are in school and you are out when I get home to Vermont for the weekend. After seeing your web page i am especially eager to drop by.

[oneroom1]  We'll be going to school on Memorial Day if you're around. We've had lots of snowdays. Harlie wonders if you know any of the children who were killed by landmines.

[PatrickL]  I have visited a lot of hospitals around the world where we use the Leahy War Victims Fund. My wife is a registered nurse and I have watched her help with some of the children who have been injured. It is a real tragedy and it has to stop.

[oneroom1]  We agree. Benny (the boy in the picture) wonders what you do in your free time.

[PatrickL]  Benny I try to cross country ski around my farm during the winter and hike there during the summer when I am home. I am also an avid photographer and bring a camera with me almost everywhere i go even to meetings at the White House.

[PatrickL]  Benny you look great in the photo!

[oneroom1]  We like to cross country ski. In fact, we had lessons here all winter. Sammi wonders if you have you ever been to a one room schoolhouse. We think you would like to meet our teacher because she's really nice.

[PatrickL]  I think you are very fortunate to have Shannon as your teacher. I have not been in a one room schoolhous e since I was a child but it seems to me you are getting a better education than a lot of very large schoolhouses.

[oneroom1]  We think so too. We're going to Boston to the museum and the aquarium for our school field trip. Jasmine wonders when you started being a senator.

[PatrickL]  The field trip sounds great. I did one like that when I was 12 and still remember it. Jasmine I became a Senator when I was 34. That was in 1975.

[oneroom1]  Erica asks, have you ever lost a law you wanted?

[PatrickL]  Many times, Erica, I will push for legislation that doesn't pass the first time around but we keep working until it does. One example is the Northeast Dairy Compact. At first it failed but finally passed and will help the dairy farmers in Vermont.

[oneroom1]  Christopher is also concerned about landmines. He wonders where most of them are.

[PatrickL]  Most of the landmines, Christopher, are in Africa and SouthEast Asia like Cambodia. There are some in Central America too. In all there are 100 MILLION landmines in around 65 countries. It is a man made plaque.

[oneroom1]  Dusty wonders who put them there and Staci wonders if you like making laws.

[PatrickL]  Dusty they are put there by people in a civil war, by guerilla leaders, sometimes bandits but often major armies like the Russians in Afghanistan and the US in Vietnam.

[PatrickL]  Staci I do like making laws if they make life easier for people. e.g. Senator Jeffords and i are very interested in laws to help with education and laws to improve the environment.

[oneroom1]  Danial wonders what the first thing is that you do when you get to work.

[ECase]  Sorry for the interruption, we just recieved your renditions of the Senator at his computer-- they're great!!

[PatrickL]  One of the first things I did today, Danial was to look at the drawings which Emily just told you we received.

[oneroom1]  We do like to draw and we have a great art teacher. SHe's also our cook. Harlie wonders if you ever get a coffee break and Jack wants to know if you know Fred Tuttle.

[PatrickL]  I also check my computer from home VERY early in the morning for messages, news about Vermont and so forth. I than get to the office and meet with the great staff I have here.

[PatrickL]  Jack I do know Fred Tuttle and really like him Harlie I am sneaking a sip or two of coffee while we are doing this[don't tell my wife - she thinks i drink too much coffee] and your art teacher sounds great.

[oneroom1]  Jasmine wonders if you know that McDonalds cuts down the environment.

[PatrickL]  Everyone in the office is fighting to get some of the pictures you sent - they are great!

[oneroom1]  WE'd be glad to send more!

[PatrickL]  Jasmine I know former Senator Stafford worked with McDonald's and other fast food companies to improve their environmental practices. Are there some you would like me to check up on?

[PatrickL]  Incidentally later today I will put some of your pictures on my web page if you want to check.

[oneroom1]  Burger King and Pizza Hut seem suspect. Staci wonders if it's easy being a senator. We can't wait to have a look.

[oneroom1]  Sam wants to know when your birthday is.

[PatrickL]  Having computers can make life easier but remember it is still very important to learn to read well, do well in math and listen to your parents and teachers. They really are interested in what is best for you. I'm glad I had a good family and good teacahers like I know you do.

[oneroom1]  Brooke wonders if you read much and what your favorite book was when you were a kid.

[PatrickL]  Sam my birthday is March 31st. I was born in 1940 and I am 57 years old. That must seem ancient to you!

[PatrickL]  I read all the time and just finished several good books. As a child I enjoyed reading Treasure Island but the first time I read it the opening part scared me.

[ECase]  We are going to have to wrap us soon, how about 2 more questions.

[oneroom1]  Dylan says that it scared him too. Brooke says her favorite book is "Anne of Green Gables." Sammi wonders if you can make a link from your site to our web page.

[oneroom1]  Brian wonders if that's your wife skating with you in the picture on your web page.

[PatrickL]  Sammi we will link it with the transcript and a couple drawings. Dylan I know what you mean and Brooke I liked that one too and read it to my children when they were young.

[oneroom1]  All of the children say thank you for taking the time to do this. This is cool to talk back and forth like this. And it's neat the way we can send questions and have you answer them. Thank you very much. We have to go to recess now.

[PatrickL]  Brian that is my wife Marcelle with me and it was taken on one of the fields at our farm in Middlesex - just a ways up route 100.

[PatrickL]  Thanks - wish I could go to recess with you but instead will head to the Senate floor. I am very proud of all of you and THANK YOU!

[ECase]  Shannon, thank you so much. All of the students asked wonderful questions and we will be in touch soon