DUMMERSTON, Vt. — It's weird how one little state can be the target of so much right-wing hatred. People wanted to boycott Vermont in 2000 because we were the first state to approve civil unions for gay couples. Instead, the wedding industry in Vermont got a brand-new clientele. People wanted to boycott Vermont in 2001 because Sen. James Jeffords left the Republican Party and tipped the balance of power in the Senate into the Democrats' favor for a few months. Instead, bumper stickers that read “Thanks Jim” sprouted up all over the country. Almost three years ago, Jonah Goldberg wrote a sputtering diatribe in National Review that slammed Vermont as a "whatever-floats-your-boat Epcot Center exhibit of Green Socialism" and a place "with open-toed shoes and closed minds" that's a "madrassa for eco-jihadists," an "alpine kibbutz" with a "Sweden-like economy" whose biggest export is "awful politics." Instead, Goldberg's intended target, former Gov. Howard Dean, now leads the Democratic Party and has reinvigorated its base. Fox News Channel and right-wing talk radio screamer Bill O'Reilly called for a boycott of all things Vermont back in January when this state's legal system met with his disapproval — and then quickly backed down when he discovered that one of his main radio sponsors was the Vermont Teddy Bear Co. And now there is talk of more boycotts of Vermont because five towns voted at their annual town meetings this month to support efforts to impeach President Bush. As with all the other attempts by the right-wing nuts to punish Vermont for its political independence and intelligence, this too will fail. The great majority of Americans who don't base their tourism decisions on politics apparently like our cheese, maple syrup and foliage too much to give them up. The crazier the rest of America gets, the more I am thankful to be living in Vermont. It's the next best thing to moving to Canada. From being the first government in the world to outlaw slavery to being the first state to allow gays to marry, Vermont has always been a place that isn't afraid to be contrary in the name of liberty and freedom. So let South Dakota outlaw abortion. Women can come to Vermont. There are no restrictions on abortion and contraception here and we still believe that individuals, not the state, should have control over people's reproductive organs. So let Texas lead the world in executions. Vermont will still outlaw capital punishment and let people in prison vote in elections. If Florida wants to pave over every square inch of its state and turn it into an endless sea of strip malls and subdivisions, go ahead. Vermont will continue to ban billboards and put limits on development. If Midwestern agribusinesses want to plant genetically modified seeds, fine. We're in the process of banning their use in Vermont. If I sound smug, you'll have to forgive me for being that way. Living in Vermont will do that to you. Once you get used to being in a place where life is still lived on a human-sized scale, you begin to think the rest of the nation is nuts. That's why a campaign to get Vermont to secede from the United States is gaining more and more support. I'll have to admit that if secession succeeds, I'll miss the United States. It used to be a great nation. Maybe it will be again. But until the other 49 states come to their senses, secession might not be a bad idea. Until that fine day comes, let the right-wing nuts find some other place to spend their money. Let them eat Velveeta and use Mrs. Butterworth's syrup on their pancakes. There are plenty of other Americans who support what we do here and keep Vermont afloat.
Randolph T. Holhut has been a journalist in New England for more than 25 years. He edited "The George Seldes Reader" (Barricade Books). He can be reached at randyholhut@yahoo.com.
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
In the hundreds of articles I read through the months, can't remember when I read one I enjoyed so much, loved the comparisons, it was informative, great humor. My son moved to Vt. 2 years ago. This article made me think futher of moving there. The last frontier of sanity and the way things should be. So important to live where you feel you share the same values. The resolution the Vermonters drew up to investigate articles for impeachment for GWB. I have great admiration for those people and their state. Besides this wonderful article Vermont has been voted smartest and healthiest state in the union. Bravo!
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Joyce (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 17 comments) on Thursday, Mar 23, 2006 at 7:50:39 AM
I'm an ex-Californian currently living in Arkansas, and I can't begin to tell you how much this state sucks. I used to work for Jerry Brown when he ran for president. Then I moved here, got arrested for possession of a weed pipe and lost my passport and my right to vote until I complete three years of probation. Yes, indeedy.
I think it's extremely cool that you allow inmates to vote, allowing them to feel as though they're still U.S. citizens, unlike this bogus state.
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Bambic (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 17 comments) on Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 10:40:29 PM
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