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By Guy Page
An anti-Israel group will rally the day after Town Meeting to celebrate what it hopes will be Town Meeting referendum victories.
The referendum asks voters to approve several initiatives, including withdrawal of Vermont Air National Guard F-35’s from the strike force now aimed at further military action against Iran.
The Vermont Coalition for Palestinian Liberation (VCPL) announced it will hold a post-election press conference March 4 at the steps of the Vermont Statehouse in Montpelier to highlight the results of its “Apartheid-Free Community” campaigns across the state.
Organizers say up to 20 Vermont towns will consider a pledge to oppose political, military, and economic ties they believe support Israel. According to the pro-VCPL Rake, these towns (and cities) include Winooski, Vergennes, Montpelier, Thetford, Newfane, and Brattleboro. Burlington and Ferrisburgh leaders both refused to place the question on the agenda, but organizers say they will try to bring it up during public discussion.
In its media release, VCPL said speakers will include local organizers discussing what the group described as “historic accomplishments” and outlining next steps toward making Vermont “Apartheid-Free.”
Apartheid, meaning “apartness” in Afrikaans, the European language of South Africa, was a system of institutionalized racial segregation in South Africa from 1948 to the early 1990s, designed to maintain white minority rule over the nonwhite majority. It enforced strict racial classifications and segregation in all aspects of life, including where people could live, work, and go to school. The term has been appropriated by Hamas and other pro-Palestinian organizations, including VCPL, as an accusation against the Jewish state of Israel, both before and after the October 7, 2023 invasion by Hamas that killed about 1,200 Israelis, most of them civilians.
Hamas is viewed as one of several ‘proxy’ organizations in Iran’s regional initiative to destabilize and isolate Israel.
The coalition listed several policy goals, including defending free speech related to Palestinian advocacy and supporting individuals including activists Mohsen Mahdawi and Rumeysa Ozturk, both of whom were detained by ICE then released by a judge.
The group also criticized a trip to Israel taken by five Vermont legislators and voiced opposition to legislation it says would promote pro-Israel perspectives in schools. It further called for ending Vermont financial ties connected to Israel and opposing deportations by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
It also resists any deployment of the Vermont Air National Guard connected to potential U.S. military action involving Iran.
VCPL said it plans to continue organizing in local communities and at the Statehouse based on the Town Meeting results.
Town Meeting Day, held annually on the first Tuesday in March, allows Vermont voters to decide local issues and non-binding resolutions.
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Categories: Town Meeting
Perhaps off-topic, but why does the US need to attack Iran at all, considering it “totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capacity in last June’s attack? Why does this feel like Iraq all over again? (A war that this president criticized endlessly, by the way, in his first run for office.)
Can protesting Vermonter’s have that much sway over the military decision makers?
Absolutely not, and I doubt that they would even take the time to laugh at this stupidity.
Amazing, years of protests to keep the F-35’s out of here, now you want them back.
What a despicable organization. Shameless as well as clueless. And these people think they will impact federal military policy? lol
As to John Kirkby’s question: who said we were going to war with Iran? If Trump uses the threat of force as a deterrent, he will be a hero. I suspect that is more his goal — a good offense makes a strong defense.
John– It’s the largest military buildup in that region since the second Gulf War, costing taxpayers loads of money every day. And as I stated, it makes no sense to use the “threat of force” as a deterrent when Trump already said last June that we had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capability. So the deterrent would be for what exactly?
thank you
@John Kirby, do you belief that Iran has ceased attempting to rebuild it’s nuclear program? We are paying our military already, many of whom were already in the general area. So whether the F-35s are patrolling over the Northeast, or stationed in the Middle East likely doesn’t affect the tax payers significantly more money. Not to mention that the return on investment could be significantly higher against a terrorist regime than at home.
@beaulac34885bb993: Do you think a “totally obliterated” nuclear program that took decades to build can be reconstituted in six months? I don’t.
Here’s what I believe: “They said ‘He will start a war.’ I’m not going to start wars, I’m going to stop wars.” –President Trump, November 5, 2024
You either take him at his word or you don’t. MAGA seems to have a short memory these days. But then again, so does any partisan whose critical thinking goes out the window once “their guy” gets into office.
For some eternal perspective it is worth reading how the Lord answers the prophet Habbakuk under similar circumstances written in the book of Habbakuk, 1:5 “Look at the nations and watch—
and be utterly amazed.
For I am going to do something in your days
that you would not believe,
even if you were told.”
I wonder how many native Vermonters are members of the Vermont Coalition for Palestinian Liberation and its affiliated groups, or are they mostly “New” Vermonters?
Keep in mind that these “referendums” carry zero legal implications and have zero impact in changing what the US government and military decides to do. Simply more virtue signaling. Factually, the bill being proposed in the legislature top study UFOs carries more significance . . . so there is that. Fools running errands.
For the Anti-Israel group : Let me explain things to you. When the VTANG (Vermont Air National Guard) is deployed outside of the USA borders, the Air Guard is now Active Duty. That means, Governor Scott is NOT the Commander and Chief. The VTANG designation is now under Federal control, and the Commander and Chief is now the President of the United States. Your referendum in Vermont means nothing. There is nothing Vermont (including Governor Scott) can do to change that. This is how the National Guard (Air & Army) is setup.