To the Editor:
The craziness in Vermont continues. I read the report and saw the image from the “No Kings” rally in St. Johnsbury, where a 7-year-old child was photographed proudly holding a sign saying “F–k Trump,” fully spelled out before the media prudently censored it. Anyone with a shred of decency should be appalled—not just at the vulgarity, but at the deliberate exploitation of a child to push a message of hate.
This wasn’t just a spontaneous act of free speech. This was adult-guided, adult-approved, and adult-encouraged. The mother even admitted it was “Imogene’s own idea,” as though that makes it any more acceptable. Any parent who thinks this kind of political indoctrination and hate-baiting is good parenting needs a moral compass check.
Let’s call this what it is—child abuse. Children don’t come out of the womb filled with partisan rage or marching orders. They’re molded. And when you use them as props to score ideological points, you’re not just failing them as parents—you’re exploiting their innocence for your own political gratification.
I believe the parents involved should be publicly shamed. And yes, I do believe that a child welfare investigation is warranted. In fact, anyone who uses a child in this way should be placed on a publicly accessible registry of individuals barred from organizing or participating in youth-centered events. They should not be allowed on school grounds, at children’s performances, or as volunteers in classrooms. This kind of behavior is toxic and contagious, and it has no place near young minds.
We live in a time when grown adults cheer on their children for hurling obscenities instead of teaching them respect and reason. No matter what your politics are, dragging children into the mud of adult hatred should never be normalized. It’s time for Vermont to take a hard look at what kind of society we’re allowing to grow in our backyards.
–Gaylord Livingston, White River Junction