by Reg Boucher
I recently read an opinion on Vermont Daily Chronicle written by someone who stated he had joined the Army in 1972 and found Vermont had changed (politically) dramatically, going from conservative to extremely liberal.
As a native who was born and brought up in Vermont, I have also moved from Vermont for a variety of reasons, one of them being the frustrations my wife and I had in trying to establish reasonable conversation with my fellow citizens about the current state of federal and state governments.
My last remembrance of anything like this occurred at the Fire and Ice restaurant in Middlebury when Donald Trump was President. One person in our large group mentioned President Trump’s name and I found out later that a person sitting at the table next to us stated that “it was time to find another table.”
If I had been aware of the that comment, I would have asked that person why he wasn’t wearing his uniform to dinner. His comment reminded me of the “language police” that existed during the Rene Levesque in the province of Quebec (1976-1985).
As a former Democrat and now a right-leaning Independent, married to a Republican, I can only comment that my wife felt overwhelmed by the far-left out-of-staters who had moved to Vermont, and were not at all tolerant of any political views that weren’t like theirs.
I’ll close by saying that on a road trip about five years ago, my wife and I drove from Arizona back to Vermont, and we didn’t see a single BLM sign anywhere until……we re-entered Vermont. And we saw three before we reached South Burlington.
How interesting that all the folks coming to Vermont from liberal states are here “hiding” in the politically converted and in some years the “whitest” state in the USA (Vermont), and these liberals can safely espouse to all about protecting the oppressed while they live safely in one of the lowest crime rate states in the USA.
Categories: Commentary
The blatant intolerance of the “tolerant” left is incredible.
What’s next; signs that say “No Republicans” in establishments, they would be no different then the racist bigots of an era decades ago that posted “No Jews” or “No Blacks”
I also did not see any radical left sentiments on my road trip and travels from Louisiana to Vermont in the spring until I got back to Montpelier.
Welcome! We share your views and need more like you. Dont be afraid to speak your mind. The lefties thrive on silencing and intolerance toward opposition in views. We thrive on liberty and the Constitution.
Welcome back to Vermont, where we practice tolerance and celebrate diversity…unless it is diversity of viewpoint.
I agree that a large portion of ‘Progressives’ are intolerant of a different point of view, and immediately, see Republicans as their targeted enemy. But when I read comments using the terms Demo-rats, it is probably equally divided. Nobody divided America like Trump and Fox News. Any enemy of Trump was discredited and vilified. His followers chanted it back at rallys. The way to actually fix some things, is to keep your point of view, actually listen to opposing views and then rationally do what’s best for all. Burlington is now a lawless war zone. Out of state heroin dealers shoot in open daylight. Homeless beg and wander like a Zombie Apocalypse. The Mayor there is an embarrassment to what leadership should be. The city council is worse. We had no race problem until they fashionably created one. This was true state wide. A reasonable transition towards green energy would have worked. Instead they forced it on us. They have to put their bongs down. This ain’t 1969.we now have big division in this state, and the country. It won t be fixed by each side preaching to their individual choirs. 👍
The state apparatus media is what divided the country post Trump’s election, making up insane allegation after insane allegation and whipping the left up into an absolute state of hysteria, and Fox was as bad as CNN. Trump was merely giving it as good as he got. Agree with everything else though. 😉
It’s increasingly hard to socialize in Vermont without being lectured, nagged, shamed or corrected by the ever sanctimonious, hypocritical and guiltily projecting Wokies. They’re thoroughly unpleasant, intolerant, righteous and usually quite ill-informed on top of it all. It’s accelerated exponentially since Trump and the media’s Five Minute… err… Five Year Orwellian Hate Fest. Simply avoiding certain topics is enough to arouse suspicion, and folks will prod for your socio-political assent in the face of your silence, because silence is violence, you bigot! Even minor divergence from the official narratives or woke ideology indicates automatic othering, and you will literally be called a racist fascist sexist blah blah blah for seeking nuance, balance or I don’t know… actually being tolerant of differing viewpoints. Ugh. And to think I thought it was bad in the 90’s!
To express opinions other than the leftist orthodoxy in Vermont requires having quick arguments in one’s back pocket, ready to fire. For example, if one is pro-life, it is handy to respond to someone’s “my body, my choice” with a story about someone who lost their job for not getting an experimental vaccine injected into their body. When someone mentions “the insurrection”, bring up the weeks-long siege of the Portland Oregon federal courthouse by BLM. When someone calls Trump a traitor for denying the outcome of an election bring up election deniers Hillary Clinton and Stacey Abrams. Nothing silences a leftist better than the realization that they are a world-class hypocrite!
Perfect
Great advice, among so many more…
Drove across the country, several weeks after the 2020 election to Denver Colorado. There were still Trump signs in lawns across the entire country. In the middle of no where, semi trucks parked with big banners…..Trump!
Of course when the VTGOP allows party members to steal other members signs with no impunity….
Some might say the election is rigged!.
Notice they won’t cancel this person…..who’s harboring stolen signs,
Vermont is totally rigged, totally corrupt and nobody knows it. They think we are squeaky clean. Too funny.
It says something that a “conservative” leaning state was the first in the U.S. to outlaw slavery, etc. The Left has always been more brash and loud. Countless Republicans have have promoted the well being of the masses. Newt Gingrich was instrumental in passing the Americans with Disabilities Act. When I was in ADAPT our “leadership” groomed us to despise him.
+1
Preach it Phantom rose!
Thank you !!! I strongly encourage you to join your local Republican Club if you have not done so already. You will be a good asset for the Republican Party or any conservative organization.
It’s good you got away from ADAPT, i just googled them. No good ever comes of radical protest.
Republicans are partly to blame for their reluctance to speak up. I have a pile of Republican bumper stickers for my town that I can’t give away because people are afraid to put them on their cars. Look at Guy Page, it’s no different for him than it is for you and me, but he has chosen to speak up and make a difference. Summon the courage to speak up, it is a liberating experience!
Freedom from fear. Thanks Tom
If people don’t like Trump they should move to some place like France or Germany. Those are progressive socialist states.
Alternatively, people who do like Trump could move to authoritarian states like North Korea, Belarus or Russia. Led by strong men who brook no opposition.
Mr. Trump himself certainly likes those countries and their leaders.
I mean, whatever next. I can imagine what would happen if those on the left were to do something really weird, like riot and demand that the VP be hung. Of course, the right would never do that, but the little snowflakes do get grumpy when someone disturbs their dinner – bless their hearts.
Shouldn’t you be out protesting something or burning down a church with the rest of your clan? You come on here as a Trump hater and blame republicans when in fact it’s the left that burned down cities across American and idolized a known criminal who died from heart failure for ingesting too many drugs.
When the supporters of Trump descended on DC to protest as an American right they are called insurrectionists. People do not take their children to an insurrection. A real insurrection would have included arms. Nancy turned down the 10,000 national guard soldiers offered by Trump 3 days prior. But after, she walled off the peoples capital with fencing and brought in the National Guard as a gimmick to bolster her claim of insurrection, the first unarmed insurrection in American history.
The democrats flamed the hate for 5 years with their fawning media, all of which now has been proven paid for by the Clinton campaign and orchestrated by the 7th floor of the F B I and certain intelligence agencies. Mad Maxine Waters told democrats to get up in those republican faces where ever they are. Then yon mention we might get grumpy when someone interrupts our dinner?
You are the typical liberal hypocrite, the subject and reason for this article are the people you represent. You can have your opinions but the facts are the true story. Like most liberals, you are so indoctrinated and uninformed that you care less about fact and more about your miserable ideology. This November while Vermont probably won’t fix it’s stupid, the rest of the country is turning red because we are sick and tired of the people you represent and we are not going to take it anymore. It’s that simple. By voting for Joe Biden, if you voted at all, you owe us all an apology for being so ignorant. The election was stolen as proven in the film 2000 mules, but the countries eyes are wide open this year. Get ready to move to California where you can find the rest of your cult.
Thank you Dano. You said exactly what my thoughts were. You save me a lot of writing.
I have been told (but cannot verify as I was not in the classroom) that in South Burlington a teacher asked students in 7th grade to move to different parts of the room based upon whether they aligned with Democrats or Republicans. Putting aside the unprofessional decision of a public school teacher asking young students to separate themselves based upon political party affiliation, the greater tragedy is the teacher apparently is incapable of understanding that an intelligent human being can declare themselves to be an Independent.. someone who does not depend upon a traditional party platform to decide for themselves what values and beliefs to have and defend. It is yet one more example that much of what passes for education in public schools and higher ed is now shameful indoctrination.
Careful Dano, the uninformed hate facts.
I, on the other hand Applaud you.
I get triggered when they later move to New Hampshire or Florida for the lower taxes!
I’ve left the state for good…..end of story!