Liberty Union Meeting May 13, 2018
\nBrattleboro Food Co-op, Brattleboro VT
\nAttending:
\nDoris
\nSadie
\nMurray
\nNorm
\nAlice
\nMarina
\nTom<\/p>\n
1. Report on various recent nazi\/white supremacist\/white nationalist activities in
\nVermont, Quebec Province, and elsewhere; actions to confront and oppose these:
\nA Chittenden county man, Aryan Brotherhood, has invited \u201cpeople with nazi
\ntattoos\u201d (indicating nazi sympathies and allegiances with white supremacist
\norganizations while incarcerated) to join his community, housed in trailers in the
\nWilliston area. Two women associated with this group were recently arrested for
\nshoplifting. See Anti-Defamation League, ADL.org, for posted images of the tattoos
\nreferenced.
\nB\u2019nah Brith Canada has exposed and responded to nazi activity in Montreal (and
\nworldwide). See bnaibrith.ca for report of Montrealer and B\u2019nai Brith collaborator, Corey
\nFleischer, whose mission is to remove nazi graffiti in the city by (clandestine) power
\nwashing.<\/p>\n
On May 19th there will be a demonstration at the Roxham Road crossing on the
\nCanada-U.S. border. This action, initiated by far right activists from Quebec on the
\nCanadian side will be met with opposition from antifascists on both sides of the border.
\nFrom Montreal Antifasciste:<\/p>\n
\u201cFar-right racists are again mobilizing to try to intimidate refugees who are crossing the
\nborder from the US to Canada at Roxham Road. Their racist organizing is being
\nsupported, directly and indirectly, by sensationalist media and demagogic politicians.
\nMigrant justice anti-racists in the Montreal-area are calling for a large-scale mobilization
\nat Roxham Road to show our support for open borders and to welcome migrants. Our
\npresence \u2014 festive, diverse, and in large numbers \u2014 will also effectively block the far-
\nright racists from getting anywhere near the border (similar to mobilizations undertaken
\nlast year at both Roxham Road and Lacolle) and prevent their harassment of asylum
\nseekers.
\nWe are encouraging you to mobilize in your communities, networks and organizations,
\nand to attend the gathering on May 19th.\u201d
\nA high school freshman at Killingly High School in Danielson CT who posted threats on
\nsocial media prompted a letter to the high school\u2019s principal to express concern.<\/p>\n
A nazi\/white supremacist\/white nationalist group has threatened a Black family in
\nGlover.<\/p>\n
Literature from a nazi-white supremacist group was posted and placed on car
\nwindshields in the K-Mart Plaza in West Lebanon NH. Local police confiscated this
\nliterature.
\nFreedom of Information requests have been filed with the FBI, Vermont State Police
\nand West Lebanon NH Police Dept. in regard to these and related incidents.<\/p>\n
An application for a permit from \u201dUnite the Right\u201d responsible for August 12 (2017) in
\nCharlottesville to stage an anniversary rally has been denied.<\/p>\n
Update from The Intercept (Natasha Lennard) July 02, 2018:
\n\u201cJason Kessler (Organizer for Unite the Right) is planning an event to mark the
\n(anniversary of the) deadly demonstration. The approval for the \u201canniversary\u201d rally
\noutside the White House was granted by the National Park Service. The application
\noffered plans for an estimated 400 demonstrators in Washington\u2019s Lafayette Park who
\nwould be \u201cprotesting civil rights abuse in Charlottesville, Va \/ white civil rights.\u201d Kessler
\ninitially applied to hold \u201cUnite the Right 2\u201d in Charlottesville, and is now suing the city
\nbecause it denied him a permit due to safety concerns. The lawsuit seeks to allow the
\ndemonstration to go ahead in Charlottesville, as well as in Washington, D.C., on August
\n12 \u2014 exactly a year after Heyer\u2019s brutal death.\u201d (Kessler is complaining to the press that
\nhis right to free speech\u2014First Amendment\u2014is being denied).<\/p>\n
2. Ralph has requested a special meeting to consider Bill Lee as a possible candidate
\nfor federal office with Liberty Union. Lee is unable to come to regularly scheduled
\nLiberty Union meetings due to his baseball schedule. The consensus of those present
\nat the meeting was that there should be no special meeting for Lee. (Update: Lee plans
\nto attend part of the scheduled Liberty Union meeting in August. Ralph has said that he
\nplans to come with Bill Lee to speak with Liberty Union members at 3:00 p.m. on August
\n5th.)<\/p>\n
3. The meeting of the Liberty Union State Committee will be held on August 5\u20141st
\nSunday, instead of 2nd Sunday\u2014in White River Junction. August 5th is the final Liberty
\nUnion meeting before the Secretary of State\u2019s filing deadline for Minor Party candidates,
\nAugust 9th. Nominations will be finalized at this meeting. Consent forms and financial
\ndisclosure forms must be in order by this date.<\/p>\n
4. Discussion of other places where we could hold Liberty Union meetings in the future.
\nSuggestions included Bennington, Montpelier, Burlington and Derby Line. The June
\n10th meeting may be held in one of these places depending upon where a venue can
\nbe found.5. Discussion of the role and viability of Liberty Union in Vermont\u2019s political landscape.
\nDoris recalled that one of the first questions that she was asked as a candidate for U.S.
\nHouse in 1972 concerned what her favorite recipe might be. Liberty Union has
\naccomplished much since then! A list of some of the proposals originated by Liberty
\nUnion since 1970 follows:<\/p>\n
\u2014Legalization of Freedom of Personal Choice (in respect to \u2018a woman\u2019s right to choose,
\nend of life decisions, use of substances\/drugs etc.).
\n\u2014Decriminalization of drug use.
\n\u2014Full legalization of marijuana and hemp.
\n\u2014Basic Minimum Income.
\n\u2014Creation of the office of Ombudsman for the state of Vermont.
\n\u2014Development of an app to insure transparency in the office of the State Auditor.
\n\u2014Creation of a Public Bank.
\n\u2014Divestment from South Africa.
\n\u2014Divestment from Israel.
\n\u2014Education funding to be based on income rather than property tax.
\n\u2014Progressive Income Tax without provisions for concealing true income.
\n\u2014Unilateral Disarmament
\n\u2014Unilateral Denuclearization
\n\u2014Open national borders.
\n\u2014Honoring all treaties that respect human rights, within the U.S. and internationally.<\/p>\n
The essential role of Liberty Union has been and continues to be to move government
\n\u201cin the direction of assuring that the wealth and resources of the world be used to
\nprovide a materially secure life for all people on the planet…simultaneously
\npreserving the planet and its resource for future generations.\u201d In so doing Liberty
\nUnion necessarily introduces ideas, well outside the \u201cOverton Window,\u201d into the political
\nconversation.
\n\u201cThe Overton window, also known as the window of discourse, is the range of ideas
\ntolerated in public discourse. The term is derived from its originator, Joseph P. Overton,
\na former vice president of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, who in his description
\nof his window claimed that an idea’s political viability depends mainly on whether it falls
\nwithin the window, rather than on politicians’ individual preferences.According to
\nOverton’s description, his window includes a range of policies considered politically
\nacceptable in the current climate of public opinion, which a politician can recommend
\nwithout being considered too extreme to gain or keep public office.\u201d \u2014definition
\ncourtesy of Wikipedia<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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