Prince Thomas H. Naylor I?

I just got through reading one of the most ludicrous, poorly thought through posts by a secession advocate in Vermont that's of a type I've written about before.

For years the Vermont seceshers have been naming themselves and each other as ministers of this or that. The repeatedly unsuccessful in his various runs for office over the past few decades, Dennis Morrisseau, likes to call himself the Second Vermont Republic's "Very Foreign Minister." Despite their never having had a candidate that achieved a percentage of the vote higher than a low single digit, the Vermont seceshers illegally reconstituted what had formerly been an elected body before being disbanded by the Vermont legislature in the nineteenth century called the Council of Censors, to which they self-appointed themselves, threatening to issue a report in 2010 (which they never got around to) on all of the unconstitutional acts of the legislature and/or statewide office holders. You know, play acting at being a government that none of them are ever likely to gain enough support to be a part of by stroking their Ruritanian fantasies. Now one of these seceshers seems to intimate that the baas of the SVR, Thomas H. Naylor, might be Vermont's future prince. Really.

So now comes Ethan Bishop, an occasional dishwasher cum kitchen staffer (that is when he isn't holding down the fort as a costume shop clerk) to offer Vermonters a chance to become a part of the burgeoning world of principalities through slavishly accepting of the guidance of Thomas H. Naylor. Never mind that Naylor's alienated virtually every office holder - federal, state or local - as well as nationally known Vermont peace and environmental activists, all of Vermont's schools and institutions of higher learning, a variety of the state's most respected non-profits, Vermont's clergy and, perhaps most significantly, he's condemned the Vermont electorate for not embracing his 2010 effort to put forward a team of dunces for governor, lt. governor, senators and a representative. Naylor has sandbagged his now unnotable effort so much that in the first vaguely news type piece to mention him and his group since the 2010 election, a local freelancer commenting of the state of Vermont activism referred to "the perennial but low-key campaign for a Second Vermont Republic."

Let me give you a taste of Bishop's anodyne essay about secession - it's gonna make him the lead contender to be Naylor's Royal Minister of Bootlicking. Bishop first prattles on about the principality of Lichtenstein:

"Through the strength of this small country’s ideals, they have taken a historically insignificant piece of alpine territory and turned it into the poster child for life and governance on a human scale. “Small” is not only “beautiful”, but it works too."

"It appears that in many ways Vermont has forgotten its similar love, and indeed its aptitude, for such independence..."

Not so fast there, Ethan. The differences between Vermonters and Prince Hans-Adams II's subjects are substantial. First, Vermonters are engaged, involved, questioning and independent; Vermonters don't kowtow to their leaders and representatives, and will pushback when needed. Lichtensteiners are much more dronelike and, frankly, obeisant, servile and bow to the Prince in a way that Vermonters never would or could. Far from being more independent than Vermonters, Lichtensteiners have shown themselves to be unwilling to further their own independence.

Prince Hans-Adam II has spent the last decade trying to avoid economic ruin for the princedom over its tax haven status for the 1% and its money laundering. With as many balls in the air that he has going, it's only a matter of time before it all comes crashing down.

From Wikipedia:

"In a national referendum in March 2003, nearly two-thirds of the electorate voted in support of Hans-Adam II's proposed new constitution to replace the 1921 one. The proposed constitution was criticised by many, including the Council of Europe, as expanding the powers of the monarchy (continuing the power to veto any law, and allowing the Prince to dismiss the government or any minister). The Prince threatened that if the constitution failed, he would, among other things, convert some of the royal property for commercial use and move to Austria. The royal family and the Prince enjoy tremendous public support inside the nation, and the resolution passed with about 64% in favour. A proposal to revoke the Prince's veto powers was rejected by 76% of voters in a 2012 referendum."

Some model for decidedly much more independent Vermonters, although quite the model for the oligarch of the Second Vermont Republic, it's autocratic ruler who expels dissenters to his racist and dictatorial allies and policies, Thomas Naylor.

And, oh yeah, there's this:

"On 1 July 1984, Liechtenstein became the last country in Europe to grant women the right to vote. The referendum on women's suffrage, in which only men were allowed to participate, passed with 51.3% in favor."

Now this is where I'd normally say "Such a wide margin" or "'Nuff said," but Bishop also wrote:

"Prince Hans-Adam’s Liechtenstein is now a disproportionately bright beacon of freedom, independence, and self-determination."

Oh really, Ethan?

"So, does Vermont need a modern-day prince to offer similar independence and influence in the wider world? Or do we already have the makings of something equally, if not more powerful? Because of its founder, Thomas H. Naylor, at least SVR exists as one organization proposing such a vision. Perhaps through more discussion between this former Professor and communities of our own small corner of the globe, Vermont could lead by example in pursuit of its own values of freedom, unity, and independence."

[snip]

"Who amongst our wealth of people is ready to lead us on to such a future? Who else is waiting to be inspired with enough courage and hope to do so?"

Jeezum crow, Ethan. Naylor is possibly the least capable person in Vermont to orchestrate such a "discussion," given that he's condemned virtually every person that you propose he'd have this discourse with over the past five years. Maybe you've confused Vermonters with the racists at the League of the South or the numerous anti-Semites that Naylor's promoted at his SVR website or the Holocaust denying "journalists" at Iran's Press TV or the racist Political Cesspool's James Edwards that he's so often given interviews to.

Oh, and Ethan Bishop is a college student. (Insert favorite diety here) help us.

Naturally, Ethan's dopey essay is being promoted by Naylor and his bloated ego, as well as by the content editor, sham radical and anti-Vermont Air National Guard activist, Juliet Buck, at the failed and no longer in print secesher journal, Vermont Commons. VTCommons is now just a haven for out-of-state, conspiracy addled nutjobs, as well as a few local, remarkably unsuccessful wannabes and a rocket scientist, who write on a veritable rainbow of topics pertaining to so-called 9/11 "Truth," gold, economic pablum, Jews/Israel controlling the government, media and Hollywood, and virtually every Internet spawned alternative theory imaginable. Something tells me that Ethan's princely pining is gonna fit in just fine amongst the paranoid nutters at SVR and VTCommons.

"We are all sufferers from history, but the paranoid is a double sufferer, since he is afflicted not only by the real world, with the rest of us, but by his fantasies as well."
- Richard Hofstadter

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