McSecession - National Journal Pairs Second Vermont Republic With the League of the South in Scottish Independence Article

Update At Bottom

With less than a week to go to the Scottish independence election, the usual spate of articles about nothing begin to appear. National Journal, a DC insider publication that like many others is straining for eyeballs on the web in a post print era has produced another in a series of articles that treat the tiny Vermont secession movement as a contender. The NJ highlights, as though they're relevant to the Scottish situation, three largely unsuccessful U.S. secesher outfits

I'll start with the second featured first: Cascadianow! From their About page,

"CascadiaNow! is working to become a grassroots, umbrella non-profit organization that provides resources and direct services to groups, projects, and community partners to raise awareness of Cascadia, celebrate our distinct regional identity and culture, and increase the independence of the Cascadia bioregion."

They've been on the web for 8 years and they're just now "working to become" a tax free 501c3 and nothing more than an "umbrella" thing. This is just the sort of e-group that secesher maven, Southern National Congress delegate and all around crank, Kirkpatrick Sale, has complained for years about, calling such groups little more than a website address. And the NJ writer Kaveh Waddell moused his way to their website and "interviewed" the leader of the group.

Third up for NJ's Waddell was the loudest, if not the largest secesher organization in the U.S., the notoriously ludicrous and hateful League of the South. Waddell's interview elicits the fact that the LoSers racist leader, Michael Hill, has virtually no insight into the Scottish independence effort and goal. Hill ignorantly states that a successful "Yes" vote for Scottish independence will be,

"a brick out of the wall of centralization and the old idea of empire-building"

News Flash!: A primary goal of the the Scottish independentistas would be accession (as opposed to secession) in 18 months to the European Union with its more than 200,000 pages of laws and regulations that make it arguably the most centralized union on the planet, as well as one of the largest economic empires to have ever existed. Hill must be smoking too much kudzu.

Nowhere in his fawning outline of the LoS's past and present does NJ's Waddell reveal that the collection of aging felons, Klansmen and racists is being replaced by a new generation of racists, Klansmen, neo-Nazis and potential felons. I say potential because they've formed a militia called "The Indomitables" who intend to target for guerrilla war type action journalists (pay attention Waddell), politicians and "elites." Waddell completely missed the racism and new radicalism that permeates today's LoS. As for Waddell's repeating LoS's claim "at one point recently to have 25,000 members," Waddell offers no explanation whatsoever as to why at repeated LoS demos over this past summer the average turnout was only 10 of the racists.

First up, though, was my favorite; an interview of the Second Vermont Republic's new baas and a member of Champlain College's adjunct staff, as well as a self-described historian, Rob Williams wherein Williams is positively wet-his-panties giddy over the upcoming Scottish independence vote and what he wrongly conjures it to mean to the essentially non-existent Vermont secesher movement. Williams unjustifiably effuses that,

"'I think the Scots have done a fantastic job of really making secession sexy,' Williams told (Waddell). 'If you look at the way the secession conversation has unfolded in the past several years, they've really tapped into what makes Scotland Scotland. That's something we've been trying to do in Vermont.' Williams thinks Vermont should follow suit, playing up the symbols, culture, and history that make the state unique."

Williams' muddled understanding of history causes him to conflate Scotland's centuries long struggle to re-assert independence from a United Kingdom created from the threat of force of arms with his boutique style secesher clown show. While there has always been a large segment of the Scottish body politic, including the present leader of the Scottish House of Parliament, supporting the independence line, under Williams' leadership the Vermont seceshers have disastrously fielded candidates that polled in the low or fractional digits of the electorate (99.24% of votes for governor in 2010 were for someone other than the secesher candidate).

Williams prattles on to misstate historical fact.

"The Vermont independence movement has already taken some of these lessons to heart. The movement has its own flag—borrowed from Ethan Allen's Green Mountain Boys militia—and a "reasonably robust network" of activists. What they're missing, Williams said, is the grassroots power of the Scottish campaign. "The Scots have proved that with a lot of time and effort and energy, you can build a political and economic conversation around independence," he said.

Williams said the success of the Scottish movement has had a positive effect on the Vermont independence movement, no matter the outcome of Scotland's referendum. Williams could hardly conceal his excitement for what's happening overseas. "If I didn't have to teach," he told me, "I'd be in Edinburgh right now!"

First off, Williams and his "reasonably robust network" of misfits, who now probably number somewhere under ten, stole the battle flag of the successors to the Green Mountain Boys, the Vermont Army & Air National Guard, and dishonor it by having done so. He also in saying that "the Scots have proved that with a lot of time and effort and energy, you can build a political and economic conversation around independence," leaves out the fact that there's is a valid, lawful claim made for hundreds of years, unlike the threadbare, historically perverted claim of the Vermont seceshers. The comparison of the two movements is typical of the hubris upon which Williams' leadership style is based, just like the spirit of sacrifice shown in his statement that if he didn't have to work he'd be right there with the Scots. What an empty, unself aware, blowhard Rob regularly shows himself to be.

As long as Williams' "activism" amounts to social media, a defunct hate blog, an occasional Statehouse stunt that can only attract 20 or so mostly out of staters and alliances with out of state hate groups like the League of the South, the Union is very, very secure.

What Waddell's article fails to disclose (beyond the seething anti-Semitism of the Vermont seceshers and the race hatred of the LoSers) is that most economists agree that Scottish independence will lead to a serious recession for Scotland that would probably extend to England itself, but that at least the "golfing in Scotland will be a lot cheaper.”

http://vermontsecession.blogspot.com/2007/02/rob-williams-svr-co-chair-breaks.html

http://vermontsecession.blogspot.com/2012/03/rob-williams-continues-to-maintain-his.html

http://vermontsecession.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/second-vermont-republic-vermont-fairy.html

http://vermontsecession.blogspot.com/2011/02/vermont-commons-bloggers-anti-semitic.html

(h/t Spelunker)

UPDATE September 17: Days have passed since in his first post in months at his Second Vermont Republic website Williams sought to conflate some meaning for his dead movement from events in Scotland. An opportunity (again) was missed by Williams to renounce and denounce the racism and calls from violence now eminating from his allies at the League of the South in crowing about Waddell's throwaway e-piece about U.S. seceshers to put some or any distance between his group and the LoS; stupid is as stupid doesn't.

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For the archive of the Free Vermont Framework listserv, click here.

Public Banksters - Part XI

I'd thought that enough had been said about the unregistered lobbyists of the public banksters until someone sent me Gwen Hallsmith's Twitter feed from the night before last wherein she's predicting that the "day of the dollar is probably over." Interesting stuff. And what does she base her pithy analysis on? A link to a article that posits the Russian ruble will become the currency du jour through economic alliances with Germany & China.

And Gwen's sources for this economic bombshell? A piece in the notorious publisher of thoroughly debunked anti-Semitic conspiracy theories with the occasional descent into Holocaust denial nuttery, globalresearch.ca, written by a contributor from the Voice of Russia, and a second piece by the longtime peddler of anti-Semitic crap, The Financial Times (paywall). The New Republic has a good piece on the Jew-baiters at FT here. Both publications subscribed to the anti-Semitic trope that Jews control the world's banks, the media, Congress, world governance, President Obama, yada, yada, yada...

The size of the economies that would continue use the dollar dwarf the supposed axis of Russia and China (Germany, no way) 20 to 1.

Projecting that sort of wishful insight probably explains some of Gwen's employment "issues." Or not. Who, other than Gwen, really cares at this point?

Why is it not surprising that someone who has hitched her wagon so tightly with the oligarchs of the Second Vermont Republic secessionist movement, who have extensive past affiliations with white supremacist secesher hate groups and their own extensive track record for anti-Semitic bile, would rely on such dubious sources?

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For the archive of the Free Vermont Framework listserv, click here.

Rob Williams' Second Vermont Republic Hate Blogger Dennis Morrisseau Engages in a Little Old Fashioned Jew Baiting

Pawlet, VT's Dennis "Hit List" Morrisseau, a longtime friend to the still dead secessionist leader Thomas H. Naylor (you may remember him for his plot to create a white homeland in northern New England and the Canadian Maritime provinces, and for his alliances with southern white supremacists at the League of the South) and also a friend to the failed secesher Vermont Senate candidate from Ripton, VT, Robert "Needed Killin' " Wagner, who's issued a "news release" last weekend that reeks of blatant Jew-baiting.

Morrisseau's ALL CAPS riddled rant, which you'll find reprinted at the bottom of this post, singles out a Jew, who sits on no US Senate committee with a any pull in foreign affairs, for not having spoken out about, well, it's not entirely clear what Denny would have U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders speak out about given the incoherency of the "communique" from Denny's Morrisseau World Newsservice, which doesn't have a website but is, rather, an irregular email blast to a long list of people who never use his crap. Content of the emails depends more on Denny's then state of mind than on anything that would normally be considered news. Denny's always on the watch for Semitic contagion, particularly in governance. Here's the money quote for his latest unhinged missive:

"WHO is it really that is pushing this crap on Ukraine? WHO are the actual people behind all this? Do they have Jewish names by any chance? Do you know? Do you even know?"

That's the sort of list making "news commentary" one would associate with neo-Nazi websites like Stormfront.org or the deeply anti-Semitic Veterans Today where Denny likes to post some of his seething commentary. I give you Denny's entire email; don't forget to wash up when you're done.

"I HAVE NOT HEARD HIM SAY ONE SINGLE WORD, HAVE YOU?

Why is that, do you know? There is this huge, overwhelming, dangerous, pile of horseshit, pile of crap, that the present US "leadership" and US media clowns are trying sooooo hard to shove down our throats in Ukraine, and that is being shoved down the throats of ordinary Ukrainians too--believe me, and if you don't, then just watch carefully for awhile--watch this whole orchestrated and very very dangerous LIE being pushed by "ourselves in Ukraine [and in Iraq, Iran, Syria, Venezuela and god knows where else--here at home too for Chrissake......[and WHO is it really that is pushing this crap on Ukraine? WHO are the actual people behind all this? Do they have Jewish names by any chance? Do you know? Do you even know? Are they Neocons, do you know?]

And we have not heard one single word about any of this from the NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES....FROM THE GREAT & so SMART [little] STATE OF CLEAN & GREEN VERMONT....YES.....BERNAAAAAARD SANDERS!!!! Ta Da!

Not one word......so far.........from your favorite Bigmouth.

Capice?

Is Bernie really a Neocon [or NeoLib--have it your way] UNDERCOVER ?

Are WE now serving as Bernie's cover?

Do you--really?-- Understand?

Dennis Morrisseau 2LT USArmy [Armor] ret Lieutenant Morrisseau's Rebellion FireCongress.org POB 177, W. Pawlet, VT 05775 dmorso1@netzero.net 802 645 9727"

Dennis Morrisseau, a disgraced and cashiered Vietnam era Army "officer" who dodged active duty (but he has always been about the benies), still crazy after all these years. Unsurprisingly, Denny is a "veteran" blogger at Rob Williams' anti-Semitic hate blog. I am so looking forward to what seems to be Denny's 2014 run for the Vermont Senate if his website header is to believed.

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For the archive of the Free Vermont Framework listserv, click here.

"The Ghastly Idea of ‘Equality for All’"

Just when I thought that Vermont secessionists and their very close allies with the racist Southern secesher movement couldn't bite down just a little harder on the hateful, discriminatory bag of shit that they're so very fond of, Kirlpatrick Sale, a co-founder of the Second Vermont Republic, an "editor-at-large" of the Rob Williams' Vermont Commons journal blog, a longtime sufferer of Lincoln derangement syndrome (see right column for current definition) and a present day South Carolina representative to the racist Southern National Congress which is strongly affiliated with the white supremacist League of the South, has blurted out this "pernicious" bullshit at the secessionist website LewRockwell.com:

"Equality is a pernicious and dangerous political policy..."

"..."equality for all"? What could that be? And would you want to live in such a place?"

Really, Kirk? Do you wake some days and say to yourself, "What kind of outrageous crap can I spew out today that my pals at libertaritard, paleofascist LewRockwell.com will promote as though it's comprised of lucid though?"

That Sale should come out against striving for "equality for all," no matter how imperfect the result may be along the way, is no surprise. Afterall, it was Sale who, abetted by Rob Williams, promoted the lie that the South didn't secede over slavery; you'd think that at least one of those two "scholars" might have taken the time to read the Southern state's various articles of secession and to have considered the arguments presented in the various Southern legislatures. The number one issue for the Southern secessionists was slavery.

If you'd like to read Kirk's screed regarding hatred of the struggle for "equality for all," it's here.

What a sad, hateful group of people Kirk Sale and the Vermont seceshers have come to be. Hate has become the foundation of the modern secession movement.

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For the archive of the Free Vermont Framework listserv, click here.

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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For the archive of the Free Vermont Framework listserv, click here.

Five Years of Exposing Vermont Secessionists and Their Associates

Seems like years (okay, it has been) since I began exposing racist ties to the baas of the Second Vermont Republic, the Dixie singin' Thomas Naylor, the Magnolia Vermonter.

Five years today, actually.

Naylor's been reduced to writing cheesy book reviews for his seceshers colleagues, like at Ian Baldwin's minor book barn, Chelsea Green, and his fellow America/Vermont haters. Baldwin has described the Vermont seceshers as a "small community." Much of the other junk that Naylor's now putting out goes unnoticed in Vermont despite his plastering it all over decentralist, secesher and other irrelevant websites that occupy the fringe of the internets. He's banished his membership and now calls his SVR a think tank, although SVR is still registered at the Vermont Secretary of State's website as a "civic club."

Naylor's former propagandist and self worshipping publisher of the now defunct "Vermont Commons" newsletter and promoter of various nutjob conspiracy theorists and 9/11 truthers, Rob Williams, is writing shamefully inept and unimportant movie reviews at his little read blog that serves as the remains of his once print publication.

But fear not, dear reader. There's one unhinged secesher candidate that I'll be writing about who likes to call himself "Senator" although he's never held such an office here in Vermont and makes no claim to have done so elsewhere. He claims that he'll be running 29 others as a part of his plan to unseat all 30 of Vermont's senators in the General Assembly in 2012. He also claims he has five others now running with him in Vermont but can only name four, one of whom's website is now gone. Oddly, not one of his group of fringers, including himself, has registered as a Senate candidate at the Vermont Secretary of State's website. You also really have to wonder how "Senator" Robert Wagner will be able to mount a credible campaign as he continues to smear his fellow Riptonites and Addison County neighbors (more on that later). This one's gonna be fun.

Vermont seceshers also continue to insinuate themselves into the Occupy Vermont movement and hatch schemes to takeover institutions cherished by Vermonter's - more on that soon as well.

Joyeux Anniversaire!

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For the archive of the Free Vermont Framework listserv, click here.

A Vermont Secessionist Seeks a Position As a Director at the City Market / Onion River Co-op in Burlington

Matthew Cropp's electoral ambitions (read: power needs) continue. He's now offering his vast experience in pretty much nothing useful to the Board of Directors of the Burlington City Market / Onion River Co-op, to serve in one of three available positions on the Board as a new director.

I've read his candidate statement here and was surprised that he hadn't fleshed it out a bit more with some of his more recent endeavors, one being his stint as campaign manager for the 2010 Vermont secessionist gubernatorial candidate, Dennis Steele. Perhaps that was because the Steele campaign serves as an example of the most inept, most incompetent and most incoherent campaign in recent memory. While Cropp can't be held entirely responsible for Steele's erratic behavior, he must have had something to say about the images attached to that campaign. One particularly disturbing image was of the self-professed murderer, Che Guevara, superimposed on the Vermont National Guard battle flag that was used on the campaign website and campaign literature. Under Cropp's "stewardship" the campaign was able to "function" so "efficiently and rationally" that Steele eventually garnered barely three quarters of one percent of Vermont's 2010 gubernatorial vote, something that I'm sure that Cropp would rather re-frame as third place.

Cropp's commitment to a "trans-ideological" Vermont independence (read: secessionist) movement has included deep participation in what was called the "Free Vermont Framework listserv", which was set up, in part, as a way to avoid interference from "the pigs." (See "Free Vermont Framework listserv" archive at the bottom of the post and then search Feb. 2010 archive page 192) That commitment to "trans-ideological" involvement included remaining silent when one listserv member made repeated hateful statements directed at race-mixing and lesbians. Eventually, Cropp's Steele campaign accepted its largest out-of-state campaign contribution from this hateful individual, and when the matter was exposed on this blog the campaign chose to keep the bigot's money.

Cropp also said in his City Market / Onion River Co-op campaign statement,

"...I've had previous experiences ...including having served ...on the editorial board of several publications"

I don't know why he wasn't more forthcoming about who those editorial boards were that benefited from his expertise but I suspect that the one that I do know about, "Vermont Commons", and its reputation for harboring the written work of white supremacists, neo-Confederates and anti-Semites in its pages is something that Cropp would have difficulty explaining. Maybe it's just that "trans-ideological" thing at work again.

In addition to his work organizing the campaign of the handpicked gubernatorial candidate of the the Dixie singin' Thomas Naylor's Second Vermont Republic, Cropp interests now include central participation with the #OccupyVermont movement.

One certainly has to wonder how Cropp's unrevealed and varied interests and "perspective," as well as his experience in "cultivating working relationships" with some of society's more odious and hateful elements, will serve the Co-op, not to mention his own personal "aspirations."

As a measure of Cropp's dedication to his undisclosed ideals and the degree to which he's advanced his personal goals, one need look no farther than his creation of the Vermont Independence Alliance ten months ago and his statement of purpose,

"We are therefore dedicated to supporting service projects which strengthen our communities and strive to meet local needs with local resources."

"...In order to advance these shared principles, VIA chapters will first be organized in each of our state's counties. These groups will serve as local hubs of both political activism and community service, forming the movement's sturdy, grass-roots foundation. Once a sufficient number of counties are organized, a convention will be held to constitute a state-wide organization. While most resources and responsibilities will remain at the county level, the state organization will take the lead in coordinating large events and supporting state-wide candidates for public office."

...as well as Cropp's lengthy announcement at the Vermont secesher homebase website, Second Vermont Republic, here. The question then would be, "How's that going for ya, Matt?"



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For the archive of the Free Vermont Framework listserv, click here.

Second Vermont Republic Has Now Morphed Into a Political Action Committee

In late June the Magnolia Vermonter and baas of the Second Vermont Republic, Thomas Naylor, posted yet another of his tedious screeds lambasting "the Empire."

This time, instead of condemning virtually all of Vermont's voters and statewide elected officials, all of the Vermont General Assembly, Vermont's clergy, public institutions, UVM (where a close family member works), as well as pretty much every other educational body, all of Vermont's congressional delegation (Patrick Leahy, who Naylor calls "a world-class prostitute," Peter Welch and, of course, Bernie Sanders, who Naylor got really pissed at for not resigning from Congress to run as Naylor's anointed gubernatorial candidate - Naylor, in language shockingly similar to that used in the Sovereign Citizens Movement, labels all three as "enemies of the state"), and, naturally, Democrats, Republicans and Progressives, Naylor isn't going to hold anything back - he's now compared all Americans to the citizens of Nazi Germany:

"Albert Camus’s insightful description of life in Nazi Germany, which appeared in the clandestine Resistance newspaper Combat a few weeks after the Liberation of Paris, could just as well have been written about life in the United States today. Not unlike the people of Nazi Germany, the American people are also asleep."

Oh, really? When Camus wrote that, the German people were getting their asses handed to them day and night with massive bombings from the East and the West that were leaving them little time for sleep. The comparison probably appealed to Naylor. who at this point hasn't much left in his bag of increasingly ineffectual tricks. You'd think that as a former "academic" he'd have heard of Godwin's Law. Perhaps he has and is subliminally throwing in the secesher towel:

"It is generally perceived that falling foul of Godwin's law tends to end up causing the individual making the comparison to lose their argument and/or credibility."

After having been the primary bankroller for Dennis Steele's embarrassing and utterly failed 2010 gubernatorial bid (normally I'd link to Steele's Wikipedia article but it seems that Wikipedians don't believe that he's so notable as to deserve his own article, so it's gone now - poof!) Naylor has come up with a new plan to separate Vermonters from their money - at $100 dollars a pop.

Here's the deal: send him the bread he's looking for on behalf of secesher legislative candidates, who he doesn't name, to his home mailing address and you get one of his awful books.

Support Us

Please help us save Vermont, America, and the rest of the world from the American Empire by helping tiny Vermont lead the nation into disunion. If SVR is to move to the next level, electing members of the state legislature who are open secessionists, we need your financial support. Those who contribute $100 or more receive a complimentary copy of Thomas H. Naylor’s provocative, 100-page, unpublished monograph Rebél, a philosophy of peaceful rebellion against the human condition and the American Empire.

Complete this form and return it with your check to The Second Vermont Republic, P.O. Box 544, Charlotte, VT 05445.

Source

Frankly, I'd prefer a button, a bumper sticker or maybe a CD of Naylor singing "Dixie."

Although his solicitation has all of the appeal of one of those Nigerian email scams, there's more to it than that. He's not clear about who the "us" is that he refers to in his appeal for "financial support" to "(elect) members of the state legislature who are open secessionists." And we're suppose to believe that after 8 years of accomplishing nothing much in Vermont beyond attracting fringe-ish losers who dabble in Holocaust denial, anti-Semitism, racism, wild-eyed conspiracy theories and homophobia, Naylor's now going to pick himself up, dust himself off and save Vermont. All we need to do is send him a C-note.

Ri-i-ght!

These are the facts: Naylor's Second Vermont Republic is a registered trade name since June of 2003 for a "civic club" according to the Vermont Secretary of State's search database (just enter Second Vermont Republic in the search box). SVR's registration won't expire until after the 2012 statewide election cycle.

According to the most recent information available at the VT Sec'y of State's website (searchable PDF file) it's likely that this recent step by Naylor - a solicitation for funds/contributions to finance legislative campaigns to elect seceshers - will trigger his need to register a PAC and make declarations having to do with receipt and expenses of more than $500.

Registration Requirements/Bank Designation & Treasurer Form. (17 V.S.A. §2831)

Each political committee and political party that has accepted contributions and made expenditures of $500.00 or more must register with the Secretary of State within ten days of reaching the $500.00 threshold stating its name and address, treasurer’s name, and the bank in which it maintains its campaign checking account. Any political committee or party that has filed a Bank Designation form in a previous election cycle does not need to file another one, UNLESS the committee/party is changing information on the form. You may also file this form before the $500 threshold has been reached.

Given their aversion to transparency and making the required campaign filings in a timely fashion in the last campaign, I'm not expecting the seceshers to be in a rush to make the legally required declarations and registration. After all, these are the requirements of "the Empire."

Let's see how they do this time around.

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This Day In Vermont History: March 4, 1791 - Vermont Day

On March 4, 1791, the third session of the First Congress of the United States of America acted on the petition of the residents of

"(T)he said state, by the name and style of "The State of Vermont" (it was never called the Vermont Republic) shall be received and admitted into this Union, as a new and entire member of the United Sates of America."

Approved, February 18, 1791

This all came about as a result of the resolution of New York's claims to Vermont lands and within five months time Vermonters rushed, by those days standard, to join the Union:

"As a result of an act passed by the State of New York on October 7, 1790, regarding a settlement of New York's claims, the Vermont General Assembly authorized a convention to consider an application for admittance to the Union of the United States of America. The convention met at Bennington, on January 6, 1791. On January 10, 1791 the convention approved a resolution to make an application to join the United States by a vote of 105 to 2 nays. Vermont was admitted to the Union on March 4, 1791. March 4 is celebrated in Vermont as Vermont Day."

Source

Of course, this is all at quite odds with the various fictions presented about Vermont by the baas of the Second Vermont Republic, Thomas Naylor, and his chief historical revisionist and fellow Abraham Lincoln hater, Rob Williams, publisher of SVR's propaganda organ, "Vermont Commons".

Some significance must then be attached to the recent change in Naylor's own shifting views about the possibility for secession of Vermont from the United States. On September 13, 2010, Naylor wrote:

It’s Time to Liberate Ourselves From the Use of the Word Secession

"To the vast majority of Americans, whether they be from the political Left or the political Right, secession is anathema. Abraham Lincoln really did a number on us one hundred fifty years ago. He convinced most of us that secession is immoral, illegal, and unconstitutional..."

"Secession may very well be the most emotionally charged word in American English. No term is considered to be more politically incorrect. What immediately comes to mind whenever this provocative word is spoken is the Civil War, slavery, violent militias, and racism..."

"Unlike secession, liberation connotes success, not failure..."

"As secessionists we need gradually to wean ourselves away from the use of the word secession and replace it with the more positive term... The Civil War ended a long time ago and with it ended the possibility of ever having an intelligent conversation about the merits of secession."

Naylor has continued to make remarks in this vein, usually in conjunction with
his anti-Israel/Semitic obsession, until finally he said, again with the predictable blanket anti-Israel jab,

"What America needs is neither a tea party movement, a tenth amendment movement, a nullification movement, nor a secession movement..."

"As someone who has spent twenty years promoting the idea of peaceful secession in America, it is extremely painful for me to admit that the modern day secession movement in America was probably dead on arrival."

Never mind the fact that six months ago Naylor was promoting the idea that emulation of the self-professed murderer, Che Guervara, was at the top of his "to do" list after claiming to be the founder of a "genteel revolution." [1] [2] You just can't predict or believe whatever he's going to say next - he's all over the place.

It's time for the Magnolia Vermonter, Thomas Naylor, to give us all a Vermont Day gift and stop embarrassing his Vermont neighbors, and for him to just pack it in without another of his petulant, historically inaccurate eulogies.

Now go play your childish secesher games with your racist League of the South friends and SVR advisory board members, Tom. It's over.

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For the archive of the Free Vermont Framework listserv, click here.

Would Vermonters Secede From a Second Vermont Republic?

This isn't exactly what Thomas Naylor, baas of the Second Vermont Republic, had in mind, nor is it the model of "UNTied States" that "Vermont Commons" publisher, Rob Williams, would have Vermonters pursue, that is to say, should the seceshers ever remotely seem to be gaining traction in the sense that the state of Vermont was being seen as even possibly leaving the US, that Vermonters could elect to secede from Vermont to remain in the United States of America.

Why not?

Some Arizonans, you see, think that their own state government is already too far along that secesher path so they're looking at - you guessed it - seceding from Arizona so that they can remain in the United States of America.

Pima County the 51st state?

A political committee comprised of a handful of attorneys, including the former chairman of the Pima County Democratic Party, have established a political committee dedicated to helping Southern Arizona secede from the rest of the state.

Start Our State, which is asking other like-minded counties to join the effort, is hoping to put the question before Pima County voters in 2012.

Co-chair Paul Eckerstrom said it’s not a joke and not a political statement. He said the state legislature has gone too far to the right, particularly with a round of measures to challenge federal supremacy.

“This really does border on them saying they don’t want to be part of the Union any longer,” he said. “Well, I want to be part of the United States.”

He said at a minimum, it will send a message that Pima County doesn’t want to go along with the priorities being outlined in Phoenix. He said Pima County has more land and more people than several other states.

“It’s no longer a laughing matter to me,” Eckerstrom said. “My kids’ futures are at stake because if this continues, the economic ramifications could be very dire. I’m tired of hoping and praying that rationality will come to Phoenix.”

The committee is pressing the Pima County Board of Supervisors to put the measure on the ballot. If that doesn’t happen, Eckerstrom said the group is prepared to circulate petitions.

Arizona Daily Star

At this point, a little "rationality" on the part of Naylor and Williams wouldn't be such a bad idea, either.

(h/t DangererousMinds)

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Thomas Naylor and Sexist Stereotyping

The Second Vermont Republic baas, Thomas Naylor, posted yet another of his tedious essays, this time about Egypt.

As I've said before, his "essays" are an assemblage of shopworn Naylor clichés and codewords devoted to his misrepresentations of the real world that could be reproduced on a few refrigerator magnets and swirled about as needed for an "essay."

But in his utterly predictable "oil-Empire-Internet bad-Obama-Israel" whine, Naylor veered off into a sexual stereotype designed to trivialize and marginalize women.

In a dozen paragraphs of his essay, never once did Naylor offer his snark about the sartorial shortcomings of President Obama, VP Biden, Mubarack, Suleiman, El-Baradei, Lech Walesa, Va’clav Havel, or the predominately male demonstrators at Tahrir Square in Cairo. Yet, when he came to the US Secretary of State, here's how he dismissed her without offering a single example of substance other than a vague accusation of something he engages in all the time, doublespeak:

"With her mindless political doublespeak about Egypt, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton makes one wonder whether she represents the Second Coming of Madeleine Albright."

"She and the former Secretary of State not only sound alike on Egypt, but they dress alike too."

That's a twofer for Naylor - political bullshit and sexism.

It's an important disclosure by the Godfather of the Vermont seceshers about where women will place in his agrarian, male dominated society comparable to that planned by his allies at the League of the South. Unsurprisingly, his SVR advisory board member, Thomas J. DiLorenzo has written about "the phantom nature of the wage gap."

According to,

"Ruth Mandel, director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University, 'To focus on their attire, the cut of their clothes … is to be in danger of trivializing who they are, the important role they play and the meaning behind women's advancement to positions of power: That is, we're moving to a true democracy of shared leadership.'"

No doubt he'll get strong support for his sexist jab from the expert at sexist doublespeak, that dreaming-of-castration-fantasies, anti-Semitic, lying blogger, Carol Moore, who has the full support of "Vermont Commons" publisher and Vermont historical revisionist, Rob Williams. Here's just one of her threatening comments directed to me when she became, ah, overstimulated by a photo in which a squirrel's testicles were visible:

"(A)ny female - and most men - can guess what my real response to it was. (Hint, where's(sic) the rubber bands - or the anesthetic and the proper tools.)"

Classy, Carol.

The group of them - Naylor, DiLorenzo, Williams & Moore - are a match made in hell.

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Another Anti-Semite's Work Has Been Featured Repeatedly at the Second Vermont Republic and VTCommons

As I searched through the braintrust publications of the Vermont secesher community, it struck me the other day that I was finding more and more frequently that I was coming across an increasing reliance on the contributions of known anti-Semites. Last week I wrote about one VTCommons blogger's long, distatsteful history of anti-Semitic writing and activism.

The most recent find was of a woe-is-me, the-sky-is-falling, economic type of article, much favored by the Vermont secesher community, by one Paul Craig Roberts.

Vermonters are supposed to read this stuff, climb into the secesher clown car and head for the nearest cliff. After all, according to "Vermont Commons" publisher, Rob Williams, and Thomas Naylor, baas of the Second Vermont Republic, there is no god but secession and through secession thou shalt be saved. And heck, Naylor's got that whole Israeli Mafia and the possibility of the Mossad running operations here in Vermont running around in his head.

Paul Craig Roberts was once a writer for national publications and
had served in the Reagan administration. No more, for in 2006 Roberts took a very hard turn to the dark side. Now his work is more often published in VDare.com, a white supremacist, anti-Semitic website where his archive of hundreds of pieces may be found among this nation's most virulently anti-Semitic writers.

VDare is designated as a hate site by the Southern Poverty Law Center; more on VDare.com is to be found here, here and here. In addition to his despicable contributions at VDare, Roberts writes for American Free Press, successor to the racist, anti-Semitic, Holocaust denying Willis Cato's earlier hate publication, The Spotlight. Roberts' work on the Jews and Israel has been frequently highlighted at Cato's well known Holocaust denial website, Institute for Historical Review.

The Anti-Defamation League has an extensive report on Roberts promotion of anti-Semitism here

Naylor has featured Roberts' squirrelly February 7 piece, The Official Unemployment Rate; an “Official” Lie at the SVR website. Naylor had earlier published Roberts' stuff here and here. Like Naylor, Roberts has been a repeat visitor to the racist, anti-Semitic, Holocaust denying web radio program, The Political Cesspool. The Political Cesspool's host, hatemonger James Edwards,
polled readers of his blog in late December, 2010 about who some of the first guests of the year should be on his show; among other top vote getters like David Duke and Pat Buchanan was none other than SVR's own Paul Craig Roberts. Roberts got one of the coveted early appearance spots on January 15, 2011.

Thus it was hardly a surprise then when I found that Paul Craig Roberts work had also been featured by no less than VTCommons publisher Rob Williams himself. Why wouldn't Naylor and Williams have their respective toes dipped into the same ideological cesspool? After all, when Naylor's problem with the Israeli Mafia first reared its head, Williams said that he agreed with Naylor about Israelis.

"Since most Americans have been conditioned by years of corporate media training to associate anti-Israeli sentiment with Anti Semitism, talking about the Israeli Mafia smacks of antiSemitism blah blah. Holocaust, SVR are racists, etc ad nauseum. I have spent 4 years defusing the SVR/LOS nonsense and it is finally done, even in the blogosphere. Why go there again?"

"... the thing is I agree with Thomas re Israel."

Fact is, as time goes by, the "small" Vermont secesher crowd more and more resembles the usual bigoted suspects.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *For the archive of the Free Vermont Framework listserv, click here.

Secession Strategies In The Old South and Vermont

An interesting piece by Manisha Sinha, a co-signer of the 2009, 2010, and 2011 letters to President Obama to not send a wreath to the Arlington Confederate Monument, appeared in yesterday's New York Times, entitled "The Strange Victory of the Palmetto State." Well worth the read.

The slaver seceshers of the Old South's strategy bears an interesting resemblance to that of the Second Vermont Republic and its sister organization, "Vermont Commons" - an appeal to base fears that are amped up by allusions to conspiracies and threats to peaceful existence. Similarities abound, right down to language, such as The Old South's "Dis-United States" and VTCommons publisher, Rob Williams', "Untied States of America."

In other words, not so clever bullshit.

(h/t: Ed Sebesta, Anti-Neo-Confederate)

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Vermont Commons Blogger Promotes Sovereign Citizen Legal Premise

For more than a year it has become apparent that as the secession movement in Vermont continued to falter and wane,
culminating in a complete failure to attract any meaningful level of support on election day (0.79% of the vote for the top of the ticket, gubernatorial hopeful Dennis Steele), a move to shake things up and shed their soiled reputation was afoot. Even before this failure to get traction with the Vermont electorate, I was observing signs that the "small community of secessionists" (as it is described by "Vermont Commons"Publisher Emeritus, Ian Baldwin) was resetting the movement to one that its founder, Thomas Naylor, baas of the Second Vermont Republic, had now come to call a "liberation movement":

It’s Time to Liberate Ourselves From the Use of the Word Secession
"...Abraham Lincoln really did a number on us one hundred fifty years ago. He convinced most of us that secession is immoral, illegal, and unconstitutional."

"Secession may very well be the most emotionally charged word in American English. No term is considered to be more politically incorrect. What immediately comes to mind whenever this provocative word is spoken is the Civil War, slavery, violent militias, and racism..."

"...However, there is another perfectly good word which captures the very essence of what it means to secede. That word is liberation."

"Unlike secession, liberation connotes success, not failure..."

"The liberation of Vermont starts now!"
Thomas Naylor
September 13, 2010

Much of what the small Vermont secesher community is now turning to is known nationally as the "sovereign citizen movement." Wikipedia has a concise definition of the sovereign citizen movement that sums up nicely what the legal underpinnings of the movement are about:

The sovereign citizen movement is a loose network of American litigants, commentators and financial scheme promoters.

Self-described "sovereign citizens" believe that they are answerable only to English common law and are not subject to any statutes or proceedings at the federal, state or municipal levels.

They especially reject most forms of taxation as illegitimate.

Participants in the movement argue this concept in opposition to "federal citizens" who, they believe, have unknowingly forfeited their rights by accepting some aspect of federal law.

Now comes a VTCommons blogger, Simha Bode, to slide out onto the thin legal ice of "sovereign citizen" tinfoil hat jurisprudence. In an odd post on the courts (basically he argues some federal courts aren't legally constituted), to which he aptly adds this, "Disclaimer: THIS IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE," he puts forth his argument, based largely on the legal expertise of someone to whom he offers his "(s)pecial thanks to," a "Paul Andrew Mitchell from the Supreme Law Firm, for his generous assistance in helping (Bode to) understand this mind boggling subject." Bode identifies Mitchell as a Private Attorney General(?) and provides a link to Mitchell's Supreme Law Firm but apparently did little other research before swallowing this legal pablum whole. If he had, he would have found that Mitchell has a reputation for filing the frivolous legal actions that sovereign citizen movement types are famous for losing. Here's a website that provides more on Mitchell's history, Who Is Paul Andrew Mitchell?

Bode added later to his piece this bit of commentary on court procedure,

"In all USDC legislative (statute) cases they trick you into submitting to their jurisdiction VOLUNTARILY... You stand up when the judge enters, you are consenting to their jurisdiction, They ask, "Do you do understand (stand-under my jurisdiction)?" you reply,"Yes, I understand." They give you the option with out you knowing it. It is a big POWER game! That is why we have a legal language very few people can really comprehend. You are volunteering to giving up your rights for options!"

Ah yes, here we go now down the rabbit hole of secesher/sovereign citizen/redemptionist legal theory.

For more on the nutty legal theories now emanating from the small Vermont secesher crowd, read this about their newly re-constituted Vermont Council of Censors .

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Second Vermont Republic Advisory Board Member Endorses Violence Against The Government Officials

Not our government at this point - yet.

Second Vermont Republic advisory board member and assistant professor of political science, State University of New York, Buffalo, as well as founder of the floundering New Hampshire Free State Project, Jason Sorens, wrote in a piece he entitled Why Isn't Violence The Answer?:

"U.S. government officials continue to lecture the Egyptian demonstrators on how to go about their business."

"(President Obama) said he had told Mr Mubarak to respect the rights of the Egyptian people and refrain from using violence against peaceful protesters – but he said the protesters also had a responsibility to express themselves peacefully."

"But why?"

"...Surely many of us of feeling around the world recognize that if the protestors find it prudential or useful at some point to storm the presidential palace and dispense street justice to Mubarak and his minions, there is no conceivable ethical reason for them to shrink from the task. Isn’t it on one of our state flags?"

"Sic semper tyrannis."
Why Isn’t Violence the Answer?
January 28, 2011 by Jason Sorens

Whew! Where to start on this one? Probably right there at the end of his piece. While it's true that Sic Semper Tyrannis is on the Commonwealth of Virginia flag, he wasn't writing about flag heraldry, he was writing about "dispen(ing) street justice to Mubarak."

The last time I heard of the words Sic Semper Tyrannis being used
while dispensing "justice" was when an ardent secessionist, John Wilkes Booth, had leapt to the Ford Theatre stage and shouted them at the audience after having just shot President Abraham Lincoln in the back of the head.

Lincoln hatred has a long and deep connection with the Vermont seceshers. Sorens fellow SVR advisory board member is Thomas J. DiLorenzo, a secesher scholar bullshitter with past ties to League of the South's Institute for the Study of Southern Culture and History, and who has worked for Big Tobacco. DiLorenzo, in addition to his disdain for the bedrock of civil rights in America, the 14th Amendment, as well as organized labor, has made a business of pedaling Lincoln hatred for the secesher community.

Similarly, "Vermont Commons" publisher, Rob Williams, has repeatedly echoed the Lincoln hatred of these extremists. Eighteen months ago, in a Slate.com piece Williams was quoted as saying "Abraham Lincoln did a number on us". Since the seceshers Lincoln opposed were the ones who sought to preserve slavery by seceeding, one needs to ask just who Williams' "us" is?

Whatever the circumstances, assassinations and dispensing street justice are illegal acts. This isn't the first time that someone associated with the Vermont secession movement has advocated for or solicited lawbreaking. As recently as this past fall (12.09.10 - 5:21 AM), Vermont secesher and a leader of the Free Vermont group of misfits, Gary Flomenhoft, put out a call for "someone to... hack their websites," a direct violation of Vermont law. Such a solicitation is a felony.

The Free Vermont group, who Thomas Naylor calls his "twenty internet cowboys," have advocated for confiscation of private property, population caps, income and asset caps, making certain acts by legislators capital offenses; the complete list is quite long and equally shocking.

One has to wonder how this squares with Naylor's claim
to be leading a "Genteel Revolution." His repetitive, muddled, demagogic rants about Vermonters who fall short of his secesher ideal (meaning: Everyone in Vermont not named Thomas H. Naylor); his latching onto imagery of a self-proclaimed murderer (which Naylor and his candidate, Dennis Steele, dumped one day after it was revealed on this blog); his paranoid delusions about conspiracies aimed at his "revolution," also another quite long and equally shocking list that has been subject of many posts on this blog. Oddly, an earlier "genteel evolution," so-named nearly 70 years ago by Time magazine, was that of Fulgencio Batista, who was himself overthown in part by the man whose image Naylor co-opted onto the flag that he co-opted from the Vermont National Guard.

In one of Naylor's most recent rants, The Politics of Violence in America, Naylor wrote:

"Since violence is inextricably linked to the Empire, there may be no escape from violence in America... "

Nor, it would seem, will violence or the criminal mindset be escaped in the brave new world of the Second Vermont Republic - they'll just apply it more hubristically.

Yeah, I know, confusing rationales and coincidences from the mind, ravings and actions of the SVR baas, Thomas H. Naylor and his minions.

Will Naylor, Williams, Flomenhoft and the rest of the nutters that comprise the Free Vermont "movement" renounce their advisor Jason Sorens' call for violence?

The more I learn of and hear from these secesher clowns, the more concerned I grow for my fellow Vermonters should these people ever get close to the levers of power.

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