Elections have consequences. We can celebrate that at the national level when we have a president who ends torture, prevents a depression, and makes the first steps toward health care reform.
We can also see it at the state level, and it isn't always pretty.
Take Virginia, for instance. Just last month we saw Virginia's new attorney general, Ken Cuccinelli, order all of Virginia's colleges to start discriminating against gay people, reasoning that there is no basis in Virginia law to treat them as equal human beings.
The latest move is right at the top, though. In addition to a new Republican AG, Virginia has a new Republican Governor. You know what he's into? Supporting slavery and treason.
It's BAAACK... Almost two years after the Vermont secession group Second Vermont Republic's cozy ties to racist neo-Confederate groups were publicized here, VT Secession, and Five Before Chaos, the premier organization for tracking hate groups, the Southern Poverty Law Center, has finally released its much-anticipated report about the group and its "sister organization," the Vermont Commons newspaper.
Now, those of you who have been reading GMD for a while don't need a rehash of this fiasco, in which it got to the point where SVR's crazy guru Thomas Naylor engaged in a smear campaign which almost cost GMD founder John Odum his job. For the initial post, go here. There's also a ton of info at VT Secession, the blog that broke the story. To make a long story short, they dug in their heels, people involved with a conscience were either dismissed or left (that would not include VT Commons' Rob Williams, who up until then seemed like a genuine progressive), and SVR's pretty much a one man show now, where when not talking to his Neo-Confederate buddies about the good 'ol days, Thomas Naylor probably wanders his hallways at night in his fuzzy slippers and bathrobe speaking to the ghost of Ethan Allen about the coming revolution. Right.
The SPLC report is quite well-documented, from the nefarious ties, the relationships and trust that were broken, and most importantly, Thomas Naylor's crazy-man, unrepentant demeanor. It's really amazing how a person who repeated ad nauseum how he has fought and opposed racism his whole life (which of course, does not preclude going on a white-supremacist radio show recently, where he was called "obviously a good Confederate") can compartmentalize his mind so masterfully:
"Naylor also is down on desegregation. In a 2007 essay, "Minority States NOT Minority Rights," Naylor criticizes segregation but also "forced racial integration," complaining that the federal government was in the 1950s and 1960s "ordering me to associate with minorities whether I like it or not." Overall, Naylor can't abide by the idea that since civil rights legislation was passed in the 1960s, "minority rights always trump states' rights." "
That's a pretty bold anti-segregationist statement, eh? And VT Commons (whose editor is Naylor's buddy Rob "I-don't know-if-they're-racist-and-frankly-don't-care'" Williams) as recently as Feb. 5th had this quote about freedom and unity from fringe-bat Carol Moore:
"Those “identity groups” of whatever identity who desire separation to preserve their culture or live out a vision or lifestyle should not have to waste time and resources in defending or fighting discrimination lawsuits and onerous zoning laws and can focus it on building community."
But Naylor, in all his zany glory, is a unreconstructed rebel to the end:
In the face of these criticisms, Naylor remains defiant. "I don't give a shit what you write," he told the Report. "If someone tells me that I shouldn't associate with the League of the South, it guarantees that I will associate with the League of the South."
That really says it all, doesn't it? A rebel to the bitter end in the truest sense. Heh.
UPDATE: VT Commons editor Rob Willams bobs and weaves around the issue in an interview with the SPLC here, including his "don't know, don't care" comment. Just to let me refresh your memory, here is the exact quote we allegedly took out of context:
“some of our secession scholars - Don Livingston, for example - happen to be southerners. Anyone who has met and talked with Don knows the man is thoughtful and well-studied. Is he a racist? I don’t know. And frankly, it is none of my damn business, at a personal level.”
We've talked about this a lot here, and to get a lot of the back story you can also hop over to Vermont Secession.
I didn't know this was happening, but apparently the neo-confederates and assorted shallow thinkers who've been dreaming about secession have been trying to get the idea on the ballot across the state for Town Meeting Day. You know, the organ of democracy, where the Bush/Cheney impeachment movement was advanced a couple of hears ago?
Yup, I didn't know about it and probably neither did you, even if, like me, you live in one of the sixteen towns they tried to get the issue on the ballot.
I guess this isn't surprising, since they could barely attract twenty people to their banquet last month.
If they do the right thing, and just fade away like any number of fringe movements, I can't say I'll miss them.
I almost hate to bring this up again, but if you are a regular reader you will undoubtedly remember the discussion of the Second Vermont Republic and how friendly they seem to be to racist and neo-confederate groups.
Anyway, I was just viewing Blogging Heads and the first discussion on yesterday's Science Saturday diavlog was all about the secession movement in Vermont, and one of the speakers actually had attended a party with Thomas Naylor.
I think this is pretty interesting, and I think John Horgan, who knows a little bit about it, clearly gets what they're all about.
Cathy Resmer covers the VNRC purge of GMD founder and former blogger John Odum here.
Cathy says: I'm sorry to see him go, especially in this way. He says GMD will continue without him.
Exactly right, Cathy. We feel the loss here, but we're going to keep it up.
From the extreme right (I hope she doesn't object to that description), She's Right blogger Charity Tensel also covers this story, describing the loss this way: This is a great loss for political blogging. Odum's thoughtful posts and comments kept GMD in the realm of sensible discussion. He was an anchor, a rock, keeping the blog focused on remaining relevant and holding it back from slipping into the realm of radicalism.
Philip: The Vermont blogosphere is still very much in its infancy, and it depends on a handful of sites for its signature feel. Green Mountain Daily has been, and will remain, one of those deep-anchor sites. And although others have contributed greatly, GMD is John Odum's brain child, and his love child, and its success is in large part his success.
Steve West of WKVT's "Live & Local" has now weighed in with his take on the story. Check out his latest - and very funny - blog entry, Odum Addendum and dem Demagogues.
Haik also covers the story, with a different angle. We know that this wasn't about Snarky, but he couldn't restrain himself from chiming in. You kind of have to wonder what would motivate someone like that, don't you?
If you're a regular reader of these pages you know about this story, but it's obvious now that this decision is going beyond the world of Green Mountain Daily.
When you read about attacks on journalism, and particular citizen journalism of the kind we practice here, you don't necessarily think about relatively enlightened places like Vermont. Now we know that we cannot afford to be complacent.
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