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.”
If you're curious about Livingston, this is a good place to start. And if you like him, you'll love his fellow SVR advisory board member, Thomas DiLorenzo.
