Editor’s note: This commentary is by Deborah Bucknam, of Walden, who was the Republican candidate for attorney general in November. She is a graduate of Vermont Law School in private practice in St. Johnsbury and past vice chair of the Vermont Republican Party.
[L]ess than two weeks ago, Vermont leaders from all over Vermont eagerly and publicly patted themselves on the back for resisting President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
Senate Majority Leader Tim Ashe said it was a “special day” when the Senate passed the immigration bill. He continued: “Whether you look different, pray differently, whatever it is, that you’re welcome here.”
House Speaker Mitzi Johnson said about the immigration bill: “But part of what … [immigrants] need … is to be in a state that belongs to a union that respects people and honors civil rights. For us to do nothing would make us bystanders to injustice.”
Sen. Dick Sears said: “Vermonters also must be afforded the benefits and protections of law enforcement and public safety without regard to their sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, race, color, religion, national origin, immigration status or disability. These findings are an important expression of our Vermont values.”
The Vermont American Civil Liberties Union weighed in favorably, although it said the legislation did not go far enough.
Earlier, Vermont college and university presidents issued strong statements confirming their institutions’ unwavering support for constitutional protections to all persons, including undocumented immigrants.
Gov. Phil Scott formed a task force to make sure immigrants’ civil rights were protected, and prominent Vermont leaders were made part of the task force.
Vermont’s media duly followed suit, giving extensive sympathetic coverage to the immigration legislation.
There was much talk over the last two weeks about constitutional rights, Vermont values, and how “brave” Vermont is to stand up to the federal government.
While there has been no indication that any immigrants’ civil rights have been violated in Vermont by the Trump administration, just a few days ago hundreds of American citizens’ First Amendment rights and academic freedoms were violated.
Dr. Charles Murray was shouted down and he and his host were roughed up by the bullies at elite Middlebury College. There was vandalism, threats and physical assault, some by masked thugs. Dr. Murray said of the incident that he had “never encountered anything close to” what he encountered at Middlebury.
The same leaders who were so quick to defend the rights of immigrants have been silent about these violations of constitutional rights and academic freedom. Even the ACLU, whose founding principle was the defense of the First Amendment, has said nothing.
Vermont’s media is also virtually silent. In contrast to the immigration story, the media has shown no sympathy for the victims of the Middlebury mob. Reporters invariably called Dr. Murray “controversial” each time they mentioned him, but they were far less certain about the Middlebury thugs: Some even put scare quotes around the words “violence” and “mob” when reporting on the incident. Moreover, the media simply parroted Dr. Murray’s critics, as if they were all credible sources. Dr. Murray’s actual views were not disseminated to the public in any of the Vermont stories. The thugs at Middlebury wanted to shut down Dr. Murray’s views, and Vermont media has obliged. The Fourth Estate, specifically protected by the First Amendment, apparently does not care about protecting others’ First Amendment rights and academic freedom.
There was much talk over the last two weeks about constitutional rights, Vermont values, and how “brave” Vermont is to stand up to the federal government.
President Calvin Coolidge once called Vermont brave. He said “If the spirit of liberty should vanish in other parts of the Union, and support of our institutions should languish, it could all be replenished from the generous store held by the people of this brave little state of Vermont.”
Vermont’s generous store of the spirit of liberty has been depleted and needs replenishing itself. Therefore, to replenish this store of liberty, I challenge all Vermont leaders to do the following:
• Issue statements condemning the actions at Middlebury College, and invite Dr. Murray to speak at the Statehouse and other prominent venues.
• Form a task force to determine what actions are necessary to allow full freedom of expression including academic freedom in this state.
• The media should print and broadcast Dr. Murray’s actual views in detail, so the students at Middlebury and all other Vermonters can know what he actually espouses. Debate, not silence, is the cure for mistaken opinions or wrong conclusions.
• The resistance to President Trump’s immigration policies took no bravery, because there was no price to pay for siding with the resisters. Donald Trump won only 29 percent of the vote in Vermont. Vigorously responding to the Middlebury mob and defending an unpopular speaker would take real courage. We shall see how brave Vermont really is in the defense of liberty.
