BRATTLEBORO-Recently, The New York Times reported the Trump regime plans to cut legal-aid funds for migrant children. Under this policy, 25,000 unaccompanied children will lose their legal representation that is provided by volunteer U.S.-based nonprofit advocacy groups.
These children, as young as 2 years old, have escaped trafficking, trauma, and abuse and could be forcibly repatriated to further harm. This appears to be an open violation of the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act.
In 1864, the U.S. Cavalry, led by Col. John M. Chivington, attacked peaceful Cheyenne and Arapaho in Colorado near Fort Lyon. In this event, known as the Sand Creek Massacre, as many as 200 Native American people were killed, including many children.
Asked why children were deliberately targeted, Chivington stated that we "kill and scalp all, big and little; nits make lice."...
Tim Kipp, a political activist since the 1960s, is a retired history and political science teacher of 39 years. He dedicates this piece to Woody Bernhardt of Marlboro, "a tireless fighter for real democracy." BRATTLEBORO-Not since those sweltering days in Philadelphia in 1787 at the Constitutional Convention has the...
BRATTLEBORO-Emilie Kornheiser, District 7 representative, has earned support for reelection to the Statehouse. Our town and county have long benefited from delegations of competent, caring, and energetic elected officials. Windham County has historically been an influencer in Vermont government, and Kornheiser is a standout among her legislative peers. In...
Another icon and era in Vermont has passed with the retirement of Lester Dunklee and the closing of the R.F. Dunklee Machine Shop on Flat Street in Brattleboro. Two marvelous articles in the Brattleboro Reformer and The Commons perfectly captured the legacy of Lester, the family, and the shop - and their importance in our history. Now Lester will not have to attend his own funeral, as he will know what will be said in his eulogies! And he deserves...
The recent conflict over the Brattleboro Union High School team names is a healthy one, and the WSESD board's decision to change the image is necessary and proper given society's evolving concepts of equality. Removing the blinders of white privilege benefits us all. Here's a recommendation that came from a venerable colleague many years ago, when the issue first emerged. Gary Blomgren, chair of the art department, presented the faculty with a sculpture - a golden ear of corn -
1 ‘A supremely political court’ Thomas Jefferson called the United States Supreme Court the “despotic branch.” Historically the least democratic of the three branches, this tribunal — unelected to life terms with no codified ethical standards — has overwhelmingly served elite political and corporate interests over citizen rights. What riled Jefferson most was Chief Justice John Marshall’s coup of 1803, which established judicial review, thus anointing the court with the ability to nullify acts of the legislative and executive branches...
Our town is about to lose a cherished family business: Hotel Pharmacy will close its doors after four decades. It is really impossible to measure the loss until it happens. While never taken for granted, they — like a good family member — have always been here when you needed them. The Giamartinos and their wonderful longtime staff have always provided essential professional medical services and support not found in most doctors’ offices. They could help one navigate the absurdities...
David Zuckerman has been a leading home- grown Vermont Progressive for 22 years, first as a legislator and then as lieutenant governor. An organic farmer by trade, his work in Vermont is not done. He is running for his former position. Social, economic, and environmental justice has been his platform throughout his political life. Racial equality, reproductive rights, equal marriage, workers' rights to unionize, paid family leave, livable wages, and defending the environment are the values that have sustained him...