A. I am the Secretary of the Coordinating Committee (kind of the state level executive) of the Vermont Progressive Party. As odd as it may sound, I came to democratic socialism through my lifelong membership in the Unitarian Universalist Church – being a non-Christian religious minority tends to give one perspective and my faith tradition demands that one questions authority.

I find that capitalism as we currently practice it in the US is consuming what should be the commons at an alarming rate and that it is further based on a confusion of liberty with property. Liberty is a form of freedom that is inclusive, property is a form of freedom that is exclusive – it is the yin and yang of freedom. I believe that the liberty/property dichotomy has become unbalanced in favor of property, and far too much power has been allocated to those who have the most of it, to the detriment of liberty in general. The capitalist private sector does some things very well but when equity is more important than profit, it fails miserably.

We have allowed the commons to shrink when that is where equitable treatment of individuals, whether it is a clean environment, universal healthcare, a dignified retirement etc. etc. actually comes from. And yes, I have heard of the myth of the “tragedy of the commons,” it was a propaganda lie to justify the Enclosure Act which privatized commons all over Great Britain and drove the rural poor into the cities where they could become underpaid industrial dones. Sound familiar?.

Q. Since 2004, the Vermont Independence effort has used the famed Green Mountain Boys (GMB) flag – 13 white stars on a blue field against a green backdrop – as a symbol for the emerging 2nd Vermont Republic (2VR). Why did you select the GMB flag as a symbol?

A. I think of this flag as an assertion of Vermont’s traditions of small d democracy, tolerance, innovation and independence. Just as the Trump signs signaled to all where those people stood, I hope to use the GMB flag to signify those principles I cited above. We do not grant rights and then take them away to placate an interest group, especially a religious interest group. It is also a big middle finger to the national GOP, who seems to support states’ rights until they assert the right to do something they disagree with.

Q. Explain why you are flying the Green Mountain Boys flag at your farm.

A. I am making a public statement that I reject the racism, the culture of ignorance, and the authoritarianism that I believe Trump represents. It is my way of standing and delivering and saying to the white supremacist thugs that Trump seems to attract and empower that I am not afraid to stand up to you, I will not be silent.

Q. Since 2004, supporters of  Vermont independence and a 2nd Vermont Republic have championed an independent Vermont, suggesting that the problem facing the United States – Empire – is a bipartisan Beast and is unfixable. What’s your take on this perspective?

A. It may be time for a constitutional convention but I am not ready to throw the baby out with the bathwater. I think much of what has been identified as the tendency to empire is a function of economics and corporatist ownership models. I will say that it is an open question in my mind, though.

Q. Do you hope other Vermonters will follow your lead re: the flag?

A. I hope to see these flags flying all over the state. In fact, I would like to see the State of Vermont re-adopt it, but short of that as long as folks know why I am flying mine, that’s good enough for me.