“I hope to see these flags flying all over the state,” says Chris Brimmer. In fact, I would like to see Vermont re-adopt it.”

Join the Resistance! Purchase your GMB flags at Vermont’s Stove and Flag Works in Montpelier and Williston, or buy a Vermont hand-stitched version here at our STORE.

Q. Welcome, Chris Brimmer! Please introduce yourself for our readers.

A. I am a town planner by trade and currently work for a pair municipal governments. I also pretend to own a small farm in Ryegate. I’ve lived in Vermont this time around since 2000 which makes this the state I’ve lived in the longest in my 55 years. I served in the USCG as a seaman and suffered a debilitating back injury – this paid for my education through the Vocational Rehabilitation program with the VA.

Q. You are involved with the Progressive Party here in Vermont. Tell us about your involvement, and why the Progressives?

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.
January 1, 2017

Flagging Resistance: Vermont Coast Guard Veteran, Progressive, Farmer in Ryegate Town To Fly GMB Flag Beginning On Trump’s Inauguration Day – Friday, January 20th (INTERVIEW)

“I hope to see these flags flying all over the state,” says Chris Brimmer. In fact, I would like to see Vermont re-adopt it.” Join the […]
December 31, 2016

How The U.S. Empire Will Devolve Into Fascism And Collapse (ANALYSIS)

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I know what you are thinking. Does the world need another Star Wars film? Of course. Let me explain. First – it’s holiday time, and raining […]
December 15, 2016

Merry, Merry! Vermont Independence Merch for Holidays 2016!

Purchase your 2VR flags, stickers, coins, books, passports and other merchandise at our STORE. Long live the 2nd Vermont Republic and the UNtied States of America! […]
December 11, 2016

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December 1, 2016

#NoDAPL Global Month of Action: Vermont Stands with Standing Rock!

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November 30, 2016

Should “Brexit” be followed by an “Irexit”?

Vermonters have many reasons to take interest in the current affairs of our friends across the Atlantic – specifically in the small island nation of Ireland. Historically, Vermont’s Irish connection couldn’t be any closer. Our very own Ethan Allen was once captured by British forces and taken across the ocean to be imprison in Cork, Ireland which, at that time, was still under British rule.
November 10, 2016

Trump’ing the Empire, Kickstarting a 2nd Vermont Republic: Interposition, Nullification, and Secession

Donald J. Trump’s victory has laid bare the U.S. of Empire. Encouraged to run as a “fringe candidate” by the neoliberal Clintonistas (who threw the populist […]
November 8, 2016

Plan V for Vermont. Meme On.

November 4, 2016

V FOR VENDETTA – “Ignite, Or Be Gone.” (HAPPY GUY FAWKES DAY)

“People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their People.” – V Publisher’s Note: On the eve of the historic 2016 U.S. […]
October 31, 2016

“The Mad Farmer, Flying the Flag of Rough Branch, Secedes from the Union,” by Wendell Berry

There is only one of him, but he goes. He returns to the small country he calls home, His own nation small enough to walk across. […]
October 27, 2016

2VR Talks With Iceland’s PIRATE PARTY – Livestream!

Tune in here to the Livestream on Sunday, October 30 at 11:00 am 2VR time. More on Iceland’s PIRATE PARTY here.