“We won’t stop until someone calls the cops,
and even then we’ll start again and just pretend
that nothing ever happened.”
– Kimya Dawson, Loose Lips

Well, that was fun. Our little trip to the State House yesterday, that is. Damn, I’m beginning to wonder if I’m becoming a little addicted to democracy. But when that conscience thing starts kicking in, I can hardly stop myself from running into the streets to assert my right to make a complete ass of myself – er, I mean, wax poetically about democracy. But the yawning masses still go gently into each night with nice, happy thoughts about yellow ribbons on their bumpers. Maybe I should just sell coffee. Curses, Starbucks!

Oh yeah, yesterday. I almost forgot. Yep, I was one of the eight fun-loving folks who decided that it was going to be mighty odd for Governor Jim Douglas to get away not even mentioning the Iraq War during his State of the State speech. And our hunches were correct: Douglas fully ignored the war. Not. One. Word. In other words, he issued one, big “never mind” to a war that has claimed 26 Vermonters’ lives, cost the state’s taxpayers an estimated $660 million, and hijacked our national psyche. You’d think that a Governor so obsessed with giving lip service to “affordability” might want to ponder that $660 million figure. But no such luck with Douglas.

Well, we wanted to hear about the war yesterday. Or, better yet, we wanted to put the war on the agenda of our state legislature. Yo leaders: We’re at war! So we put the word out (editor’s note: that means calling Boots). Made some five-minute plans and banners. And then gathered today at the State House about an hour before the Governor’s speech to get good seats and prepare for some afternoon unfurling.

They are a mighty clean and shiny bunch at the State House. Yikes. You’d think none of them had been shoveling horse shit – or snow for that matter. Of course not. Not the shiny people. The King of Shiny Senators, Peter Shumlin, spoke for the shiny, liberal masses when he told the Vermont Press Bureau that while he “understood our frustrations” he didn’t approve of our choice of venue. Of course not. They never do. Whatever we do. But they always share our frustration. How nice. And it is just really “frustrating” that 4000 soldiers have died, tens of thousands are coming back with serious physical and mental disabilities, more than 150,000 Iraqis have died and millions displaced and terrorized and the world remains destabilized by it all. Bummer, huh? Oops, I mean “frustrating.”

Yeah, you’re right, we shouldn’t have brought that up to the Governor. I mean, he had lotteries to talk about. And “tax equity” (good luck with that). And, oh yeah, health care. But wait, they’re connected – the war and domestic issues. Which leads us back to that $660 million that Vermonters have sent to prosecute this war. According to the National Priorities Project, that amount of money would provide full health care for 240,000 people. Or it would pay for providing renewable electricity to nearly a million households (four times the number of households in Vermont). Or provide 61,000 college scholarships. Or hire nearly 12,000 teachers. You get the point: It’s a whole-lotta-loot. And it’s our loot.

But Governor Douglas told the media that we brought our protest to the wrong place. Go to the federal government, he counseled us. Oh yeah, we’ve been there. Just ask Peter Welch. But Governor Doulgas wants us to forget a few important facts. First, he wants us to forget that as the governor, he’s also the commander-in-chief of the Vermont National Guard. And as we all know, the Vermont National Guard is in Iraq. Next, Governor Douglas would like us to forget about the above-mentioned tax figures. And, finally, Douglas really, really, really wants us all to forget that he was the chairman of the Vermont Committee to Re-elect President Bush and has been an overnight guest at Bush’s White House.

Hmmm, sounds like a good anti-war target to me.

But we accomplished our goals yesterday. We wanted to make sure the war was mentioned in the State House yesterday. And we wanted to ask the Governor and the legislature to do whatever they can to help put an end to it. Here’s the “communiqué” that we circulated after we unfurled our banners and were dutifully removed from the House Chamber during Douglas’ speech:

Vermont Troops Home Now.

Today, in the Vermont People’s State House, a group of students, veterans and citizens decided it was time to put the issue of the War on Iraq on Vermont’s legislative agenda. And so we’ve come to Governor Jim Douglas’ State of the State address to remind him, the Legislature and all Vermonters that we are a nation waging an illegal war against Iraq – a war that has left tens of thousands dead, cost nearly $500 billion, and diverted our nation’s attention from other pressing issues that deserve our attention. This war must end now. And every elected official – indeed, every citizen – must take action now to end the Iraq War and re-focus our national and state priorities.

The Governor’s State of the State address is traditionally a time to set the state’s agenda. It is a time to assess our past and look toward the future. But the “elephant in the room” that will probably go unmentioned is the war and its impact on all of our lives. So, we ask the Governor and members of the Legislature to consider these facts:

• 26 Vermonters have lost their lives in the Iraq War.
• It has been estimated that Vermont’s share of the cost of the Iraq War is over $660 million (see reverse).
• Vermont’s National Guard is participating in the occupation of a sovereign nation.
• U.S. Military and National Guard recruiters are actively preying on Vermont high school students and others to join the armed services and serve in this illegal war.
• More than 70% of Vermonters oppose the Iraq War.

Therefore, we ask that the Governor and the Vermont Legislature listen to the people and begin to take immediate action to help end the Iraq War and/or Vermont’s role in it, including:

• A call for an immediate end to the war directed at the President, Congress, and Vermont’s Congressional delegation.
• A demand that all Vermont troops come home now.
• An end to military recruitment in Vermont’s high schools.

Out of Iraq, Out of Our Schools