America isn’t the only one celebrating its 250th anniversary. It’s Vermont’s birthday, and to properly mark and market the occasion, they made a series of mistakes that ended with the uninspiring crap featured above. “Governor Phil Scott created the Vermont 250th Anniversary Commission through Executive Order in December 2020.”
From a press release following the Executive order.
The year 2026 will mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the formation of the United States of America. Vermonters played a significant role in the colonists’ assertion for independence from Great Britain, from the Green Mountain Boys successful assault at Fort Ticonderoga to the Battle of Hubbardton, and to the Battle of Bennington where Vermont troops helped defeat a British force to set up the victories that turned the war in favor of the new Americans.
To observe these events, Vermont will be joining other states and the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission to encourage remembrance of our past, celebrate the present and look forward to a promising future. …
The Vermont 250th Anniversary Commission will engage residents, visitors, educators and students, cultural institutions, historical societies, the business community and our state and local governments to participate in the recognition of the importance of our nation’s fight for freedom and how it still resonates in society today.
Looking at the face of the celebration, I’m thinking they missed the mark. Nothing about that logo suggests anything to me about any of that, but we need not be surprised. The problem starts at the top. [Related: Vermont: A State That Exists Because of a Militia Just Banned Them.]
The Commission will be comprised of the commissioner of the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing, the state historic preservation officer, the state librarian, representatives of the Vermont Historical Society, the University of Vermont, as well as appointed representatives of geographic and racial diversity. This membership will include a Revolutionary War historian, member of a Revolutionary War reenactment group, representative of a Vermont History Museum, and members of the Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs. Planning shall begin in 2021 to launch our celebrations for 2025-2027.
As part of its public engagement efforts, the Vermont 250th Anniversary Commission hosted a series of webinars in late 2024 targeting K–12 educators, municipalities, and higher education institutions. These sessions provided a window into the narratives the commission prioritized as it prepared for the upcoming anniversary.
And?
Across the four outreach videos, there was substantial discussion of Vermont’s Revolutionary-era history, including mentions of the Green Mountain Boys, the Vermont Republic (1777–1791), and the state’s role in the fight for independence. However, a significant portion of the presentations emphasized modern frameworks of diversity, equity, and inclusion. …
An analytical review of the transcripts suggests that approximately 30–40% of the content focused on Vermont’s 250-year history, while 60–70% centered on contemporary DEI themes and reinterpretations of historical narratives.
As if DEI narratives had anything to do with the self-reliant, industrious people filled with both belief and the will to sacrifice required to carve the greatest nation on earth out of a vast wilderness. If these assholes were in charge, we’d still be singing God Save the Queen and arguing over whether our steak knives should be turned in at local drop boxes because they are unregistered “assault” weapons.
Nice work. The commission reduced 250 years of struggle and accomplishment into a picture about an infinitesimally small moment in time where some people clutched their pearls over whether men would be able to continue to rob women of victory in women’s sports or schools could groom and neuter children without their parents’ consent.
The Commission made it, not about Vermont, but about themselves.
Calvin Coolidge, a son of Vermont and president on America’s 150th Birthday, would be unimpressed.
The American Revolution represented the informed and mature convictions of a great mass of independent, liberty-loving, God-fearing people who knew their rights, and possessed the courage to dare to maintain them. The Continental Congress was not only composed of great men, but it represented a great people.
…
We live in an age of science and of abounding accumulation of material things. These did not create our Declaration. Our Declaration created them.
The things of the spirit come first. Unless we cling to that, all our material prosperity, overwhelming though it may appear, will turn to a barren sceptre in our grasp. If we are to maintain the great heritage which has been bequeathed to us, we must be like-minded as the fathers who created it. We must not sink into a pagan materialism. We must cultivate the reverence which they had for the things that are holy. We must follow the spiritual and moral leadership which they showed.
DEI is soulless, as are its worshippers. Vermont could do better, but it needs to remember where it came from and why, and aside from a speed bump in November of 2024, things appear to be going downhill according to the progressive plan.
Oh, and happy birthday.
