'Outstanding' Profile

The article featuring Jeff Sharlet ["Seeing Is Believing," June 7] is the reason why I, without fail, pick up Seven Days every week. This piece of journalism is outstanding.

Also frightening. I had a knot in my stomach to the last sentence.

I fear for Jeff, literally — even more so than if he were in a war zone. He truly does walk into the mouth of the beast in his research about fanaticism and flat-out hate-driven politics. 

I used to think that fascism was a buzzword, used all too often in reference to people with Republican leanings. Now I realize that it's fear-driven and a tool of the person who uses it to feed fear to those who are made to imagine themselves powerless. And it's not necessarily a tool of Republicans but of anyone who has absolutely no moral compass and is willing to use it to better his cause, whatever it may be.

I've studied World War II extensively and the causes thereof. To say the least, the similarities of 1930s Germany in the United States at this point are absolutely frightening. The only thing missing here is one polarizing central issue to bring it all together. So far, all that's been managed is a lot of little brush fires, but even those can travel and meet to form a giant conflagration. 

Be careful, Jeff. Take care of yourself, and I appreciate the work you've done so far. I've got a lot of thinking to do now.

Christopher Maloney

Washington

Better Flag?

[Re True 802: "Still Flying," June 7]: Aye, the Vermont flag, long may it wave! Unfortunately, seen from a distance, it is indistinguishable from the flags of Maine, New Hampshire, New York and more than half a dozen other states that feature a seal against a blue background. By contrast, no one would ever mistake the original and striking flags of Maryland, Ohio, Arizona, New Mexico, California, Hawaii and others.

Maybe it's time to see whether our state can fashion, perhaps by a contest open to all, a design that represents Vermont in a more imaginative and colorful way.

And, just for the record, SoBu is a stupid term!

Harry Orth

South Burlington

Hold, Please

As a therapeutic school leader quoted in Alison Novak's article titled "Physical Education: Some Vermont Students Are Restrained or Secluded in School, With Detrimental Effects. Should the Practices Be Eliminated?" [May 24], I would like to address some inaccuracies.

Although restraints are utilized at Kindle Farm School, they are only used as a safety measure of last resort, after exhausting all de-escalation and other supportive strategies. It is essential to note that their use is never meant to be coercive, punitive or aimed at achieving compliance. 

We look forward to further discussions on this topic as we all (therapeutic schools, public schools and the Agency of Education) work together to support the educational needs of the children and youths in our communities.

Drew Gradinger

Putney

Gradinger is the director of Kindle Farm School and Health Care & Rehabilitation Services.

Heifer Hell

I was hopeful when I saw the recent issue discussing the state of the dairy industry in Vermont ["How Now?" The Dairy Issue, May 31]. While these articles did contain the high quality of journalism I expect from Seven Days, I believe that this topic is a glaring example of a blind spot in Vermont's otherwise progressive sensibilities. The articles covered opinions relating to economic security, rural life, working conditions and farm conversions. There was one piece that seemed to focus on the "cow in the room," which was the beautifully drawn comic "Herd Mentality." This piece ends with the words: "In a perfect world, she'll be bred by 60 to 100 days after calving. It never ends."

Rest assured that, for the cow, there is an end. The life expectancy of dairy cows is 15 to 20 years, but they (females) are slaughtered after they are deemed no longer productive — typically around 5 years. The only other relevant mention I found was in the article "Flowing Downhill: Lake Advocates Say Vermont Has Botched Regulating Pollution on Dairy Farms," which mentions a common point source pollution: leaking piles of composted cow carcasses.

I had hoped that the varied pieces would somewhere include the growing sentiment that the harm done to nonhuman animals such as cows is simply unnecessary. The potential harm to farm owners, migrant workers and the environment were all deemed sufficiently relevant to cover. But the very integral harm of the dairy industry — the treatment and slaughter of cows — was not given due note.

Julia Ginorio

Burlington

Thanks, Students

[Re Emoji That: "Trash City," June 7]: Each spring when University of Vermont students head back home, they leave behind many of their belongings. Although I don't doubt that trash is included, in my experience, the items left out are items in good shape that others could use. We look forward to picking through and finding all sorts of useful treasures. Vermonters have always had a tradition of leaving out by the curb free items that others might use — things that might otherwise end up in the landfill. Let's cut the students a break on this one. I, for one, appreciate their willingness to help me find affordable furniture!

Jody Taparauskas

Winooski

Poor Priorities

[Re "Vermonters Leave Motels as Judge Refuses to Block Evictions," June 1, online]: It's easy to find items in the state budget that are less important than providing housing for Vermonters. My personal favorite is the $3 million the legislature has appropriated to pay people to move here. More than 450 people have taken up this offer. So, in the midst of what is universally described as a housing crisis, in which thousands of Vermonters already live here without shelter to call their own, we're paying hundreds of people to come here from out of state and occupy housing stock.

Another personal favorite of mine is the millions of dollars we pay year after year after year to Vermont Information Technology Leaders, aka VITL, to develop an electronic medical records system that still doesn't work. I am sure you have your own personal favorites.

My point is: So long as any appreciable number of Vermonters is sleeping on friends' and neighbors' couches, or in their cars, or in tents in secluded woody areas for lack of permanent shelter, we can all find without too much trouble expenditures by the state that are profligate and obscene when matched against the real needs of people living here. The claim that we don't have the money to solve this problem is belied by the ease with which this can be done.

Seth Steinzor

South Burlington