Out in the Mountains

Editorial

There He Goes Again

Paul E. Olsen

“Though Dr. King was only in Vermont
once that I know of, and for only a very
brief time, the people of this state fol-
lowed his wondrous career very closely
and supported his good works. When he
was struck down, I recall a great out-
pouring of grief and respect. The
churches were peopled and the tributes
were heartfelt and eloquent.

That, to me, was not surprising. This
state of Vermont has a long history and
deep commitment to the cause of human
freedom. Of the 315,000 Vermonters
living in this state in the l860’s, 34,238
answered the call of Abraham Lincoln
and fought for the suppression of slavery
in the Civil War. Nine of 10 who served
went as volunteers. One in seven died
and more than a third were wounded.

Before the war, Vermonters had been in-
tensely active in the Underground Rail-
road, conveying star—guided, freedom
seeking fugitives from slavery to refuge
in the north.

So with such a history, it was not sur-
prising to me that Martin Luther King
found a receptive audience here in Ver—
mont. And when he died, this state
wept. It is well we recall such a history
as we once again pay this great man trib-
ute, and as we further our resolve to car-
ry forth, here at home, his mighty legacy
of freedom and justice”.

Those were the eloquent words Senator
James Jeffords shared with a group of
Vermonters who recently came together
to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Sitting in the
audience, hearing Jeffords’ Aide Kerena
Higgins read Jeffords’ letter, I couldn’t
help but question Jeffords’ sincerity in
light of his consistent refusal to co-
sponsor the National Gay and Lesbian
Civil Rights Act. When passed, this
neutral piece of civil rights legislation
will simply prohibit discrimination on
the basis of sexual orientation na-
tionwide.

J effords rightly notes that Vermont’s tra-
dition of support for civil rights began
with the Underground Railroad and con-
tinued during the Civil War. I’d suggest
that this tradition is still alive in light of
Ver1nont’s passage of a state law that
prohibits discrimination on the basis of
sexual orientation. By refusing to join
Senator Leahy and Representative Sand-
ers as a bill co—sponsor, Jeffords is, in
his own way, bringing a premature death
to, as Jeffords describes, Vermont’s
“long history and deep commitment to
the cause of human freedom”. Senator
Jeffords gives new meaning to the word
fraud when his words claim to resolve to
carry forth Dr. King’s “mighty legacy of
freedom and justice” and his actions in-
dicate otherwise.

Jeffords’ refusal to co—sponsor a bill that
would continue Vermont’s long tradition
of support for civil rights and the prin-
ciples of justice espoused by Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. is unacceptable. When
it came to civil rights, Dr. King left no
room for compromise and, in my estima-
tion, he would be ashamed of Senator
James Jeffords. V

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