Protest on Thetford Hill on the Occasion of the State of the Union Address

On the 4th of March, a cold and blustery day, a group of thirteen Thetford residents and one dog stood on Thetford Hill in protest of the new Administration. The day was the occasion of the President's State of the Union Address. 

Some would ask what people in rural communities like Thetford can hope to achieve by such actions when they are so far removed from the seat of power in the big city. The protesters themselves gave their replies. 

"These are scary times. We need to step out of our comfort zone and our fearful state and protest (what is going on) in any way we can. Today it is against the person who is standing up to give the State of the Union Address."

"In the Town Hall Meeting (organized on line by Bernie Sanders, Becca Balint and Peter Welch), Becca said, ‘Get out and protest. It doesn't matter if it is being heard or not.’ So I'm doing that. The state of the union is a sorry state."

"I think about the line ‘Together we rise.’  We need to remember that. It is too easy to get discouraged. We need to stay visible. Little steps together can make a big difference."

"This is a sad time for our country. I attached two bumper stickers today. One reads, ‘Hate does not make America great.’ The other urges compassion for those less fortunate."

"One of the signs I was considering was ‘No country was ever great through hate.’ The protest in Waitsfield (on the occasion of vice President Vance's ski trip to Sugarbush Resort) was really positive. There were a lot of people and only a few counter-demonstrators. Everyone stood strong in support of Ukraine, immigrants, LGBTQ rights, and other issues, and against all the circus that is going on. We need to stop talking and have some actions. We can't just sit back and think it's just going to go away"

"It is a moral outrage, a moral injury. I'm here for the young people, for my granddaughters and their teachers. Our democracy needs to live on."

"I am simply glad to be doing something. It feels great just to be standing here in the sun. It feels better to be doing something, to protest so we don't just collapse."

"This is the first demonstration I've been at. I am the daughter of immigrants. My father was a World War II hero when Poland was occupied. Over several years he made his way to the Polish seat of government-in-exile in London. There he enlisted in the Polish army and joined the August 1944 surge of the Normandy invasion of German-occupied France. He was awarded 25 medals, many of them for actions in battle. He was an ardent supporter of democracy. At the end of the war he was with the Polish repatriation army in Canada, where they started to disband refugee camps. I was born in Canada and we got to the USA in 1955. All three of us kids went to college here. My parents were laborers all their lives, and they always fought for democracy. Americans are all too comfortable, more people should get involved. Here, it is all about money — everything from our processed food to our healthcare, it all operates around money."

Sometimes their words and calls to action were drowned out by encouraging honks from passing drivers on their way to casting votes in the Town Election. 

March 4th saw other rallies in Vermont and New Hampshire, including a crowd at Four Corners in Conway, New Hampshire. .

These actions came on the heels of other protests across New England, such as the February protest at the Montpelier Statehouse. Among the main issues was the 10% tariff on energy that Canada supplies to Vermont. Our state is dependent on electricity from Hydro Quebec and Canadian oil products — for example the widespread Irving Oil that supplies gasoline, diesel, heating oil, and propane is a Canadian company. It also supplies asphalt (think the Town Highway Budget). Much of our natural gas comes from the TransCanada pipeline that enters Vermont at the US border in Highgate. Increasing costs of energy alone, never mind tariffs on many other goods, will make it even more expensive to live in Vermont and will make Vermont businesses less competitive. Drivers in the Northeast are likely to see the biggest immediate impact, with gas prices projected to jump between 20 to 40 cents per gallon by mid-March. That's an additional $3-$6 for a typical 15-gallon fill-up. Are we ready to protest now?