John Klar: Independence Day in Vermont capital replaced with African cultural troupe

By John Klar

Montpelier, Vermont’s capital city, canceled Independence Day celebrations under a shallow ruse that the pandemic posed a threat, instead encouraging Vermonters to attend an alternative African drumming exhibition collecting people from across and around the state. Invoking as its goal the “promotion of diversity,” the city canceled the recognition of American First Principles that have always been celebrated on this same date and ground, demonstrating how supposed “diversity” is being used to extinguish American culture and is ideologically intolerant.

John Klar

To those aware of the extreme toxicity of this city’s council and mayor toward the Constitution and the First Amendment, this anti-American decision is unsurprising. It is highly unlikely Vermont will ever have a celebration of Independence Day in its capital again — its RINO governor has endorsed BLM, even telling BLM protesters during the pandemic that they were exempt from COVID restrictions.

Following the George Floyd incident, Montpelier was one of the first jurisdictions in the nation to paint the “Black Lives Matter” message on a public thoroughfare — on State Street, in front of the Vermont State Capitol Building. When a group of political candidates filed a petition to paint an accompanying “Liberty and Justice For All” message, they were twice denied. Montpelier is an ultra-progressive Mecca in the cult of ultra-progressive in-tolerance. It is, like critical race theory (CRT), the opposite of inclusion, or compassion, or reconciliation — it seeks strife, axes to grind, racial grievances to nurture into rage.

Vermont has completely reopened post-COVID, and its citizens are in desperate need of outdoor positive events for their mental and physical health. Instead, and replete with crocodile tears, the “extremely difficult decision” was made by this anti-American enclave to ixne the Fourth of July under the pathetic pretense of COVID and then announce a new Independence Day free from any such health concerns:

Events like July 3rd require many months of planning and careful coordination. Unfortunately, there is too much continued uncertainty for us to plan a safe and successful celebration this year[.] … Please consider attending the Shidaa Projects July 3rd Celebration on the Statehouse Lawn instead!  Shidaa Projects Inc., a non-profit organization focused on sharing West African Culture through dance, drumming and cultural education, invite you to celebrate Independence Day, as the city of Montpelier returns from the past year of COVID seclusion and inactivity.  Shidaa will take to the State House Lawn July 3rd from 5-8 pm., with a goal to promote diversity by mobilizing drummers, dancers, and performers across multi-racial lines who share a similar vision to celebrate diversity in our city.  This evening of music and dancing will include performances by: Stuart Paton and the Burlington Taiko drummers, Akwaaba Dance Ensemble (Manchester, NH), Jeh Kulu Drum and Dance Theater (Burlington), Karl Miller and his group Z-Jaz team (Montpelier) and Other Local Solo performers, including: Sara Grace (Montpelier), Julia Rose Riback (Rutland) and Jason Mallery (Montpelier).

Social justice ideology seeks to dismantle the Bill of Rights and the Constitution as tools of racist white oppression against blacks. It is unconstitutional for government to favor one political or religious view over others — CRT is both, and it deliberately seeks to obviate all constitutional safeguards. Vermont proves this for the world to see, as well as the sly deception of the so-called “goal to promote diversity” — a cultural event has been extinguished instead of tolerated alongside multiple alternatives. No doubt the African drummers are fantastic, but it is not diversity to schedule them so as to blot out a tradition.

Recently, a Vermont high school student was summarily dismissed from his job for daring to question CRT teachings in his school, at a forum created for that discussion. Vermont schools led the nation in displaying obviously partisan BLM flags and, now, teach white-hating racist poetry. White Vermonters are shamed for alleged silence, shamed even more sharply if they utter the least of dissents. This is a cult!

The canceling forever of public celebration of our national holiday in Vermont is just a preview of the extremist ideological agenda of Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden. Vermonters who understand this threat will be gathering in defiance of this contemptuous action by Montpelier on July 3 at the Vermont State House (at noon).

We the People will not be stymied by tyrants and their toxic hate — liberties and rights are not created by government, any more than the City of Montpelier owns Vermonters’ public places, or controls how or when they celebrate their remarkable heritage.

John Klar is an attorney and farmer residing in Brookfield, and the former pastor of the First Congregational Church of Westfield. This commentary originally appeared at American Thinker.

Image courtesy of city of Montpelier

27 thoughts on “John Klar: Independence Day in Vermont capital replaced with African cultural troupe

  1. “Everbody’s got a plan until they get punched in the face” Mike Tyson
    Maybe Vt’s leftist establishment should be at the Randolph Veterans Cemetery on the 4th,,,and explain to all the visitors of our fallen why they’ve done it ???

  2. It looks like the umbrella of cancel culture activities is aiming to have a veto over the AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE.

    Fortunately, those activities are confined to a few LEFTIST/SOCIALIST cities.

    Why are all these people not educating and training themselves to qualify for well-paying jobs?

    Why are all these people not starting companies to provide useful goods and services?

    Older and wiser people just shake their heads.

    • Willem, older and wiser people only shaking their heads is exactly why we find ourselves in this horror show now!

  3. The festival can celebrate all the contributions to our modern world that have sprung forth from that fountain of progress, West Africa…maybe it needs to be a month-long event to fully appreciate it? Perhaps there can be workshops to analyze and discuss the region’s significance as the birthplace of American slavery, and the real story of the moslems who sold their fellow African “infidels” to the colonists?

  4. I found an opinion piece that Montpelier is not the only place to declare no 4th of July celebrations in the USA. So, they are following a script, a manifesto, a directive, an order provided to them by some sort of entity upon high (Barak Obama, George Soros, Nancy Pelosi, General Milley?) After all this time, the puppets are dancing their puppet masters dance. If this is going on across the country, it’s part of the WWIII, infiltration-not invasion, destruction of USA. CRT, cancelling holidays, promoting transvestite gender-benders, criminals, and drug addicts as heroes. See it for what it is, call it what is and realize we are under attack from all sides here and every where. War is Hell and we are living in it right now.

  5. Who wants to go to Montpelier anyway? The celebrations should be held elsewhere so Americans can attend and feel good about being citizens of this great nation.

  6. Isn’t amazing that the little town of Manchester Center has managed to schedule a regular American Fourth of July celebration and Montpelier just can’t get it together….

  7. This sort of toxicity is worse than COVID! Maybe Pfizer, J&J, and Moderna, can come up with a “vaccine” to cure it. It’s absolutely disgusting.

  8. Will there be a reenactment of how Africans enslaved each other for profit and sold to slave traders to be shipped all over the world?

  9. CRT overtakes Vermont and spreads across America. The UK is postponing opening up until July 19 or later. In Nova Scotia, large gatherings are banned partly, as they say, to prevent to the spread of misinformation. Australia is and has been taking a hard lockdown stance toward Covid-19. Those on the far right are being demonized as insurrectionists. Information contrary to the mainstream narrative, such as life-saving information about ivermectin, is being censored.

    Is all of this accidental? This is the vision of the Great Reset folks– Schwab, Gates, Harris (I’d say Biden but I doubt he even knows where he is day-to-day), Boris Johnson, Fauci, Trudeau, etc., for the world. It’s all supposedly to save us from planetary catastrophe and to ensure justice and peace for all, but really to ensure that we’re technologically monitored and managed so we move toward the ‘greater good’ that’s been decided for us. Just like in China.

    The people will be seduced and fall for this wonderful vision of a new world, where the good people of the world will bring truth and light to all … so long as we do as we’re told. But that’s OK because the only people who won’t do what they’re told are Insurrectionists, and there’ll be places for them, too.

  10. Who benefits from the cancellation of our constitution and rights and liberties?
    Shhhhhhh…CCP is in the room… and wants to remain anonymous.
    Comply or you WILL be cancelled.
    Vermonters have been good little communists and complied with all their orders like well-groomed sycophants of order, rules, and homogeneity.
    Well done: the communist State of Vermont has arrived in 2021.
    Cancel culture, LITERALLY.

    • You’re right. By the way, check out the event at IGNITE Church in Williston on September 11, 2021. China expert Gordon Chang and Christian bestseller author and radio show host Eric Metaxas will talk about the “hostile takeover” of America by the CCP—what’s really going on, where we’re at, and what we can do about it. Tickets sales have just started at https://ignitechurchvt.com/events. There’ll also be a banquet with the speakers the day before in Montpelier. Tickets are a steal at $10 ($40 for the banquet).

      • …am I NOT supposed to think ‘controlled opposition’ re: Chang? Cooperation with our intelligence agencies for so long tells me I might not want to rely on his observations as ‘all American’ or agendaless. He is, afterall, a made author. That doesn’t come for free. Speaking as someone who is ‘cancelled’ because of my views now.
        I am not in any way suggesting canceling HIM however. Just bears noting: I am cancelled. He is not.
        Its true though, that perhaps if someone had been listening way back when, we wouldn’t be considering that we may all be required to speak and write Chinese by 2030. In Vermont. Where Unity and Freedom are now: Divide, and Fall.

  11. Since they cancelled their contact page just so you couldn’t contact them I thought you could all tell them how much you appreciate their “patriotism”:

    Montpelier Alive
    Dan Groberg, Executive Director
    Phone: 802-223-9604
    Email us: director@montpelieralive.org

    Here’s a little about Dan: http://www.montpelieralive.com/174/About-Us

    Taken from the WayBack Machine on April 12th 2021
    https://web.archive.org/web/20210412230703/http://montpelieralive.com/258/Contact-Us

  12. the only reason we are in the state we are is… because of passivism… we are all passivist. these people continue to walk on us and we do nothing. we are comfortable in our personal realm and believe we will not have to deal with it. What is it to take to wake people up? A knock on your door demanding your weapons ? A knock on your door demanding to show proof of vax card? When you fight a out of control forest fire you build an opposing fire. When are we going to strike the match?

    • Pls stop knocking Vermonters
      The Dominion Diebold voting machines are rigged – LHS is a fraud
      Second home owners vote in our elections
      College students who are not legal resident also allowed to vote
      Illegals added to voter rolls use drivers license as ID to vote

      Democrat Party chooses which Republican they want in office by voting in Republican primary

  13. This is such a blatant shot at our Democratic history as to be unfathomable. However, this is the Vermont that it’s majority wants. Hard to fight it, best to just get the hell out I think…

    • It is in fact a blatant shot against the enemy of democracy in our state which is causing us to rot from within.

  14. I will observe Independence Day in any town where our own culture, country, and traditions are still celebrated. Montpelier can, if it wants, forfeit its place among Vermonters who love our state and country. I will come at noon to Klar’s event and then look elsewhere for that old-time, New England summer fun and flag waving.

  15. All the anti-American fools we have in the statehouse, trying to endure the cloud
    of their ” whiteness.” ….how pathetic !!

    They don’t realize that the few blacks promoting this nonsense laugh at them
    behind their backs, and they don’t even realize it, our leadership or lack thereof,
    and that includes our Governor he doesn’t want to lead, he wants to be your
    friend ….. I can’t wait for him to go !!

    Vermont, wake up……

  16. This is blatant anti Americanism, I cannot believe that our state government thinks this is a good idea and would thumb their noses collectively at our citizens, our traditions and the history of this great nation. The things that bind us together create a nation.

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