John Klar: Vermont food shelf refuses contribution from GOP

By John Klar

Vermont’s first “Let’s Go Brandon!” event attracted a large LGB crowd. The November 13 gathering, organized by State GOP chair Paul Dame, was accompanied by torrential rain. Yet the jubilant crowd danced like patriotic Whos in Whoville, despite the grinchy disapprovals of the usual social justice suspects.

John Klar

A group of rainbow-clad anti-protesters gathered earlier in the day to blockade the town gazebo, despite the GOP having reserved the space for the event. As the rain fell, counter-protesters blasted loud music, rudely blocked members of the LGB community who were holding liberty signs and American flags, and danced in Dionysian delirium.

The counter-display sputtered. Far outnumbered by freedom-rejoicing Americans exhilarated that MSM propaganda is coming unraveled, the effort to disrupt the civil GOP event with an alternate “Brandon Pride” message was soggier than a Democrat’s kerchief after Donald Trump handed Hillary her handbag.

The feeble attempt to intimidate patriots exposed the consistent hypocrisy of the social justice “movement.” One agitator walked among the GOP group with a provocative sign to jut into their faces with the true mono-party sentiment: “F— the GOP!” (Subtlety is so lacking these barbarian days.)

To complement this collective display, the local food shelf flew into quite a partisan tizzy that the GOP unilaterally planned to donate part of the LGB Event proceeds to the Brandon Food Shelf:

“I had no knowledge of it, nobody said a word to me, nobody asked me about it, nobody made any suggestions or, I had no knowledge,” said Kathy Mathis, director of the Brandon Area Food Shelf, on Wednesday.

“It annoys me that they went ahead and did this without even contacting the food shelf itself,” said Mathis. “And I understand their intentions are good but nevertheless, blowing it up on social media as a Republican big event, it looks to me as if, and to anybody who’s reading it, it looks like the Brandon Area Food Shelf supports the Republican Party, and I resent that.”

It’s likely Ms. Mathis would gladly accept funds raised at a Drag Queen Library Hour for kiddies, or a BLM rally. Yet she treats GOP funds as leprous. The moralizing of the morally relativized mind is always a murky venture, but in this case, a (nonindoctrinated) young child can easily discern the absurdity.

Though not illegal for either donor or donee, the decision in Brandon to refuse LGB help for local poor people was justified thusly:

“I would [accept it] if it wasn’t advertised as a Republican event because we could use the money, and I’m cutting my nose off to spite my face, but in the long run I feel I have to stand my ground,” she said.

(Actually, it would seem she is cutting off someone else’s stomach, and nothing of her own.  Does she “feel” she must stand on their graves as her ground?).

The false furor from the fumed food shelf fanatic reveals that the Brandon Food Shelf is itself overtly partisan. It may be that wealthy Brandon denizens one day face food shortages or even starvation because of errant policies that seed runaway inflation and economic decline.  Elitists’ “let them eat cake!” dismissals of the very real suffering of the poor and homeless in this case contrast markedly with their “universal right to healthy food for all” weaponization against conservatives.

Homelessness and hunger promise a steadily growing crisis in Vermont — blamed by liberals on capitalism while they dismantle the economy and bloat bureaucracy. This opportunistic scourge is killing the peasantry, which was the motivation for the food donation drive:

Fliers for the event, shared earlier this week on the state Republican party’s social media channels, said a portion of merchandise sales would benefit the Brandon Area Food Shelf, “Because this Thanksgiving under #Biden could be the most expensive EVER!”

The GOP event sought to create something good out of a frighteningly incompetent presidency; the far-left Food Shelf rebuffed something unquestionably good as evil. Par for the course in upside-down “social justice” land.

Perhaps the Brandon Food Shelf doesn’t provide food to homeless conservatives — unless Kathy Mathis “has no knowledge of it.” It would be best for sufferers of poverty to keep silent when she’s around if they want to eat.

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

Image courtesy of U.S. Department of Agriculture

22 thoughts on “John Klar: Vermont food shelf refuses contribution from GOP

  1. Mr Johnson once again uses a conservative story – replete with multiple examples of author artfully calling out and naming the enemy of bipartisanship that is the Democrats and VTs very own Antifa contingent – as the one who does not want to be brought together and fights us at every bend in the road.

    In this jaw-dropping case to the detriment of the poor and indigent – they don’t count ya see – and take back-seat to the Democrat devils. But that’s ok with ‘move along – nothing to see here’ Neil. She should be fired – yesterday.

    Solution? Bend over backwards to accomodate unending evils. Even slamming a gun range for not using silencers to make the ant-RKBA neighbors happy-er. They can attack us but if we fight back we are not loving or forgiving and are the real problem in every context.

    Even joining the evil food-shelf employee slamming the Republican Party’s outstretched hand – good grief. Commenter historically spends considerable time and effort slamming Republican commenters under the guise of Rinos or newest strawman – uniparty. The party, members, activities and commentary continually bashed, always laced with heaping helpings of Pharisaical holier-than-thou self-righteousness.

  2. One would naturally have to wonder that if food shelf Director Kathy Mathis exercises political bias in who she ACCEPTS donations from, does the organization also use bias in who is allowed to benefit from their services? Will a MAGA hat get you shown the door? Her attitude only serves to instill and promote suspicion of bias in the donor public toward ALL private charities. I wont donate to many social service organizations such as United Way since I believe that they are promoting a politically/ideologically biased agenda that is overall harmful to society. Who would have thought that a small, regional food shelf was politically biased? Well, we now know that this one is. I hope that most other donors to this food shelf will now seek alternatives. Giving to the Salvation Army is a good alternative.

  3. This woman is definitely the epidemy of a nasty narrow visioned leftist liberal who has blue angry retribution cells running through her veins with cult tendencies like most of the left who lack rational common sense and should never be on a jury or umpire a ball game as they cannot be partisan or trusted just like the nazis before ww2 where they selectively targeted a certain group (jews) by lying about their character to have a common enemy and then continued the farse until they killed millions. Watch next Nov when the Red wave shows them how the majority of true Americans feel by voting to right the ship and not by twisted partisan divisiveness.

  4. Kathy, event organizers saying they’re giving proceeds to your charity does not make it look like your charity supports the event.

    Rejecting money from the organizers makes it look like your partisan pride is more important to you than the cause of the charity for which you are the director.

    It’s disgusting, and you should apologize to essentially everyone for your knee-jerk partisan reaction. If you still believe you did the right thing, you should be fired.

  5. Not a problem. Contribute it to the campaign of the Republican running to unseat Rep. Stephanie Z. Jerome (D-Brandon)

  6. Such foolish Brandon Food Shelf puffery, reminiscent of “Tartuffe” by Molière, but without the wit. Would that someone distance us from these tiresome fools!

  7. Her stance is political or she wouldn’t take it.
    She should be fired for being partisan while heading a public service agency.
    Ideology would be ‘ALL’ donations accepted, and not ‘yours but not YOURS’.
    Truly a stance of privilege, as John points out – SHE can eat HER food at HER table uninterrupted.
    Clearly lacking in any moral fiber, let alone compassion or understanding of the position she holds.
    It disgusts me that we have ‘Vermonters’ like this living among us – they seem to have lost their souls.

  8. mathis is the consummate heartless lefty. shipbag.. putting her snotty feelings
    at the forefront when money is being offered for those that need it… May she rot
    in hell when her day comes…

    Lets Go Brandon….

  9. yes this woman was wrong, but we’re we right?

    How do we bring VERMONTERS together?
    Are we of this world? Are we worshipping power and money?
    Do we support those who strive for power, money and most importantly strife/arguments.

    Strife and arguments suggest that pride is controlling our hearts.

    The fruit of our works display the tree from which it came.

    How many non-gOP VERMONTERS came over and said, “you guys are really interested in the plight of the common man!”

    What would have been the results if 150 people who went to the event, gave the food shelf individually $100? What if it was not tied to the event? Might that have changed hearts?

    While I haven’t seen turkeys for 59 cents/lb I have seen them for 89 cents/lb. Stuffing is the usual price of $2.50 a package. I have not looked at the price of potatoes. Yes prices are going up.

    may we find common ground this thanksgiving at our tables, within our family circles. When our blood relatives with a shared life and heritage, join together for a meal, may we not let Biden nor Trump, neither of which will ever share a meal with us, when no political party will grace our tables tear our families apart.

    When the Uniparty has families and friends divided they win. They have your power and money. May we come together as a nation, and family under God, enjoying his fruit of love and joy this holiday.

    • “Why is it moral to serve the happiness of others, but not your own? If enjoyment is a value, why is it moral when experienced by others, but immoral when experienced by you? If the sensation of eating a cake is a value, why is it an immoral indulgence in your stomach, but a moral goal for you to achieve in the stomach of others? Why is it immoral for you to desire, but moral for others to do so? Why is it immoral to produce a value and keep it, but moral to give it away? And if it is not moral for you to keep a value, why is it moral for others to accept it? If you are selfless and virtuous when you give it, are they not selfish and vicious when they take it? Does virtue consist of serving vice? Is the moral purpose of those who are good, self-immolation for the sake of those who are evil?” A. R.

  10. Move on, VTGOP, and please stop being so stupid ‘nice’. The Dems are well-organized and utterly ruthless. What are you going to do to counter this?!

  11. The comments from this woman remind me of the movie, “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”. People like her have had their brains snatched by the invasive Liberal Mind Disorder. This type of snark is alien to everything Vermont used to represent. When people are hungry, do they care where their next meal comes from? This woman represents the the diseased mind of a person who should not be in charge of anything. While she gets to eat from the salary she makes at a nonprofit agency, she would starve an unfortunate, financially broke individual so she could make a political point. She should be fired and replaced with someone who’s mind is still capable of making the right decisions for the organization’s mission which is to feed people. These people make me sick!

  12. I thought a donation is a donation. All used in this case to feed the hungry. This is one of the more insane things I have heard, and of late, that is saying something. Kathy, you are a Grinch! Liberalism truly is a mental disease.

  13. Now I have heard it all, this truly is Nazi Germany. But the socialists do not understand what they are even supporting……it does sound rather similar.Follow the history and you will find out the outcome.

  14. Yes, this just goes to show just how twisted the Liberal mind is, no common sense
    or rational reasoning just a ” gaggle of fools “……………

    They can try and stop conservatives, but just look like the bitter fools that they are,
    Let’s Go, Brandon !!

  15. John’s commentary says it all. It’s too bad that such a beautiful state has been polluted by the ideology of the liberal socialists. And what’s even sadder is the number of gullible individuals that continue to march in lock step with them instead of reaching out on their own to discover the truth.

  16. Huh. The dollars Ms. Mathis receives for the Brandon Food Shelf can only be Democrat or Prog dollars? I’ll bet she doesn’t send back any state or federal funds, but you know there’s lots of
    Nasty Republican Dollars in those funds. United Way grants? Republicans donate there too. If a Republican attends the Brandon Congregational Church, where the food shelf is located and tithes the church, those dollars support the Food Shelf as well. Are those Dollars acceptable?
    The phrase “Lets Go Brandon” was created out of hypocrisy, Ms. Mathis’ comments only serve to cement the phrase in our lexicon.

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