[Re From the Publisher: "Twenty-Nine Candles"]: To my fellow readers, be you super or not, can I ask if you would consider giving $29 to celebrate our awesome publication's 29th birthday?
If your budget does not allow it, please consider offering heartfelt birthday wishes.
Jeff Waite
Shelburne
With all the emphasis on supporting local and Vermont businesses, why is Seven Days printed at Quebecor Media Printing in Mirabel, Québec? That's not even in America!
Ed Shoop
Essex
Editor's note: There are many fewer newspapers, and newspaper printers, in the U.S. than there used to be. At this point, not a single press in Vermont can handle the Seven Days job. We need a web press close enough to turn the paper around quickly; we send the pages on Tuesday at 7 p.m., and the bundles are on our loading dock on Wednesday at 5 a.m. We're one of many Vermont local news publishers that now use Quebecor. We switched years ago, before the pandemic, and it's been a good decision for multiple reasons. For an inside look at our press and why we chose it, find a "Stuck in Vermont" video and accompanying article ("Q&A: Following Seven Days' Paper Trail to Québec," June 21, 2023).
Thank you for your shout-out to Rutland ["For All the Marble: Three to Six Hours in Rutland, a Blue-Collar Railroad City That's Embraced Its Artsy Side," August 21]. As one who has lived nearby for many years, I have always appreciated the beauty and unique features of the city. My wife and I read your story and recalled our many visits to the excellent restaurants, businesses and artworks highlighted in the article. Unfortunately, we also noted two significant omissions, both with artistic connection.
First, the description of the park in the center of downtown neglected to mention the sculpture that has been a highlight of Rutland's public art for decades. This work is entitled "The Leash," by the late Patrick Farrow, a noted sculptor (and brother of the actress Mia Farrow). For those who have not seen this masterpiece, look it up online. Patrick had a sense of humor!
Second, Speakeasy Café, a wonderful coffee shop and café smack-dab in the heart of Rutland on Center Street, directly across from the Paramount Theatre. This is a true gem that hosts local regulars along with visitors from around the world who stop in for a wide range of coffee and other drinks. The engaging young staff also serve fresh muffins and biscuits, as well as other baked goods, including some very creative wraps and sandwiches.
Oh, yes, there is also the art connection: One entire wall of the café is an original mural, created by Sarah Begin, artist and former barista.
Hope you will check these out!
Bob Soule
Wallingford
Being in a town that also has housing problems — what town doesn't? — I read with interest Rachel Hellman's article about the proposed housing project in Greensboro's town hall ["Not in My Town Hall: Some Greensboro Residents Want to Stop a Plan to Convert a Public Building Into Badly Needed Homes," August 28].
Twenty rental units for working people! And then the red flags started to fly: one of the richest communities in Vermont; out of the 75 homes in the village, all of which are valued at over $500,000, only 35 are lived in year-round! So, who's making the decision to build somewhere — anywhere — but here? The out-of-towners? That is exactly what is wrong with many Vermont towns!
I am no lover of selectboards, but I sure hope the board in Greensboro pursues this with all the vigor it can muster. And amen to you, Rev. Dr. Ed Sunday-Winters.
Sean Moran
Shelburne
I found the "Bad News Burlington" letters [September 4] worth admonishing. The collection of comments that Seven Days curated for print reflected a skew toward the negative and cynical attitudes people have toward Burlington.
Every one of the comments posted in the physical paper represented the sort of reactionary mindset that is neither productive nor healthy for the community. Some of the comments were dehumanizing (one even equating feeding homeless people to feeding cats), and all of them lacked a broader structural analysis of the issues facing the city.
Their authors have not taken the time, perhaps, to step back and evaluate the fact that much of the U.S. is dealing with the same issues Burlington faces; the city is a microcosm of broader trends that are manifestations of late-stage capitalism as it deteriorates under its own contradictions.
When I sifted through some of the other comments readers left online, I found constructive and positive tones within many of them. One even pointed to the structural nature of the issues, encouraging self-reflection on the part of the reader: "How would you feel if it were you facing a crisis?" Seven Days omitted comments such as this one from print.
I felt this was a betrayal of fair journalism. To me, the voices lifted up in "Bad News Burlington" only perpetuate the negativity surrounding the city. Rather than humane measures, these people demand punitive ones. Rather than compassion, they demand toughness. Have we not learned that these approaches don't work?
Matt Kobzik
Burlington
Editor's note: Space in the newspaper is limited, and some comments, as written, were too long or complicated to be understandable as excerpts. That's precisely why we took the time to assemble all the feedback we received in response to "Bad News Burlington" and made it available online.
[Re "Bad News Burlington," September 4]: The root cause of most of the problems currently plaguing Burlington can easily be attributed to one factor: drugs. The solution to the drug problem is simple but takes guts and "stones" — two characteristics in short supply in the Green Mountain State.
Here is my simple solution to the drug problem. It is called "Three strikes, and you're out." If you get caught selling less than 100 doses of an illegal substance, you get a warning; more than 100 doses, five years in jail, no parole or early release. If you get caught a second time, regardless of the number of doses, five years in jail. Everyone deserves a second chance.
If you get caught a third time, you get the death penalty or life in prison, no parole. The money for the prisons will be taken from the welfare department, as it will now have to crack down on welfare fraud to fund these jails.
Serious problems need serious solutions. If such a program were to be implemented, most of these drug sellers would probably change jobs and switch to selling used cars or go to law school.
Robert Vacca
Newport
I greatly enjoyed Melissa Pasanen's feature on Jules and Helen Rabin ["A Baker's 100: Marshfield's Jules Rabin Celebrates a Century of Intellectual Curiosity, Trailblazing Bread and Standing Up for Peace," August 7]. Their history as teachers and bread bakers was well covered.
I'd like to add a word about the building of their Marshfield house, in which I was involved back in the '70s. My colleagues Sam Clark and David Palmer supervised the building project, in which the Rabins were deeply immersed. I remember Jules, who was not particularly young even then, tirelessly hauling lumber, running errands and participating in daily on-the-job conferences. In all my subsequent years of carpentry, I never encountered better customers; in some ways, they were more like partners. The house was later featured as a model in Sam's house-building book, with pictures and text providing a focus for design tips. (Full disclosure: I also worked with Sam on the book.) The house today remains much as it was, with the Rabins still in residence.
Some years afterward, Sam and David organized the enclosing of Jules and Helen's community bread oven; this modest but functional building became the focus of their lives as bakers. Helen was the guiding genius behind the oven itself, but I don't imagine Jules was ever out of the picture for a single day.
As many of your readers know, countless lives have been touched by the Rabins. That Jules lives on past 100, still a cultural force (despite his unassuming ways), is truly astounding — well deserving of a Seven Days cover story.
Dan Breslaw
West Corinth
Let us not pretend that Gov. Phil Scott's declaration that he will not vote for Mr. Donald Trump is a brave act [Emoji That: "Casting About," September 18]. He said the same in the previous election but then did not provide the leadership needed for the Vermont GOP to follow its publicly posted rules prohibiting the backing of a candidate with a felony conviction.
Having voted for Scott twice in the past, it is hard for me to reconcile him saying he is still unsure if he will vote for Vice President Kamala Harris, who is running against the self-described pussy-grabber who encouraged the January 6 insurrection, bragged about his impact on eliminating women's reproductive rights, has repeatedly stated his preference for dictators like Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, and has been convicted on 34 felony counts. Really?
Maura Randall
Milton
Take a step back on this one ["Shelter Scramble: Burlington Hopes to Use a Former Federal Building to House Homeless People This Winter," September 11]. A 7,400-square-foot building sitting empty for four years? Our federal government is ripping us taxpayers off. It should not take four years to get a building repurposed. Generally, federal employees are unproductive, under-supervised and a drag on our economy. I hope our congressional delegation can get this little job done and motivate the administration to do its work in a businesslike fashion.
Edward Crane
Jeffersonville
We continue to hear from readers with all manner of perspectives about our September 4 news story "Pride — and Prejudice? Vermont's Leading LGBTQ Org Is Roiled by Allegations of Antisemitism." The article described the controversy surrounding a statement about the war in Gaza made by the staff of the Pride Center of Vermont, an organization committed to advancing the community, health and safety of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Vermonters.
I fully support the Pride Center of Vermont but am appalled that the staff released a statement in December 2023 about their views on the war in Gaza, without consulting the board. In addition to bad management practices, their view reflects only one component of a complex and horrible war. Yes, innocent Palestinians are being killed, displaced and more. And there are other players — the Israeli government; the Israeli people, including peace activists; the terrorists in Hamas; the government and people of Jordan, Egypt, Iran, the U.S. and other countries — supporting and affected by this war.
The long-standing, appalling assumption that war and killing are the only ways to end terror is driving much of the horror. Innocent people in Gaza are the victims, and so are the Jewish hostages. Throwing word bombs such as genocide, antisemitism and apartheid doesn't address this situation fully but can inflame hate. Simple statements can increase hate against Jews by those who assume all Jews are like Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Let's stop this.
I appreciate Seven Days' Sasha Goldstein for bringing this information about the Pride Center to us with accuracy and clarity. It is hard to point out a problem with an important and valuable organization in our community — and even more important to do so.
Nancy Sugarman
South Burlington
I am one of hundreds of Vermont Jews who are calling out — nice and loud, for the people in the back! — that opposing the apartheid state of Israel is not antisemitic!
I am part of the leadership team of the newly formed L'Chaim Collective. We have come together to practice Judaism outside of nationalism. We are here to celebrate our Jewish heritage, practice our seasonal rituals, show up for one another and be a force for peace in the world.
We reject the notion that militarized borders and massive arsenals of weapons keep Jews safe. Our safety is linked with the safety of all the other humans in the world and the Earth itself, on which our lives depend.
Jews deserve to be safe wherever we live in the world. Our Palestinian siblings deserve safety and freedom in their homeland. There is a way forward, and we are committed to building a world where everyone can thrive.
Joanna Colwell
Ripton
As a lesbian, I am proud to be gay and gender-nonconforming, but lately I am deeply ashamed of the organizations that claim to represent people like me. I fear this incident highlights a growing movement in LGBT organizations and communities of ideological conformity and repression of speech. Your article also states that the cochairs were accused of "microaggressions" and "misgendering," indicating that perhaps part of the issue is they were not able to keep up with the illogical and ever-changing speech code of today's LGBT groups.
LGBT people are born into families of every race, religion, class and region of the world and have a vast variety of beliefs and experiences. Yet if we wish to join LGBT groups, we must submit to ideological conformity on a variety of completely unrelated issues, such as Gaza, as well as all LGBT issues. Let us bring back a version of Pride where all who want respectful discussion of any issue on any side are welcome. Let us stop conflating words with violence. Let us welcome Jewish and Muslim LGBT people of all beliefs. Let's make a community we can be proud of!
Lastly, a profound thank-you to Leah Wittenberg, Caryn Olivetti and all the other brave people of that generation. I am 23, and while I have met some disapproval, my entire life I have never felt real danger or discrimination for wearing men's clothes or having a relationship with another woman. Thank you.
Margaret Riley
Richmond
["Pride — and Prejudice?"] said the conversation facilitator brought into the Pride Center of Vermont noted that board members "needed to heal our ancestral traumas as Jewish people" and suggested a workshop to do so. Unpacking ancestral trauma is necessary to healing. However, suggesting it to any historically persecuted group (even if the facilitator is Jewish) in response to the naming of harm is gaslighting. It can imply that Jews are not being harmed and/or Jews being afraid is irrational. Suggesting it in a space committed to anti-oppression is disturbing.
Like many Jews, I was impacted by the October 7, 2023, attacks. Shortly after, two people brought epigenetics to my attention in the context of my feelings. At best, it was a failed attempt at empathy. At worst, it was gaslighting my deep sadness and fear (feelings I also share for Palestinians).
In my 40 years, I have been the direct target of and exposed to acts of antisemitism, like my ancestors. (There are Jews who have the privilege of never encountering it. There are Jews who internalize it.) Antisemitism has existed for millennia — institutionally, in communities, homes, schools and playgrounds. It's no wonder that it's deeply woven into the fabric of society, often insidiously. To assume that one is immune from antisemitic sentiment is foolish and potentially harmful. Learning about antisemitism and how it can show up in all spaces is essential for people engaging in trauma-informed, anti-oppression work and for those unpacking white and Christian supremacy.
Jamie Carroll
Montpelier
Conflating antisemitism and anti-Zionism distracts from the critical work of combating actual, rising antisemitism — hostility toward and discrimination against Jews because they are Jewish.
["Pride — and Prejudice?"] provides a skewed perspective by only giving space to queer Jews who support the political ideology of Zionism, which has enabled the continued expulsion of Palestinians from their land and homes. It excluded queer and anti-Zionist Jews, like ourselves, who understand that our liberation cannot exist without a free Palestine. Being anti-Zionist means standing against the creation of a nation-state with exclusive rights for Jews above others and supporting liberation and justice for the Palestinian people.
Jews, like all other people, have the right to live in safety. However, we do not believe in a version of safety that requires the dispossession and destruction of another group of people. We are grateful for the Pride Center of Vermont's recognition that both antisemitism and the oppression of Palestinians are incompatible with movements for collective liberation.
As queer people, we understand the need for safety and community. The idea of a Jewish state ostensibly draws on the same idea. But the Israeli government's 76-year regime of ethnic cleansing and violent land grabs under Zionism does not yield peace or safety — for anyone.
We don't find safety in hyper-militarized right-wing states. We find safety in social justice movements, in solidarity with those who are committed to dreaming of and organizing for a more just world.
Mallory Yael Seegal
Montpelier
Alyssa Chen
Burlington
Brita Fisher
Burlington