"If the spirit of liberty should vanish in other parts of the union,
and support of our institutions should languish, it could all be
replenished from the generous store held by the people of this brave
little state of Vermont." – Calvin Coolidge, 30th
President of the United States, speaking in Bennington, Vermont - 1928.
Indeed the type of people President Coolidge spoke of in 1928 still
reside throughout Vermont. I met many of you and I cannot thank you
enough for your help in my campaign for Congress. You understood that
continued freedom requires that we stand strong for the principles that
birthed America and made her the greatest nation on earth – that
all men [people] are created equal, that they are endowed by their
Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life,
Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights,
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from
the consent of the governed. – United States
Declaration of Independence, 1776.
Clearly there was not time to meet all of you. Stay strong, do not lose
hope and keep your eyes on the goal - rekindling a Vermont and an
America that embraces the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness and that by our example the peoples of all nations might find
the courage required to rise up and stand against tyranny and
oppression.
Democracy needs you!
