The World 072121

Our Democracy is at a Crossroads
By Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos
“The vote is precious. It is the most powerful non-violent
tool we have in a democratic society, and we must use it.” –
John Lewis
This month we celebrated the birth of our nation.
Since its inception, American democracy has undergone
continual transformation. Over the last 245 years many activists
and advocates have fought tirelessly to expand the franchise
that our democratic ideals depend on: the right to vote.
From suffragettes to civil rights leaders, their work has
ensured that the march of progress has been oriented forward,
focused on increasing access to the ballot box.
This Independence Day was an opportunity to reflect on
the resiliency of our country, and of our democracy. There has
been no shortage of challenges over the last year and a half.
Despite these challenges, we achieved record breaking turnout
for a general election, which non-partisan experts have
described as the most secure and the most scrutinized election
in U.S. history. We were able to do so with common-sense
voting reforms, providing voters with more options for
receiving and casting their ballot.
After the ballot counting was completed, and the careful
town by town certification process took place, we had official
results and a list of election winners and losers, just like every
other general election in memory.
Unlike other election years, what has followed has brought
our democracy to a crossroads.
Without producing any evidence, the former-President and
his allies have used knowingly false voter fraud claims as
justification for their attempts to use state legislatures and
phony ‘fraudits’ to supersede the will of the people and, more
significantly, to restrict access to the ballot box.
Our democratic principles should have to endure constant
debate. However, willfully disregarding the certified, official
election results in an effort to circumvent the will of the
people and prevent the peaceful transition of power sets our
country on a dangerous path.
Sending us even further into treacherous territory, some
state legislatures are using ‘the Big Lie’ to roll back the voter
access expansions made during 2020, and to further suppress
voting rights, such as the implementation of more restrictive
voter ID laws, limits on the ballot-by-mail request period,
elimination or reduction in ballot drop boxes, and closure of
polling precincts.
After record-breaking turnout in 2020, and with zero evidence
of widespread fraud or election rigging, why would
JFK (1991)
• • •
I
don’t get the appeal of conspiracy theories.
The most popular conspiracy theory these days is that
Covid-19 is a biological weapon made in a Wuhan lab. I
think that this conspiracy is ridiculous and uninteresting.
I am not saying that the conspiracy theory is false. I’m saying
that I don’t know the truth. And, more importantly, I don’t
care. It doesn’t matter.
Whether or not Beijing is intentionally trying to get us sick,
the underlying truth remains the same: everything we import
from China is undesirable and makes our lives worse. Our
relationship with China has been bad for the economy and bad
for the environment. There’s no conspiracy needed to understand
that China is bad news and we should stop trading with
them.
That’s my problem with conspiracy theories: they distract
you from the underlying truth – the issues that really matter.
Oliver Stone does a perfect job of proving my point in
“JFK.”
“JFK” is THE great conspiracy theory film. Mr. Stone was
17-years-old when President Kennedy was shot, and the event
clearly affected his young, idealistic mind. He views the assassination
as the turning point in United States history, where
innocence was lost and secrets began to triumph over transparency.
Stone weaves a mind-blowingly complex but completely
coherent history lesson. Some of it is true, some of it is his
fantasy. All of it is brilliant.
Oliver Stone eviscerates the Warren Commission. In Chief
Justice Earl Warren’s hastily assembled 1964 Report, Lee
Harvey Oswald is presented as a Communist sympathizer and
a lone assassin.
Stone reimagines Lee Harvey Oswald as a pathetic patsy. In
flashbacks, we see young marine Oswald (Gary Oldman) go
to the Soviet Union in 1959. But he went there as a CIA
operative just so he could believably pose as a Communist on
deep cover missions.
The hero of “JFK” is Louisiana District Attorney Jim
Garrison (Kevin Costner). Between 1966 and 69, Garrison
researched the Kennedy Assassination. In his version of
events, his home city of New Orleans was the center of the
conspiracy.
“JFK” is at its most fanciful when it shows us Lee Harvey
Oswald’s bizarre circle of friends when he lived in The Big
• • •
they want to make it harder for eligible Americans to vote?
The answer is simple: because they were unhappy with the
results and want less people to vote.
Overall, there have been over 350 bills introduced in 47
states with the sole purpose of reducing access to the ballot.
In June alone, 17 state legislatures enacted 28 new voter
restriction laws. A small few include reasonable, understandable
reforms. Most make no sense at all. It is clear that some
lawmakers would prefer to pick their voters, rather than voters
picking their representatives.
Frankly, I am concerned for our nation. We stand at a crossroads,
and the decisions we make now will ripple throughout
time.
There is hope. In Vermont, we saw the record turnout as a
positive, so we made the mailing of ballots to all voters a
permanent fixture of Vermont general elections. We also created
a new pathway for voters to correct a defective ballot so
that their vote will count. We did this by working across the
aisles with the support of Democrats, Republicans,
Progressives and independents.
In the face of the alarming rise in state-level attacks on
voting rights, we cannot afford to wait for solutions one-byone
in all 50 states. With the gutting of the Voting Rights Act
by the Supreme Court, we no longer have the luxury of a
“wait and see” approach. Congress can, and must, create
minimum voter access and fairness standards that states must
abide by, so that eligible voters are not being denied their voting
rights.
The true voter fraud in this country is denying any eligible
American their right to register and vote.
Congress alone can put an end to restrictive and unnecessary
obstacles to voting, prohibit race-based and partisan
gerrymandering, make automatic, online and same day voter
registration the law of the land, and make voting by mail
accessible for every voter, regardless of which side of an
invisible line you live on.
Two federal bills pending, the For the People Act, and the
John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, give Congress
this opportunity to act. The time has come for the partisan,
political games to stop. Those who are prioritizing the promotion
of politically motivated falsehoods about the security of
our elections, over the voting rights of the people who put
them in office, are committing a severe dereliction of duty.
In 2021 our democracy has come to a crossroads.
Fortunately, we have a roadmap, we just need to follow it.
Easy in 1963. There’s Clay Shaw (Tommy Lee Jones), a decadent
businessman. There’s David Ferrie (Joe Pesci), a motormouthed
pilot and gun runner. There’s Willie O’Keefe (Kevin
Bacon), a Nixon-loving prostitute who tells Garrison about the
gay orgies and secret scheming that they all did together.
In the film’s most spell-binding scene, a rogue Pentagon
Colonel (Donald Sutherland) tells Garrison WHY the government
needed to kill John F. Kennedy.
Kennedy offended the Washington Establishment in three
main ways. He didn’t invade Cuba. He was planning on pulling
our troops out of Vietnam. And he had ordered the CIA to
cease its covert operations around the globe.
I love Oliver Stone’s alternative version of history. But I do
not believe it for one second. Kennedy’s sudden death turned
him into a martyr in Stone’s mind. Nothing could be more
wonderful than a leader who stood up to the Military Industrial
Complex and the CIA, but the real JFK never did that.
This is what I mean about the underlying problem with
Conspiracy Theories. Even when they have truth to them, they
take your eyes off of the real issues that matter.
I think it is very possible that there was second shooter. I
think that it is probable that the Warren Report intentionally
covered up some of the facts.
But it doesn’t actually matter who killed JFK. What matters,
above all, is that we have a military and an armaments
industry that demand overseas enemies and perpetual war. We
have a CIA that has been overturning foreign elections and
assassinating foreign leaders for 70 years. And, above all, we
have an Establishment that will destroy any politician who
earnestly tries to change things.
I don’t get the appeal of conspiracy theories. But I certainly
get the appeal of “JFK.” It’s a hypnotic masterpiece about
America’s most popular conspiracy theory.
STATE OF VERMONT
SUPERIOR COURT
Orange Unit
PROBATE DIVISION
Docket No. 21-PR-03096
RE: ESTATE OF
LLOYD P. REAL
Late Of Newbury, VT
Notice To Creditors
To the creditors of the Estate of
Lloyd P. Real
Late Of Newbury, Vermont.
I have been appointed personal
representative of the above-named
estate. All creditors having claims
against the estate must present
their claims in writing within 4
months of the date of publication
of this notice. The claim must be
presented to me at the address listed
below with a copy filed with the
register of the Probate Court. The
claim will be forever barred if it is
not presented as described above
within the four-month deadline.
Dated: July 15, 2021
Signed:
William L. Real, Executor
Address:
c/o Jake L. Thompson, Esq.
Otterman and Allen, P.C.
P.O. Box 473
Barre, VT 05641
Name of Publication: The WORLD
Publication Date: July 21, 2021
Address of Probate Court:
Orange District Probate
Chelsea, VT 05038
ANTIQUES & OLDER ITEMS WANTED
Buying: Crocks, jugs, bottles, jars, pottery & glass vases,
candlesticks, mixing bowls, dishes, knick-knacks, sterling,
Pyrex, cast iron cookware, costume & old jewelry, paintings/
prints, toys, holiday decorations, signs, and so much more
Attics & Full Estates
Call BEFORE donating or having a tag sale
Rich Aronson 802-595-3632
NOTICE – Barre City
WASTE TIRE FREE DISPOSAL EVENT
The City of Barre is offering its residents a free,
Waste Tire Disposal Event at
20 Auditorium Hill in the BOR parking lot.
Saturday, July 24,2021
8:00 am to 4:00 pm Only
STATE OF VERMONT
SUPERIOR COURT
Washington Unit
PROBATE DIVISION
Docket No.: 21-PR-03309
In re ESTATE of:
Donald Ray Pierce, Jr.
Notice To Creditors
To the Creditors of:
DONALD RAY PIERCE, JR.
late of Middlesex, Vermont
I have been appointed to administer
this estate. All creditors having
claims against the decedent or the
estate must present their claims in
writing within four (4) months of the
first publication of this notice The
claim must be presented to me at
the address listed below with a copy
sent to the Court. The claim may be
barred forever if it is not presented
within the four (4) month period.
Dated: July 12, 2021
Signed: Charles A. Pelkey
Executor/Administrator:
Charles A. Pelkey
Mailing Address:
1160 Sweet Road
Waterbury Center, VT 05677
Phone: 802-272-4749
Email: cpelkey2@outlook.com
Name of Publication: The WORLD
Publication Date: July 21, 2021
Name of Probate Court:
Vermont Superior Court/
Washington Unit
Address of Probate Court:
65 State Street
Montpelier, VT 05602
Andrea Gallitano, P.C.
Attorney At Law
www.GallitanoLaw.com
Email: Andrea@GallitanoLaw.com
301 North Main Street, Suite 2
Barre, VT 05641
(802)622-8230 Fax: (802)622-8232
Practice areas include: • commercial and residential real estate transactions
• business formation • buy/sell arrangements
• stock purchase agreements • asset sales and leasing • wills • trusts
• power of attorney • probate administration and litigation • guardianships
Residential Only
NO Commercial Disposal
Passenger car, light truck tires, motorcycle, bicycle
& lawn Tractor tires will be accepted for recycling.
No rims.
Unvaccinated Depositors must wear face masks
and social distance. City staff will direct to the
disposal location. Associations must preregister for
group deliveries
Sponsored by:
City of Barre
and the
Central VT Solid Waste District
July 21, 2021 The WORLD page 11