n
1957, three years before he was elected President, Senator John F.
Kennedy wrote his best-selling book Profiles
in Courage. In it he
described events in the lives of eight U.S. Senators who bravely cast
votes in defiance of their party and public opinion, thereby
jeopardizing their chances for re-election. These were acts of
personal integrity that they believed were the responsible thing to
do in those circumstances. I was privileged to witness a similar act
of courage on the front steps of the Vermont Statehouse this past
Wednesday. At 2:00 in the afternoon, Governor Scott, accompanied by
his wife, stood at a podium with news cameras, legislators and
members of the public both in support and against the action he was
about to take: signing three bills that would impose regulations on
gun sales, prohibit certain gun accessories, and provide law
enforcement with the authority to confiscate guns when responding to
domestic violence incidents and under court order from individuals
who pose a threat to themselves or others.
The
scene in front of the statehouse was alive with tension as opponents
dressed in hunter orange and carrying signs that read “One term
Governor”, “Traitor” and “See you in court” vied with signs
saying “Thank you Governor Scott” and “March for our Lives.”
As the Governor stood at the podium, he was greeted with chants of
“Traitor! Traitor!” which were countered by chants of “Thank
you! Thank you!” He began his speech over the shouting, speaking
carefully, deliberately and directly to those in front of him. He
endured constant interruption by opponents yelling their disagreement
almost continuously during his speech while supporters clapped
enthusiastically when he made points supporting his decision to sign
the bills. At one point Governor Scott said, “I understand I may
lose support over my decision to sign these bills today, but those
are consequences I'm prepared to live with.” As I stood behind the
Governor with dozens of my colleagues and members of the Governor's
staff, I felt I was witnessing history in the making and an event
that was clearly a profile in courage.
My
positions on many issues differ from those of Governor Scott. We have
different perspectives on issues like raising the minimum wage,
finding a way to pay for cleaning up the waters of our state, and
looking for a way to price in the true costs of fossil fuels while
incentivizing conversion to renewable energy sources. On other
issues, like the opioid crisis or helping businesses use energy more
efficiently, the Governor and the legislature have been able to work
collaboratively toward a common goal. It is my hope that differences
can be overcome to achieve results that benefit Vermont and
Vermonters. Governor Scott is correct in saying that “public
safety is the top priority of any government.” He should not
become a one-term Governor simply because he did the right thing to
improve the safety of Vermont citizens.
As always, I can be reached by phone
(802-233-5238) or by email (myantachka.dfa@gmail.com).
