From an angry Vermonter:
Since I have never read anything else that you’ve written, nor have I seen anything in your article about my “latte” town that would lead me to believe you are anything other than a smug, over-confident, self-centered “head in the sand” conservative. I will just say this. There is no crime here to speak of (we laugh uproariously when you city folk turn on your car alarms here). We have the most beautiful sunset anywhere in North America, we enjoy nice caring neighbors, and quick access to NYC and Montreal, great hunting and fishing, and other than the few months when the students are here (and it’s not 25 degrees below zero), we enjoy lots of peace and quiet.
To paint our city with and wide green paint brush, proves only one thing, that you understand less about Burlington and Vermont than any other topic I’ve seen in the conservative press yet. But best of all, your little anti-travelogue will only keep more of you from coming here with your backwards, hypocritical, conservative “values” and trying to take over our state. You just keep painting Howard Dean as a liberal, we know the truth (he’s far from it) and you will to eventually, and you’ll be very, very sorry.
I’m forty, a small business owner, member of the chamber of commerce, home owner, outdoorsman and I’ve just gotta say, if you come away from this city and this beautiful state with only negative things to say, I pity you, I really do. Your pathetic little “made in America” life must be hell on earth. And I don’t mean on a “I have more things than you” level, I’m talking actual beauty and peace and respect in your life.
I’ve never locked my doors, car or home, and I won’t. I don’t have a car alarm, or home defense alarm or even a neighborhood watch. I live in a city of 40,000 people and the thought of fearing someone never enters my mind. So you keep on portraying us as latte sipping intellectuals, that’ll be just fine with me. That way I don’t have to even consider questioning whether a customer or neighbor is a decent honest person. We get along fine here without you. Just ask Chief Justice Reinquist, he loves it here.
[Name withheld]
Burlington, Vermont