Glennie Fitzgerald Sewell

2022 Vermont House Run

Good Day, Constituents of Washington County-4, all Vermonters, and all of those who find themselves drawn to this message. My name is Glennie Fitzgerald Sewell, and I am running for the Vermont House as a Progressive, for one of the Washington-4 seats, representing Montpelier. This is my 6^th run. I’m going to be brutally honest in this message:

It is difficult to know what to say in regards to the increasing gun violence in our society. This is not only unconscionable acts against children (like in Uvalde Texas), but includes massively increasing violence against fellow American populations of Asians, Hispanics, Indigenous Peoples, Women, LGBTQ people (to include the parents of trans teens), as well as various black and brown peoples, Muslims, Jews, and other religious minority groups. Hearing all of this, it is tempting to feel jaded and apathetic.

There is something severely problematic when ethnic and other intersectional oppression is the rule in our political, religious, and social culture. This contradiction in our vaunted American claim of “freedom and democracy” has to be faced-down, directly. We need to stop giving quarter to the hate, the violence, the disingenuous actions of so many of our national politicians. We must strive to be exceptionally inclusive of all people that enter our borders, and our discourse.

Crimes Against Children are on the increase in our country.

We see harm done to children, and our national politicians do nothing, and there is little uprising amongst the population. When the children aren’t of the ethnicity that is seen as “red-blooded Americans”, they receive less thought, less grief, less love, thus little-to-no real action. This is the same for almost all black and brown people in our society, and any other groups considered “Other”.

Where are the ‘pro-lifers’ in this? Where are the ‘for the children’ people in these crimes against children? We need to stop giving quarter to groups who have no intent in society but to be political and religious hacks, and theatre of darkness, all for the purposes of power and money.

Women’s Reproductive Rights should not still be a conversation we are having in the 21^st Century. In all honesty, this subject was handled fifty years ago; yet, our own government refused to codify those rights into law. Right wing religious groups and phalanxes of old, bitter men are allowed to make health and body-autonomy decisions for more than half the population of our country. Women, again, have no voice. What’s sadder is that there are women who’ve collaborated in this decision. We are only as free as the strongest chains that hold us; this is true for those who collaborate to enslave us all, all in the name of “life” and “God” (those same people who have no clue as to what either actually means).

Men are not forced to get vasectomies, however. They go unpunished in ruining the lives of women and girls. The Supreme Court has codified continued crime against women.

As the hateful, arrogant and continually unthinkable actions of Judges Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito have proven, in writing, these are the same actions that will be used to attack marriage equality and lgbtq life, liberty and happiness. Such things had no status in the times of slavery. So, they will justify destroying us all now.

It is up to this current human generation to stop all of this.

To do that, we need to make sure we remain in-step to stop these same actions against all other people.

It doesn’t matter whether you are a ‘white, straight male’, or a ‘black trans woman’, or ‘an Asian computer scientist, or nail salon worker, we must all stop this nonsense violence and hate, or nothing else we do will matter.

We need to get out, commit to non-violent, peaceful (but strong) protests, march beside the oppressed, and overwhelmingly make our commitment to democracy heard at the ballot box. Freedom and liberty’s final defense is the ballot box, not the bullet. This, we must make our highest intent.

We’ve got to look at what we claim is our highest intent, our highest spiritual ideas, our best action from deep within our hearts, to solve these issues. This is not to be confused with the shallow waters of religious ideas or beliefs.

We must go below the surface, below what we believe, what we think we know. How am I defining spirituality in relation to politics, you ask? I once heard someone say:

“Your politics in action is your spirituality enacted. Your spirituality in action is your politics enacted.”

I believe that was from the author Neale Donald Walsch. That’s the simplest and most elegant way to answer that question.

As I mentioned two years ago, we still need to consider thoughtful and equitable policing policies within our local and state law-enforcement systems. That remains just as true now as it did in and before 2020.

We need to be the leaders of the country in reforming law enforcement, making sure the necessary funds go to those who can be called-in to deal with minor social disagreements, as well as equitably paid workers trained to handle misunderstood mental health issues and other medical needs. We need to bring balance to the funding of police as the security service they are, with fair pay, working hours, and standard resources necessary to keep ALL of the general public safe. This includes the necessary multicultural training of the police.

Funding needs to be a part of that balance we seek with equitable law enforcement, not simply “defunding”. Not only is that a misleading message, but inaccurate, especially when unbridled emotions are involved.

The shooting, abusing and neglecting of the poor, the black and brown, and of “the Other” by the police has got to stop. Such actions shall be shown no quarter. Those responsible for such actions need to be flushed out, leaving behind only those who are honorable, and desire only to protect and serve. We need the support of law enforcement to make this happen. This mountain is not insurmountable.

We have to find a way to build a positively transformative culture that does not revolve around fear and violence, in any of its forms. If these issues are not solved, then no effort we make in Voting Rights, or the basic human rights will make any difference.

We need to find sustainable solutions to climate change, not simply repeating the greed, lobbying, and arrogance of the past. Bio-fuels are unsustainable, snatching away arable land, endangering necessary farming and food production. Solar is not enough. We need to work together to move beyond a Kardashev Level 0 Civilization.

We need to have inclusive democratic systems and processes that do not allow for the violation of the right to Vote, including reproductive and bodily autonomy, privacy & health rights of citizens, to include the right to marry the legal adult of one’s love and affection.

Campaign financing needs to be fully-revised, locally and nationally, to not allow one group of people to intentionally bring harm to the rest of humanity.

***

The issue that got me into making my runs for the legislature had to do with Housing and Healthcare, way back in 2012.

Though healthcare is a complicated matter, one that involves, ultimately creating a ‘Medicare for All’ System, nationally, we need to move back towards the idea of making healthcare affordable, to be able to have the quality medical care necessary for everyone to continue to live and make the fight for positive transformation and balance in our society. The very rich, middle class, and poor-alike-should share-in and receive the same healthcare.

***

I still believe, as I did two years ago, for fair housing standards for renters and landlords, to include the help with court costs for viable “just cause” eviction issues.

Landlords that are responsible, ethical, and not just ‘in it for the money’, who uphold the rights of their tenants (and not fleece them and harass them to no end, trying to force them from their rental properties) should be recognized and included in creating a viable ‘just cause’ eviction process, not excluded from the deliberations. Thus, something needs to be done to bring back to the floor and fully-revise “just cause” evictions. Create a Council of Landlords NOT beholden to lobbyists, but actions in good faith, this includes all involved tenants. We cannot work apart; we need to work together, or none of this will matter; none of this will work.

Forcing honest landlords (and they do exist) to bear the brunt of the eviction costs will cause great economic harm to tenants (for whom the costs of evictions will be passed on to), landlords, and all their families. These aspects may not have been given viable consideration in the past bills. It needs to be. I know this is a hard one for some: caring about the tenants requires that we care about the landlords; and caring about the landlords requires us to care about the tenants. It cannot be one or the other. Striking the balance is what’s important. Remember: none of this matters if we don’t make this work in concert.

Everyone needs to have a voice and be heard. That includes us hearing the voices of those we don’t necessarily agree with. Either we include all voices—then analyze those voices for their best attributes, or nothing we try to do to change all other layers of our society will make no difference.

All events are connected to all other events and cycles. The environmental, social and political upheaval is connected to the energy that governs our spiritual levels of awakening. If anything, those energies feed into each other. Remember, “spiritual” in this context merely means a wider connection, an infinitely larger connection, to all other things, to all other life, everywhere, all at once, all breathing and living at once, AS ONE! That’s all I mean, here. We are not talking about religion. We’ve tried that, and our world has made scant improvements. We MUST grow beyond such things.

None of this is about ‘political correctness’ or other trigger phrases. We want the same life, the same security, the same life structures, allowing us “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”.

This still needs to be the inflection point it was two and a half years ago, and now. We still need to understand Who We Are.

The only option in front of us is to understand that the rights given to us as a people are no good to us if we do not flex the muscles that make those rights work. This also includes thanking those who are running an opposing set of ideas. Without such ideas, we wouldn’t know how to define ourselves, not as people, not as souls. This is why it’s important to bring some measure of opposing voices to the table, at least to a rational extent. Those voices will help force us into making life so much better. I know that sounds almost counter to my message; but think about it for a moment; it isn’t.

So, I not only salute all Progressives running for local, state and national seats—as this is a transformative time; but I hold some measure of human regard toward all of those running under their respective political parties. Despite the anger I feel at times, despite the depression and dismay, despite the ease that I can nearly let hate creep into my heart, I am forced to stop that ‘hate’ in its tracks. The “darkness within” must be forced back into balance without “lighter half”. Even through our entertaining “mythologies”, we have a deep, spiritual understanding of this idea. We tell it to ourselves constantly. It’s time we STOP ignoring the stories we write to ourselves, for ourselves, about ourselves, and just get it done. We can then go on to write new stories.

We all clearly want the same thing.

Whatever any of you do, be the highest vision, the best, most serving, and fairest version of yourself. To do otherwise is a dishonor to life, itself.

I consider the act of serving ALL VERMONTERS an honor. I will not make empty political promises for votes, or use the current ugliness, hate, and exposed acts of publicly-acknowledged acts of Supreme Court judicial vengeance to score political points. Those energies don’t need help from me.

I will do all I can to give Vermonters their national voice, and Montpelier their state voice. I refuse to forsaken my spiritual values for political, or economic profit and convenience. I trust Montpelier will have me as one of their representatives in the State Legislature. I will serve the Assembly to the very best of my abilities.

Be Well, Everyone, and I hope to see you at the poles in August, and hopefully November, as well.

Respectfully,

Kindly,

Glennie Fitzgerald Sewell

Washington-4.

Progressive for Montpelier

25 May 2022

Revised

02 July 2022