To the editor: Charlton focused on what is good for Vermont
The Chester Telegraph | Feb 17, 2026 | Comments 1
I will add that I am not a constituent but like to learn what is going on in Montpelier. Rep. Charlton spoke for close to two hours. The first 30 minutes focused on his no vote against the state House resolution supporting the Gov. Phil Scott’s statement concerning ICE in Minneapolis. One reason Rep. Charlton gave for his no vote was he believed “it missed an opportunity to call on both parties to de-escalate confrontational action and inflammatory rhetoric.” Charlton was also very clear he fully supported everyone’s right to peacefully protest in Minneapolis and Chester.
I know my next comment won’t resonate with a number of people. But I also don’t agree with some of the things I’ve seen ICE do in Minneapolis or other parts of the country. I have also seen protestors barricade roads, throw things at ice, along with the whistles and screaming. Yes, I am fully aware bullets are more dangerous than whistles. It certainly doesn’t help a tense situation become less tense. It also makes me think of mob mentality. The definition of “Mob mentality, also known as herd or crowd mentality, is a psychological phenomenon where individuals in a group adopt the behaviors, attitudes and emotional volatility of the majority, often disregarding personal beliefs, morality, and critical thinking.”
Not only could things turn very bad quickly, but this also affects the critical thinking skills of law enforcement.
As for the other, close to an hour and a half of the evening, I’d like to thank Charlton for telling us how some of our legislators are wasting time and our money on looking to bring mountain lions back to Vermont; how legislation could seriously impact home and land ownership in Vermont; and the ridiculous red tape involved building in Vermont.
I know I will not change the minds of those who wrote the letters to the editor or those who “liked” them. That wasn’t my reason for writing this. I do know there are a large number of people who lean a little left and a little right who are the larger majority.
WE are the people who need to find our voices and get louder. I will not be invited to the White House to give my opinion. What I can do is try to make my town and state a better and more affordable place to live. So I will be out soon peacefully protesting my town’s budget and trying to get fiscally conservative candidates elected.
Robin Varga
Springfield
Filed Under: Commentary • Letters to the Editor
There is a good reason for the push back Representative Charlton received when he inferred that demonstrators were partly to blame for the violence perpetrated by ICE agents. Simply put, he falsely compared protesters with a government agency responsible for kidnapping, beating, and killing US citizens. Robin Varga’s letter is as equally misplaced as Mr. Charlton’s statements, confusing “mob mentality” with a collective response. Eight million people in the streets exercising their Constitutional rights is not a mob, it is a national struggle to save democracy. It is also the only thing that will deter an administration that ignores the law, the courts and the Constitution while baiting its followers with racism and vilifying immigrants, people of color and the LGBTQ+ community.