So sad it’s almost… funny. A state legislator in Vermont took up the inoffensive cause of an eighth grade girl who wanted to have Vermont’s state motto in Latin as well as English. He introduced the bill in the legislature and thought it was a no-brainer. Once local news picked up the story, he was pilloried and excoriated by Vermonters who were of the ‘speak English or go back to Latin America!’ variety. Go to the website for an entertaining view of the posts from Tea Party Vermont.
You try to do something nice…
Last spring, Senate Minority Leader Joe Benning got a letter from an eighth-grader at The Riverside School in Lyndonville. She was studying Latin, and wanted Senator Joe to introduce a bill to give Vermont a Latin motto. We’ve got “Freedom and Unity,” but no Latin.
As the idea developed, those involved came up with a motto: Stella quarta decima fulgeat. The translation: “May the Fourteenth Star Shine Bright,” is a nod to Vermont’s status as the fourteenth state to join the union. Nice. Poetic in both languages. Benning brought the student to Montpelier and introduced her to the Government Operations Committee, which would consider her proposal.
*Also possible endorsement deal with the new 14th Star Brewery in St. Albans?
It was too late in last year’s session to launch the idea, but Benning introduced it this month. Senate Bill 2 would not affect “Freedom and…
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