Thanks to a few anarchist fools who went nude downtown, those who have enjoyed going nude at a certain secluded swimming hole in town may now lose their right to be nude at the place that has been an informal clothing optional swimming site for years. The Harmony parking lot nudies shown on the cover of last Saturday's Reformer are succeeding only in helping to mess it up for all who enjoy going nude at the West River on the edge of town.

The swimming area behind the Professional Buildings on Route 30, known as "the cornfield" is a great swimming spot set back far from the road and cannot be seen by any homes, which is why people have not had a problem going nude there. For years, nudists and those in bathing suits have enjoyed recreation at that same beach area without much of any contention.

Vermont is rare in that it does not have a state law against nudity. One can legally go nude at just about any secluded place in the state. Rutland is one town that has an anti-public nudity ordinance, and Wilmington had a short-lived ordinance against public nudity a few years ago. The Wilmington one came about by a public vote of the town people who were swayed by the anti-nudist propaganda of a Vernon woman with a vacation cabin on the Harriman Reservoir close to the "Ledges", a long established nude recreation spot. This was a case of the few ruining it for the many, since some who went there could not stay in the general Ledges area but strayed too far up the shoreline to where they were in view of the cabin.

The ordinance should not have had any effect on those in the main Ledges area since it is not in view from any road or homes, yet it was nonetheless enforced against anyone being nude at the secluded private area anyway. It should have only been used to cite those being nude and in view of the cabin owners at the far end, but the police treated the entire area as being 'public' even though it is not, and is in fact privately owned by a power company which has to by an old agreement with the town, allow people to come in and recreate there. Town voters fortunately overturned the Wilmington ordinance shortly afterward, but the Brattleboro Selectboard will not likely let the people have a special vote on whether or not to pass such an ordinance. We've seen the Brattleboro Selectboard try to force fluoride down people's throats in the drinking water just a few years ago, and they only 'allowed' the people to vote on it (in a non-binding referendum) because enough complained that it would be a violation of our rights.

If the Brattleboro Selectboard passes an anti-public nudity ordinance, it should not legally have any force or effect on the West River swimming area since it is secluded and not what should be considered public. However, just as the Wilmington police felt justified in citing people for nudity at the private Ledges spot, Brattleboro cops will no doubt also feel that they can enforce a similar ordinance at the West River. Hopefully with any they ordinance they pass they're have the sense to word it to pertain to Brattleboro proper only and specifically exempt the secluded swimming areas on the outskirts of town.

Responsible nudists are always careful to not go nude anywhere that can be called open public space, where common sense (something lost on the Harmony Lot anarchists) tells them that their nudity will offend others, causing contention and the excuse for a law that otherwise would not be necessary. I refer to the Harmony Lot group as anarchists because at least one of the Harmony Lot nudists shown and named in the Reformer, who goes by the name 'Pat the Bunny', is a self-described anarchist and has written in support of anarchy in a little local 'zine' publication.

anarchy is defined as: Absence or utter disregard of government; lawless confusion and disorder

The Seattle riots of 1999 incurred during what was supposed to be peaceful demonstrations against the WTO and globalization. It was those few who called themselves anarchists that broke windows and created the disorder that gave the cops the excuse to crack down on everyone. The troublemaking anarchists got away with their property damage and mayhem. It was the innocent peaceful protesters that suffered from being beaten, peppersprayed and shot with rubber bullets by the overly aggressive police. Over the fear of having to put up with such an out-of-control crisis as Seattle had, many town and city selectboards across the country passed ordinances against protesting or demonstrating. Many of the local laws were in violation of our 1st Amendment freedom of speech, but once a law is passed it can be hard to get it overturned. You Harmony Lot nudes are not true nudists just as the Seattle window smashers were not 1st Amendment exercising protesters. You bozos do nothing but create the excuse now for a law that will likely end up hurting the freedoms of responsible and considerate nudists.
Thanks a lot buttheads !

Link to read the "Leahy Memorandum", which has effectively been the police enforcement policy in Vermont for nudism since then State Attorney Pat Leahy wrote in in 1972. -

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/467596756?ltl=1156186320

Regarding those who swim and recreate nude it says:
"On private land out of view of the public: The State has no legitimate interest and swimmers should be left alone."