Introduction
A minor, local player against Vermont Recognition is Brad Barratt of South Burlington, VT. Today, he runs a nasty little blog with the ironic title of “Vermont Native Justice.” On April 20, 2011 (vcnaa.com/native/content/view/1975/58/) he came out of his blogger’s den to attack the Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs and the St. Francis Sokoki Band with rhetoric like that in the title of this blog post. Some of his rant actually made it into the local media and so we must try to understand what is going on with him. Unlike Bernier, salmon, or Watso, he does not seem to have any desire to see an Odanak-based hegemony in Vermont that would extinguish Indigenous Vermonters rights. Unlike Bernier or salmon, Mr. Barratt has been on the periphery of the Vermont Native scene, and went entirely under the cultural radar screen until he joined the Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs in the middle 2000’s — but even then, never showed any interest in the tribes he was charged to represent.
Barratt, the son of Missisquoi craft worker Christine, “Cookie” Barratt, followed her when she split off from the St. Francis Sokoki Band years ago over internal political squabbles. Ironically, they are still on the St. Francis Sokoki Band tribal rolls due to their failing to file the paperwork to be removed! Historically, Mr. Barratt’s hatred of Vermont Abenakis seems to have its origins in the very specific internal tribal politics at Missisquoi (Swanton, VT), in which his immediate family took sides with the Lampman family against April Merrill, which led to a parting of ways without the proper paperwork.
Brad Barratt began to act on his dislike of the St. Francis/Sokoki Band in early 2008 — on Jun 20 of that year he sent the Daily Kos a rambling attack — that he presumptuously called “Shaking up the Tribe” — against the St. Francis Sokoki Band and its leadership (dailykos.com/story/2008/6/20/539505/-Shaking-up-the-tribe). As Brad Barratt became dimly aware of the St. Francis-Sokoki Band’s alliance with other Vermont Indian bands in 2009, probably through hate blogs like salmon’s “reinvented Abenaki” site; his fury against the St. Francis Sokoki Band extended to organizations and individuals he did not even know. We surmise that Barratt’s prejudgment (i.e. “pre-judice”) and ire was because the others were guilty by association.
A blog of “Journalistic integrity” is launched
On March 27, 2009 Brad Barratt launched the “vtnativejournal.wordpress.com” blog, supposedly to “provide an un-biased view of Native American news and issues in Vermont,” and “to hopefully instill some journalistic integrity into blog reporting” Yet on that inaugural day he admitted that he disagreed with the St. Francis Sokoki Band (vtnativejournal.wordpress.com/March 27, 2010), setting the stage for all that followed.
It took Barratt all of one day to post “You must know that this “Alliance” (i.e. Nulhegan, Elnu Koasek and Missisquoi) has the credibility of Dhyani Ywahoo (a New-age spiritual leader of dubious credentials), which is NIL (vtnativejournal.wordpress.com/March 28, 2010). Today, he loathes Missisquoi, which he knows a little bit about — as well as the Nulhegan, Elnu and Koasek, bands — none of which he has any direct knowledge of. In December, Barratt griped: “They (presumably Elnu, Nulhegan, Koasek and Missisquoi?) made my life a living hell when I was on the (VCNAA) commission. It’s my turn now.” (vermontnativejustice.wordpress com Dec. 3, 2010). But as far as is known, the only “attack” against Barratt was a response by the St. Francis Sokoki Band to his Daily Kos assault on its governance and leadership. According to Chiefs Luke Willard, Nancy Millette and Roger Longtoe, they did not know who Brad Barratt was — until he began attacking them on his blog. A typical example of Barratt’s blogging about Chief Nancy Doucet, chief of the Koaseks in particular: “As you will soon find out, karma is one hell of a nasty bitch, much like Nancy Doucet and her ilk.” vtnativejournal.wordpress.com/November 16, 2010). When Doucet, attempted to reach out to Barratt after suffering a particularly offensive attack, (as she attempted to do with Nancy Lecompte, see above blog entry) on “vermontnativejustice.wordpress.com,” Brad Barratt, who did not know Chief Millette, responded with a particularly prejudiced rant: “I don’t do lunch with snakes such as yourself. I would rather spend a day in solitary confinement in Gitmo than dine with you and your people” (vermontnativejustice.wordpress.com Dec. 30, 2010). So much for Barrats’ claim to “instill some journalistic integrity into blog reporting.”
Barratt today
Brad Barratt’s bigotry and rage focuses mainly on the current Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs. For example, Barratt compares the Commission to genocidal North African despots: “Right now, the VCNAA has the credibility of tyrants like Gadhafi, Ben Ali and Mubarak! (vermontnativejustice.wordpress.com February 25, 2011). With regards to all other Vermont Abenaki Groups except Skip Bernier’s “Odanak Abenakis of Vermont incorporated” group; he attempts feeble mimicry of Bernier’s and salmon’s oppression with the tired and inapplicable “incorporation attack,” “If you have “Inc.” at the end of your name or if you are incorporated, you are NOT a tribe. A true tribe does not need to be incorporated. If money, land claims and casinos are your forte, then sure, become incorporated. But, expect to be called out” (vermontnativejustice.wordpress com November 18, 2010). But, like the others; his argument fails on substance and duplicity.
Mr. Barratt’s angst is compounded by an inaccurate understanding of Vermont Native politics. This foolishness is first revealed in his misidentifying people on the Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs. For example, on his November 18, 2010 “vermontnativejustice.wordpress.com” blog post Barratt claimed: “Melody Walker Brook (one half of the “Laughing Couple”. Hardly a qualification for being on a state commission).” The Laughing Couple is actually composed of Rick and Carolyn Hunt, who live in New Hampshire. Melody Walker and her husband live in north central Vermont. On the vermontnativejustice.org/category/editors-notes on April 20, Barratt claimed, “The St.Francis/Sokoki band has no more tribal council (they quit)…” which is, of course, untrue – the Missisquoi Tribal Council is Alive and well.
Second, Brad Barratt does not know what the documents actually are that he attempts to attack. For example, we can cite Barratt’s 1.) January 20, 2011, “vermontnativejustice.wordpress com” posting “I was able to obtain a copy of the Elnu application for recognition to the Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs,” or 2.) his January 25, 2011, “vermontnativejustice.wordpress com post:” “I have the Nulhegan application.” As anyone who either knew the application process or even read the documents Barratt cites, they were only the Commission reports on the applications, not the applications themselves. Even more ludicrous is Brad Barratt’s February 14, 2011, “vermontnativejustice.wordpress com” posting, “Koasek Application Exposed (with my commentary).” The material supposedly exposed on his blog was neither the Koasek application, nor was it even the official report from the scholars and VCNAA. It was a copy of the notes written by one of the Vermont commissioners!
At the end of the day Barratt’s blog contributes nothing and does not advance rational political discourse — and so we will dispense with his pathetic attempt at lateral oppression –and end here.
Vermont Native Justice Abenaki 