Trooper punished

too harshly

On Thursday, my father, Jon Graham, was forced to resign from the Vermont State Police after 16 years of service.

Not only was he forced to give up a job that he enjoyed, but he also had to forfeit a salary that was able to pay for my college tuition and support two kids and a wife at home.

I’m sure that you all have your own opinions on my father, but what I think the majority of us can agree on is that forced resignation is far too harsh a punishment for my dad’s actions. Did he disobey VSP’s social media policy? Yes. Could suspension have been a suitable punishment? Sure.

Because of the mounting pressure from liberal media outlets and those who disagree with my dad politically, the VSP caved and my dad now struggles to find a job that will support us. Not only can my parents no longer afford to live in Vermont, they may have to walk away from their home, move wherever the next job offer comes from (if he can find an employer that will take him), and start over.

If this can happen to my dad, it can happen to anyone. We now live in a country where stalking police officers on the Internet for “damning” political views is the norm, and any bored media outlet turns it into a circus. Is political correctness worth putting a family through this?

VSP has thrown a man with an otherwise spotless record under the bus, and his family now faces significant financial and emotional turmoil. And to the “concerned citizen” who started this all: You are not a hero; you’re nothing more than a perpetually offended coward who has taken a good man and exceptional public servant off the roads.

FELICIA GRAHAM

Springfield