Emily Peyton is running for governor as a candidate with the “Truth Matters” party. She believes in the right of citizens to decline vaccines and disputes the Vermont Department of Health’s assertion that 58 people have died of COVID-19 in Vermont since March.Peyton has run for governor and for attorney general in the past. She questions the dangers of COVID-19, and supports reopening Vermont's economy.
Our guest is:
- Emily Peyton, candidate for governor running for the Truth Matters party
Broadcast live on Friday, Oct. 30, 2020 at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.
VPR’s Bob Kinzel spoke with Emily Peyton, and their interview below has been condensed and edited and fact-checked for clarity.
More from VPR: A Guide To Voting In Vermont For The 2020 General Election
Emily Peyton: My leadership, or I'd rather say my guidance is becoming more and more relevant. I'm very passionate that people find their sovereign integrity in the face of overarching governments.
And I'm particularly passionate now about medical freedom. So I am leading or guiding people to enact our authority under Article 7 of our [Vermont] Constitution right now. So that's what we're doing. We're organizing around this thing. We're organizing assemblies, under 802 Freedom – you can find that on 802freedom.com – and we will be continuing.
It's absolutely marvelous what's happening. The people are coming forward to bring humanity back in to our future.
More from VPR: A Cartoon Guide To Voting In Vermont’s General Election
Bob Kinzel: You mentioned the issue of medical freedom. What do you mean by that?
Well, I certainly mean that we have the sovereign right to decide what goes in on our bodies and that we need to have the right to decline any vaccine and we ought to get right into the concerns about these RNA vaccines because they are not like the other vaccines.
"I'm very passionate that people find their sovereign integrity in the face of overarching governments." - Emily Peyton, candidate for governor
And there are many concerns amongst the people of Vermont, that a corporate candidate who becomes governor is going to mandate them. And that is wholly inappropriate.
Emily, on your website, you state 'Emily, stands for your right to be free of government demands.' What exactly do you have in mind?
Well, we have the right to transform governance, to a self-governing system. We have that right in Article 7. And if you look back historically, we see that government has really not done right by us, in protecting us from climate change, from injustice. We still have people who are overdosing and despairing, and we have people who are not flourishing, despite the fact we have a great deal of government.
So we the people are coming together and they say it is from our authority that government arises. And we say we want to do things differently. So that's what we're up to.
More from VPR: Republican Gubernatorial Primary Race 2020: Emily Peyton
So if someone who's listening to this wants to know sort of more specifically what you have in mind, could you help us understand that?
We are looking at developing an inquiry. This is not a court; this is a simple inquiry, a 802 Freedom inquiry into the reality of the COVID response.
I think the question needs to be asked: Have the people been driven into a fearful hysteria for baseless reasons? And if so, why, and who has done that for what end? So we need to look at that, because it's totally irrational - the mandate - compared to the numbers.
Is that to say that you feel that there isn't really a threat from the COVID-19 pandemic?
Well, you know, I want to honor the people of Vermont who have enormous hearts. I mean, they're their leading from their hearts. They want everybody to be protected.
But I want to warn them about becoming 'anti-thinker.' You need to think. You need to look at the numbers and discern and remember that government hasn't always been honest with us. And [you need to] use your capacity to count, to use the numbers and look and see what the exact reality is.
And in reality, our threat of dying from COVID in Vermont is 0.00009 – and that's including deaths that were not even by COVID alone. Only 22 deaths in Vermont were attributed to COVID alone.
Editor’s note: According to the Vermont Department of Health, 58 people have died in Vermont after contracting COVID-19 since March 2020. To date, 2,141 cases have been identified in the state.
So these mandates, and the fact that Phil Scott is continuing a state of emergency until a vaccine arrives... Is the tail wagging the dog? You have to ask. There isn't emergency; people aren't dying; this is a mild flu.
Editor’s note: According to reporting from NPR, 227,700 people have died nationwide after contracting the disease, and on Oct. 29, the U.S. reported 78,981 new cases.
So people have been frightened. They have been sliding into a hysteria. And I think that's dreadfully wrong and it's criminal. And anybody who's taken part in doing that ought to be taken to task.
Emily, at your website, it also says 'Good things are happening in Vermont and there's strength in numbers' and 'We need to stand together for change.' What are some of those good things?
Well, some of the good things, as I said, is that the women, the young women, the wise women are coming together and working together in a seamless and awesome way.
There's no egos. We're all supporting one another and working very hard, and it's beautiful. This is what I have been waiting for. This is what I've been working for so many years.
People have misunderstood me, that I have wanted to lead forward, in a way with courage, that we each are equal and we are each equal. We should not be having this false authority telling us what to do with our bodies, nor should we have our higher power be money, as the way it is with government. Our higher power for humanity is love. So we've got to put on our thinking caps and figure out how to develop an economy that uses money that reflects love and virtue in the right way.
Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or tweet reporter Bob Kinzel @VPRKinzel.
We've closed our comments. Read about ways to get in touch here.
VPR sought interviews with each of the independent candidates running for governor and lieutenant governor ahead of the Nov. 3 general election. We were able to schedule interviews with Michael Devost (Independent, Governor), Charly Dickerson (Independent, Governor), Kevin Hoyt (Independent, Governor), Emily Peyton (Truth Matters, Governor) and Ralph Corbo (Banish The F35s, Lieutenant Governor). VPR was unable to coordinate interviews with Wayne Billado III (Independent, Governor & Lieutenant Governor) and Erynn Hazlett Whitney (Independent, Governor). Find our full coverage here.
