War or Civilization?

At a time when many Americans are losing their jobs and homes, the one safe place to be employed seems to be cable TV news. There is no shortage of talking heads to rehash the same issues over and over. There is seldom any news,
and certainly no actual reporting–just news models, repeating the same things, endlessly. In fact, CNN and Fox News have even given new life to commentators like the virtuous Bill Bennett, and the toe-sucking Dick Morris. Anyone with an intellect higher than that of a sea sponge doesn’t have any expectations of intelligent commentary from Fox, but when did CNN become a Fox clone?

Night after night, a parade of privileged beltway handwringers holds forth on the economy - in particular, the Wall St. economy. They have no interest in what’s happening to real working people. They don’t cover the tent cities that are springing up in warmer climates, or the shocking increase in homeless children. Ali Velshi, with his ooompa-looompa orange make up pontificates nightly on the fate of Wall St, AIG, and the incomes of the wealthy, or at least the still employed – with the assumption that all Americans are heavily invested in Wall St. The real world does not intrude.

The 24-hour cable news cycle creates a sense of dishonest urgency. We hear them screaming about the economy for weeks, and wonder, why hasn’t Obama fixed it yet? None of the banshees are honest enough to point out that what is wrong with the economy actually has its roots in the Reagan administration – 30 years ago. This isn’t going to be fixed overnight. We’ll be digging ourselves out of this mess for decades. Speaking of St. Ronnie – a reminder. Ronald Reagan doubled the national debt and tripled the deficit while he was in office.

The recession/depression has certainly brought about an amazing transformation – Republicans are suddenly talking about fiscal responsibility! For eight long years, they were silent while the Bush Administration did its best to destroy the US economy. In fact, they stood by and applauded while Bush borrowed close to a trillion dollars to pay for the war he shouldn’t have started in the first place. There was no pious talk of the debt we would be saddling our children and grandchildren with coming from them – not then, anyhow.

NH’s own senior US Senator, Judd Gregg is determined to stay in the limelight, after his abortive cabinet nomination. A few weeks ago, he published an op-ed in the Washington Times where he spoke of the proposed Obama budget, “In other words, the president's proposal is a massive and breathtaking document, and it should not be called a budget. Rather, it should be called a blueprint for the France-ification of America, a notebook for nationalization, or a memo for massive debt creation.” Where was Judd for the last 8 years, while Bush poured taxpayer dollars into Iraq without even getting a receipt?

Oh, that’s right -Senator Gregg was busy waving pom-poms in his cheerleader uniform as he worked hard to pass every single Bush budget. Senator Gregg was happy to borrow enormous sums and hand them over to the Pentagon. This is the same Pentagon that can’t pass an audit, or account for some $2.6 trillion in cash and assets. A look at the federal discretionary budget pie chart reveals that over half of the pie goes to the Pentagon. A little tiny sliver goes to education. This illustrates our national spending priorities very clearly. We’re more interested in killing people than educating them.

Still, one has to admire Judd Gregg’s audacity. He can opine about “France-ification” knowing that the media certainly won’t be holding him accountable, in Washington or New Hampshire. It’s even almost understandable. Gregg doesn’t want to make changes to the US health care system. He has excellent health insurance, and that’s all that matters! Those silly Frenchies, those cheese-eating surrender monkeys – why they have the best health care system in the world! France has the healthiest people. You can see why Bootstrap Judd would hate the French. According to GOP gospel, health care is reserved for the deserving and the wealthy. Those socialists in France think everyone should have equally good care. By all means, let’s issue a collective national sneer against that idea.

In looking through statistics to find out what it is that the United States is number one in, these days, I found interesting statistics. Finland is #1 in education; Sweden is #1 in literacy. The US ranks 45th in public spending on education. The Netherlands is #1 in civil and political liberties, followed by Australia, Sweden, Canada, New Zealand, Denmark, and the US in seventh place. Iceland is #1 in DSL access, while the US is 21st. Norway is #1 in gender empowerment, while the US ranks #11.

This was all kind of depressing, so I dug deeper, to find a couple of areas where the US is doing very well. We’re #2 in child poverty! Mexico is #1, but the increase in joblessness and homelessness may well push us over into first place. We can all go forth and trumpet our pride at being Number One in teen pregnancies! Abstinence only sex ed has been a success after all. We'RE NUMBER ONE!!

The US spends more on defense than all other countries in the world, combined. As a result of that kind of prioritizing, we are increasingly less healthy, less educated, less literate, and less free. It would be worth discussing that, as we attempt to rebuild the US economy.

“Probably, no nation is rich enough to pay for both war and civilization. We must make our choice; we cannot have both.”
~Abraham Flexner


Published as an editorial in the Conway Daily Sun on March 27, 2009
©s.bruce

Using the Children

On Thursday, March 26, the NH House will be voting on HB436 and HB415 on Thursday, March 26.
HB436 is a bill making marriage equality the law in our state. We've had civil unions for over a year, and the sky didn't fall, toads did not fall from the sky, and there has been no plague of locusts. Just happy couples, joined in ....union. It's time to take off the training wheels, and give our gay brethren the same rights heterosexuals enjoy.

HB415 defines gender identity and expression, and will protect transgendered persons from discrimination. This is just common sense.

As the vote gets nearer, and the GOP becomes increasingly unhinged, an out of state group called The National Organization for Marriage has spent a bunch of money on radio ads that are airing in NH.

audio clip

The ad uses children's voices to make points about marriage equality:

"Grandma, my teacher said if Grandpa was a girl, that's okay, you could still be married."

"If my dad married a man, who would be my mom?"

"I want a mommy and a daddy."

Could this be any more sleazy? They are using children to push their agenda of hate and bigotry. Someone told those children what to say, and recorded their voices.

In addition to the despicable use of children in this ad, the other message the ad sends is that the tax and spend liebruls are wasting time on issues like CIVIL RIGHTS, when they should be cutting the budget and making sure that NH provides as poor an education as possible.

The folks at NH Freedom to Marry have made it easy to contact legislators: to send an email asking them to vote for HB436 and HB415. Obviously it carries more weight if you contact your own representatives directly, to tell them how you feel.

Send a clear message that this group - who is so vile that they would put their hate speech in the mouths of children - that this group does NOT speak for the people of NH.

h/t to Dean at Blue Hampshire for the audio clip.

Just Say Yes

The war on drugs was declared on June 17, 1971. President Richard Nixon declared that drug abuse was
“public enemy number one in the United States.” In 1976, Jimmy Carter advocated the decriminalization of marijuana. Then, in 1984, Nancy Reagan (a dedicated pill-popper herself) gave us the “Just Say No” campaign. Ronald Reagan signed the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, giving us mandatory minimum penalties for drug offenses, and filling US prisons with drug offenders, some with 20-year sentences.

Republican presidents have given us two unwinnable wars. The war on drugs and the war on terror: both at a cost of approximately a trillion dollars thus far–and counting. The United States has spent over $10 billion in the war on drugs this year. It costs us approximately $1000 per second to fight this losing war.

We humans are creatures of habit. We do many things without ever questioning the reasons why. Daylight savings time is a classic example. We force students into a particular schedule; because that’s the way it’s always been done. We don’t question the fact that the US spends more on defense than all other countries in the world combined. We don’t ever question our spending priorities. Imagine what we could do with the billions we’re wasting on the war on drugs this year?

California will never be able to cut out enough state employees and services to balance the budget. Imagine if they were reaping the tax benefits of the state’s largest cash crop? At some point, we would be wise to face the truth that is staring us in the face – prohibition isn’t working.

This past week, the NH House heard testimony on HB648, a bill that would permit the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, if prescribed by a physician. People who are dealing with a variety of illnesses including cancer, multiple sclerosis, and muscular dystrophy asked state legislators to approve this bill, and allow them to legally use marijuana to ease their symptoms and side effects. Every one of us who knows someone who has cancer knows that at some point, the chemo and radiation can cause nausea. So, these people who have no immune systems lose weight alarmingly fast because eating makes them sick, or because everything tastes bad to them as a result of the chemicals. One way to combat that is smoking marijuana, which does give smokers an appetite.

HB648 has an interesting array of sponsors from both sides of the aisle. Representative Evalyn Merrick of Lancaster bravely came forward and spoke about her own use of marijuana during cancer treatment a few years ago. Representative Merrick is hardly a stereotypical pothead. She is a brave woman who dared to tell the truth. The cures for cancer are sometimes worse than the disease. Medicinal use of marijuana can alleviate some of the worst side affects.

Attorney General Kelly Ayotte, a Benson appointee who was recently re-appointed by Governor Lynch sent an Assistant AG from her office to register her disapproval of the bill. Karin Eckel, speaking for Ms. Ayotte, said that until federal regulators decide that marijuana is safe and effective, it’s too risky to encourage its use. She said that Ayotte is also concerned that the medical use of marijuana might increase the general use. Given that Ayotte is the NH AG, appointed by Governor Lynch, we can assume that this is his position, being filtered down through subordinates. I find the idea that medical use of marijuana will increase general use to be patently ridiculous. Medical users aren’t going to be selling it to kids on the playground. Cancer patients get much better drugs for pain, drugs that retail on street corners, or to Rush Limbaugh’s housekeeper, for a whole lot more money.

This is another example of how we do things by rote, without challenging our views. We’ve crammed so much “just say NO” into people’s heads that they really don’t even know what it is that they’re saying no to.

Thirteen states have legalized medical marijuana: Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. The sky has not fallen in any of those states. Reefer madness does not seem to have taken hold. What has taken hold is a far more compassionate way of looking at the treatment of long-term illnesses. We treat sick or dying pets with more compassion and dignity than we treat dying humans.

NH has a chance to move forward and show compassion to people who are sick and suffering. Attorney General Ayotte is tacitly suggesting that sick people who use marijuana should be treated as criminals. Contact your state legislators and urge them to just say YES to H648.


"Let us reflect again on how cynical and how dark it is to even contemplate sending someone to prison for a year, when they may not even have that much time left in their life.” Congressman Dennis Kucinich


Drug war clock

30 year drug war timeline

h/t to phawker.com for the image

this was printed as an editorial in the March 13, 2009 issue of the Conway Daily Sun.

© sbruce

The Danger of Global Communication

Since Crow Dickinson’s ill advised- remarks about Starting Point (remarks he apologized for) he’s become the hero of the men’s movement!

Angry, woman-hating men in the US and Canada have latched on to Crow Dickinson as a symbol. They think poor ole Crow is being oppressed by women. Mean, feminist women who don’t want to talk about how mean they are to men they’re divorcing, and denying parental rights to. Mean woman who don’t understand or care about how often heterosexual men are abused. They don’t care at all about gay men who are abused. I can’t decide if they’re homophobes, or if they ignore gay men because they don’t have female partners to hate on. In any case – their concern is for heterosexual men. Their concern manifests itself in anger against women, and feminists in particular. These angry, whiny, men are pillorying me in two countries now. It seems I’m a (Oh the horror) FEMINIST! A Canadian blog accused me of seeking my 15 minutes of fame by publicizing this issue. This is the kind of stupid crap that ensues when you leap on an issue, because your leader (Glenn Sacks who re-printed most of my editorial, without my permission) tells you to. None of these clowns did any research – especially into their new messiah, Crow. Not a one of them has asked themselves why it is that there isn’t a local outpouring of male support for Selectman Dickinson. They're embracing Crow Dickinson with the same fervor that the Republican party embraced Joe the Plumber - and with the same level of sense.

They don’t care about Starting Point. They’re happy to completely ignore the issue of funding the shelter, or what is right for the town, as their leader, Glenn Sacks said right on his forum. They just want to canonize Crow for “speaking the truth” about the evil female harpies they all seem to be acquainted with.

A group of them is planning to invade the deliberative meeting on Monday, at Kennett, to show their support for Crow. The very serious business of town government is about to be turned into a side-show, by a bunch of out of state freaks. That’s the power of global communication, a lesson I hope Dickinson learns. Apparently he is teachable - after that incident in 2003, he’s never again tried to bring a loaded gun on an airplane.

It’s been a long winter. Grab the popcorn – the circus is coming to town.

The Slap Heard 'Round the World

Every year, local non-profits go before various boards of selectmen to ask for funding. Every year the recommendations of the selectmen go on the ballots we are handed at town meeting. The voters make the ultimate decision as to whether that funding is given or denied. Since the selectmen are elected to represent the voters, their recommendations carry a lot of weight. Most of the time this is not a controversial process.

This year, however, the Conway selectmen opted for controversy, thanks to Crow Dickinson’s commentary on domestic violence. Starting Point, the local agency that shelters, counsels, and advocates on behalf of victims of domestic violence and sexual assault went before the board to ask for some funding, as they have done since their inception in 1981. This year, the board voted not to recommend funding Starting Point by a vote of 4-1. Not only did they vote against funding, but Crow Dickinson waxed on about how “a lot of women use domestic violence as a gimmick in divorce proceedings.” This astounding statement was captured in the AP story that went out around the world.

That’s the trouble with some of the dinosaurs currently holding public office. They don’t understand or even consider global communications. A stupid, insensitive comment that suggests women aren’t really beaten, they’re just gold-digging harpies can travel around the world in less than 24 hours. In less than a day, the Conway selectmen were being reviled around the world as being a bunch of morons.

I blogged about the commentary of Crow Dickinson and the other selectmen. As a result, if someone googled “Crow Dickinson,” my blog came up. There is a counter on the blog that provides information about visitors; including where they come from, and what they were searching for when they came to my blog. During the last week, people googling “Crow Dickinson,” “domestic violence gimmick”, or “Conway NH Selectmen” came to my blog from Maryland, 5 different places in NY, 3 places in Maine, 3 places in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Illinois, Oregon, Alabama, California, Montana, Washington DC, London, and Paris.

There is a Facebook page for those wishing to support Starting Point. People are joining up from around the country. As I write this, there are 461 members. Those are 461 folks who believe strongly that Starting Point provides valuable services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in our area.

At the Selectmen’s Meeting on Tuesday, about 50 people came to show support for Starting Point, and to attempt to educate the selectmen. At the beginning of the meeting, Crow Dickinson read a statement, informing us that his remarks about domestic abuse had been misinterpreted as being about Starting Point. He made no apology about his insensitive remarks, at least not in his statement. Conway Police Chief Ed Wagner spoke strongly on behalf of Starting Point and the services they provide. He pointed out that if Starting Point did not exist, the town and the police department would be providing those services, and at a much greater cost. Russ Seybold, a past member of the budget committee said he’d rather see a pothole go unfixed than see us not invest in this program. He pointed out that a program like Starting Point is even more important in times of economic stress.

Suzette Indelicato (Executive Director of Starting Point) told the selectmen that the message coming from them is the same message that abusers give their victims. “No one will believe you.” “You deserve what happens to you.” She told the board that it was their responsibility to counter that message by making a strong statement against domestic violence.
Dot Seybold asked the selectmen if any of them would change their votes now, if they could. Larry Martin voted to fund Starting Point – he did not want to change his vote. Mark Hounsell mistakenly voted against recommending funding, and he has said repeatedly that he would change his vote. Dave Weathers did a tap-dance around the question, and never did answer it. Crow Dickinson and Bob Drinkhall said they would not change their votes. Drinkhall did a lengthy song and dance routine about how he believes in fiscal responsibility because the country is going down the drain. He believes that Starting Point gets money on the federal and state level, plus a tax abatement, and frankly, they don’t serve enough of the population. He also said that constituents who called him were in agreement, including a lawyer who seems to agree about the gimmicky nature of domestic violence. It doesn’t seem to have occurred to the selectmen that the calls they got from guys complaining about Starting Point were actually from perpetrators of domestic violence. Lawyers beat their wives, too.

The National Crime Victimization Survey issued a report in December 2008 showing a 42 percent increase in reporting of domestic abuse, and a 25 percent increase in reported crimes of rape or sexual assault. Both domestic violence and rape are under-reported crimes. Great strides have been made in recognizing that domestic abuse is a serious and widespread problem – but still, far too many hold the stereotypical view of “she was askin’ for it” or “domestic abuse is a gimmick used in divorce cases.”

The Conway Selectmen probably didn’t intend to tacitly condone wife beating, but they did. The selectmen probably didn’t intend to make the town the subject of mockery around the world – but they did. Thanks to the internet, people research the areas they are traveling to. They can, and do, take the politics of an area into consideration. The kind of gooberish, good ole boy, slap on the back, haw haw haw, gotta keep the little woman in line behavior of the past was retired in most places, a long time ago. One hopes the Conway Selectmen will join the rest of us who are living in the present.


"Being a woman is a terribly difficult task, since it consists principally in dealing with men." ~Joseph Conrad



printed as an editorial in the February 27, 2009 Conway Daily Sun
© sbruce

Moron the Conway Selectmen

One might think that after yesterday's newspaper debacle, they'd be smart enough to just shut up. Alas, one would be wrong.

Crow Dickinson was visited at his cave and asked if he was sexist, and bellowed "Hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn." This is a man that was sent to Concord as a state rep for 30 years. Why would the voters support such a buffoon? Did they vote for him just to get him out of town for half the year?

Selectman Larry Martin voted to fund Starting Point. Thank you, sir. Selectman Mark Hounsell owned up to his mistake, and has spoken quite intelligently on the subject of domestic violence. Thanks, Mark. Selectman Dave Weathers was smart enough yesterday not to answer his phone, so he did not compound his stupidity the way Dickinson and Bob Drinkhall did.

This quote from Drinkhall is in today's paper, the story, "Are the Conway Selectmen Sexist" by Andrea Osmun:

"I firmly believe people have to learn to take care of themselves," he said. Regarding two of the children's organizations he did not support, Drinkhall asked, "Why should a person who is struggling to survive and pay taxes pay for day care for someone who's not their own?"
Regarding Starting Point, Drinkhall said the organization receives funding from eight different sources.
"I'm not opposed to them. They do good work, good deeds," he said.
However, he added that an attorney stopped at his home Thursday to thank him for voting against funding for Starting Point, because the organization has acted "one-sided."
"He was relating stories to me about Starting Point and said even if a male had been the complainant, Starting Point would still counsel the woman," Drinkhall said. "It's one-sided. I've heard that more than once."

Two things, Bob:

Starting Point works in the schools to educate kids, so that hopefully they won't grow up to be abusers. They also support and care for battered women, and women who have been raped. If your mother, sister, daughter were raped would you tell them to learn how to take care of themselves?

Why should we pay taxes to pay for something that is not our own? Because that's what we do in a community, Bob. Community. That's when people pony up for the common good. That's why we support the police force and the fire dept. with our taxes. That's why we pay for public schools, ROADS, libraries, water, sewer - all of these things benefit the common good.
Women are part of the community, Bob. Women are taxpayers. Hell, women are even voters, which I expect you'll find out if you run for office again.

Conway Selectmen against taxpayer support for victims of domestic violence

The online version of the Conway Daily Sun newspaper is behind a paywall. This means that unless you pay to subscribe, the bulk of the online paper is not available for viewing.

This also means that today you’re missing the front-page story entitled, “Selectmen Vote Against Town Funding for Domestic Violence Organization,” by Andrea Osmun. On Tuesday, in Conway, the town selectmen (yep – 5 men) voted 4-1 NOT to provide any town funds to Starting Point, a non-profit that provides shelter and support for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. One selectman, Mark Hounsell later explained his no vote as a mistake, and plans to clarify it at the deliberative portion of the town meeting.

The deliberate ignorance of many local men on the topic of rape and domestic violence are no longer a surprise to me. What did, however, come as something of a surprise, were the comments made by selectman Crow Dickinson. This is the kind of thing that most adult men know better than to say in public, no matter how much they loathe women:

"I don't think taxpayers should be responsible for funding a program that takes in abused women," Dickinson said. "The church should, the neighbors should, and anybody who's interested should. But not taxpayers. "
Dickinson said, "Clearly, there's a need" for such a program. But he also said Starting Point is a "new program" that "needs to demonstrate they can do whatever they're doing and be successful and show a big need. "
Starting Point has been in existence since 1981.
"There are a lot of women who use (domestic violence) as a gimmick in divorce proceedings," Dickinson said. "All they have to do is call the police and get the person thrown out. If I call the police and say you're abusing me, they'd have to believe me. I wish people would split up and be more polite about it. "
Although Dickinson said he had "absolutely no question" that there are legitimate cases of domestic violence, he added, "Just because you have a worthy cause doesn't mean we should put money in a tin cup. Some people are very convincing. It's not an easy thing to say no. "
Instead of taxpayers being asked to give the organization money, Dickinson said, "A lot of people could make contributions to this effort."

The church and the neighbors should fund this organization, but not the taxpayers. Apparently Mr. Dickinson needs to jar his memory some – seeing as how WOMEN are half of the taxpayers.

I don’t know Crow Dickinson all that well. Perhaps all of his relationships with women have been conducted strictly on a cash basis, which is why he assumes all women are gold diggers. I do have a news flash for him – the police do not automatically believe women who call and say they are being abused. Many times they don’t take it seriously at all. In the case of a stalking complaint, the police are even less likely to pay attention. A number of years ago I went to the police with a stalking complaint. The officer told me that since I had not been threatened or hurt, there wasn’t anything they could do for me, despite the fact that this man had at least 6 restraining orders taken out against him. Apparently they viewed all of us as hysterical women. We were probably having our periods at the same time. Fortunately this unbalanced individual didn’t kill anyone. He died before he could.

Battering is not used as a “gimmick” in divorce cases. There has to be proof. Clearly Mr. Dickinson is harkening back to the days of his dinosaur youth, when women knew their place. Back then, women knew that if a man hit them it was because the bitches were asking for it.

• Nearly one in every 4 NH women has been raped or sexually assaulted.
• Over half of the women in our state have experienced sexual or physical assault in their lifetime.

This is not the reality for most men. Because they don’t have to fear rape and assault, they pooh-pooh the notion that women do.

Women are raped, beaten, and killed by their husbands and boyfriends every single day. Our society does not take crimes against women seriously.

We taxpayers pay for police to protect us. It’s a public service. So is shelter for women who are being terrorized and beaten in their very own homes. If we cannot protect them from being beaten, we certainly owe it to them to provide a safe place while they heal and make plans to go on with their lives. This is what a community is supposed to do – provide safety and nurture. The idea that these men could be opposed to such a consideration is sick-making.

In times of financial crisis, domestic violence escalates. I would urge the myopic, misogynistic, selectmen of Conway to reconsider their recommendation. I encourage the voters of Conway to go against the recommendation of the selectmen, and vote for Starting Point. As you vote, pray that a woman that you love will never require their services, but know that you're making sure those services will be available if she does.

The tee shirt in the picture is the new uniform for the Conway Selectmen.

Not Change I Can Believe In

New Hampshire’s own Senator Judd Gregg was recently chosen by President Obama to lead the Commerce Department. President Obama’s first choice was Governor Bill Richardson, from New Mexico. One wonders at the thought process that went from Richardson, a Democrat to Judd Gregg, a far right Republican. No explanation has been given by the Obama administration.

Senator Gregg is an odd cabinet choice for Obama, who ran under the banner of change. A Gregg appointment does not represent change. Gregg voted to close down the Dept. of Commerce in 1995, and now he’s a nominee for Secretary of Commerce? Irony sticks her head in the oven one more time.

One of the most important duties of the Dept. of Commerce is the census. The US does a census survey every ten years. The census figures help determine: the allocation of federal funds for education programs in states and communities; the allocation of federal funds for highway projects, law enforcement, and other federally funded programs. The census numbers are used by health and social agencies for policy purposes, and the statistics become the basis of national economic policy. This is a lot more than just counting people and gathering information about ethnicity. Perhaps the most important function of the census is that the numbers are used to determine the apportionment of representation to the US House of Representatives. States may gain or lose representation depending on their population growth or shrinkage. Once those numbers are certified, they will go to the state legislatures for the purpose of drawing up new districts.

The census is a big, expensive project. After years of underfunding, the 2010 census is going to be expensive. Judd Gregg has consistently undermined the census in the past. In 1999, when President Clinton asked for emergency funds to complete the census, Gregg opposed it. It seems obvious that Obama hadn’t even considered the census when he chose Gregg for his cabinet. In an attempt at a corrective move, Obama announced that the census would report directly to the White House. As you might imagine, the minority party is up in arms at the very thought. They are fraught with anxiety that the Democrats will “cook the books” for the next census. In other words, they expect the Democrats to act like Republicans.

Sadly, the Democrats don’t seem capable of acting like Republicans. The Republicans weren’t afraid to rule, and they sure weren’t afraid to stomp on the opposition. The Democrats seem to be under the impression that “bi-partisanship” means allowing the Republicans to continue to run the country. When Senator Gregg announced that he would not accept a cabinet post unless a Republican was nominated to replace him – no one in the traditional media classified that as blackmail. It was reported in a very matter-of-fact way, as if Gregg had every right to make such a demand.

NH Governor Lynch did not rear up on his hind legs in outrage at being dictated to. He did not point out that Gregg was free to make his own choice about serving the President. He did not point out that as the governor of our state, it was up to him to decide whom would best serve the people of our state. Lynch did not point out that NH voters have voted Republicans out of national office in all of our recent elections. He did not mention blackmail or hostage taking. Instead, he capitulated quite meekly, and announced that he would appoint Ms. Bonnie Newman, a Republican, to replace Senator Gregg. Ms. Newman is currently serving as director at Fairpoint, the company that took on massive debt to buy Verizon’s landlines. In 2007, Ms. Newman was quite enthusiastic about what a great company Fairpoint was, and how strong their commitment to building infrastructure for DSL in northern New England. Many warned against this sale, and the negative impact it could have in the rural parts of NH. As it stands right now, Fairpoint is hemorrhaging customers, and the company’s bond rating has recently been down graded from “stable” to “junk.” Northern New England won’t be seeing that infrastructure in the foreseeable future. One can only hope Gregg won’t be confirmed, if that’s the kind of vision Ms. Newman has for our state.

Meanwhile, Senator Gregg is still in Washington. What he’s doing isn’t exactly clear. He’s missed 30 percent of the votes in the 111th Congress. He recused himself from voting on the president’s stimulus package. Apparently he’s hanging around and collecting a paycheck, while not doing anything to represent our state. Given his voting record (he’s voted consistently against women, children, and minorities) this is probably a good thing. I’ve seen a lot of liberal bloggers try to justify Obama’s choice of Gregg. They don’t want to admit that their new president could make a mistake of this magnitude. I don’t share that fear. Gregg has no place in a cabinet that is supposed to foment change.

Everything you need to know about Judd Gregg happened in one week during October of 2005. Senator Gregg voted against increasing the federal minimum wage, won $835,000 in the NH lottery, and the next day voted against expanding LIHEAP funds.

This isn’t change I can believe in. I’m not ready to hold hands and sing Kumbayah with the folks who brought us the last 8 years. I’m sick to death of hearing about the team of rivals. I hope the Obama administration will begin to act like winners, and stop being dictated to by the increasingly irrelevant party of NO.


“The Democrats are the party that says government will make you smarter, taller, richer, and remove the crabgrass on your lawn. The Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work and then get elected and prove it.” P.J. O’Rourke


Since this was sent in to meet deadline, Senator Gregg has withdrawn as Commerce Secretary nominee. He's also stated that he won't run for re-election in 2010. It will be interesting to see what surfaces as the reason why.

This was published as an editorial in the Conway Daily Sun on February 13, 2009

President Obama?

moar funny pictures

relationship advice for Obama

Rachel Maddow gets it right:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Today, Obama will announce that Judd Gregg is his choice for Secretary of Commerce. Judd Gregg, who worked hard to help George Bush create the mess that we're currently mired in.

Judd announced that he wouldn't leave the Senate unless NH Governor Lynch appointed a Republican. This is different from Rod Blagojevich...how?

It sure seems as if the Democrats feel so guilty about winning that they're going to let the Republicans keep on running the country.

Ending Wage Discrimination

Lilly Ledbetter worked for almost 20 years at a Goodyear Tire plant in Gadsden, Alabama. She was a hard working, competent, employee who became a manager. Ms. Ledbetter trained other employees who went on to become managers, many of them men. In 1998 someone left a note in her mailbox detailing how much the other managers (men) were being paid, in comparison to her pay. This was how Ms. Ledbetter learned that all along she’d been paid considerably less than her male equivalents. She filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (EEOC).

Later that year, after taking early retirement, Ledbetter sued Goodyear, claiming pay discrimination. A district court found in her favor, and awarded her $3 million dollars in back pays and damages. Goodyear appealed, arguing that the claims were invalid due to the statute of limitations on discrimination claims. One is supposed to file suit within 180 days of receiving a discriminatory paycheck. This can be difficult to do when one isn’t aware one is being discriminated against, especially since most companies keep employee wages quite confidential. The statute of limitations seems designed to protect those engaging in wage discrimination.

The case went to the Supreme Court, which ruled 5-4 for Goodyear. Justice Alito delivered the opinion, stating essentially that Ms. Ledbetter had failed to meet the 180-day filing deadline. Justices Ginsberg, Souter, Breyer, and Stevens were the dissenters. In the minority opinion, Justice Ginsberg pointed out the fact that discrimination often occurs incrementally, over time, thereby rendering the 180-day time limit ridiculous.

After the Supreme Court ruling, Democrats in Congress passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which was designed to change how deadlines in equal pay cases are determined. The Republican Senate blocked the bill. During the 2008 presidential campaign, then-Senator Obama spoke in favor of the bill. John McCain was against it, saying that it was not needed. The sad truth is that the bill is needed. Women in this country still earn an average of $0.77 for each dollar earned by a man. This affects their lifetime earning potential, their incomes, and their retirement.

The bill came un-stuck in the new Senate, where it passed 61-36 on January 22. The vote went down largely along party lines, but with some interesting differences. All of the 36 who voted against the bill were Republicans, and all of them were men. All of the female Republican Senators (and Arlen Spector) voted in favor of the bill. How would Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski or Kay Bailey Hutchison go back to their districts to explain a no vote to their female constituents? Arlen Spector wasn’t willing – but all of the other GOP male Senators were not troubled in the slightest. This would include NH’s own Judd Gregg. The male GOP position is that this bill will lead to “nuisance” lawsuits. It is indeed a terrible “nuisance” when a company tries to discriminate against women and gets sued for it. Former NH Governor Craig Benson certainly found that out. This is one of the reasons the GOP is currently the minority party, and likely to stay that way. They don’t regard women as equals. Are they smart enough to notice that it was the women senators who failed to toe the party line? The male dinosaurs that rule the GOP had best pay attention. This no vote will haunt Judd Gregg in 2010 if he decides to run for re-election.

On January 29, 2009, President Barack Obama signed his first bill into law. It was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act. Senator Olympia Snowe stood behind him, looking delighted.

The state of New Mexico is taking action against wage discrimination. Governor Bill Richardson has signed an executive order that will require the state (as an employer) to study its own pay practices regarding race and gender. It also requires private companies that want state contracts to do the same. In this way, companies that don’t know about internal pay inequality can fix it before being sued. Taxpayers will be sure they aren’t helping to fund companies that discriminate. This new policy will help eliminate those “nuisance” lawsuits, because employees will know upfront that they are actually receiving equal pay for equal work. Other states should take notice.

Lilly Ledbetter took a stand against injustice, and in doing so, created positive change. Thanks, Lily.


“Ultimately, equal pay isn't just an economic issue for millions of Americans and their families, it's a question of who we are -- and whether we're truly living up to our fundamental ideals; whether we'll do our part, as generations before us, to ensure those words put on paper some 200 years ago really mean something -- to breathe new life into them with a more enlightened understanding that is appropriate for our time. That is what Lilly Ledbetter challenged us to do.
And today, I sign this bill not just in her honor, but in the honor of those who came before -- women like my grandmother, who worked in a bank all her life, and even after she hit that glass ceiling, kept getting up and giving her best every day, without complaint, because she wanted something better for me and my sister.” A portion of the comments made by President Obama as he signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act


This was published on Jan. 30 as an editorial in the Conway Daily Sun. h/t to AP for the picture.

Dick Armey gives douchebags a bad name

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Joan Walsh responded in a very dignified manner. Chris Matthews, however, is assigned 4 shots of vinegar and water. As for Dick Armey - mercifully he's no longer in Congress, and he won't live forever.

This is why the GOP is destined to remain in the minority for a long, long time.

Douchebags of the GOP

Dear Poppy:
Apparently you think that it is the responsibility of all women to be appealing to you, in case you want to get into their wombs.

No woman wants you anywhere near her womb.
You aren't exactly Prince Charming yourself.

Dear Bill Clinton - you're as big a piece of shit as Poppy is for not calling him out on his misogyny.

Dear Car Dealers - we heard you all laughing about this. You would do well to remember that women buy cars.

Wolf Blitzer - this is your idea of a "lighter moment?" Four shooters of Summer's Eve for you.

Rush Limbaugh worries about bending over...

Comedian Rush Limbaugh in part of an interview he did with faux media prat boy Sean Hannity. The whole interview is interesting, Rush declaring that he hopes President Obama fails, Rush declaring that he doesn't care about Obama's race - only he repeats that mantra endlessly. Apparently Rush's way to show disinterest is by repeating it 40-50 times.

Not only is Rush the real racist, but he seems to have something of a fetish about sodomy.

NH Bishop Gene Robinson

Bishop Robinson gives the invocation before the We Are One concert on Jan. 18, 2009. I'm not a believer - but this is a strong, clear, and wise prayer.

Hopes and Dreams

In just a few days, our nation will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, when we honor the slain civil rights activist. The next day, we will witness the historic inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States, and the first African-American. We’ve come a long way in my lifetime.

As a young child, I saw civil rights protest footage on television. Mean looking white sheriffs using fire hoses on black women and children. This was heady stuff for a young girl growing up in a town where there were no black residents. I kept asking my parents why this was happening. I never did get a good answer. As I grew older I learned that it was all about skin color, fear, bigotry, and power. Oppression always seems to be about fear and power.

Dr. King was murdered in 1968. Not long afterward, the campaign for a national day to honor him began. It failed, as did subsequent attempts. Ronald Reagan signed the bill into law in 1983. Reagan was opposed to the legislation, but a veto proof majority passed it. Three years later, the national holiday was observed for the first time. Despite the creation of the national holiday, a number of states were unwilling to acknowledge the holiday. The late Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina was one of the loudest voices against honoring Dr. King. Helms cited his opposition to the Viet Nam war, womanizing, and called King a Marxist. Senator John McCain opposed the holiday, and defended the governor of Arizona for refusing to recognize the holiday. Arizona and New Hampshire refused to recognize the holiday into the 1990’s. This became a contentious issue in our state – the Conway Daily Sun saw a lot of letter to the editor on that particular subject. I was one of the letter writers who urged NH to honor Dr. King. There were a number who opposed the holiday, one of the loudest being a bigot from Glen who still writes quasi-racist screeds to the paper from time to time.

The King holiday faced a rocky road in NH. NH Senator Jim Splaine filed the first bill proposing a King holiday, in 1979. It was defeated, as were similar bills in 1981. Our current US Senator Judd Gregg opposed honoring Dr. King, when Gregg was serving in the US House back in the 80’s. He continued to oppose it as Governor of NH. For a number of years NH celebrated “Civil Rights Day” instead of honoring Dr. King. The claim by a succession of NH GOP governors was that it wasn’t just about one person; that the civil rights movement was more than that. This was an attempt at preventing NH from looking like a state full of pasty white bigots - a charge that continues to threaten NH’s first in the nation primary status. Arizona voters opted to honor Martin Luther King in 1990. NH didn’t until 1999. Governor Jeanne Shaheen was a strong advocate for renaming the holiday when she was re-elected in 1998. In 2000, NH celebrated Martin Luther King Jr., Civil Rights Day for the first time in 2000.

From fire hoses, dogs, and angry sheriffs to President of the United States in 50 years is one heck of a long strange trip. Many fought tooth and nail against it, but as Doctor King said “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Our new president owes a great deal to a couple of doctors. To Dr. King who paved the way, and to Dr. Howard Dean, who gave Democrats the 50 state strategy. There is much to celebrate next week; the words and work of a visionary, and the inauguration of a new president who was elected because he inspired the hopes and dreams of American voters. Next week we begin a new chapter in our history. Amen.


“I know you are asking today, ‘How long will it take?’

I come to say to you this afternoon how- ever difficult the moment, however frustrating the
hour, it will not be long, because truth pressed to earth will rise again.

How long? Not long, because no lie can live
forever.

How long? Not long, because you will reap
what you sow.

How long? Not long, because the arc of the
moral universe is long but it bends toward jus-
tice.”
Martin Luther King, Jr., March 25, 1965


This was published as an editorial on January 16, in the Conway Daily Sun


Pride - In the Name of Love

Joe the Plumber - War Correspondent

Joe the Plumber (who is neither Joe nor a plumber, but let's not nitpick) is a newly minted war correspondent for right wing website pjtv. Plucked from the depths of impending obscurity, Joe was sent to Israel to show us how a man of the people would report on a war. See for yourselves why reporters go to journalism school:

I’ll be honest with you. I don’t think journalists should be anywhere allowed war. I mean, you guys report where our troops are at. You report what’s happening day to day. You make a big deal out of it. I think it’s asinine. You know, I liked back in World War I and World War II when you’d go to the theater and you’d see your troops on, you know, the screen and everyone would be real excited and happy for’em. Now everyone’s got an opinion and wants to downer–and down soldiers. You know, American soldiers or Israeli soldiers.

I think media should be abolished from, uh, you know, reporting. You know, war is hell. And if you’re gonna sit there and say, “Well look at this atrocity,” well you don’t know the whole story behind it half the time, so I think the media should have no business in it.

There's a certain irony in Mr. Plumber's thought process. Even though he was sent to Israel as a "war correspondent" he doesn't grasp that what he's saying about journalists also applies to him. Or, he's a lot smarter than I give him credit for, and he understands that he's no journalist.

In With the New

The old year is over. Away with you, 2008. It was a terrible year in most respects, and based on many conversations, most people will not remember it fondly.

After eight years of Bush insanity in the White House, we have a fresh start in 2009, with a new president. Barack Obama is being handed the keys to the Augean Stables. Mucking them out is going to be an enormous task. Obviously he has to start with the economy – but I’m hoping to see the end of the US occupation in Iraq, an end to our current policies on torture, on rendition, and the closing of Guantanamo Bay. We voted for hope and we voted for change. It’s important that how the US is perceived by the rest of the world is changed, but it’s crucial that we change how we see ourselves. We haven’t had much to be proud of in the last 8 years.

A new year is a fine time for the US to evaluate our priorities. If you look at a budget pie chart, the first thing you notice is that we spend more on the military than anything else. Over half of the federal discretionary budget goes to the military. A tiny little sliver goes to education. Clearly killing people is more important to us than educating them. I sure hope we can figure out a way to turn that around. An evaluation of our national priorities is long overdue. Given the economic situation in the country, a good place to start tightening spending would be the Pentagon. The Pentagon can’t account for $2.6 trillion, and can’t pass an audit. It’s time to stop turning a blind eye to that.

Jobs are drying up. The numbers we hear about the unemployed take into consideration only the folks who file unemployment claims. They do not count the folks who were not eligible, or who reached the end of their benefits and are still unemployed. If the real numbers were known, we’d be more panicky, especially when all the prognosticators tell us things are only going to get worse.

At home in NH we’re faced with many challenges. The newly elected state legislature is facing a record number of bills, and the need for serious belt tightening. Our state representatives and senators will be earning their $100 paycheck this year. They’ll also be counting on us to let them know how we feel about upcoming bills.
Our towns will be facing the same kind of challenges. Based on recent news coverage, it seems likely that at least two area towns will have very interesting town meetings. These are stressful times for most of us. It’s my hope that we can find ways to work together and come up with creative solutions. The school of “we’ve always done it that way” may have to be permanently closed.

I realize this doesn’t sound particularly hopeful. We’re in a lot of trouble right now. Even so, I don’t feel the same sense of impending doom that I’ve been living with for the last year. 2008 was pretty terrible for me. I’m grateful to live in an area where common sense often triumphs, where neighbor is a word that still has resonance, and where community still exists. Here’s to 2009.

“An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.” Bill Vaughan


“For last year's words belong to last year's language and next year's words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning.” T. S.Eliot

This was printed as an editorial in the Conway Daily Sun on January 3, 2009

Best video of 2008

My personal favorite - Bill O'Reilly wigs out - the dance remix! Fuck it - we'll do it live!

Exhuming the Past

The NH GOP suffered severe losses in the November elections. Not only did most of their candidates lose, they also lost in the area of voter registration. For the first time, Democrats outnumber registered Republicans. Obviously, this is a bitter pill to swallow, and the sour grapes they’re using to wash it down with don’t seem to be getting the job done. Instead of looking at why this is happening, the NH GOP prefers to blame the elusive liberals from Massachusetts who are migrating here in vast flocks. There is no basis for this theory, but it’s better than self-reflection, apparently.

Poor Fergus Cullen, the chair of the NH GOP has also been getting plenty of blame. Fergus seems to have spent too much time trolling blogs and not enough time actually working to get his candidates elected. As his fellow Republicans readied the torches and pitchforks to call for his ouster, Fergus was saved by the Ghost of NH Past. Former NH Governor John H. Sununu decided that his position as the hog reeve of Hampton Falls just wasn’t enough any more, he was ready to rise like a zombie from the political graveyard he was consigned to after “voluntarily” resigning his position as White House Chief of Staff to President George H. W. Bush.

John H. Sununu served 3 terms as Governor of NH. In 1988, he served as Chairman of the National Governor’s Association, where he led the fight to ease requirements to amend the US Constitution. He was also known for having a bad temper. Sununu wasn’t afraid to scream at people in the State House. Governor Sununu left office claiming a $10 million budget surplus. A few days later, newly elected Governor Judd Gregg projected a $13 million budget deficit, and directed state agencies to cut spending by 3 percent. This, even after Sununu quietly transferred $5 million from the capital reserve fund to the general fund in order to help achieve the “surplus.” The Democrats called it the “Sununu Deficit.” Judd Gregg kept to the GOP code of omerta by not criticizing Sununu for leaving him in that position. The Sununu deficit was especially ironic, given that Sununu had been so critical of presidential candidate Governor Michael Dukakis for his budget woes.

Governor Sununu was rewarded for all of his hard work on the Bush 1 campaign by being named White House Chief of Staff. He brought his trademark arrogance to Washington, where he began to distinguish himself right away. Sununu cut salaries, from senior staff on down, while his own salary steadily increased. He was abusive to the senior staff, who called him the “fat little pirate” behind his back. Sununu’s abusive behavior led one senior staff member (speaking anonymously to Time) to refer to him as the “Saddam Hussein of bureaucrats.” Sununu also alienated the press, frequently telling them that not only they were wrong, but that they were stupid.

Anyone as arrogant and abusive as Governor Sununu needs to be above reproach. He was not.

In a 2-year time span, Sununu took 77 flights that cost over $500,000. He claimed 49 were official business. The twin-jet C-20 Sununu frequently used cost taxpayers $3,945 an hour. Sununu paid $17, 578 for his and his family’s flying, political supporters were billed for $53,000, while taxpayers were stuck with the rest of the bill – about $400,000. . Official business included ski trips to Colorado, apparently. He also took trips home, and to the dentist that cost the taxpayers about $30,000 per trip. Even after this story went public, His Arrogance directed his government paid chauffer to drive him to NY, to a stamp auction at Christies, where he spent $5,000 on rare stamps. He sent the chauffer home alone, and hitched a ride home on a private jet.

What is most ironic is that Sununu didn’t break any laws, and all of it might have slid under the radar, except that he made so many enemies. He was hoist by the petard of his own arrogance and vindictiveness. In 1991 he resigned, saying he didn’t want to be a drag on Bush 1’s reelection campaign. No one begged him to stay.

This is the man that NH Republicans are choosing to lead them into the future. Sununu has already called John Lynch “the worst governor NH has ever had.” Apparently someone took the Craig Benson chapter out of Sununu’s history book. While addressing the Belknap County GOP, Sununu said, “We need a loud, strong voice to fight back against the politics of personal destruction, which is the hallmark of the Democrats.” In the field of psychology, this is called projection; attributing one’s own unacceptable behavior to others. Given that Sununu is a devotee of the Lee Atwater/Karl Rove school of politics – it’s a wonder lightening bolts didn’t strike him where he stood.

Once again, the NH GOP seems determined not only cling to the past, but to exhume it, while the rest of us are moving into the future.

“Your conduct is arrogant. It is rude.” Senator Robert Byrd, speaking to White House Chief of Staff John H. Sununu in 1990. During deficit-reduction talks, Sununu put his feet up on the conference table and read newspapers while others negotiated.

This was published as an editorial in the Conway Daily Sun on December 19, 2008

If you're wondering about the picture, the fellow in the light gray suit is John Sununu, picking his nose as President Bush speaks. h/t to blaque_jacques at flickr.