Dangerous Freedom!

 

Oh dear. I've been blocked on Twitter by the Free State Project - the armed miscreants who want to take over the NH state government, dismantle it, and threaten secession. Regular readers are aware that I've been writing about them for years now. I've also been harassed by them on a regular basis. 

Yup. Blocked by the very people who claim they PREFER DANGEROUS FREEDOM. 

Here's what happened:

Followed by:

In typical FSP fashion, they declare a victory - then block the person whose voice is apparently just a little too dangerous. 

They don't want to be reminded that Free Stater Muni Savyon murdered his son and then killed himself. They don't want to be reminded that Free Stater Attorney Brandon Ross embezzled $93, 000 from the trust fund of a special needs child. Who can blame them? That's SO sleazy. Free Stater Ian Freeman believes that children can consent to have sex with adults, Eric Schleien got handsy with a minor, Mark Warden once stated in a hearing at the State House that some people like to be in abusive relationships, Michael Sylvia - upon hearing that a sheriff's deputy had raped a prisoner he was transporting - commented that the deputy had too much time on his hands. And of course we all know about Cantwell. It's gotta be hard to hear - even for people who PREFER DANGEROUS FREEDOM! 

Nothing says winning like blocking! 

Thanks, Free State Project - I'm delighted to be such a threat to DANGEROUS FREEDUMB! 

NH House Republicans: An Endless Conga Line of Bad Behavior

 

         Republican legislators outside Whittemore Hall on Veto Day. Masks are required on campus. 

The Republicans of the NH state legislature have provided us with a lot of embarrassing behavior in recent weeks. 

Late in August, Representative Robert Forsythe of Boscowen was arrested for assaulting a pregnant woman. The first instinct of House leadership? No - it was not to ask him to resign. It was to cover for him and protect him. 

https://susanthebruce.blogspot.com/2020/08/dick-hinch-nh-house-minority-weasel.html

The governor wasn't interested in protecting Forsythe, and called for his resignation. 

https://susanthebruce.blogspot.com/2020/08/forsythe-resigns-hinch-sings-new-tune.html

A week later, another Republican state rep posted on social media that seeing a Black Lives Matter sign on a lawn was permission to burn and loot the house. 

https://susanthebruce.blogspot.com/2020/09/nh-state-rep-advocates-burning-and.html

What happened this time? Nothing. The story was an international embarrassment, but he was not asked to resign. House Minority Leader Dick Hinch protected Spillane. The governor protected Spillane. This man who has a history of offensive and criminal behavior was apparently deemed worthy of the protection of his party. 

This week, the House and Senate were both in session on September 16. Known as Veto Day, it was a chance for both bodies to overturn Governor Sununu's vetoes on 22 bills. Last year he vetoed 57 bills. This isn't governing. This is Sununu attempting to create a partisan wave that he can surf to DC on. 

Veto Day was held at the UNH Whittemore Center's hockey arena, a space sufficiently large enough for the 400 member House to meet while also physically distancing.  As you can see in the photo above, a coterie of Republican legislators stands outside the Whittemore Center, not wearing masks. 

The House Republicans were rambunctious. They had their marching orders - vote to sustain every veto. And if any of them were potentially swayed by the arguments in favor of humane legislation, GOP floor captain Al Baldasaro was madly waving his red hankie. (The House electronic voting system has 2 buttons, green for yea and red for nay.) Elderly frat boy Rep. Chris True dyed his hair red for the occasion.  

I took this screenshot while watching the session online. 

There was cheering, jeering, and booing. The freedumb section, where the Republicans who refuse to wear masks sit was well populated. One media outlet was brave enough to name (though they have no shame) them. The list of all 47 is at InDepthNH

Apparently it was also beer guzzlin' party time for the freedumb lovers. UNH security found a bunch of empties in the trash can near the libertea lads and lasses. Speaker Shurtleff was furious when he announced it near the end of the day. 

Ethan DeWitt of the Concord Monitor has a report on the events of the day, including the big old temper tantrum that Rep. Al Baldasaro had before storming out of the stadium. 

The sad truth? Republicans don't care. They know that they aren't going to be held accountable by anyone. They know the media will gloss over it. They know Hinch will cover for them. They know the state party won't say boo about it. They also know that our Trump loving governor won't do a damn thing - after all, they just voted in lockstep to sustain his vetoes. This kind of behavior doesn't just trickle down from the top (Trump) it's a veritable tsunami of repellent, undignified actions - with no fear of the consequences. 

Regular readers are weary of hearing me say that the default setting for ALL NH media is GOP. 

What does this look like? 

WMUR: 

New Hampshire's House speaker has apologized to University of New Hampshire leadership for the behavior of some legislators after this week's session.

SOME legislators?  We have the list. We know they were REPUBLICAN legislators. WMUR (aka WGOP) would never point that out. 

 NHPR

During Wednesday’s legislative session at the University of New Hampshire's Whittemore Center, a handful of state representatives drank beer and did not wear masks outside of the center, despite the town of Durham’s mask mandate.

Again - we know who they are. But their political affiliation and their names are left out of the story. 

If those had been Democrats, their names and photos would be up on WMUR, who would also have sound trucks parked in front of each of their houses. If those had been Democrats, NHPR would say so. 

And of course the Union Leader - the NH GOP daily broadsheet also avoided naming names or mentioning party affiliation. 

NH Republicans are enabled by the media, by House leadership, by NH GOP leadership, and by Trump lovin' Governor Sununu. Don't expect any fallout from any of this. Expect more of the same, in an endless cycle. 

From the General Court Handbook:

In the absence of ethics rules and enforcement mechanisms, this is meaningless. The honor system has been thoroughly corrupted by the dishonorable. 

NH State Rep Advocates Burning and Looting

State Representative James Spillane after his arrest for DUI in 2017. (Still wearing his giant NH House name badge.) 



It was only a week ago that a NH House Republican made national news. Last week State Representative Robert Forsyth was charged with felony domestic violence. House Minority Leader Dick Hinch did his best to protect Forsythe, but after the governor called on Forsythe to resign, there was no saving him. Forsythe resigned. 

When NH House Republicans make national news, it's never because they've done something that is a credit to their office or the state. 

This week, a different NH House Republican is making national news. Rep. James Spillane seems to generate a newsworthy event every year. This year, it's about Black Lives Matter. From Josh Rogers at NHPR:

The New Hampshire Department of Justice is investigating Rep. James Spillane over a Facebook post in which the Deerfield lawmaker advocated for burning and looting houses displaying Black Lives Matter signs.

“Public Service Announcement,” Spillane wrote in the post from earlier this week. “If you see a BLM sign on a lawn, it’s the same as having a porch light on at Halloween. You are free to burn and loot that house.” As of Thursday afternoon, the post appears to have been deleted from Spillane’s page.

Predictably, the House Minority Leader defends his wayward lad:

House Minority Leader Dick Hinch says the language in Deerfield Rep. James Spillane’s now-deleted post was inexcusable, but Hinch told WMUR he also trusts Spillane ”meant no harm.”

Last year Spillane made the news for tweeting out a photo of a squirrel he shot with a .50 caliber muzzleloader. As one might expect, the photo was quite gory, and Spillane was quite boastful. 

Dave Solomon at the Union Leader: 

Twitter immediately exploded with outrage that caught the attention of Fish and Game officers, who paid Spillane a visit last week and issued a warning, as reported in Thursday’s New Hampshire Union Leader.

“In light of the warning Rep. Spillane received from the Fish and Game Department due to his recent conduct we felt it was inappropriate for him to remain on the Fish and Game Committee and have removed him from his committee position,” Shurtleff announced in a statement released on Friday afternoon.

The move drew immediate criticism from House Republican leader Rep. Dick Hinch, R-Merrimack.

“Removing Rep. Spillane from the Fish and Game committee for a minor infraction is heavy-handed and I’m disappointed that the Speaker chose to take this action,” he said.

As always, Spillane's first instinct is to behave badly. As always, Dick Hinch's first instinct is to cosset Spillane, and protect him. He wasn't upset with Spillane  - he was upset with the Speaker for taking away Spillane's committee assignment. 

In 2017, Spillane was arrested for DUI. Alyssa Dandrea for the Concord Monitor:

A Deerfield state representative convicted of drunken driving in 2010 is facing new charges in Pembroke.

James Spillane, a third-term Republican legislator, was arrested May 4 and charged with two counts of driving while intoxicated. He also faces open container and yellow line violations.

This wasn't Spillane's first rodeo. His first DUI arrest included strangling his wife and the confiscation of 20 guns from his house. Miscellany Blue .

One wonders why Hinch is so desperate to keep this loose cannon in the House, when he reflects so badly on the legislature and the state. Then one remembers that this kind of thing seldom results in any consequences for House Republicans. Governor Sununu has NOT spoken up to suggest Spillane resign. Domestic violence is bad, but casual racism and violence? No big deal. After all, Hinch trusts that he meant no harm. 

Spillane's second DUI came after a jolly afternoon of drinking with some of his fellow legislators, including the former rape-resentative Robert "Red Pill" Fisher. 

Take Off Your NH House Name Badge Before You Go Drinkin'

Forsythe Resigns, Hinch Sings New Tune

Robert Forsythe in 2014


It was only yesterday that the story of NH State Rep. Robert Forsythe broke. He's been charged with felony domestic abuse for choking a pregnant partner. The whole sordid story of his arrest was reported by the Concord Monitor

This was the NH House Minority Leader's reaction to the arrest yesterday:

House Republican Leader Dick Hinch condemned the alleged behavior, saying “domestic violence and assault are unacceptable and wrong and have no place in our society,” but he stopped short of calling on Forsythe to resign.

“Rep. Forsythe is the only person who can put pen to paper, and sign a resignation letter,” Hinch said. “The people of Boscawen have the right to ask him to resign if they believe he can no longer represent them. They also have the ability to vote for alternative candidates, including write-ins, if they believe they no longer want Rep. Forsythe to represent them in Concord.”

I noted the difference in Hinch's reaction to the arrest of a fellow Republican and the arrest of a Democrat on domestic violence charges in a blog post yesterday.

Poor Hinch. After all that waffling, Governor Sununu came right out and called for Forsythe's resignation. 

Today, the Monitor reports that Forsythe has resigned:

In a phone call Wednesday, Forsythe, 38, said he had chosen to step down after consulting with fellow representatives and Rep. Dick Hinch, the House Republican Leader...

Hinch confirmed the resignation in his own statement Wednesday afternoon.

“I spoke with Rep. Forsythe this morning and encouraged him to resign from the House, which he has now done,” Hinch stated. “He faces very serious charges that he will need to answer to in a court of law. Domestic violence and assault are unacceptable and wrong and have no place in our society.”

What a difference a day makes, eh Hinchy?

Forsythe was running unopposed in his district. He told the Monitor that the charges against him won't hold up in court.  This isn't his first run-in with the law,  in 2019 he was charged with violating a protective order. Forsythe sponsored a bill this year which seems intended to weaken protective orders and protect abusers. It would excuse a defendant for violating an order if it could be proven that the plaintiff requested the contact. The bill was  killed by the House. It doesn't take Dick Tracy to see what that was all about. 

We know he has engaged in violence against women and he loves guns.  This is the kind of profile that should be taken with the utmost seriousness. It's the same profile of nearly every domestic terrorist/mass shooter. 

House Minority Leader Dick Hinch's first reaction was to protect him. Just as he attempted to protect Robert "Red Pill" Fisher. Hinch wasn't shy about demanding that State Rep. Sherry Frost should resign because she used the word "fuck" on her personal Facebook page. The difference? Frost is a Democrat. 

The NH GOP has a man problem. When training on domestic violence and harassment was mandated by leadership (the kind of training any professional has to go through in the workplace) a number of the Republican men (and one of the women) refused to go through the training. GOP legislators Kyle Tasker, Eric Schleien, and James Spillane have all been arrested on charges related to illegal conduct with women. Tasker is in prison, Schleien moved out of state, but Spillane, who was once arrested for trying to strangle his wife, is still a representative. 

Forsythe is gone. Dick Hinch should be ousted as well. His idea of leadership is covering for people who aren't fit to hold elected office. Protecting abusers should not be tolerated. It sure is hard to make a strong case for that though, given who is at the very top of the GOP ticket. 

Dick Hinch, NH House Minority Weasel

NH House Minority Leader Dick Hinch


Today we learned that a NH State Representative was arrested 2 months ago for assaulting his pregnant partner. We learned that today, 2 months after the fact. Robert Forsythe is running for re-election. He's been charged with one felony count of second-degree assault and two misdemeanor counts of domestic violence. 

The article in today's Concord Monitor also has photos of Robert Forsythe, campaigning at the dump, while wearing a sidearm. Guns are important to him - but we'll get to that later. 

The Monitor spoke with NH House Minority Leader Dick Hinch about this incident, because Rep. Forsythe is a Republican: 

House Republican Leader Dick Hinch condemned the alleged behavior but stopped short of calling on Forsythe to resign from office.

“Domestic violence and assault are unacceptable and wrong and have no place in our society,” Hinch said. “Rep. Fosythe is the only person who can put pen to paper, and sign a resignation letter. The people of Boscawen have the right to ask him to resign if they believe he can no longer represent them. They also have the ability to vote for alternative candidates, including write-ins, if they believe they no longer want Rep. Forsythe to represent them in Concord. "

Hinch was singing an entirely different song back in 2018, when State Senator Jeff Woodburn was charged with 9 counts of assault against his former partner. WMUR

After WMUR's initial report appeared, New Hampshire House Majority Leader Richard Hinch, R-Merrimack, criticized Shurtleff. His statement said:

“There is no middle ground on accusations of domestic abuse. These are very serious and substantiated charges against Sen. Woodburn. Given the nature of the charges and the legal proceedings requiring his full attention, it’s clear that Sen. Woodburn is not fit for public office. The constituents of his district deserve better.

“Now, we have the leader of the Democratic caucus saying that somehow that we should all give him a free pass until after the election. I’m shocked that Rep. Shurtleff and other Democrat leaders are standing with and enabling an accused abuser and not with the victim in this situation. This is not the time to straddle the fence and shows poor leadership by the minority leader.”

The Minority Leader would appear to have become one of those "fence straddlers with poor judgement" he once denounced. 

This isn't Robert Forsythe's first rodeo. In April 2019 he was arrested for violating a protective order. Tony Schinella for Patch.

It's not his second rodeo, either. In 2014 he was arrested on gun charges. Concord Monitor

Colorado Corky - NH's Latest Carpetbagger

Carpetbaggers are a familiar phenomenon in NH. This year's GOP model is Bryant "Corky" Messner. 

Corky lived/lives in Colorado, but decided his summer place in Wolfeboro was home last year when he decided (or was recruited) to run against NH Senator Jeanne Shaheen. 

Corky is a businessman and a veteran. He founded a big law firm in Denver, where his firm defended Chipotle in some sexual harassment and discrimination cases. More on that in Salon
He's also in some legal hot water over a foundation he started that doesn't seem to be doing exactly what it's supposed to do. Washington Post

Corky has been endorsed by Trump, and by former speaker of the NH House, Bill O'Brien. 

It's hard to say how Corky will fare in the primary, but I'm not optimistic about his chances. Also, I can't help but wonder why a man his age uses his kindergarten nickname. 

Edited to add that Corky was accused of domestic violence in 2006, by his now ex-wife. Patch

Step into the wayback machine to remember a few other carpetbaggers: 

Walt Havenstein was imported to run for governor in 2014. He was living in Maryland, even got a homesteader tax break, because it was his principle residence. He had a vacation home in Alton, which he suddenly decided was where he really lived when he chose to run for governor. Valley News

Maryland decided to come after him for tax evasion. WMUR

Two years later, Havenstein announced he wasn't going to run for governor again, and that he was selling his house and planned to "relocate." WMUR

Scott Brown moved from Massachusetts to NH in 2013, to run for the US Senate in 2014. In one of my favorite stories from that campaign, a UK reporter tried to ask him a question in a restaurant in N. Conway. Brown refused to answer, and hid in the bathroom until reporter Paul Lewis of The Guardian left the building. No amount of duct tape applied to the bumper of his pickup  could erase the stain of his cowardice.

The NH GOP clown car is always full, even if they have to import the passengers. 

Shibonunu

                 

 


NH Governor Chris Sununu held one of his bi-weekly COVID-19 press conferences on Monday, August 18. You can watch the entire video here, or just look at the highlights I'll be referencing. 

From about 13:33 - 17:07, the governor answers questions from reporters about voting. He's asked if he'll be voting absentee or going to the polls. At about 14:10, you'll hear him tell voters they can take their absentee ballots and "walk them over to a safe drop box." Sununu has just told folks to break the law. Absentee ballots can't be left in drop off boxes, and they're not likely to be counted if they are. David Brooks at the Concord Monitor gives the straight dope on drop off boxes. 

Sununu is also asked if he thinks the issues with USPS will affect absentee voting, at about14:25.  He tells reporters that he's not worried, that he has spoken to Regina Bugbee , the District Manager of USPS Northern New England District. For some reason, he refers to Ms. Bugbee as, "a lovely woman." Patronizing? Patriarchal? You decide. He did not, however, make any references to lovely men at any point during the press conference. 

After the post office, he was asked about issuing a mandate that masks should be worn at the polls. He isn't going to. He is asked about towns mandating masks, and says that's fine, "it's on them." 

At 28:48, the topic of nursing home outbreaks is brought up, and the governor deferred to DHHS Commissioner Lori Shibonette. The Commissioner was very unhappy with an NHPR story by Casey McDermott on a long term outbreak at a nursing home that is still not under control. NHPR Josh Rogers was at the press conference, and was the target of Shibinette's wrath. She accused them of leaving out information because of a pre-determined narrative. The commissioner tried to make the case that even though the Greenbriar nursing home in Nashua has been cited numerous times for deficiencies over the years, that had nothing to do with the Covid outbreak, because many other nursing homes had outbreaks. Some were facilities that had no reports of deficiencies. That is true. 

BUT, what no one mentioned is that those nursing homes with no deficiencies cleared up their outbreaks quickly. The Covid outbreak at Greenbriar has been raging since May. More than 150 staff and residents have been infected, and 28 residents died. 

Shibinette was defensive. She was also strangely blasé about deficient nursing homes. One might expect the Commissioner of DHHS to voice concern over the long term history of deficiencies in those homes, and reassure us that the state was going to turn this situation around. She didn't do that. 

 There were questions about the lack of a mask mandate at large events, like Bike Week. The governor is sure that people will be responsible. He spoke of how much better New Hampshire's unemployment numbers than those of Massachusetts. NH has a population of 1.3 million and MA has a population of 7 million. (One of these things is not like the other.)

The last question  came at 47:30. The media personality is Michael Graham, from Massachusetts, who writes commentary for the Boston Herald. Graham is also the voice of an online publication called NH Journal. In a state where right wingers regularly make disparaging comments about people from MA and urge anyone they disagree with to "move back to Massachusetts," the irony of the media personality from Massachusetts writing the NH Journal is worth mentioning. 

Graham tries to spin the issue of USPS mailboxes disappearing and sorting machines being shut down (and even sold off) as a conspiracy theory by the Democrats. Governor Sununu refused to take the well-timed, baited, softball, and so was able to end the press conference on an upbeat note. 

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Sununu has benefitted from flattering, even fawning media coverage. Six months later, hard questions are being asked, and he and his minions don't like this very much. The next press conference is Friday, August 21, at 3 PM. If you vote, you should watch these! 


* Be sure to read Casey McDermott's story about 
nursing homes.  This is good reporting. 

Governor Affable's Braggadocio

NH Governor Chris Sununu is back on the campaign trail. How do we know? The braggadocio machine is turned on, and cranked up to high volume. 

In a newly published interview with CNBC we see a familiar theme:
“We’re booming,” New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu told CNBC.

New Hampshire’s real estate is selling quickly, Sununu said, adding that he’s getting frequent calls from companies looking to relocate to the “Live Free or Die” state.

Where have we heard this before?

NHPR April 2017:

Governor Chris Sununu says he’s more than made good on a key campaign promise: That he’d personally meet with 100 out-of-state businesses in 100 days.

Sununu says his outreach is symbolic of his administration’s commitment to economic development, but the Governor couldn’t say any companies would relocate here, and wouldn’t share the names of any companies he met with.

NHPR 2018 in an interview asked about businesses moving to NH:

"Yeah, we've seen businesses come in. I sat with a woman from a small company in Arizona. I sat with a gentleman with a small company just outside of Montreal. He's in Berlin now, she's over in Portsmouth. We have had large companies come in. We talked to businesses in Massachusetts all the time that are trying to, again, create more opportunity and flexibility for themselves and their workers. They're coming up here. We have had businesses that were thinking one time of leaving, expanding elsewhere, like Hitchiner or BAE. They're now here and they're investing millions of dollars right here in New Hampshire. Lonza is a great example of an international company that decided, with the Trump tax cuts, they were going to make a very large investment in one of their facilities around the world. They chose Portsmouth."

A closer look at that heaping helping of word salad reveals that he can name ONE company that moved to NH, and vaguely allude to two others. 

NHPR 2019

Gov. Chris Sununu paid a whirlwind visit to New York City this week. 

There were interviews on CNBC’s Squawk Box, a sit-down on David Webb's SIRUS XM show, and multiple Fox News appearances.

Sununu's remarks were a blend of braggadocio ("I could fix Connecticut in about 20 minutes") and policy talk ("I don't have a sales tax, I don't have an income tax"), laced with a steady supply of #603pride. 

"The businesses coming out of New York and Connecticut and up to New Hampshire, it’s phenomenal," he said on Squawk Box. “So, yeah, I come and poach businesses all the time.”

Confirming those boasts, however, is difficult.

Citing confidentiality, Sununu's office declined to identify a single business he had "poached" from New York or Connecticut, or any other state."

Confidentiality is code for "it's never happened." 

Getting back to CNBC

"The Republican governor said New York, Massachusetts and other high-tax states are “pickpocketing” New Hampshire residents by taxing out-of-state employees who are no longer commuting into their states to work."

If NH is "booming" and all these companies are moving to the state, why are so many NH residents commuting to other states to work? Why don't reporters ever ask him that question?

Time for the Ideological Year of the Biennium in the NH Legislature

Members of the House have filed their LSRs for 2020. An LSR is the beginning of what will become a bill. LSR stands for Legislative Service Requests.  What we see right now is just a one liner, a fledgling request that will be fleshed out and be assigned a bill number. The title we see right now  may or may not provide insight into the intent of the bill, but when combined with the list of sponsors, the intent isn't difficult to discern. 

The budget is the work of the first year of the biennium. In the second year, some legislators get to work on their ideological projects. There are four bills coming up that are intended to exert control over the bodily autonomy of women and girls. Sponsors may still be added to LSRs, so the sponsors you see in this screenshot may change. It was taken on October 24 at about 10 AM.

2046 is theatrical nonsense from Rep. Prudhomme-O'Brien. Abortion has long been the way the radical right manipulates part of its  voter base. This last year, there's been a lot of phony drama with Trump and the god botherers insisting that doctors are killing babies that are born alive. This is, of course, a lot of bunkum. They've wailed, moaned, and made a big show of filing bills, conveniently forgetting that President George W. Bush signed the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act of 2002. It's all a lot of sound, fury, and manipulation. That Prudhomme-O'Brien hasn't managed to find anyone to cosponsor the bill is telling. 

2054 is three men desperate to control the lives and bodies of girls. 

2483 is obviously the big ideological centerpiece, given the number of cosponsors. The GOP is skilled at finding women to support the patriarchy. Five of the 6 sponsors are women. I don't know what abortions they want to prohibit "in certain cases," though it's not hard to guess. 

2584 is anti-science nonsense, coming from Dave Testerman. The forced incubation crowd is insisting that something the size of a pea at 6 weeks has a heartbeat, despite the fact that it hasn't developed a heart. This is an attempt to cloud science with emotion - and to use that emotion to force women to serve as involuntary incubators. For more on the fetal heartbeat issue this piece from NY Magazine offers some actual science. 

All of these bill sponsors are people who claim the mantle of being "pro-life." None of them are people who legislate accordingly. Whenever there's a chance to vote on bills that would help children and families, they are almost always on the wrong side. 

A quick example is last year's SB 1, relative to family and medical leave. SB 1 would have created a system for paid leave that would enable parents with new babies to take paid time away from work to be with the new addition to their family. It also would have given people with health problems time off, or time to help a family member with a serious illness. It was a bill to help families. The sponsors of the bills all voted against it - with the exception of Prudhomme-O'Brien and Abigail Rooney, who were both absent on the day of the vote. 

These are folks who are pro-birth. Once that little nipper hits the chute, they expect him to pull him/herself up by the bootie straps and fend for him/herself. 

Donor Demographics

I was doing a little research the other day, and found myself at Open Secrets looking at donor demographics. Which candidates have more women donors, and what candidates have more male donors is fascinating. 

I offer my findings on the Democratic candidates, in the order that Open Secrets has them listed, which is by how much money their candidate committees have raised. 

I offer no opinion on what any of this means. 

Bernie Sanders: 60% of his donors are men.

Elizabeth Warren: 52% of her donors are women. 

Pete Buttigieg: 61% of his donors are men. 

Tom Steyer: No information available. 

Joe Biden: 56% of his donors are men. 

Kamala Harris: 53% of her donors are women. 

Cory Booker: 57% of his donors are men. 

Amy Klobuchar: 51.5% of her donors are men. 

Beto O'Rourke: 53% of his donors are women. 

Andrew Yang: 73% of his donors are men. 

John Delaney: 62% of his donors are men. 

Tulsi Gabbard: 75% of her donors are men. 

Julian Castro: 56.7 of his donors are women. 

Michael Bennet: 60% of his donors are men. 

Steve Bullock: 61% of his donors are men. 

Joe Sestak: 66% of his donors are men. 

Marianne Williamson: 71% of her donors are women. 

Tim Ryan: 61% of his donors are men. 

Wayne Messsam: 83% of his donors are men. 

Updates on New Hampshire's Culture of Freedom

On Friday, August 9, NH Governor Chris Sununu vetoed 3 gun safety bills. From his veto statement:

New Hampshire is one of the safest states in the nation, and we have a long and proud tradition of responsible firearm stewardship. Our laws are well-crafted and fit our culture of responsible gun ownership and individual freedom. 

Later that evening,  in Derry, a 79 year old man shot and killed his wife.

Didn't  this guy know about the culture? 

In the wee hours of Monday, August 12, Dover police are investigating gunfire in a street confrontation.

Just a little individual freedom fire. Nothing to see here. 

The wee hours of Monday morning were busy. In Northwood, a man claims he shot at someone trying to break into his car. Shot 3 times and missed. The police searched the area, but didn't find anyone. 

Thursday, August 15, a responsible firearm steward barricaded himself in a house in Claremont for 9 hours. Hundreds of  shots fired, but no one was injured. 

Sunday, September 15, a good guy with a gun - a safety officer no less - wounded himself and another safety officer, at a shooting range in Keene.

On Sept. 20, a responsible gun owner barricaded himself in his house in Nashua for a few hours, before being shot by a cop and taken into custody.

A proponent of individual freedom shot off his gun in a men's room in a bar in Portsmouth on Sept. 20. 

On Sunday, Sept. 22, a traditional firearm steward from Rochester, NH, drove to Massachusetts, where he shot and killed a guy at a bar.  (Hey, at least he did it out of state). Turns out he wasn't actually a law abiding gun owner, but of course, no one knew that till he pulled the trigger. 

A double shooting in Concord, NH on the night of 
September 25. A woman was found laying on the ground in a parking lot, after being shot in the head. A man was dead, slumped against the car. She died at the hospital. There is no official confirmation, yet, but  I think we all know how this story unfolds. The responsible gun owner shot her first, then killed himself. 

Update: That's exactly what happened. Concord Monitor

On October 1, a pastor from a Pentecostal church (in Pelham) was shot and killed at his home in Londonderry.


October 18, a person was reported to have been found dead in a Jaffrey apartment in this very carefully reported story. There were two people, one dead inside, one outside in a car, and possible gunshot wounds. Since then, the story has been updated. Apparently the person who died was a high school student, as was the person outside in the car. The police believe that it was death by suicide. 


October 12, two people were shot at the same Pentecostal church in Pelham that was home to the pastor murdered two weeks ago. It's being reported that a man and a woman were shot at a wedding, by a man with a handgun. 

The story has been updated. The bishop performing the wedding ceremony was shot, as was the bride. It is difficult to imagine that this is unrelated to the death of the minister on October 1. 

On October 27, a responsible firearm steward in Nashua killed his wife, and then himself. NECN
All these guns that are supposed to be making us safer don't seem to be doing much for women. 


A guy in Chesterfield who shot up his neighborhood last year is refusing a competency exam, saying that they're trying to torture a confession out of him. Union Leader. I wonder why we don't charge guys like this with terrorism. 

On Saturday, November 9, a responsible NH gun owner displayed his idea of individual freedom by threatening a driver on I-95 in MA  with his gun.

Why Aren't All These Guns Making Us Safer?

It was a deadly weekend. On Saturday, a gunman in a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, shot and killed 22 people, and wounded 26 more. Early Sunday morning, a gunman killed 9 people in a nightlife district in Dayton, Ohio. 

The weekend before, a gunman shot and killed 4 people and wounded 13 others at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Gilroy, CA. 

I thought all these guns were supposed to be making us safer?

Meanwhile, here in NH, three gun safety bills languish in limbo, waiting for the attention of our governor. On Monday, August 5, there was a rally  at the Legislative Office Building in Concord, where members of gun safety groups and other concerned citizens called upon the governor to sign the bills. The room was packed with people. 

Not everyone in the room was heartbroken about the slaughter of their fellow humans. Some attendees were so dickhurt by the idea that some people were talking about gun safety, that they showed up with their guns. The guy with the long gun in the photo is Brennan Robinson, a member of the Free State Project, who very obviously came in with the intention of turning the media's attention to him. 

He succeeded admirably. Both WMUR and NHPR gave him the last word in their stories. 

This is emblematic of the NH media, which operates with GOP as their default setting. I expect  it from WMUR - hell, I've seen it in the past, from the same reporter.

I cannot wrap my head around the shoddiness of this reporting. Not a single reporter who covered this event thought to ask, "Hey, pal - these folks are all here because of gun violence - do you think it's really a good idea to bring GUNS into a room crowded with people - especially since you fit the visual profile of a domestic terrorist?" 

These are men who get up in the morning in the safest state in the country, and put on their strapons before they dare leave their houses. And we are all supposed to bow and scrape before their freedumb, because their right to play GI Joe is more important than our right to live. 

I don't expect Governor Sununu to sign those gun bills. His first act in office was to sign a bill that repealed the concealed carry license process. Gundamentalists are his base. 

I don't have any confidence that there will ever be a legislative solution to the wholesale slaughter, either at the state or national level. 

What I do know is this - people are going to stop going out. They won't go to fairs, festivals, concerts, or movies. They won't go shopping in brick and mortar stores. They won't go to bars and restaurants. And brother, when it starts to hit the bottom lines of business - then we'll see some change. Capitalism may be what changes our gun laws. 

To help along the process, I suggest that before you go to a store, a venue, a bar or restaurant that you call ahead and ask if they allow guns inside. NH is an open carry state - BUT - there's a provision built into the law:

"Businesses have the to right to ban firearms from their property, Merrigan said, and can ask customers who are carrying firearms, openly or concealed, to leave.

Customers who don’t leave a business when requested can be charged with criminal trespassing."

So call and ask, and decide for yourself whether you want to go there or not. If you see a person with a gun in a business - call the police. There is no way for you to know if he is one of the mythical "good guys with guns" or a domestic terrorist. Complaint to the management. Leave your shopping cart and walk out of the store. 

Enough is enough. And dammit, NH media - do a better job.