Obama has finally said the words, "I support same sex marriage.'" It's an historic, exciting, wonderful, poignant day for all of us, gay and straight.
The network I was watching during this announcement showed a clip of Romney during the Primary this year answering the question as to whether or not he supports gay marriage. His answer was "I don't support gay marriage or civil unions."
When Romney was Governor of Massachusetts and running against Ted Kennedy for U.S. Senate, he said he did support gay marriage.
So, I now envision this scenario... let's say, with the news correspondent of your choice (e.g. David Gregory?):
David Gregory:Governor Romney, do you support gay marriage?
Gov. Romney: No, David, I do not support 2 people of the same gender being able to get married. I think marriage is a sacred vow between a man and a woman.
David Gregory:Well, Governor Romney, when you ran against Ted Kennedy for the Senate seat in 19-whatever, you said you were in favor of gay marriage. Why are you against it now?
(Do you know a young person that would be interested in this opportunity? Pass this along. - promoted by Mike Hoefer)
Application
The Nat Bresler Summer Intern Scholarship will be awarded to (1) or (2) young Democrats for 8 weeks of work in the summer of 2012, based on submission of the following application. The work will be paid at 300./wk, duties to be determined by the NHDP. A Committee made up of Officers of the NHDP and one designee of the Bresler family will review the applications and choose the recipient. Announcement made at the State party Convention. Nat believed strongly that unless and until we address issues of social inequality in America, we will never successfully address the income inequalities in our society. He worked specifically on fair housing, worker's rights, gender equality, racial equality, and equality in environmental outcomes.
What thing in your life leads you to understand the connection between income inequality and social justice?
How will working on a political campaign bring about the change you would like to see in the world?
What connections do you see between social inequality and economic justice, and how have personal experience and observations shaped your understanding of the connection? What do you see as the main connection ?
List 3-4 issues you would like to see addressed in a social justice agenda. Pick one and describe in 50 words or less why it is important.
What do you hope to gain working on a political campaign?
If selected, how will you hope to use this experience in your future life's work?
email your application to sdoyle@nhdp.org
All applications should be received no later than 5/15/2012.
Winner will be notified in advance.
I guess we need to add another entry for the definition of "The NH Advantage".
- A. No Sales or Income Tax
- B. A beautiful state that combines the excitement and diversity of the city with bucolic rural areas and a geography that ranges from tidal pools at sea level to alpine tundra 6,288 feet higher
- C. Members of the GOP attempting to be the top lawmakers in the state attend a function with entertainment from a fugitive of the law without media attention or repercussion.
* No mention I can see on WMUR online
* No mention I can see on Union Leader online
* No mention I can see on NHPR
* Concord Monitor has a piece on the outlaw, but does not seem to mind that the folks that would hope to be Governor of this fine state did nothing to object to this entertainment.
One does not have to think to hard how the UL would be treating this if Maggie Hassan, Jackie Cilley, and Jeanne Shaheen were attending such an event...
(This deserves serious discussion, part moved below the fold - promoted by William Tucker)
The public displayed many emotions following the tragic shooting of Greenland Police Chief Michael Maloney and four fellow officers- grief, respect, love, empathy, concern and compassion. Signs up and down Route 1, as well as those further inland, bore messages honoring Maloney. Thousands turned out for Maloney's memorial service at Winnacunnet High School to pay their respects. Thousands more ran a 5.6 mile race which raised $45,000 for Maloney's family. All these feelings and actions were appropriate and well deserved. Chief Maloney and his comrades are heroes to us all.
However, one emotion commonly expressed seemed out of place - surprise. We were surprised that such a violent event could occur here in tranquil New Hampshire. Upon reflection, we shouldn't have been surprised. The storm clouds preceding the deluge of violence have been gathering here for quite some time. And when the clouds broke, it rained violence for days.
My philosophy on money, material goods and personal responsibility were somewhat like O'Brien's until my son, while in college, was diagnosed with a mental illness.
It brought me into a whole new world of individuals who espouse personal responsibility but need support and assistance to achieve that status.
Eliminating or reducing the programs that provide this support and assistance, in order to put more money into the pockets of people, is disturbing and simply wrong.
State Rep. Jerry Bergevin (R-Manchester) is the poster child for the ideologically extreme House GOP. He sponsored legislation proclaiming March 31 as a day to remember Terri Schiavo, requiring the teaching of evolution as a theory in our public schools and legalizing discrimination by those providing wedding services.
Bergevin blamed the horrors of the Columbine school shooting and the atrocities of Nazi Germany on teaching the theory of evolution. And after the House and Senate approved a bill legalizing home cultivation of marijuana for medical purposes, he sent this inflammatory email to every House representative.
Social liberalism Tim etc...
As one who has suffered from intense pain from health problems I
never once resorted to Alcohol or Pot when all medicine
prescription and over the counter failed, therefore I am not for
the absolute insanity of legalizing street drugs and calling it
medicine.
The word Potheads that's you in the house and senate that just
legalized the rectum as a sexual organ and now you Potheads you
in the house and senate whom I am referring to as Potheads even
if use it or not you are Potheads in your ridiculous attempt to
legalize it as medicine and sell it to those with major health
problems . Shame on every dam one of you who voted for this
pathos for your attempt at such exploitation of the sick.
I just wish I could sell this to SNL and start something new like
the cone heads after all its not called DOPE for nothing
RHINO republicans Hunting season is about to begin and I Love
hunting for these its going to be a Great Kill this year !
JB
The always informative email update from Bill Duncan at Defending New Hampshire Public Education has the latest details on the New Hampshire GOP's War on Education. Here are some excerpts. If you care about the future of public education in the state, I strongly recommend you read the entire report and subscribe to the updates.
CACR 12 — The education funding amendment gets (secret) new language
You may have read about the new language House Republican leadership is circulating. Here is Saturday's Union Leader report on it. This language is just as bad as all the previous attempts, if not worse. This new proposed amendment gives the Legislature sole discretion over all funding and how it will be raised — effectively taking the Courts out of protecting the rights of every child. The New Hampshire Constitution promises to educate every child. This amendment breaks the promise of public education to all our children.
(Thank you, Jay! Resized image - promoted by William Tucker)
The First Draft of the 2012 New Hampshire Democratic Party Platform
I am proud to present the first draft of the 2012 New Hampshire Democratic Party Platform.
This draft is the result of ten hearings across the state where we heard – and responded to – the comments of hundreds of people who are concerned about the direction of our State.
This draft incorporates the many recurring comments we heard in Mont Vernon, Tamworth, Dover, Manchester, Concord, Newport, Keene, Hampton, Hanover, and Laconia. We also recieved many e-mails with suggestions, all of which the Committee studied very carefully.
We also received thoughtful input from all three Democratic candidates for Governor: former Senators Jackie Cilley and Maggie Hassan, and, Bill Kennedy.
Tomorrow morning at 11 AM we will be in Gorham for a final hearing, which will mean we have consulted with folks in every County. Two years ago we kicked off our listening tour in Berlin. This year we give the North Country the first crack at proposing any amendments that will only make this draft stronger.
The draft is now open for amendments for exactly seven days - the amendment period closes at 5 PM on May 11th.
The 2012 Platform Committee has worked very hard to present a consensus set of principles that our candidates can run on from the Southern tier to the North Country.
We look forward to hearing from you.
With respect,
Jay Surdukowski Co-Chair, New Hampshire Democratic Party Platform Committee
Right-wing provocateur James O'Keefe, who is under investigation by the state Attorney General, will be the featured speaker on Sunday at a gala reception and fundraiser hosted by the Rye Republican town committee.
"Why are Republicans honoring a confessed law breaker as their special guest?" asked Democratic Party chair Ray Buckley. "Is that the kind of message that Republicans want to send? That it is okay to break the law if it is in service to an extreme Tea Party agenda?"
The Attorney General is investigating O'Keefe for sending his associates to obtain New Hampshire primary ballots using the names of deceased voters. In 2010, O'Keefe was arrested for attempting to tamper with the phones of Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu. He plead guilty to misdemeanor charges of entering federal property under false pretenses.
"Instead of honoring this fellow, which in essence really is a stamp of approval on what he has done," said former Democratic Party chair Kathy Sullivan, "I would expect elected officials and Republican candidates for office to step away for him. They should not honor him or celebrate with him."
GOP candidates slated to attend the reception include Congressmen Frank Guinta and Charlie Bass, gubernatorial candidates Ovide Lamontagne and Kevin Smith, state Executive Councilor Chris Sununu, state Sen. Nancy Stiles, and state representatives Will Smith and Brian Murphy.
Do the GOP candidates "believe it is okay to plot to tamper with a U.S. Senator's phone as long as the Senator is a Democrat?" asked Buckley. They "should make it clear publicly that they will refuse to stand with O'Keefe and call on the Rye Republicans to cancel this event."
(Part moved below the fold - promoted by William Tucker)
As posted on the Lee Nyquist for State Senate facebook page:
"Today, the New Hampshire Union Leader lead editorial, May 3, 2012 (www.unionleader.com and page A12 of the print edition), called HB 1403, the bill passed by the House which would extingish Bedford's IB program, "myopic." The NHUL called on the Senate "to toss this riduculous bill unanimously." We will all be watching closely today when the Senate Education Committee makes it recommendation to the full Senate and when the full Senate acts later this month. The NHUL called the supporters of this bill, which include one of my announced opponents who voted to pass the bill on the House vote, "a small group of conspiracy theorists." Finally, the NHUL uses biting sarcasm to criticize the supporters of the bill and the ideology of its supporters.
Since, I have promised to bring civility, collegiality, and bipartisanship back to Concord when I am elected State Senator, I have not chosen to use the language and sarcasm utilized by the NHUL in the editorial in urging that HB 1403 be killed and IB and local autonomy thereby preserved. Rather, I have called the bill and its supporters misguided and mistaken.
In any event, the legislators who support and have voted for HB 1403 are prime examples of those who have elevated imported ideologies over the interests of their constituents. Although the NHUL language is harsher than language that I choose to use, the substance of the editorial is dead-on and it is good to see a strongly conservative Republican voice such as the NHUL editorial board recognizing the errors of the ways of the legislators who have voted to extinguish Bedford's IB program.
Congressman Frank Guinta has earned accolades from a front group working to privatize Medicare.
The Healthcare Leadership Council (HLC) is comprised of the CEOs of the country's biggest insurers, drug companies, hospital chains and medical device manufacturers. Tuesday, at an award ceremony in Washington, the group honored Guinta as a "Champion of Healthcare Innovation."
The HLC is notorious for the fear-mongering campaign it ran against the Clinton health care reform proposal in 1993. Wendell Potter, former head of public relations for CIGNA, writes that the HLC is now leading the charge to move forward with the Ryan plan and privatize Medicare -- "albeit with a few tweaks and a new sales pitch to make it seem more consumer-friendly."
While Ryan would move all Medicare beneficiaries into a privatized system in one fell swoop, the HLC's plan would do it more gradually. It would, in the words of the press release, "create a new 'Medicare Exchange' in which private plans would compete on the basis of cost, quality and value."
But buyer beware. Rest assured that the HLC is far more interested in the special interests of its member companies and organizations than in what is in your best interests. And the very existence of the HLC shows why it has been so difficult to get Congress to enact comprehensive health care reform. The executives who fund the HLC want first and foremost to preserve their profits and protect their incomes.
Guinta has hailed the Ryan plan, which would replace Medicare with vouchers that beneficiaries would use to buy coverage from private insurance, as "a bipartisan, practical approach to safeguarding Medicare for future generations." It's no surprise that the HLC and Guinta are allies — nor that he has received over $180,000 in campaign contributions from the insurance industry, health professionals and hospitals.
(Nearly six million U.S. seniors face the threat of hunger. Meals On Wheels provides well over one million meals to seniors who need them each day. - promoted by William Tucker)
I believe you have a rep named Fred Leonard over there? I have a quote for you. I am incredulous that he would put this in writing. In response to my criticism of a cut to Meals on Wheels, this is what he said about our less privileged elderly citizens. This is part of an online conversation here: http://www.nashuatelegraph.com...
I think his quote needs wide distribution. People who pick on the elderly really, really piss me off.
"Meals on wheels is not a statutorily run government program, so any reduction in government funds to that program makes perfect sense to me...people are more than able to contribute to charities if they want to, but forcing government to pay for charities is simply wrong...besides, once I got a better understanding of some of the people who receive a meal on wheel, taxpayers should not be forced to pay for a program like that - PERIOD..."
Tonight in Afghanistan, President Obama announced an agreement with President Hamid Karzai marking the beginning of the end of the Afghanistan war. 23,000 U.S. troops will depart Afghanistan by the end of this summer with reductions continuing at a steady pace. Next year, the U.S. mission in Afghanistan will shift to a support role as Afghans forces take the lead for combat operations across the country. By the end of 2014, the President promised, the Afghans will be fully responsible for the security of their country.
My fellow Americans, we have traveled through more than a decade under the dark cloud of war. Yet here, in the pre-dawn darkness of Afghanistan, we can see the light of a new day on the horizon. The Iraq War is over. The number of our troops in harm's way has been cut in half, and more will be coming home soon. We have a clear path to fulfill our mission in Afghanistan, while delivering justice to al Qaeda.
....
As we emerge from a decade of conflict abroad and economic crisis at home, it is time to renew America. An America where our children live free from fear, and have the skills to claim their dreams. A united America of grit and resilience, where sunlight glistens off soaring new towers in downtown Manhattan, and we build our future as one people, as one nation.
(Nice intro, Hannah. - promoted by William Tucker)
Forward = Progressive. The opposite is backwards, regressive or, at best, conservative and static. Why would someone want to stand still? Probably, because they're scared to move.
Fred Astaire's partners danced backwards. But, they're the exception and there's not a Republican politician in the land who can compare to Fred Astaire.
They tell me Barack Obama can't dance. Perhaps that's why we all just have to go forward hand in hand.
(Thank you, Annie! Part moved below the fold - promoted by William Tucker)
This is an edited speech given by congressional candidate Ann McLane Kuster at the New Hampshire Women United rally on Saturday April 28.
Standing up for women right now could not be more important.
The Republicans here in Concord and down in Washington D.C. would have us believe that the War on Women is a phony war. Michele Bachmann and Fox News would have us believe that the whole thing is “political fiction.”
But women – and the men who love them – know that this is not fiction. Whether we are talking about access to affordable birth control, feeling safe from violence in our homes, or being able to earn the same amount of money as our male counterparts, these are rights that all people deserve and they are being threatened.
And the War on Women is not just about women – it’s about putting the squeeze on the middle class.
