Vol. CCLVI, No. 24 August 24, 2012
The New Hampshire Gazette
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The Fortnightly Rant
Conventional Derangement The stakes could not have been much higher. The Romney campaign desperately needed a Vice Presidential candidate whose positions were known, clear, and firm: someone capable of inspiring the Party’s rabidly anti-government base — someone exactly the opposite of Mitt Romney. Romney settled on Congressman Paul Ryan, author of the most Draconian budget since the Coolidge era. Ryan has been a government employee since he graduated from college, but he is immune from criticism on that count because he is a Republican. Roger Stone, a GOP operative of long standing who sports a portrait of Richard Nixon tattooed on his back, claims David Koch promised to donate another $100 million to pro-Romney SuperPACs if Ryan got the nod. File that under “felonious-if-true.” Since Ryan represents the Badger State, the campaign cleverly used the decommissioned battleship U.S.S. Wisconsin as a backdrop to the announcement. Neither Ryan nor Romney has ever served a day in the U.S. military. A Democrat who pulled that would be crucified, but Romney and Ryan are immune to criticism on that count because they are Republicans.* Here Comes The Pain Train So, barring an unprecedented political earthquake or a possible Hurricane Isaac, Republicans will nominate Romney and Ryan at their National Convention in Tampa next week. That pretty well guarantees a catastrophe for somebody. The odds are it will be the Republicans
* True, Rachel Maddow did make a few snarky remarks. But she doesn’t count because she’s a shrill Communist.
who suffer. After all, why would the American electorate want a job-destroying, tax return-hiding, position-shifting hectomillionaire and his Social Security-privatizing, abortion-banning, budgetwrecking sidekick in the White House? It’s hard to rest easy, though. Two of our last three Presidential contests were decided by states in which Republicans had carried out scorched-earth voter suppression campaigns, and elections were controlled by officials who were in the tank for the GOP. Stamping Out Democracy The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a corporate-sponsored bad-law mill, has orchestrated a very successful nation-wide campaign to pass state laws making it harder to vote. Republican Party hacks — pardon our redundancy — have justified this onslaught on democracy by claiming that voter fraud is rampant. If America had a functioning Fourth Estate, that lie would have been smothered in its crib. Republicans have learned, though, that they can utter almost any lie imaginable without its being challenged by the press. The National Republican Lawyers Association conducted a tenyear study of this alleged problem. It found that on average .7 cases of voter fraud occur per state per year. On August 11th the Washington Post reported on a similar study by students at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism. The students “found 10 cases of alleged in-person voter impersonation [nationally] since 2000.” One of those cases involved a 17 year-old in Londonderry, NH who used his father’s ID to vote
for George W. Bush in the 2004 Presidential Primary. Then again, there is the case of East Longmeadow, MA, where someone surreptitiously changed the party affiliations of hundreds of voters and forged hundreds of applications for absentee ballots. The Secretary of State has taken over the town’s Primary election, and the Hampden County Attorney General is investigating the only suspect — Jack Villamaino, a Republican candidate for State Representative. Home Sweet Basement When it comes to Republicans practicing what they preach against, the most striking case might be found at the top of their ticket. In the spring of 2009, Mitt Romney sold his home in Belmont, MA and moved to La Jolla, CA. In January of 2010, Massachusetts held a special election
to fill Ted Kennedy’s old Senate seat. Mitt Romney voted for Scott Brown in that election. On his voter registration form, Romney claimed he was living in the unfinished basement of his son’s house in Belmont. Fred Karger, Romney’s gay Republican opponent during the Presidential Primary, says members of the Mormon church in Belmont told him they had not seen the Romneys since they moved to La Jolla. A local merchant who used to see Mrs. Romney “all the time” told Karger he hadn’t seen her in two years. Lying on voter registration forms is a felony. Romney’s 2008 tax return, filed in 2009, would shed light on where he was living. Perhaps that’s why he’s so adamant about not releasing them — he knows he has a Constitutional right not to incriminate himself.
That’s The Ticket? Seriously — that’s the Republican ticket: a Wall Street insider, backed by a Washington insider. It looks self-destructive, if not suicidal. The online electoral vote prognosticators reflect this. They’re putting President Obama close to or over the 270 Electoral votes he’ll need to win. But that’s based on what voters are telling poll-takers. Republicans claim to hate Stalin, but when it comes to counting votes, they’re hardcore Stalinists. “It’s not the people who vote that count,” Joe said, “It’s the people who count the votes.” Just ask Pennsylvania’s House Majority Leader Mike Turzai, who told an ecstatic Republican state committee last June, “Voter ID, which is going to allow Gov. Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania, [is] done.”
flecting the palpable sense that national politics have reached the saturation point, beyond which they cannot possibly absorb another iota of insanity. About an hour later MSNBC reported the results of a new poll showing that by a margin of about 2 to 1, Republicans want their representatives in Congress to stick to their guns and flatly reject any compromise. By a similar margin, Democrats want the opposite — they want their representatives to compromise their principles, if they have any, in order to get things done. Since the poll presents an unmistakable picture of a mob of Republican extremists herding a flock of Democratic sheep towards a cliff, it also represents a severe challenge for a modern
corporate news organization. MSNBC was able to meet that challenge. It found an alleged journalist willing to sum up the segment by noting that, since a few bewildered voters unaffiliated with either party could be found who blamed them both, both parties were equally responsible. It’s a funny world indeed in which a pair of gargantuan multinational corporations like Microsoft and GE can form a joint media venture, broadcast such gibberish, and be routinely accused of having a liberal bias. Congratulations, BAE Our email in-box was graced recently by a press release from BAE Systems, informing us that
News Briefs
Why? Because Sheriff Frank Said So, That's Why! Frank Szabo is rapidly becoming our favorite New Hampshire Republican. He seems to represent the essence of today’s GOP and therefore makes great copy. For months now Szabo has been making sweeping unilateral declarations about the immense powers of the Hillsborough County Sheriff ’s office, which he hopes to win. On August 9th, he decreed that “[a]bortion on demand is murder. Once elected, Sheriff Szabo will arrest anyone involved in the murder of a Citizen of Hillsborough County.” Naturally the minute Szabo said that he would arrest people who have committed no crime, because he thinks a legal procedure is murder, all his fellow Republicans began denouncing him in droves … right?
Well, um, no. In fact, on August 16th, State Senator Jim Forsythe endorsed Szabo, saying, “Frank’s knowledge of the role of County Sheriff in the protection of Citizens, their property and their Rights is exactly what we need in New Hampshire. His understanding of the Constitution and the founding of our country will be most helpful in executing the duties of the Office of Sheriff.” That’s your District Four Senator speaking, New Hampshire … UPDATE: Wednesday night Szabo told WMUR he wouldn’t rule out using deadly force to prevent abortions. Thursday morning he retracted that statement. How the Media L[i]ed Us Here We consulted briefly with one of our political advisors on Monday at his place of business on
Congress Street. He quit hauling bags of trash and boxes of cardboard to the curb long enough to express his pleasure at Mitt Romney’s selection of Paul Ryan for Vice President. If you’re running on a policy of greed and cruelty, he figured, it’s admirable to be that up-front about it. Asked if he looks forward to the day when the nation eventually devolves into a pure marketplace in which the atmosphere has been privatized and we all have to wear metered helmets and pay a corporation for the right to breathe, he said, “Yes. I just wish I’d thought of it first.” He was kidding, of course. If we had to guess his position on the political spectrum we’d place him somewhere in Dennis Kucinich’s neighborhood. He was just re-
News Briefs to page two
Page 2 - The New Hampshire Gazette - Friday, August 24, 2012
News Briefs from page one the U.S. Navy “has authorized full-rate production of the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS®)….” Something about that “Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System” language rang a muffled bell. Thanks to the Internet Movie Database we found it: in the 1993 action-movie spoof Demolition Man. The movie is set in a future where violence and aggression have been nearly eradicated. When bad guys end someone’s life the cops don’t just call it murder — the term’s been upgraded to “Murder-Death-Kill.” It turns out that the APKWS® is a mid-body laser guidance unit compatible with existing and ubiquitous Hydra 70 rocket systems, which date back to WW II. It was first fired in combat in Afghanistan last May. Plans are underway to mount the APKWS® on the MQ-8B Fire Scout, an unmanned helicopter. With luck and good behavior, no American citizens will be targeted. We presume BAE is bragging to us because it builds the AP-
KWS® at its plant in Nashua. Its website says it shelled out $491 million in payroll last year. That’s a lot of money — $91 million more than the fine the parent company paid in 2010 for lying about its failure to comply with international antibribery laws. Further Military Shenanigans Former Navy SEAL Captain and self-proclaimed Patriot with a Capitol “P,” Larry Bailey sent us an email on August 19th — in complete disregard of the Sabbath. Bailey came across as halfRambo, half-Uriah Heep: “I am probably doing this all wrong, so if you are offended by my request, I apologize. Having served as a Navy SEAL for almost three decades, I only know one way, and that is upfront and straightforward. We need some big donors.” But two-faced was not enough. Bailey proceeded to get all Benedict Arnold on us: “We are in a war with Barack Obama and his minions to change the direction of our nation. We absolutely MUST remove that anti-American machine from power.” [Emphasis added.] “Our organization is Special
The Flag Police have been in a state of torpor for some time, but a glance at this sad banner shook them right out of it. As the presence of a Si-Tex radar suggests, this torn-up flag, photographed August 17th, was being displayed on a boat. A mariner at the scene argued for leniency, but to no avail. 427-2919
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Operations Speaks (SOS) and we intend to change the course on which the Obama regime has placed our nation. We have no agenda other than to advance the cause of freedom and to remove Barack Obama from the White House. Period. Obama and his Super PACs will spend close to a billion dollars to keep a [S]ocialist regime in power. I believe we can defeat Obama with only a few million dollars.” Clearly Bailey has read neither our paper nor our balance sheet. SOS could just as well have called itself Swift Boat Veterans version 2.0 — its claims are no more valid. President Obama, they allege, is endangering our Special Forces by feeding secrets to the media for the purpose of his own re-election. For what it’s worth, CNN’s Peter Bergen debunked SOS’s claims the same day we received Bailey’s email. But who would believe the lying media? Besides, there are only so many shovels, and Republicans have an unlimited number of bulls. Dear Vets: Good Luck Meanwhile, Veterans for Common Sense (VCS), a credible or-
ganization, sent us this: “Recent gains in veterans’ health care and benefits are under attack. In Rep. Paul Ryan’s 2013 budget, described by Mitt Romney as ‘marvelous,’ the word veteran never appears in ninety-eight pages. Zero mention of veterans but eleven billion in cuts from veterans’ programs. This says clearly that veterans are NOT a priority. Veterans are essentially being told, thanks for your service,now get lost. This is absolutely unacceptable.” And it gets worse. Romney’s advisor on veterans’ affairs is Jim Nicholson, who, under President George W. Bush, ran the Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs — into the ground. As The Daily Beast reported in July, during his tenure Nicholson “defended a budget measure that sought major cuts in staffing for VA health care, cut funding for nursing home care, and blocked four legislative measures aimed at streamlining the backlog of veterans benefit claims.” That ain’t the half of it. While veterans were suffering, VA employees “racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in government credit-card bills at casinos and luxury hotels, movie theaters and high-end retailers,” according to an AP story dated April 6, 2008. So, did Mitt the Manager just overlook this readily available history? Or is that the way he thinks veterans ought to be treated? It’s gotta be one or the other. Whaddya Really Think, Roger? Roger Stone didn’t just allege that David Koch bought Paul Ryan the No. 2 spot on the Republican Presidential ticket (see the Rant). He also criticized his haberdashery: “Then there is the question of Ryan’s clothes. I’m not sure if
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Friday, August 24, 2012 - The New Hampshire Gazette - Page 3
he gets his threads from the [S] alvation [A]rmy or the [G]oodwill. His suits are too large as are his dress shirts. He appears to be wearing a plastic belt. The Romney team should enlist supplyside guru Larry Kudlow to coach Ryan, not on economics but on how to dress.” What a World … We got a hot tip about some new used books at RiverRun. An hour later Tom Holbrook showed us a copy of Wahoo: The Patrols of America’s Most Famous World War II Submarine, written by Dover native Richard O’Kane. “How much?”, we asked. “Two bucks,” said Tom. We pointed out that the volume had been inscribed by the author, who received the Medal of Honor in 1944 for his actions in command of the submarine Tang. Tom checked wherever he checks such things, and said it was still worth just two bucks. We were simultaneously delighted with the acquisition and appalled at the nation’s value system. Smart Money When plastics tycoon “Dollar” Bill Binnie ran for the Republican Senatorial nomination in 2010, our coverage was less than wor-
shipful. For instance, we quoted with relish Union Leader publisher Joe McQuaid’s characterization of Binnie as “a bully with a big bag of money.” Kelly Ayotte won that primary, of course, and the subsequent election. Binnie went back to making a buck. Last year the pursuit of profit and political power prompted Binnie to purchase Derry’s WNDS-TV. He has pumped plenty of money into rebuilding the station’s studios and modestly renamed it WBIN. If he achieves his dream he’ll be yet another plutocrat dragging the Overton Window* rightward. At the moment, though, we want to send him a bit fat smooch. On Monday, WBIN brought back the region’s favorite weatherman, Al Kaprielian. Thanks, Bill. Who Said It? “My sense is that there will come a time right before November 6 in this election cycle, or perhaps even before the primary, when the unionized postal em* “The Overton Window” is a metaphor named for its creator, Joseph P. Overton. It represents the limits of acceptable political thought. Increasingly outlandish proposals in any given direction are said to “move” the Overton Window — and make formerly laughable positions seem less weird.
An apparent devotee of the Hare Krishna movement has been proselytizing on the city’s sidewalks for the past few weeks, and accepting donations for books while he’s at it. A disability prevented our Wandering Photographer from further inquiry: religion gives him hives.
© 2012 by Dan Woodman
ployees will just stop delivering my mail entirely, cutting me off from having an effective conversation with my constituents.” If you guessed William O’Brien, Speaker of the New Hampshire House, give yourself a gold star. Lighthouse Tour of the Harbor The Gundalow Company is hosting an evening program on lighthouses aboard the gundalow Piscataqua next Thursday, August 30th. Guest speakers will be Jeremy D’Entremont and Deane Rykerson. The 2-hour sail departs from Prescott Park at 5:30 p.m.; reservations are highly recommended. D’Entremont is an accomplished author, maritime historian and lighthouse expert. Rykerson is an award-winning architect specializing in historic preservation who has been working to restore Whaleback Light. The Piscataqua is docked in Prescott Park, next to the historic Sheafe Warehouse. Tickets can be purchased online at www.gun-
Everyone knows Portsmouth has plenty of wild life. If you look in the right places, like the bushes near The Station, the temporary restaurant across from the old Rosa, you might find a little wildlife, too. dalowtickets.org or at the gundalow office at 60 Marcy Street in Portsmouth. Prices for this event are $40 for adults and $20 for youth ages 5-12. Remembering Jay Smith On Wednesday, September 5th, upstairs at The Press Room on Daniel Street, friends of the late Jay Smith will gather to share photographs and stories, and to sing some songs. Jay opened the Press Room, the city’s pre-eminent live music ven-
ue, in 1976. He also played a pivotal role in preserving the Music Hall. In less obvious ways he lent a hand to countless individuals. Donations will be accepted in Jay’s name on behalf of 3S Artspace on Vaughan Street, which the event organizers figure is exactly the sort of place Jay would support today.
Jay Smith Photo courtesy of Joe Stevens
Page 4 - The New Hampshire Gazette - Friday, August 24, 2012
Keep Eye on Central Planners To the Editor: Who could imagine being jailed for collecting rainwater on your own property? It happened in Oregon where the state has decided it owns all water, from what comes up through your well, to whatever falls from the sky! Some may be unaware that in NH we have 9 unelected boards called “Regional Planning Commissions.” There is also a “Water Sustainability Commission,” created in 2011 by executive order of the Governor. People that are appointed to these commissions have no authority to impose laws, but are funded by millions of tax dollars to “advise.” Their documents indicate the promotion of the idea that New Hampshire has some sort of water emergency, requiring draconian measures to manage it as a “collective” resource — even though they acknowledge that New Hampshire is a “water rich state”. On one commission’s list of “legislative policies and priorities” (which they seem reluctant to define) are items such as “storm water management” and “storm water utility legislation.” Statements from their meetings suggest that all water is to be treated as a “state” resource whether it is from a public or private source, hinting at the idea that new regulations and taxes would be needed to control all usage “for the common good.” Further, there are activist groups such as the Community Envi-
ronmental Legal Defense Fund (www.celdf.org) that are planning to target town meetings in Mass, Maine and New Hampshire this spring to promote and propose the passage of ordinances which will satisfy a demand for “collective rights” and the “rights of nature.” If you value your private property rights, you will want to find out more about these NGOs and when they hold public meetings. Jane Aitken Bedford, NH Jane: “[F]unded by millions of tax dollars to ‘advise.’”? In New Hampshire? To paraphrase Jerry Maguire, “show us the appropriations.” Perhaps you were too busy listening to Rush Limbaugh when the town of Nottingham nearly had its water stolen out from under it by a foreign-based corporation a few years ago. The best defense we have against such schemes is the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund you seem to fear so much. The Editor § He’s Concerned — To a Point To the Editor: My heart goes out to the poor and the elderly whose plans and savings have been ravaged by inflation or unexpected expenses, the handicapped who cannot provide for themselves, and workers who struggle to support their families, working long hours and perhaps multiple jobs. A recent Associated Press article identifies a different set of “poor,” a set for which I have less sympathy. The article was in Laconia Citizen on August 15th, headlined, “Some below poverty line don’t qualify for Medicaid.” The article talks about the level of income where a person or a family no longer qualifies for Medicaid. The article wants us to feel sorry for a family with a Mother, unemployed Father, and child and an income of $15,000 which is above the level that al-
lows them to qualify for Medicaid (in their home state). The article pulls at our heartstrings as we don’t want anyone to not get medical care or be unable to afford their medicine. But, of course, they do get medical care and the mother was prescribed blood pressure medicine which Walmart probably sells for $4 per month. The $15,000 family income (not including whatever “welfare” benefits they get) comes from the Mother’s 20 hour per week job. One wonders why the Mother doesn’t work more hours per week, either at her current or another job? One wonders why the father isn’t working at whatever job he can get to support his family … like millions of other fathers? Before all our current “welfare” programs were established … [Deleted: 50 words of irrelevant and misleading nostalgia.] If this husband and wife both worked full time at the wife’s rate… [Deleted: 57 words of meaningless conjecture based on magical belief in “free market” economics.] It seems to me that the American people put Medicaid and other “welfare” type programs in place for people who can’t support themselves, not for people who could, but don’t wish to put forth the effort to, support themselves. Don Ewing Meredith, NH Don: Thank you for continuing to send us these missives. In the absence of the premium cable-TV packages we cannot afford, your letters provide us with a wonderful escape from reality. The Editor § More Fuel for the Fire To the Editor: Last week a Rockland (ME) Free Press column headlined “Arab Spring; Israeli Fall?” ended by calling the creation of the State of Israel a miracle. From what I’ve read, though, Israel got launched
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by terror groups like Irgun, the Stern Gang, and Haganah. Their slew of weapons and the vicious forces who use them have shown that Israel got hatched by murder, not miracle. The column also mentioned the billions of dollars Israel sucks out of the United States Treasury, and the hordes of Israel’s lobbyists that bully the U.S. government to get even more. It would be a treat to read that those who now cower before Israel’s henchmen have finally developed backbones, stood up and shown them the door to get out. Marjorie Gallace Camden, ME § It’s A Bum Deal To the Editor: I need a good reason to get involved in a political campaign. Let me offer a few for your consideration while there’s still time before this presidential election. The following statements have been verified by skeptics like us. Claims that “Obamacare” cuts $700 billion from Medicare benefits are false. To quote PolitiFact, “Savings come from reducing money that goes to private insurers who provide Medicare Advantage programs, among other things.” It is the private insurance corporations that will eat the cost, not the patients or doctors. These massive companies are paying Romney a lot of money to deceive the voters. Sorry, I meant “donating” a lot of money. Romney wants us to hire him. While listed as CEO and a major stockholder at Bain, he claims to have not known or voted for company closures. I want a better level of responsibility from my representative. Does he want to be hired for his experience creating jobs? The average taxpayer will save around $4,000 if Obama is
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elected; lose $2,000 if Romney is elected. I’m putting my time and effort into electing Obama, you should too; it’s time well-spent. Find your local campaign center and help any way you can. Warren Isleib Nashua NH § Romney/Ryan Budget Will Harm Seniors To the Editor: Mitt Romney said he would sign Congressman Paul Ryan’s budget into law if it came to his desk as President. Then he chose Ryan as his running mate. The Ryan budget would make immediate benefit cuts to seniors on Medicare by re-establishing the prescription drug program payment gap (“donut hole”) and by re-imposing out-of-pocket costs for critical preventive services. These are now free-of charge thanks to Obamacare. Moreover, the Ryan budget includes massive cuts to the Medicaid program, which is the source of long-term care for 80 percent of nursing home patients — the frailest and sickest. The Romney/Ryan plan will change Medicare into a voucher program in a decade. This will be a massive cost shift on to seniors who would no longer have a guaranteed Medicare benefit as they now do. The voucher will not keep up with inflation. As a kicker, the Ryan budget also want to raise Medicare’s eligibility age from 65 to 67. The truly mind-blowing part of Ryan’s budget is that it accomplishes nothing in terms of deficit reduction for 30 years because his massive cuts to health programs (plus others like student loans) are paired with huge tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires. Ryan’s approach cannot be defended in financial or moral terms. Compare Romney/Ryan
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Friday, August 24, 2012 - The New Hampshire Gazette - Page 5
And Other Correspondence with President Obama who succeeded in extending Medicare’s solvency by eliminating fraud/ abuse and overpayments to insurance companies to achieve savings. Seniors have not lost a single Medicare benefit under his responsible leadership. As someone on Medicare, I feel reassured that savings are being achieved by improving care, not by shifting costs on to me. Joan Jacobs Portsmouth, NH § Kulla v. Snell on Israel To the Editor: David Snell’s contribution to this column (8/10/12) parrots the crude biases by extremists dedicated to the elimination of Israel. A few examples: The New York Times Op-Ed editors, who seem to believe that factual accuracy is in the eyes of the beholder, has published twice as many articles critical of Israel as it has critical of Israel’s adversaries over the course of 20 months. Web sites with no standards are commonplace, but the Times, which claims to adhere to journalistic accuracy, should do better. Take BBC’s Hardtalk host, Sarah Montague, who said (5/8/12) American presidents have long been criticized for being too enthralled by the Jewish lobby. Montague and other look-alike’s, I believe, are divorced from facts. Israel enjoys broad support from the American public for cultural, moral and religious reasons. The latest Gallup Survey shows sympathy for Israel, with 67 percent of Americans expressing a favorable opinion. Likewise, the preference of Americans for Israel over Palestinians is at a 20-year high of 63 percent vs 15 percent. Thus, policymakers seem to reflect the views and wishes of the American public, not the often referred to Israel lobby. Then too, Israel is
America’s most stalwart and reliable ally, aside from the efficacy of our policies. On the same BBC broadcast was an interview with Norman Finkelstein, an anti-Jewish fringe figure, who mockingly, derisively and predictably called Israel “a lunatic state” bent on constant war. What’s also predictable is BBC’s alignment with such defamers of Israel. A meager sampling for sure but a vastly different view from what attracts these pages, such as Mr. Snell’s. Michael Kulla Pleasant Valley, NY Michael: The core issue here is not how many times the Times criticizes Israel, or what percentage of the U.S. population responds favorably to a vaguely-worded polling question. The issue is how Israel treats Palestinians. That topic is not taboo, is it? The Editor § Rugged Individualism? To the Editor: The neo-Republican Partiers (formerly the Tea Partiers) bring out the parent in me. I just want to turn them over my knee and spank them! They are like greedy, spoiled kids who the more they get, the more they want, while being unwilling take any responsibility for the family. Taxes are the lowest they have been in decades and what do they want? To cut further. “Its MY money! The debt is higher than ever, and do they want to help pay it off! “No, that’s MY money!” The middle class is shrinking and poverty increasing, and do they want to lend a hand up? “No, not with MY money! I don’t need the family, I can do it all by myself!” Which brings us to “rugged individualism.” Can a rugged individual build an internet? No, the government did that. Can a rug-
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ged individual build and maintain an interstate transportation system? No, the government does that. Can a rugged individual provide free public education to every child? No, the government does that. Can the rugged individual provide a safety net for poor children, the disabled and the elderly? No, the government does that. Do the rugged individuals use and profit from what the government does? Yes, they do. Are they willing to pay with taxes their share for these benefits? No they are not. Will rugged individuals make rules to provide a level playing ground for everyone? Are you kidding? And by the way, the government is us — all of us collaborating to provide the structure, support and encouragement for ALL individuals to grow and prosper, not just the “rugged” ones. I know spanking is out of style as a parenting tool, replaced by more modern techniques — so let’s send the spoiled brats to time-out this November! Cynthia Muse Rye, NH § Spelling Trouble To the Editor: Pardon my dyslexia, but every time I drive by a ROMNEY yard sign, I reverse some of the letters. Clearly the sign says RMONEY or, as I read it, “Our Money” i.e. yours and mine. Now with Romney’s strategic pick of Paul Ryan for VP, author of the most extreme budget plan in history, it becomes even more clear that the upcoming presidential race is about Money, i.e. who gets to keep theirs and who doesn’t. Under Paul Ryan’s “The Path to Prosperity,” the rich become richer at the expense of just about everyone else: working class and middle class families, vulnerable seniors, children in need, the disabled, the unemployed, veterans, students, police and firefighters, teachers, women…. Murph’s Fortnightly Quote “The healthy man does not torture others — generally it is the tortured who turn into torturers.” — Carl Jung (1875-1961) psychiatrist, psychologist
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Under a Romney/Ryan presidency, who is left standing? Clearly, only the very rich. It is hard to imagine why anyone belonging to any of the above groups would vote for the R & R ticket. Unless, of course, they have been brainwashed by the distortions aired over and over again on television, paid for, of course, by Super PACs (i.e. the very wealthy who have everything to gain from electing a team that is committed to furthering tax cuts for the very wealthy). Speaking of money, The New York Times reports that Paul Ryan has links to major conservative and libertarian donors who are planning to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to put their candidates in office. It is time We, The People reclaim our Democracy. Beth Olshansky Durham, NH § Romney/Ryan Cuts To the Editor: Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has chosen a vice presidential running mate whose values are out of touch with the majority of Americans. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin is greatly admired by his fellow Republicans. However, as a congressman he proposed a budget that would effectively rip away health care, services, and income from our most vulnerable populations. Ryan’s budget is not about savMore Hate Mail, &c. to page six
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Page 6 - The New Hampshire Gazette - Friday, August 24, 2012
Northcountry Chronicle
In Praise of Dirt by William Marvel
T
he driving thunderstorms of last week played havoc with dirt roads in Carroll County. On Friday the town trucks in Conway, Eaton, and Freedom were all out tailgating gravel and spreading it with York rakes and Frontunners. Torrents of rain had carved out great gullies, especially along the steeper slopes around Foss Mountain and Young’s Hill, and to some extent here on Davis Hill, but before the day was out the crews had repaired most of the damage. When Scott Johnstone was our town engineer he would remark occasionally that our dirt roads were “a maintenance problem,” as though he wished he could have them paved. He gave up that complaint eventually, after he was made to understand the fierce affection with which dirt roads are regarded by those who have chosen to live along them.
I’ve spent most of my life off the blacktop. Until I was eight or nine, the road to our house turned to deep mud every spring, and we had to park at the bottom of the hill, walking the last half-mile. On grocery day my father and I each took old canvas backpacks, and once I was sent back to the truck to find a package of lunch meat I had dropped on the way up the hill. I remember exactly where I found it: there’s a driveway there now. Around 1957 or ‘58 the town finally added enough gravel to the roadbase that we could drive all the way home year-round, if the snow wasn’t too deep. Until the middle of the 1980s, the maintained road ended at our house, and those who continued on down the other side of the hill risked sinking into the mud or, in summer, puncturing something in the undercarriage. In my youth I once ruined an engine when the raised, grassy mound in the
middle of the road ripped out the rubber replacement plug in the oil pan. The oil light had burned out, and I knew nothing about it until the engine seized up. We still drove down the “back way” to town on occasion. From our location it was a mile shorter, although it took longer to navigate, but there was always a better chance of seeing some wildlife. The selectmen considered abandoning that portion of the road around 1985, and frankly the town would have been a lot better off if they had done so. The development that followed their decision to keep the road brought us hundreds of the most demanding, service-greedy residents Conway has ever known, for whom we soon had to provide a new elementary school and fire station — just for starters. Our portion of the road, at least, remains unpaved. It serves as an exercise corridor for platoons of fashionably costumed,
health-conscious women from what we sarcastically refer to as the Goshen Boulevard neighborhood, some of whom trot behind strollers draped in mosquito netting. Pedestrian traffic is welcome on a dirt road, though, as a reminder to those other suburban refugees and late-for-work carpenters’ helpers who mistake those narrow rural byways for a shortcut, and a safe place to speed. The entire ethic of life on a dirt road revolves around taking things slowly, but lately we’ve had a few immigrants who never absorbed that concept. One very pleasant and polite boy probably doesn’t even realize that his Daytona driving habits have seriously undermined the good impression of his personal demeanor. Between Friday’s showers we spent a few hours walking the dirt roads in Eaton and Freedom. Some of them peter out into Class VI tracks even more rutted
and rugged than the back side of Davis Hill used to be. The occasional fieldstone cellar hole speaks to the determination, or perhaps desperation, of hillside farmers who either had to provide everything for themselves and their families or drag it by oxcart up several miles of precipitous, narrow, muddy roads. Whole communities looked down on the valleys below them, with their own schools and artisans and backwoods chapels, depending on pedlars for what little they could not make, and descending to the town once or twice a year to sell some surplus crop for what cash their simple wants required. Gone now are those mountain families’ pastures, their homes, and their independent ways. Everything they knew and represented has disappeared, except a few roads through woods that the conquering culture has so far found too inconvenient to pave and pillage.
MoreMash Notes, Hate Mail, And Other Correspondence, from Page Five ing money or reducing the deficit, however: under the same plan, tax breaks for people who accrue capital gains from investments are preserved and expanded however. In other words, Ryan believes that budget savings should come on the back of everyone but the wealthiest Americans. Among other cuts, a Romney/ Ryan budget would end Medicare as we know it by turning it into a voucher system, shifting thousands of dollars in health care costs to seniors. Under this plan, seniors’ health costs would increase by $6,350 a year. Ryan has also proposed a plan that would have privatized Social Security, forcing seniors to gamble their retirement savings on Wall Street.
These harsh proposals are difficult to reconcile with Ryan’s claim to be led by the principles of his Catholic faith. (Although on most issues, Ryan seems to prefer libertarianism over Catholicism, apparently when it comes to women’s rights he prefers government control. He has supported legislation in the past to ban certain contraceptives and to outlaw abortion even in the case of rape or incest.) Ryan’s inconsistencies have not gone unnoticed by his fellow Catholics. In fact, earlier this year, two Catholic bishops, Bishop Stephen E. Blair and Bishop Richard E. Pates of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, wrote to Congress alarmed that the Ryan budget failed to
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meet certain “moral criteria” that many Catholics hold dear. They pointed out that cutting funds, as Rep. Ryan’s budget would do, for affordable housing, nutrition programs, SNAP-food stamps, and the Child Tax Credit would “hurt hungry children, poor families, low income workers and other vulnerable people” in society. Ryan, like his boss Romney, should come clean about his true values. Voters need to know that a Romney and Ryan administration would hurt seniors, low-income families, and the middle class by making massive cuts to programs, many of which we have already paid for. Their true intent is to end vital government programs to help pay for tax cuts to million-
aires and billionaires. Julia Rodriguez Durham, NH § Disappointed in Guinta To the Editor: Congressman Frank Guinta continues to show a serious lack of honesty regarding what he says and what he does. This month, Congressman Guinta published an editorial in a New Hampshire newspaper stating that Congress should not adjourn on its summer recess, but should stay in session to work on the many issues that Congress has failed to act upon. While in Washington D.C., Guinta actually voted that very same day to adjourn Congress — the very thing he railed
against in print! But that’s not the first time. Earlier this spring and again in Washington D.C., Guinta voted to cut funds from the Meals on Wheels program, but then showed up at an elderly housing project in Somersworth to have his picture taken delivering “Meals on Wheels” and praising the same program his vote harmed. In the last election, candidate Guinta criticized his opponent for abusing the free Congressional postage system in an effort to help get re-elected. In 2010, candidate Guinta said he was running “to eliminate waste and reel in unnecessary spending” and promised he would make “common sense adjustment in spend-
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To Save The Tree, Nurture The Grassroots by Jim Hightower ashington keeps handing massive bailouts to Wall Street giants and multibilliondollar annual subsidies to the likes of Big Oil, which is a nice boost to the bottom lines of the 1-percenters. But these giveaways do nothing to perk up America’s grassroots economy, which not only is where the rest of us live and work, but also is the only place that can
generate real national prosperity. Congress can’t seem to grasp a basic law of nature: you can’t keep a mighty tree alive (much less expect it to thrive) by only spritzing the fine leaves at its tippy-top. The fate of the whole tree depends on nurturing the grassroots. Sadly, America’s corporate and political powers today are content to be a bunch of leaf spritzers, blithely oblivious to the dangerous shriveling of the grassroots. To
witness the damage they’re doing, just look at our nation’s desiccated minimum wage. Set at $7.25 an hour three years ago, its real value has since been gutted by inflation, reducing the wage’s current purchasing power to a sub-poverty level of $6.75 an-hour. That’s only $14,000 a year for full-time work! Not only would increasing it help these hard-working people make ends meet, but it also would provide a
direct jolt of nourishment to our overall economy. It’s been shown again and again that every dime of a minimum-wage hike is spent by its recipients, circulating upward in our local economies as they increase their purchases of such basics as food, kids’ clothing, and health care. This kind of percolate-up economics works for the many, not just the wealthiest few — and that helps (at least minimally) to
restore a bit of moral balance to an economy and society now being torn apart by gross inequality. For more information on raising today’s poverty wage, go to: www. TimeForARaise.org. § Copyright 2012 by Jim Hightower & Associates. Contact Laura Ehrlich (laura@jimhightower.com) for more information. §
ing levels.” However, once elected, Congressman Guinta quickly became one of the top-spending members of Congress in mailings done at taxpayer expense. In just over a year, Congressman Guinta’s office spent $308,000 on mailings of large, glossy color flyers that look much more like campaign ads than a Congressional report. Congressman Guinta is afraid to be honest, even when he sends pre-recorded “robo” phone calls to voters. He identifies himself as “candidate” Frank Guinta, running against Congresswoman Carol Shea Porter. The message is doubly dishonest. First, it is he, Frank Guinta, who is the current member of Congress, not Shea Porter. Second, he is really running against Rick Parent in the Republican Party primary this September. Rick Parent has called the Congressman out on the lingering Federal Election Commission investigation of Guinta’s 2010 loan to his campaign of $355,000 — an amount that he failed to note in his campaign finance disclosure forms. Congressman Frank Guinta’s words and actions meet the definition of hypocrisy, which is “the condition of a person pretending to be something he is not; a false presentation of belief or feeling.” Congressman Guinta has shown himself to be just another two-
faced Washington politician who claims to be “working for New Hampshire.” New Hampshire and the First District deserve better than this. Mark Vallone Epping, NH Mark: About all that can be said for Frank Guinta is that when it comes to terrible, horrible, no-good excuses for a representative, he’s unmatched. Parent may be running against him in the primary, but he’s currently praising him at rickparentforcongress.com. Confused much, Rick? The Editor § It’s Simple (But Ill-Informed) To the Editor: Let’s talk simply. The undisputed $716,000,000,000 billion being cut from Medicare is so that money can be used to pay for the new people Obamacare is planned to cover. It comes out of doctor and hospital reimbursements which simply means that many doctors will stop taking Medicare patients because the government is not going to pay for even the cost to care for them. The same with hospitals, except the hospitals will just go out of business. In other words, many, many current seniors on Medicare will not be serviced. This is how Obama is saying he will reduce
costs. Ignoring the needs of the “too old” seniors. There is a much better way and that is the Ryan/ Wyden plan. John Sangenario Hampton, NH John: Jeez, Louise — is there any scaremongering, Right Wing claptrap that you don’t believe? The Editor § The Farcical Flat Tax To the Editor: Fellow Americans, there’s been a proposal before Congress for over a decade that would put America on track to a swift and permanent economic recovery. Congress won’t pass it unless we demand it. Its adoption would drastically reduce elected politicians’ power and control over U.S. citizens. It’s called the Fair Tax. Adoption of the Fair Tax would (1) do away with the IRS, (2) put American businesses on a level playing field with their global competition, (3) ensure those living below the poverty level pay no taxes, (4) bring both capital and jobs back to America, (5) ensure everyone pays their fair share including tourists and those in the country illegally and (6) result in an economic boom. From page 106 of The Fair Tax Book: “Economists estimate that in the first year after the Fair Tax
Act becomes law, the economy will grow 10.5 percent. Exports will grow by 26 percent. Capital spending will increase by more than 70 percent.” Every candidate running for congressional office must be asked about their support of the Fair Tax at every opportunity; Town Hall meetings, public appearances and every debate. Read the book, push hard and the Fair Tax could be adopted soon. Glen Terrell Arlington, TX Glen: The flat tax is modern fiscal snake oil. The book you cite was written by Neal Boortz, who is to public policy what Charles Manson is to public safety. The Editor § Repeating History To the Editor: There is so much brouhaha from Republicans Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan about the dangers of raising taxes on our most fortunate citizens. We are warned such a move would be a job killer; that it will adversely affect Wall St, sinking the Stock Market. Conversely, we are told that cutting taxes on the top 1 percent will result in a flush of new jobs and other beneficial economically beneficial activity. But history shows otherwise. In
1980 when Ronald Reagan was elected the nation’s budget deficit was $75 billion. Soon a large tax cut especially benefiting the rich was signed into law. Unemployment figures hardly budged only improving .02 percent. Twelve years later Bill Clinton was elected president with the country experiencing a major recession and the budget deficit had more than tripled to $260 billion. So, it was decided to do two major things: closely look at federal spending and identify and eliminate wasteful programs, and raise taxes on the wealthiest and most fortunate Americans. What happened as a result? Over 22 million jobs were added. Plus, George W. Bush was handed a $230 billion budget surplus! Eight years later, after Bush’s ruinous two terms, the deficit was back to $250 billion, we had two unpaid for wars (never included in the budget), and an economic meltdown of epic proportions. So, there seems to be a disconnect between what Republicans continue to say and what actually happens when they are in charge. There is a saying: ignore history and you are doomed to repeat it. The Republican portion of America lives in their own ideology, not reality. The result: Disaster. Mark Whitney South Deerfield, MA
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Page 8 - The New Hampshire Gazette - Friday, August 24, 2012
Admiral Fowle’s Piscataqua River Tidal Guide (Not for Navigational Purposes) Portsmouth, arguably the first town in this country not founded by religious extremists, is bounded on the north and east by the Piscataqua River, the second, third, or fourth fastest-flowing navigable river in the country, depending on
who you choose to believe. The Piscataqua’s ferocious current is caused by the tide, which, in turn, is caused by the moon. The other player is a vast sunken valley — Great Bay — about ten miles upriver. Twice a day, the moon
drags about seventeen billion gallons of seawater — enough to fill 2,125,000 tanker trucks — up the river and into Great Bay. This creates a roving hydraulic conflict, as incoming sea and the outgoing river collide. The skirmish line
moves from the mouth of the river, up past New Castle, around the bend by the old Naval Prison, under Memorial Bridge, past the tugboats, and on into Great Bay. This can best be seen when the tide is rising.
Twice a day, too, the moon lets all that water go. All the seawater that just fought its way upstream goes back home to the ocean. This is when the Piscataqua earns its title for xth fastest current. Look for the red buoy, at the upstream
end of Badger’s Island, bobbing around in the current. It weighs several tons, and it bobs and bounces in the current like a cork. The river also has its placid moments, around high and low tides. When the river rests, its tugboats
and bridges work their hardest. Ships coming in laden with coal, oil, and salt do so at high tide, for more clearance under their keels. They leave empty, riding high in the water, at low tide, to squeeze under Memorial Bridge.
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2005—The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard gets a stay of execution. 1980—Ex-Luftwaffe pilot John Birges, attempting to recoup his gambling losses, plants a half-ton bomb at Harvey’s Resort Hotel in Stateline, NV. 1969—Canada decriminalizes sodomy. 1969—With just weeks left to go in Vietnam, the NHNG’s 197th Field Artillery loses five men in a single incident. 1968—Mayor Richard Daley formally opens the 1968 Democratic National Convention as his cops bust heads outside. 1967—Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze” is released escapes. 1965—Last day getting married could improve your draft status. 1935—The United Auto Workers union is founded. 1924—Wanderer, the last sailing whaleship to leave New Bedford, drags her anchor and is lost while sitting out a storm off Cutthunk. 1920—Nineteenth Amendment is ratified; women can vote now. 1919—Company goons shoot United Mine Workers’ Fannie Sellins in Brackenridge, PA. 1883—Krakatoa begins a threeday eruption; tens of thousands die, 13 percent less sunlight reaches the earth during the following year. 1858—The first news dispatch is sent by telegraph.
1991—A fifteen-member committee of the American Bar Association rates Clarence Thomas as a candidate for U.S. Supreme Court: none rate him “well-qualified,” two rate him “not qualified.” 1984—Ronald Reagan announces that he will put a teacher in space. 1980—FBI agents, attempting to defuse a half-ton bomb at Harvey’s Resort Hotel in Nevada, cause it to explode. No one is injured. 1979—The IRA uses a radiocontrolled bomb to assassinate Earl Mountbatten, British Admiral of the Fleet, and kill three others aboard his yacht off Ireland. 1975—Veronica and Colin Scargill complete a tandem bicycle ride around the world. 1972—U.S. planes bomb Haiphong harbor. 1968—Democrats nominate Hubert Humphrey for President as cops and protesters do battle. 1949—As an anti-Communist mob attacks the audience at a Paul Robeson concert in Peekskill, NY, three FBI agents passively look on. 1938—Becoming increasingly restive at a poetry reading by Archibald MacLeish, Robert Frost sets fire to a handful of papers. 1928—In Paris, sixty nations sign the Kellog-Briand Pact and outlaw war forever. 1903—U.S. troops are ordered to Beirut to “protect U.S. interests.”
2009—Saudi Deputy Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef barely escapes assassination. 2003—After he’s made to rob a Pennsylania bank, pizza deliveryman Brian Wells is killed by a time bomb fastened to his neck. 1963—At the Lincoln Memorial, half a million people hear Martin Luther King call to let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire … . 1961—The 5th Conference of the Situationist International convenes in Göteborg, Sweden. 1955—During a visit to his family in Money, MS, fourteen year-old Chicagoan Emmett Till is murdered by whites for speaking inappropriately to a white woman. 1947—A bull in Linares, Spain helps even the score by fatally goring Manolete. 1922—WEAF in New York earns $100 for airing the first paid radio commercial: a ten minute plug for the Queensboro Realty Company. 1919—The mayor of Seattle demands, “hang or incarcerate all anarchists for life.” 1918—Big Bill Haywood and 14 other Wobblies get 20 years for draft obstruction. 1884—The first known photograph of a tornado is taken in Howard, SD. 1833—Britain abolishes slavery throughout the Empire.
2007—Sloppy accounting results in an Air Force B-52 taking off from Minot AFB in North Dakota with some extra cargo on board: six loose nukes. 2006—George W. Bush tells NBC interviewer Brian Williams, “I’ve got an ek-a-lec-tic reading list.” 2005—Katrina slams New Orleans as FEMA dozes. 1996—The day Bill Clinton accepts the Democratic nomination for a second term, his political advisor Dick Morris resigns because it’s been revealed he paid a whore $200/hr. to let him suck her toes. 1977—Memphis nabs 3 for trying to steal Elvis’ corpse. 1968—A week-long riot erupts at the Long Binh Jail in Vietnam; 115 MPs and prisoners are injured, one prisoner is killed. 1957—Sen. Strom Thurmond (RSC) ends a record-setting 24 hour and 18 minute filibuster. The Civil Rights Act passes despite him. 1956—Jesus Christ “GG” Allin, the most depraved punk rocker in history, is born in Lancaster, NH. 1956—The GOP announces it will henceforth refer to the Democratic Party as the Democrat Party. 1949—Soviets pop an A-Bomb. 1907—An eight million pound miscalculation, dismissed by a supervising engineer 440 miles away in NYC, causes the Quebec Bridge to collapse, killing 75 workers.
2004—The Republican Party holds its Presidential Convention in New York City to milk all they can out of 9/11. Patriotic attendees mock wounded veterans by wearing “Purple Heart” band-aids. 1979—Attacked by a crazed rabbit while vacationing in Georgia, Jimmy Carter is forced to defend himself with a canoe paddle. 1979—First recorded instance of a comet hitting the sun. 1968—“I want to pack my bags and get out of this city,” says Walter Cronkite as Mayor Daley’s finest clobber citizens. 1967—Thurgood Marshall is sworn in as America’s first black Supreme Court Justice. 1964—At the Democratic Convention, an all-white delegation from Mississippi is seated while a black protest delegation isn’t. 1963—A “Hot Line” is set up between the White House and the Kremlin. 1959—Parties loyal to Ngo Dinh Diem win control of Vietnamese National Assembly. 1943—R. Crumb is born. 1918—Would-be assassin Fanya Kaplan shoots V.I. Lenin. 1893—Huey “The Kingfish” Long is born in Winnfield, LA. 1813—At Ft. Mims, AL, drunken officers are playing cards when 800 Creeks attack. About 15 out of 500 whites survive.
1986—Levan Merrit, 5, falls into the cage of Jambo the Gorilla on the Isle of Jersey. Jambo guards the unconscious boy until he regains consciouness and is retrieved. 1973—The Gainesville Eight, antiwar vets charged with conspiracy to riot at the 1972 Republican National Convention, are acquitted. 1968—In a suburb of Montreal, grade school students demanding reforms occupy their school. 1965—Lyndon Johnson signs a bill outlawing draft card burning. 1954—Hurricane Carol slams New England; 65 die. 1948—Robert Mitchum is busted for possession of pot. He’ll serve sixty days. 1939—German operatives carry out 21 false flag attacks along the Polish border. 1925—After an 11 year occupation, U.S. Marines depart from Haiti, leaving a dictatorship behind. 1920—The first American radio news program is broadcast, on station 8MK in Detroit. 1919—The American Communist Party is formed in Chicago. 1895—Julius Wyland commences publication of the socialist paper, An Appeal to Reason. 1869—In Ireland, Mary (King) Ward is thrown from a steampowered automobile and run over, becoming the first person known to have been killed by a car.
2005—In a radio interview, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin tells George W. Bush and FEMA to “get off your asses and do something” about his flooded city. 1989—Narcs trying for the third time to score some crack near the White House for a George H.[H.] W. Bush presidential photo-op get their dope but miss the film—their camera operator gets mugged by a homeless person. 1983—The USSR shoots down Korean Air Flight 007. Among the victims: John Birch Society President and Congressman Larry McDonald (R-GA). 1976—Rep. Wayne Hays (D-OH), the “meanest man in Congress” and one of the most powerful, resigns three months after a sex scandal revealed by his secretary/mistress, whom he treated shabbily. 1971—The Pittsburgh Pirates field a major league first: a lineup of nine black ballplayers. 1956—The U.S. begins to train the South Vietnamese Army. 1947—In Berlin, 3,000 demonstrate for “No More War.” 1932—NYC Mayor Jimmy Walker, a Democrat, resigns rather than face corruption charges. 1894—Thomas P. “Boston” Corbett, the self-castrating Cavalryman who shot John Wilkes Booth, dies in Hinckley, MN along with 800 others in a four-hour firestorm.
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1984—Mashantucket Pequots buy 650 acres in eastern Connecticut, to resume the old tribal ways. 1983—Eight minutes after poison gas is released, Miss. prison officials clear the witness room; Jimmy Lee Gray is gasping, moaning, and banging his head on a steel pole. 1967—Maj. (Ret.) Paddy Roy Bates displaces a rival pirate radio team from an unused military platform off the southeast coast of England and declares it the sovereign nation of Sealand. 1957—Gov. Orval Faubus calls out the National Guard to keep blacks out of Little Rock High. 1945—VJ Day—Japan surrenders to Douglas MacArthur aboard a battleship named after Harry Truman’s home state. 1945—Cribbing freely from Jefferson, Ho Chi Minh declares Vietnam independent of France. 1935—Already routed from Washington, D.C. by Gen. MacArthur, 259 veterans working on the Overseas Highway are among the dead when the Labor Day Hurricane hits the Florida Keys. 1921—Mine owners in West Virginia respond to strikers by dropping bombs from airplanes. 1925—The airship U.S.S. Shenandoah leaves New Jersey bound for Michigan, against the wishes of her commander, concerned about bad weather ahead.
2003—Paul Hill, whose fervent pro-life beliefs inspired him to murder Dr. John Britton, is killed by the state of Florida to demonstrate that life is sacred. 2002—Donald Rumsfeld says the Bush Administration has evidence that Iraq is developing nukes. But it’s secret. So there. 1973—A milk producers’ coop delivers a check to cover the cost of the “Plumbers” burglary of Daniel Ellsberg’s shrink’s office to a meeting attended by R. Nixon. 1971—Employees of President Richard Nixon break into the office of Daniel Ellsberg’s psychiatrist. 1967—Woody Guthrie dies in New York at 52. 1925—The airship U.S.S. Shenandoah crashes in Ohio due to bad weather; 14 officers and men die. 1860—U.S. citizen and ex-dictator of Nicaragua William Walker & his private army invade Honduras. 1833—Benjamin Day publishes the first successful penny paper, the New York Sun. 1813—“Uncle Sam” makes his first appearance in the Troy, (NY) Post. 1783—The Treaty of Paris is signed, ending the Revolutionary War. 1752—By an act of Parliament, the Gregorian calendar is adopted in Britain and the colonies. Londoners, thinking they’ve been robbed of 11 days of their lives, riot and holler, “Give us our 11 days back!”
2006—Aussie Steve “The Crocodile Hunter” Irwin is killed by a stingray while diving on the Great Barrier Reef. 1987—Eighteen year-old West German Mathias Rust lands a small plane in Red Square. 1976—George W. Bush, future President, is arrested in Kennebunk, ME for driving drunk. 1973—Nixon flunkies Erlichman and Liddy are indicted for burgling a shrink’s office. 1970—Two hundred Vietnam Veterans Against the War begin Operation RAW (Rapid American Withdrawal) a four-day guerilla theater march to Valley Forge, PA. 1967—“I just had the greatest brainwashing that anyone can get … [in] Vietnam,” says Gov. George Romney (R-MI), “they do a very thorough job.” 1957— National Guard troops in Little Rock stand and watch as a white mob threatens to lynch a black girl trying to enter Central High school. 1918—U.S. troops land at Archangel, Russia, to “protect American interests.” 1886—Geronimo, chief of the Chiricahua Apache, surrenders at Skeleton Canyon in the Arizona Territory; it’s the end of the major resistance. 1833—The [NY] Sun hires Barney Flaherty, America’s first newsboy.
2005—Visiting Houston, Barbara Bush says Hurricane Katrina was “working very well” for thousands of homeless refugees. 2002—Portsmouth loses Jay Smith, creator of the Press Room, defender and supporter of The Music Hall. 2001—Rep. Joe Scarborough (RFla.) resigns after being accused of cheating on his wife with teenage prostitutes. 1993—Birmingham News reveals that, according to the Southern Baptist Convention, 46.1 percent of Alabamans are going to Hell. 1990—LA Police Chief Darryl Gates tell the Senate Judiciary Committee that “casual drug users should be taken out and shot.” 1975—Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, dressed as a nun, points an unloaded .45 at Gerry Ford. 1957—Jack Kerouac’s On The Road is published. 1939—Dalton Trumbo’s Johnny Got His Gun is published. 1931—Consolidated Edison worker George Metesky is injured on the job. Denied Workmen’s Compensation, “The Mad Bomber” plants 32 bombs over a 16 year period before he is caught. 1930—“Hurry it up you Hoosier bastard,” demands serial killer Carl Panzram of his executioner at Leavenworth. “I could hang a dozen men while you’re screwing around.”
2008—The Federal Housing Finance Authority announces it’s taking over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. 2007—FBI agents arrest Ponzi schemer, fugitive from justice, and major Democratic Party donationbundler Norman Hsu. 2004—“Too many OB-GYNs are not able to practice their love with women all across this country,” says George W. Bush. 2003—Careless Lockheed Martin workers drop a $233 million weather satellite, causing $135 million worth of damage. 2002—Explaining why the administration had been silent all summer on its plan to make war on Iraq, White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card says, “From a marketing point of view, you don’t introduce new products in August.” 1978—House opens hearings on assassinations of JFK & MLK. On Dec. 30 they conclude conspiracies were likely. 1961—Bob Dylan debuts at the Gaslight, NYC. 1959—“Dying is easy,” says actor Edmund Gwenn, dying. “Comedy is difficult.” 1949—World War II vet and devout churchgoer Howard Unruh kills 13 of his NJ neighbors in 12 minutes. 1941—All German Jews over 6 are ordered to wear a yellow star.
2000—[“When I am President, we] will not have our veterans standing in line waiting for benefits that they’ve been promised,” says G.W. Bush. Not true. 1996—Two women walk into the Norfolk (VA) Naval Base with a banner reading “Love Your Enemies.” They’re arrested. 1978—In London, an umbrellawielding KGB agent gives Bulgarian defector Georgi Markov a fatal jab in the leg. 1970—“Plant one, plant two [Secret Service agents] on [Ted Kennedy],” Richard Nixon says to aides. “We might just get lucky and catch this son-of-a-bitch—ruin him for ‘76. It’s going to be fun.” 1964—Lyndon Johnson’s infamous “Daisy Ad,” is aired, once, during NBC’s “Monday Night at the Movies.” 1960—The Rev. Norman Vincent Peale opines that any Catholic president would be “under extreme pressure from the hierarchy of his church.” 1914—French generals send 6,000 infantrymen from Paris to the Battle of the Marne in taxicabs. They hold the line, saving the city. 1892—John Greenleaf Whittier dies in Hampton Falls, NH. 1876—The James/Younger Gang attempts to rob banks in Northfield, MN, with a notable lack of success.
2005—Dr. Ben Marble achieves the new American Dream, telling Dick “Dick” Cheney, live on CNN, “Go f__k yourself, Mr. Cheney.” 2005—A memorial tribute to former Quebec premier Lucien Bouchard, being broadcast on a Canadian radio station, is cut short when the station is informed he is not dead. 2002—The N.Y. Times publishes an erroneous story about aluminum tubes based on a false leak from the Bush Administration. Later that day the story is cited by four Administration officials as proof that Iraqi has nuclear ambitions. 1978—The Shah of Iran uses U.S.made tanks and helicopter gunships to put down the Black Friday riots in Tehran; 89 die. Six months later the Ayatollah’s in charge. 1974—President Gerald Ford pardons ex-President Richard Nixon for any crimes he “committed or may have committed” as president. 1974—Evel Knievel rides a rocketpowered motorcycle partway across the Snake River Canyon. 1972—In exchange for a $200,000 contribution from Ray A. Kroc to R. Nixon’s reelection campaign, the Federal Price Commission gives McDonalds permission, which it had denied on May 21, to raise the price of a quarter pounder. 1965—Farmworkers begin a strike against grape growers.
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“Salt is born of the purest of parents: the sun and the sea.” — Pythagoras (580-500 BC)
Therapeutic Massage, Aromatherapy & Bodywork 150 Congress Street Portsmouth, NH 603-766-FISH
Jill Vranicar• Kate Leigh
16 Market Square, Portsmouth, NH
(603) 436-6006
Next to City Hall in Downtown Dover, NH 3 Hale Street j (603) 742-1737
Since 2011
7 Commercial Alley ~ 766-1616 www.portsmouthsaltcellar.com
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