03/07/2024 Weirs Times

Get Ready FoR New HampsHiRe maple weekeNd

The Annual Maple Sugar Weekend will be taking place next weekend, Saturday and Sunday, March 16th and 17th.

You will be able to stop by many great participating sugar houses and learn about the age old craft of maple sugaring.

Many of the sugar houses will be offering free samples of their delicious maple syrup as well as free samples of other great maple made items like candies and confections. Some loca -

tions will also be offering coffee and doughnuts as well as pancake breakfasts as well as other attractions and activities.

There are well over one hundred different maple sugaring sites across New Hampshire.

To find out more and to locate a Maple Sugaring location near you go to nhmapleproducers. com/directory or go to nhmaplemap.com

Happy Maple Weekend.

Boat Certificate Class In Moultonborough

Last week’s paper had these classses being held in Wolefboro. We apologize for the error.

On Saturday, March 9th and Saturday, March 23 from 9am4pm, the New Hampshire Boat Museum (NHBM) will host a NH Marine Patrol Boat Certificate Class at their new campus at 130 Whittier Hwy, Moultonborough

Designed for ages 16 and older, the class covers various topics, including boat navigation, boat safety equipment, and invasive aquatic species along with laws and rules. On New Hampshire waters, anyone 16 years of age and older who oper-

ates a motorboat with more than 25 horsepower must have a valid boating education certificate.

The cost is $40. To register, visit nhbm.org/boatcertificate. Founded in 1992 by antique and classic boating enthusiasts, NHBM offers engaging experiences and practical education both on and off the water for people of all ages.

Young boy gathering sap from sugar trees for making maple syrup circa 1940. Library of Congress photo.

The Story of a City Named Ichabod

To The Editor:

When folks visited or new people moved in, they wondered how the respectable, friendly, and prosperous city got its nameIchabod. No one seemed to know except to say it was prophetic.

In the course of time the people elected officials who abandoned the laws and policies that had made the city successful and exchanged them for laws and policies which had a record of miserable failure. But the people didn’t seem to care. One immediate result was a virtual invasion of people from many places who came illegally and overwhelmed the city, drawn by the promise of fantastic welfare benefits for all. Soon available money ran out and really high taxes were levied but in all this the people didn’t seem to care.

Other policies created inflation which resulted in the wealth of all to be diminished. Available energy was purposely cut off and replacement energy purchased at higher cost meant higher prices for everything. But people didn’t seem to care.

An education system driven more by fantasy than reality brought change home as parents were told to excuse animal-like behavior and gender identity confusion as the new normal. Most did not seem to care.

As life in Ichabod continued to deteriorate with its population mourning hopelessly, its people did not realize they had been reduced to serfdom and that the

“administrative state” otherwise known as communist dictatorship, was in complete control of their likes, assets, and future.

As folks from away watched this spectacle, they became alarmed and sent experts to search for the causes. They discovered the city was under a spell of an invisible, odorless gas made up of 5 substances: ignorance, apathy, complacency, carelessness, and self-delusion. The new people in charge invited the outside spectators to a ceremony inaugurating the new regime during which a time capsule was opened.

Among the papers was found one marked “Prophecy of Ichabod”. The reading: the future of Ichabod is revealed in the meaning of the word which is, “the glory is departed”. And people didn’t seem to care. All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing.

Edward Jaworski Concord, NH.

Laconia Public Hearing

To The Editor:

The Laconia City Council is considering purchasing two thirds of the 601 Main Street building located next to the Colonial Theater. This building - the Antique Center - belongs to State Rep, Charlie St Clair. Supposedly he has not been able to sell the building prior to this, though it is not listed for sale.

The $800,000 price tag would come from Invest NH dollars, part of the American Rescue Plan Act.

My understanding is the main focus is on giving the theater more space for things like props, dressing rooms and larger events, and to ease traffic congestion in that area. The other part of the building would be purchased by a restaurateur. No price tag for that, or the name of the restaurateur, has been revealed yet.

On March 25th there will be a public hearing at town hall regarding the details of this purchase. Remember, when the city buys real estate, essentially that means all the property owners in Laconia will technically be the default owners of it going forward. There are many questions to be asked, starting with what will the immediate and future construction and maintenance costs be to allow this space to be utilized by the theater and by the city should they decide to subdivide it? How does that affect resident’s property taxes? What about the loss in tax revenue from the current owner after the sale once the city takes over? Will those taxes have to be made up by the property taxpayers in Laconia? Will it result in higher valuations?

Sure, there are bonds and TIFF funding, but more scrutiny as to the above mentioned issues needs to happen before the purchase, as this would be a long term commitment.

Attend the public hearing to find out. The devil is in the details.

MaryAnn Pumilia Laconia

Exploring ThE lEgEnd & lorE of our graniTE STaTE

by Robert Hanaford Smith, Sr. Contributing Writer

The word compromise is has been in the news in the early weeks of this year of 2024. Politicians have had to answer the question, “Do I compromise or do I take an ‘I will not be moved’ stand on the issue at hand?”

That was the choice that United States Senators had to make concerning the issue of slavery in 1850 and it is the choice United States Senators and Congressmen are called upon to make concerning other

issues like abortion, foreign aid and illegal immigration in 2024.

In the 1850 United States Senate New Hampshire native Daniel Webster was a key player at a time when the nation faced possible secession of southern states over the subject of slavery. A speech by Webster in that year

has since been known as the “Seventh of March” speech. It was a speech that lasted for three and one half hours and led to action by the legislature called “The 1850 Compromise.”

The reality in 1850 was that the United States had come into the ownership of large tracts of land to the

west as a consequence of war with Mexico and there was concern from the north that those territories might accept slavery and concern in the south that settlers in those new territories would not be allowed to own slaves. California had become occupied by

Illustration of Daniel Webster giving Seventh of March speech.

EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

“First Ladies Of Disco” At Lakeport Opera House

Two-time Grammy nominee Martha Wash (the voice of C&C Music Factory, Black Box, and The Weather Girls), Norma Jean Wright formerly of Chic and legendary disco soul singer Linda Clifford will take the stage together in First Ladies of Disco: The Ultimate Flashback Experience, Friday, March 15 at the Lakeport Opera House in Laconia, New Hampshire. Produced by James Washington and presented by DoKWA Productions, the show will be a night of unforgettable music, fun, and laughter with the ladies singing and performing their greatest hits while honoring the iconic artists who played a vital role in shaping the disco-funk-soul-pop-dance genre of the 70s, 80s, and 90s.

Joining the First Ladies of Disco for the once-in-a-lifetime evening will be special guest performers: Grammy nominee Anita Ward (“Ring My Bell”) and the hilarious actress and comedian Marsha Warfield (best known for playing Roz Russell on NBC’s Night Court and most recently seen on Netflix’s The Upshaws).

Known collectively as the First Ladies of Disco, Martha, Linda and Norma Jean Wright formerly of Chic are well-known to fans who came up during the soul, disco, funk and dance music eras. Two-time Grammy nominee Martha Wash recorded and performed the classic dance hits “It’s Raining Men,” “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now),” “Everybody, Everybody,” and “Strike It Up” for the groups The Weather Girls, C&C Music Factory and Black Box respectively.

In the 1990s, after her vocals were misrepresented to the public, Wash famously worked for legislation that made vocal credits on CDs and other recordings mandatory. Today, Ms. Wash is an activist for her fellow musicians, while recording and touring as a solo artist extensively. Norma Jean Wright formerly of Chic was a vocalist with the legendary group behind hits including “Dance Dance Dance” and “Everybody Dance”, before embarking on a solo career that featured her hit song “Saturday,” produced by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers. She has worked as a vocalist for luminaries such as Aretha Franklin, Luther Vandross, Sister Sledge, Chaka Khan, and others.

Linda Clifford’s hits include “If My Friends Could See Me Now”, “Red Light” from the Oscarwinning movie Fame, the chart-topping “Runaway Love” and countless club hits.

First Ladies of Disco: The Ultimate Flashback Experience takes place Friday, March 15 @ 7PM at the Lakeport Opera House, 781 Union Avenue, Laconia, New Hampshire. Tickets are available now at www.Lakeportopera.com.

Christopher Boldt To Perform With Lakes Region Symphony Orchestra

Meredith Attorney Christopher Boldt narrates Aaron Copland’s powerful “Lincoln Portrait” with the Lakes Region Symphony Orchestra on March 16th at 7pm at Inter-Lakes Auditorium in Meredith.

Boldt’s narration portrays Lincoln with excerpts from his orations including the Lincoln-Douglas debates, 1862 State of the Union Address, and the Gettysburg Address, accompanied by Copland’s inimitable orchestral sound that is uniquely American.

The concert also showcases the talents of trumpeter Adam Gallant in Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto in E-Flat Major. LRSO also performs French romantic composer Hector Berlioz’s explosive and colorful “Roman Carnival Overture”, and William Grant Still’s “Afro American Symphony”, a groundbreaking work that’s slightly classical, slightly bluesy, slightly jazzy, reflecting America at the turn of the 20th century.

Don’t miss this powerful concert by the Lakes Region Symphony Orchestra celebrating “A Salute to Freedom”. For ticket information, visit www.LRSO.org

“The Westerlies” In Wolfeboro

Wolfeboro Friends of Music continues its 88th season with one of America’s most innovative brass ensembles, ‘The Westerlies’. This premiere concert takes place at Anderson Hall, Brewster Academy, South Main Street, Wolfeboro, on Saturday, March 16th at 7pm.

The Westerlies, “an arty quartet…mixing ideas from jazz, new classical, and Appalachian folk.” (New York Times) are a New York-based brass quartet comprised of childhood friends from Seattle. From Carnegie Hall to the Baryshnikov Arts Center, The Lied Center of Kansas, the Bermuda Festival of Performing Arts, and the New York Philharmonic Sidewalk Series, The Westerlies navigate a wide array of venues and projects with the precision of a string quartet, the audacity of a rock band, and the charm of a family sing-along. Tickets are available for $35 at the website: www. wfriendsofmusic.org; at Black’s Paper & Gift Store and Avery Insurance, Main St. Wolfeboro, and at the door on the day of the concert (cash and checks only for door sales). High School students with ID will be admitted free of charge. Children accompanied by an adult ticket purchaser will be admitted free of charge. For more information, visit: www.wfriendsofmusic.org

“Women Of The NIght Sky” At Aviation Museum

Have you ever looked to the constellations and wondered about mankind’s place in the universe?

Jenny Powers, Director of Science at the Springfield Museums, invites you to ponder women’s place among the stars as well.

This Women’s History Month, hear a sneak preview of some of the stories in a show Powers is developing for the Seymour Planetarium in Springfield, Mass., which she hopes will help spark curiosity in girls and women about what lies beyond Earth’s atmosphere.

The presentation, titled ‘Women of the Night Sky,’ will take place on Thursday, March 14 at 7 p.m. at the Aviation Museum of N.H., 27 Navigator Road, Londonderry, N.H. Admission is $10 per person; museum members admitted free.

As a planetarium enthusiast, Powers has attended many shows that often focus on men as masters of the night sky, from early astronomers who first mapped the heavens to more recent times when male astronauts walked on the moon.

Powers’ goal is to create new programming that will allow girls and women to see themselves as heroines, scientists, and explorers of space in their own right.

Powers is an experienced museum professional with a focus on STEM education and the power of simple, positive interactions. She fell in love with astronomy while visiting the Seymour Planetarium at the Springfield Science Museum.

The Aviation Museum, a non-profit 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization based in the 1937 art deco passenger terminal at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, is dedicated to preserving the Granite State’s rich aviation past, and also inspiring today’s students to become the aviation and aerospace pioneers of tomorrow.

The Aviation Museum is located at 27 Navigator Road, off Harvey Road, in Londonderry, N.H. For more information, visit aviationmuseumofnh.org or call (603) 669-4877 or email ldearborn@ nhahs.org. Follow the Aviation Museum on social media at www.facebook.com/nhahs

NEW HAMPSHIRE

*A FLATLANDER’S

label makeR

by Brendan Smith Weirs Times Editor

As I grow older and have found myself with no choice but to pay attention to the health choices I make.

Not necessarily a bad thing.

Gone are the days when a sugar-filled, fast food diet energized my teenage body and the thought that I might one day actually be...gasp!!...forty years old, horrified me.

It wasn’t possible that everyone would get older; it would never happen to me. I was different.

Now, as I approach 70, my thoughts aren’t consumed with such frivolous thinking. I have taken getting older as the natural life progression that it is.

Now when I wake up in the morning, I take a deep breath, look in the mirror and say to myself: “What is that bump on my face? That wasn’t there yesterday and how in the heck did I miss that giant hair in my ear? Is it possible I have been walking around like that all week?”

Still, with age comes wisdom. Also with age comes carefully reading the labels in the supermarket.

I now am one of that club. You other members know who you are. Standing sheepishly, many of us with reading glasses, studying sodium, calorie and other important, possibly life-saving info while teenagers and twenty-somethings reach around us, a few even saying “excuse me”, to grab at things willy-nilly on the shelf.

Often when this happens I will think two things to myself:

1) How reckless, you don’t even know what you are putting in your bodies, your precious temples and 2) I’m jealous.

Of course, food labels didn’t

always exist. Our parents and grandparents somehow survived, many well into their nineties and beyond, without ever looking at a label to see what they were actually eating.

Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

Labeling for food items began in 1990 when the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act was passed. (I know this because I looked it up.)

To many, this was a great and important breakthrough.

This eventually led to the incessant possible side-effects disclaimers that accompany most drug ads. (I’m not really sure whether or not this is true, but it sounds pretty good, deadline is approaching, and I don’t have time to look that up.)

Still, I don’t think the labeling thing has gone far enough. There are a few other things that I think would serve the public well if they were labeled or preceded by disclaimers.

There should be labels on all voting booths that say: “By casting your vote you are no way guaranteed that things will get better. In fact, odds are good that not much will change.”

In that same vein, all political mailings should carry the same, modified, statements that are on natural food supplements: “These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA (Facts and Details Administration) This is not intended to treat or cure any actual problem the country or your state is facing.”

Also, I think it would be a great idea to put that little recycling logo we see on a lot of things in the corner of the TV screen every time a politician makes a speech.

Before each weather forecast there should be a disclaimer: “The following weather forecast is subject to change at a moment’s notice. Do not use this

information to actually plan your day as you are bound to be greatly disappointed.”

I think it might be wise to one day label dollar bills: “This dollar bill contains a greater percentage of your daily fiber than the actual amount of fiber you are able to buy with it.”

I think Smartphones should come with the disclaimer: “Just because it is called a Smartphone, that is no reflection on the actual intelligence, or lack thereof, by the user.”

Labelling and disclaimers work only if people really care. For most people, on a day-today basis, many of these things are ignored. In fact, most folks don’t bother paying attention to obvious signs, much less those in small print.

Maybe if some of these were more direct, people might pay attention.

I always thought it might be fun to change the sign on the 14 items or less line at the supermarket: Considerate people – 14 items or less . Rude, selfish and self-centered people –As many as you’d like.

Not sure if it would matter.

I know some of you plan your week with this column in mind so I thought I’d let you know that next week it will contain 10% protein, 30% sugar and 60% filler. (No sodium though.)

Brendan is the author of “The Flatlander Chronicles,” “The Best Of A F.O.O.L In New Hampshire” and “I Really Only Did It For The Socks- Stories & Thoughts On Aging” available at www.BrendanTSmith.com.

tHe state oF black pRoGRess

by Star Parker Syndicated Columnist

As part of Black History Month 2024, my organization, CURE, Center for Urban Renewal and Education, has announced the release of “The State of Black Progress,” published by Encounter Books.

This is a follow-up to “The State of Black America,” published by CURE in 2022.

The objective of these tomes is to showcase first-class scholarship to paint a comprehensive picture for thinking much differently about the reality facing Black Americans than what has been the norm for many years.

By “thinking much differently,” I mean to say that our case shows that Blacks may have some unique problems and challenges, but the principles for dealing with these challenges are not about race. The truths that govern human reality, the truths that enable human success, are not different between races but are the same for all.

Different ethnic groups or races may have unique problems, just as every individual human being has his or her own unique problems.

But the truths to which every human being must turn to solve their unique problems are the same for all.

In this spirit, we were very honored to be hosted by the American Enterprise institute in Washington, D.C., to do a joint event to publicize this tome.

Three of the 12 scholars who contributed essays for the book are American Enterprise Institute scholars.

AEI, whose stated mission is “expanding liberty, increasing individual opportunity, and strengthening free enterprise,” is the oldest Washington policy institute promoting these values, with a legacy reaching back to the 1930s.

Our excitement to be hosted by and work with AEI is that AEI is about the key principles that define America as a free country with a free economy.

At CURE, we focus on race and poverty exclusively -- but we share the same American values with AEI regarding the principles needed for solving our problems.

Two issues that we deal with in this work are federal retirement policy -- Social Security -- and federal housing policy.

Both these areas saw major changes through expansion of government going back to the 1930s.

AEI’s roots go back to that time; the institute stepped up and opposed significant expansion of the role of government in the lives of Americans.

Our work in “The State of

wHeN Radicals cHeeR selF-immolatioN

by Ben Shapiro Syndicated Columnist

This week, a mentally disturbed anarchist and active-duty Air Force member named Aaron Bushnell lit himself on fire and proceeded to burn himself to death while shouting “Free Palestine” in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C. In his suicide note, he explained just why he had self-immolated: “My name is Aaron Bushnell, and I am an active-duty member of the United States Air Force. I will no longer be complicit in genocide. I’m about to engage in an extreme act of protest but, compared to what people have been experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their colonizers, it’s not extreme at all. This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal.”

Now, nearly every word of this note is factually wrong. The Israeli Defense Forces are not perpetrating a genocide in Gaza -- far from it. The only genocidal force in the current Gaza conflict is Hamas, which seeks to kill every Jew -- and also seeks as many Palestinian deaths for the cameras as humanly possible. Meanwhile, the IDF is taking extraordinary and unprecedented measures to protect civilian life even as genocidal Hamas terrorists hide themselves -- and Israeli hostages -- in tunnels beneath civilian areas and among civilians themselves. As John Spencer, chair of the Urban Warfare Studies Modern War Institute at West Point says, the “steps that Israel has taken to prevent casualties is historic in comparison to all these other wars.” Despite Israel’s complete air superiority in Gaza, Israel has sent its own forces in on the ground in order to try to preserve life -- and in the process, Israel has had nearly 240 soldiers killed and 1,400 injured in the Gaza Strip.

But put aside Bushnell’s politics. The reality is that an American dousing himself with flammable liquid and then lighting a match is obviously a sign of mental disturbance that ought not be celebrated. No matter the rationale for such a suicide, the situation is a tragedy and a sin. Perhaps the biggest unanswered question here is how the American military allowed someone like Bushnell into the ranks.

And yet many members of the left are now cheering self-immolation -- treating Bushnell as a martyr and a hero. Cornel West, who is currently running for president, tweeted, “Let us never forget the extraordinary courage and commitment of brother Aaron Bushnell who died for truth and justice!” Former Green Party candidate Jill Stein tweeted, “Rest in power Aaron Bushnell.”

This is dangerous stuff. It’s dangerous because it acts as an incentive to the disturbed to harm themselves and others in the name of supposedly virtuous politics. And indeed, the celebration of Bushnell’s death follows hard on the left’s embrace of riotous violence in 2020 in the name of George Floyd. So long as the cause is just, in the views of the left, any terrible act becomes merely an example of overzealousness. And extremism in pursuit of wokeness is no vice.

Our political environment is facilitating dangerous insanity. It is easy enough for people like Cornel West and Jill Stein to celebrate the pseudo-heroism of disturbed people lighting themselves on fire. But both the mentally disturbed and our society pay the price for such celebration.

Ben Shapiro is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School, host of “The Ben Shapiro Show,” and co-founder of Daily Wire+. He is a three-time New York Times bestselling author; his latest book is “The Authoritarian Moment: How The Left Weaponized America’s Institutions Against Dissent.”

by John Stossel Syndicated Columnist

My income tax is due in a few weeks!

I hate it.

I’m pretty good at math, but I no longer prepare my own taxes. The form alone scares me.

I feel I have to hire an accountant, because Congress, endlessly sucking up to various interest groups, keeps adding to a tax code. Now even accountants and tax nerds barely understand it.

I can get a deduction for feed -

taxatioN witHoUt ReasoN

ing feral cats but not for having a watchdog.

I can deduct clarinet lessons if I get an orthodontist to say it’ll cure my overbite, but not piano lessons if a psychotherapist prescribes them for relaxation.

Exotic dancers can depreciate breast implants.

Even though whaling is mostly banned, owning a whaling boat can get you $10,000 in deductions. And so on.

Stop! I have a life! I don’t want to spend my time learning about such things.

No wonder most Americans pay for some form of assistance. We

by John J. Metzler Syndicated Columnist

LONDON: A stormy geopolitical weather front is converging on Western Europe as the Ukrainian war in the East has entered its third year with no end in sight.

Though the conflict remains largely frozen in military stalemate, its political reverberations throughout Europe, not to mention the United States, refocuses on supplying necessary military aid to Kyiv as Spring approaches.

There’s more than a hint of handwringing and geopolitical angst in

pay big -- about $104 billion a year. We waste 2 billion hours filling out stupid forms.

That may not even be the worst part of the tax code.

We adjust our lives to satisfy the whims of politicians. They manipulate us with tax rules. Milliondollar mortgage deductions invite us to buy bigger homes. Solar tax credits got me to put panels on my roof.

“These incentives are a good thing,” say politicians. “Even high taxes alone encourage gifts to charity.

But “Americans don’t need to be bribed to give,” says Steve Forbes

UkRaiNiaN stoRm FRoNt tHReateNs westeRN eURope

European capitals over Ukraine’s fate which may soon unravel as an under-supplied Ukrainian military faces Russia’s unrelenting battering.

NATO nations, especially the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Poland have already supplied considerable military hardware but supplies have dwindled. And let’s face it, the fighting has severely depleted munitions stocks in NATO countries including the U.S. Now Ukraine needs the artillery shells it was promised. European Union countries pledged to send one million shells last year; in fact, they delivered about a third. Ukraine has about 300 155mm big guns; but they blast through limited

ammo supplies.

French President Emmanuel Macron pompously grandstanded that NATO troops could be sent to Ukraine to train to assist the beleaguered defenders. Mon Dieu! Macron’s comments sent capitals from London, Berlin and Washington to issue a resounding, No thanks! (But let’s be frank British special forces units and trainers and probably Americans too are on the ground in Ukraine). The Russian President speaking in a State of the Nation address warned, “The consequences for possible interventionists will be... tragic.”

Having spent a week in Britain, there’s a surreal sense of not only the Ukrainian war coming to a

in one of my videos. “In the 1980s, when the top rate got cut from 70% down to 28% ... charitable giving went up. When people have more, they give more.”

Right. When government lets us live our own lives, good things happen.

But politicians want more control.

American colonists started a revolution partly over taxes. They raided British ships and dumped their tea into the Boston Harbor to protest a tax of “3 pennies per pound.” But once those “don’t tax me!” colonists became politi -

See STOSSEL on 28

climax but the very real threat of its politico/military effects spilling over into comfortable Western Europe.

Speaking in Paris, French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne told France Inter Radio , “First of all there is a risk of Ukraine collapsing and there are consequences to this risk.” I’m not talking about over five million Ukrainian refugees currently spread throughout Europe; but the Minister claims that a collapse could send ten million refugees!

Then there’s the recurring fear that Russia may or will use nuclear weapons in the conflict.

War talk in the British newspa-

See METZLER on 14

Intrigue

• Replicates how our “normal” auditory system works.

•

words and speech more intuitively and naturally.

•

•

If

Energy Credit.

The Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit

QUESTION:

What Do You Think Of Cancel Culture?

any excess credit to future tax years.

Your “cancel culture” is destructive, and it is a symptom of a larger problem that is more damaging and certainly more destructive. There is a place for restricting speech or behavior when it is obviously hurtful and harmful to others. When someone threatens or attempts to kill your political leaders, or anyone for that matter, it is imperative that you silence the voice of the perpetrator and intervene to stop the person. There is no place however for silencing legitimate discussion or debate that is essential for free speech and imperative for decision making. This kind of free speech enables decisions that are right and constructive.

What determines right and wrong should be based on existing good laws and practices which have been proven over time to be fair, just and beneficial to life. This same criterion should be applied to the creation of new laws.

Let me remind you as well, that those laws must always be consistent with my revealed will and word. As your creator God, I established laws based on behavior which I knew would enliven you and not bring destruction and death (Deuteronomy 32:46-47). If at any time you limit, countermand, remove, or replace my will, which is the architectural design for the fullness of life, you will suffer the tragic consequences of design failure.

With this understanding of censorship or can-

cel culture, you must know that your current practices are not only a radical movement away from your constitutional privilege of free speech, protected for over 250 years, but they are also a radical departure from a good law enforced since its inception. Like so many other once “sacred” privileges, granted through your constitution, in the last few years a “hostile takeover” by political and social revolutionaries have stolen and virtually eradicated this privilege. Sadly, most of your leaders, most of your media and most of your citizenry have simply rolled over and allowed this gross violation of a great law and essential shield to preserve liberty, to be lost.

Most

The Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit is for existing main homes and applies to exterior doors and windows, insulation, heating, air conditioning and water heaters. You may qualify for up to $3,200 in tax credits. For each item, satisfying the energy efficiency requirements, the credit is 30% of the costs, including labor.

Whatever the reasons, you may need to plan to achieve some

contribute to your demise. If these are not reversed, they will lead to your death. How do you explain this phenomenon? The powers that currently reign have used that power to unilaterally and in violation of your long-established laws, overthrow those laws. Why? To maintain their power & control not by a democratic process but by force. Simply put, attempting to silence others by removing their voice, bypasses the democratic process and ensures their continued power grab.

The maximum credit you can claim each year is: $1,200 for energy property costs and certain energy efficient home improvements, with limits on doors ($250 per door and $500 total), windows ($600) and home energy audits ($150); $2,000 per year for qualified heat pumps, biomass stoves or biomass boilers.

sought to silence his disciples. Many were threatened, imprisoned and many died at their hands. Because of their courage and sacrifice they refused to be silent and eventually conquered the evil with good. When they did, it ushered in a long period of freedom and prosperity.

Depending on what your current year tax liability is going to be in 2024, you may want to consider reducing the tax payments or withholdings by the estimated credit if the energy efficient property will be installed in 2024. To receive the full benefit of the credit, adjust the withholding for a W-2 employee or reduce the estimated payments for contractors and business owners filing a Schedule C. This credit will only reduce the tax liability and will not be refunded to the taxpayer. So, in this case, it

Why, this and other blessings of a truly Democratic Republic have been overthrown, is the bigger problem I spoke of in my introduction. It is because you have become lawless. Just as the right to free speech has been usurped, so also has national sovereignty or border protection; the commitment to competence and excellence through your foolish DEI policies; the foundation of good, healthy and godly families led by a faithful man and woman, just as I created; the practice of sexual love only in that committed bond; the prosecution and punishment of criminal behavior defined by your once held laws. These and many others, which are too numerous to mention in a short letter like this, once secured your nation from decay but now being overthrown,

to help the reader benefit from making a desired upgrade.

There are two kinds of energy tax credits that you can qualify for as a homeowner: The Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit or the Residential Clean

The credit has no lifetime dollar limit. You can claim the maximum annual credit every year that you make eligible improvements until 2033.

The credit is nonrefundable, so you can’t get back more on the credit than you owe in taxes. You can’t apply

This fatal approach is not new. When I sent my Son Jesus to live among you in order to pay the penalty for your sins by giving his eternal life as a substitute for your eternal debt, censorship or cancel culture were used in attempts to silence the truth. The religious leaders of the Jews had hijacked control of my chosen people. They had made my people theirs and perverted my design for the practice of the Jewish faith (Matthew 21:33-46). They sought to consolidate their power grab and hostile takeover by attempting to silence opposition. This was most notably obvious when they tried and subsequently succeeded to silence my son Jesus, by calling for his death (Matthew 27:15-21).

I would use their evil for good and through his death I made a way for all humanity to be restored to me through faith in my son’s substitutionary death (Acts 3:13-23).

Subsequently after his resurrection and return to sit at my right hand to await his return to consummate human history, the religious leaders

You are in a battle for your national lives. If you remain silent you will lose every freedom and benefit your founding fathers and constitution bestowed on you. One of your own, Benjamin Franklin said it well, “those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” What those who seek to cancel free speech call security is actually tyranny in disguise. If you don’t open your eyes to this hostile takeover and courageously oppose and expunge it, you will join the other nations on the scrapheap of history. If you rise to this challenge, consider as well that if you do not return to me and follow my laws and will, any gains you may make will ultimately be lost. I once said, and I meant it, “blessed is the Nation whose God is the Lord.” (Psalm 33:12).

As I have said before, your destiny is in your decisions. Choose wisely!

I love you, God

These letters are written by Rev. Dr. Sam Hollo of Alton, NH.

by Tim Moore Contributing Writer

As a professional fishing guide, client safety is my number one priority. So, on years when the ice begins to get sketchy, I will shut down my ice fishing trips, even though there are a handful of anglers still on the ice. My trips are all on Winnipesaukee and there are a few things I never do with clients. I never use a plank to span open shorelines to get on or off the ice, I never cross active cracks and pressure ridges, I never stray very far from the access point when temps are forecasted to rise 20-degrees or more from the previous night low. When any of these things must be done in order to continue running guided ice fishing trips, I shut down. That is the case this year and this is the earliest I have ever shut down.

I know there are a few anglers who probably think I’m being overly cautious, but it’s easy to think that when you are not responsible for the safety of people who paid you to keep them safe. Also, keeping people safe is only half the battle. Just because I believe it to be safe, doesn’t mean my clients (many of whom have never been ice fishing) believe it. Trying to convince someone who has never been on ice that crossing a pressure ridge is safe is an impossible task. A

client who doesn’t feel safe will never return, and I depend largely on my returning clients. I have spent the last three weeks watching pressure ridges form in front of my very eyes. Luckily, I know that with cold nights, warm sunny days, no snow on the ice to protect it from the sun and rising temps, and far thinner ice than normal is a recipe for pressure ridges and open cracks. The ridges will form during the day and when the ice refreezes at night, smaller cracks pull apart. My clients

have been nervous to say the least. I find myself constantly reassuring them that they are safe with me, as safe as they can be on a frozen lake. Luckily, the last week was spent with my long-time client, Rolf, from Switzerland and his friend Freddy. They trust me and know that their safety is my number one priority.

It’s hard to wrap my mind around ending my ice fishing season in February. The last few years have been tough, but this is the worst I can remember. 2016

was the earliest ice-out ever recorded on Lake Winnipesaukee, March 18. The last four years have been April 6, 5, 8, and 7 respectively. My guess is that this year will beat 2016. My guess is for a March 15 ice-out. With temps in the 50s, some rain, and most nights not dropping below freezing, it won’t take long to melt the little ice there is on Winnipesaukee. Sure, I can get out in the boat earlier, but that barely scratches the surface of the financial hole these early years put me in.

I really believed 2016 was a fluke, nestled between several average ice-out years, but I guess not. There’s always next year, but it feels more like gambling, and I hate gambling.

Tim Moore is a fulltime licensed professional fishing guide in New Hampshire. He owns and operates Tim Moore Outdoors, LLC. He is a member of the New England Outdoors Writers Association, and the producer of TMO Fishing on YouTube and the Hooked with TMO Fishing Podcast. Visit www.TimMooreOutdoors.com for more information.

by Mike Moffett Contributing Writer

“Eleven conferences -- the Atlantic 10, Big East, Big South, Big Ten, Big 12, Conference USA, MidEastern Athletic, Pac-12, WAC, Southeastern and West Coast -- recently told ESPN that a home school with a postgame celebratory court storm could be subject to a fine under certain circumstances. Some have precise penalties, while others have general language regarding disciplinary measures and their applicability.”

– ESPN.com

I love watching fans storm a court or swarm a field after a big win. The primal, elemental, and spontaneous outpouring of joyous humanity celebrating a special sport triumph always moves me.

Watch the end of the movie hoop classic “Hoosiers” when the Hickory High fans storm the court to embrace their heroes. Or the old Boston Garden after “Havlicek stole the ball!” Or Fenway Park on that magical October 1, 1967, after Rico Petrocelli caught a popup setting up the BoSox for their first World Series in decades. Six-foot-6 pitcher Jim Lonborg was swept away to centerfield and a mad

“stoRmiNG tHe

mosh-pit of delirium. Primal. Elemental. Joyous.

There are, of course, dangers when waves of humanity are unleashed, overpowering 70-year-old ushers and the lone security cop. Mob mentalities take effect. Havlicek was battered and bruised by fans after he stole the ball. He called them “ruffians.” Lonborg’s uniform was ripped to shreds. I’m sure that today in various New England locales, grandfathers share pieces of cloth with their progeny, explaining “This is what Jim Lonborg wore when he pitched the Sox to the pennant in 1967.”

Seriously. And when those gridiron goalposts come down, they can injure even the most hardheaded football fan.

Hence the need for court storm policies.

“This is why we can’t

have nice things, people!”

These outpourings, these court storms, aren’t entirely spontaneous. When the Celtics beat the Lakers at the Garden in 1984 for the NBA title, fans surrounded the court for a while before the final buzzer, waiting to pounce.

On the college level, one can be sure that ne’er-do-wells have court storm strategies that involve not hoisting a hoopster but hugging a cheerleader. Truth.

But for the most part the joyous storms and swarms are unscripted. Who knew Havlicek was going to steal the ball?

Next month marks the 50th anniversary of Hank Aaron breaking Babe Ruth’s career home run mark. Film/ video of that milestone moment in Atlanta will be shown everywhere. And accompanying

Aaron on his historic round trip you’ll see Britt Gaston and Cliff Courtenay. The two Brave fans were only 17 when they ran onto the field from the first-base stands and caught up with Aaron. Now Britt and Cliff are immortal. They even made this column five decades later.

Court storms and field swarms are de rigueur everywhere at countless high school championship events. Players, parents, and peers no doubt dream of that ultimate title moment marked by Gatorade showers and heroes hoisted in celebration.

Like so many others, I also dreamed of such a moment. But most of us never taste that sweet championship nectar.

My high school senior year saw me and my Groveton High School Purple Eagle basketball teammates in a state tournament semifinal game at Plymouth State, trying for a spot in the title tilt. Half the gym was purple, as busloads of fans came down from the North Country. Sadly, we fell way behind, 27-12.

Still, in the second half we chipped away at the lead and the purple clad folks took heart. Closer and closer we came and louder and louder were the GHS fans. I remember scoring in the last minute to cut the lead to 47-46 as the gym exploded. A dam was about to break to release a purple flood

Britt Gaston and Cliff Courtenay accompanied Hank Aaron during his 715th career MLB roundtripper.”

KINDRED SPIRIT FARM

FINE FLEECE SHETLAND SHEEP OLD TIME SCOTCH COLLIES

BIRDS For The

New England’s Wild Birds & Their Habitats

by Chris Bosak Contributing Writer

Even if the bird is not seen, it can usually be heard. Titmice have a big voice that belies their small stature. They are not as surprisingly boisterous as Carolina wrens, but gram-pergram, titmice are still one of the most vociferous birds.

The bird’s common “peter peter peter” song is one of the first bird songs I learned as a beginning birder way back when. I heard the loud, clear whistles and refused to continue my walk until I found the source. The bird sang over and over as I scanned the area until, finally, I found the titmouse in a nearby tall evergreen. I remember being surprised at how dainty the bird appeared

Tufted titmice are small but boisterous New England favorites.

compared to the bravado of the song.

Cardinals also have songs with loud, clear whistles and the titmouse’s song is reminiscent of those. The cardinal’s songs, however, are more melodic and complicated than the simple “peter peter peter” of the titmouse. There are also variations in the titmouse’s song as it can be different in tone or number of syllables.

But that is hardly the only sound a titmouse makes. I have been stumped several times hearing a bird in the woods only to eventually find it was a titmouse. One of their calls sounds a lot like a chickadee and often causes confusion. It’s best to try to spot the bird to ensure which one is calling. To add to the confusion,

titmice and chickadees are often found in the same area.

Titmice also have an extremely wide variety of harsh scolding calls, some of which are common and familiar and some that sound completely unfamiliar as they are not heard as often.

Which brings me to the next question about the titmouse. If there is more than one titmouse, are you looking at titmice or titmouses? The short answer is both are acceptable, but titmice is by far the more common usage, even if may not be technically correct. The titmouse (bird) and mouse (rodent) are obviously not related – in taxonomy or etymology -- so why is it titmice? I guess it just sounds better and that’s what people have always

called it. I’m sure there’s a better explanation, but I don’t know the true history of it.

Every birding organization and every wellknown bird author I checked use titmice as the plural, and that includes the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, which I use as my go-to source for birding information. Even the dictionaries I checked use titmice. In fact, you’d be hardpressed to find a source that uses titmouses. Some language purists may bristle at the term titmice, but it’s here to stay.

Regardless of how you choose to pluralize the word, the titmouse is a New England favorite that entertains us at our feeders and in the woods. Hardly a day goes by, regardless of the time of year, when I don’t see a titmouse, whether I’m actively looking for birds or not. That wasn’t always the case in New England as they were once regarded as a southern bird, but they have slowly and steadily expanded their range throughout New England and into Canada.

It is an energetic bird with a big personality and even bigger voice. Titmice, or titmouses if you prefer, are a welcome addition to the New England biosphere.

The Simple Feast

bRaised

by Eric N Gibson Contributing Writer

I love Carnitas! So when I saw a recipe for Hefe Braised Rabbit Carnitas, I thought, “that sounds intriguing”. Now, generally speaking, I’m not a very spicy guy. In fact, my wife would probably tell you the only fire to be found in this house is in the pellet stove. This aside, as I’ve gotten older my penchant for “TexMex” and southwest flavor profiles has come a long way from pulling a bottle of hot sauce from the fridge and calling it done.

“Rabbit”

caRNitas

The Simple Feast Simple The Simple

Carnitas over rice and corn topped with sour cream and shredded cheese with a touch of Cilantro.

So our story begins like most do, it was an epiphany while reading an article in one of the various subscriptions my better half had signed me up for; this one was an email newsletter. Now, I hardly ever read these things because, quite frankly, I am old school, very tactile. I like the feel (and the smell) of inked newsprint suspended between my fingertips. In fact, the only reason I check the online edition of The Weirs Times every Tuesday is to see if I am still “gainfully employed”, then rush to the newsstand on Thursday to grab my hard copy.

Scrolling through the e-newsletter I landed on an article by a foodie named Ara Zada who is among other things, a bow hunter. He wrote a bit about bow hunting and then settled into the fodder for his article; rabbits. Now before your imagination gets the better of you, allow me to assuage your fears: Bugs Bunny, Peter Cottontail, and the Easter Bunny, as far as I know, are all still safe and sound. No rabbits were harmed in the making of this Braised “Rabbit” Carnitas recipe. Chicken Little and Foghorn Leghorn on the other hand? Weeell… Ask me no questions, I’ll tell you no lies.

Archery is a fun sport. I tried it many years ago and really enjoyed it. So much so that I became an Ar -

chery Instructor when my kids were in 4H. However, I can also tell you with near 100% certainty, that being an instructor does not an archer make. It was a fun hobby while my wrist lasted. And spending time with kids, instructing them in the finer points of safety and proper use of the bow and arrow, watching their faces light up when landing arrows on target or popping balloons, well that was priceless.

But, as Zada pointed out, landing an arrow on the target in practice sessions, while highly important to build one’s skill, confidence, and knowledge of how your equipment performs, is not the same as going afield to apply those skills in the ethical taking of game. And this is where my

WEIRS TIMES’ BEER FINDER

recipe and that of the original author differ, because, as I grow older, so too do my eyes, shoulders, wrists, and all those other parts of me that all need to be in sync with one another to not only land the arrow, but make it a quick humane kill. And when you stop and realize just how small a squirrel or a rabbit is, well, as Clint Eastwood’s character Bill Munny so aptly demonstrates in the movie “Unforgiven”, there is a reason shotguns were invented. Trying to hit a tin can Munny misses every time with a revolver. In his self-disgust, he retrieves his double barrel shotgun and proceeds to ventilate the tin can, blasting it off its perch. Thus proves that sending a cluster of projectiles down range, rather than one, increases the odds of success.

As I was saying, rather than squirrel or rabbit, I made this carnitas recipe with Chicken Thighs. Why? Because carnitas are, in their most basic form, a crispy rendition of chopped pulled pork. (I know, I just went from squirrel and rabbit to chicken then pork. Stay with me.) It is the stringy yet tender, moist, and flavorful nature of chicken thigh meat, as well as its quick cooking time, which makes it the perfect choice for this carnitas dish.

The word Carnitas means “Little Meats” and traditional car -

ACKERLY’S

Grill & Galley

83 Main Street, Alton 603.875.3383

Akerlysgrillandgalleyrestaurant.com

Stoneface - IPA

Woodstock - Double Brown

Great Rhythm - Pale Ale

Baxter - Coastal Haze

603 - Amber Ale

COPPER KETTLE TAVERN

At Hart’s Turkey Farm Restaurant

233 D.W. Hwy, Meredith 603.279.6212 hartsturkeyfarm.com

Henniker - Working Man’s Porter

Concord Craft - Safe Space

Stoneface - IPA

Moat Mtn - Blueberry

603 - Winni Amber Ale

+6 More On Tap

D.A. LONG TAVERN

At Funspot

579 Endicott St N., Weirs

603.366.4377 funspotnh.com

Mast Landing - Windbreaker

Drowned Lands - Soil & Citra

Unibroue - La Fin Du Monde

Barreled Souls - Munro

Feathered Friend - Magpie

Stoneface - Duderino

+6 More On Tap

FOSTER’S TAVERN

403 Main Street Alton Bay, NH 603-875-1234

fosterstavernbythebay.com

Bud Light

Tuckerman - Pale Ale

Aqua Vue Haze -Muddy

Road Brewery

Sam - Seasonal

Allagash - White

Maine - Lunch IPA

+2 More On Tap

JOHNSON’S TAPHOUSE

At Johnson’s Seafood & Steak 69 Rt 11, New Durham 603.859.7500

eatatjohnsons.com/ newdurham

Lone Pine -Brightside

Widowmaker -Blue Comet Shipyard -Smashed

Pumpkin

Jack Abby -Red Tape

Muddy Road -1762 Porter

Northwoods -Autumn Buzz

+30 More On Tap

MORRISSEYS’

Porch & Pub

286 S. Main St., Wolfeboro 603.569-3662

Morrisseysfrontporch.com

Morrisseys’ 20 Year Lager by Great North

Smithwick’s

Guinness

Harp

Concord Craft Safe Space

+11 More On Tap

PATRICK’S PUB

18 Weirs Rd., Gilford 603.293.0841 Patrickspub.com

Patrick’s Slainte House Ale

Great North - Moose Juice

Guinness

Clown Shoes - Bubble Head 603 - Winni Amber Ale

Tuckerman - Pale Ale

+9 More On Tap

THE WITCHES BREW PUB

At The Craft Beer Xchange

59 Doe Ave., Weirs Beach 603.409.9344

FB @craftbeerxchange

Moat – Miss V’s Blueberry

Ayinger – German Marzen

1911 – Black Cherry Cider

Jack’s Abby – Blood Orange

Able Ebenezer – Burn the Ships IPA

Mighty Squirrel – Cloud

Candy IPA

+30 More On Tap

pers, even without the colorful hyperbole of the popular tabloids, has become an uncomfortable staple; it has an eerie tone echoing of what it must have been back in 1938-39 when threat emotions were oft changing as fast as London’s weather.

While renewed talk of Putin’s Russia probing NATO’s weak frontiers in the Baltic states is nothing new, has the time arrived that Putin will play his nuclear cards, tactical ones first. It’s still not likely …but.

Putin warned, “We also have weapons that can hit targets on their territory,” adding, “All this really threatens a conflict with the use of nuclear weapons and the destruction of civilization. Don’t they get that?”

Is this classic Kremlin bluffing?

Yet a “cornered Russia,” the perennial illusion/theme of Putin and especially now in the aftermath of the Kremlin’s embarrassment after the regime orchestrated death of Russian pro-democracy leader Alexei Navalny, could change Putin’s political calculus!

This comes to the backdrop of Defense cuts in the new UK budget. While the UK has been among a select handful of NATO states to contribute over 2 percent of GDP to defense,

METZLER from 14

the fact remains that Boris Johnson’s government opened the spigot of massive munitions to Ukraine at the expense of British security in terms of munitions, supply shortages etc.

The current UK defense budget stands at 2.2 percent of GDP; Defense Secretary Grant Shapps is pressing to expand the spending to a more realistic budget of 2.5 percent this year or a $11.4 billion jump. An increase in military spending “will resonate with our Allies and adversaries,” he affirms.

All of this aims to stiffen the underlying message which is “we need to help Ukraine more.”

Outside of massive American military and economic aid already provided to Ukraine during both the Trump and Biden Administrations, there’s the promise to send yet another $60 Billion if the Administration can get its wider $95 billion Bill past an intransigent Republican Congress rightly concerned over Biden’s blank check policies to Kyiv.

Thus the additional $60 billion for Ukraine lingering in Congress should be linked to a verifiable Ukraine ceasefire and truce.

Neither Ukraine nor Russia are going to clearly “win” this war; the long suffering Ukrainian people live in the twilight of fear.

The Ukraine war, since Crimea, has been going on for a decade. Now its spillover threatens Western Europe which stands on the brink.

John J. Metzler is a United Nations correspondent covering diplomatic and defense issues. He is the author of Divided Dynamism

The Diplomacy of Separated Nations; Germany, Korea, China.

See WAKE on

Welcome To The Great Northeast Boat Show!

Springtime is right around the corner and there is no better time to get ready to get out on the water with your new boat.

On Friday through Sunday, March 15-17, New Hampshire’s largest boat show and the largest boat show north of Boston, The Great Northeast Boat Show, takes place at the NH Sportsplex in Bedford, NH, providing those with the fever to get out on the lake this summer the best place to buy a boat.

“We have fifteen boat dealers offering seventyfive brands and two hundred boats” said Suzette Anthony who is the organizer of the event along with her husband Blair. “It is really the only boat show you will need to attend this year since all boats are on sale at the Best Prices of the Year.”

The Sportplex is 56,000 square feet and has been recently renovated and there is plenty of free on-site parking,

At the Great Northeast Boat Show you can compare a wide variety of boats, talk to experts, dealers and manufacturers and take advantage of special deals and incentives on process and

more. It is a celebration of the boating lifestyle featuring everything needed, wanted or desired by the boating enthusiast.

A one stop shop, showcasing everything from power boats, jet skis, jetboats, docks, canoes, kayaks, runabouts, fishing boats, paddle boards, pontoon and deck boats.

“This boat show has grown in popularity over the years,” said Anthony. “We expect to be drawing thousands from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine and Vermont since the proximity to all of these areas is very convenient.”

Additionally there will be many other companies supporting the boating lifestyle as well as informative booths to educate the boating enthusiast.

Admission is $15 for adults and children under 16 are admitted free and must be accompanied by an adult. Tickets available at the door and online at greatnortheastboatshow.com

March 15-17 is the perfect time to buy a boat-Just in time to get ready for summer! LIFE IS GREAT IN A BOAT!

Boat Show Hours:

Friday, March 15, Noon-6pm

Saturday, March 16, 10am-6pm

Sunday, March 17, 10am-4pm

10

3

11

SeaRay

Starcraft

Admission:

Adults - $15 (Good For All 3 Days.) Children under 16 - No Charge (must be accompanied by parent). Buy your tickets online at greatnortheastboatshow.com/tickets

Location: NH Sportsplex, 68 Technology Drive, Bedford, NH.

Directions: Everett Turnpike Exit 13 (non toll road/Manchester Airport Exit) follow signage for S. River Road (Route 3) NH Sportsplex is located behind Sullivan Tire on Rt 3 South River Road. Turn from Rt 3 onto Technology Drive.

2024 BOAT SHOW EXHIBITORS

BILLERICA MOTORSPORTS

Booth 16

Authorized dealer for Scarab Jet Boats and Seal-

ver Waveboats. Billericamotorsports.com

CHAPPELL TRACTOR

Booth -Front Entrance

Chappell Tractor is an authorized Kubota, New Holland and

Mahindra Dealership serving the Brentwood, Milford and Concord NH area. You’ll Notice The Difference!

Chappelltractor.com

COMPARISON INSURANCE

AGENCY: A LIBERTY MUTUAL COMPANY

Booth Front Entrance Boat and Jet Ski Insurance.

laura_Scala@ comparisoninsurance.com

CONTOOCOOK RIVER CANOE COMPANY

Booth 15

A wide assortment of canoes, kayaks, stand up paddleboards (new and used). Let our experienced staff pair you with the right boat.

Contoocookcanoe.com

EAST COAST FLIGHT CRAFT

Booth 1

East Coast Flightcraft is one of the top dealers in the world for both Malibu and Cobalt. As a family owned and operated dealership we take great

pride in our products and service. Locations throughout the Northeast. Displaying Malibu, Axis and Cobalt. East Coast Flight Craft brings you the ride of a lifetime! eastcoastflightcraft.com

GOODHUE BOAT COMPANY

Booth 2

Goodhue Boat Company’s mission is to create an exceptional boating experience for our customers by providing unparalleled service and products. Displaying Cobalt, Chaparral, Boston Whaler, Mastercraft and Sylvan Pontoon Boats. goodhueboat.com

GRANITE STATE DOCK AND MARINE

Booth 25

Award winning family owned boat dealer, proudly servicing the greater New England area for over twenty

2024 BOAT SHOW EXHIBITORS

years. Displaying Berkshire and Manitou pontoon boats, Seafox and AlumaCraft boats.

granitestatedockmarine. com

HAMLIN’S MARINE

Booth 23

For over thirty years Hamlin’s Marine has delivered on a simple promise...”If you purchase a boat from us, we’ll always be there when you need us.” Hamlin’s Marine offers convenience and assurance with our locations in Waterville and Hampden, Maine with boat sales, services, storage and rentals. Displaying Weldcraft Boats. hamlinsmarine.com

IRWIN MARINE

Booth 11

Irwin Marine servicing New Hampshire since 1919. Boating is our passion...Service is our business. Full service Marina with three locations in Laconia, Alton Bay and Hudson, NH. Displaying Barletta, Starcraft, Sea Ray and Sunchaser Boats. irwinmarine.com

IRWIN MARINE

Booth 12

Irwin Marine servicing New Hampshire since 1919. Boating is our passion... Service is our business. Full service Marina with three locations in Laconia, Alton Bay and Hudson, NH. Displaying Sea Doo personal wa -

tercraft, Sea Doo Switch Pontoons, Yamaha Waverunners and Yamaha Jet Boats.

irwinmarine.com

LACONIA FLIGHT ACADEMY

Booth Front Entrance

Learn to fly at Laconia Flight Academy- A Premier Flight School located in the New Hampshire Lakes Region

laconiaflightacademy.com

MEREDITH MARINA

Booth 10

Meredith Marina is the Lakes Region’s Pontoon and Deck Boat Headquarters, featuring God-

frey Pontoons, Hurricane Deck Boats, Tige and ATX Surf Boats and Crownline. Marine Services- Sales, Valet, Rentals and Storage meredithmarina.com

MONADNOCK BOAT STORE

Booth 3

Monadnock Boat Store with 2 great locations! The South Store in Rind-

ge, NH and the North Store in Stoddard, NH. Monadnock Boat Store is your local dealer for Crest Pontoon Boats

monadnockboatstore.com

Handouts. marinepatrol.nh.gov

NORTH WATER MARINE

Booth 24

Your family’s destination for all things boating! From Coach & Qwest Pontoons to Carolina Skiff & Sea Chaser to Stingray Boats, we have your family’s next boat. Boats, Motors and Marine Services.

Booth 22 Displaying Princecraft Pontoons powered by Mercury Marine and Paddler King Compact Pontoons for smaller lakes.

northwatermarinenh.com

PORT HARBOR MARINE

Booth 20

Our mission is to create the ultimate boating experience by consistently providing products and services that exceed our customers expectations. Displaying Grady White, Edgewater, Key West, Ranger, Regency, Sea Hunt, Sea Tracker, Tahoe and Tracker Boats.

portharbormarine.com

SHORE SIDE DOCKS

Booth 14

Boat docks, lifts, racks and accessories.

portharbormarine.com

TOWBOAT U.S.

Booth Front Entrance

A BoatUS unlimited towing membership is the best value and lowest priced towing service available. Take TowBoat U.S. with you on the water!

boatus.com/towing

Booth 4 and Booth 13

The Northeast’s Pontoon Boat leader featuring Bennington Pontoon Boats, Bayliner, Blackfin, Heyday Wakesurf, Monterey, Trophy and Viaggio Pontoons. Locations on Lake Winnisquam and Lake Winnipesaukee! Please stop by and visit our large well lit showrooms.

winnisquammarine.com

WOLFEBORO DOCK COMPANY

Booth 14

Shore Station Docks and Lifts

wolfeborodockcompany. com

US AIRCRAFT FINANCE

Booth Front Entrance

We specialize in providing tailored financing solutions for your marine needs. Trust us to navigate the waters of marine financing and embark on your next adventure with ease.

usaircraftfinance.com

Get Your New Hampshire Safe Boater Education Certificate!

does have a mandatory boating education law. Everyone 16 years older who operates a motorboat over 25 horsepower on Hampshire waters must have a boating education certificate. concern for everyone on the water. Boaters can keep themselves passengers’ safe by learning about responsible boat operation, etiquette, and the rules of the waterways.

New Hampshire does have a mandatory boating education law. Everyone 16 years of age and older who operates a motorboat over 25 horsepower on New Hampshire waters must have a boating education certificate.

program offers a one day class or evening classes. /register for a class visit www.boatingeducation.nh.gov

Boating safety is a concern for everyone on the water. Boaters can keep themselves and their passengers safe by learning about responsible boat operation, etiquette, and the rules of the waterways.

at www.marinepatrol.nh.gov to learn more about New Hampshire’s boating la ws and regulations.

The program offers a one day class or evening classes.

enjoying your boating experience and remember to wear your life jacket!

To search / register for a class visit boatingeducation.nh.gov

New Hampshire does have a mandatory boating education law. Everyone 16 years of age and older who operates a motorboat over 25 horsepower on New Hampshire waters must have a boating education certificate.

Boating safety is a concern for everyone on the water. Boaters can keep themselves and their passengers’ safe by learning about responsible boat operation, etiquette, and the rules of the waterways.

The program offers a one day class or evening classes.

To search /register for a class visit www.boatingeducation.nh.gov

Visit our website at www.marinepatrol.nh.gov to learn more about New Hampshire’s boating la ws and regulations.

Start enjoying your boating experience and remember to wear your life jacket!

NH Department of Safety • Division of State Police NEW HAMPSHIRE MARINE PATROL

Visit our website at www.marinepatrol.nh.gov to learn more about New Hampshire’s boating laws and regulations.

Start enjoying your boating experience and remember to wear your life jacket!

ICE-OUT DATES FOR LAKE WINNIPESAUKEE

1959 Apr. 26

1960 Apr. 19

1961 Apr. 27

1962 Apr. 24

1963 Apr. 20

1964 Apr. 28

1965 Apr. 22

1966 Apr. 20

1967 Apr. 20

1946 Mar. 30

1947 Apr. 24

1948 Apr. 10

1949 Apr. 6

1950 Apr. 20

1951 Apr. 14

1952 Apr. 20

1953 Apr. 3

1954 Apr. 16

1955 Apr. 19

1956 May 3

1957 Apr. 3

1958 Apr. 13

1968 Apr. 15

1969 Apr. 25

1970 Apr. 28

1971 May 5

1972 Apr. 22

1973 Apr. 23

1974 Apr. 17

1975 Apr. 25

1976 Apr. 17

1977 Apr. 21

1978 Apr. 27

1979 Apr. 25

1980 Apr. 16

1981 Apr. 5

1982 Apr. 29

1983 Apr. 10

1984 Apr. 20

1985 Apr. 14

1986 Apr. 16

1987 Apr. 12

1988 Apr. 16

1989 Apr. 25

1990 Apr. 22

1991 Apr. 8

1992 Apr. 21

1993 Apr. 22

1994 Apr. 23

1995 Apr. 15

1996 Apr. 17

1997 Apr. 24

1998 Apr. 7

1999 Apr. 8

2000 Apr. 10

2001 May 2

2002 Apr. 5

2003 Apr. 25

2004 Apr. 20

2005 Apr. 20

2006 Apr. 3

2007 Apr. 23

2008 Apr. 23

2009 Apr. 12

2010 Mar. 24

2011 Apr. 19

2012 Mar. 23

2013 Apr. 17

2014 Apr. 23

2015 Apr. 24

2016 Mar. 18

2017 Apr. 17

2018 Apr. 26

2019 Apr. 24

2020 Apr. 6

2021 Apr. 5

2022 Apr. 8

2023 Apr. 8

2024??

multitudes of people seeking to profit from the gold rush and had organized as a state that prohibited slavery. Southern slave owners wanted northern legislators to not

only allow slavery but to endorse it. Northern legislators were generally not supporters of slavery, but neither were they in favor of dividing the union into two separate countries.

The choice seemed to be that of dividing the country into two countries or compromising to save the union of North and South. There are some who accuse Senator Daniel Webster as favoring

compromise because he thought it would enhance his chances of becoming President of the United States by gaining southern votes. If that was his motive it didn’t work. The effort to pass the compromise legislation introduced by Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky, a fellow Whig at that time, and Democrat Stephen Douglass, was successful.

In 1850 Webster, though born, raised, and educated in New Hampshire, was a Senator from Massachusetts. So he began his three and one-half hour speech by saying, “Mr. President, I wish to speak today, not as a Massachusetts man, nor as a northern man, but as an American and a member of the Senate of the United States.” He went on to explain that he spoke for the preservation of the Union.

Webster mentioned California’s action in appointing Senators and Representatives in anticipation of their request to be accepted into the Union as a new state, pointing out that California’s state constitution prohibited slavery.

Daniel Webster, the Boston lawyer, in carrying out his profession, became known as a forerunner developing Constitutional law. It is not surprising then to find references to the U.S. Constitution in the “Seventh of March” speech, including his observation that the words slave or slavery were not used in the Constitution. Interpretations of the Constitution now in 2024 are apt to include discussions of what words are or are not in the document.

hold it at the time this Constitution was adopted?” He continued saying “...that there was then no diversity of opinion between the North and the South upon the subject of slavery. It will be found that both parts of the country held it equally evil, a moral and political evil...”

“Let us, therefore,” he declared, “consider for a moment what was the state of sentiment, North and South, in regard to slavery, at the time this Constitution was adopted. A remarkable change has taken place since; but what did the wise and great men of all parts of the country think of slavery then? In what estimation did they

But, Webster admitted in his speech, things had changed and there was no longer the same consensus concerning what was right and wrong concerning slavery. In the northern section of the country, Webster said, slavery was wrong. The southern part of the country, on the other hand, as I try to paraphrase Webster, had been under the assumption from birth that the relationship of slave master and slave was the way things were ordained, though the slaves should be treated with care and kindness.

He also set forth the idea that Americans thought if they put a stop to importing slaves “the white race would multiply faster than the black race, and that slavery would gradually run out and expire.”

Reynolds map of 1850 - Map in Library of Congress.

SMITH from 3

SMITH from 24

The great orator spoke of the Ordinance of 1787 which banned slavery in all territory over which the Congress of the United States had jurisdiction. Webster’s insistence in accepting a law requiring States harboring fugitives from other States to return them, and urging northerners to obey it, was based on of the Constitution, Article 4, Section 2. He said, “no man fulfills his duty in any legislature who sets himself to find excuses, evasions, escape from this constitutional obligation...”

Webster’s viewpoint was that slavery was not going to go away so compromise was the next best way to avoid secession. He asked what the result would be of a voluntary secession adding the questions, “What states are to secede? What is to remain American? What am I to be? An American no longer?” The

Southern Whig Henry Clay and northern Whig Daniel Webster partnered to promote the bill. The passage of the bills probably temporarily delayed secession and war and kept the slavery issue from halting the 1852 presidential election.

speech was credited with helping the passage of five bills collectively labeled “The 1850 Compromise.” California was voted into the Union as an anti-slavery state, the territories of Utah and New Mexico were granted the freedom to decide for themselves the question of slavery, new boundaries were laid out for Texas and New Mexico, and things were made easier for slave owners to recover runaways.

The Democrat from the north,Franklin Pierce of New Hampshire won easily though it had taken 49 ballots in the Democrat convention to nominate him. The Whig candidate, Winfield Scott, who had won his convention’s vote on the 53rd ballot was the runnerup. Both supported the Compromise. The candidate who most strongly opposed slavery, John P. Hale of New Hampshire, came in third with no electoral votes.

Daniel Webster, the candidate of the new Union Party, died a few days before the election so wasn’t a factor; however, his popularity had already been damaged by his “Seventh of March Speech.” Some see the speech as bringing needed compromise, while others consider it to have contributed to the start of the Civil War.

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situations you could find yourself in while on the

Southern Whig Senator Henry Clay.

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Red Sox pitcher Jim Lonborg was the object of much Boston affection on October 1, 1967.

MOFFETT from 11

onto the floor.

But we ran out of time. The whiteclad players enjoyed a court storm as the purple rain fell not. I stood watching the other team get swarmed while a lone figure hurried to me from the purple side— tears streaming down her face. Her back to the celebration, my girlfriend offered a very public embrace. I’ll always remember that.

So, most athletes never experience a court storm. But sometimes kids offer opportunities for parents to vicariously experience “swarm joy” when offspring win titles denied to their dads and moms. When my daughter’s Concord High School

softball team won a state championship, I (thankfully) did not run out and leap onto the growing pile of players celebrating a title. But that was also, in a way, my storm/swarm moment as well.

And, upon further review, perhaps the lonely gesture of a teary hug offered to a losing basketball player is perhaps of equal—if not more— value than a leap into that fleeting mosh pit of sports joy experienced by that happy few band of brothers (or sisters) fortunate enough to grab sports’ ever-so-elusive brass rings.

Sports Quiz

What year did “Havlicek steal the ball?”

(Answer follows).

Born Today

That is to say, sports standouts born on March 7 include Toronto Blue Jay World Series hero Joe Carter (1960) and tennis great Ivan Lendl (1960).

Sports Quote

“Life is a celebration. Consider everything that makes you happy as a gift from God and say THANK YOU!” –Francis Lucille (The Perfume of Silence)

Sports Quiz Answer

1965

State Representative Mike Moffett was a Sports Management Professor for Plymouth State University and NHTI-Concord. He coauthored the awardwinning “FAHIM SPEAKS: A WarriorActor’s Odyssey from Afghanistan to Hollywood and Back” which is available on Amazon.com. His e-mail address is mimoffett@ comcast.net.

HEFE BRAISED “RABBIT” CARNITAS

Portions 6 -8 Time: About 150 Minutes (Or Less)

INGREDIENTS

6 Chicken Thighs (Skin off)

1 lg. Onion sliced

7 Cloves of Garlic minced

4 Bay Leaves

2 12oz. bottles of beer (your choice) or

24 oz. of Chicken Stock

1 tsp. Ground Coriander

½ tsp. Ground Cumin

1 tsp. Chili Powder

2 tsp. Paprika

1 tsp. Salt

3 tsp. Coarse Black Pepper

2-3 Tbsp. Veggie Oil

-PREPARATION-

- In a bowl mix about a teaspoon of salt and three teaspoons of course black pepper.

- Remove skin from the chicken thighs and rub the salt pepper mix all over the chicken thighs. Arrange the thighs in the bottom of a thick bottomed pot.

- Toss in the sliced onion, the garlic, and remaining spices then cover with the 24 ounces of liquid.

- Stir to incorporate all the spices and then cover the pot with a lid and simmer for about 90 minutes, check 60 minutes into cooking. If more liquid is needed add about a half cup of water and continue to simmer covered until meat easily falls from the bone. (If you can poke through the meat with a wooden spoon and it comes off in strands, it’s probably done.)

- Place thighs onto a baking sheet to cool. Pour off the liquid into a bowl and hold in reserve. During the cooking and cooling of the thighs is a great time to do the prep work for the meal allowing more time for the meat to cool so you can pull it apart with ease.

- In a fry pan or skillet, heat 2-3 Tbsp. of vegetable oil. Pull the meat apart from the bone (count those joints / knuckles) and place the meat into the pan.

- Sear the pulled chicken meat to a golden brown “basting” often with the liquid held in reserve. A little of this goes a long way so taste often.

- Serve hot with the rest of the meal in the manner of your choice.

nitas are typically braised, simmered, or slow cooked (choose your descriptor) in lard, manteca, or pork confit (again, choose your descriptor). The idea being, you are using moist heat over time to break down connective tissue to create a tender meat. Then, somewhere along the way, the meat is chopped into small pieces and pulled (recipes vary as to which happens first) and a “frying” heat is then applied to give traditional carnitas their crispy, yet tender, texture. Now, some will forgo the lengthy cooking time of the meat in “confit” (sounds better than saying lard) and opt for using a crock pot to make the pulled meat. Then pull

it, chop it, and “fry” it in a skillet or on a flat top grill to crisp.

Well, let me tell you, this recipe for Braised “Rabbit” Carnitas... errh... Chicken Carnitas is really delicious! And, it is super simple as it too uses the simmering technique to create a “pulled chicken”. Ready in about two hours or less, start to finish, this dish can be served as a stand alone or in any number of concepts from taco and burrito filling to loaded nachos to bowls and salads. These carnitas really are that versatile. And using chicken thighs makes for light short work, allowing this recipe to come together fast. In fact, I nearly burned the chicken, getting lost in the writing of

this article. The initial pleasing smell of stewing Southwest spices that filled the house turned to that tell-tale “Oops! Better check the pot!” Fortunately, the chicken thighs were fine, still some liquid in the pot, but the onions couldn’t take the heat. Literally, they were caramelized beyond fond, just black char. Now, if this happens to you, do not panic. Just thin the cooking “juices” by adding about a cup of water. But, DO NOT! scratch all the burnt stuff off the bottom of the pot. A little judicious stirring is all you need for just enough of the good stuff to come up while not polluting your “basting” liquid that will add flavor to your carnitas. And while on the sub-

ject of basting liquid, here are a few suggestions. The original recipe called for two 12 ounce beers of your choice. The author suggests a Hefenweizen, but I can attest that a domestic cheap beer will work. In fact, I only had one left, having made a few too many batches of beer bread lately. So, I substituted with one beer and 12 ounces of water and two heaping teaspoons of Turkey Gravy Mix. I know, I know, I should hang my head in shame for not having chicken stock on the shelf, nor Chicken Gravy Mix, but it worked. Can you use water? Sure. But, you will lack some of that richness that beer or chicken stock provides the sauce that you will be using to help flavor your carnitas.

Remove the thighs from the pot, they should nearly fall apart, and place them on a sheet pan to cool. Pour off the liquid and hold in reserve. Start some rice and / or anything else you intend to serve with your carnitas, and then pull the chicken from the bone. Also, be sure to count the “knuckles”! These annoying little pieces

of joint cartilage are just that, annoying! And biting into them is sure to spoil an otherwise pleasant dining experience.

To get that carnitas effect, that toasty crispiness that you are looking for, heat over medium heat two or

three “glugs” of vegetable oil in a skillet. (I literally just poured, glug glug, into the pan.) Put the finely pulled thigh meat into the skillet, allowing the meat to crisp in the oil until it is golden brown. Then stir, flip, toss, and move it about the skillet. Every so often sprinkle a few spoonfuls of that “sauce” you held in reserve over the searing meat. This will keep it moist and add flavor. I recommend you dab the back of a spoon into this liquid and taste it before you use it, letting prudence be your guide. And in thirty minutes your rice is done, your other items are cooked or prepared, and you are ready to serve your next Simple Feast. Enjoy!

Chicken Thighs Rubbed with Salt and Pepper.

FEAST from 13

PARKER from 6

Black Progress” covers that gamut of where government has become majorly involved in the lives of Americans, particularly Black Americans.

Beyond Social Security and federal housing policy, we’re talking about education policy, health care, local community economic policies and the changing ways federal judges read and apply our constitution to justify expansion of government.

Our scholars show in all these areas that government activism and expansion designed to help low-income Americans has hurt rather than helped.

Sadly, thinking about race in America has widely meant government activism and expansion.

It not only has hurt the individuals these policies were meant to help, but it has hurt the whole country.

As our nation now is being crushed by spending and debt, all should consider that, compared to the 25% of the American economy that government now consumes, in the mid-1960s, when the Civil Rights Act passed, this stood at 17%. Back in the late 1930s, when key elements of this began, federal spending consumed less than 10% of the U.S. economy.

AEI’s Ian Rowe shows that when the data for race is corrected for family structure, when we look at Black households with intact families, with a married husband and wife heading the household, Black Americans are as healthy as any healthy part of our nation.

It is unfortunate that the success of the Civil Rights Movement was parlayed into a new birth of government rather than into a new birth of freedom.

CURE is working to change that, in the interest of Black Americans and all Americans.

cians, they, too, raised taxes. First, they taxed things they deemed bad, like snuff and whiskey.

Alexander Hamilton’s whiskey tax led to violent protests.

Now Americans meekly (mostly) accept new and much higher taxes.

All of us suffer because politicians have turned income tax into a manipulative maze.

We waste money and time and do things we wouldn’t normally do.

Since I criticize government, I assume some IRS agent would like to come after me.

So, cowering in fear, I hire an accountant and tell her, “Megan,

don’t be aggressive. Just skip any challengeable deduction, even if it means I pay more.”

I like having an accountant, but I don’t like having to have one. I resent having to pay Megan.

I once calculated what I could buy with the money I pay her. I could get a brand-new motorcycle. I could take a cruise ship to Italy and back every year.

Better still, I could give my money to charity and maybe do some good in the world. For the same amount I spend on Megan, I could pay four kids’ tuition at a private school funded

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Or I could invest. I might help grow a company that creates a fun product, cures cancer or creates wealth in a hundred ways.

But I can’t. I need to pay Megan.

What a waste.

Every Tuesday at JohnStossel.com, Stossel posts a new video about the battle between government and freedom. He is the author of “Give Me a Break: How I Exposed Hucksters, Cheats, and Scam Artists and Became the Scourge of the Liberal Media.”

B.C.

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MAGIC MAZE

THEME THIS WEEK: NORTHERN ----

Answers On Page 26

The Winklman Aeffect by John Whitlock