Nope, not a rock band. Kelly Ayotte is a candidate for the office of New Hampshire governor and her ties to the extremist groups we have here in the state.

But let’s begin with her now full support of Donald Trump for President. In 2016, then US Senator Ayotte insisted Trump was a "role model" for her daughter, but quickly changed her mind after the 2005 Access Hollywood tape surfaced with him proudly bragging about grabbing women without their permission. Kelly decided she just couldn’t “support a candidate for president who brags about degrading and assaulting women.” Quickly forgetting about Trump’s misogynistic inclinations, Kelly played a key role in shaping what has now become an extremist Supreme Court. She accompanied Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch by introducing him to various senators ahead of his party-line confirmation on April 10, 2017. Kelly has now thrown her full support behind a convicted felon and convicted sexual assaulter for President. 

Kelly Ayotte, Moms for Liberty, Liberty Alliance, Jason Osborne and Jeremy Kauffman. Hoo boy . . .

Moms for Liberty is best known for teaching parents that public educators are the enemy. They don’t want children to be taught how to think for themselves. In NH “Moms” offered a $500 reward to anyone who could get an educator punished for teaching "divisive concepts." They strongly encourage book banning, not just for their own kids, but for everyone else’s. There is an active chapter in Hillsborough county headed by Rachel Goldsmith, former executive director of the Free State Project and wife of Libertarian Party of NH member Jeremy Kauffman. 

Jeremy Kauffman, whose Libertarian Party posted on “X”, but quickly deleted, the words, “Anyone who murders Kamala Harris would be an American hero.” Kauffman has endorsed Kelly. 

Jason Osborne, Liberty Alliance member, majority leader of the NH House of Representatives and husband of Sharon (no, not that one). Sharon is the director of Latitude Learning Resources, a nonprofit which offers cross-curricular classes for homeschoolers and other students. Sharon is very happy to receive the school vouchers, a program Kelly would like to see expanded. Osborne is originally from Defiance (yes!) Ohio, where his family founded Credit Adjustments, Inc., a debt collections company. He came to NH in 2010 with the Free State Project and unsurprisingly has endorsed Kelly in her bid for governor. 

Trump supporter and House Representative Jonathan Stone has also endorsed Kelly. Stone has voted against free school lunches for low-income children and raising the minimum wage. He does support the school voucher program and exempting firearms manufactured in NH from federal laws and regulations.

And out-going governor Chris Sununu has given his endorsement also. He too, has done his share of flip-flopping from no to Trump, to stumping for Nikki Haley then back to the convicted felon again who Sununu has stated "contributed" to the unsuccessful insurrection!

What a Motley Crue indeed! 

Remember House representative Jason Gerhard? The Liberty Alliance and Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) member from Northfield? He had that fabulous idea for expanding the free market in New Hampshire by enabling us to sell our own organs? Yup, him. 

In addition to that wacky attempt at legislation, he had also sponsored a bill to have NH secede from the rest of the nation and thought ex-felons regaining their gun rights was the way to go. 

Alrightee, then . . .

In Concord, the Warren B. Rudman Courthouse has a rule of no electronics and no recordings in the building. The same rule as almost all federal court buildings have nationwide. Last Sept., Gerhard went to the courthouse to attend the sentencing hearing for Free Stater Ian Freeman of Keene, who was being sentenced for his involvement in a money-laundering scheme using Bitcoin. Upon being told to turn off his cell phone in the courthouse, Gerhard refused and was subsequently arrested. 

In Jan., Gerhard was again in federal court but this time he was there for a hearing on charges stemming from his own arrest last Sept. Having learned nothing about rules, laws or ordinances, he again took out his cell phone in the lobby of the courthouse and was again arrested. The fines are, for the most part, a slap on the wrist at $100. However, Gerhard has stated he also won’t be paying them. 

At the beginning of this year’s legislative session in Jan., Gerhard sponsored HB1455-FN which was to allow recording in NH’s public places, federal courthouses included. The following month the bill was voted “Inexpedient to Legislate.” (This means a bill is considered not advisable or practical to become law.) So that bill went nowhere.

And neither is Gerhard. He is not running for re-election.

The young man looking to fill Gerhard’s House seat is James Thibault from Franklin, who thinks just like the extremist incumbents running for re-election. So if you know anyone from Franklin or Northfield please share this information with them as you urge them to vote blue up and down the ballot.

The Constitution of the State of New Hampshire is the basic law of the state, and all statute laws must comply. This constitution went into effect June 2, 1784, replacing the state's original Constitution of 1776.

The constitution is divided into two parts: a Bill of Rights and a Form of Government. Subsections of each part are referred to as articles. Article 83 of the NH constitution specifically states “. . . that no money raised by taxation shall ever be granted or applied for the use of the schools of institutions of any religious sect or denomination.” This part of the article was amended in 1877 to keep public monies out of religious (private) schools. 

A lawsuit was brought against the state in the early 1980s concerning the manner in which public schools were funded. The state agreed to provide 8% of the cost of education to a fund destined to help poor districts. The state never fully funded its promise and by 1989 Claremont's Stevens High School lost its accreditation as the district could not keep up with needed repairs.

In 1993, the New Hampshire Supreme Court understood Part II, Article 83 as a guarantee to students a right to a public education. Four years later, the NH school funding system was found to be unconstitutional and the governor and legislature were ordered to define the sections of a constitutionally adequate education, figure out the cost of such and pay for them with taxes that were equal across the state. Four governors and their legislatures refused to comply with the Court's orders leading the Supreme Court to again find the school funding system unconstitutional in 2006.

Here we are at the end of 2024, and NH has been all but taken over by extreme conservative groups who have infiltrated our legislature and local town governments. Time and again, common sense proposed legislation is defeated by the extremists. 

Now the subject of funding public education is making the rounds in court again and two amicus briefs (friend of the court) were filed. One was filed by the Commission to Study School Funding asking the court to reaffirm the Claremont rulings and to provide special assistance to "less affluent cities and towns to improve student equity and reduce unfair property tax burdens.” The other was filed by the following 31 members of Liberty Alliance and Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) with the goal of putting an end to NH's constitutional mandate to educate every child. 

Sen. Timothy Lang, District 2
Sen. Howard Pearl, District 17
Rep. Keith Ammon, Hillsborough County, District 42
Rep. Harry Bean, Belknap County, District 6
Rep. Jose Cambrils, Merrimack County, District 4
Rep. Glenn Cordelli, Carroll County, District 7
Rep. Jess Edwards, Rockingham County, District 31
Rep. Keith Erf, Hillsborough County, District 28
Rep. Juliet Harvey-Bolia, Belknap County, District 3
Rep. Gregory Hill, Merrimack County, District 2
Rep. William Infantine, Hillsborough County, District 16
Rep. Jim Kofalt, Hillsborough County, District 32
Rep. Rick Ladd, Grafton County, District 5
Rep. Wayne MacDonald, Rockingham County, District 16
Rep. Carol McGuire, Merrimack County, District 27
Rep. Dan McGuire, Merrimack County, District 14
Rep. Jason Osborne, Rockingham County, District 2
Rep. Sherman Packard, Rockingham County, District 10
Rep. Kristine Perez, Rockingham County, District 2
Rep. Katy Peternel, Carroll County, District 6
Rep. Andrew Renzullo, Hillsborough County, District 13
Rep. Alvin See, Merrimack County, District 6
Rep. John Sellers, Grafton County, District 18
Rep. Vanessa Sheehan, Hillsborough County, District 43
Rep. Joe Sweeney, Rockingham County, District 25
Rep. Chris True, Rockingham County, District 9
Rep. Len Turcotte, Strafford County, District 4
Rep. Michael Vose, Rockingham County, District 5
Rep. Scott Wallace, Rockingham County, District 8
Rep. Thomas Walsh Jr., Merrimack County, District 10
Rep. Kenneth Wey, Rockingham County, District 14

Do you have children or grandchildren in public schools? Are you an educator, perhaps a school board member? Do you want to see public education fairly-funded? Are you tired of paying property taxes knowing that a portion of them goes to private or home schools in direct disregard to Article 83 of the NH Constitution? If so, be sure to vote accordingly next month. 

Birth control. No one else’s business or concern except for you, your partner and health care provider. Or so we thought . . .

The diabolical folks who put together their dystopian, conservative, all-controlling plan for American citizens would happily disagree. They plan to either dismantle or get rid of entirely, government entities, organizations or departments whose sole purpose is to keep Americans safe, informed, healthy, educated, accepted etc. They are targeting the Department of Education, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Head Start Program, Immigration, repeal the Inflation Reduction Act and withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement to name several avenues of disaster they would like to take us on.

Why stop there when the decision of family planning should also be an issue controlled by the government only?

Through the Affordable Care Act (sometimes referred to as Obamacare) women had access to no-cost birth control and no-cost emergency birth control. Not surprisingly, the no-cost birth control benefit is one of the most popular features of this law. 

According to the National Women's Law Center, over "62.4 million women now have coverage of birth control and other preventive services without out-of-pocket costs," all thanks to the Affordable Care Act. "Women across the country are using the benefit and reaping the benefits of birth control, both to their health and economic security."

In 2017, Trump's administration weakened the ACA’s contraception part of the law by permitting employers to deny birth control coverage if they personally had a moral or religious objection. 

The Project 2025 mandate also recommends ending funding to Planned Parenthood, an organization instrumental in providing 4.6 million tests and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, 2.25 million contraception services, over 450,000 cancer screenings and prevention services (breast exams and Pap tests), and 1.1 million pregnancy tests and prenatal services. The availability of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is also in question should our democracy fall in Nov. Planned Parenthood provides so much more than abortion services.

Is this what we want for our daughters and granddaughters? If not, be sure your vote speaks for them. 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was established in 1970 for the purpose of studying the Earth’s atmosphere, coastal areas and oceans within the regions of the United States. It falls under the Department of Commerce and consists of six offices:

1. The National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service, for distributing global environmental data.
2. The National Marine Fisheries Service, for managing and conserving coastal fisheries within the 200-mile exclusive economic zone of the United States.
3. The National Ocean Service, for activities related to the health and productivity of the oceans and coasts bordering the United States.
4. The National Weather Service, for providing weather-related forecasts and warnings for the United States, its possessions, and its marine and freshwater approaches. 
5. The Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, for performing environmental research.
6. The Office of Program Planning and Integration, for merging and monitoring the performance of the other offices. 

There are seven research laboratories managed by NOAA and about 20 Cooperative Institutes (CIs) allied with over 40 institutions, including Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts, that are also supported by NOAA. 

But let’s focus on the National Weather Service. Did you know weather forecasts here in America (like most other countries) are a convenient government resource? Through this office weather alerts and predictions are issued, we are warned of impending tornadoes and hurricanes along with predicted severity, we get warnings of extreme heat and rainfall. All this instant information is available through our radios, TV’s, cell phones or newspapers, annually costing the American taxpayer about $4.00 per person. How ever you get your weather report it originally comes from meteorologists who work for the federal government. 

For days before Hurricane Helene hit the United States as a Category 4 storm, the National Weather Service was diligently issuing warnings to those who resided in the path of it. Additionally, they were issuing tornado warnings. At last count, 52 people were killed in five states, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Three firefighters, a mother and her 1-month-old twins and an 89-year-old woman who was struck by a tree hitting her house were among those who did not survive. Property damage is already estimated to be in the billions! 

Could this have been much, much worse without the National Weather Service warning and advising anyone in the path of the storm who was listening? Possibly.

Now for Project 2025 . . .

The authors of Project 2025 have written that an incoming administration should “break up” the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, under which the National Weather Service operates. They would like to eliminate or privatize most of its functions, claiming the agency is “one of the main drivers of the climate change alarm industry and, as such, is harmful to future U.S. prosperity.” (emphasis added)

Page 674 of the mandate is where you will find the information written by Thomas F. Gilman former Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary for Administration of the US Department of Commerce in the Trump administration. According to Gilman, the National Weather Service should “fully commercialize its forecasting operations” and sell data to private companies.

The mandate would minimize the research arm of NOAA, which studies events like natural disasters, climate change and the ozone layer. Again, according to Gilman, that branch is “the source of much of NOAA’s climate alarmism.” (emphasis added)

The real cause for alarm sounds like it should be Project 2025! 

Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates the history and culture of the Latino and Hispanic communities. This year Hispanic Heritage Month runs from Sunday, Sept. 15 through Tuesday, Oct. 15. This annual event commemorates how those communities have influenced and contributed to American society overall. 

A little history first . . .

On Sept. 17, 1968, Congress passed Public Law 90-48, which officially authorized the president to issue annual proclamations declaring Sept. 15 and 16 the beginning of National Hispanic Heritage Week. Additionally, the law requested the “people of the United States, especially the educational community, to observe such week with appropriate ceremonies and activities.” The first Hispanic Heritage Week presidential proclamation was issued the same day by Pres. Lyndon Johnson. 

The Sept. 15 date was chosen because it coincided with Independence Day celebrations of five “Central American neighbors,” as Johnson had called them; Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Those five countries declared independence from Spain on Sept. 15, 1821.

Mexico was also recognized, having proclaimed its independence from Spain on Sept. 16, 1810. Chile also celebrates its independence from Spain on Sept. 18, 1810, along with Belize, having gained independence from Great Britain on Sept. 21, 1981. These countries have been added to the list of nations specifically celebrated during what is now Hispanic Heritage Month. It was in 1988 the celebration was extended to a month by Pres. Ronald Reagan.

Here in New Hampshire, there are celebrations taking place to honor and recognize our Hispanic communities:
Sept. 26 - Sol y Canto performing at the Word Barn Meadow in Exeter from 7-9 pm. They are known for making their music accessible to both Spanish and non-Spanish-speaking audiences. Tickets are available online. The festivities begin at 11 am.

Sept. 28 – International Festival in Keene begins at 11 am. This is an annual International Festival in celebration of cultural diversity. There will be food vendors presenting international food, performances, games, a global market, and various workshops will be available. Free admission with all donations supporting festival activities.

Oct. 6 – Latin Beats and Eats takes place from 5-7 pm in Littleton, where you can learn to dance Bachata and Merengue at the Loading Dock. Authentic food and flavors from Little Grille to enjoy as you dance to Latin music. The admission is free, donations are appreciated.

The current federal SAVE Act is an amendment to the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 and would require first time voters to prove their citizenship when registering to vote. While citizenship has always been required for one to vote in federal elections, this bill would now require states to verify citizen status with a valid passport, REAL ID, military ID or birth certificate. 

Currently, voter registration doesn’t require this documentary proof, instead a signed testament of citizenship, under penalty of perjury for false claims, is accepted. The SAVE Act (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility) would create new election official guidelines for screening voter databases while providing free access to a federal database to confirm a voter’s citizenship status. 

The states are predominately responsible for voter registration processes and county election officials assist in registering people to vote as well as cleaning and screening voter rolls. Enacting changes included in the SAVE Act could require extra training for county election officials and poll workers in states with same-day registration, such as New Hampshire. 

Naturally, the SAVE Act does not authorize extra federal funding for states and local governments to apply these new guidelines. Congress passed this bill in the summer and it now awaits action by the Senate.

Here in NH we’ve had many in our legislature working towards the same goal of voter suppression. HB 1569 was signed into law by Gov. Sununu on Sept. 12th, but will luckily, not go into effect until after the Nov. election. Nevertheless, the New Hampshire Youth Movement (NHYM) have now sued Secretary of State David Scanlan (R) over House Bill 1569. Like the above-mentioned SAVE Act, the NH bill requires documentation of citizenship, which could be a birth certificate, naturalization papers or a passport. Under this new law, signing an affidavit at a polling place will not be allowed anymore, making NH one of the most restrictive voting states in the country. This change has the potential to disenfranchise large amounts of voters in future elections who think they could register in person on Election Day but don’t have this proof of citizenship with them. High school seniors and young college students immediately come to mind.

According to the lawsuit the proof-of-citizenship requirement will cause unnecessary burdens on the homeless, young, elderly and low-income voters. The NHYM argues the new law violates the First and 14th Amendments of the United States Constitution. They are asking a court to strike down the requirement and bar Scanlan and other election officials from enforcing it.

This is a case that bears watching.

1st Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

14th Amendment, section 1: All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

The Keene City Council is considering a change to our Rules of Order governing whether a member should sit or stand when addressing the Chair during a meeting.

Right now, the requirement is that Councilors stand while speaking, although Councilors who are unable to stand for whatever reason may request that the Chair permit them to stay seated. Though this request for an accommodation is invariably granted, some of us on the Council are trying to change the rule so that asking for an accommodation is no longer even necessary.

Right now, there is a proposal on the table to change the phrasing "shall stand" to "shall stand, if able." However, Councilor Catt Workman, speaking in her role as the Chair of the Monadnock Diversity Equity Inclusion and Belonging Coalition - has recommend that the phrase "shall stand" in the Rules of Order should be changed to "may stand."

Making this change would be a way for the City Council to set an example for the community of how we can adopt changes that reduce barriers to participation in leadership organizations.

The Council will be taking a vote on this rule change on Thursday, September 19. If this issue is important to you - if accessibility is important to you - please reach out to your City Councilors and tell them why you think they should vote for this change.

“To manipulate the boundaries of (an electoral constituency) so as to favor one party or class.”

The origin of “gerrymandering” dates back to 1812! Elbridge Gerry was a merchant and a politician serving as the 5th vice president of the United States under President James Madison. Gerry was elected to the Second Continental Congress where he signed the Declaration of Independence and Articles of Confederation. After the ratification of the Constitution of the United States, Gerry was elected to the inaugural US Congress. While there, advocating for individual and state rights, he was tirelessly involved with the preparing and eventual passage of the Bill of Rights. He was also instrumental in arguing for Congress’ power to override presidential vetoes. 

In the early1800s he joined a new party, the Democratic-Republicans, which supported a less centralized government. Like many Democratic-Republicans of his time, Gerry believed the Federalists were too close to the British and secretly hoped to restore the monarchy. After becoming governor of Massachusetts, he called for an end to the bickering between the Democratic-Republicans and the Federalists. However, war was on the horizon with Great Britain in 1811 and Gerry felt the Federalists’ protests against Pres. Madison’s foreign policy was near-treasonous. 

So what did he do? He replaced Federalists in state government jobs with Democratic-Republicans, got his attorney general to prosecute Federalist newspaper editors for libel, and seized control of the Federalist-dominated Harvard College board. 

Things that make you go, Hmmm . . .

Anyway, the majority led Democratic-Republican legislature, redrew the state’s Senate districts to benefit their party. Before that, senatorial districts followed county boundaries. The new Senate map was now filled with unnatural shapes, Federalists criticizing them as “carvings and manglings.” Gov. Gerry signed the bill into law in Feb. 1812. Thus began the practice of cheating and the emergence of a new word describing it. 

Here in New Hampshire, we deal with our own gerrymandered districts. Our population census is taken every ten years so that important decisions about federal spending can be made wisely. The boundaries of congressional and legislative districts are then redrawn according to the population in each one. New Hampshire is one of 31 states in which the legislature passes redistricting plans as regular legislation. These plans are often approved with a majority vote in each chamber and can be subject to veto by the governor. 

This process also determines political power for the next ten years. Now the question is how to make this process run fairly?

One answer is to appoint an “independent election commission” made up of citizens who have no stake in politics other than to see the redistricting process take place fairly and not leave the state looking “carved up and mangled.”

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

Twenty-seven words that have been interpreted in various ways over many decades, usually with the first thirteen left off. Well, let’s review those words as it pertains to New Hampshire. 

What is a militia? Federal and state laws commonly refer to all able-bodied residents between the ages of 17 and 45 who may be called by the government to defend the United States or an individual state a “militia.” An organized militia consists of the National Guard and the Naval Militia. An unorganized militia consists of people who are not members of the National Guard or the Naval Militia. 
A group of people who think themselves part of the “able-bodied residents” under state or federal law are not legally permitted to activate itself for duty. A private militia attempting to activate itself for duty, outside of the authority of the state or federal government, is illegal. 10 U.S.C. section 246

Are private militias protected under the Second Amendment? No. The Supreme Court ruled in 1886 and again in 2008, the Second Amendment “does not prevent the prohibition of private paramilitary organizations.” District of Columbia v. Heller 2008, 554 U.S. 570, 621 (citing Presser v. Illinois, 116 U.S. 252 (1886)).

Is it legal to act as a private militia in NH? No. All 50 states prohibit private, unauthorized militias and military units from engaging in activities reserved for the state militia, including law enforcement activities. Some states, which includes NH, also prohibit paramilitary activity during or by advancing civil disorder. 

The New Hampshire Constitution forbids private military units from operating outside state authority, providing that “[i]n all cases, and at all times, the military ought to be under strict subordination to, and governed by, the civil power.” 
NH.Constitution part 1, article XXVI

New Hampshire law makes it illegal for groups to organize as private militias without permission from the state. RSA 111:15 states “[n]o organization, society, club, post, order, league or other combination of persons, or civil group, or any members thereof, are authorized to assume any semblance of military organization or character by bearing or possessing rifles, pistols, sabres, clubs, or military weapons of any kind, or wearing a military uniform of any kind.” The statute has limited exemptions for authorized military units, color guards, and similar entities. 

In NH, it is a felony for any person to “knowingly and falsely assume[] or exercise[] the functions, powers, duties, or privileges incident to the office of sheriff, deputy sheriff, state police officer, police officer of any city or town, or any other law enforcement officer or investigator employed by any state, country or political subdivision of a state or country.” RSA 104:28-a

Sadly, there are groups of people who use their Second Amendment rights to intimidate people who are exercising their voting rights. We don’t really see that here in NH, but just in case. . .

What to do if armed groups are seen near polling places or at a voter registration drive?
First, always document what you are witnessing.
Are they carrying firearms? If so, what type? If not, are they carrying other types of weapons?
What are the armed people doing and wearing? 
Are they wearing insignia? If so, what does it say or look like? 
Are they carrying signs or flags? 
Do they seem to be patrolling as a law enforcement officer would? 
Do they appear to be coordinating their actions, have a “leader?” 
Are they stopping or talking to people outside of their group? 
Do they appear to be provoking or threatening violence? If so, what are they doing specifically? 
Are people turning away from the polling station after seeing or speaking with them?

Don’t engage, just contact your local police or sheriff’s department.

This information is taken from Georgetown Law.