The manifesto called “The Mandate for Leadership” naturally has a chapter dealing with those pesky immigrants. Written by Ken Cuccinelli, an attorney who had served from 2019 to 2021 in the Trump administration as the “acting” Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security. During his brief stint in the White House, he became “Principal Deputy Director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services” (USCIS), an office established by the Trump administration and which has since been abolished. 

Cuccinelli’s appointment to that newly formed position was found to be unlawful by US District Judge Randolph Moss in March, 2020. The judge ruled it was in violation of the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998. His appointment as “acting” Deputy Secretary was also found to be illegal by the Government Accountability Office that same year. 

While Ken wasn’t having a good year, he contributed to the manifesto by writing the chapter on Homeland Security. According to Ken, “DHS has also suffered from the Left’s wokeness and weaponization against Americans whom the Left perceives as its political opponents.”

Right off the bat, he recommends “the President pursue legislation to dismantle the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).” Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would be granted a broader deportation process. Right now, a process that currently applies to people caught within 100 miles of the border would be enlarged to people caught anywhere in the country. People who are in deportation proceedings are sometimes “tracked” rather than be held in detention. This is referred to as the “Alternatives to Detention” program and would be shelved according to the manifesto. 

Legal immigration would face restrictions, such as decreasing or abolishing certain visa categories. For example, T & U visas for victims of crime or trafficking, who would generally assist in police investigations of those crimes might become harder to get or go away completely. “Victimization should not be a basis for an immigration benefit.”

For those looking for asylum here in America, they can expect the likelihood of being rerouted to other countries as the manifesto calls for bringing back “asylum cooperative agreements” with Central American countries. An oldie but goodie from the Trump era. They would also like to see Congress restrict eligibility and get rid of certain categories of eligibility for asylum seekers. 

And if you thought children would have some protections, think again. Lots of cruelty written into this chapter. The manifesto calls for detaining children in terrible conditions, such as having Congress revoke the 1997 court settlement agreement known as The Flores Settlement. This agreement mandated that unaccompanied minors be held in the “least restrictive” settings as possible. If revoked, many children will again be held in ICE detention centers. Remember foil blankets?

For those with temporary protected status and are already in America, that could be revoked. Most are here under a temporary humanitarian parole and are from Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, Ukraine and Venezuela. Processing times would become even more lengthy; cost of applications would rise; impose fees for asylum requests; allowing people to pay more to move ahead in the processing line. 

Should our democracy fall in November, more than 12 million people with green cards would face an uncertain future. Let’s do all we can to make sure that doesn’t happen.

Project 2025 is an immediate threat to our democracy; formed and molded by multiple Christian Nationalist organizations whose goal is to institute a specific version of Christianity as the ruling, authoritative cultural and moral order. Naturally, it would be “exclusionary” and not only a threat to our democracy but to the long-held separation of church and state. 

Focusing this article on public education, their manifesto calls for the elimination of the Dept. of Education, student loans and grants would eventually be returned to the private sector, gender ideology and critical race theory would be rejected and the all time favorite of taxpayer dollars, intended for public schools, rerouted to private, religious or home schools. Their vision for the country, “Ultimately, every parent should have the option to direct his or her child’s share of education funding through an education savings account (ESA), funded overwhelmingly by state and local taxpayers, which would empower parents to choose a set of education options that meet their child's unique needs.” A different form of welfare for those who really don’t need it. 

What are ESA’s? Usually referred to as school vouchers, they are used for a family’s tuition by (and this can’t be said enough) using taxpayer dollars for private schools. Keep in mind a lot of these  private schools do NOT offer special education services as public schools do, because they are not required to do so. According to the National Education Association (NEA), states with this program are now grappling with the cost, lack of accountability and lack of transparency. The continued increase in costs will not only redirect taxpayer dollars from the intended public schools but will also impact other vital public services.

Calling the NEA a “demonstrably radical special interest group that overwhelmingly supports left-of-center policies and policymakers,” the manifesto recommends Congress revoke their congressional charter. They recommend member hearings be held to ascertain how much federal taxpayer dollars the NEA has used for “radical” causes that “favor” one political party. Oh, NOW they’re concerned about the use of taxpayer dollars?

Moving right along with the really important stuff listed in the manifesto:
“No public education employee or contractor shall use a name to address a student other than the name listed on a student’s birth certificate, without the written permission of a student’s parents or guardians. 
No public education employee or contractor shall use a pronoun in addressing a student that is different from that student’s biological sex without the written permission of a student’s parents or guardians. 
No public institution may require an education employee or contractor to use a pronoun that does not match a person’s biological sex if contrary to the employee’s or contractor’s religious or moral convictions.” 

To the surprise of no one, protecting the civil rights of Black and Brown students, LGBTQ students and those with disabilities would make their way to the chopping block. It is currently the responsibility of the Dept. of Education to do so, but if they want to eliminate that department then the above mentioned students would be left out or left to their own devices. Gains that took decades to achieve would be instantly wiped out. 

According to Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, Project 2025 is “redefining religious freedom as a license to discriminate.” Let’s make sure they are unsuccessful this Nov.! 

Remember back when the previous administration wanted to do away with the “Affordable Care Act?” People rose up and voiced their anger against that, leaving elected officials no other choice but to leave it in place (not that they had anything to replace it with, anyway.) They did manage to weaken some aspects of it when they bolstered the capability of doctors to hide behind “religious beliefs” when some (not all) physicians did not want to provide certain medical care such as abortions (even in emergencies), vasectomies or care to transgenders, to give a few examples. They shamelessly dubbed it “The Denial of Care Rule.”

The Project 2025 chapter on the Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) was written by attorney Roger Severino, a Heritage Foundation employee who had also worked for the Becket Fund. In this chapter, Severino vows to limit access to birth control (that’s already being tried), repeal the FDA’s approval of medication abortion (although I believe the Supreme Court recently threw women a bone), and outlaw mailing such medications by citing the “Comstock Act.”

(Comstock Act of 1873- Act for the Suppression of Trade in, and Circulation of, Obscene Literature and Articles of Immoral Use. Signed into law by Pres. Ulysses S. Grant on March 3, 1873.)

Additionally, the HHS would eliminate programs aimed towards the rights of LGBTQ people. Severino recommends just about all HHS agency or programs such as Administration for Children and Families, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health and Office of the Surgeon General be reorganized in order to promote heterosexual marriage and procreation, “to maintain a biblically based, social-science reinforced definition of marriage and family.”

Severino writes that he would like to see HHS go back to being called the “Department of Life” by strongly rejecting the idea “that abortion is healthcare and by restoring its mission statement . . . to include furthering the health and well-being of all Americans from conception to natural death.” (I wonder if getting shot and killed in a parking lot, school or church is considered a “natural death.”) The CDC would be expected to increase “abortion surveillance” especially in blue states that “have now become sanctuaries for abortion tourism.” He wants the Reproductive Healthcare Access Task Force to be eliminated in order to construct a pro-life task force promoting the life and health of women and their unborn child. The FDA would be required to reverse approval of medical abortion drugs; funding from Medicaid to Planned Parenthood would come to a stop; women’s health facilities would stop giving out condoms (sorry guys, you’re targeted too); getting rid of the IUD and some forms of the birth control pill. Severino refers to the CDC as “the most incompetent and arrogant agency of the federal government” and wants to remove its capability of issuing public health advice. Wearing masks and social distancing immediately come to mind . . .

Project 2025, these guys are NOT kidding around!

Last November I wrote a brief article about Project 2025. The next few articles will be diving into the frightening and chilling plans the Heritage Foundation has put together to overthrow our democracy and do away with our separation of church and state, replacing it with a theocracy. Sounds crazy, I know. That something like this could happen here, in America! But, here we are . . .

Project 2025 is a plan that’s been decades in the making. It is a thirty chapter, 900 page manifesto, filled with a blueprint for their plans to restructure the federal government. According to their Policy Agenda – “Our goal is to assemble an army of aligned, vetted, trained, and prepared conservatives to go to work on Day One to deconstruct the Administrative State.” Each chapter is written by a different author, some of whom had ties to the Trump administration. All are religiously conservative. 

But before we check some of these chapters out, let’s explore who supports and is behind the Heritage Foundation.

The president is Kevin D. Roberts, a former president of Wyoming Catholic College from 2013-16. From there he took a position as executive vice president of the Texas Public Policy Foundation. In October, 2021, he became president of the Heritage Foundation and two years later became president of Heritage Action, the lobbying group of The Heritage Foundation. In his introduction to Project 2025, Roberts writes of the groups intent in “deleting the terms sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI), diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), gender, gender equality, gender awareness, gender-sensitive, abortion, reproductive health, reproductive rights . . . out of every federal rule, agency regulation, contract, grant, regulation and piece of legislation that exists.” Translation: LGBTQ and females, we are comin’ for you!

Leonard Leo, a staunch Catholic, an attorney and a leader in the conservative group The Federalist Society, where he has been actively involved for over 25 years. He helped Clarence Thomas during his confirmation hearings for the Supreme Court. In addition, he supported the nominations of Samuel Alito, Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and John Roberts. Working closely with (then) Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in 2016, Pres. Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, was successfully blocked. The Judicial Crisis Network, Leonard Leo’s nonprofit, spent over $7 million blocking the confirmation. This guy has access to vast amounts of money and has shown he is not afraid to tap into it for his vision of an American “utopia.” 

For many years, billionaire Charles Koch, (and his brother before his death in 2019) quietly organized wealthy, like-minded conservatives. Using hundreds of millions of their own money, they successfully created a complex web of academic programs, foundations, “grassroots” movements and think tanks all designed to destroy and reshape the public’s opinion about minimizing the federal government. 

Project 2025 has also been on the receiving end of Koch’s and Leo’s largess, through donations to the Project’s advisory board. Who’s on this advisory board you ask? Mostly Christian Nationalist groups:
Alliance Defending Freedom
American Center for Law and Justice
America First Legal Foundation (founded by Stephen Miller, he of the Trump implemented “caging immigrant kids” idea)
Concerned Women for America
Family Research Council
First Liberty Institute
Hillsdale College and Liberty University
Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America

Next time, a few examples of what this Project 2025 means for America should our democracy fall in November. 

Officially called “Juneteenth National Independence Day,” this is a federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in America and is celebrated on June 19th. On this day in 1865, Major General Gordon Granger implemented Pres. Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation in the state of Texas as they were one of the last to have received the news the Civil War had ended and slaves had been freed two years previously. 

Juneteenth has referred to as “America’s Second Independence Day” and is regarded as the longest-running African-American holiday. Texas initially declared it a holiday in 1938 and with approved legislation in 1979 every state and the District of Columbia has recognized the holiday with commemorative events. 

Here are some planned events in New Hampshire:

Keene: (June 16) “Kid Flicks – Celebrating Black Stories.” From 2-3:00 pm at The Showroom on Commercial St. This is a series of short films by the New York International Children’s Film Festival and is recommended for age 9 and older. Come share in the complexity, determination, joy and resilience of being young and Black. Seating is limited with registration required at no cost. https://keeneymca.org/juneteenth 

(June 19) From 5-6:20 pm at The Community Kitchen on Mechanic St. will be a free community dinner. 

From 6-9:00 pm at Central Square will be musical performances.

Lebanon: (June 18) From 5:30-8:00 pm, the documentary "Shadows Fall North" will be shown at the Lebanon Library Damren Room, 9 East Park St. This documentary portrays the efforts of Valerie Cunningham (coauthor of Black Portsmouth: Three Centuries of African American Heritage) and JerriAnne Boggis, who work to uncover the stories of African Americans nearly lost to history. Refreshments will be provided. 

Nashua: (June 19) 1:00 pm in the Soel Sistas restaurant parking lot a celebration will include food, music, local vendors selling items such as plants and T-shirts, artists selling and showcasing their work, and hair braiders. This event is being put on by Nashua residents Kimberly Whittaker and Shewanda Daniels-Williams. Whittaker is looking forward to having not only a day of fun, but to also provide knowledge and understanding on what the day is all about. According to Whittaker, “It’s about freedom. We broke free from the chains of slavery. That was a time when black people … came together to build community amongst each other and for each other, so if people now in this day and age know what it really was and [what] people did, then maybe it will force us to come back together as a people and unite and just be stronger.” 

Portsmouth: (June 19) 10:30 am at the African Burying Ground, an African drumming workshop will be held for children and their parents. They will learn about the role drums play in African culture along with dances, rhythms and songs in African life celebrations. The workshop is free, open to the public and no registration is needed.

At 11:00 am “A Time To Praise, A Time To Honor, A Time To Heal,” is a ceremony led by Rev. Robert Thompson, honoring the ancestors who survived in America during and after slavery. An African drumming and dance group, The Akwaaba Ensemble, will perform to honor Black ancestors who lived in slavery and those who were freed from it. Many other events will be taking place along the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire.

Two years ago this month, the Supreme Court of the United States did what many elected Republican officials had been hankering for, for nearly fifty years. They overturned Roe v. Wade, taking away basic rights for women and families to make their own healthcare and pregnancy decisions.

For nearly a dozen states, an abortion ban went into effect immediately. Other states, in the grip of regressive Republican rule, began the process of enacting their own misogynistic laws. 

New Hampshire was no exception. Earlier this year, two extreme anti-abortion bills were defeated, as was a bill whose purpose was to “enshrine” abortion rights in our state constitution. I’m sure the extremists will spend the summer crafting other ways to bring women under their thumb.

In response to this extremism, “Monadnock for Choice” came into existence. Their goal is to make abortion access in NH a permanent healthcare choice. They are keeping an eye on proposed legislation which would concern access to women’s healthcare rights and are determined to stay public with all information. 

Monadnock for Choice is sponsoring a rally on Saturday, June 22, 12-1, Central Square, Keene. If you would like to become involved, send an email: monadnockforchoice@gmail.com. But above all, please share this information with others.

Next week HB 1665 will be voted on again. But now it has been amended and is still a slap in the face to taxpayers and students who attend public schools! A quick refresher about this bill. . .

HB 1665 is proposed legislation originally seeking to increase the family eligibility for school vouchers up to 500% of the federal poverty level from $109,500 to $156,000 for a family of four. The prime sponsors were Republican Reps. Glenn Cordelli, Rick Ladd, Joseph Pitre, Kristin Noble, Julius Soti, Kevin Verville, Jacob Brouillard and Alicia Lekas. (Cordelli, Noble, Soti and Lekas are members of "Young Americans for Liberty". Pitre, Noble, Verville and Lekas are members of "Liberty Alliance".) 

On June 6th, a Committee of Conference report was issued with the recommendation “That the House recede from its position of nonconcurrence with the Senate amendment, and concur with the Senate amendment, and That the Senate and House adopt the following new amendment to the bill as amended by the Senate, and pass the bill as so amended”

The amendment would now read as follows: “VI. "Eligible student" means a resident of this state who is eligible to enroll in a public elementary or secondary school and whose annual household income at the time the student applies for the program is less than or equal to [350] 425 percent of the federal poverty guidelines as updated annually in the Federal Register by the United States Department of Health and Human Services under 42 U.S.C. section 9902(2). No income threshold need be met in subsequent years, provided the student otherwise qualifies. Students in the special school district within the department of corrections established in RSA 194:60 shall not be eligible students.”

In other words, rather than 500% of the federal poverty level the amendment dropped it down to 425%. 

Nearly 90% of NH students attend public schools. This latest increase redirects upwards of $53 million taxpayer dollars to home, private and religious schools. This continues to take away from the public schools. This latest increase has the potential to more than double the cost of this school choice program, a program “Education” Commissioner Edleblut does not want the state to audit. Why not? What is he hiding?

Let’s all do our part in stopping this attack on public schools. Takes only a moment.  Let your legislator know that this is our tax money at stake and that it should be spent on our public schools.

Thank you.

And there’s plenty of events taking place throughout the state!

Keene: A Pride Prom will be held on Sat., June 29 from 7-11 pm at Heberton Hall. For information on this event and others happening such as the upcoming Pride Festival to be held in Sept. visit keenepride.org.

Lebanon: The Lebanon Opera House will be hosting a Pride Picnic on Fri., June 14 at Colburn Park from 6-8:30 pm, followed by a silent disco beginning at 9:00. You provide your own picnic and your own pride gear. To learn more, visit lebanonoperahouse.org.

Manchester: On Sat., June 15, the Pride Parade and Festival takes place, with the parade starting at 11:15 a.m. at the Brady Sullivan Tower. The festival is held at Veterans Memorial Park from 12-6 pm. 

Milford: On Sat., June 9, the Milford Pride Fest is held at Keyes Park on Elm St. This will run from 12-4 pm.

Nashua: Celebrating Nashua’s Pride Festival on Sat. June 22 will begin with a parade at 2:00 on Main St. The Nashua Public Library will host the festival until 6:00 pm. Need more info? Go here, Nashua Pride Festival Facebook page

North Conway: From 10:00 am-4:00pm the White Mountains Pride Fest will take place at the North Conway Community Center Park on Sat., June 29. Featuring live music and activities for every age! whitemountainspride.com.

Portsmouth: Also on June 22, Portsmouth will be hosting its 10th annual Pride event. At 12:30 pm the pride march commences on Pleasant St., ending at Strawbery Banke where there is a main stage.

Windham: On Sun., June 9, Windham will be holding its 4th annual Windham Pride Festival, at the high school from 12:00-4:00 pm. In addition to food trucks and activities for every age, there be live entertainment. Also featured is a youth zone, a pride marketplace and a youth afterparty. More info here, seacoastoutright.org. 

And just over in nearby Bellows Falls, Vermont: At the Bellows Falls Opera House on Thurs., June 20th, a special presentation will be given by Mark S. King HIV survivor, AIDS activist and author of the book My Fabulous Disease. The presentation takes place at 7:30 pm.

 

Perhaps you’ve seen some of these signs along the side of roads in Swanzey, Richmond and Winchester. I’m not sure if there’s signs in any other towns, but these say, “An Appeal to Heaven,” in the middle is a pine tree and then underneath “NHExit.org.” 

OK, so what is this? Some of us first heard of this flag when it was brought to the public’s attention as it was reportedly flown at the New Jersey vacation home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in summer of 2023. Mike Johnson (R-La.) Speaker of the House, has one displayed outside his office in the Capitol building. It was also carried by some of the insurrectionists in their attempt to over take the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

A little background history about this particular flag: the pine tree has a long history of New England symbolism as it was flown as far back as 1686 on colonial merchant ships and was known as the “Flag of New England.” It was designed by a Colonel Joseph Reed who was General George Washington’s secretary. The flag thus became a symbol of anger and resistance for the colonists as the Revolutionary War loomed in the near future. 

New Hampshire colonists, resentful of restrictions placed on harvesting the wood, staged the Pine Tree Riot which took place in Weare in 1772, as a strong protest against British rule. The pine tree also appeared on the flag that colonists carried at the Battle of Bunker Hill in June, 1775.

Unfortunately, this “Appeal to Heaven” flag has become a symbol for far-right extremists and Trump supporters. In addition to the unsuccessful insurrection, this flag has appeared at many of Trump’s hate rallies. It is also deeply-rooted in the rhetoric of Christian Nationalism. According to Simmons College (Kentucky) professor and author Jemar Tisby, the American Revolution is viewed by these far-right groups as a “righteous rebellion against an unjust, intrusive government.” 

As an aside, the “Gadsden” flag was also flown during the Revolutionary War and has been making a comeback at far-right rallies. It is a black snake on a yellow background proclaiming “Don’t Tread on Me.” It has become a symbol for conservative and libertarian groups.

So, getting back to the local signs after this little bit of flag history... Apparently, they are brought to us by a Flat Earth Society member from Winchester. Russell Kanning, who ran for and lost his bid to sit on the Winchester school board. To learn more about NHExit, click on the link above.

As we continue to burn fossil fuels, the atmosphere continues to warm up. Which means it holds more moisture. Which means when it rains, it comes down harder and faster. Which means there’s an increase in flooding. In the northeast, extreme rain and snow storms have increased about 60% since the 1950’s. 

Nationally, these extreme weather disasters are occurring more often, costing an average of a billion (yes, with a B) dollars. In the US, we used to come up against (on average) a billion-dollar disaster about every four months. Now, the average is every three weeks. All of this is unsustainable.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is a part of the US Department of Agriculture and assist with disaster recovery. What they claim to be observing more now are watersheds changing much faster than they used to, due to extreme storms causing more damage. Matt Brown, an official with New Hampshire’s NRCS office, noted the challenges caused by these changes are becoming larger than what the agency might be equipped to manage in the future.

(Watershed: an area or ridge of land that separates waters flowing to different rivers, basins, or seas.)

Climate Central, a nonprofit independent group of scientists who research changes in our climate have analyzed average winter temperatures for more than 200 locations nationwide, including Concord. From 1970-2022, Concord's average rate of warming was 6.6 degrees, placing it as one of the Top 5 winter warming locations.

In some NH towns, officials are trying to come to the aid of their townspeople but are discovering they don’t always have the needed resources. For example, the roads and culverts in the town of Gorham experienced much damage during some flooding this past December. The Androscoggin, Moose and Peabody rivers overflowed their banks, now the town is looking to classify floodplains.

Conway has experienced three 100-year floods in thirteen years, with town officials calling Dec.’s flooding the worst ever seen, leaving some town roads shut down. The town is now attempting to determine how best to protect neighborhoods in low lying areas. 

Lack of natural snowfall and fluctuating temperatures have challenged snowmobile businesses during the past several years, causing snowmobile registrations to go down. As we are seeing, warmer winters equal shorter snowmobile seasons, with this past winter a majority of NH’s snowmobile trails closing the first week in March. Ski resorts are able to make artificial snow, but they too, have faced challenges because of shorter winter seasons. This in turn, hurts the winter tourism economy which is the state’s second largest contributor. A lot of these businesses depend on what amounts to about $70 million in revenue. 

In response, there have been bipartisan bills brought forward recently to address this issue. SB 493 would have established municipal emergency disaster relief loan funding to help municipalities in a natural disaster. On Feb. 8th it was referred back to Interim Study. HB 1488 had to do with hazard mitigation funding. On Feb. 15th it was referred back to Interim Study. HB 1466 would have provided disaster relief funding to municipalities after a natural disaster. On May 15th this bill was also referred back to Interim Study. 

(Interim Study: a procedure which legislators use to explore complicated policy topics during the time in between regular legislative sessions. The purpose is to gather research sometimes involving public committee meetings where people testify on the topic. The study itself is not binding.) 

If you are concerned about extreme weather becoming the norm, ask your candidate(s) how they feel about this topic and if they plan to address it with urgency. 

“Science is the key to our future, and if you don’t believe in science, then you’re holding everyone back.”          Bill Nye, the science guy

“This is not a one time thing. This is our entire future.” 
                                                     Greta Thunberg, climate activist