(Sharon) Christa (Corrigan) McAuliffe was born in Boston on Sept. 2, 1948, growing up in Framingham, Massachusetts. In 1966 she graduated from Marian High School then went on to Framingham State College where she studied education and American history. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in 1970, she married her high school sweetheart, Steven McAuliffe that same year.

She began her teaching career in Maryland, teaching junior high students English and American history. In 1978, McAuliffe received her master’s degree from Bowie State College in Maryland and in 1983 the family moved to New Hampshire where she was hired to teach social studies at Concord High School.

In 1984, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced a new program aptly named the “Teacher in Space Project.” McAuliffe applied (along with more than 11,000 other people!) and eventually was named the winner of the contest. Her dream of helping students to understand space and how NASA works was closer to coming true. Now it was off to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas for extensive training in Sept. 1985.

The Challenger was initially scheduled for lift-off on Jan. 22, 1986 but was put off due to a scheduling delay. A second delay occurred due to a dust storm at an emergency landing site. Another delay was caused by inclement weather at the launch site. The final delay was because of a technical problem with a door latch mechanism.

Finally, on Jan. 28,1986, with friends and family, including her two children in attendance, her students in Concord along with the rest of the nation anxiously watching on television, the history-making space expedition lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. In less than two minutes after lift-off, the unthinkable happened. The shuttle exploded, and all seven crew members aboard died.

"The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and 'slipped the surly bonds of earth' to 'touch the face of God.'" 
- Ronald Reagan, January 28, 1986

Christa McAuliffe brought such enthusiasm and a love of learning to her many students. To honor her memory there are now roughly forty schools worldwide named after her including the Christa Corrigan McAuliffe Center for Education and Teaching Excellence at Framingham State University, the S. Christa McAuliffe Elementary School in Lowell, Mass., and others in New York, Utah and Louisiana.

There is the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord, NH; Christa McAuliffe Park in Green Bay, WI; McAuliffe Branch Library in Framingham, Mass. In Nashua, the Christa McAuliffe Technology Conference (committed to using technology in all forms of education) has been held every year since 1986. In Nebraska, the McAuliffe Prize annually honors a teacher from Nebraska for courage and excellence in education. The American Association of State Colleges and Universities and the National Council for the Social Studies award grants in McAuliffe’s name to trailblazing, forward thinking teachers.

Even in space McAuliffe is remembered. An asteroid is named the “3352 McAuliffe,” a crater on the moon and the planet Venus is named “McAuliffe.”

During Women’s History Month, we honor and acknowledge the shining star known as Christa McAuliffe.

Founded by the Free State Project in 2003, the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance (NHLA) refers to itself as a non-partisan alliance who supports libertarian candidates running for local and state office. Additionally, they support a civil society, other libertarian organizations and causes along with working towards increasing individual freedoms in NH. 

To achieve that last goal, they track legislative bills during regular sessions and evaluate them based on their effects on accountability, affordability, civil liberties, constitutionality, fiscal impact, personal responsibility, property rights, regulation, and taxation. Then a weekly handout called The Gold Standard is given to members of the Senate and House of Representatives before their vote. This gives them an awareness as to whether a particular bill is anti- or pro-liberty.

To better understand what the “Gold Standard” is, this link shows which bills came before the Senate on March 7th. For example: “SB316 - establishing a penalty for a person who transports fentanyl class drugs into NH with the intent to distribute.” This is viewed as an anti-liberty piece of legislation because “This bill adds a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years for individuals transporting fentanyl into NH with an intent to distribute and adds a new clause allowing for asset forfeiture of vehicles that were involved.” 

Another example is “SB525 - relative to administration of the education freedom accounts program.” Also viewed as anti-liberty because “This bill would create perverse incentives for families to limit their income to prevent their child from being forced back into a specific government school after having acclimated to a learning environment that better suits their needs.” 

An annual "Liberty Rating" is published with individual grades for each representative and senator based on pro- or anti-liberty roll call votes. The NHLA designates an impact score of each bill (or vote) by considering the degree to which the bill (or vote) will impact liberty (positively or negatively). According to the above 2023 rating publication a majority of Democrats scored a “CT,” known as “Constitutional Threat.” They are considered unfaithful to their oath of upholding the NH Constitution and principles of liberty. 
Whoops . . .

The following are members of the NH Liberty Alliance:

Allenstown – Matthew Pitaro
Alstead – Rich Nalevanko
Alton – Paul Terry (Co-founder & director of Camp Constitution, far-right Christian camp.)
Antrim – Jim Creighton
Atkinson – Arlene Quaratiello, Peter Torosia
Auburn – Jess Edwards (FSP, also), Jason Osborne (House Majority leader 
Barrington – Len Turcotte
Bath – David Binford
Bedford – Russan Chester (and Constitution Party of NH), Linda Gould, John Graham, Dan Hynes, Niki Kelsey, Kristin Noble (and Moms for Liberty) 
Belmont - Jason Gerhard (last Sept. proposed a bill to “sunset all NH laws”, feels people can sell their own organs, see link)  Nikki McCarter, Travis O’Hara, Michael Sylvia, Douglas Trottier
Bow – John Martin
Brentwood – Melissa Litchfield
Brookfield – Bill Nelson
Brookline – Diane Pauer (and Americans for Prosperity, AFP)
Campton – Mark Alliegro
Center Barnstead – Barbara Comtois
Center Harbor – Tom Ploszaj
Charlestown – Steve Smith, Walter Spilsbury
Chester – Oliver Ford
Chichester – Cyril Aures
Claremont – Jonathan Stone
Concord – Kristin Jackson, Scott Smith
Danvill – Scott Wallace
Deerfield – Terry Roy, James Spillane, Kevin Verville
Derry – Laura El-Azam, Phyllis Katsakiores, Erica Layon, David Love, Lorraine Lindenberg
Dunbarton – J.R. Hoell
Durham – Jennifer Olszewski, Mark Racic
Epping – Cody Belanger, Michael Vose, John Klose
Epsom – Carol & Dan McGuire
Farmington – James Horgan, Joseph Pitre
Franklin – Dave Testerman
Freedom – Michael Costable, Mark McConkey
Fremont – Dennis Acton, Emily Phillips, Josh Yokela
Gilford – Glenn Aldrich, Harry Bean, Richard Beaudoin, Norman Silber
Goffstown – Joe Alexander, John Burt, Barbara Griffin, Michael Gunski, Lisa Mazur, Fred Plett, Claire Rouillard
Grafton – Lex Berezhny, Tim Condon
Hampstead – Dennis Green, Tracy Emerick
Hampton Falls – Forrest Osterman, Susan Porcelli
Haverhill – Rick Ladd
Henniker – Jay Noone
Hollis – Susan Homola
Hooksett – Ernie Bencivenga, Stephen Boyd, Yuri Polozov, Michael Yakubovich
Hopkinton - Darlene Gildersleeve, Jed Tocci
Hudson – Bob Greene, Stephen Kennedy, Alicia & Tony LekasLynne Ober, Andrew Prout, Andrew Renzullo, Kimberly Rice, Eric Schleien, Jordan Ulery, Robert Wherry
Jaffrey – Matthew Santonastaso
Kearsarge – Karen Umberger
Keene – Aria DiMezzo, John Schmitt
Kensington – John Valvanis
Kingston – David Welch, Kenneth Weyler
Laconia – Erica Golter, Gregg Hough, Dawn Johnson, Richard Littlefield
Lancaster – Kevin Craig, Troy Merner (busted for not living in Lancaster)
Litchfield – Ralph Boehm, Richard Lascelles
Littleton – Calvin Beaulier, David Rochefort, Matthew Simon
Londonderry – Al Baldasaro, Tom Dolan, Ron Dunn, Wayne MacDonald, Kristine Perez, Douglas Thomas
Loudon – Jose Cambrils, Michael Moffett, Howard Pearl, Alvin See
Lyndeborough – Lisa Post
Manchester – Ross Berry, Tyler Chase, Larry Gagne, Dan & Tammy Garthwaite, Carla Gericke, Gerald Griffin, Richard Hagala, Joseph LaChance, Dick Marston, Stephen Mathieu, Mark McLean, Brittany LeClear-Ping, Mark Warden, Matthew Whitlock, Rachel Goldsmith (and Moms for Liberty, Hillsborough County)
Mason – John Lewicke
Meredith- Jonathan Mackie, Lisa Smart, Jeanne Tofts
Merrimack - Melissa Blasek, Melissa Creem (NHLA chairperson), Mary Mayville, Tim McGough, Jeanine Notter
Milford – Bill King, Vanessa Sheehan, Colton, Skorupan 
Milton - Glenn Bailey, Peter Hayward, Michael Granger, Claudine Burnham
Nashua – Elizabeth Ferreira, Doris Hohensee, Corey MacLean, Dan Moriarty, Brett Powell, Kevin Scully
New Boston – Keith Ammon, William Foster
New Ipswich – Shane Sirois, Paul Somero
Newmarket – Jeanne Cooper
Newton – Charles Melvin, James Summers
North Hampton – Kirsten Larson-Schultz
Northfield – Gregory Hill
Northwood – Paul Tudor
Nottingham – Alan Bershtein, Jacob Brouillard
Orange – Donald McFarlane
Ossipee – Jonathan Smith
Pelham – Tom Mannion, Hershel Nunez, Denise Smith, Jeffrey Tenczar
Pembroke – Brian Seaworth, Nick White
Peterborough – Rachel Maidment
Pike – Matthew Coulon
Pittsfield – Clayton Wood
Raymond – Dustin Dodge, Mike Drago, Kevin Pratt
Rindge – John Hunt, James Qualey
Rochester – Susan DeLemus, Fenton Groen, Thomas Kazynski, Mac Kittredge, Clifford Newton, Brandon Phinney, Kelley Potenza, David Walker
Rumney – Gail Sanborn
Salem – Daryl Abbas, Fred Doucette, Betty Gay, John Janigian, Joe Sweeney, John Sytek
Salisbury – Louise Andrus
Sanbornton – Timothy Lang
Sanbornville -  Lino Avellani
Sandown - Tony Piemonte, Chris True
Seabrook – Tim Baxter, Tina Harley, Aboul Kahn
Somersworth – Nick Strafford (and FSP)
South Acworth – Judy Aron
South Hampton – JD Bernardy
Strafford – Michael Harrington, Kurt Wuelper
Stratham – Patrick Abrami
Sunapee – Don Bettencourt
Temple – Diane Kelley
Tilton – Juliet Harvey-Bolia
Tuftonboro – Glenn Cordelli
Twin Mountain – John Greer
Unity – John Callum
Wakefield – John Belcher
Warner – Margaret Kennedy
Weare – Travis Corcoran (and FSP), Leah Cushman, Keith Erf
Wentworth – Beth Folsom, Jeffrey Greeson
Westmoreland – Malia Boaz
Whitefield – Seth King
Wilton – Jim Kofalt
Winchester – Zachary Nutting, Jennifer Rhoades, Max Santonastaso
Windham – Katelyn Kuttab, Robert Lynn (currently looking to make voting harder in NH), Charles McMahon, Daniel Popovici-Muller, Julius Soti
Wolfboro – Katy Peternel
Wolfboro Falls – Larry Borland

While there was only one person listed as a member of the Flat Earth Society, the following is from their website: “The Flat Earth Society mans the guns against oppression of thought and the Globularist lies of a new age. Standing with reason we offer a home to those wayward thinkers that march bravely on with REASON and TRUTH in recognizing the TRUE shape of the Earth - Flat.”

Winchester – Russell Kanning, running for a seat on the school board

Hoo-boy! 

“Welcome to the end of democracy. We are here to overthrow it completely.”

So said Jack Posobiec, on Feb. 21st at the annual Republican Party’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) hosted by the American Conservative Union. This is a political conference, attracting not just conservative activists but also elected officials nationwide.

“We didn’t get all the way there on January 6, but we will endeavor to get rid of it and replace it with this, right here. All glory is not to government. All glory to God,” continued the conservative activist non-believer of the separation of church and state to the cheers of fellow attendees.

Well, OK then. At least now we know what these haters of democracy have in mind, so we have our work cut out for us this year. And definitely for many years into the future. . .

In New Hampshire we have our own haters of democracy and one such group is called the “Free State Project” (FSP). Thousands of like minded people moved here beginning in the early 2000’s answering the clarion call to quietly infiltrate town and city governments before moving on to the state level. All in the name of dismantling democracy. I will be focusing on other similar NH groups in future articles.

Last July I wrote an article about the Free State Project, who founded it, what are their goals and how long they’ve been here in NH. Their founder, Jason Sorens, is closely affiliated with the remaining billionaire Koch brother (think “Americans for Prosperity”) of Koch Industries. 

Recently, NH was dubbed the “Freest” State by the Cato Institute, a think tank based in Washington, DC, co-founded in 1977 by Charles Koch, Ed Crane and Murray Rothbard. NH has been consistent in hanging on to this title, setting a record in 2022 for the “highest freedom score” in the 21st century. This is part of the Cato Institute’s “Freedom in the 50 States” report. In attendance and celebrating at the time was FSP founder Jason Sorens, Koch Industries vice-president William Ruger and Gov. Chris Sununu. 

Luckily, NH voters are beginning to wake up to the “snakes in the grass.” Sorens lost his bid for a seat on the planning board in Concord. 

Thanks to Granite State Matters the following is a list of known FSP members who have either run for and won or run for and lost a seat in local or state government:

Amherst – Jason Sorens
Brookfield – Edward Comeau
Center Conway – Quentin Lewis
Chichester – Darren Tapp
Claremont – Marie Lozito
Concord- Luke Diamond
               Keith Murphy
Croydon – Ian & Jody Underwood
Derry – Cheryl Rounds
Durham – Bruce Fenton
                Carolann McVeigh-Fent
Enfield – Ezra Wyrick
Erroll – James C. Bennett
Freemont – Able Freeman
Hampton – Gaston Gingues
Hollis – Andrew Moisson
Jefferson – Maura Annette Chappelle
Keene – Ian Freeman
Manchester – Alexander Avery
                       Cameran Barr
                       Holly Beaen Seal
                      Chandler Blair Gabel
                       Bill & Gail Domenico
                       Elizabeth Edwards
                       Robert Farinelli
                       Clarence Gardner
                       Coling Gibson
                       Jeffrey Kaufman  
                       Ivan Merlin
                       Anthony Pugh
                       Andre Rosa
                       Ghose Shuvom
                       Victoria Sullivan
                       Andrew Vermiglio
                       Merav Yaakov
Merrimack – Karlyn Borysenko
                     Linda Figler Lacana
Nashua – Christine Butler
                Desiree Fall
                Kevin Hayley
                Andrew J. Olding
                Stephen M J Peguero
                Kathy Peterson
                Jack Shimek
New Boston – Nathan Glen Dickey
Newmarket – Jeff Harris
                      Carla Mora
Northfield – Jesse Garland
Pelham – Constance Spencer
Plainfield – Margaret Drye
Rindge – Ricardo Dentesano
Salem – Jennifer Videtti
Somersworth – Nick Hubbard
                         Mike Skidmore
Sunapee – Reed Coverdale

Not knowing who you are voting for can sometimes have negative consequences. . .just ask the citizens of Croydon. . .

Back in November of 2021, President Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law. Since then, New Hampshire (and other states) have been receiving federal money to update and/or improve their roads, bridges, public transportation and building more electric vehicle charging stations to name a few issues that money has been earmarked for. 

Phase 1 of the federal National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program will be to place charging stations along Route 16 and Interstate 93. The recipients of $2.8 million, through the state’s Dept. of Transportation (DOT), are the towns of North Woodstock, Rochester, Sanbornville and Tilton:

• North Woodstock; White Mountain Visitor Center, developed by ReVision Energy;
• Tilton; 75 Laconia Road, developed by Gridwealth EV;
• Rochester; 127 Market Place Boulevard, developed by Gridwealth EV;
• Sanbornville; Global Mobil Mart, developed by Global Montello Group.

Once approved by the governor and the Executive Council, placement of these charging stations can begin before the end of the year. 

Well, they’re at it again. By “they” I mean the New Hampshire House Republicans. By “it” I mean more attempts at voter suppression.

According to recent information from Independent Voter Project, NH has just under one million registered voters. The numbers are broken up like this: Undeclared – 399,395; Democrats – 303,060; Republicans – 298,470. 

One can see at a glance, where the minority lies. 

With a new year comes new attempts at voter suppression by the minority group who holds the majority in Concord. Rep. Robert Lynn (R-Windham) recently proposed House Bill 1569, which is meant to greatly increase voting requirements. If passed, a photo ID would be required at the polling place, no exceptions. Presently, a first time voter can affirm their identity and residence by filling out an affidavit and within a week of the election, mail the proper corresponding documents to the Secretary of State’s office. Failure to do so results in their ballot being disqualified from the final count. There is also a little matter of NH law; voting with a false address or identity can be investigated by the Atty. General’s office as voter fraud under RSA 7:6-c. 

Rep. Lynn’s proposed bill would do away with the affidavit, instead requiring first time voters to bring in a birth certificate, naturalization papers or a passport. Other documents proving citizenship would also be accepted for registering. 

What college student generally has that kind of document(s) hanging around their dorm? Maybe that’s the point, stop them from exercising their right to vote.

This bill was tabled last year in the House after it was deadlocked (along party lines) by the Election Law Committee on whether or not to recommend it. Now the bill has reared its suppressive head once again at a Feb. 20 hearing before the Election Law Committee. Those opposed basically argued “the system ain’t broke,” no fixing necessary. The affidavit system is working just fine, thank you very much!

A little brief history about an earlier attempt at voter suppression. In 2018, House Bill 1264, came before the NH Supreme Court. This particular legislation made it harder for college students by amending the definitions of the words “resident” and “residency.” The chief justice of the NH Supreme Court at the time was none other than Mr. Robert Lynn. He authored the court’s opinion and found the law to be constitutional. 

Gov. Chris Sununu, who had once promised, he "would never support anything that suppresses the student vote", then signed HB 1264 into law.

It remains to be seen if HB 1569 is unconstitutional. 

There are several organizations actively working to protect voting rights and promote fair, accessible elections. Here are a few:

1. League of Women Voters of New Hampshire (LWVNH): The LWVNH is a nonpartisan organization that focuses on educating voters, advocating for voting rights, and encouraging civic participation. They provide valuable information about elections, candidates, and voting procedures.
2. American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Hampshire: The ACLU is committed to defending civil liberties, including voting rights. They engage in legal advocacy, public education, and lobbying efforts to ensure that every eligible voter can cast their ballot without hindrance.
3. New Hampshire Campaign for Voting Rights: This coalition of organizations and individuals works collaboratively to protect voting rights. They advocate for policies that expand ballot access, combat voter suppression, and promote transparency in elections.
4. Common Cause New Hampshire: Common Cause is dedicated to promoting open, honest, and accountable government. They work on issues related to campaign finance reform, redistricting, and voting rights.
5. Granite State Progress: While not exclusively focused on voting rights, they advocate for progressive policies and fair elections. They monitor legislation and engage in grassroots organizing.

I wanted to segue into Women’s History Month writing one more article honoring both Black and Women. I think I found it. . .

The first African-American to publish a novel was Harriet Wilson, born March 15, 1825, in Milford, New Hampshire. Abandoned by her parents at the age of six, Harriet became an indentured servant until she turned eighteen. She then became a seamstress and house servant for various households in southern NH. 

On Oct. 6, 1851 she married Thomas Wilson in Milford, who left her shortly after they were wed. In 1852, she moved to the Hillsborough County Poor Farm in Goffstown, where her only child, George, was born. George died at the age of seven in early 1860.

Soon after her son’s death, Harriet moved to Boston where she wrote the novel Our Nig, or Sketches from the Life of a Free Black. In Sept., 1859, her novel was anonymously published by a Boston publishing company, “George C. Rand & Avery”. It was not until 1982, when the renowned author and literary critic Henry Louis Gates Jr., came across her novel and had it documented as the first novel published in America by an African American. 

Harriet Wilson died on June 28, 1900, in Quincy, Massachusetts. To learn more about her life, click here.

Rosary Broxay Cooper was born in Florida in 1913. She graduated from an all-Black Florida school as a certified pediatric nurse. She was hired by a family to care for their children and accompanied them to their resort in Maine. This family owned resort was about 15 minutes from Portsmouth, NH, where in 1938, she met her future husband. Rosary and Owen Cooper married and moved to Portsmouth. 

Besides being a children’s nurse, Rosary got a job at the Portsmouth Naval Academy during World War II as a file clerk. With her husband away serving in the Army, Rosary trained for and eventually became a twenty-ton crane operator. 

After the end of the war, the couple purchased a sixteen-room house in a section of Portsmouth which is now part of the Strawbery Banke Museum. There they rented out rooms to Black boarders. In the meantime, Rosary attended a beauty school in Boston, thereby earning herself a certification and opening a beauty shop in her home in 1949. She had become the first Black, licensed beautician in the Portsmouth community. 

Rosary also found the time to fundraise for the state Soldier’s Home and the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Tilton. She was a member and president of the Ladies Auxiliary of Portsmouth’s Veterans of Foreign Wars. She went on to become the state chairwoman of the VFW’s Ladies Auxiliary. 

Rosary Cooper was 84 when she died on Jan. 3, 1997.

Melanie Ann Levesque was born outside of Boston on May 20, 1957. After she moved here to NH, she became the first African American to serve in the NH Senate from 2018-2020. Before that, she served from 2006-2010 and then 2012-2014 in the NH House of Representatives. Melanie currently resides with her husband in Brookline.

In 2021, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, one of many Biden Administration accomplishments, was passed and signed into law. Since then, New Hampshire has reaped a lot of the benefits such as the "Solar for all" grant program, NH’s infrastructure, and the "RAISE Grant Program". Looks like there’s more headed our way!

On Tuesday, Feb. 20th, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced over $55.7 million for upgrading the state’s drinking, storm and wastewater infrastructure systems. These upgrades will promote further the infrastructure that will protect the public’s health and the many bodies of water throughout the state. Nearly half of the money will be made available in the form of grants or as principle forgiveness loans, focusing on those cities and towns who are most in need of water infrastructure investment.

Since 2022, more than $209 million has made its way into NH through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act. Among the benefits seen so far:

• $2.16 million to Plymouth Village Water & Sewer District for the Holderness Well Treatment Project.
• Over $1 million to the Town of Lisbon for treatment and distribution improvements.
• $765,000 to the Town of Troy for upgrades to wastewater treatment facilities.

The EPA expects to announce the additional distribution of billions of dollars for the “Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Lead Service Line Replacement” fund later this spring. Looking forward to learning what NH will receive!

“Without regard to whether some place is wealthy or poor, everybody should have the chance at clean air and clean water.”

Barack Obama

I serve with Debi Leblanc on the Keene Conservation Commission, and was rather horrified to hear back in December that her little dog, Suzette, had been attacked and mauled by a big dog. 

Based on my discussions with Debi, I wrote the following letter to the Mayor and City Council to see about getting the ball rolling on a potential ordinance that would require dogs with a history of attacking other dogs to be leashed and muzzled in public:

February 12, 2024

To the Honorable Mayor and City Council,

On December 7, 2023, Deborah Leblanc was walking her small dog, Suzette, on North Street when Suzette was attacked and mauled by a larger dog. Ms. Leblanc was herself bitten by the large dog as she worked with others to wrest Suzette from its grasp. 

As a result of this attack, Ms. Leblanc has felt unsafe in her neighborhood and has had to seek medical care as a precaution against rabies infection. Suzette has faced substantial veterinary bills and a difficult recovery.

The dog that attacked Suzette is known to be a repeat offender, with a record of attacking another dog in Keene last year. 

Ms. Leblanc has expressed to me her concern, which I share, that the City appears to have limited tools to prevent the dog that attacked Suzette from attacking other small dogs in the future. 

She has suggested that the City Council pass an ordinance requiring dogs with a record of attacking other dogs be required to wear a muzzle when in public. I believe the City Council would be empowered to pass such an ordinance under RSA 466:39.

I ask that this matter be brought before a Council committee for discussion and consideration of a possible ordinance.

Sincerely,

Bobby Williams

City Councilor, Ward 2

This letter was accepted at last Thursday's City Council meeting an referred to the Council's Planning, Licenses, and Development (PLD) Committee for discussion at the next meeting on Wednesday, March 13 at 7:00 PM. Please attend if you are local and have a perspective to share on this topic.

Did you know that at any given time in the United States there are currently more than 100,000 people waiting for an organ transplant, with most of them in need of a kidney. Or that seventeen people die every day while they await a transplant?

Well, get ready New Hampshire to become a money-making solution to that nation-wide problem! Enter Rep. Jason Gerhard (R-Northfield), fresh from a dozen years in prison for procuring pipe bomb making materials and weapons in support of Ed and Elaine Brown of Plainfield, NH, the couple who refused to surrender to authorities for tax evasion convictions. 

But I digress. . .

Rep. Gerhard is of the opinion that more donations would be forthcoming if a “free market” were to come into existence. Perhaps the wait time for a life saving organ would decrease also. I guess selling one’s organs would go a long way in helping to pay property taxes or make a car payment, just sell a lung. We’ve all got two. . .

It's a matter of personal freedom, according to Gerhard, “I think we gotta go back to the old adage: my body, my choice,” he said. “You should be able to do what you wish with your body, since it is your body, and the government does not own your body.”

I can’t believe he actually stated that in public. And as any woman of childbearing age will tell you, that “old adage,” in the world of Republicans, doesn’t apply to them.

Thankfully, cooler and brighter minds think otherwise. According to the New England Donor Services this proposed bill is not only unethical(!), but would contribute to an unfairness in the waiting period. Can’t you just see it? The wealthy would be able to afford first dibs on that coveted kidney. The rest of us. . .not so much. . .

Luckily, federal law prohibits the sale of organs, notwithstanding last years trifecta discovery of a Goffstown, NH couple, Harvard Medical School and body parts.

As of this astonishing revelation, so far, there is no vote scheduled yet in the NH House! 

There were many state issues that outgoing Governor Chris Sununu touted as “accomplishments” in his last State of the State speech on Thursday, Feb. 15. He then moved on to speak about the influx of migrants at the southern border.

While the following was not part of the governor’s speech, I will share that the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently released their operational statistics for January 2024. What they reported was that migrant encounters along the southwest border were significantly lower than experienced in December, 2023. CBP monthly reporting can be accessed on CBP’s Stats and Summaries webpage.

Since mid-May, 2023 through the end of January, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) returned or removed more than 520,000 migrants, a large majority of them having crossed through the southwestern border. Over the past three years a majority of all migrants have been expelled, returned or removed. And since mid-May, the total removals have surpassed removals since 2013. 

Last year, Sununu was able to appropriate funding of $1.4 million for the “Northern Border Alliance Task Force.” This enables local and state law enforcement with the ability to monitor our border with Canada, thus seizing anyone who illegally enters.

Now Sununu wants to assist the southern border with their migrant issues. Yesterday, February 15, the Joint Legislative Fiscal Committee approved his proposed $850,000 taxpayer dollars to send fifteen NH National Guard members to assist in monitoring the Eagle Pass, Texas part of the southern border for up to ninety days. According to Sununu, (who received a standing ovation from Republican lawmakers) “This is not a Texas problem. This is a national crisis. And New Hampshire has the chance to provide specialized support, follow the laws of the land, and keep our citizens safe.”

Oh goody! They have our safety in mind!

Moving right along from their hearty applause of keeping “our citizens safe,” Senate Republicans then proceeded to block gun violence prevention legislation which would have enacted what is called a “red flag” law. Continuing in their show of how serious they are in ensuring the safety of “our citizens,” the Republican Senate voted against a bill meant to expand background checks for all commercial sales and another bill seeking to place a mandatory three-day waiting period on gun purchases.

Awesome job, Republicans! The vast amount of NH citizens feel so much safer with you guys looking out for our safety at the southern border, while thumbing your noses at the safety of those who actually reside here!