Doug

A Challenge to Governor Lynch: Sign the Pledge

NHAC issues a re-election challenge to Governor John Lynch: Sign NHAC’s “Defending the New Hampshire Advantage Pledge” to curb state spending Manchester, NH – On May 20th 2008, NHAC introduced its “Defending the New Hampshire Advantage Pledge”. The pledge simply asks candidates and elected officials to reasonably curb spending to the rate of inflation. As … Read more

In favor of a third term for Bush before he was against it…

But what will the Nutroots say? I thought Obama was going to turn the page to a new Chapter of Hope in the Book of Change? Now this?     Poor Barack. Unless he’s reading from the teleprompter, he always seems to not really say what he meant, or mean what he said, leaving his … Read more

“The Prince” and “The Prince of Providence”

Buddy C.

"Buddy C"

I know this has little to nothing to do with anything here in the Granite State, but I figured I’d note it anyway, as it involves one of the most interesting and colorful politicians to ever hit the scene. From the RI Film & TV Office: 

PLEASE WELCOME THE PRINCE OF PROVIDENCE

Please join Rhode Island native and renowned Director/Producer Michael Corrente and representatives from the Rhode Island Film & TV Office and the Providence Mayor’s Dept. of Art, Culture and Tourism at 3PM on Thursday, June 12, 2008 at the Soldier’s and Sailor’s Monument in Kennedy Plaza facing Providence City Hall, as Mr. Corrente announces plans for filming his long-awaited political biopic THE PRINCE OF PROVIDENCE.  

The cast includes Dermot Mulroney, Adam Goldberg, Bradley Cooper, Ed Burns and Oliver Platt, who will portray former Providence Mayor Vincent "Buddy" Cianci in the David Mamet adapted screenplay of Michael Stanton’s 2003 book about one of America’s longest-serving mayors.  Robin Williams is currently in negotiations to join this talented group of actors. 

"The passion I have for THE PRINCE OF PROVIDENCE is stronger then any film I’ve made to date. Through much scrutiny and speculation, I’ve spent six long years preparing for this picture. I have painstakingly taken the necessary time to make sure that all my ducks are in a row. This is my home state, and I have an obligation to ensure that the quality of the production matches the brilliance of the material. At the end of the day, and every day does end, nobody ever cares about how long it takes to make a movie; they only care if it’s good", stated Mr. Corrente.

I have not read Mr. Stanton’s book about the Mayor, but I did read another book about a prince. In fact, the name is just that: The Prince, written by Niccolo Machiavelli many centuries before Mayor Vincent "Buddy" Cianci arrived on the scene. And yet, based on my recollection of the years I lived in Rhode Island, and what I’ve heard since I left, one can almost imagine the infamous master political observer would certainly find a degree of familiarity with Providence’s very own "prince". 

Writes Machiavelli in The Prince,

 

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Mark your calendar…

An Invitation To "Celebrate The Pledge" 10th Annual  Coalition of NH Taxpayers  "Taxpayer Reunion Picnic"   Saturday, July 5th at the Hopkinton State Fairgrounds  12 Noon to 5 PM, Rain or Shine Tickets are $15. for all you can eat, children 12 and under are free. You may purchase tickets ahead by mail or order right … Read more

Tyranny of the [NH Democrat] majority. Guest Blog Post

  The following was written by Representative Greg Sorg. Can you imagine if the Republicans had pulled this stunt? Citizens of New Hampshire who fail to follow the activities of their state government do so at the peril of their freedom and property. A stark demonstration why took place this week. On Wednesday, June 4th, … Read more

Roundup: The GraniteGrok Congressional Q & A Series featuring the Republicans

  We are pleased with the outcome of our first "Q & A Series". Seeking to focus on particular issues and specifics from political candidates rather than the broad rhetoric most often associated with campaigns, Skip and I developed a set of questions based mainly on issues that should be, in our opinion, of importance to voters … Read more

Meet the New Press- Podcast for 06/07/08

The MTNP Podcast page is brought to you by: .                                                                               Meet The New Press Radio at the speed of the Blogosphere! WEMJ 1490 Saturdays 9am-11am (EDT) Streaming Live! To play (or "stream") a clip now, just click on it.  To download it to your PC, right click on it and tell the process where to … Read more

Mayor Guinta: Elected officials are not here to fleece the taxpayers.

The NH Advantage hangs in the balance. This is video of Manchester Mayor Frank Guinta at the unveiling of the Pledge to Defend the NH Advantage. Someone needs to take on John Lynch– When you consider the whole budget mess brought to us by him and his Democratic Party comrades in the Legislature, Guinta presents a … Read more

Time for your weekly medicine. Meet the New Press: The cure for what ails you!

Starting Saturday morning at 9 am! . ….              .Pat Hynes                                  Skip Murphy                                  Doug Lambert As usual, this week’s broadcast version of GraniteGrok and AnkleBitingPundits brings an array of items and guests for your consideration– ALL STARTING AT 9AM! As always, thanks to the technical wizardry and analytical skills of Skip, if you are … Read more

GraniteGrok Q & A Series: Jennifer Horn

Jen Horn

Jennifer Horn is featured in today’s GraniteGok Congressional Candidate Q & A Series. She is another of the four worthy Republican candidates in New Hampshire’s Second Congressional District.  As with the others, we thank Jen for taking time to answer these questions and further continue to appreciate NH’s candidates acknowledging the growing importance of the readers here in the blogosphere. Jen joined us on MTNP radio several weeks back– to download the mp3, click here.

Jennifer’s responses are below and as always, feel free to leave a comment!

===============================================================
QUESTIONS

1. If you could ask General Petraeus any question, but only one question, what would it be?

Jennifer responds: What do you need?

2. Do you favor Oil recovery in the newly found fields in Montana & the Dakotas?

Drilling in ANWR?
Drilling in the deep waters off Florida and in the Gulf of Mexico?
Creating a fast track process to license and build new nuclear plants?

Jennifer responds: We should start off-shore and ANWR drilling right now because energy independence is not possible tomorrow and we need to reduce the price of gas for the American people.  Any viable, comprehensive energy plan must also include the use of the most contemporary nuclear power technology surrounding nuclear plants as well.     

Energy independence is no longer an idea to be debated – it is an economic, environmental and security necessity that must be pursued with the greatest dedication.  Our nation should be the leader in energy technology.  When we are willing to stand together we are capable of anything – we put a man on the moon in eight years – we can certainly attain energy security within that same span.

3. In the area of healthcare, are you in favor of:

Giving tax credits for policies to individuals / families as well as businesses?
Allow policies to be purchased across state lines?
Allow individuals to buy lower cost policies by "unhooking" legal mandates?

Jennifer responds: Yes,yes and yes.  The answer to the soaring cost of health insurance lies in the free market – greater competition, more choices – a one size-fits all, taxpayer funded, government administered health care plan does not serve the needs of the people.  If congress would pass legislation allowing the purchase of health insurance across state lines, individuals would experience immediate savings.

4. British Prime Minister Brown said that the US must give up the idea of absolute sovereignty in order to better cooperate in the global community.  Agree or disagree, and why?

 

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A note from Iraq. “We have changed the lives of those around us forever and given them the tools to dream again.”

Got the following email exchange from our friend, Blue Star Mother Sue Peterson, who describes it as "A first-hand account of the situation in Iraq from the son of a friend.  The son is a grunt (11B) down in the trenches doing a fantastic job with our other soldiers and marines." We reprint it here with permission. Hey y’all, … Read more

Flag flap over as Wolfeboro man withdraws lawsuit. Score one for the good guys!

Wolfeboro flags

Route 28, Wolfeboro, NH

I just got off the phone with Wolfeboro Town Manager David W. Owen who told me that, regarding the flag-removal lawsuit,

"It’s our understanding that it’s been withdrawn."

Though the Selectboard has not yet seen it, they were informed by a reporter at last night’s regular meeting that the Granite State News of Wolfeboro is in receipt of a letter stating Mr. Claude Roessiger is planning to withdraw his suit filed against the town. Asked by GraniteGrok for a statement, Mr. Owen said the Selectmen

"are pleased he’s withdrawn what would have been a waste of the taxpayers’ money."

While earlier this morning Carroll County Superior Court Clerk Patricia Lenz indicated nothing had changed with regards to the lawsuit’s status, a check with Mr. Roessiger’s legal counsel’s office has confirmed that the Town Manager and Selectmen are indeed correct. The attorney on the case, William L. Chapman of Orr & Reno P.A., is out of the office for the rest of the week, but,

"upon his return on June 9th will notify the Court that the case will be withdrawn."

There are a few additional facts that are part of this story…

Following the initial letter to the Wolfeboro BOS in November asking removal of all flags except those on public buildings (posted here), Mr. Roessiger waited for a response from the town. In the absence of any, he followed it with a second letter at the beginning of December asking for their response to his complaint. Again hearing nothing, he sent them a third letter, in which he threatened a lawsuit, writing that they engage in dialogue,

or we can– once again– find ourselves in a situation which will involve our attorneys, a certain acrimony, and– to be sure– publicity. I will see to it.

At this point, Mr. Roessiger claimed he would file suit simply because they hadn’t responded to him, not because of whether the BOS agreed with him. Fair enough, although it seems odd to me that Mr. Roessiger was good at sending letters, but never bothered to show up in front of the Selectmen in person. I don’t know about you, but if I were sending correspondence to my Selectmen and they didn’t respond, I’d go to a meeting and get right in their face. The folks at the Wolfeboro Town offices confirmed that Mr. Roessiger never appeared in person before the board regarding the matter. A check of the meeting minutes shows public input is taken at every single meeting.

The town responded to his letters a few days following the litigation threat:

 

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Flag banning lawsuit update: The plaintiff’s initial complaint

Wolfeboro flags

Downtown Wolfeboro June 4, 2008

With all the attention here in the Blogosphere regarding the flag-removal lawsuit filed by a Wolfeboro man against that town, I decided it was worth taking a ride to see if I could learn anything more. As was reported, indeed a Mr. Claude Roessiger has filed a lawsuit in Carroll County Superior Court against the town of Wolfeboro

"for violating his federal and state constitutional rights of freedom of speech and for violating its limited delegated power under New Hampshire Law."

How so? He claims that when the town approved the installation of some 100 or more American flags by a private citizen on lighted utility poles on April 2, 2003 as noted in the official minutes,

"to increase recognition of the current events and the efforts of our service men and women"

it violated his rights as noted above. How? Well, before diving into the legalese, let’s just consider the initial letter Mr. Roessiger sent to the Board of Selectmen on November 7, 2007:

 

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GraniteGrok Q & A: John Stephen

John Stephen

Former NH Health & Human Services Commissioner John Stephen is featured in today’s GraniteGok Congressional Candidate Q & A Series. He is one of the two Republicans seeking the nomination for NH’s 1st Congressional District.  As with the others that have participated, we thank John for taking time to answer these questions and further continue to appreciate his acknowledgment of the growing importance of the readers here in the blogosphere.

John’s responses are below and as always, feel free to leave a comment…

===============================================================
QUESTIONS

1. If you could ask General Petraeus any question, but only one question, what would it be?

John Replies: Most Americans want to see the United States win in Iraq before we remove our troops.  However, the definition of “winning” in Iraq varies widely among many political leaders and members of the public.  Given your knowledge of the Iraqi people and the country, what end-state or outcome do you believe is achievable in a positive scenario within the next two years and what are the milestones of success for such a scenario?

2. Do you favor Oil recovery in the newly found fields in Montana & the Dakotas?

• Drilling in ANWR?
• Drilling in the deep waters off Florida and in the Gulf of Mexico?
• Creating a fast track process to license and build new nuclear plants?

John replies: America’s need to move toward energy independence is critical to both our economic future and our national security.  As such, I strongly support lifting restrictions on energy exploration in ANWR, offshore, and in the Midwest and Rockies.  I also support removing restrictions on tar sands and oil shale exploration in the Rockies.  I strongly believe that we need to find a way to pull restrictions off oil, gas and other sources in order to increase supply and reduce energy costs.  I know that we can make sure, through the permitting process, that this exploration can be done in an environmentally sound manner.

I support lifting the onerous licensing process for nuclear plants.  We have not built a new plant in the United States in years because of the overwhelming regulation that has been placed on the industry.  Nuclear power must be part of America’s long term energy strategy, and that means making it easier to build new plants.

3. In the area of healthcare, are you in favor of:

• Giving tax credits for policies to individuals / families as well as businesses?
• Allow policies to be purchased across state lines?
• Allow individuals to buy lower cost policies by "unhooking" legal mandates?

John replies: The purchase of health insurance should be as simple as the purchase of car or life insurance.  Americans should be able to buy their own policies and accrue the tax benefits that are currently reserved for businesses purchasing policies.  We need to allow the free market and competition work to drive down costs without expensive mandates.  We have seen great savings through empowering Americans with Health Savings Accounts and other consumer-driven health care models, by allowing our citizens to buy the plan that is right for them, not one driven by government mandates.

Some today have called for a national, government-run health program.  As someone who has run a government health program, I can tell you that you don’t want one.  We need to maximize consumer choice and empower citizens to make the best decisions on their care.

4. British Prime Minister Brown said that the US must give up the idea of absolute sovereignty in order to better cooperate in the global community.  Agree or disagree, and why?

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Sununu Rising?

Regular readers here at the ‘Grok know that for some time now, we have been wondering if Senator Sununu was ever going to engage both his opponent– and, more importantly, the people of the Granite State– ahead of the upcoming national elections. As Skip recently pointed out, a visit to the campaign website at the … Read more

Be careful what you wish for…

. I saw this headline yesterday and couldn’t help but laugh: Power Watch Declared for Maine for Second Straight Day Looks like those granolas that wanted the PineTree State nuke-free might be shivering in their beds during these cold nights. According to the story that I found in the Citizen (Laconia, NH), For the second … Read more

Announcing the GraniteGrok reader survey results: NH’s Power Players

The long-anticipated day has arrived. Surely everybody who’s anybody is already looking at the results, wondering if they were fortunate enough to make our list. Our sincere apologies to those of you who have fallen short on your sleep, nervous in the anxiety of whether or not you’ve made the list. Worry no more, for the … Read more

‘Grok Blogger joins with Carbon Coalition. Yep. We’ve gone green…

Windmills on Gunstock? Why not? . In a June 19th post, the CarbonCoalition blog writes Holding our local businesses and corporations accountable for their greenhouse gas emissions is a necessary step in combating global warming I would add that local governments should be held to this same standard. As a matter of fact, doing so … Read more

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