International Right to Know and The New Hampshire Connection - Granite Grok

International Right to Know and The New Hampshire Connection

CNHTFor several years, The Coalition of New Hampshire Taxpayers has been offering workshops on the Right to Know Law, RSA 91-A, its foundation in our State Constitution and how a taxpayer group can use it in uncovering municipal corruption.

Granite Grok filmed one such workshop.

So far, CNHT has had attendees from South Korea, the Philippines, Ukraine, six countries from Africa, Viet Nam and Sri Lanka. Most recently, visitors from Jordan and Iraq came to our office in Concord. Two weeks ago, ten people from Latin America stopped by.

Usually, we have several interpreters linked with attendees and the trick is to find the proper words in explaining NH law and keeping pace with translation.

The visitors come from all walks of political and NGO life. The visitors from Ukraine consisted of five police investigators. They gave CNHT high marks in their several weeks’ long visit to the US where they stopped at locations around the country visiting courts and US Government agencies. They said the CNHT offered “bright line examples of municipal corruption.”

It is rewarding to have a person from another country say they finally “get it” when they have the connection between our natural freedoms and our Federal and State Constitution explained by a citizen.

Then you have the absolutely stunning example of how closely people from other countries follow US politics.

When we had the ten visitors from Latin America two weeks ago one gentleman walked up to a picture we have on the wall of a CNHT Cookout at the Hopkinton Fairgrounds – from ten years ago. He recognized and pointed out Senator Rand Paul. Rand Paul was here stumping for his father Congressman Ron Paul who was running for President.

I would bet well over half of all American voters can’t do that.

CNHT is linked with The World Affairs Council which sets up the visits. We are one of their stops on US tours of visiting countries. And what is it that they always want to see?

The most popular example of municipal corruption uncovered by citizen volunteers like CNHT is “The Town of Windsor Story.”

Was the NH news media ever interested in CNHT catching Windsor’s Selectmen letting friends and relatives not pay property taxes for at least ten years? Or was the NH news media ever interested in the fact that CNHT caught the NH DRA covering it up?

The answer is “no” and “no.” But government employees, activists, NGOs, and college professors from other countries are. And as long as The World Affairs Council want to bring people from other countries to learn about government transparency municipal corruption CNHT will be glad to have them. (The ten Macedonians who came to our house for Thanksgiving were a treat and are welcomed back anytime!)

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