News – Politics – Opinion – Podcasts
Michael Moffett 
“If you know the enemy … you need not fear the results of battle.” So said the ancient Chinese General Sun Tzu in The Art of War, which has long been studied by military professionals—but not so much by American presidents. Franklin D. Roosevelt went to the 1945 Yalta Conference planning to charm and cajole Soviet … Read more
Governor Kelly Ayotte recently signed HB323 into law, which strengthened voting identification requirements. College IDs are no longer sufficient. This greatly concerns Democrats, who love out-of-state liberal college students tipping elections their way. How do we know this? College towns like Durham and Hanover regularly feature around 80% of voters choosing the blue team. Republicans … Read more
Another Major League Baseball season will soon be upon us, which brings me to the Czech Republic. And the Holocaust. And Hollywood. I’ll explain. Sports are ubiquitous. They’re everywhere, and they create common ground to connect world travelers. This notion was affirmed during a European trip I once enjoyed with some academicians, “Following Freud’s Footsteps” … Read more
I am—or was—a basketball guy. It was my passion. I’ll even try to find a photo to prove it. I loved the Celtics and the NBA. But that was way back when. Now I’m immersed in legislative activities, a different kind of competition, but one that I embrace at the expense of keeping up with … Read more
Two of the 14 Marine Corps Leadership Traits are Initiative and Decisiveness, and President Trump certainly took some initiative and was decisive with his decision to bomb Iran and decapitate its leaders. (Other traits include Dependability, Tact, Integrity, Unselfishness, and Loyalty, which are subjects for a different column.) As was the case with his decision … Read more
House Bill 1263 is an act relative to the definition of disposable military retirement pay and the suspension of alimony obligations. Rep. Jim Maggiore (D-North Hampton) sponsored this measure at the request of a constituent. Other co-sponsors include members from both parties, including four current or former GOP committee chairs. The testimonials and correspondence received … Read more
I watched the Patton movie the other night. Again. I love movies, but seldom watch films more than once or twice. But I’ve probably watched Patton well over 20 times. That seems like a lot, until you consider that this movie came out in 1970. So that’s less than once every two or three years. … Read more
Many of us grew up watching World War II newsreels of heroic Americans vanquishing evil villains and liberating the oppressed. Powerful imagery abounded of ecstatic citizens of Paris or Rome showering our G.I.s with flowers, hugs, kisses, wine, and more. And it wasn’t just the great cities. Countless European towns, villages, and hamlets welcomed their … Read more
There are many angles from which to view the “Scandalous Saga of the Seditious Six,” the recent Video-Gate story of six Democrat congresspeople who went public to admonish serving military personnel that they don’t need to follow orders they deem illegal. Such sagas have value in that they necessarily raise awareness about history, law, civics, … Read more
Our New Hampshire legislature gets many education bills—over 100 just last year—covering building aid, commission memberships, free school meal eligibility, cyber-bullying, masking, menstrual product policies, and much more. While some measures address important issues, most have little or no impact on learning, pedagogy, or knowledge acquisition. An exception was HB320 in 2021, which required that … Read more
So said American army Colonel Charles Stanton in Paris on July 4, 1917, standing at the tomb of Gilbert du Motier—better known as the Marquis de Lafayette. The Americans were in Paris as part of an advance World War I vanguard of Yankee doughboys. Over a million U.S. soldiers and Marines would soon be in … Read more
Napoleon once observed, “A soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon.” Indeed, colored cloth military decorations have long inspired prodigious and brave efforts on behalf of countries, causes, or flags. Today, such efforts occur not only by soldiers on battlefields but also by mothers—Gold Star Mothers — in New Hampshire … Read more
All too often people get swept up in movements that seem like good ideas at first but turn out to be disasters in practice. New Hampshire’s 2018 bail law is a clear example. The national “bail reform” effort then in vogue had tragic consequences for too many Granite Staters. Thanks to Governor Kelly Ayotte’s leadership … Read more
April 15th marks not only our annual “Tax Day” but also the 113th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. So, now is a propitious time to conflate the two events into a civics lesson involving our national survival. Titanic Captain Edward Smith and his officers knew well that dangerous icebergs loomed ahead of their ship. But … Read more
Heir Apparent: “A person who is most likely to succeed in the place of another.” Jerod Mayo was Bill Belichick’s “heir apparent” as New England Patriots head coach. And so it came to pass. But Mayo’s reign was short-lived—less than a year. Some heirs are determined by birth. Pats owner Bob Kraft’s heir apparent is … Read more
The college football season finally ends on January 20 with a national championship game. Finally. Recall that college football games used to cease after the New Year’s Day Bowl extravaganzas featuring Rose, Cotton, Sugar, and Orange. Then, there’d be a poll to determine the national champion. Times have changed. Inevitably, there was controversy over those polls. Sometimes, … Read more
There’s a sports documentary out there that’s a “must-see” for basketballers. And it’s not from ESPN, or Netflix, or HBO. It’s from PBS—our Public Broadcasting System. Yes. The same network that gave us Ken Burns’ Baseball. It’s a basketball documentary entitled Playing Like a Girl: The House that Rob Built. Completed in 2020, this Emmy Award-winning production chronicles … Read more
A recent FOX NFL Sunday pregame show featured former New England Patriots Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, and Julian Edelman together on the panel taking questions and having fun. It was great to watch. Former Pats coach Bill Belichick’s name naturally came up and the former New England stars were asked about rumors that Belichick was looking at … Read more
I’m someone who sometimes thinks “outside the box,” to use that timeworn cliché. For example, as a state representative I’ve submitted bills reflecting new ideas. Some made it through. Many did not. It’s not easy to pass a law—nor should it be. And there is a natural, inherent resistance to new ideas. Christopher Columbus: “The … Read more
A major Granite State sports story this fall involved neither football, NASCAR, nor the Red Sox, but rather girls’ soccer. We’re looking at you, Bow, N.H. The story wasn’t really about soccer between the pitch lines but rather about those spectating from the sidelines—mostly parents, at least at first. You see, Bow High School hosted … Read more