In a statement released today by the Ovide for Senate 2010 campaign Steve Forbes has formally endorsed Ovide Lamontagne for the US Senate.
In a statement released today by the Ovide for Senate 2010 campaign Steve Forbes has formally endorsed Ovide Lamontagne for the US Senate.
Does Obama (being a Progressive) really think that the masses are as dumb as most Progressives believe them to be? Did he really believe that his "float this idea" was really going to rise to proclamations by Conservatives and TEA Party folks? Er, is he really believing that he is economically reality based? Certainly not … Read more
Government employee unionization should be outlawed. Unlike all other employers, government at every level is a monopoly. Accordingly, people have no choice on whether to patronize the "business" of local, state, or federal government. There is no competition. Government employee unions can thus directly attack the public interest with impunity: Their employer cannot go out … Read more
It is not clear to me that most people understand just what a game-changer the Supreme Court’s just-issued opinion in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission really is. It upholds the Constitution and eviscerates the unconstitutional McCain-Feingold law that was proposed and pushed by the most recent Republican Presidential candidate, John McCain, and signed by … Read more
Several libertarian-types I know have unhappily pointed out that Scott Brown in Massachusetts supported then-Gov. Mitt Romney’s state-level socialized medicine scheme when it was passed. “What’s the point?” they say. If Brown supported socialized medicine in Massachusetts, he may well support some type of socialized medicine in the U.S. Senate. Happily, I have the solution … Read more
Take a look at the numbers, everyone. They are very good news for conservative Republicans, and for the state of New Hampshire. However, there is meaning beyond the simple winning of the indicated special elections. Like the governorships of Virginia and New Jersey, which recently switched to elected Republicans (New Jersey!), and like the now-tied … Read more
The following was published in the Citizen newspaper as a letter to the editor. The message is worth sharing… Many, many years ago in America we didn’t use words "pro choice" or "pro life". We didn’t have to. The law protected human life and that was that. Most mothers (dare I say all) knew … Read more
I was brought up in 1950’s America. My mom stayed home to raise my sister and I. My dad went to work at two jobs to make ends meet. One of the many principles that my parents taught me was the principle of personal integrity. This principle dictates that your own personal conduct must always … Read more
A new year is already upon us. Now is a good time for thoughtful reflection and consideration. There is no need for me to recap all the bad things that have transpired over the last year. There has been enough press and reports to keep us fully informed, if we wanted to be. Suffice it … Read more
The next installment of on First In The Nation! Such an open and transparent gov’t you have there, Barry….shame if something were to happen to it…. …like reality

Introduction: Since the fraudulent June 12th Presidential elections in the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI), an increasingly emboldened opposition, the green movement, has arisen to demand the overthrow of the IRI. The green movement refuses to desist from launching massive street protests in Tehran, Qum, Isfahan and other major Iranian cities. All this is occurring despite violence wreaked upon thousands of valiant regime opponents by the ruling Mullahs and President Ahmadinejad. As of this writing more than 15 have been killed in clashes with Iranian security services including the nephew of reformist Presidential candidate Mir Mouhammed Mousavi, former IRI Prime Minister. Moreover several dissident leaders have been jailed. Something major is brewing in Iran – possibly revolution.
As the year was closing, first a crescendo of massive protests occurred at Students Day events. Then tens of thousands used the occasion of the funeral of Grand Ayatollah Montazeri to demonstrate their determination to end the rule of the Supreme Ruling Council head, Ayatollah Khamanei, and his puppet President Ahmadinejad. The final bloody weekend of 2009 witnessed the faltering IRI regime undertaking unprecedented security measures to pre-empt public mourning and observances of the Shia Ashura holy day. Police, revolutionary guard and the Basiji para-military forces blanketed Tehran in a vain attempt to stifle public gatherings. They failed. Massive throngs of people from all classes in Tehran and other major cities defied bans in spite of warnings that violators would be dealt with mercilessly. As a Der Spiegel article reported these protesters were shouting: "We will fight, we will die, we will reconquer our country." There were graphic video images sent via the internet of protesters engaged in street battles with Basiji forces.
Now there are reports that elements of the Iranian Military may have sided with the opposition in support of a secular republic. Jane Jamison in the American Thinker noted in a report, “Iranian Military moves in support the people’s revolution”:
It is difficult to verify, but factions in the Iranian military may be breaking rank to join the people’s cause. A group calling itself the National Iranian Armed Resistance Forces (NIRU) posted a news release on an Iranian protest website at the end of the day’s violence.
We, a number of Officers, Soldiers and personnel of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, hereby declare our readiness for rise to the armed defense of our nation against the forces of the criminal, illegitimate transgressing and occupying current Government of Iran, and hereby inform our brothers and sisters serving with the armed security forces of Iran, invite them to join us, request their support and ask them to provide cover for us in this moral & national act. A special request for support & cooperation goes to our brothers of the Military Police.The NIRU says it intends to secure Iranian radio and television stations, the Parliament, and the courts, will hold local elections and referendums within 3 months and new presidential elections within 9 months and will dissolve the murderous “Basij” plainclothes police and establish a new national police force.
Protection and firepower from even a few factions of the military could signal a critical momentum change for the Iranian people, who by law cannot own weapons.
All this occurred despite the visible tyranny imposed by Basij para-military, Revolutionary Guards, and regime secret police arresting, beating and torturing opposition student and opposition political leaders. All this amidst vain attempts to prevent the news of this emerging Iranian revolution reaching the world by cell phone and the internet.
Some observers have even suggested that the apocalyptic version of Shia Islam espoused by the ruling Mullahs, might ultimately be consigned to the dustbin of history if such a revolution occurred.
Amir Taheri, expatriate Iranian journalist, in a Wall Street Journal column, …
It seems that the Republican Party, both nationally and locally, have a particular mindset towards the Tea Parties and their supporters. You think that you are the inheritors of their support. With respect, may I disabuse you of that false notion. Throughout the coarse of the last administration, conservatives were routinely thrown under the bus. … Read more
One of the questions that inevitably occurs to any politically aware defender of liberty is this: Will the time ever arrive when active resistance is required? Will the political class eventually gain enough control over government that it will step over that invisible line for millions of Americans? It is a thought that comes in … Read more
I received this email from a Left leaning person (supposedly a NH resident but I’m not totally sure; any NH person with any worth wouldn’t take such a position!) complaining that because we do not have an income tax here in NH, people are SUFFERING! Because the State refuses to tax people more, problems will … Read more
Last night President Obama finally gave us his long awaited answer to the question of what we should do about Afghanistan. As a candidate for the U.S. Congress, I very reluctantly endorse his decision to add an additional 30,000 troops to that conflict.
However, serious questions remain to be answered about the decision making process leading up to this decision, the viability of this escalation, as well as the underlying strategy itself. Oddly, the President took a full three months to give us a slightly scaled down version of General McChrystal’s request. His delay has unfortunately brought into question both his resolve and his strength as a leader. It has also fed into the growing domestic and international view of timidity in this Administration.
In the end, what the President gave us was a strategy which merely buys another year and a half for Afghanistan to build up its forces and for us to exit somewhat gracefully. The odds are very high that neither will happen as planned. Since he merely stated that “after eighteen months our troops will begin to come home,” he has merely kicked the can down the road and bought us additional time.
What the President knows but did not say is that the real key to this equation is not Afghanistan but Pakistan. Pakistan is currently the most dangerous country in the world. It is now a highly unstable nuclear power that is rapidly coming apart at the seams. The nightmare scenario is that Pakistan collapses and nuclear weapons get into the hands of Al Qaeda and/or the Taliban.
Chaos is Afghanistan would further destabilize Pakistan. Our presence will help keep Afghanistan together and serves to provide at least a partial buffer against insurgent incursions across Pakistan’s border. It is also prudent for us to be close by in case the situation in Pakistan collapses.
Fortunately, the President quickly took off the table a precipitous withdrawal from Afghanistan as many Democrats have urged. Such a measure would have lead to a major power vacuum in the country and another protracted civil war. Al Qaeda would have been handed a huge political and psychological victory both in Afghanistan and around the world.
Still, the newly announced strategy carries with it numerous inherent problems and contradictions. Some of the open issues include: