I need to leave NHInsider and move on with my life. The experience has brought be a great deal but it is time to cut the cord. I am living in a different country now and nothing I write now will have much effect on anyone there in New Hampshire. [...]
Today, a huge conglomeration of people lives along the northeastern American seaboard and they serve to support an arguably waning American global political and economic hegemony. Washington serves as the political center, New York the economic, and Boston as the intellectual and technological center. Within those three major population centers [...]
Real unemployment above 20%...time to pack up your stuff...
If anyone is expecting violin music, you won’t get it from me. I too lost my job, my home, my car, my self-esteem, and a good chunk of my sanity in the great “recession.” I am finally able to move my [...]
Two friends of mine bought two condos in 2005, one in the Manchester area and one in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Both condos were around 1200 sq feet with two bathrooms. The one in Brazil had three bedrooms while the one in Manchester only had two.
The one in Brazil, when purchased, [...]
I love Thomas Jefferson, I really do. And I especially love John Adams, the real heart and soul of the Declaration of Independence and the Revolution itself. But do we all need to read the Declaration of Independence every single day, even every single Independence day, like a mantra, in [...]
The Granite State, Live Free or Die, herald of the revolution, the Old Man on the Mountain, summer cottages on the lake, the safety of Manchester and Nashua (rated the best place to live in the universe!) All those wonderful defense and computer jobs in the southern part of the [...]
From Washington D.C. to Manchester, NH, there’s a new slum developing, the biggest the world has ever known. Not like the old ones, this one is almost inescapable. Not wealthy from Gold, Iron, Steel production, agricultural production, the fishing stocks are drying up, the lobster is way over priced, and [...]
Yes, I did it. I sent a Brochure on Brazilian real estate to every contact I have in my email. And some contacts I have gotten were prominent politicians. Some of the contacts I didn’t remember, but got the feeling I had seen the names before.
I have gotten some complaints. [...]
I feel guilty. I shouldn’t, but I do. I guess it’s part of the mourning process. I really do find myself mourning something and I don’t know what it is. I know America will survive and flourish, but something has died nonetheless and I don’t know what it is. I [...]
If you don’t know Spanish, you don’t even matter. Sound harsh? I guess it is pretty harsh. But of all the talents the American people have ever exhibited, openness to at least listen to the harshest realities of the world they live in ranks among the most valuable. And this [...]
The most important politically related Real Estate pitch you will ever read...
Most people haven’t heard of Minas Gerais or of Belo Horizonte. Some well informed people have heard that the Brazilian economy is doing well, but they don’t really know why. Many associate it all with the BRIC moniker, emerging [...]
Look...I´m not the bragging type. But it really does seem like everything I write here comes to life. I really do seem to capture the moment, wrap it up in a tight little bundle, spray it with a smidgen of rose perfume and send it out to a desperately needy [...]
I know there are many intelligent Republicans planning for victory in 2010, and that´s great. Quaint, but great. They will be coopted by right wing lunatics in the primaries and in most cases take on more embarrassing losses, but it´s great that some of them are planning something. You can´t [...]
By comparing Fergus Cullen (one of the most capable intellectual Republicans in the state) to Doug Lambert (a proven lightweight) I either demonstrate to conservatives how important Fergus is and thus diminish the importance of the grokster (which I am gambling won´t happen) get Fergus to leave the party thus panicking all the moderate Republicans [...]
Richard Barnes in his latest debunking project has ignored a simple truth, and simple truths are usually the ones that matter.
A band of terrorists funded and organized by the CIA attacked the United States provoking a war over an oil rich nation.
Debunk that!
[...]I have been accused of being a bit paranoid. I have to agree. I am. Terrorist attacks, anthrax mailings, foreign wars over oil, torture, and economic Armageddon all tend to do that to a person. These types of trials breed paranoia amongst those logical enough to accept the signs for [...]
Even if the spawn of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, hatched in a lab, force fed Hayek and Rand and Goldwater, and trained equally on all types of fire arms and Christian theology, decided to run for office in New Hampshire today...there is not a chance in hell of getting [...]
...We can look at the Party platform, and compare me with Fergus. Given you agree more with Dems, you are where you rightfully belong. With Fergus' record, he belongs there too. He used to get angry with me for taking local Repubs to task when then screwed up on issues' [...]
Everyone needs to read this. Please make sure you have. This is the general attitude among Republicans today.
Colin-ectomy
Wednesday, June 3, 2009 at 07:15PM
Steve Mac Donald in Bias, Constitution, Freedom, Inside Washington, Political thought
For those inclined to debate the direction of the "GOP," including the elitists on the right and [...]
Please use the comment link for your response. Fergus or the Grokster. Your vote counts!!
[...]Dick Cheney has come out for gay marriage and Judd Gregg has come out for universal health care. Really, I never knew I had so much effect on national policy...
[...](a little suggestion...last in this series of posts...sorry if it's a little boring)
It's not easy to find young people with serious political skills. Young people who have proven their analytical skills, proven their literary skills, proven their business skills, and are passionate about the future of their state and country [...]
I like reading Richard Barnes and Steve Mac Donald, and sometimes I find Drew Cline's blog enjoyable, and there are other conservative voices that I like to read at times. I also like reading Susan Bruce and Jim Splaine, and even...at times...wait for it...Dean Barker. However, Granite Grok, through some' [...]
With John Sununu running the GOP, and with intelligent Republican voices being drowned out by Rush Limbaugh, and Dick Cheney, and the gentlemen over at the Granite Grok (wonderful name guys), right wing nut jobs are guaranteed the next primary. And they are guaranteed to lose the general election.
Conservative ideas [...]
Do you really want to be in the party of torture? Really? Do you really want to be known as the politicians who worked to deny gays their civil rights (someday soon it won't seem so wise). Do you really want to be the party of “Health Care is JUST' [...]
Yes, I'm a Democrat again. I have been for weeks, but my intention was to switch back to Republican after the gay marriage debate faded away. I initially switched because I felt disgusted by a lot of the comments I was seeing from the right on gay marriage. I didn't [...]
For God's sake...in the name of all that's holy...if you feel you might possibly need to let your home go, or that you might need to go bankrupt...DO IT!!! Do it NOW. Tell your friends to do it. Have a bankruptcy party. Have a foreclosure party. Incorporate it into your [...]
I just got back from New York where I had a talk with my cousin who lives down there. The subject of 9/11 came up. Over the course of the conversation my beliefs became evident, and I realized that I had never come right out and said it or told [...]
Welcome to spook hampshire, where politico's mingle with oil rich tyrants and CIA Godfathers...
Dean Barker recently offered something to the political community by running this piece:
It makes you think. Does Azerbaijohnny take all his assignments from oil insiders, former Presidents, and third world tyrants? If so, where does New [...]
Before any of us were Conservatives or Liberals we were pragmatic. The first settlers our nation developed not only a political philosophy but also a philosophy of life, the one uniquely American philosophy...pragmatism. To be pragmatic about the philosophy of pragmatism we can say we Americans are and have been [...]
If waterboarding a human being once is considered torture by most seasoned intelligence professionals, what should waterboarding a human being 183 times be considered?
What happens to the human mind when it is tortured endlessly? It is washed of personality, will, ego, any sense of crime or justice, any sense of [...]
I have learned that what one person feels about politics hundreds and thousands are right next to him feeling the same. A few years ago I was a pro-life Democrat who believed in free trade, believed we need to find an orderly way to close down Social Security, and strongly believed in [...]
The Union Leader doesn't have much political capital left among those who can chew gum and walk at the same time. They hadn't proven defenders of freedom and conservative economics during the Bush years. And now they have spilled any remaining credibility they may have enjoyed on the legacy of [...]
A huge amount of ARM's are about to reset next year. Real unemployment is approaching 20%. And commercial real estate is about to implode. That means round two of an extremely devastating financial crisis. The fallout from all these issues will wash again into every corner of this economy, and [...]
In the homogeneous puke pail they call Blue Hampshire, a sort of hammer and sickle jerk for all those who have succumbed to the blue brain, Dean Barker has thrown down the gauntlet, torn his t-shirt off and is ready for battle. He has called on our governor, sneakily, cryptically...calling [...]
Finally having put the anger of last week aside, I have come to believe that Republicans who have been supporting it until last week should see the gay marriage issue through.
Lynch is a weak politician. He ignored one of the most historic and controversial issues of the day to the [...]
Maybe it was my call to investigate political assassinations. Or maybe it was my comparison of Governor Lynch to a zit that's about to be popped. Most likely it was because I found Lynch's fence sitting on gay marriage repulsive and stated so very clearly. A codependent family can't tolerate' [...]
The end of the political party. Could it be? You are darned tootin it could be. Just as the entry of modern weapons into warfare changed the nature and size of effective armies, so the entry of the internet into the arena of politics has turned political parties into cannon [...]
If you want to help your state and your country, things are simpler than they are made out to be...
Just remember this...
Friends of Bush ran the Nazi Party
Friends of Bush funded Hitler
Friends of Bush funded Margaret Sanger and got Planned Parenthood started
Friends of Bush planned the Bay of Pigs
Friends of [...]
John Lynch is not much of a politician. I see that now. He left the most controversial issue of the day more than a week in silence. Silence speaks, and can be interpreted a million ways.
I was hoping to jam Lynch before he made a statement with this (basically a [...]
I am going to be leaving the country for a while. I have a job offer in a land of warmth and fruit drinks and I am taking it. I will write from time to time though when it's possible.
For now though, I'll be taking a break. Best of luck everyone' [...]
America today stands at the brink of a new idea, and I welcome it with open arms. The idea is not that we all agree that marriage be defined as the union of same sex individuals. We may never agree on that. The new idea is that we tolerate that [...]
Governor, if you want to veto gay marriage, veto it. The legislatures of Iowa, Maine, and New Hampshire already turned the issue into a national issue. Gays will be marrying legally in New Hampshire very soon, with you or without you. You will kill your political career over a very [...]
A sincere congratulations for Jim Splaine and those who have fought so hard for gay marriage. Hopefully, you'll be able to get some sleep tonight.
And for those in the gay community who will be getting married I only have this advice from my own marriage that might help you...I learned' [...]
Beyond a throbbing headache, acquired last Tuesday which continued on until yesterday, the consequences of gay marriage for New Hampshire and the country are enormous. What's happening today, and has gathered speed since last week, is that the levees broke and momentum for national gay marriage is suddenly on everyone's' [...]
There will be no negative consequences. Conservative media is past the capitulation point. Sign it. Keep the statements short, sort of like "the people have spoken through their legislature. I'm signing it. Congratulations to gays and lesbians. Back to work.
'" [...]As if one color wasn't enough. Now we have two large groups of political types, associate by colors (red and blue) willing to assemble behind an arbitrary abstraction selling their individuality for a childish attempt at political competition. Yes, it's the charge of the lightweight brigade. Red Hampshire, Blue Hampshire...the [...]
Nature has a way of making sure that the soil always gets turned over. Forest fires, worms, rodents, earthquakes, floods, meteor impacts, all serve to change things around and make sure that new life isn't always sacrificed to old. In history, any time things get too stale, organized, systematized, and' [...]
Ad nauseum, New Hampshire Republican Party Chairman John H. Sununu talks about the close friendship he has with former President George H. W. Bush. A growing number of Americans would surely appreciate Sununu using that relationship to suggest to Poppy Bush that he come clean as to where he was [...]
Begging for your right to marry is sort of like begging to pay taxes. You really have to want it. And for the gay community to want to marry, officially, means there must be something about committing to another person for the rest of one's life that is important to [...]
Gay marriage...Done. Even if it's not done...politically, it's done. The right wing got clobbered, and most importantly the Union Leader stuck it's neck out (again) and I'd say got it chopped clean off. I think having invested so heavily, basically wagering the paper's political clout on the issue was a' [...]
Globalization and the Internet have made an uneven labor pool. Socialized medicine in other countries works as a labor subsidy and creates incentive to purchase labor off shore. Meanwhile, an enormous amount of the burden of health insurance costs for the United States lay on the backs of American business [...]
"I am unwilling to have my twenty-nine year Senate record judged by the Pennsylvania Republican primary electorate..." -Arlen Specter, 2009
In other words, Specter wasn't willing to flagellate himself publicly for being anywhere to the left of Ted Nugent. All I can say is, best of luck and I understand. The' [...]
Phew! That was close. I thought we were a goner. I thought we lost. In fact, our editorial board was in the first stages of a major shift in strategy based on the political results of gay marriage being legalized. It would have been a crushing blow to the Union [...]
History waits for no one. And gay marriage will be accepted, eventually. When it is finally passed into law our state and our nation will change slightly. A large group of people, currently forced into the term “alternative,” will be brought into the mainstream. And slowly they will be accepted, [...]
Not spending...being fiscally responsible, at least on the federal level, will throw us into an economic Armageddon, even today, even now, even with all we have previously printed out. We need to print dollars in order to save our banks, our auto industry, our agribusiness, and to keep our society [...]
A new light has risen in the firmament, and his name is Steve. He is currently Blognetnews' second most influential blogger, but the rating doesn't do him credit. He is quickly becoming as influential as influential can be. He writes very well, thinks his points through impeccably, is extremely creative, [...]
I was up at Livingston Park in Manchester's north end yesterday playing with my kids at the David Wihby memorial playground when a memory hit me, I can't imagine why...
I was sixteen, driving along with a couple of my friends on a Friday night, I believe it was Friday. We were bored,' [...]
When it comes to “Tea Parties” Ed Naile says I just don't get it. Apparently, they are not anti-tax protests at all. They are about everything else that is wrong with America today except taxes. But any protest on such serious topics should be a bit clearer in its aims.' [...]
Not being the type that likes to offend anyone I hesitated to write about tea parties. I don't like stomping on other people's dreams. And the dream that tea parties actually did something positive is a wonderful dream. But, the only thing positive about tea parties were the random protesters' [...]
I posted a clip earlier today for the whole blogging community, and the Grokmeister got a little ticked. So I figured a little anger management was in order.
[...]I did not vote for Barack Obama. I would have much preferred a President McCain to a President Obama. However, I want our President to remain healthy and successful because he is a human being and because he is my President.
I believe our President is safe, healthy, well protected, and [...]
A special video for those of us bloggers who seem to be so passionate that they find themselves dangling over the edge. It seems these days to be all of us. So if you are a political blogger, this one's for you.
ps: especially for you Grokster...don't think I haven't noticed you [...]
Yesterday, in church, with two editorials fresh in my mind as to how the argument against civil marriage for gays was not bigoted, the priest talked about gay marriage and one of his parishioners was particularly attentive. I was close to the front and I looked over and saw a [...]
The old regime had an editorial in today's paper about gay marriage. I was going to write a rebuttal but instead I will let the following video say everything. I think everyone will understand my meaning, or maybe not...anyway here goes...
[...]We write good blogs and we write bad ones. This week I wrote a couple that I like and a couple that I don't like. And then there was the one that I was a little ambivalent about and thought I could have done better, and as luck would have' [...]
note: I guess you have to read through the lines a bit.
Governor Lynch: Lynch is Hannibal. He has won every battle and is within site of Rome with no foreseeable opposition. However, Rome occupies such a position of respect and awe in his mind that he can't stomach an invasion' [...]
I need to send out a quick retraction. Drew Cline's editorial on medicinal mary jane in yesterdays paper was long awaited proof that Cline is not actually a moron. He may at times be captive by his own ambitions, or possibly by the editorial stance of the paper he writes [...]
The nuns always told us that following one's conscience was the most important thing a good Catholic could do. It was even more important than following the moral codes of the Church. Gay marriage, for me, is a situation where my conscience is absolutely overriding the moral codes I attempt [...]
(listen up grandpa, you might learn something)
There is a note attached to a declassified CIA letter from the 70s asking the CIA Director at the time “Do you know this man?” It includes a two box option, one side says “yes” and the other says “no.” The one that says “yes” is [...]
For almost six years now the Union Leader has lost every political battle it has engaged in. It has lost against Lynch repeatedly, it lost 2006 (yes, the whole year), it lost civil unions, it lost on parental consent, it lost in the 2008 Republican primaries, it lost the general [...]
There can be nothing better ON THIS PLANET for pro-lifers than the Transgender Rights bill that just passed the NH House. I repeat NOTHING could be better for those who value life as sacred than the juxtaposition of the rights of anyone at anytime to use any bathroom or shower [...]
The following is an op-ed submission I sent out as a congressional candidate in the last election. I sent it to every major newspaper and news network in the country. No response of course. Except the Boston Globe told me to send more stuff; I think they were trying to [...]
Today, evidence of duress in one's speech or writing immediately calls into question the speaker's mental and emotional state, thus negating their capacity for logic. Meanwhile, in a political and economic environment such as we live in today no evidence of duress in one's speech or writing is evidence of [...]
We do NOT need an armed revolt in this country. Owning a gun makes a great statement and should be advised to everyone who loves their country. HOWEVER, this “revolution” will only find it's strength when the most powerful weapon in our arsenal is used and used vehemently, that of [...]
Welcome to Jurassic New Hampshire, where dinosaurs walk and talk, run the Republican Party and publish the state's largest newspaper. Dinosaurs don't know much about electricity. That's why fences don't hold them in very well. The only way to trap them is to talk about the way New Hampshire was [...]
Am I obsessed with the Union Leader? No. I don't think so. I read the FREE ONLINE VERSION about once or twice a week. I think the reporters are great. I think the politics, being somewhat conservative are fairly close to mine. There is one thing about the Union Leader' [...]
When people are afraid to say what they believe you can bet that electoral anomalies will begin to appear. While changes in feelings and opinions always create tangible results at the polls, public fear of explaining those changes invite bizarre excuses in explaining poll results. Today, the Republican electoral losses of [...]
Using a monopoly on state news that they no longer enjoy, and using tactics that became outdated when that monopoly was lost to online news, the Union Leader goes out with style. I don't know what they are thinking. I have not understood it for years now. They are as' [...]
Modern capitalism seems to have bred us with little awareness of the many means with which markets can be controlled. We might have some experience with taxation and excessive spending but because spending and subsidies have been reputed to represent the only attacks on the free market it seems like [...]
I'm not sure what I like most about Glenn Beck. But, I'm pretty sure that his willingness to call members of Congress fat, cigarette pushing weasels is among the top three reasons. It is great entertainment, definitely helps to decompress some of the concerns we all share, and provides a [...]
I might be a little complicated sometimes, but I actually have core beliefs. Since there are some of you that take the time to read my thoughts, I figure I should go all out and give you the fullness of my thoughts. These are just opinions. I have little to [...]
Important truths always stare us in the face.
The problem with the new world order...a little thing called “culture.”
The only way to create a world government is to force a world culture, including religion, philosophy, manners, etc. And the only way to force that culture is through violence.
Another problem with a [...]
Most often today included with the substance of the news are the prejudices of our society. Any news item outside a strict understanding of normalcy is reported with a wink and a nudge and some sort of caveat. A few months ago I actually spoke to the Publisher of the [...]
I might be completely wrong. I might be a complete idiot. Or, I might just be flat out crazy. However, I have come to the belief that controlled spending in Washington is a dangerous policy that can only help our competition and destroy us. I base my opinion on one [...]
You have all heard my opinion on gay marriage. I am actually a traditional Catholic. I believe in the sacrament of marriage as defined by my church. I don't have any opinion on the idea of gay marriage except that gays have the right, just as I do, to define' [...]
Well, I'm back and I seem to still have things I want to write about. The reason for my departure was work related in that I am attempting the impossible, to find work. I am watching the kids during the day while the wife works, doing some IT consulting, looking' [...]
I am a genuine person. I don't take personal or public battles lightly. To those of you who know me and have read my blog my convictions are pretty strong and run pretty much across party lines. I have tried to find a place in the Democratic Party and was [...]
I have been enjoying a long needed break from my constant column on NHInsider.com. For the first time in a while I believe that my conscience is ok with not battering my readers with heartfelt pleas for compromise in conservative political philosophy. Moreover, I am realizing that not only is [...]
(warning...language)
Ideas. Some of them are recycled forever. Billions who are too afraid of new ideas latch onto whatever current mode of thinking may be popular in the moment and call themselves intelligent. It is not the incredibly thoughtful that are responsible for real change. It is the brave. Those who [...]
