EPA's Secret Deals with Environmentalists

Choose Your Own Crime Stats!

Interesting thesis on crime in the USA and how the media picks and chooses the statistics that best fit with the agenda they are currently pushing.  /bobdm

NH House Leaders Blast Liquor Commission for Posting Jobs for Positions Held by Personnel Testifying Before House Special Committee

CONCORD – House Speaker William O’Brien (R-Mont Vernon) and Rep. Lynne Ober (R-Hudson), Chair of the Special House Committee to Evaluate the New Hampshire State Liquor Commission, today offered the following comments in response to the revelation that the New Hampshire Liquor Commission last week posted job listings for Director of Enforcement and Director of Administration while both positions are currently filled. Current Director of Enforcement, Eddie Edwards, has recently testified before the Special House Committee to Evaluate the NH State Liquor Commission and has been critical of the operations of the commission and the commissioners during the ongoing investigation in to several questionable matters.

House Speaker William O’Brien

“If a government agency were trying to look like they were attempting to engage in a cover up, they could not do a better job than the current efforts of the Liquor Commission.  Posting a job of an employee who is assisting a Legislative committee would be viewed as a great way of buying silence and limiting the value of testimony.  This is a wholly inappropriate act, and if the Commissioners have even a shred of common sense, they will pull back from this plan.  As a result, they have further blemished their agency, and undermined their own credibility while having possibly put the state in a position of facing a lawsuit that could cost taxpayers thousands.  This is one more bright light indication as to why it was an enormous mistake to take oversight responsibility away from the Legislature and Executive Council.”

Rep. Lynne Ober

“When a public employee comes to the Legislature to address a concern about his or her agency we would expect that he not be immediately fired.  The idea of punishing a whistleblower for sharing evidence of possible criminal activity is completely contrary to open, accountable government.  This may be tantamount to witness tampering and possibly violates employment statues and whistleblower protection laws. While Mr. Edwards is an at-will employee, having his career threatened simply because he cooperated with lawmakers in helping to address legitimate concerns is appalling.”

CORNERSTONE CALLS FOUL ON GAY ‘MARRIAGE’ BACKERS: NH REPUBLICANS FOR FREEDOM & EQUALITY

Group Promoting Unnatural Law Using Illegal Campaign Contribution of more than $100K from New York 

MANCHESTER, N.H.—Cornerstone Action filed a complaint this afternoon with the Secretary of State’s Office because a group supporting candidates who voted against the repeal of gay “marriage” is illegally using money it received in a $100,000 lump sum from a donor from New York.

The donor, Paul Singer of Elliot Management Corp., 40 West 57th St., 30th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10019, gave an illegal $100,000 donation to New Hampshire Republicans for Freedom and Equality during the campaign finance reporting period ending Sept. 5, 2012. Any donation above $5,000 is illegal in New Hampshire under RSA 664:4.

“Cornerstone works very hard to follow the law to the letter to support the traditional, natural family in New Hampshire and our PAC is quite limited by the law in what it can do to support candidates who will defend traditional marriage,” said Shannon McGinley, Cornerstone’s acting executive director. “It’s astounding to me how brazenly our political opponents have violated the law, and I trust that the Secretary of State will take immediate action to make sure the New Hampshire Republicans for Freedom and Equality return the money to Mr. Singer and stop violating New Hampshire law. This violation cannot be allowed to stand, as it puts candidates who our PAC supports at a distinct and unfair disadvantage.”

There is no doubt that the New Hampshire Republicans for Freedom and Equality have already begun to spend the money Mr. Singer donated to the group. The same campaign receipts and expenditures disclosure form that lists Mr. Singer’s donation also lists a $94,045.50 expenditure for “direct mail, design, production, print and postage” paid to Direct Response LLC of 2340 E. Beardsley Road, Suite 100, Phoenix, Ariz. 85024. Earlier this week, postcards supporting candidates who oppose traditional marriage and voted against the gay “marriage” repeal, HB 437, were reportedly showing up in New Hampshire primary voters’ mailboxes statewide.

Additionally, the group brags about its mission on its own Web site, www.nhrfe.com, by saying: “New Hampshire Republicans for Freedom and Equality PAC supports Republican officeholders and candidates who defend freedom and equality for all, thereby promoting the ideal that gay and lesbian citizens should have the exact same rights and protections under the law as every other citizen in New Hampshire.”

“I received a postcard from NHRFE in my mailbox this week supporting pro gay “marriage” candidates, and it didn’t say anything about marriage on it; instead, it focused on how the named Republicans allegedly support free markets, economic growth and jobs, which I found deceptive,” McGinley said. “When I looked up more information about the NHRFE and what they really represent, and then I found them in such violation of New Hampshire’s campaign finance law, I knew that I had to take action to make sure the public knows about how gay ‘marriage’ proponents are attempting to save their misguided law at all costs.

“Cornerstone plays by the rules to promote traditional marriage, and NHRFE should play by the rules, too, when it attempts to advance its cause,” McGinley added. “Because, the group was in such gross violation of the law this election cycle, I hope voters take special notice of the candidates NHRFE is supporting and consider supporting alternative candidates, such as those who have signed Cornerstone’s Families First Pledge.”

Cornerstone has been working very hard this primary election cycle to legally alert voters about those candidates whom, upon election, will advance citizens’ rights of conscience and religion, protect innocent human life, defend the natural family and traditional marriage, restore the natural rights of parents to raise, educate and care for their own children, and enact free market economic policies to ensure prosperity in New Hampshire. In doing so, Cornerstone has released its FamiliesFirst Pledge to identify candidates who will live up to these principles, its 2011-2012 Legislative Scorecard to identify which incumbents have already lived up to these principles and its 2012 Families First Voter Guide to help voters find the candidates who support families all across New Hampshire.

NH House Speaker Announces Committee to Review Serious Allegations Against State Liquor Commission

CONCORD – House Speaker William O’Brien today announced the formation of the Special Committee to Review and Reform the New Hampshire State Liquor Commission.  The committee will look into numerous allegations made against the Commission, including violating the state law against agencies hiring lobbyists, violating the state law against oppressing state officials, ignoring administrative rules against warehousing local manufacturers, engaging in bootlegging activities, hiding documentation from a legislative committee, misallocating $100,000 in wine and utilizing improper methods in constructing a request for proposals for a liquor warehouse contract.  The committee will review the decision in 2009 to move the Commission out of Legislative and Executive Council oversight and will offer recommendations on the future direction of liquor sales in New Hampshire.

The committee will be chaired by Rep. Lynne Ober of Hudson, and will also consist of Reps. Benjamin Baroody of Manchester, Jenn Coffey of Danbury, Marilinda Garcia of Salem, Kenneth Gidge of Nashua, Brandon Guida of Chichester, Shawn Jasper of Hudson, Carol McGuire of Epsom, Dan McGuire of Epsom, Tara Sad of Walpole and Jordan Ulery of Hudson.

House Speaker William O’Brien

“The numerous and very serious allegations against the State Liquor Commission demonstrate clearly that we need significantly more oversight to determine if this is a rogue agency.  The hardworking taxpayers surely deserve answers about how their money is being spent, and this committee will find out if there is mismanagement, waste or illegal activities taking place in a $550 million a year state organization.  Furthermore, this committee will also consider the decision to move the Commission away from oversight in 2009 and whether to reverse that decision or to go in a different direction with liquor sales in the future.”