RINO OF THE WEEK REPORT

“Remember that a government big enough to give you everything you want is also big enough to take away everything you have.” ~Barry Goldwater

This week's installment of RINO of the week bring us an example of a real Dinosaur. This RINO has been around for way too long, ruining the Republican platform since 1988. Can we have a primary already, people? 12-term House Representative Julie M.  the "Mad Hatter" Brown, hailing from Strafford District 1 is this week's RINO of the Week. (If she and Rep. Emerson walked in together, the brims alone could clear a room)

Rep. Brown's voting record shows she has been around a long time spreading the RINO creed far and wide. Ms. Brown was ranked by the New Hampshire House Republican Alliance with a score of 45%.  Representative Brown missed forty-eight votes, all of which were marked not voting/not excused. A review of her past years record indicates an ongoing trend in missing controversial votes on critical or high profile issues. Project Vote smart gives Brown a 100% on their political courage test which isn't consistent with her house voting record.

While being ABSENT, Representative Brown denied her constituents a voice when she failed to cast votes on   HB 125, HB474, HB133  to name just a few critical issues. Inversely, When Representative Brown was present and voting she voted joined fellow RINO's to block HB329, parental notification; HB147, the Kimberly Cates Bill;  HB519, repealing the regional greenhouse gas initiative, and SB67, a Voucher and School choice bill.

In the 1990's Representative Brown was always reliable in her quest to expand the reach of government, broadly expand entitlement programs and do all the bidding Child support enforcement or the DCYF asked her to do and  Representative Brown never saw fit to repeal anything. Instead, she made the reach of government into the lives of citizens far easier for state government and the defense of Granite State citizens more insurmountable and arbitrary.

Her bill sponsorship also seems to indicate a troubling trend. Representative Brown seems to have a serious (if you'll pardon the pun) "bee in her bonnet" with those ordered to pay child support. In her years in the house, Brown has sponsored bills, (a number of them were ITL'ed) that imposed considerable state-sponsored oppression upon child support payers.  Could it be suggested that she is using her seat for personal misandrist purposes? One can only guess.

Julie Brown is the beloved rep in the pocket of the consummate state hack and/or attendant bureaucrat. Her history demonstrates that... And, for that...and a lack of other nefarious descriptions, she (and her giant hats) are this week's RINO OF THE WEEK.

CROSS POSTED

Did Kristin Ruggiero unwittingly establish a new, "Second Look" Doctrine?

Typical. A woman gets pissed at her boyfriend. In retribution, she runs down to the local police department and asserts she has been threatened and as proof, offers her cell phone containing a threatening text from the alleged, "scary boyfriend." The boyfriend is subsequently arrested and jailed under domestic violence laws -End of story...or is it?

In this case, Police obviously took a second look. Local Rochester woman Samantha Morrison, exacted  an age-old retribution for her unspecified scorn when she filed a complaint with Rochester Police alleging that her boyfriend threatened her on February 17th. The boyfriend was subsequently arrested, jailed and served with a Domestic Violence protective order out of Dover District Court on February 18^th.

But, something sparked a follow-up investigation. After taking a closer second look, Police charged  Ms. "Shrew" Morrison with false report to police and falsifying physical evidence. Determined subsequently that Ms. "Shrew-Morrison" used a spoofing software program installed on her cell phone to fabricate a fake threatening text message, resulting in her boyfriend's arrest, the faux charges have been dropped.

This case comes in the wake of Kristin Ruggiero's most recent indictments on Witness Tampering, Falsifying Physical Evidence, Solicitation of Perjury, Perjury,  and Unsworn Falsification, after being imprisoned for attempting to have her ex-husband falsely locked up.

Is this a turning point? Is law enforcement now taking a harder look at the allegations when they are made by an alleged injured party? let us certainly hope so!

One of the biggest issues I have complained about in past years is the lop-sided and overt advocacy of Law Enforcement in Domestic violence. Because of  Law Enforcement advocacy it is reasonable to conclude there may be those who are falsely in jail on sham DV charges and convictions because Law Enforcement Advocacy lop-sidedly advocates for the victims' complaint over the veracity or truthfulness of the alleged complaint. This is morally wrong and it violates the very oath Police officers take to uphold the law equally for all people.  We can only hope that this case...in a separate jurisdiction, gives us some assurances that Law Enforcement is now taking this issue seriously and giving accused persons a  second look versus the former where such allegations were merely dismissed as, time wasting, sour grapes or failing to take responsibility for ones bad behavior.

Now that Granite State society bears witness to two separate and distinct cases where one scorned domestic party (the woman) undertakes using the legal system as a bludgeon on the other domestic party (the man), The silence from the Domestic Violence Advocacy corners is so deafening that my ears almost ring. Not one word, excerpt or morsel to decry this abominable behavior that destructively removes freedom from another for no good reason other than [she] is pissed off. Is this not corrupt? [insert the gratuitous sound of crickets chirping here]

CROSS POSTED

The Culture of Unaccountability

New Hampshire is one of least corrupt states according to the Corporate Crime Reporter's 2004 Report for the National Press Club.  According to the report, New Hampshire ranked number three out of the top ten least corrupt states. Massachusetts surprisingly ranked only number 26 and Maine weighed in at 30 while Vermont came in at number thirty-six.  The number one state for corruption: Mississippi.

 However, what New Hampshire may not have in terms of textbook corruption, it makes up for it in lack of accountability.  Countless lawsuits, media reports and other actions have continually surrounded N.H. RSA 91-A. Cities and towns across the state, engage in a continuous effort to make end runs around RSA 91-A.

 Of Late, citizens of Brookline, New Hampshire were left wondering why their Police Chief, Thomas Golden was fired.  The details are still not clear.  So, what exactly is it about the Granite State where citizens elect people who purposely make spirited efforts to keep information from the very people whom elect them?

 Back in February, Hooksett approved select police pay raises in secret. In March, a Manchester, school principal resigned, following months of paid leave, but no explanation as to why. 

How about using town or state power to abuse citizens?  In 2001, the Chester Rod and Gun Club sought a variance from the town in order to lease out a section of their land for a cell tower.  The town of Chester denied the variance and later entered into an agreement with the same company to build the cell tower on town land. Crooks! Chester is notorious for finding ways to skirt 91-A through use of e-mail.  Cities and towns connive and cajole to keep secrets, frequently under the pretext of "personnel matters."

 Chester is particularly intriguing with its tales of arrests of town officials, and the endless sea of controversies that follow nearly everything in Chester.  The root of Chester's problems in one five year period, by many press accounts appear to stem from resident "bully and major league jerk," the late Leroy Scott and his son Kevin.  In September of 2006, the town paid $5,600 for a law firm to investigate the manner in which Scott treated town employees.

 On September 5 of 2006, A Union Leader editorial opened by stating, "Chester has provided the rest of New Hampshire with a good example of how not to govern.  Chester's selectmen have developed a nasty habit of intentionally keeping the public in the dark about town business.

 In August of 2007, Litchfield town officials took Police Chief Joseph O'Brion off the job and would not say why.  The board of selectmen remained mum, refusing to say whether he'd been fired, placed on leave, or if he resigned, hiding behind the cloak of being a personnel matter.

 One theme that emerges here is that many now serving in public office are perhaps not temperamentally suited to the positions for which they are appointed or elected.  Towns seek to elect people who will do their business fairly, properly and openly and instead get problem children with bad temperaments, axes to grind and personal agendas to carry out.  The problem is there is no way to bring such bad behavior into check, side from voting them out of office.

 Such bad behavior is not uncommon at the state level either.  Take the case of Jean Michael Coutu of Jaffrey, presently under indictment for one felony and a misdemeanor for allegations he illegally hooked up a generator.  Prior to Coutu's arrest, Chief Investigator Mark Hilbert of the New Hampshire Fire Marshall's Office was charged with stalking for actions and conduct alleged on the property of Coutu's neighbor.  The charges were later dropped.  Coutu was arrested, shortly thereafter. 

The very public details and facts of Coutu's case (as detailed in prior NH Insider blogs) tend to make any reasonable person conclude this prosecution is in retribution of Hilbert's prior arrest.  "The problem is there is no mechanism in the state to independently investigate such abuses of power if and when they occur." stated an attorney involved in the case who wished to remain anonymous.  The Executive Ethics Committee has no jurisdiction over state employees, only "political appointees."  (Incidentally, all witnesses in this particular case have invoked the fifth amendment and Richards hearings followed.)

 The New Hampshire Union Leader featured a story on motor vehicle collisions involving the State Police and their practice of investigating the same.  Recently, a story manifested where Rochester Police and the State Police had, "a spirited disagreement" over Rochester's intent to investigate a vehicle collision involving the New Hampshire State Police.  The New Hampshire Police stand firm in its policy.

 Likewise, Manchester Police Chief David Mara will not release a report involving four off duty officers and a bar brawl at Strange Brew Tavern.  Manchester Police conducted their own internal investigation and the final report remains confidential.

 Josiah Bartlet Center for Public Policy's Charlie Arlinghaus suggested the need exists for an Office of Inspector General.  While I might be inclined to agree with Charlie, such an office would not lend itself to limited government.  A recent Union Leader editorial best characterized the concept of an IG as, "another state agency with its attendant bureaucracy and empire-building tendencies."

 New Hampshire citizens are notorious for their fierce independence and assertion of rights.  Yet few will speak out until they are personally affected by some activity of government.  Citizens as a rule should demand accountability of government all the time, not some of the time when they have been angered.  I don't know what the immediate answer or mechanism is that would cause accountability to happen, but the citizens need to demand accountability when our government seeks to hide, rather than seeking to disclose.