This week on ManchTalk I’m flying solo as my co-host, Tammy Simmons, is on holiday. I discuss the Quality Inn DEA/MPD SWAT fiasco that resulted in three deaths and locked down South Willow street, the Orwellian Surveillance State coming to the streets of Manchester, the police cameras that were placed downtown with no public input, why personal privacy matters, why government transparency matters, and how YOU can get involved.
Catch my video asking Mayor Joyce Craig for a full, public inquiry into the deadly debacle at the Quality Inn last week.
Worried about the increasingly dangerous policing, lockdowns, and new police cameras being introduced without any public input? Join me at City Hall on Tuesday, April 9th at 5PM for a rally–1984 Is Not an Instruction Manual–to highlight these issues. You are also welcome to provide 3 minutes of public testimony at the Alderman meeting that starts at 6PM.
My LTE from today’s Union Leader:
“Demand full inquiry
To the Editor: Last week, Manchester SWAT working with the DEA deployed chemical weapons on two twenty-something small-time drug users in a hotel near Exit 1, where they died. News articles already fail to mention this use of gas, so I can only assume the official narrative will attempt to ‘memory hole’ this damning detail.
Should we believe the official version? We have no way to vet the information provided because after the unlawful 2016 West Side Lockdown, the police ‘solved’ our concerns about transparency by secretly encrypting their scanners, destroying years of tradition, and leaving law-abiding citizens in the dark.
How do we know these LEOs are ‘ones we can trust,’ rather than ones on the blacked-out Laurie’s List of misconduct the AG is actively fighting to hide from us.
Why is the DEA operating in Manchester, expending meaningful resources on small time drug users (the dead 26 year old was out on bail for 0.4 grams of crack cocaine).
Was the public at large more or less safe during this debacle? Someone doing coke in a hotel room puts me at 0% danger…
Who pays when businesses on South Willow, like Starbucks, are closed down for hours?
Who pays for the unlawful displacement of hotel guest and nearby residents?
Who pays for the damage to our Queen City’s reputation, based on what sounds like an operation that went rogue and escalated unnecessarily?
Manchester residents all pay, but the buck must stop at Mayor Joyce Craig’s desk: Demand a full public inquiry.
CARLA GERICKE
Hooksett Road
Manchester”
Whoo-heee!!! I’m a tad broke after this weekend’s excursion through the #MadeInNH Expo at the downtown Hilton in Manchester–formerly the Radisson Hotel, which, like “No Smoking” announcements on airplanes, I wonder how long we will have to say. Actually, I formally decree, for me, this will be the last time: Goodbye Rad, hello Hillie!
Saturday, Louis and I arrive around 10am, just as the Expo is opening, thinking, “We’ll get there before everyone else,” which, it turns out, is exactly what hundreds of other Granite Staters figured too. The queue moves quickly, and after paying our $9 per person cash entrance fee, we are soon inside, stopping immediately to validate our parking for $6, otherwise, face it, you know you will forget and you’ll either sulk because you have to walk alllllll-the-waaaay back, or you will sulk because you’ll have to pay full price. Trust me: Validate first.
Louis immediately gravitates towards a woodsmaker–is that a term? It should be–with beautifully carved handcrafts, bowls, tools, and toys. We’ve been looking for practical gifts for Iris (6) and Athena (4), and decide on diamond willow encased compasses. I look forward to teaching the girls how to navigate using these, although, being free range farm kiddies, they may already know.
Next, we stopped at Cocos Coffee for a cuppa. Co-owner Samantha Bellows is super-friendly, educating us on the single origin, small batch coffees. I get something “caramel-y,” and Louis gets something “nutty and earthy.” This seems like a good time to mention that we are, at this time, on Day Four of our First Ever Fast. You know, that thing when you don’t eat solid foods for d-a-y-s.
Fasting is not as hard as I thought it would be, or, shall I say, I am not as hungry as I thought I would be–thankfully, mostly because I already regulate my energy through a Keto lifestyle–but it is challenging being around this much unanticipated food input suddenly, and I can tell my willpower is slipping.
We stop at The Spicy Shark, handcrafted hot sauces that are “fiercely unique, bold, and vibrant, yet flavorful and balanced.” “Would you like to taste some?” WOULD I??? Me to Louis, while grabbing a plastic spoon, “Technically, it’s a liquid, right?” To the owner, holding out my spoon, “Yes, please!” We try six flavors, ranging from heat Level 2 to Six. The second to last, Level 5, contains ghost pepper, which, if you have ever watched a cooking show, is like, DEATHCON FIVE, and the last sauce has a pepper I don’t recall the name of… something Carolina, maybe? But. A six. And HOT. Hotter than a ghost pepper. And, apparently, a way to get legally high on Day 4 of a Fast. Seriously. Ping, wheeee, whooooo, wow! Or, as the product information states: “The Megalodon was imposing enough to give dinosaurs nightmares in its day. This 5 Alarm sauce has a sweet cherry start with the blazing finish of the Carolina Reaper Pepper.” REAPER??? See??? There. If that doesn’t put some hair on “You Can’t Stop the Signal, Mal’s” chest, I don’t know what will. In our “Hot Sauce for Breakfast Delirium,” we buy 4 bottles of the delicious sauces, but sadly, only one makes it home, so if you found a brown bag with 3 bottles of Shark Sauce that aren’t yours somewhere, hit me up.
From there, we stop at the Hobbs Tavern and Brewing Co. booth to chat. These guys are doing “an idyllic countryside tavern and brewhouse offering warmth, history, classic comfort food, an handcrafted beer at the foot of the New Hampshire White Mountains.” They can also cater to large groups for weddings and functions. I’m planning to go check out the venue next time I’m in the Lakes region, and psst: they have an extensive gluten-free menu. We also grab a bottle of Beasley’s Barbecue Sauce, take a quick look at the Spot On virtual smart pet fence, and get a few packets of oh-so-delish paleo granola from Swanzey’s Maple Nut Kitchen.
Next, we get sucked into a stall by a man with a Fabulous Beard. An impossible-to-resist Fabulous Beard. A stupendously, deliciously well-groomed Fabulous Beard. A Real New Hampshireman Beard. Needless to say, the Winnipesaukee Whisker Oil man does not have a hard time selling Louis some Fabulous Beard grooming oil with “sweet almond oil, jojoba oil, argan, grapefruit seed extract and essential oils.”
Can I take this moment to mention how many products that aren’t actually food, are kind of… food-ish… something you will fixate on when you are fasting. For example: My “creamy” hair “mousse” (!!!) is called “Milk Shake.” Milk Shake silver shine WHIPPED CREAM, made with ORGANIC BLUEBERRY EXTRACT AND MILK PROTEINS. No. I didn’t eat it. But I was kind of tempted.
We are bombarded by these food-like prompts all day long, even when we’re are nowhere near actual food. No wonder so many people are obese, we are constantly stimulating our brains with thoughts of food. But, as you start to concentrate on leading a healthier lifestyle, you will grow more aware of these stimuli, and as you do, you can train yourself to ignore them. Or, at least, that’s what I tell myself as I march resolutely past the bread stall, before momentarily losing focus at Loon Chocolate, where I buy 3 slabs of dark “Live Free and Eat Chocolate” for post-fast living next week.
On the fashion side, at Granite State Apparel, Louis stocks up on some new tees and and a colorful hoodie, and I snag a couple of cammo “Made in NH” baby onesies for gifts for friends participating in our #BreedEmForFreedom program. Screenprinter and graphic designer, Shawn Burke throws in a few complimentary NH stickers, which already adorn my laptop cover right next to my ACLU “Get A Warrant” sticker. I also find two incredible brass rings at NuArt Jewelry, and Louis gets a very cool set of wooden sunglasses from Slyk Shades. Check out Slyk’s founder, Josh Fitzmaurice’s story, and consider buying a pair… for every frame sold, a tree is planted, and part of proceeds go to help local New England communities.
Our second to last stop before we have to boogie is at photographer and mask maker Oakseeder’s stall. I’m completely enthralled by his photographs. His art is strange, spooky, ethereal, and very cool. Like “naked tatted bearded New Hampshireman in a forrest eating at a table with a boar’s head mask on it” cool. I buy two.
Our last stop is to pop in at The Healthy Porcupine’s stall where my friends are helping others “Opt out of the chemical lifestyle” with their 100% natural, handmade tallow based soaps. I have been using their products for years, and highly recommend! Yes, with its coconut, olive oil, lemongrass, rosemary, and humanely sourced tallow from grass-fed cows from local New Hampshire farms, you’ll probably want to eat these too. Don’t, unless you are washing your mouth out with soap. In which case… YUM! 😛
Last year today, Facebook reminds me, I had lost FORTY pounds by switching to a Keto lifestyle. I’ve lost another 25 pounds since then for a grand total of SIXTY FIVE pounds. I haven’t had a drink of alcohol in 450 days–I had to look that up because I don’t track this number because I don’t think about it, AT ALL. (Yeah, color me surprised too.) I quit biting my nails after 45 years, and now enjoy bimonthly manicures as a reward. On Sept. 29, 2018, I started journalling daily. I know because the first entry reads: “Diary of my last 37 days of my second Senate race against ‘the lion’.” I lost my race, but I am 100% confident my book is going to be better than his. This brings me to my point… Of all these things, here’s what I am most proud of: I have perfected the art of the humble brag… Nay, I have become an EXPERT HUMBLE BRAGGER, and YOU should too!
Seriously. I have been thinking a lot about how much we choose to get in our own way, and what societal stimuli we choose to follow. As a literature and arts junkie, I am only now realizing that drinking yourself to death, or fucking up your life “‘cos YOLO,” is not aspirational. Why are these people elevated and touted as role models? Reading memoirs of authors documenting their alcoholic slides to death is pretty fucking bleak. Hey, Ernest (or Anthony Bourdain), put down the bottle, it only makes the anxiety worse! I guess we revere them because they’re “not boring,” but know what’s not boring? Setting and meeting goals. Achieving what you want. Being your best self.
Which brings me back to HUMBLE BRAGGING. I want YOU to become an EXPERT too, because regardless of whomever decided “humble bragging” was a bad thing, I am here to reclaim it as a POSITIVE.
Why? Because we should be PROUD of the things we achieve that are meaningful to us and improve our lives, even if it is, “I made my bed” or “Today I brushed my teeth.” (Hey, I’ve struggled with depression, too.) Because life is hard enough without taking away or diminishing our own personal pride–which is a wonderful feeling that we should encourage in each other (without being assholes about it). Because we deserve to love ourselves enough to admit it to others.
This is why I love the concept of “humble bragging.” It’s got just enough yin and yang, just enough balance to keep it real. Go on, now you try it! Let me know in the comments below what you are proud of in your own life, some improvement you have been working on and feel good about–big or small! And… go!