The primary is coming up tomorrow, Tuesday, September 13th. Unsure of which Republican candidates share your values?
Liberty Ballot has done your homework for you! Simply click on the link, enter the town you vote in, and bingo, find your pro-liberty representatives.
If you won’t be able to make it to the polls Tuesday, be sure to stop by your Town or City offices for an absentee ballot.
See you at the polling station tomorrow!
The documentary "Zero Tolerance," (trailer here) explores the role of SROs–law enforcement officers called "school resources officers"– who are stationed in schools across America.
"Why are children as young as five being arrested in schools across the USA? In a misguided attempt to avoid another Columbine, Zero Tolerance policies in schools have detained, fined and incarcerated hundreds of thousands of children for ‘offences’ such as chewing gum or being late for class." ~ IMDB
Set mostly in Texas, the stories are harrowing. But, there was one principal who, at 66 years old and retired, agreed to take on what I can only call a distressed urban high school.
Bertie Simmons did away with ticket writing, met with each student one-on-one "to listen," set up a school court with a 12 person jury made up of seniors who were authorized to mete out punishment, and turned the school around. I was so impressed, afterwards, I wrote her an email to thank her for her positive human action. She wrote back and said: "Thank you. Working together we can make a real difference."
It was moving to see one person make such a remarkable difference in young people’s lives through de-escalation, personal interaction, caring, and civility.
It is also a reminder of how callous and cruel Governor Hassan’s veto of a bipartisan bill and the recent court decision about school choice in Croydon truly is.
The NH Department of Education used YOUR tax dollars to fight parents and a small town school board to FORCE four students out of an environment they were thriving in, and back to the Newport public school this fall. And, remember, the Montessori school was SAVING the taxpayers of Croydon thousands of dollars per year.
Makes you wonder about the motivation of NHDOE, because unlike principal Bertie Simmons, it doesn’t sound like they have the students’ best interests at heart.
The documentary also made me wonder about our schools in Goffstown and Manchester, and whether questionable conduct by SROs might be taking place in our own backyards? I recall there was one excessive force incident a few years ago at West Manchester High.
We already know our schools are being locked down with alarming frequency, e.g. eleven times in three weeks this May. Are all of these really necessary? Or could it, long-term, be creating a more dangerous situation when students start to see these warnings as "the grown-ups crying wolf, again"? What does it condition children to accept?
In the movie, a young lady who was being bullied struck back after being punched. If this happened outside of school, you would be within your rights to act in self-defense and hit someone who hit you back. But inside this school, BOTH students were punished. So basically, children are being taught they are not allowed to defend themselves.
"Zero tolerance" is a terrible idea. The word "tolerance," after all, means a "willingness to accept feelings, habits, or beliefs that are different from your own." When the state says it won’t tolerate behavior that is different from its own stated goals, like we saw recently in Croydon, we are cruising down the road to tyranny.
As your senator, I will work to reverse this trend towards ever more invasive government, encourage openness and transparency, and make sure your individual rights, and those of your family, are protected above all.
I’m a documentary film junkie. Sometimes, the shortest route to getting someone to understand where you are coming from is not to try to convince them yourself, but rather to let a book or movie speak for you.
Here are 7 documentaries you need to watch:
1: The Ballad of Esequiel Hernández
Narrated by Tommy Lee Jones, this movie features remarkably candid accounts from Marines on a mission near the US-Mexico border that led to the death of an American teenager. Also included are interviews with Esequiel’s family, friends and teachers; Marine Corps investigators; FBI investigators and defense attorneys.
"A Texas grand jury declined to indict the team’s commanding officer for murder, in part due to military pressure not to subject soldiers to state laws." ~ Mother Jones
2: Let the Fire Burn
This 2013 documentary covers the events leading up to and surrounding a 1985 stand-off between the black liberation group MOVE and the Philadelphia Police Department, where the PD dropped a bomb on the MOVE house, causing a fire. The police made the controversial decision to "let the fire burn", resulting in the destruction of more than 60 homes and the death of five children and six adults. The investigation that followed found that city leaders and law enforcement had acted negligently, but no criminal charges were filed.
"This historic footage — from newsreels, TV stations once-live coverage, from several investigating commissions — has been edited, brilliantly into a coherent, important political film." ~ Arts Fuse
3: CitizenFour
You will feel like you are watching a thriller in this Oscar-winning film about Edward Snowden, the heroic whistleblower who provided proof to the world that the U.S. government routinely and secretly spies on us all.
"The message of the movie is as clear as Siberian ice: Whether you’re a Tea Partier, an Occupier or just an ordinary Joe, you might be the next citizen who’s stranded in limbo." ~ St. Louis Post-Dispatch
4: Waco: Rules of Engagement
Think you know what happened at Waco? Think again. Said one film critic: "If you believe the US government is only looking out for your interests, I defy you to watch this film and not find your viewpoint altered."
“Whatever happened at Waco, these facts remain: It is not against the law to hold irregular religious beliefs. It is not illegal to hold and trade firearms. It is legal to defend your own home against armed assault, if that assault is illegal. It is impossible to see this film without reflecting that the federal government, from the top down, treated the Branch Davidians as if those rights did not apply.” ~ Roger Ebert
5: The House I Live In
From the filmmaker who brought us the brilliant "Why We Fight" which is also worth watching, this movie examines the War of Drugs, the problems prohibition causes, and the tragedies that happen when drug users are treated like criminals. More than 45 million drug users have been arrested over the past 4 decades–and for each one jailed, another family is destroyed.
"Whatever your politics, you will find things to astonish and flabbergast and enrage you in what is perhaps the most cool-headed examination of America’s relationship to illegal drugs ever." ~ Flick Filosopher
6: The Internet’s Own Boy
Harvard research fellow and co-founder of Reddit, Aaron Swartz—an internet wunderkind and “open access” advocate—is threatened with 35 years in federal prison for the crime of downloading copyrighted materials from MIT’s library. What follows is a two year legal nightmare caused by overzealous federal prosecutors hellbent on making an example of Aaron.
"A touching, morally outraged portrait that, in memory of Swartz, may inspire people to ask hard questions about how the new world is being shaped away from view, behind closed doors." ~ Globe and Mail
7: Making a Murderer
Filmed over ten years, this 10-part Netflix Original series made quite a splash last year. This true crime docuseries is riveting, addictive, and offers a fascinating look at the US criminal justice system. I recommend you queue this one to binge watch on a snowy weekend this winter.
"If there is any succor to be found, it’s in knowing that in its exceptional depiction of unprecedented events, Making a Murderer may end up changing our justice system for the better." ~ PopMatters
Today’s Union Leader states: "Sullivan County Superior Court presiding judge Brian T. Tucker has sided with the state Department of Education, ruling against school choice in the Croydon School District."
For those of you not familiar with this case, I’ll break it down as simply as I can:
Croydon, pop. 764, has a one room schoolhouse that goes to middle school. After that, kids have to be sent to a neighboring town’s high school. Some of the kids did not do well in the public Newport School, and their parents, working with the Croydon school board, then selected the Newport’s Montessori school instead.
The private Montessori school costs thousands of dollars LESS than the state school, saving Croydon taxpayers $16,000 for the school year. Oh, and the 4 kids thrived.
Enter the Department of Education. Late last year, they filed a motion for injunctive relief to take the kids out of the Montessori school. In the middle of the school year. Initially, the attorney for the DOE argued the state (not the children) would be irreparably harmed if the kids were not removed. After the judge asked for clarification, the DOE lawyer then claimed the students would be harmed if allowed to remain at the Newport Montessori School as part of the town’s school choice program. Thankfully, the judge did not buy this argument, said the DOE had prior knowledge the children were in the Montessori school, and stayed the injunction, letting the kids remain in their school of choice until the end of the school year.
In the meanwhile, school choice advocates worked with legislators to try to clarify the law. During testimony on the bill, the DOE lawyer argued the private Montessori school did not provide "an adequate education." Most of the room, legislators included, erupted in laughter. One legislator said something like: "Are you really arguing private schools are worse than public schools? Surely market forces prove that to be absurd."
The bill handily passed the legislature, however, Governor Hassan vetoed it. Surprise, surprise, Hassan sided with the Department of Education, rather than parents and children. She vetoed what could have created a school choice precedent for New Hampshire’s small towns. She vetoed what could have provided an incredible benefit to Granite State parents and children. She vetoed the idea that your tax money can go to a school that works for your child. She vetoed tax savings to taxpayers. She vetoed something that would have made parents and children happier. She vetoed a bill that would have taken the burden off public schools by removing students whom they have difficulty serving. She vetoed the idea of competing markets provide the best choice for New Hampshire children. She thinks she knows what is best for YOUR child, and she is willing to force you to comply.
Yesterday, Judge Tucker granted a permanent injunction ordering the small-town school district of Croydon to send all public school students to public school in the fall. By order of the state, these kids–and all Croydon students in the future–will be forced to return to–or remain in–a school that does not serve their needs.
The decision is a setback for school choice in New Hampshire, but I am confident the case will be appealed to the NH Supreme Court.
The questions you should be asking yourself:
- Why is the state so interested in keeping control over these students? Is it because they fear a precedent that will create more market competition?
- Why is it that other schools in other districts are allowed to send children to private schools, as we see with, for example, Fryeburg Academy?
- Is school choice only for the wealthy?
- Why do private schools cost less than public schools? Could waste be built into the system?
- If you are a teacher, wouldn’t you rather work with students who want to be in your classroom? Do you realize that longterm, more school choice will give YOU more attractive options as an educator?
- Ultimately, who should decide what is best for your child and his or her education? Should that decision rest with bureaucrats in Concord, or should it reside with parents, their school board, and, of course, the child?
New Hampshire should be leading the national school choice movement, not taking steps backwards through poor court decisions and vetoes. Between 2001-2013, families making nonresidential school choices via open public school enrollment, home schooling, charter schools and private schools increased 21%.
Students aren’t all the same. Kids don’t all fall into one bucket. Each is unique. We need more choices to address this reality.
As your senator, I will respect this individualism. I will work with you to create more choices in education (and elsewhere), and save the taxpayers some coin in the process.
If you are interested in learning more about NH school choice, join this Facebook group.
Follow me on Facebook at Carla4NHSenate. Please considering donating to my campaign today. Thank you!
Having grown up in South Africa under apartheid, I am no stranger to the dangers of police militarization. In high school in the 80s, I attended an all-girls boarding school in Pretoria. The police would frequently come to our school to warn us "the terrorists are coming." The "terrorists" were anyone the regime did not like.
One day, unbeknownst to us, the police detonated smoke bombs in our school to simulate a terror attack. We girls truly believed we were under fire. I was eleven or twelve, a volunteer school fire-fighter, and I leopard-crawled upstairs–fighting the smoke, tears and snot streaming down my face, bruises forming on my elbows and knees–to try to save my friends. Needless to say, when I learned the "attack" that terrified us so was orchestrated BY the police, my views about "good guys" and "bad guys" started to evolve.
America is marching lockstep towards a bona fide police state. This is not hyperbole. America incarcerates the most people on the planet. Today, police commit 1 out of 12 of all killings in the United States. In 2015, 41 officers were slain in the line of duty, while police killed 1,207 Americans. You are 8 times (some say 55 times) more likely to die at the hands of the police than a terrorist. Here in Manchester, an entire neighborhood was recently placed under lockdown, a daytime curfew, something you would never expect to see in a free society.
If you believe police militarization is necessary to protect you from the virtually nonexistent threat of terrorism, understand this fear mongering is being pushed on you by politicians and news media outlets who stand to gain from your fear. Scared people are controllable people.
Your children are being trained in school, like I was, to fear. In Manchester in May, schools were locked down 11 times in 3 weeks. Active shooter drills with "simulated injuries" that "may be visible on volunteer participants" take place in New Hampshire routinely, in hospitals, schools, and elsewhere. In other parts of the country, things are worse, e.g. the CIA forgot a bomb on a school bus after a drill. Do you want this to happen here?
And while you are being scared into submission, the police are being armed and trained to see you as the enemy. The police are being given more and more military grade equipment, funded mostly with federal grants, paid for by YOU, the taxpayer. You are literally paying for your own enslavement.
In 2013, while I was president of the FSP, the then police chief of Concord falsely claimed participants of my organization were a "domestic terrorist threat" in a federal grant application to get a $260,000 BEARCAT–a cuddly name for a Ballistic Engineered Armored Response Counter Attack Truck. The kind of vehicle you see in a war zone, not in a town with 2 homicides per decade. If YOU lie on a government form, you can be fined and/or imprisoned. When government officials break the law, they get off scot-free because "accidents happen," or, when the crimes get Too Big to Jail, they run for president!
Long story short (you can read more here, here, here, and here, which includes links to media coverage), despite more than 1,500 paper petition signatures garnered from Concord residents, the town voted to accept the BEARCAT. The city council flat-out ignored their constituents, siding with the police over the people, something we see all too often in New Hampshire. The police chief kinda, sorta apologized for demonizing peaceful, limited government proponents, and quietly stepped down a few months later.
Even if you think BEARCATs proliferating across the state isn’t a big deal, what about the increasing military tactics being used on our streets, or all the rifles, scopes, and other tactical gear local police are being armed with, even in places like little ole Laconia? Don’t take my word for it, watch what this retired Marine colonel has to say about what is happening:
"We are building a domestic military, because it is unlawful or unconstitutional to use American troops on American soil, so what we are doing is building a military… Homeland Security is pre-staging gear, equipment… What they are trying to do is use standardized vehicles, standardized equipment… Let’s not kid ourselves, what we are doing is building a domestic army because the government is afraid of its own citizens."
Why? Why are they afraid? Could it be because we are over-taxed, over-policed, and over-incarcerated? That 79.8% of people disapprove of the job congress is doing? Could it be because there was no real economic recovery after the 2000 and 2008 crashes caused by the federal government’s inflationary policies and money printing? Could it be they are worried about the ever-growing $19 TRILLION dollars of debt, a number so unfathomable people gloss over it, unaware this astronomical number excludes unfunded liabilities like social security and pensions?
Perhaps it is the fact that for the first time, thanks to the internet and social media, we can discover the truth for ourselves, and communicate directly with thousands of other people across the state, country, and globe? That they realize they no longer control the narrative, that, as Hillary Clinton put it in 2011 in a bid for more funding for the state department’s propaganda machine: “We are in an information war and we are losing that war.”
Sadly, America loves war. Besides the foreign interventions, at home we have the war on drugs, the war on poverty, the war on terror. Frankly, none of these "wars" work out as intended, and all of us end up as collateral damage to failed DC policies.
It is imperative that we reverse the militarization of police here in the Granite State.
As your senator, I will not support legislation to increase police militarization and will actively work to reverse this trend. We also need more accountability and transparency regarding these programs, especially those being pushed locally by the federal government. We need more reporting on what equipment is available, how it is being used, and what training is taking place.
Remember, when all one has is a hammer, eventually everything looks like a nail. As I said in this speech during the pro-police accountability rally I organized as a West Manchester homeowner after the lockdown, YOU are the nail.
If we don’t end this trend towards police militarization, one day soon you will find yourself living under tyranny and wonder how we got there. Not on my watch! Find me on Facebook at Carla Gericke for NH State Senate. Please donate today!
Photo credit: Poster made by concerned West Manchester resident after the lockdown. All photos are from police action in Manchester, NH.
Clinton Cash, a documentary based on the New York Times bestselling book by Peter Schweizer, is now available [on Youtube.]((https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LYRUOd_QoM)
This movie is a real eye-opener on how the Clintons have enriched themselves to the tune of millions of dollars by trading "speaking fees" for favors of national importance. To the tune of $126 million, to be precise.
According to this review by John Stossel, Schweizer said on his show the Clintons use "speaking fees" to get around bribery laws.
"If somebody gave a politician or family member money for a favor, that’s breaking the law. But if you say it’s a speaking fee, and you pay double or triple the normal rate, that seems to be legal."
Look, paying politicians to listen to them blather is nothing new. But, according to Schweizer, what looks suspicious is how much more Bill started getting paid after Hillary became secretary of state. His speaking fee increased from around $200,000 to as much as $750,000 per speech. He was even paid $750,000 by the same organization TWICE, for 20-minute speeches. As in $1.5 million dollars for 40 minutes of Bill’s time. Good work if you can finagle it!
That’s "evidence that people paying him expect to get something in return," says Schweizer. "She becomes appointed secretary of state, a friend of the president of Nigeria suddenly offers (Bill) $700,000 apiece for two speeches. An investment firm in Moscow that’s tied to the Kremlin who had never paid for him to speak before suddenly gave him $500,000."
These are just two of the remarkable examples cited in Clinton Cash–there are too many to list here–but your jaw will drop when you see what these folks get in return.
Then there is the almost TWO BILLION dollars that has been funneled through The Clinton Foundation, now under investigation by the IRS. In a letter signed by 64 House Republicans, they described the Clinton Foundation as a “lawless ‘pay-to-play’ enterprise that has been operating under a cloak of philanthropy for years and should be investigated.” When you consider that only 10-15% of monies collected go to actual charity work to help needy people, this sounds about right.
The allegations in the movie are stunning, especially when strung together to give a cohesive view of events during Hillary’s time at the state department.
This election, let us not be blinded by the notion that a woman smashing the glass ceiling is more important than ending up with someone in the White House who operates above the rule of law.
You need to make your own determination whether Hillary Clinton is fit to be president. This movie will help you decide.
This well-researched article argues that marijuana legalization might be a "fix to the nation’s opioid problems."
Proponents of marijuana prohibition have long alleged that experimentation with pot acts as a “gateway” to the use and eventual abuse of other illicit substances. But the results of a just released national poll finds that most Americans no longer believe this claim to be true.
According to a recent survey, fewer than one in three US citizens agree with the statement, “the use of marijuana leads to the use of hard drugs.” Among those respondents under the age of 65, it is fewer than one in four.
This past legislative session, efforts to decriminalize marijuana failed in the NH Senate. During deliberations, senators stated that decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana will “send a confusing message as New Hampshire tries to fight a growing substance abuse problem.” However,
Surveys of cannabis consumers residing in jurisdictions where the plant is legally accessible find that respondents typically report decreasing their use of other drugs, such as alcohol and prescription opiates.
The majority of Granite Staters understand marijuana is NOT, and never has been, a "gateway drug." The blame for this confusing message lies squarely with government–for spreading negative, untruthful propaganda about the dangers of marijuana for almost a century, even as it is becoming increasingly available as medicine.
Now is the time for a bold new strategy to solve the heroin problem in New Hampshire. We can start by decriminalizing or legalizing marijuana, something 60-72% of New Hampshirites support.
When your senators care more about “perception” than facts, when they are willing to put people in jail because they think it might “look bad” or send “the wrong message,” they need to go.
Vote out these ignorant, old-fashioned dinosaurs, and let’s get to work to help those in need get well. As your senator, I will make marijuana decriminalization or legalization a priority. And, on top of that, this will help solve overincarceration and the opioid crisis, too.
Image: Screenshot of recent Union Leader poll.
The best way to serve the greater good is, above all, to protect the smallest minority, the individual… YOU.
It’s the economy, stupid*
*You are not stupid, but boy, the laws coming out of the legislature often are. The best way to stimulate the economy and to create jobs is for government to get out of the way. Lower taxes, freer markets, less regulation, and the right to work all lead to more prosperity.
Criminal justice reform
The War on Drugs is an abject failure, wasting trillions in taxpayers’ dollars and resulting in the militarization of the police–yes, even here in NH! Just as alcohol prohibition did not work, it is time for new thinking on drug policy and criminal justice. Less incarceration, no policing for profit, more compassion through harm reduction policies, safer streets and neighborhoods. Let’s end the overcriminalization of ourselves!
YOU choose
Whatever floats YOUR boat–education, school choice, parental rights, localism, gun rights, cryptocurrencies, the environment, free speech–the government should simply protect your constitutional rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We should be repealing laws left, right and center, and not passing so many new ones. Smaller, limited, constitutional government FTW!
See-through governance
You have the right to know exactly what your representatives are up to. Government should be transparent and accountable to you. As your senator, I will disclose every vote I take, regardless of whether a roll call vote was recorded. As a member of Right-to-Know NH, I will also work to strengthen laws that expand government transparency, and reduce all those sneaky loopholes!
States’ rights
Everyone seems grumpy about the current political climate. Are you? If so, I want you to know there is a very simple solution to many of your frustrations. Adhering to states’ rights, and nullifying overreaching Federal laws. As your senator, I will focus on localized control, and always put New Hampshire and Granite Staters first.
Persuasion, not force
Every single law is backed by the barrel of a gun. Government is force–don’t take my word for it, see what this fancy Yale law professor has to say–so the smaller the government, the more peaceful life is. Instead of using the state to pass laws about your pet projects, embrace the power of persuasion and pursue your passions privately. Rather than pushing new laws on everyone, use tools like social media to further your cause on a voluntary basis. If it’s a great idea, people will adopt it. If it isn’t, why force everyone else to comply with your will?
Pro-life
Many voters have called and asked about my position on abortion. I am personally pro-life; however I would not vote to criminalize what I believe is a difficult and personal decision. I do not support any taxpayer funding of abortions.
Pro-life to me also means I am antiwar (but pro-veteran!) and against the death penalty.
I chose New Hampshire as my home because I am passionate about liberty and individual rights. Live free or die! (But rather not the latter!)
Born in South Africa under apartheid, I was raised in a diplomatic household, living in America, Sweden and Brazil as a youngster. I moved to the U.S. in 1996 after winning a green card in the Diversity lottery. I became a U.S. citizen in 2000.
I am a former attorney. I practiced law in South Africa where I worked on pro bono criminal defense cases for the underprivileged, which helped shape my views about criminal justice.
After moving to California, I worked in-house at Fortune 500 companies, starting as a paralegal at Apple while I took the California Bar Exam, then working for Logitech, and later, other tech startups in Silicon Valley.
After the dotcom bubble burst, my husband, Louis, and I backpacked through Southeast Asia, India and Africa. At the base camp of the 10th highest mountain in the world, Annapurna (see the pic I took–magnificent!), I had an epiphany: I no longer wanted to be a lawyer, I wanted to pursue my passion for writing, and serve a higher purpose. When we returned to America, I earned my M.F.A. in creative writing from The City College of New York.
In 2008, Louis and I moved to New Hampshire as part of Free State Project, a movement to attract 20,000 liberty activists to the Granite State. I twice organized the Porcupine Freedom Festival (a.k.a. PorcFest), one of the world’s largest liberty gatherings. I became president of the organization in 2011.
From 2008-2012, I also worked part-time at the New Hampshire Writers’ Project at Southern New Hampshire University. I started as the program manager, organizing NHWP’s flagship Writers’ Day event and other regional literary festivals, and left as acting executive director. I also volunteered for other literary organizations, and worked on Concord Reads for several years.
In 2014, acting as plaintiff, I won a landmark First Circuit Court of Appeals case affirming the 1st Amendment right to film police encounters. That same year, I was honored to be named one of New Hampshire Magazine’s “Remarkable Women”.
In early 2016, two years ahead of schedule, I oversaw “triggering the move” by securing the 20,000th FSP signer. As I always said I would, I then stepped down as president, but remain on the board as president emeritus.
Seeking new challenges, I joined the Foundation for New Hampshire Independence, a 501c3 educational nonprofit that educates Granite Staters about the benefits of peacefully seeking more independence from the federal government. Don’t let this scare you! It’s just about talking about new ideas and fresh approaches, while sticking to our Constitutional rights.
I write and speak on a variety of topics relating to individual rights, free markets, and liberty. I have been quoted in The Economist, Wall Street Journal, New York Magazine, New York Times, Playboy, GQ, and elsewhere, and have appeared on CNN and WMUR.
In my spare time, I enjoy cooking, hiking, watching documentaries, reading, and traveling. I practice yoga and shooting, and I play a mean game of Scrabble. I am working on two books. I own a home in West Manchester, where I live with my husband of 24 years, and our rescued pooch, Nervous Nellie.
You can read more about my activism here.