Granite Slate

Obama-Biden Plotting 2nd Stimulus?

   Vice President Joe Biden says on ABC News today that the administration initially didn't grasp the severity of the recession. "We misread how bad the economy was, but we are now only about 120 days into the recovery package," he said, according to this AP report. Biden said it is premature to say whether America needs a second stimulus package. Then why even broach the subject? Sounds like somebody's setting the table. Interestingly enough, New Hampshire state Sen. Lou D'Allesandro, D-Manchester, said on NHPR a week ago that the economy is so bad that a second stimulus package may be necessary.

Palin is Bailin'?

Still befuddled by Gov. Sarah Palin's bomb drop yesterday. And, as an aside, how exactly will she be making money? On a wing and a prayer, this 2012 mover. (When's she coming back to NH?)

In other befuddlement, Joey Chestnut today so Nathan's hot dog eating contest with a world record 68 dogs. Happy Fourth!

Supermajority Friends

   From the flaks at the White House to the many minions of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Democrats welcomed Senator-elect Al Franken of Minnesota with open arms. Franken makes them all Superfriends. Or Supermajority Friends. His vote is the magic 60th, the threshold to thward filibusters and all that nefarious stuff that is so commonplace on Capitol Hill. (It still will be, of course). The Times notes today in What's So Super About a Supermajority?  that it may not be all fun and games. Surely, we're still mucking around in perceptions and perspectives. As the Times quoted the elfin Reid,

"I am not this morning suddenly flexing my muscles."

Sununu Won't Run in 2010

Former US Sen. John E. Sununu, R-NH, says he will not run for the seat being vacated by Sen. Judd Gregg, R-NH. AP just broke it. Expect GOP rush, starting with the party star, would-be first-time candidate Kelly Ayotte.

Richard Whitney paints Mitt Romney

   New Hampshire's Richard Whitney, one of the great portrait artists in America, was commissioned by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney for his official portrait. The Globe reported Whitney, of Stoddard, received a $30,000 commission from Romney's state campaign account. Politico reported there were plenty of New Hampshire friends in attendance at the official unveiling last night (hey, 2012 is around the corner). Whitney's life-like life's work, for portraits, includes former New Hampshire Governors Hugh Gregg, Hugh Galen and John H. Sununu (now leader of the NH GOP).

All the Spin at Exeter Criterium

Another successful circuit race around downtown Exeter last night. Here the professional men riders get introduced before the first lap.

Franken Sense

He's good enough. He's smart enough. And, doggone it, the voters liked him.

Michelle Obama's NH Outreach

   The White House rolled out First Lady Michelle Obama yesterday to announce $4.5 million for community health centers in New Hampshire, yet another example of the Obama administration touting grants and programs previously the unofficial province of congressional delegations. In this case, the money is from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. An excerpt from the First Lady presser:

"Community Health Centers provide care to the Americans who need it most and their work has never been more important. These grants will help centers in New Hampshire serve more Americans who simply can't afford insurance coverage anymore."

   I am no one to shoot the messenger.

   But this smacks of more cut-and-paste with Michelle Obama's name in press releases.

UNH and USNH Budget Bash

   The worst economy since the Great Depression gave trustees of the New Hampshire university system a great headache in budgeting this year. After the clouds lifted, the trustees Thursday finalized a budget that will see an increase of between 4.6 percent and 6.2 percent in the cost of attending college next year. They were level funded by the state to the tune of $100 million. The operating budget is $413 millioin, about a 2.6 percent increase. Ed Dupont, chairman of the board of trustees, said the budget maintains educational excellence at the various institutions (UNH, Plymouth State University, Keene State, and so on).

   The silver lining for students: a 14 percent increase in student aid.

Lynch Embraces Furloughs

   The New Hampshire state budget recently approved counts on $25 million in savings in labor costs, but the state still must work with a powerful state employees' union to make it work. Gov. John Lynch tells The A&P that a round of furloughs is in order, and that it must be across the board to be fair. And that includes Hizzoner. Lynch, a three-term Democrat from Hopkinton, pulls down a salary of $113,000.

Ragin' Cajun Solicits

James Carville opines about Republicans in the Senate being obstructionists in his latest plea for campaign cash.

"I've always said politics is like being in the circus: ya always get stuck cleaning up after the Elephants."

The guy is turning into Forrest Gump.

NH School Censors Hemingway, Sedaris

   Bowing to parental pressure, the principal at Campbell High School in Litchfield has yanked books by gay satirist David Sedaris, horror king Stephen King and the great Ernest Hemingway. It just wasn't age appropriate, he told AP. The Hemmingway story, "Hills Like White Elephants," was pulled because of its dialogue of a couple debating abortion

New Hampshire Lupine

  That beautiful ...

  blue ...

  weed.

   So my beautiful sister-in-law, no wall flower I assure you, said upon walking into the Sugar Hill field with an expansive view of New Hampshire's grand mountain, Cannon, and majestic Lafayette overlooking that. The Lupine. Or Lupin. You see it here and there around New Hampshire, thanks in part to one of those questionable programs where federal and/or state dollars are used to fund plantings of pretty, bright flowers along state routes.

   It's amazing that the Lupine has become, with the Lupine Festival in greater Franconia, its own cottage industry.

   Beautiful. Blue. Weed-Genus-Legume-Flower. And sometimes these stalks are not even blue.

Headlines Have Him Seeing Red

   Ahmadinejad wins re-election in Iran. Venezuela bans Coke Zero. And North Korea plans to weaponize plutonium. With headlines like these, it's time to hit the beach.

NH Man Votes for President Too Often

   Tammany Hall in Carroll County, NH? A Jackson man was just indicted on charges he voted for president twice last year. The A&P reports Christopher Luke Fithian, 31, faces one felony and one misdemeanor charge of wrongful voting. He allegedly voted in Gorham, then again in Jackson (where former Congressman Bill Zeliff celebrated himself as a small-businessman and innkeeper). Vote early and often is just a saying. Or is it?

President Pierce Welcomes You

   The Pierce Brigade and the New Hampshire Political Library welcome you to the 35th season at the Pierce Manse in Concord, starting Tuesday. It's located at 14 Horseshoe Pond Lane. They have guided tours and two new museum galleries of the Granite State's rich political history are on display.

"We are once again looking forward to welcoming Granite Staters and out-of-town visitors alike to the Pierce Manse and providing them with a window into New Hampshire's rich political heritage," Michael Chaney, president and CEO of the Political Library, announced.

Fees, Slots, Casinos, Oh My!

   Against long odds, lawmakers in the Granite State are still discussing slot machines at select locations and potentially a casino to boost the North Country economy. The latest here. The potential for expanded gambling has survived a Senate round, and now awaits action in the House.

Sotomayor pays call to Shaheen

   U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, even after breaking an ankle yesterday, stuck to her whirl-wind, full-court press of U.S. Senators, including New Hampshire's Jeanne Shaheen. Sotomayor met with six senators. Shaheen, a Democrat, has already called for a swift confirmation. Talk about your coffee klatch.

Globe Court Fight Looms

The news guild at The Boston Globe today rejected a cost-cutting proposal and may now be battling its owner (the Times) in court to avoid steep pay cuts. Meanwhile, more "let go" at the Portland Press Herald.

NH Businesses Warn of "Mystery" Tax Plan

   Jim Roche is worrying about a "mystery" tax plan eroding New Hampshire's business climate. The president of the Business and Industry Association is mounting a late challenge to legislators who are making late changes to revenues in order to balance the state's $11 billion two-year budget. He zoned in on a proposed tax on distributions from Limited Liability Companies, which would be treated as dividends under the existing interest and dividends law. Said Roche,

“This isn’t a ‘third way’. It’s the same ‘old way’ of turning to the business community when money is needed to balance the state budget."

   Roche called on legislative leaders to hold a public hearing on any revenue proposals that might hurt the business community.

Sharp Turn for Pike

   Pike Industries President Christian Zimmermann rubbed elbows with Vice President Joe Biden earlier this week to promote the economic benefits of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Zimmermann was at it again yesterday, joining a group of contractors to discuss stimulus at work. My story on it. By the way, anyone else notice that the $789.5 billion act gets called something different in the press each day? Even in some prominent publications, it's often called the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. Which came first, the reinvestment or the recovery? Chicken or the egg?

Unitil under fire for ice storm

   Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley is fighting Unitil to get $4.6 million in fines for its inaction and ineptitude in responding to the December 2008 ice storm. Yes, it's the same company that won kudos for its response in New Hampshire (easy on the sarcasm, I know). The Globe reports here that the company challenges the fine, calling it "unreasonable and unprecedented."

Lynch Hails Civil Rights Milestone

   It's a Civil Rights Milestone, New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch says of his making gay marriage into state law today. Here's his official statement:

"New Hampshire's great tradition has always been to come down on the side of individual liberties and protections. That tradition continues today. Two years ago in this room, I signed civil unions into law. That law gave same-sex couples in New Hampshire the rights and protections of marriage. And while civil unions was recognized as a step forward, many same-sex couples made compelling arguments that a separate system is not an equal system.

They argued that what might appear to be a minor difference in wording to some, lessened the dignity and legitimacy of their families. At the same time, the word "marriage" has significant and religious connotations to many of our citizens. They had concerns that this legislation would interfere with the ability of religious groups to freely practice their faiths.

Today, we are standing up for the liberties of same-sex couples by making clear that they will receive the same rights, responsibilities - and respect - under New Hampshire law. Today, we are also standing up for religious liberties. This legislation makes clear that we understand that certain faiths do not recognize same-sex marriage, and it protects them from having to participate in marriage-related activities that violate their fundamental religious principles.

With the signing of this legislation today, New Hampshire will have taken every action possible to ensure that all families have equal rights to the extent that is possible under state law. Unfortunately, the federal government does not extend the same rights and protections that New Hampshire provides same-sex families, and that should change.

Here in New Hampshire, this debate has been filled with passion and emotion on both sides. Two years ago, after an equally passionate debate, the people of New Hampshire embraced civil unions as a natural part of New Hampshire's long tradition of opposing discrimination. It is my hope, and my belief, that New Hampshire will again come together to embrace tolerance and respect, and to stand against discrimination.  That has how we in New Hampshire have always lived our lives and that is how we will continue as we move forward.

Most families in New Hampshire will awaken tomorrow, go to work and to school, and feel no impact from what we have accomplished today. But for some, they will awaken tomorrow knowing we have said to them that they are equal, that they have the same rights to live and to love as everyone else.

Today is a day to celebrate in New Hampshire. Today should not be considered a victory for some and a loss for others. Today is a victory for all the people of New Hampshire, who I believe, in our own independent way, want tolerance for all.

That is truly the New Hampshire way."

New Hampshire Allows Gay Marriage

   Despite New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch's personal disbelief in gay marriage, the three-term Democrat just signed gay marriage into state law. It takes effect Jan. 1, 2010.

Busy News Day

   Budget, slots, potential new taxes, gay marriage, charter school enrollments ... no slow news days this week. New Hampshire State Sen. Ted Gatsas, R-Manchester, announces he will will indeed run for mayor of his home city, while current Mayor Frank Guinta runs for Congress, 1st District. And to our south, Beacon Hill comes through with more juice: Former Massachusetts House Speaker Sal DiMasi gets indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly accepting thousands of dollars.

Merchant Mariners Honored

 

   The opening of ceremonies yesterday at NH State Veterans Cemetery in Boscawen, with salutes to the dedication of a new monument recognizing U.S. Merchant Mariners who served during World War II.

Memorial Day in Boscawen

The Army band is tuning its instruments, the horn bleats adding to a terrifically somber day here at the NH State Veterans Cemetery. Memorial Day. Vets on Harleys are roaring into the parking area. Families are setting up their lawn chairs. People wander among the granite graves.

NH Budget Battle Heats Up

   A month until New Hampshire embarks on a new fiscal year, state lawmakers are combing the books for potential revenue, including expanded gambling, the Union Leader reports today. The Senate's budget chief, or one of them, is Lou D'Allesandro, D-Manchester, who thinks there's a real chance this year for electronic games of chance. Slots, that is. The worst kept secret in Concord is D'Allesandro's support for a limited expansion of gambling in the Granite State. But does the Legislature, let alone Gov. John Lynch, have the stomach for it? The House historically has turned its back on such bills. So, yeah, don't bet on it.

New Ads Target Lynch

   Campaign season kicked off last night. Or so I thought, listening to the 11 o'clock WMUR newscast and a new ad targeting Gov. John Lynch. The spot, from a group opposing gay marriage, urged viewers to call the corner office and demand that the New Hampshire governor veto a revised same-sex marriage bill heading to his desk.

   And so the showdown and countdown continues.

Piping Plovers Nest Again

  These great beachgoers must first battle unleashed dogs and jerks who set out to harm them. Who would harm a piping plover chick? The state reports someone vandalized a protective area at Hampton Beach on May 4. This report from NH Fish and Game:

Four pairs of piping plovers have returned to the New Hampshire seacoast this spring to nest and raise their young. These state-endangered and federally threatened migratory shorebirds have been nesting each year at locations on Hampton and Seabrook beaches since 1997, when they were first discovered by a jogger running on the beach.

"We have three nests established so far; two are at Seabrook Beach and one is at Hampton Beach State Park," said Samantha Niziolek, the 2009 piping plover monitor for the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department's Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program. Each of the nests has a protective fence around it, and is covered with netting to keep predators away and protect the birds and their eggs during incubation. "The fourth pair has mostly been seen in Seabrook, although nesting scrapes in the sand have also been found in Hampton," Niziolek said. "We're not sure where this pair will decide to nest; they are our mystery couple right now."

So far, things are going quite well; good weather and early nesting means the chicks will hatch early and be able to fly before the Fourth of July holiday. According to Niziolek, the nest at Hampton Beach State Park should be the first to hatch, with chicks expected right around Memorial Day weekend. The two nests in Seabrook are both expected to hatch soon after, during the week of June 4-13.

Once the chicks hatch, their first 30 days are crucial to their survival. The chicks have feathers when they hatch, but they are unable to fly until they reach about 30 days of age. The tiny hatchlings are able to walk and feed themselves just hours after birth, and may be seen scurrying between the dunes and water, feeding.

"Watch where you step," Niziolek cautioned, "There will be little chicks around, and their defense mechanism is to freeze when people get close, which makes them difficult to see." The chicks are about the size of a cottonball when first born, and both the chicks and adults are light colored and blend in with the sand very well.

Since protection efforts began in 1997, a total of 81 piping plover chicks have fledged from New Hampshire's seacoast. New Hampshire's efforts are part of a region-wide protection program; overall, the Atlantic coast population of piping plovers continues to hold steady.

NH War Stories

   Forty years since the 3rd Battalion, 197th Field Artillery unit was deployed to Vietnam, the only New Hampshire National Guard unit sent to the war, veterans convened last night to share their experiences, successes and losses. It was heartfelt and it was intense. The story.

"You see a lot of war movies, but the one thing that's missing is the stench," said Arnold Taylor of Concord.

   Of 506 soldiers deployed, six were killed in action, and a seventh in a non-combat death.

Mass. to hike Sales Tax

And so the grand Senate of Massachusetts embraces a big increase in its state sales tax. Big news, if not altogether surprising. Elected class in Concord, NH, (those with the best seats) breathes sigh of relief.

The Newsom Super Tax

   The new tax front: San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is proposing a tax on cigarette butts to help defray the city's cost of cleaning up butts flicked to sidewalks, drains and streets. NYT story on it. The city spends more than $10 million annually for this removal. Oh, the Newsom super tax aims to help people quit.

The Sun Shines in NH

    The small town* of Concord will get one of its last political mushroom clouds of the fiscal year on Tuesday, when the Legislature holds a public hearing on proposed tweaks in pending gay marriage legislation. Unlike in other states, where lawmakers would shuffle papers around in a back room and emerge with the final version (eh viola!), New Hampshire does its best to scrub everything down and run it through a public hearing. Citizen government. Sunshine.

* Sure it's a city charter, but really now

Lynch may sign gay marriage after all

   Gov. John Lynch is asking the House and Senate to make certain changes in legislation for same-sex "civil marriage." Then, he says, he would support it. His complete statement is here. An excerpt:

I have heard, and I understand, the very real feelings of same-sex couples that a separate system is not an equal system. That a civil law that differentiates between their committed relationships and those of heterosexual couples undermines both their dignity and the legitimacy of their families. I have also heard, and I understand, the concerns of our citizens who have equally deep feelings and genuine religious beliefs about marriage. They fear that this legislation would interfere with the ability of religious groups to freely practice their faiths.

Throughout history, our society’s views of civil rights have constantly evolved and expanded. New Hampshire’s great tradition has always been to come down on the side of individual liberties and protections.

Souter, the Peak Bagger

From this Timothy Egan piece today:

Earlier this month, Souter showed a flash of regional chauvinism on the issue closest to his heart when he said there was no good hiking south of Massachusetts. He then described a dream he’s had every day since he announced his decision to step down: he is standing atop the highest point of New Hampshire, above timberline and looking down at the path from which he came.

Sow Ears and Silk Purses

   The Justice did not quite flip the bird, or anything confused as such, but Antonin Scalia shows his independent, quirky panache in this NYT story that compares him more favorably than retiring Justice David H. Souter, New Hampshire's original Home Boy. The reason? Scalia's a better quote; he's  unpredictable, he's more colorful. Souter would probably agree. Perhaps, especially Souter. In the story, Scalia tells a law student why she will probably not land a Supreme Court clerkship.

“By and large,” he said, “I’m going to be picking from the law schools that basically are the hardest to get into. They admit the best and the brightest, and they may not teach very well, but you can’t make a sow’s ear out of a silk purse. If they come in the best and the brightest, they’re probably going to leave the best and the brightest, O.K.?”

   Can't make a sow's ear out of a silk purse? The idiom is "can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear," but who's cares. Two words for you, ones that allow judges to sleep at night: Judicial Independence.

The People's Mayor

"Hi DEAH."

   Evelyn Sirrell, the former Portsmouth mayor, died today after battling a series of illnesses. She was 78. She died a fighter. Such a sweet lady. A public servant with such amazing strength. Tenacity is perhaps the better word. Read her biography here on Seacoastonline.

   "Hi deah," she would say in that great local accent of hers.

   She fought for taxpayers, schools, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, the Great Bog. The statewide property tax, and its effect on her beloved Portsmouth, nearly prompted her to run for higher office. Always personal. Always passionate. A businesswoman turned meter maid turned bank security guard turned Champion of Everyman. Rest in peace, Evie.

To Veto or Not To Veto

   The beleaguered GOP in New Hampshire may have another spark with which to ignite its base. A bill heading to Gov. John Lynch's desk would legalize gay marriage, making the Granite State the sixth state to do so.

   Lynch, who signed the civil unions law not too long ago (it was May 31, 2007), has consistently said he opposes gay marriage. Lynch promises the "best decision."

   He said, in an excerpt from wire services:

"I'm going to talk to legislators and I'm going to talk to the people of New Hampshire and ultimately make the best decision I can for the people of New Hampshire."

Souter: Jurist, Man of Letters II

*Note: On Justice Souter, here's a post from April 29, 2008:

   Leave it to Justice David H. Souter to inject a little literary panache into a dissent.  In the U.S. Supreme Court opinion yesterday in Crawford V. Marion County Election Board, the jurist from New Hampshire reeled in a classic poem, "Antigonish," to make a point in his 30-page dissent. Disagreeing with the court majority, he concluded an Indiana law requiring voters to provide photo ID was unconstitutional. The law, he wrote, "threatens to impose nontrivial burdens on the voting right of tens of thousands of the state’s citizens, and a significant percentage of those individuals are likely to be deterred from voting."

   The man from Weare then provided a culture flash.

   He wrote, with Justice Ginsburg joining the dissent, "The State responds to the want of evidence with the assertion that in-person voter impersonation fraud is hard to detect. But this is like saying the ‘man who wasn’t there’ is hard to spot, and to know whether difficulty in detection accounts for the lack of evidence one at least has to ask whether in-person voter impersonation is (or would be) relatively harder to ferret out than other kinds of fraud (e.g., by absentee ballot) which the State has had no trouble documenting. The answer seems to be no; there is reason to think that ‘impersonation of voters is ... the most likely type of fraud to be discovered.'"

   The "man who wasn't there" footnote references an 1899 poem, "Antigonish," by American educator and poet William Hughes Mearns. The old Harvard man (1875-1965) wrote,

As I was going up the stair

I saw a man who wasn’t there

He wasn’t there again today

I wish, I wish, he’d stay away.

   The poem, said to be inspired by a haunted house in Nova Scotia, has numerous versions and spoofs. The Souter dissent references the version collected by editor Martin Gardner in "Best Remembered Poems," 1992. The poem, sometimes called "The Little Man Who Wasn’t There," has another popular version:

Yesterday upon the stair

I met a man who wasn’t there.

He wasn’t there again today.

I wish that man would go away.

   The man from Weare then provided a culture flash.

   He wrote, with Justice Ginsburg joining the dissent, "The State responds to the want of evidence with the assertion that in-person voter impersonation fraud is hard to detect. But this is like saying the ‘man who wasn’t there’ is hard to spot, and to know whether difficulty in detection accounts for the lack of evidence one at least has to ask whether in-person voter impersonation is (or would be) relatively harder to ferret out than other kinds of fraud (e.g., by absentee ballot) which the State has had no trouble documenting. The answer seems to be no; there is reason to think that ‘impersonation of voters is ... the most likely type of fraud to be discovered.'"

   The "man who wasn't there" footnote references an 1899 poem, "Antigonish," by American educator and poet William Hughes Mearns. The old Harvard man (1875-1965) wrote,

As I was going up the stair

I saw a man who wasn’t there

He wasn’t there again today

I wish, I wish, he’d stay away.

   The poem, said to be inspired by a haunted house in Nova Scotia, has numerous versions and spoofs. The Souter dissent references the version collected by editor Martin Gardner in "Best Remembered Poems," 1992. The poem, sometimes called "The Little Man Who Wasn’t There," has another popular version:

Yesterday upon the stair

I met a man who wasn’t there.

He wasn’t there again today.

I wish that man would go away.

   The man from Weare then provided a culture flash.

   He wrote, with Justice Ginsburg joining the dissent, "The State responds to the want of evidence with the assertion that in-person voter impersonation fraud is hard to detect. But this is like saying the ‘man who wasn’t there’ is hard to spot, and to know whether difficulty in detection accounts for the lack of evidence one at least has to ask whether in-person voter impersonation is (or would be) relatively harder to ferret out than other kinds of fraud (e.g., by absentee ballot) which the State has had no trouble documenting. The answer seems to be no; there is reason to think that ‘impersonation of voters is ... the most likely type of fraud to be discovered.'"

   The "man who wasn't there" footnote references an 1899 poem, "Antigonish," by American educator and poet William Hughes Mearns. The old Harvard man (1875-1965) wrote,

As I was going up the stair

I saw a man who wasn’t there

He wasn’t there again today

I wish, I wish, he’d stay away.

   The poem, said to be inspired by a haunted house in Nova Scotia, has numerous versions and spoofs. The Souter dissent references the version collected by editor Martin Gardner in "Best Remembered Poems," 1992. The poem, sometimes called "The Little Man Who Wasn’t There," has another popular version:

Yesterday upon the stair

I met a man who wasn’t there.

He wasn’t there again today.

I wish that man would go away.

Souter's Weare

   U.S. Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter's decision to retire at the end of this term surprises no one. He's to return to his beloved Weare, NH, a bucolic town that is getting more than its 15 minutes of fame these past couple of days. The NYT writes here that his house looks "only slightly more seductive than a mud hut."

   Really now.

   The other bit of town trivia to stop the press: At 57 square miles, Weare is the second largest town in the Granite State.

Globe Deal in the Works?

   It's always odd to read a newspaper when its staff writes about itself. It's like listening to someone talk of themselves in the third person. Anyway, the New York Times Co., which owns the Globe, apparently won't be filing the 60-day notice required before "shuttering" the major metro. Here's their latest report. Management has reached cost-saving pacts with six of seven unions.

The Great Stone Face

  The ages finally caught up with the Old Man of the Mountain six years ago today. The amazing, Great Stone Face fell into Franconia Notch in the early morning hours, scattering monumental debris to the boulder field below. Those mighty buckles were all that was left; that, and the granite certainty that one almost had to see it to believe it in all its majesty.

   It really says something that, six years later, there's still talk on how to appropriately memorialize the Old Man. Still not sure what it says, but I know it means something different to just about everybody.

Plugging the Leeks: Recessionary Cooking

   So, NPR has this feature on home-cooking meals for under $10. It's a Great Depression ode and so much more. The point: Good food doesn't have to cost an arm and a chicken leg. In the spirit of things, I just whipped up a leek soup. The bill came to under $8, and I've leftover potatoes and leeks. Recipe uses "500 Soups," by Susannah Blake, as a foundation. She recommends 2-3 carrots to this below:

2 leeks, 1 potato, 5 cups stock. Combine into a pan, bring to boil, simmer for 15-20 minutes, then into food processor. I put the salt and pepper to it, and sex it up with curry powder, but it's packed with flavor from the start. (It's just as good without puree.)

   The lowly leek has often gotten a bad rap. For years, in Europe, it was considered food for paupers. History shows, however, that it was Emperor Nero's favorite.

First-in-the-Nation Media

   The New Hampshire Political Library presents the scoop Sunday in a program featuring New Hampshire journalists and their experiences covering the nation's lead-off presidential primary. The free event is at 4 p.m. at the Pierce Manse in Concord. When I first saw the header, I half expected the Political Library to roll out a lineup with a token Granite State reporter sandwiched between national press corps types who hop from state to state, their noses in the air and their heads somewhere else entirely. But "First-in-the-Nation Media" offers this knock-out cast:

• Kevin Landrigan, the all-star utility fielder for the Nashua Telegraph (One of the hardest working journalists in the state).

• Jon Greenberg, executive editor at New Hampshire Public Radio.

• Concord Monitor Editor Felice Belman.

• And the tireless Alisha McDevitt, news director at WMUR.

   (*Shown here is the Huckaburger, named for Gov. Mike Huckabee. 2e photo)

  "These seasoned professionals are used to being behind the scenes rather than in the spotlight and the convening of this group is truly a unique occasion," said Michael Chaney, president and CEO of the Political Library. James Pindell, contributing editor at New Hampshire Magazine, will serve as moderator. It would be nice to see Union Leader Senior Political Reporter John DiStaso or Tom Fahey on such a panel. And where's the Love?

   BTW, no token blogger? Maybe next cycle.

The Unrepentant Dennis Kozlowski

   "The unrepentant Dennis Kozlowski," as a BBC News report in the wee hours today described the former Tyco International chief convicted of $400 million in larceny, says he is an in nocent man and bailed-out Corporate America has melted into socialism. "It's a rap sheet, but I believe I'm not guilty," Kozlowski told the BBC.

      Kozlowski, who had a home in New Castle, NH, is currently an inmate at the Mid-State Correctional Facility in New York, where he is being kept apart from the general population. For his own safety.

   "Yes," he replied, when asked if power and riches had gone to his head. The $2 million party for his wife, the bash with the ice sculpture of Michelangelo's David dispensing vodka from his male anatomy? Yeah, Kozlowski said, the videos of that wild extravagance probably led to his conviction.

   (But, he added, Tyco employees work so hard, they deserve such lavish parties.)

   Said the Koz, "That particular night was over the top." 

What's the matter with NH?

   The NH GOP Chairman, former Gov. John H. Sununu, has sounded the alarm that Democrats in the New Hampshire Legislature are ram-rodding through a "San Francisco agenda." It is "radical," Sununu says of bills to legalize same-sex marriage, medical marijuana and a host of other social policies. But the legislative action in Concord comes down to one thing:  Women.

   That's according to Renee Loth, the editorial page editor of the Globe. Here's her interesting take today. And her lede:

WHAT'S THE MATTER with New Hampshire? The flinty, crusty, Union Leader-reading, Labatt's-sipping, seat belt-shunning state went on a bender of progressive policy actions last month, approving legislation that might put the Cambridge City Council to shame.

   Funny play of words there, intended or otherwise. "What's the Matter with Kansas?" is the title of Thomas Frank's book on how conservatives won the heart of America. The real challenge for Sununu is finding a way for conservatives to win back the heart of New Hampshire.

Seachange in NH

   Gay marriage narrowly won the support of the New Hampshire Senate today. Democrats, who have majority control of the Legislature and the executive branch, called it a matter of equal rights. Republicans, only a few years into the minority in this state, called it a "radical" agenda and affront. A side question, one on the back burner for a little while longer, who is this going to hurt or help in 2010?  

Memorial Bridge makes "most endangered" list

The National Trust for Historic Preservation will name the Memorial Bridge one of 11 most endangered places in the country. It is sure to help those fighting for the costly rehab of the 1923 span. But one of 11 "most endangered?"

The Red List bridge, which connects Portsmouth, NH, and Kittery, Maine, has prompted a rally for Tuesday morning. The private, non-profit membership organization announces the list Tuesday.

Bay State may Hike Sales Tax

   The death of the New Hampshire Advantage, the slogan used to tout the lack of a sales tax and income tax in the state, appears greatly over-exaggerated given the political muckety muck down on Beacon Hill. Massachusetts lawmakers will see a new proposal to increase the state's sales tax from 5 percent to 6.25 percent, which would generate nearly $1 billion. Globe report is here. First thought: former Gov. Mitt Romney, a Republican who is considered a strong shot for president in 2012, must be either shaking his head in disgust, or smiling. Who knows, maybe a bit of both?