N.H. Constitution lists right of conscience before all others

To the editor,

There is evidence that our level of conscience was well seated nearly 12,000 years ago, as it is often associated with religion, at a site known as Gobekli Tepe in Turkey.

Only in the N.H. Constitution is it listed by itself before other rights, second comes religious freedom.

James Madison wrote an essay regarding property and liberty in which he declared that, "(The right of) conscience is the most sacred of all property." It wasn’t just the general population in N.H. which understood the foundational importance of this unalienable right. The foundation of the absurd idea that people could govern themselves is based on that singular unalienable right. For the states and especially the federal constitution(s) to have been written and approved and to have lasted these 225+ years speaks not only to their understanding of governance but of themselves. Their honesty amongst so many other men of conscience would not have been hard to come by, especially as in the writing of the federal Constitution with George Washington presiding.

It is not by accident that the U.S. is the oldest national government in the world, and the N.H. Constitution is older still. It is not something to be forgotten or set aside to collect dust, nor is it something for our government to take charge of or to control or dole back to us as they see fit. Thus the foundation of our rights, of our government is also the charge by which those in government are given. The argument that has been playing out in our nation's politics is not about the governing of the nation but the shape of government itself. That shape is already well formed: The state government prohibiting a local establishment from serving locally produced turkey to its patrons just because it was locally grown and didn’t have the FDA’s stamp of approval.

The farmer, restaurant, and customers are all prohibited from interaction. All lacking conscience in dealing with each other such that the state needs to be their conscience, to safe guard the contents of a sandwich? This is not what self governance is about, it is the absolute opposite.

(Ref: Laconia Daily Sun article page 8, 11/23/2011) "Colleen Smith, a food defense and safety specialist working for the Food Protection office, said the rule that foiled the Bassetts’ plans for a local Thanksgiving burrito is there to protect consumers while providing a space for small-time producers. All meat producers have to be inspected by the USDA, unless they sell very few birds or if they sell direct to consumers. When it comes to meat, you want to be sure it comes from a licensed farm.Smith said the thinking behind the rule is that consumers have the opportunity to visit the farm and meet the farmer face-to-face, with the implication that the consumer can decide if the conditions are sanitary and trust- worthy."

Then again, according to the "rules" the consumers could all visit the farm one day or another through the summer, face-to-face and decide if the person is honest and farm worthy, jointly pay for one or more turkeys, then contract with the restaurant to prepare the bird for lunch. If there is a rule against that, the restaurant needn’t charge a fee for cooking or preparing, but the patrons could tip generously — exercising their good conscience, of course!

G.W. Brooks

Meredith