Steven JP Dionne: Free Staters aren’t only local radicals dressing in red

To The Daily Sun,

Conversation lately seems New Hampshire GOP is concerned regarding infiltration of radicals calling themselves Republicans. Their dilemma is understandable, Congressional Republicans complimenting Vladimir Putin. Donald Trump defining Putin’s genocide of Ukraine as "genius". RNC defining events of Jan. 6 as "legitimate political discourse". GOP Congressional members running around the country supporting extremist hate organizations. Locally, a Republican governor has signed a bill creating the most archaic abortion laws in the history of this nation. The bill lacks exemptions for rape, incest or fatal fetal anomaly. A Republican state government which underwrites the censorship of public education. A legislature which gives away $8 million in educational dollars to allow 1,600 families to send their children to nonprofit, tax-exempt parochial or private schools, while public education continues to deteriorate. A time when GOP sharks feed on each other for not being red enough.

Beware though, "Free Staters" aren’t the only local radicals dressing in red. Let’s take for example Rep. Richard Littlefield’s recent endorsements of Matt Mowers and Don Bolduc. I don’t know a much about Mr. Bolduc, I know this, his signature appeared on a letter published by the extremist group Flag Officers 4 America in May 2021, supporting the Trumpsonian lie of a "stolen election". Sixty federal court cases later, not a shred of evidence. The letter defines the election as an "assault on the Constitution", the purported threat coming months after the president, who Bolduc supported throughout his previous campaign, is credited with inciting an insurrection, attempting to continue his narcissistic autocratic rule. Bill Barr, Trump’s AG, recently acknowledged telling Trump his claim of election fraud was so much "BS". When the military, retired or otherwise, starts deciding the legitimacy of elections, the definition is "coup".

Then there’s Littlefield’s support Matt Mowers, another Trump apologist and advisor to that pillar of democracy Chris Christie. Mowers, who apparently voted twice in the 2016 Primary, is carrying around a carpetbag containing $100,000 in New Jersey contributions. Read Mower’s webpage, the pitch is the same old Republican gas lighting. In March 2022, Mowers is quoted as blaming Biden for rising gas prices. Right... 25 largest oil companies in the country are holding off using dozens of approved leases, intentionally suppressing domestic production, thereby driving up prices, while screaming let’s drill the Arctic. You see when demand remains a relative constant, you are able to increase stock holders' equity by shorting the market.

The 25 reported $230 billion in net profits last year and are now using the current European crisis as an excuse to gouge working class Americans. It was the Republican 2017 tax cut which furthered United States oil companies market advantage by lowering their "effective tax rate from 35% to 21%". Example, Exxon Mobile income taxes for the 12 months ending Dec. 21 were $7.636 billion, a 235% decline over 2020. At same time Exxon earned $23 billion, or $5.39 per share. Blaming Joe Biden for the spiking of gas prices is a blatant lie.

Like I said "Free Staters" aren’t the only extremists in local government.

Steven JP Dionne

Laconia