Tag Archives: Jeb Bradley

May 21 2015
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NH Politics

The Sting of Rejection – Frank Guinta’s Public Shaming

Protesters at a Frank Guinta fundraiser chide him over his FEC investigation

Protesters from the Take Down Guinta campaign, 2012.

Sign Petition Calling on Guinta to Resign!

There’s no sting worse in politics than when your own party bites you on your soft-spot and right now Frank Guinta must be feeling some serious sting.  But of course, baby-face Frankie can’t say he didn’t bring it on himself.  Burdened with the load of his investigation by the Federal Election Commission and the embarrassment of his constant insistence on innocence, the GOP and their chorus, most notably the Union Leader, have broken their silence and come out demanding Guinta resign.

First, let’s not forget that this investigation more than likely occurred because of the pressure from good progressive activism such as CREDO supported Take Down Guinta campaign in 2012.  Activists have long asked why Frank Guinta had a sudden dump of $355,000 in his political action fund during the 2010 election for the first congressional seat.  At that time Guinta had refused to disclose the source of that money and other funds he “loaned” his election campaign as Jon Hopwood explains in a 2012 article on Guinta for the Examiner,

The loan, the terms of which Guinta refused to disclose during the campaign, triggered an FEC investigation.

That campaign loan was the reason Guinta was named one of the 10 most corrupt politicians in Congress, according to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). CREW cited Guinta as he had “fudged the numbers and cooked the books to buy a seat in Congress.”

The organization reported that Guinta had given his campaign loans of $100,000 and $245,000 despite having a $72,000 annual salary as mayor of Manchester and a relatively modest investment portfolio. Guinta made the loans without liquidating any assets.

And on the story goes with Guinta weaving a web of lies for years while the FEC slowly investigated his claims.  Now apparently Guinta has settled with the FEC.  We’re sure he hopes to move on in his political career and Frank’s wrongdoings will dissolve into the ether of the short American psyche.  That might be so but we’re thinking the GOP and their supporters may have other ideas.  Calls for him to resign have arisen from nearly every political corner:

Union Leader Editorial staff called for Guinta’s resignation Guinta Must Go and the refrain was repeated earily this week when Joe McQuaid publisher placed on the editorial page:


Ouch, that must hurt!

and Foster’s reports that the big boys aren’t happy either, Boehner Doesn’t Defend Guinta Over Contributions.  Then the Concord Monitor weighs in, To Best Serve the State, Guinta Must Step Down.

Oh yes and even the guys back home in the state house aren’t too thrilled about Frankie either, with House Speaker and long-time Republican Shawn Jasper observing, “I believe it would be in the best interests of the people of the first congressional district if he step down from his position in the United States Congress.”

Jeb Bradley, State Senate majority leader chimed in to the chorus telling the NY Times, “I think he’s on a really small island,” Mr. Bradley said. “I think the charges are serious and disturbing and at some point he needs to think about doing what’s better for New Hampshire than himself.”

NH’s largest television news station WMUR said they caught Kelly Ayotte on the phone, “Senator Ayotte, who is expected to face a tough re-election battle next year, has said she told Mr. Guinta by phone that he should step down. “This is a decision he needs to make, but if I were in his position, that’s what I would do.”

But unfortunately, the NH Republican Executive Committee chose to stand by Guinta, ignoring the cries for his resignation saying in a statement released to the press 3 days ago and reported by WMUR,

But the party executive committee, after speaking with Guinta by telephone for about a half-hour on Monday night, parted ways with the four top elected officials. It unanimously adopted a statement that did not call for Guinta’s resignation but instead said that he has acknowledged mistakes, “takes responsibility for them and is taking actions required by the Federal Election Commission.”

“Unless further information comes to light, the executive committee of the New Hampshire Republican State Committee will take no further action,” the committee said.

Frankie went on the tube to blather on about how he was humbled by the committee’s support and he’ll work on making things right, yeah yeah.

The fact remains that citizens of congressional district 1 in New Hampshire are stuck with a hollow man for their representative.  Apparently Frankie has no threshold of shame that would cause him to want to resign and live out of the public spotlight.

But that doesn’t mean people can’t fight back.  NH Labor News has put together a petition for citizens of the state to register their disgust that a criminal and a liar can stay in office to represent them in Washington.  Check out the petition and add your signature!

Petition: Congressman Guinta Should Resign Over FEC Violations

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Apr 13 2015
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Protecting our Environment

Parasitic Northern Pass

Excerpts from Bury Northern Pass: A monthly newsletter.  This month Shaheen lays it straight about burying Northern Pass and the energy company’s foot dragging on the issue, Jeb Bradley’s next effort to help his friends in Big Energy falls flat and an opinion piece from a concerned citizen to the Colebrook Chronicle.  Enjoy!

Big Power Line

Shaheen: “If NPT can bury 7.5 miles, why not all of it?”
Excerpt from “Senator Shaheen holds town meeting [Colebrook, April 2], answers questions.”
Coos County Democrat, p. 15
4/8/2015
Bill Schomburg of Columbia asked how things stand with the proposed Northern Pass Transmission project, which he has steadfastly opposed.
Senator Shaheen replied that the clock had been reset in 2013 when NPT proposed a new northern route.
The draft Environmental Impact Statement should be released between now and June, she said, noting that 7,000 comments had been received from 5,000 people. Another comment period will be held before the Final EIS is issued.
The senator said she still has questions about Northern Pass, including why the whole line cannot be buried underground as is being proposed in both Vermont and New York State.
“If NPT can bury 7.5 miles, why not all of it? Shaheen asked. And, she said, the project must directly benefit New Hampshire. Shaheen noted that she believes that, as proposed, the electricity would all go to southern New England. She said that she is looking to ensure that the process is transparent and there are sufficient opportunities for Granite Staters to be heard.

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Parasitic Northern Pass, excerpts from an LTE by John Amey
Colebrook Chronicle, April 3
Like a parasite on an animal that never really goes away,Northern Pass LLC is rearing its ugly head, once again. Now it comes in two forms, to the North Country, a bearer of small gifts, as in participating in long-overdue cell service and throughout the state with “chump change” for conservation projects. To make matters worse, they are trying to bring gifts of cash to the doors of N.H. Fish and Game and other Conservation organizations, allegedly for bona fide purposes but under the radar, thinking that we, the public, have forgotten that NHFG is one of the stakeholders when the High Voltage DC plan comes to a vote at the state Site Evaluation Committee.
And furthermore, to add insult to injury,letters of “concern and instruction” are being circulated to certain towns along the proposed route, regarding wetland mitigation issues that might concern them.
Northern Pass LLC has yet to receive a Presidential Permit to enter the United States from Canada, has yet to solve issues blocking a complete route on the ground, through properties of unwilling landowners and is just now ready to present the Environmental Impact Study which is coming to all intervenors to the project from the US department of Energy. It is my fear that town officials are going to feel pressured to do something, quickly, as the proposal moves forward, trying to appear that approval is imminent. In my opinion, the people have spoken in the 31 towns most affected, and the answer is a resounding “NO.” Only a complete burial of Northern Pass Lines will garner any support from the countryside and only then will town officials need to talk about construction details. . . .
We have recently learned, through the State DOT that where current underground segments are proposed by Northern Pass, there will be multiple conduits installed to make further expansion of the original proposal more convenient and we all know that once the corridor is in place, more lines will come, as demand for electric power expands in southern New England and beyond. . .
We, the opposition, are fighting this above-ground proposal by Northern Pass for free, against very high odds and millions of dollars of lobbying, but we don’t intend to lose. Even former employees of Hydro-Quebec are saying that the ‘”New Hampshire route for export of power to Southern New England is blocked.” Energy conservation, coupled with more modern energy transmission proposals will, in the end, prove that our efforts have been well worth our time. We are thankful for all the hard work of our people toward this goal.
John Amey, Pittsburg

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 Northern Pass loses a shill
Marc Brown/New England Ratepayers Association stripped from SB60
The mysterious Mr. Brown, who has always declined to reveal the source of the funding for NERA and who has consistently promoted Northern Pass, ran into trouble this week when two legislators (Moffet, Backus) on the House STE Committee questioned why SB60 was giving him a berth on the decoupling commission as the ratepayer representative. They’d never heard of him or his organization and weren’t happy with his lack of transparency. Dave Solomon reports the story: unionleader.com/article/20150406/NEWS05/150409554
STE later voted 16-5 to remove Brown from SB 60.
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Newsletter from: burythenp@gmail.com

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Feb 12 2015
3 Comments
NH Politics, Public Health

Jeb Bradley Does it Again!

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Love-making gun nutter style. These are the priorities of the gun-nuts; their own “right” to worship and caress their guns anywhere at anytime, the public’s safety be damned.

Jeb Bradley shows us once again that he’s always looking out for his own political skin at the expense of the safety of the people of his district.

In this particular instance, Senator Bradley introduced the bill SB 116 to remove all restrictions to carrying a concealed weapon.  We recall very clearly that Senator Bradley was for Northern Pass awhile back as well; that is until the people that will be most effected by it started an embarrassing ruckus.  Obviously the Senator need a reminder that the majority of constituents, including gun owners support some regulation of concealed carry.

Does Jeb Bradley need this minority constituency? Is he so deaf, dumb and blind that he can’t see that the majority of people aren’t badgering him about carrying a concealed weapon because well, they have lives to lead and they elected Jeb to make good decisions on their behalf.  Unfortunately, once again, he’s failed.

This bill, if passed by the full house will open up all citizens of New Hampshire and visitors to the possibility of a lethal attack by an unhinged person legally carrying a loaded handgun.  A loaded handgun, we might add, that no one will have the opportunity to be forewarned about, that no one will have the opportunity or option to get away from; a loaded handgun that within seconds could kill anyone and possibly even multiple persons.

Now that the bill has passed the Senate, we’ll try our best to follow its path and publish information here.  Another hearing in the house will be held on this bill and we urge everyone come out against this.

Zandra-Rice Hawkins of Granite State Progress, a state-wide citizen’s political group had this to say:

“Requiring a license to carry a concealed weapon has worked well for New Hampshire for more than 90 years. These licenses are very easy and quick to obtain and do not place an unreasonable burden on law abiding citizens. SB 116 is a radical piece of legislation that jeopardizes public safety. New Hampshire does not require people to have a specific reason to conceal carry but does require that the applicant be a suitable person. This common sense law allows local police departments to deny a license when there is reason to believe a person is a danger to themselves or others. New Hampshire is one of 46 states that currently require a license to carry concealed weapons and we should not weaken our public safety laws now.”

More information on gun laws and concealed carry can be found at Granite State Progress.org

Video below, (go ahead, be bored to death) of Representative John Burt proving to someone, somewhere his manly man-hood by shooting a semi-automatic rifle at a target.  Because its his SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHT OMG!

This is what Senator Jeb Bradley has lowered himself to.

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Mar 25 2013
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NH Politics, Protecting our Environment

Jeb Bradley Hikes With Eyes Closed

jeb bradley stampAn email we received from the kind folks at Bury Northern Pass reference the moratorium bill, SB-99.   Apparently the well known, avid hiker of the White Mountains, Jeb Bradley has decided that as long as he doesn’t have to live with giant high tension power lines in his backyard and he closes his eyes while hiking, he won’t have to see the results of his handiwork.  Hey as long as you can notch off another peak and claim yourself a member of the 4,000 footer club, who cares if transmission lines spoil the mountain experience?

Because of course, getting the support of PSNH, NSTAR and Hydro-Quebec, three of the large corporate utility companies frothing at their mouths at the potential profit for Northern Pass, is more important than representing the poor little people of your state, amirite?  According to the folks at DownWithTyranny, rubber stamping corporate agendas at the behest of the people’s interests and just generally being a corporate whore is nothing new to ‘ole Jeb.

SOMETHING’S ROTTEN IN CONCORD – A TRILOGY
 
POLITICS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE SINKS TO A NEW LOW! – PART ONE
 
by 
 
The Alliance against Northern Pass

CRONYISM REARS ITS UGLY HEAD –This past Wednesday, March 20th at the State House in Concord, honest, transparent  governance, what New Hampshire used to be famous for, took a back seat to cronyism.  Jeb Bradley, a member of the Senate Energy Committee considering Senate Bill 99 slipped a decidedly underhanded maneuver past the public and his fellow senators on the Committee using questionable, disrespectful parliamentary procedures.   In doing so, Bradley ignored the wishes of tens of thousands of Granite State citizens who wanted SB 99 passed in order to implement a one year moratorium to slow down the current breakneck pace of approving huge elective energy projects like Northern Pass and the proliferation of gigantic wind turbine fields.  The moratorium, if passed, was designed to give our state’s regulators the time and resources needed to properly vet these projects.  Our state needs to be sure that ALL optional energy projects, not needed to keep the lights on, truly provide a net benefit to New Hampshire’s businesses and residents, not just the energy companies’ stockholders, before they are given a green light by the state’s regulators.

WHAT’S AT STAKE? –It’s our state government’s obligation to make sure that the unblemished character of our state, especially north of Concord, so critical to our tourism based economy, is protected from an unsightly proliferation of wind turbines, power towers and cables that, once erected, will wreak havoc with the reasons why tens of millions of people come to visit our lakes, hills, rivers, mountains, and forests every year.  Tourism and its many components make up our state’s largest single industry.  Why mess up the beds we sleep in by destroying the magical nature of our surroundings that stimulate people to come here year after year after year?  The notion of messing up our landscapes with projects like Northern Pass for no net benefit to our state is tantamount to sheer, utter lunacy.
THE “FIX” WAS IN –One purpose of this news release is to make as many people in New Hampshire as possible, aware of how certain politicians in Concord are doing business, but this article is also meant to reach the Committee that heard Senate Bill 99 this past Wednesday.  Another objective is to call attention to the actions of one individual on that Committee, Senator Jeb Bradley, who was the person primarily responsible for the shameful performance that went on in Room 103 under the guise of being a so-called Committee Hearing.  Apologies in advance to the rest of the SB 99 Committee members who were hopefully not complicit in the pre-planned deceit and subterfuge that was inflicted on those members of the public who drove many miles, perhaps hundreds of miles in some cases, to attend a hearing where there was no intention by Bradley from the outset to pay any attention to what the voters had to say because “the FIX” was in before the meeting ever started.

(Part Two of the Three Part Trilogy Coming Soon)

FOOTNOTE – The title to this trilogy, SOMETHING’S ROTTEN IN CONCORD, is a phrase lifted from Shakespeare’s, “Hamlet” in which Marcellus says, “Something’s rotten in the state of Denmark.” In modern days, the phrase has come to mean “things are unsatisfactory; there is something fundamentally wrong.”

ALLIANCE AGAINST NORTHERN PASS
C/O POST OFFICE BOX 1732
CAMPTON, NH 03223
603-759-2510, Phone; 603-726-4897, Fax
CONTACT: Thomas N.T. Mullen, tntmullen@owlsnestgolf.com

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