Also on today’s menu:
Best And Most Honest Person
Mitchell Charged In Jackson Murder
Giving Consumers More Control Over Personal Data
Despite having pledged to strengthen its ties with Russia, China has cast itself as a neutral mediator offering to broker peace talks to end the war in Ukraine. In a 12-point document, China’s Foreign Ministry outlined what it called “China’s Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis.”
Beijing reiterated its calls for “abandoning the Cold War mentality” and “stopping unilateral sanctions” while affirming basic principles in international relations, such as respecting the sovereignty of all nations and protecting civilians and prisoners of war. It also urged the resumption of grain exports from the conflict zone and making nuclear power plants off-limits from military attacks.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, had shared elements of China’s plan with him while traveling through Europe this past week, and that Ukraine agreed about the need to protect territorial integrity, but wanted to see the full document before drawing conclusions.
United States National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the document should have ended after the first bullet point, calling for “respecting the sovereignty of all countries.” The other proposals, such as a cease-fire, offer clear benefits to Russian President Vladimir Putin by keeping Russian troops in place on Ukrainian territory.
Best And Most Honest Person
James Earl Carter, who prefers to be known as “Jimmy”, may have been the worst president before Donald Trump, but he is Trump’s polar opposite: undoubtedly the best and most honest man to ever hold the position. Now the oldest-ever former president, and one who has been married for 77 years, Carter is in hospice care, and his legacy is under review.
Steve Schmidt, in The Warning, recalls Carter’s honesty and prescience, quoting from a much-maligned speech that demonstrates the former president’s humility that is unparalleled in someone holding the most powerful office on the planet.
I know, of course, being president, that government actions and legislation can be very important. That's why I've worked hard to put my campaign promises into law — and I have to admit, with just mixed success. But after listening to the American people I have been reminded again that all the legislation in the world can’t fix what’s wrong with America. So, I want to speak to you first tonight about a subject even more serious than energy or inflation. I want to talk to you right now about a fundamental threat to American democracy…. It is a crisis that strikes at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national will. We can see this crisis in the growing doubt about the meaning of our own lives and in the loss of a unity of purpose for our nation.
He continued:
What you see too often in Washington and elsewhere around the country is a system of government that seems incapable of action. You see a Congress twisted and pulled in every direction by hundreds of well-financed and powerful special interests. You see every extreme position defended to the last vote, almost to the last breath by one unyielding group or another. You often see a balanced and a fair approach that demands sacrifice, a little sacrifice from everyone, abandoned like an orphan without support and without friends.
Therein lay the reason for Carter’s failure as president. Congress was not about to yield to honesty or agree to sacrifice, and it defied him at every turn. By the time of the hostage crisis, Carter was too weak as a leader and lacked the charisma of the man who was to follow him into the Oval Office, Ronald Reagan.
In Schmidt’s estimation, “His entire life has been a living devotional towards resisting the temptations of a meaningless life for a principled one. He never cashed in, and never changed anything that he believed in. His convictions were backed by deeds. His wisdom should be better known.”
Mitchell Charged In Jackson Murder
Brandon R. Mitchell, 21, is facing several charges arising from the shooting death of Esmae Doucette, 23, in Jackson on November 30, 2022. A Carroll County Superior Court Grand Jury returned indictments charging him with one count of second-degree murder for shooting her, an alternative count of second-degree murder for recklessly causing her death, and another for falsifying physical evidence by moving or placing a bullet cartridge in the bedroom to impair the investigation.
Mitchell is scheduled to be arraigned on March 16 at 9 a.m. in Carroll County Superior Court.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt, but an independent jury’s decision, after hearing from police, that sufficient evidence exists to warrant a court trial.
Giving Consumers More Control Over Personal Data
A bipartisan group of senators and representatives is supporting a sweeping privacy bill sponsored by Senator Sharon Carson (R-Londonderry) that would give New Hampshire consumers more control over personal data. Senate Bill 255 would give consumers the right to confirm whether their data are being collected and stored; obtain a copy of their data from a business; correct any inaccuracies in that data; request that their data be deleted; and opt out of the sale of their data for advertising purposes.
The 18-page bill would require that “controllers” — businesses and companies that hold data — comply with consumers’ requests within 45 days or face investigations by the Department of Justice.
The Attorney General’s Office has said that the bill could be costly to enforce, arguing that the current Department of Justice staff is not sufficient to meet the proposed law’s needs.
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The botched military “rescue” of the hostages in Iran falls at Carters feet. It doesn’t matter that his only fault was the military’s failure. It was obvious, to me, that the Ayatollah was playing a long game. I still wonder why the Ayatollah wanted Regan to win. My ignorance.
Carter was probably the most honest President that we have had in living memory. Regan was a disaster for working Americans. From union busting, to messing with SS, (which I was in the thick of fixing when the courts overturned his changes to disability), to Iran Contra, etc.
I believe, looking back, that Carter was a much better President than he was given credit for. Just his understanding of environmental concerns. Solar panels on the White House immediately taken down by Regan.
Whether anyone believes he was an effective President. No one can deny his love of Americans, and his direct support for Habitat for Humanity and, his behind the scenes work as a statesman.
I hope that historians will be inspired to take a more balanced approach to his impact in America.