Also on today’s menu:
Questions About Downed Plane Remain Unanswered
Learn About ‘Common Man For Ukraine’
Secretary of State David Scanlan acknowledged why the Democratic National Committee and President Joe Biden Jr. snubbed the state’s First-in-the-Nation Presidential Primary: the belief that New Hampshire does not have a diverse enough population to be representative of the rest of the country. He said, “New Hampshire has to do a better job of educating the country on why it is important that New Hampshire hold this early position, and it has nothing to do with racial diversity, which is important, and I certainly don’t deny that all ethnic groups should be able to participate early in this process.” What makes the state’s primary important, he said, is that it allows candidates without large amounts of money or name recognition to establish themselves.
“Our election is designed for the little guy, the average voter on Main Street,” Scanlan said. “That is the person that should be voting to decide who the nominee for president is going to be from this state.”
Becc Kulengosky, a student at Plymouth State University, said, “I’m like, every vote matters. Everything we do matters, because we are the people who will eventually be taking over the country. If we’re going to do it, we might as well get started now.” Kulengosky cast a ballot for Democrat Dean Phillips.
Plymouth Town Moderator Robert Clay said people this year seemed more focused on the act of voting than on supporting any one candidate. “The mood is kind of people coming to do their democratic duty,” he said. “Usually you see people excited about one way or another, and you’re not seeing that today.”
Discussion: More and more New Hampshire voters have been abandoning party affiliation to choose those who they believe are the best candidates, based on their positions on issues of importance. The Republican Party has been taken over by the Trump loyalists, who are the actual RINOs — Republicans in name only — having abandoned support for the freedoms championed by Abraham Lincoln. The national Democrats have assaulted the voters’ right to a choice of candidates, putting all of their efforts into designating a single candidate ahead of the primaries and sabotaging any challengers; and by refusing to acknowledge the legitimacy of the New Hampshire primary, they are threatening to withhold the state’s delegates to the national convention. All has led to difficult choices where the voters are casting ballots for the least-abhorrent of the candidates.
Questions About Downed Plane Remain Unanswered
Ukraine’s General Staff and Military Intelligence have hinted that Ukraine may have shot down a Russian Il-76 transport plane on January 24, although the country emphasizes that it has no reliable information about who was on board. The Russian Defense Ministry and the Kremlin said dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war were on board the flight, on their way to a prisoner exchange. Russian MP Andrei Kartapolov suggested that Ukraine may have used a Patriot missile supplied by the West to hit the Ilyushin plane.
Ukraine has largely avoided comment on the allegation, but did confirm that a prisoner swap had been planned. Russia usually provides information on the route to make sure it’s safe but did not do so this time, Ukrainian officials said.
The BBC reports, “The General Staff statement amounted to a justification for firing on such a plane — without saying openly what it did.”
Discussion: If a Patriot missile were involved, it would pose a big problem for the United States, which has treaded carefully to avoid a direct conflict with Russia.
Learn About ‘Common Man For Ukraine’
Alex Ray of the Common Man family of restaurants will give a presentation at Hebron Union Congregational Church on Saturday, February 10, from 1 to 3 p.m., highlighting the work of the grassroots organization Common Man for Ukraine in addressing the needs of Ukrainian children. Sponsored by the Hebron Library, the presentation will include efforts to deliver humanitarian aid, food, and trauma counseling to Ukrainian orphans and displaced children.
The presentation of “A Story of Hope: New Hampshire’s Campaign To Help Ukraine’s Children of War” will be followed by a chance to ask questions about the effort.
“We believe that every child deserves a chance at a brighter future,” Ray said. “Our work in Ukraine is driven by a commitment to providing essential resources and emotional support to those who need it the most.”
Discussion: Ray established Common Man for Ukraine in March 2022 as a nonprofit alliance between the Plymouth Rotary Club and the Rotary Club in Zamosc, Poland. The organization has provided funding for a network of volunteers that assist refugee orphans and children with parents in Poland and Ukraine. Fiscally separate from the Plymouth Rotary Foundation, it works within the foundation’s 501(c)(3) tax-deductible status.
Café Chatter
On ‘How Did Bristol Vote?’: WHAT AN EMBARRASSMENT!
— Louise Tilton