Representative William Marsh, elected as a Republican to serve in the Carroll District 8 House seat, has switched his party affiliation to Democrat after Republican leaders — Speaker Sherman Packard, Deputy Speaker Steven Smith, and Speaker Pro Tempore Kim Rice — held an anti-vaccination press conference in Concord on Tuesday morning.
In explaining his decision, Marsh, a retired ophthalmologist, wrote, “The constitutionality of vaccine mandates is well established by the 1905 precedent of Jacobson v. Massachusetts, which upheld mandatory smallpox vaccinations. In a civilized society, individual rights are limited when they start to impinge on the rights of others.
“I have come to realize a majority of Republicans, both locally and in the New Hampshire House, hold values which no longer reflect traditional Republican values. And so I am recognizing the reality that today’s Republican party is no longer the party I first joined when campaigning for President Reagan many years ago.”
He continued, “I was a physician long before I became a representative. Doctors live by the principle ‘first do no harm.’ I cannot in good conscience support this selfish refusal to take reasonable precautions. And while I might wish for a viable third party, the reality in our country is that does not exist.”
Marsh said, “So far, NH has done remarkably well with COVID by taking all reasonable precautions while carefully reopening our economy. I was proud to be part of the Governor’s Economic Reopening Taskforce that made that happen. I cannot stand idly by while extremists reject the reasonable precautions of vaccinations and
masks which made that happen. And so I have reluctantly changed my party affiliation. I urge others to consider what is happening and come to their own conclusions.”
Dr. Jerry Knirk (D-Freedom), a fellow physician and state representative, told the Conway Daily Sun that he had had several conversations with Marsh as he wrestled with whether to leave the GOP and either go undeclared or join the Democratic Party.
Knirk said, “Bill is as driven as I am by science and actually values public health. Unfortunately, there are some in the Republican Party who do not value science or pubic health.”
He added, “Bill was good in the Republican Party. He was a voice of moderation. Sadly, his party wouldn’t listen to him or put up with him. I told him the Democratic group has a very large tent. It’s not monolithic at all. We disagree in our caucuses often, and I told him he could easily fit in, and in our party it’s OK to agree to disagree.”
Conservative Radio Host Dies Of COVID-19
Bob Enyart, a conservative Denver radio talk show host and preacher who spoke out against COVID-19 vaccines, has died after contracting the disease, one of his co-hosts, Fred Williams, announced on Facebook.
Enyart had urged his followers to boycott the vaccine in an attempt “to further increase social tension and put pressure on the child killers.”
The Washington Post noted that Enyart is at least the fifth conservative radio host casting doubt on vaccines or advocating against mask mandates and other public health measures to die after contracting the coronavirus.
Book Paints Portrait Of An Unhinged President
The disclosures in excerpts from Bob Woodward and Robert Costa’s book Peril show that the nation’s most senior military officer believed President Donald Trump was a grave danger to the world in his final days in office, as he tried to cling to power.
The book, obtained by CNN’s Jamie Gangel, reveal that Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley took steps to interrupt any order Trump might give for military action because he thought the ex-President had deteriorated mentally after January 6. Milley reportedly made two private calls to assure the Chinese that the United States would not be launching a nuclear strike against the country.
Gina Haspel, then head of the CIA, reportedly feared that an out-of-control Trump would attempt a right-wing coup or lash out at Iran.
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