Tag: New Hampshire

We used to be the “Good Guys”

On By TonyIn PoliticsLeave a comment

When “Kill Them All” Meets “Refuse Illegal Orders”

In the last week we’ve watched two stories collide in a way that should make every American deeply uneasy.

On one side, we have reporting that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth allegedly ordered U.S. forces to “kill everybody” on a suspected drug-trafficking boat in the Caribbean. After an initial strike near Trinidad destroyed the vessel on September 2, 2025, two survivors were reportedly seen clinging to the wreckage. According to multiple sources, a second strike was ordered specifically to ensure there were no survivors. 

If that reporting is accurate, this isn’t just a “tough on drugs” policy. It is the deliberate killing of people who are hors de combat—no longer actively engaged in hostilities and no longer a threat. Under international humanitarian law, that is the textbook definition of a war crime.

You can read some of the coverage yourself:

Washington Post: “[Hegseth order on first Caribbean boat strike, officials say: ‘Kill them all’]” (paywalled for some) 

Daily Beast: “[Pentagon Pete in Legal Peril Over ‘Kill Them All’ Orders]”  Overview of the strikes: “[2025 United States military strikes on alleged drug traffickers]” 

Hegseth and the Pentagon have tried to explain this away as debris removal or routine targeting in an anti-narcotics campaign. Members of Congress, military lawyers, and human rights experts aren’t buying it. Some have openly said that, if the facts hold, this was murder ordered from the top.

Maggie Goodlander and the “Illegal Orders” Firestorm

Goodlander and five other Democratic lawmakers — all with military or intelligence backgrounds — released a short video reminding U.S. service members of something that has been drilled into them since basic training: you can, and must, refuse illegal orders. 

Their message was simple:

“You must refuse illegal orders. No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution.” 

For stating what every JAG officer teaches and what military law already requires, they’ve been accused of “sedition,” threatened with execution on social media by the President, and now face FBI interviews. 

Some key coverage:

NHPR: “[Goodlander stands by video urging service members to refuse illegal orders]” 

InDepthNH: “[FBI Investigates Goodlander, 5 Dem Lawmakers For Video Telling Troops Not To Obey Illegal Orders]” 

FactCheck.org: “[Experts Say Democratic Video Not ‘Seditious,’ as Trump Claims]” 

Legal experts are nearly unanimous: reminding troops not to commit war crimes is not sedition. It’s literally defending the rule of law.

This Is Exactly What They Were Warning About

When Goodlander and others said, “You have no obligation to follow illegal orders,” many on the right screamed that they were undermining the chain of command.

But look at the Hegseth episode and ask: Isn’t this exactly the scenario they were talking about?

If a Cabinet-level official orders a second strike on two people flailing in the water, that’s not a gray area. That’s not a complicated split-second battlefield call. That’s an order to execute survivors — an order that any reasonably trained professional should recognize as unlawful.

If that’s what happened, then it’s not just Pete Hegseth who may face legal jeopardy. The officers who relayed the order and the personnel who pulled the trigger on that second strike may be exposed as well. “I was just following orders” didn’t work at Nuremberg. It doesn’t work under U.S. military law either.

And that is the heart of Goodlander’s message: obeying an illegal order is its own crime.

Were We Ever the “Good Guys”?

Growing up, many of us were taught that the United States were the “good guys.” We believed — or wanted to believe — that our country tried to do the right thing, even when we fell short.

But you can’t square that self-image with:

A Defense Secretary allegedly saying “kill them all” about a group of suspected traffickers on a small boat.  A second strike launched to finish off survivors who were clearly no longer a threat.  A President who labels lawmakers “traitors” for reminding service members to follow the law, then calls for them to be prosecuted or worse. 

If we accept that as normal, we are not the “good guys” anymore. We’re just another country that talks about freedom while quietly giving the green light to kill whoever is in the way.

Here’s what accountability should look like:

A full, independent investigation into the Caribbean strikes, with all relevant intelligence and targeting data made available to Congress and, as much as possible, the public. Clear legal analysis, made public, explaining how this operation was supposedly lawful — or admitting that it was not. Accountability up and down the chain of command if the facts confirm that survivors were deliberately targeted. That includes the person who gave the order and those who carried it out. Protection, not persecution, for lawmakers who are reminding our troops of their duty not to commit war crimes. They are defending the Constitution, not attacking it.

Maggie Goodlander’s point was simple: Service members are not required to surrender their moral judgment, their legal obligations, or their oath to the Constitution just because someone powerful barks an order.

If the reports about Pete Hegseth are accurate, then this is precisely the kind of illegal order our troops should refuse.

If we want to be the “good guys” again — or maybe for the first time — we have to prove it. Not with slogans. Not with flag pins. But with the courage to say:

Killing survivors is wrong. Ordering it is a crime. And no one, no matter how high their office, is above the law.

A Wake-Up Call for New Hampshire.

On By TonyIn economy, PoliticsLeave a comment

It’s Time to Get Loud: A Wake-Up Call for New Hampshire Democrats

By Tony – A Frustrated (but Fired-Up) Democrat

Dear New Hampshire Democratic Party,

We need to talk.

Not about the last election or the latest headline—about what comes next. Because the time for playing defense is over. The time for bold, unapologetic, clear-eyed leadership is right now.

Let’s start with the obvious: Donald Trump is the lamest of lame ducks. He’s flailing for attention, recycling old grievances, and clinging to relevance like it’s the last life raft on a sinking ship. And yet, despite his decay, the GOP seems paralyzed. Directionless. Bereft of ideas.

That vacuum is our opportunity—not just to win elections, but to reshape the political conversation in New Hampshire and across the nation. But we’ll miss it if we keep falling for the same traps.

Don’t Take the Bait

Trump thrives on outrage and distraction. He throws rhetorical grenades hoping we’ll drop everything and chase the smoke. But even many of his own voters are starting to see through it. They’re realizing the promises—lower prices, peace abroad, a “fixed” economy—were empty.

He lied. He lied to all of us.

Let’s not waste time yelling at people who fell for it. Let’s meet this moment with grace and strategy. These folks aren’t enemies—they’re neighbors who were misled. They don’t need judgment. They need the truth, delivered with respect. If we want to build a broader coalition, we need to welcome people back into the fold, not shame them for ever stepping out.

We Are the Party of the People—So Let’s Act Like It

Historically, Democrats have been the ones who actually do the hard work of building strong economies. We invest in education, health care, infrastructure, and working families. We stabilize markets, support small businesses, and expand opportunity.

Bar graph comparing average annual GDP growth by party of president from 1945 to 2023, showing 4.0% for Democrats and 2.5% for Republicans.

But we let the GOP take credit because we get distracted—arguing over headlines, chasing culture war traps, or scolding each other over purity tests. That has to stop. It’s time to get back to basics and talk about what matters: jobs, wages, housing, education, health care, climate resilience.

This isn’t just theory. This is survival.

Our Message Must Be One of Action

This all starts with our message—but more than that, it starts with action. Words aren’t enough anymore. Voters need to see real-life improvements that affect their daily lives: lower costs, better schools, stronger communities. And yet, too often, we as Democrats get paralyzed by the fear of being wrong. We wait. We workshop. We overanalyze. We try to please everyone—and in doing so, we please no one. Let’s be clear: it’s okay to be criticized, even by our own side. That’s part of democracy. But we cannot lose sight of the bigger picture. The constant purity tests on every issue are hurting us. We let the perfect become the enemy of the good, and while we’re busy tearing down our own, Republicans are locking in wins. Democrats fall in love with candidates. Republicans fall in line. It’s time we remember that progress is messy, hard-fought, and never perfect—but it’s still progress. And that’s what voters are desperate for.

The Free State Threat Is Real—and It’s Here

While we focus on national chaos, a quieter and more insidious threat is growing right here at home: the Free Staters.

These aren’t your average conservatives. They’re extremists, masquerading as Republicans, determined to dismantle government as we know it. Their goal? Strip down public services, kill the social safety net, and leave working families to fend for themselves.

The results are already showing. Taxes keep going up, but services keep going down. Schools are underfunded. Roads are crumbling. Local officials are being harassed and threatened. And all the while, these Free Staters hide behind slogans about “freedom” while working to destroy the very systems that allow freedom to thrive.

We’ve tried being nice. We’ve tried meeting them in the middle.

That time is over.

Time to Fight Smarter—and Harder

If we want to preserve what we’ve built—and imagine something better—we need to stand up. Loudly. Boldly. Consistently.

We must expose these radicals for who they are, reclaim the economic message that’s always been ours, and show voters that we are the ones fighting for their livelihoods, their families, and their futures.

This isn’t about slogans or safe messaging. This is about action. About showing up in every town, at every kitchen table, and making it clear: Democrats have your back.

Let’s reclaim our message. Re-engage our voters. Reignite the fight for a better New Hampshire.

Because if we don’t? We’re handing over the keys to people who want to burn the house down.

Enough is enough.

Let’s get to work—together.

—Tony

A frustrated (but hopeful) Democrat

The true cost of the latest round of cuts at UNH

On By TonyIn economy, EducationLeave a comment

My wife and I met at UNH and both graduated from UNH. We were lucky enough to be in a financial position where both our children also graduated from UNH. I have had a number of gymnasts I have worked with also attend UNH. It saddens me to see this institution which I love go down this path. The STATE of New Hampshire MUST fix the funding issue at the state’s colleges and universities. We are graduating our next generation into a huge debt.

I moved here from NY to attend UNH and I fell in love with the area and stayed. So many people are choosing to attend schools out of state because it is less expensive and they stay there. 

Tony

SIOBHAN SENIER
JANUARY 19, 2024 4:55 AM

 “What is happening at UNH – draconian cuts on the one hand, budgetary obfuscation on the other – is absolutely not unique.” (Dennis Tangney Jr. | Getty Images)

This commentary was updated on Jan. 19 at 10:25 a.m. to clarify that layoffs happened at the University of Maine at Farmington. The story was also updated on Jan. 21 at 1:05 p.m. to remove a reference to UNH being under budget by $9 million last year. The university reports being $9 million under budget on tuition revenue for this year.

You may have seen the headlines this week: “University of New Hampshire to lay off 75 employees to help save $14M.” The headline conceals the true costs of these cuts, which are only the latest round in many during recent years. The university is also losing many talented, beloved professors who do not have permanent contracts and who are thus, in Orwellian parlance, being “non-renewed” rather than “laid off.” In an extraordinary and unreported move, the university is also shuttering its art museum. 

It’s hard to believe that these cuts actually save that much money. The art museum is tiny, already operating on a shoestring, and might cost around $1 million, a tiny fraction of the university’s overall budget, which is somewhere around $900 million. But who knows, really? Because no one is explaining where the mandate to cut $14 million came from, or how that figure was arrived at. The university spokesperson, who is undoubtedly paid better than most professors, has declined to answer reporters’ questions about how much money these cuts actually save. 

What is happening at UNH – draconian cuts on the one hand, budgetary obfuscation on the other – is absolutely not unique. Nationwide, small four-year colleges are shutting down. The big flagship state universities, long believed to be relatively secure, are eliminating the programs that make universities what they are – and that their states desperately need. The University of Vermont has cut majors including programs in secondary education; the University of Maine at Farmington laid off tenured professors in fields including philosophy and history; West Virginia University is on a slash and burn campaign against everything from world languages to mining engineering.  

Unlike West Virginia, however, New Hampshire is not a poor state; we have a budget surplus in the hundreds of millions.

In his letter to the campus community, President James Dean cited two reasons for the cuts: “enrollments” and “employee compensation.” Those of us who have worked for decades in higher ed and who try to understand university management have been puzzling over the enrollment conundrum. 

We now have more students than we have dorms to put them in, so how is it that enrollment is breaking the bank? We hear university officials citing the much-vaunted “enrollment cliff,” proposed by a demographer named Nathan Grawe, whose research is contested, to say the least. At the same time, we know that university credit ratings (and UNH’s is quite strong) are heavily dependent on promises about future enrollment. We know, too, that “enrollment management” has become a huge (and arguably shady) business within universities. How much is enrollment a genuine budgetary challenge, and how much is it something cooked up to keep the business-managerial class paid, and the rest of us scrambling and miserable?

As for “employee compensation,” here’s the thing. Education is in fact a human activity, with human costs. You just can’t replace all instructors with gig workers and apps. For years now, higher education has operated with a flexible pool of contract faculty that can be hired and fired at will, as budgetary or political whims dictate. That is doubly hard to stomach, when so much student tuition money is now given over to enrollment managers, public relations and marketing gurus, athletics coaches, and other ancillary personnel. Universities always find the money to pay those people. They also also find money to dole out to enterprise software companies, who sell the crummiest platforms for teaching, advising, and budgeting, all with the avowed intent of “streamlining operations.” Meanwhile, at UNH and at universities across the country, we have students sleeping in their cars, and instructors depending on food pantries.

Budgets are moral documents. For decades, the mantra in higher education has been, “Run the university like a business!” But truly, even Dunkin’ Donuts seems to understand that, at the end of the day, you need to pay the people who actually make the coffee. You need to have enough cups on hand for when customers actually show up. You even need a few festive holiday decorations. 

We are fast moving toward a university that sells young people into debt without giving them the well-rounded experiences or skills that they need and deserve. The MBAs, lawyers, risk managers, and others who have taken over universities are running them into the ground. Perhaps, when we see a headline that says “UNH to lay off 15 Vice Presidents, Halt Executive Bonuses,” we can feel confident that “fiscal responsibility” is being practiced in earnest. Otherwise, it’s time for faculty and students to take their universities back.