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This is rich. Former attorney general Kelly Ayotte, so invested as she is in not taking any positions, can't bring herself to take a stand against Nullification, a question the country settled back in the early 19th century. From the Laconia Daily Sun (click on "Find a Past Issue," and look for the latest one, in .pdf format):
Skip Murphy, also of Gilford, sought Ayotte's opinion of a resolution introduced in several state legislatures, including the New Hampshire House of Representatives, empowering states to nullify acts of the federal government, which they determined exceeded its authority as granted by the constitution. "I haven't read the full text," confessed the former Attorney General, perhaps indicating the importance she attached to the legislation. "States rights need to be respected," she remarked. "That is a very important issue to me."
Declaring federal laws null and void whenever a state wants to opt out of something? That's a great idea to keep our country in one piece! But why stop there? Why not just advocate for secession and get it over with!
I'll take my views on Nullification instead from Salisbury native Daniel Webster, thank you very much:
"liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable"
The (Webster) birthplace is owned and managed by the state Division of Parks and Recreation and is one of 26 sites slated for an "alternative management strategy," according to a plan released earlier this month. The state does not have enough money to continue to maintain these parks and historical landmarks, according to the parks division.
...All the buildings on the property are in poor condition. The Sawyer House has been closed to the public since 2005, when the state decided that its structural problems were a liability issue, according to Webb. The white paint is peeling off the Sawyer House and the foundation is visibly crumbling. Inside, Webb said the bricks in the fireplaces are concave because the floors are rotting from moisture problems in the basement. He also said the roof is leaking and mold is growing on all the ceilings.
This is so pathetic. We prance and preen around when the candidates visit for the primary, but this is the sad underbelly of how we really feel about our historical and political traditions in this state.
Some priorities we have. Daniel's remains crumble while we live in fear of Meldrim's ghost.
Adding: There is one solution. We could federal earmark it and call it the Judd Gregg Daniel Webster Homsetead.
A question for the ages: would Norris Cotton have gone through all the trouble of a Senate resolution declaring that:
the 'Daniel Webster Desk' shall, at the request of the senior Senator from the State of New Hampshire, be assigned to such Senator for use in carrying out his or her Senatorial duties during that Senator's term of office.
if he had known that a senior Senator in the future would hold that desk, yet not carry out his Senatorial duties?
Surely the ghost of Daniel Webster* is frowning down on AWOL Gregg these days.
*Link to Daniel Webster's life-mask and many others here.
(I like this. What a great idea for a post.... - promoted by Mike)
We all know at least a little bit about Daniel Webster. He was from Salisbury, NH and was a prominent Senator from Massachusetts for a long time. He was a Federalist and Whig. New Hampshire was mostly Jeffersonian and Democratic, but Webster kept a farm here and was well liked by prominant Democrats like Franklin Pierce, partisan affiliation notwithstanding. Some people think Webster could have become President, or at least the Whig nominee, if he hadn't been a Federalist opposed to the War of 1812.
Webster was also Secretary of State during the short-lived administration of William Henry Harrison. He attracted some controversy by staying on in the cabinet of Harrison's successor, President John Tyler, because opposition to Tyler's views on the National Bank led to the resignation of most of the cabinet officers.
Webster was engaged in important work as Secretary of State...
A question for the ages: would Norris Cotton have gone through all the trouble of a Senate resolution declaring that:
