September 30, 2021

By RICH DiPENTIMA

Dear Sir:
When you create, nurture and comfort a monster, you must be very careful that that monster does not turn on you. 

Unfortunately, that is now the case with the former Republican Party since the creation of Trump and his followers. 

The unleashed Republican created monster was on full display in Manchester when an angry mob disrupted, and eventually caused the New Hampshire Executive Council to postpone its meeting. 

The reason for the mob action was to prevent the Council from voting to accept the much needed $27 million in federal dollars to help New Hampshire effort to control the COVID-19 pandemic and prevent more illness, hospitalizations, deaths and economic turmoil. 

State employees, who were at the meeting to answer questions about how the funds were to be used received threats and had to be escorted to their cars by State Police for their safety. And as one mob member shouted, “mission accomplished!”

In response to the mob action, Governor Sununu and House Speaker Sherm Packard of course responded with typical hollow comments calling the actions “unacceptable” and “disgraceful,” and postponed the meeting “until our state employees can go before the Council in a safe and orderly manner.”

  However, even with the threats to state employees and Council Members. not one protestor was arrested for disorderly conduct, interfering with official State business, and criminal threatening, why not?  The mob was allowed to leave without any consequences, thus sending the message that mob rule wins, “mission accomplished.”

However,  what we witnessed in Manchester was the monster that New Hampshire Republicans created, nurtured and supported. How many rallies were held by New Hampshire Republicans, including Speaker Packard denouncing COVID-19 mandatory vaccinations, opposing mask mandates and other actions by President Biden to control the pandemic? 

Republican leaders, with their own actions and words, have given license to this anti-public health mob, and even as they now condemn the actions of their monster, they have done nothing to restrain or control the monster that will certainly attack again. 

Rich DiPentima
Portsmouth, NH