All posts by James Kofalt

Call for Candidates: Informational Webinar May 19th

Some excellent legislation has been introduced in the current biennium, including measures aimed at ending mask mandates in schools, protecting New Hampshire residents from compulsory vaccination, safeguarding free speech for sidewalk counselors outside abortion clinics, and curtailing indoctrination in our schools. Several very good bills have become law, but many are still going through the legislative process. We’re optimistic that some positive changes will come about, – but we’d like to see the legislature do even more.

Unfortunately, a lot of good bills have been gutted and many have been defeated outright, simply because we don’t have enough votes in the legislature to get them passed. If we want to change that, we need to elect more liberty-loving Reps and Senators in our state.

Have you ever considered running for State Representative? In fact, a large percentage of State Rep candidates in our state have never run for office before. The 603 Alliance has worked with several hundred candidates over the past six years. We help first-time candidates to get the training and resources they need to be successful.  If you’re willing to consider running for state rep, we hope you’ll reach out and let us know.

On Thursday, May 19th, we’ll be holding an INFORMATIONAL WEBINAR to help you better understand what it’s like to run for State Rep, and what kind of commitment is required if you win your election.  We’ll also tell you about the resources that the 603 Alliance and others will be committing to help elect good candidates in 2022.

If you’d like to see the legislature do more to advance the cause of liberty in our state, please join us to learn more.
As a former State Rep and friend of the 603 Alliance likes to say “If you don’t have the votes, you lose.”  Yours might be the vote that makes the difference.  Join us!

SAVE THE DATES for 603 Alliance Candidate Training

If you have already decided you’d like to run for office in 2022, or even if you’re just thinking about it, please mark your calendar and plan on attending one of our training events.  Here’s the schedule:

You only need to attend ONE Of the following trainings. Pre-approval and advance registration are required.  If you’re interested in attending, contact us via email at info@603alliance.org.

  • Saturday, June 4th from 9 AM to 5 PM in Ashland, NH
  • Saturday, July 9th from 9 AM to 5 PM in Barrington, NH
  • Saturday, July 30th from 9 AM to 5 PM in Bedford, NH

In addition, we’ll be holding our biennial Issues Briefing for all Republican candidates.  Mark your calendar for Thursday, July 14th from 6 to 9 PM in Concord. Watch our website and newsletter for details.

RECAP: James O’Keefe Visit to NH

On April 20th, the 603 Alliance hosted James O’Keefe of Project Veritas for a special luncheon event in Concord.  Tickets were sold out in just a few days, and we heard from quite a few people who were disappointed that they couldn’t get in.  Fortunately, Skip Murphy from Granite Grok got the whole thing on video.

The 603 Alliance was also happy to help make arrangements for James to visit Dartmouth College, which made waves back in January when they canceled Andy Ngo over purported threats from Antifa.

Team Veritas also made some waves on campus when they invited students to engage in some friendly debate about their organization. One student (who claimed to be a paid Democrat activist) tried to go head-to-head with O’Keefe. Spoiler alert: It didn’t go well.  Click here to watch James O’Keefe debate a young Dartmouth Democrat.

SOLD OUT: O’KEEFE LUNCHEON WAITLIST IS OPEN

Due to tremendous interest in our James O’Keefe luncheon on April 20th, we are now SOLD OUT.   We will be evaluating options for potentially adding some capacity, so if you’re interested in joining the waiting list for tickets, please email info@603alliance.org.  Specify the number of tickets for which you would like to be waitlisted.  Also provide your name and the best phone number at which you can be reached.

April 20: James O’Keefe Luncheon in Concord

JOIN US on April 20th as we welcome journalist James O’Keefe of Project Veritas to New Hampshire.  The 603 Alliance will be hosting a luncheon at the Hotel Concord.  Tickets will go fast, so early registration is recommended.

Each attendee will receive a copy of James’ new book, American MuckrakerAdditional copies of the book will be available for sale at the event.

CLICK HERE TO RESERVE YOUR TICKETS TODAY

WHERE: The Hotel Concord (11 S Main St, Concord, NH 03301) MAP

WHEN: Wednesday, April 20, 2022 at 11:30 AM.

COST: Tickets are $75 per person, and are non-refundable. Cost includes admission to the event, lunch, and a copy of James’ new book.

Space is limited,  EARLY REGISTRATION IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Tables seat 10 people. Cost is $750. Full tables will receive prominent signage. For further details, please contact Diane Bitter at ddbitter@aol.com.

Program Ads/sponsorships are available. Full page $100, Half page: $60, quarter page $35.  For details, contact Diane Bitter at ddbitter@aol.com.

CLICK HERE TO RESERVE YOUR TICKETS TODAY

NH Superior Court: “Governor may suspend or limit constitutional rights”

If that headline comes as a surprise to you, then you’re not alone.  Yes, that’s an exact quote from NH Superior Court judge John Kissinger.

Most people aren’t aware that the Superior Court issued an opinion last year in which Judge Kissinger asserted that “the Governor may suspend or limit constitutional rights during a state of emergency.”  This is a case in which emergency powers are being broadly interpreted, opening the door to abuse of power.  House Bill 440 (HB440), the Civil Liberties Defense Act, would fix this problem by simply clarifying that during a state of emergency “civil liberties shall on no account be suspended, nor shall the United States Constitution or the New Hampshire bill of rights be suspended, set aside, or otherwise infringed.”

WE NEED YOU TO TAKE ACTION TODAY:  Please contact members of the Senate Judiciary Committee (or click here if that link doesn’t work for you) and urge them to vote for an “Ought to Pass” motion on HB440, the Civil Liberties Defense Act. 

Imagine that two years ago, someone had told you OSHA’s broadly defined powers would soon be applied in an attempt to force Americans into accepting a novel medical treatment they don’t want, and which many believe they don’t need. Most people would have written that off as a highly unlikely scenario, probably not worthy of much attention. Nevertheless, that very situation is currently in play. Thankfully, federal courts have stepped in to put a temporary halt to OSHA’s planned orders, but the threat still looms for millions of businesses, and for the workers they employ.

Here in New Hampshire, we face a similar situation with respect to civil liberties, broadly speaking. It has the potential to negatively impact freedom of speech, religious liberty, 2nd Amendment rights, and more. Unless we take affirmative steps to clarify state law, a future governor could conceivably invoke our state’s Emergency Powers statute to suspend or limit constitutional rights. This might sound a bit crazy; but the New Hampshire Superior Court has expressed that very position in the 2020 Binford case.

On page 16 of the Court’s decision, Judge John Kissinger asserted that “the Governor may suspend or limit constitutional rights during a state of emergency.” That potentially includes freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, the right of habeas corpus, religious liberty, and the right to keep and bear arms.

When viewed in the broader context of New Hampshire’s Emergency Powers statutes, this constitutes a ticking time-bomb that leaves the citizens of our state vulnerable to abuses of power.

Imagine the following scenario: a New Hampshire governor announces that gun violence is an imminent public health crisis, worthy of an emergency declaration. In fact, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky recently hinted at CDC action with respect to gun violence, calling it a “serious public health threat.” “Something has to be done about this,” she continued. “Now is the time – it’s pedal to the metal time.”

Under our state’s emergency powers act, a governor could conceivably declare a state of emergency with respect to gun violence, and unless that position is overturned by a majority of both houses of our legislature, that state of emergency would have the operative force of law. Given the Superior Court’s decision in the Binford case, a governor could conceivably order the closure of gun stores, prohibit the sale of ammunition, or even seize privately-held firearms. In other words, a governor with the support of a simple majority in either the Senate or the House could trump the rights guaranteed under the US and New Hampshire constitutions.

Fortunately, there’s an easy fix for this problem. HB440, the Civil Liberties Defense Act, would add a remarkably simple clarification to state statute, asserting that “civil liberties shall on no account be suspended, nor shall the United States Constitution or the New Hampshire bill of rights be suspended, set aside, or otherwise infringed.”

This should not be controversial. The framers of the US and NH Constitutions recognized the importance of enshrining certain liberties as unalienable human rights.

Unfortunately, the Senate Judiciary Committee retained HB440 earlier this year, judging that it required further review and discussion. On Tuesday, December 14th, that committee is expected to act upon the bill, making an up-or-down recommendation to the rest of the Senate. If you share my view that fundamental liberties must be safeguarded against government overreach, – regardless of which party is at the helm, – I urge you to contact members of the NH Senate Judiciary Committee and ask them to support an “ought to pass” motion on House Bill 440.

For more information and resources about this bill, check out the following links:

A Note on Endorsements…

You may have seen some recent news about endorsements by 603 Alliance board members in the 2022 race for New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District.  We’d like to clarify our organization’s position with respect to endorsements, as we suspect that our conflicting endorsements in this particular race may invite some unwarranted speculation.

The 603 Alliance is guided by our mission of restoring Constitutional principles at all levels of government.  We share a common philosophy about what it means to participate in the process and how we can support each other in being effective in fulfilling that mission.

Having said that, we don’t necessarily share a monolithic worldview.  In the past, the we have on occasion issued endorsements as an organization. When we do so, our Board takes a formal vote, which is generally preceded by careful deliberation and discussion. In those cases, we are very clear that such endorsements come from the 603 Alliance.

For other races, however, we prefer to remain neutral as an organization. In that event, we generally opt to release board members to make their own personal endorsements.  This has been the case for the 2022 CD1 race.

As a result, board members Diane Bitter and Fran Wendelboe have chosen to endorse Matt Mowers; whereas Jim Kofalt has opted to endorse Karoline Leavitt.  Additional endorsements may be forthcoming from other board members.  Although our affiliation with 603 Alliance may be cited when an endorsement is announced, the endorsements we’re making in the CD1 race are personal opinions and should not be interpreted as an endorsement by the 603 Alliance as an organization.

If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at info@603alliance.org.