tnthub

I have performed marriage ceremonies in NH., however I am a resident of Maine. I had to apply to the state of NH, pay a small fee, and receive an embossed permission document from NH. That original document has to be returned, along with the original marriage license, to the county clerk. There were two separate forms that I had to choose between... One was for clergy that are ordained and the other was for lay clergy. Since you are ordained I suspect (but am not certain), no questions will be asked. I also suspect that since many retired ministers, or clergy who may relocate to NH but who are not actively engaged in a specific parish, continue to perform wedding ceremonies for suplemental income, that questions about your church will likely not be asked. I have generally found it best to only ask questions that directly apply to the task of receiving permission. If there is actual case law that goes against my ability to perform a marriage ceremony I will respectfully decline in the spirit of "doing that which is right." I am aware of no such case law in New Hampshire.

I had "restrictions" in that whatever we do it should be within the confines of what is legally allowed so as not to encourage others to break laws.

I seem to remember a horrifying little classic by Hurricane Smith called: Oh Babe, What Would You Say, back around 1973 or so... it has some kind of odd appeal for me at the time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQzrnFXf4bo

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I sent a request about a week or so back but did not receive a confirmation email, so I sent a second request just now... Hopefully I am in good standing and have not upset the applecart. I did check my spam filters and found nothing in them, however I do sometimes suffer from middle aged vision.

Well, The simple reason history books are biased is hat the dominant culture writes the books. It has been this way since time began, regardless of the struggle, the memories of the "battle" are always slanted toward the "winning" side, if you can call it that. This is normal. It may not be "right" but it is normal and it is how humans have documented their history forever. The naming of school mascots, moutains, towns, and companies after Native Americans, to the best of my knowledge, was typically done to preserve their heritage, not destroy it. Our politically correct culture today is removing the traces of our history that have to do with Native Americans at their request and as such they are less in the mindset of the average American than they were 30 years ago. Heck, my college team was the "Resksins" and now they are the "Redhawks"... Go figure... Most native American traditional cultures want as little to do with American politics and government as possible. To them we are still viewed as the people who took their land and screwed up the balance of nature. Why do I think this? I think it because I had a priviledge of spearfishing in Wisconsin on a reservation when I was in college. I thionk it because I worked on a job in Eastport Maine and spent time every day on a reservation for a year. I think it because I studied Native American culture in college and I think it because I have a good friend who is a Native American and lives on a reservation. My family settled on the Kennebec river in Maine in the 1600's. My mother passed down stories to me of Indian raids and how our family was taken to Canada and sold into slavery by the Indians. There are 14 graves behind my Mom's home testifying to the violence of the struggle for survival. I have no idea who was right and who was wrong, or if it was just a simple mis-understanding, but the tragedy was very real and a couple of my ancient relatives escaped from slavery and returned to tell their tales. I am aware of certain reservations, and certain areas on them, that you do not want to travel if you are white. If you do, you will be hurt. I do have sympathy for the plight of the Native American culture and how the white man basically destroyed it. I do wish to preserve their heritage. I also believe that the world is a different place and that anybody, from any culture, should learn to navigate the chage, whatever it may be, with common sense, intelligence, and respect. Years back when my father's side of the amily migrated here from Europe they were proud to learn english and become Americans. Today people entering our homeland have expectations of us changing to fit the culture they chose to leave. I think this is wrong. I think it is right to respect heritage but if i wanted to speak a different language I would move to a different country. The Native Americans are different as they were here first. This was their land and we took it from them. I cannot speak for what was done as I was not there, but I also cannot excuse a failure to accept reality. The reality is that to most of us uneducated white people living in ignorance of native American culture a place called "** Mountain" in Maine was always a good reason to tell our children stories of Native Americans. That opportunity is now threatened by this: http://www.petitiononline.com/eastern/petition.html which is an example of how Native American culture is defeating itself and its efforts to be respected by all. It is very sad that stuff like this is happening. We should embrace our Native Americans and they should, in my opinion, accept such fine establishments as this as promoting their way of life instead of being a threat to it.

My sympathy to all family and friends. Try to remember the seeds of life planted by those who have moved on are kept alive through all those who have been touched. Rev. Ted Hunter

I enjoy most music if it is well written and arranged. The exception to this rule is opera. For some reason the sound made by even the very best opera singers bothers my ears no matter how well done. I would classify my favorite music styles not by type but by artist... Paul Simon, Rolling Stones, James Taylor, Queen, Johnny Cash, Taj Mahal, Stevie Wonder, Van Morrison, Carly Simon, Willie Nelson, Diana Ross, Sly and the Family Stone, Chicago...