Live Free Or Else!
When I lived in New Hampshire, I enjoyed the perennial battles over the state's motto, "Live Free Or Die." It was on New Hampshire license plates then, and still is. The motto has been around for quite a while. It comes from a quote by New Hampshire's greatest Revolutionary War hero, Gen. John Stark. Stark reportedly gave a toast in 1809, when poor health led him to decline an invitation to a reunion of veterans of the 1777 Battle of Bennington: "Live free or die; death is not the worst of evils."
Liberals hate "Live Free Or Die." They hated it in the late 60s and early 70s, when I lived in New Hampshire, and they hate it still. The only difference is that liberals have grown more powerful in the state as southern New Hampshire increasingly consists of Boston bedroom communities.
It seems to me that in today's environment--let's refer specifically to the Danish cartoon controversy as emblematic of the larger struggle--"Live Free Or Die" has more resonance than ever. But liberals still hate it. Someone could write a PhD thesis on why this is so, but our readers will intuitively understand that the sentiment underlying New Hampshire's motto is antithetical to modern liberalism.
So I've enjoyed the latest motto controversy. New Hampshire, inspired by its more liberal elements--or, more likely, by its real estate developers--came up with a new jingle; it doesn't really qualify as a motto: "You're going to love it here." Feeble, no? Nevertheless, signs displaying the new slogan were posted along highways entering New Hampshire. The result was unhappiness:
New signs on New Hampshire's borders tell visitors, "You're going to love it here." The only problem is the governor and other top officials hate them."Right now, every time I go past those things I'm embarrassed," Senate Majority Leader Robert Clegg said Thursday.
Gov. John Lynch acknowledged that he, too, can't wait to get rid of the beige signs that depict a small village along with the "love it" slogan.
"It's true. I want to be there when they take out the first one," he said.
The Senate passed a bill Thursday to require the state motto, "Live Free or Die," on highway welcoming signs. The motto could replace the "love it" slogan on the beige signs, or, more likely, appear on new signs.
"Live Free Or Die" just won't go away, I guess. Somewhere there must be old-fashioned Emmets who stubbornly hew to the old-fashioned values. Actually, I think this kind of conflict is a good thing: the plain vanilla ad man slogan vs. the early 19th century challenge. Personally, I'm with General Stark.
PAUL adds: General Stark had a way with words. Before leading his troops to victory in the battle of Bennington, which set up the decisive defeat of the British at Saratoga, he told his men, "Tonight, the American flag floats over yonder hill, or Molly Stark sleeps a widow!"
