Jan 2001 - N.H. lawmaker advocated killing police who cross the line

[Pat McCotter]

From Google cache:

N.H. lawmaker advocates killing police who cross the line
MIKE RECHT, Associated Press Writer
Wednesday, January 3, 2001

(01-03) 11:24 PST CONCORD, N.H. (AP) -- A newly elected Republican state lawmaker has enraged his constituents, party leaders and police by saying he favors killing police officers when they cross the line. One police chief calls him "a hate-mongering lunatic."

Tom Alciere, 41, won a seat in the New Hampshire House on his fourth try after a low-key campaign last fall. It wasn't until Sunday that his constituents in Nashua learned of his anti-police views.

Alciere told the Valley News of Lebanon that he loves it when someone kills a police officer: "It's unfortunate that cops do make it necessary (to kill them) when they're waging a war on drugs, and I view cops as enemy officers." He said he is "too chicken" to do it himself.

He acknowledges posting his views at Internet chat sites for months, including this 1999 comment: "Nobody will ever be safe until the last cop is dead."

Alciere also posted an Internet message accusing the FBI of being involved in the 1995 bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City, which killed 168 people, according to a 1998 article in the Durango (Colo.) Herald. The Associated Press could not find the message in an Internet search on Wednesday, but such messages typically expire after a while.

State GOP Chairman Steve Duprey said Alciere should renounce his views or resign. But Alciere stood his ground.

"There's no way I'm going to resign," he said Tuesday.

Shadowed by reporters and camera crews as the Legislature convened Wednesday, Alciere held a lunchtime news conference and again rejected calls that he resign. "I am not a nut," he said.

He has also espoused violence against women in letters to the editor of a Nashua newspaper, according to Nashua police.

"He took a domestic violence position several years ago where he said a woman needs to be dragged by the hair and either threatened with a bat or hit with a bat once in a while," Deputy Chief Tim Hefferan told The Union Leader.

Alciere, a married father of one who inspects circuit boards at a factory, said he was arrested for "petty stuff." He said his anti-police comments are the "harmless rantings of a private citizen" that won't influence his legislative work.

The Telegraph of Nashua reported Wednesday that he was arrested in 1990 on a misdemeanor charge of resisting detention. Alciere told the paper he was convicted, the court discharged the case without sentence, and his record was cleared after a year. He declined to give details to say the police lied about it at his trial.

New Hampshire has no procedure for recalling state representatives, and legislators said they expect Alciere to serve.

"As despicable as the ideas are, the complaints against him are for his ideas," said Peter Burling, the House Democratic leader.

With 400 members, the New Hampshire House is the largest state legislative body in the country and many campaigns don't get much media attention. Alciere admits he didn't advertise his views during his campaign, but denies misleading anyone.

"Nobody asked," he said. "For state representative, you don't have to tell where you stand on the issues."

He said when police cross the line, citizens have the right to use force to defend themselves: "Whatever is necessary is necessary. It sounds kind of harsh."

He is taking plenty of heat. Newmarket police Chief Rodney Collins called Alciere "a hate-mongering lunatic," and Gov. Jeanne Shaheen is among state leaders to denounce him.

Nashua Deputy Police Chief Timothy Hefferan said supervisors warn officers to be careful if they get a call to Alciere's apartment building. He said police usually stay out of politics, but "I think we'll have to revisit that policy just to enlighten people."

Alciere's views got some publicity when he wrote letters to newspapers.

In 1997, three days after Carl Drega killed two state troopers, a part-time judge and a newspaper editor in Colebrook, Alciere sent a letter saying that except for the editor, Drega was "an otherwise innocent cop-killer taking out enemy officers in battle."

The letter was never published, but became part of the investigation.

A short time later, Epsom police officer Jeremy Charron was murdered. Alciere defended Charron's killer, Gordon Perry, because he said Charron had no right to ask Perry and a companion for identification while they slept in their car.

Alciere said his anger stems from reading and watching television about police misconduct, and his belief that many of the laws the police enforce are unjust.

But during his campaign, he promised simply to oppose any bills that infringe on freedom, and defeated a Democratic incumbent by 55 votes. In his previous runs for the seat, Alciere ran twice as a Libertarian and once as a Democrat.

After the election, Alciere went online and said he was elected by a "bunch of fat, stupid, ugly old ladies that watch soap operas, play bingo, read tabloids and don't know the metric system."

"The same lamebrains who vote for politicians who are WRONG finally voted for one who is RIGHT," he wrote.

[Kat Kanning]

Wow. I don't like the police, but that's whacked.

[Lloyd Danforth]

His name sounds familiar.  Lacks sublty.

[Kat Kanning]

Apparently he wasn't re-elected.

[tracysaboe]

Apparently he wasn't re-elected.

Too Bad.

Tracy

[Pat K]

Apparently he wasn't re-elected.

Thats a good thing.

[Kat Kanning]

He looks kinda familiar too.  Psycho dude.

http://tomalciere.com/

[Kat Kanning]

Who's to blame for Tom Alciere

OUR VIEW

An advocate of cop killing was elected to theNew Hampshire Legislature because many people failed in their duties under a democracy.


How did someone who advocates cop killing and wife beating get elected to a state legislature?

Easy. Many people failed to do the jobs required of them in a democracy.

Tom Alciere rightly has resigned his seat in the New Hampshire Legislature after coming under enormous public pressure over his views.

The Nashua Republican had in postings on the Internet said that he loves it when someone kills a police officer but is "too chicken" to do it himself. "There's nothing wrong with wasting cops," he wrote. Women, he has said, sometimes need to be hit with bats.

How could we not know? How could we have voted for such a person?

First, the press failed in its job to provide the public with pertinent information on those seeking public office. The press failed to ask the tough questions, to dig out the background information -- to do the legwork that would have exposed Mr. Alciere's extreme views.

But voters cannot hide behind the press' mistakes. They, too, failed to take the active role required of citizens in a democracy. Mr. Alciere defeated an incumbent Democrat by a mere 55 votes. How many people voted for Mr. Alciere without a clue as to his views on any subject, let alone his views on the police? How many simply marked their ballots for the person with the "R" next to his name?

And what of the New Hampshire Republican Party? Does the party give its endorsement to anyone who comes along seeking public office under their banner? Should not the party at least know the views of those it marks with its seal of approval?

The story of Tom Alciere fortunately has a happy ending.

The press, however belatedly, did its job and exposed Mr. Alciere's views for all to see.

The public, hearing the extremity of those views, rose up in righteous indignation against them.

The Republican Party, and indeed, all public officials in New Hampshire, distanced themselves from those views.

And ultimately, Mr. Alciere did the right thing by resigning.

As we said earlier, Mr. Alciere's offense was not the holding of extreme views. His offense was hiding those views from the voters while running for public office.

[tracysaboe]

Apparently he wasn't re-elected.

Thats a good thing.

Well -- after reading about the wife beating thing, I guess I need to agree.

Tracy

[KBCraig]

I subscribe to the newsgroup nh.general, and he made an announcement there back on 6/20:

http://groups.google.com/group/alt.politics.libertarian/browse_thread/thread/5a5bda165ce7a655/428c0fc3b5bb5279?lnk=st&q=&rnum=1&hl=en#428c0fc3b5bb5279

Kevin

[aries]

I can think of plenty of situations where killing a police officer or another person is justified and/or heroic, but this guy presents a wierd argument.

Then again there are plenty of cops that would love to personally kill all drug users or dealers, tax evaders among other victimless criminals. They get so tied up in their work that they begin to personally hate those that they have to look out for and police, rather than simply do their job.

[mvpel]

And what of the New Hampshire Republican Party? Does the party give its endorsement to anyone who comes along seeking public office under their banner? Should not the party at least know the views of those it marks with its seal of approval?

Since the party won't take sides in a primary contest, that's a darn good question.

[LibertyProtector]

It's not just cops that want to kill drug dealers, but the former head of the ONDCP and former Speaker of the House:

http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/j/p/jph13/DeathtotheDruggies.html

Not to dwell too much on the topic of drugs, but for those of you in NH now: What is the political climate in NH like? Could a medical marijuana bill or a bill that would allow for adult use of marijuana, much like the initiative in NV pass in NH?

[Caleb]

If enough democrats get elected ... you can have marijuana.

Then again, its a catch 22 because they'd promptly vote in an income tax.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

Can't we just vote out this thing called government?

[aries]

If enough democrats get elected ... you can have marijuana.

Then again, its a catch 22 because they'd promptly vote in an income tax.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

Can't we just vote out this thing called government?

The federal government has prohibited marijuana, and liberal state reps will not change that.

Not even medical marijuana.