Mark Preston v Erica DeVries: America in Microcosum

 

There is a seat in the New Hampshire state House of Representatives which is shared by the towns of Seabrook and Hampton New Hampshire. 

It is currently held by a Republican named Max Abramson who has introduced/supported legislation for New Hampshire to secede from the Union, to outlaw the teaching in public schools any mention of information which might cause white students to be ashamed of America's past (e.g. slavery) among other gems. 

Two other Republicans are challenging him in a Republican primary, a crowded field for these parts.

Mark Preston, a former Seabrook policeman whose most notable recent accomplishment has been an arrest for a driving while intoxicated incident, during which he reportedly upbraided the arresting officer for not honoring the blue code of conduct which would require he allow Preston to drive away unmolested, because Preston is a former police officer.

SEABROOK — Retired. Resigned. Some may call it semantics but the union representative of Sgt. Mark Preston wants it to be clear that the veteran Seabrook police officer of 30 years did not resign from his post.

"Sgt. Preston did not resign," said Steve Arnold, of the N.H. Police Benevolent Association. "He's retiring after 31 tears of service to the Seabrook Police Department."

His comments came after Town Manager Barry Brenner and Police Chief Patrick Manthorn issued a joint press release last week stating that Preston resigned following his July 31 drunken driving arrest in Salisbury Beach, Mass.

Police said Preston allegedly slammed into a parked car and swore at Salisbury officers for going against the "brotherhood" by not letting him go free.

Arnold said he was "bewildered" when he first heard about the press release because it's not true.

Mr. Preston has not shown up to answer questions about his candidacy at the local Hampton Democrats meetings. And the local Hampton Dems have many questions because Mr. Preston has a famous uncle, who has the town hall named after him, but he is also famous for switching from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party because he opposed legalizing abortions. Does Mr. Mark Preston take the same stance? Would he vote to make abortions illegal in New Hampshire? Does Mr. Preston support laws which make it legal for New Hampshire state legislators to pack guns inside the State House? Does Mr. Preston believe every citizen is entitled to an attack rifle?

Looking for answers to these and other questions, Mad Dog has obtained access to Mr. Preston's Facebook page and there a picture of the man emerges in technicolor. 

In case you missed it the 1st time

Mr. Preston reportedly told the Hampton Democratic chairman he was running for the joint seat (called the "Floterial") because he was sure to win Hampton owing to his name. But it looks to Mad Dog, he simply didn't want to be one of 4 candidates in the Republican primary when he could be one of two in the Democratic primary.

The first thing to strike Mad Dog, one of the most recent postings was a little ditty which runs: "I hate when people ask me what I do for fun because there's no classy way to say, 'Binge Drinking.'" This is followed by a slew of responses from Mr. Preston's Facebook buddies who clearly think this is the height of humor, but, given that DWI incident, it made Mad Dog wonder.

Then there is a photo of a woman's rear end and her face can be seen looking back at you with a provocative smile, and there is an arrow to hit to see what more might be in store, and an image of Jesus pops up saying, "I'm so disappointed in you!" As if Jesus did not much like Mary Magdalene. Apparently, Mr. Preston sees women as temptresses. He may not be alone in that, but it hardly augers well for a man who will have to vote on abortion rights in the state House of Representatives. 

Apparently, Mr. Preston was not happily married. Mad Dog infers this from a posting which announces: "Marriage: Because your shitty day doesn't have to end at work. Fuck Sensitivity."

The Proud Boys would be proud of that last lamentation.

Another post:  A notice on a US Postal Service card: "Please trim your bush so I can better service your box."

Presumably, this is from a male letter carrier to a female citizen, and why Mr. Preston would get this Mad Dog is still trying to figure out.

A photo of the hood of a car with the imprint of a woman's body, apparently left after having had sex on it. 

Mad Dog knew a fair number of Mark Preston's in high school and he always wondered what had become of them. Apparently, some may have had careers, perhaps shortened by alcohol fueled misadventures and they may have wound up running for public office. 

Mr. Preston certainly would compete for votes with Max Abramson: they both share felony convictions, and presumably the disaffected crowd would have a hard choice facing them.

But my favorite thing about Mr. Preston is his unstinting support for the Esker Road animal abuse crowd.  Living nearby his primary opponent, Erica DeVries is a family called  Beals. According to testimony at a recent town council meeting from the local public access channel, Mad Dog has learned that the Beals family owns goats, sheep and pigs. These animals do not remain in the Beals's backyard but are allowed to roam freely. Their favorite range seems to be a shared space called "the meadow" which backs onto around a dozen backyards in the Esker Road area.  Some of the neighbors don't much mind the sheep or the goats, but for others they are pests who devour their carefully planted hedges and gardens and flower beds, not to mention defecating wherever they please. In some cases the goats have got trapped by makeshift wire fences and were braying piteously as their legs were cut by the wire. 

Preston's Idea of Farmyard Animal

The Beals claim they love their goats and the censorious Ms. DeVries hates animals. Of course, this part of Hampton may once have been rural, seventy years ago, but now it is quite upscale and pricey (it's within walking distance of the ocean) and the neighbors testified they have seen rats heading toward the pig sty's.

The Beals have become a germinal center for all those "Live Free or Die" New Hampshire types who think the heavy hand of government has no business telling citizens what they can do, even if it means a public health menace from vermin attracting pigs. 

And what are goats doing wandering free? The Hurd Farm, the last actual farm in Hampton, has goats and sheep and pigs but they also have good fences, because, as any farmer will tell you, "We don't allow our animals to wander away. They'd get hit by cars, attacked by predators. We do have a free range for them to feed on, but it's our property and well fenced in. People who own animals ought to take care of them."

Erica DeVries

The Beals and Mr. Preston believe they are the victims here, not the goats, not the neighbors, because, after all, the Beals bottle fed those goats, who love them.

The Rockingham county judge who heard the case could see clearly what the town council could not and he ordered the animals removed to good care at the ASPCA, where they have not managed to jump any fences and where they have been given, presumably, three squares a day, although the Hampton Union has not sent out its reporter to interview the goats or their caretakers yet. 

Erica's Soulmate

Ms. DeVries had organized such a devastating case, witness by witness, that there was no surprise the Beals did not bother to show up to attempt a defense.

What REALLY worries Mad Dog is that Erica DeVries is exactly the type of intelligent, relentless, indomitable sort who should be representing Hampton in the State House--although why she would want that thankless job which pays $100 a year and requires thrice weekly drives up to Concord, is anyone's guess. (If she really wants a thankless, ill compensated line of work, she should run for US Congress, where at least they pay a real, if inadequate salary.)  

But, after 14 years in New Hampshire, Mad Dog has observed the really high quality candidate almost never wins. Tom Sherman is the only exception Mad Dog can bring to mind. But usually the rule is mediocrity or feckless wins the day in New Hampshire elections.

President Underwood, of "House of Cards" remarks early on in that series, "My people are a proud people. If you humble yourself before them, they will forgive you anything." Nobody plays the lowest common denominator better than Mr. Preston.

That does not bode well for Ms. DeVries.