Lee Eisenberg arrested at his apartment.

Leeland Eisenberg, the man who stormed into Hillary Clinton’s Dover, NH, campaign office in November, 2007, was arrested this morning after a day as a fugitive.

Yesterday morning Eisenberg apparently cut off a pair of court-ordered ankle bracelets that monitored his movements. An extensive man-hunt across New Hampshire failed to find Eisenberg until he went back to his apartment this morning.

According to a Union Leader report, he was re-arrested at 11:10 am.

Hillary’s hostage-taker is on the loose — again!

Hostage-Taker Leeland Eisenberg

Leeland Eisenberg, the man who stormed Hillary Clinton’s campaign headquarters in Dover, New Hampshire, is on the loose again after apparently cutting off an electronic monitoring bracelet.

In a news report today, Strafford County Attorney Thomas Velardi says Eisenberg cut off his equipment just after 10 a.m., one day after being given a “last chance” at freedom by a judge who released him despite multiple probation violations.

Eisenberg had been released on bail after being re-arrested shortly before Thanksgiving for violating his parole. Eisenberg took several hostages during the November 2007 attack using fake explosives. It triggered an hours-long standoff that ended peacefully when he gave up.

On December 11 a judge ordered his release pending a hearing about allegations he violated his probation after getting out of state prison last month. He is accused of failing to charge a GPS tracker he was required to wear, making it hard for probation officials to know where he was.

Public defender Randy Hawkes, Eisenberg’s attorney, said in court that his client was arrested again simply because of who he is. He asked he be released on personal recognizance bail. “I really believe had it been anyone other than Mr. Eisenberg,  he wouldn’t have been held,” he said.

The county attorney general argued unsuccessfully that Eisenberg was “calculating” and should be held on cash bail. The judge disagreed and released Eisenberg on personal recognizance pending a hearing.

Evidently, the court’s decision not to hold him on cash bail has backfired. Eisenberg is now considered a fugitive. No one knows where he is.

Will the violence in Iran turn into another Hungary 1956?

The news out of Iran today is both stunning and joyous.

Shouting “death to the dictator,” Iranian protesters took to the streets again yesterday and today. In response, the government crackdown has become more violent — there’s tear gas in the streets, helicopters monitoring the scenes in the streets, burned out cars, and up to nine deaths. Reports say that soldiers fired upon unarmed dissidents. As the picture above shows, these are not scattered incidents, but large, organized groups of Iranian citizens willing to sacrifice their lives for their cause.

During the past few months, I admit that I read the news of the on-going protests with some skepticism. My cynical side told me that the protests would not last, that the iron claw of tyranny would have its way in Iran. Today’s news stories have convinced me that the protests are not going away. This is a confrontation that will either end in a bloody civil war or the ultimate overthrow of the religious fanatics controlling Iran.

Here’s my question for all those who opposed the Bush policy of regime change in Iraq: If the Iranian protesters ask for our help, should we intervene? Or should we do as we did in Hungary in 1956 and let the forces of tyranny crush this revolution?

Here are some incredible photos and videos of the Iranian protests as published today by the Los Angeles Times.

A Christmas miracle for six homeless men in Keene, New Hampshire.

A Christmas Miracle for Six Homeless Men in Keene, New Hampshire

Here’s a story by Rake Morgan about six homeless men in Keene, New Hampshire, who have found some unexpected friends.

‘Tis the season when corporations use charitable donations as an excuse for self-serving front page “grip n’ grins” in the local newspaper. Around Christmas my newspaper is bursting with photos of business owners handing over checks to local charities. If giving is its own reward, why is the public forced to pat these do-gooders on the back, page after page after page?

As for the rest of us — this writer included — Christmas is the season when we cleanse ourselves of our guilt for all we haven’t done to help the needy during the rest of the year. A few bucks dropped in a Salavation Army kettle usually does it for me.

Then there are the true miracle workers. People who aren’t looking for a pat on the back, a clean conscience, or good PR in the local press.

Such a person is Tim Robertson, a resident of Keene, New Hampshire, who is letting six homeless men live in a make-shift shack on his property.

About two months ago, the six men — mostly unemployed construction workers — built a shelter to provide protection from the harsh New Hampshire winter.  The 20-by-20 structure is made of plywood and insulated, and has hand-crank windows. It is wrapped in a black plastic.

According to the Union Leader –

The building’s front door leads into a sort of mudroom, with another door into the main living area. There the men have set up six mattresses, discarded but still good, from a nearby mattress store. They have two wood stoves, a grill which doubles as a hot plate, a television, a DVD player, even a cat named Dylan. The roof is made of tin, and the structure is tied to trees and held up from the inside with large tree limbs and wood.

Town bureaucrats called Robertson about the shelter.

“I’ve never told them they could live there and I’ve never told them they couldn’t,” he said. “I knew they were there, but I basically just ignored it.” Robertson said he did not tell the city to have the men removed and really has no problem with the men being there.

Eventually the town sent someone out to inspect the shack. The main issue is that it was built without a permit. The residents have since fixed most of the other violations.

One of the residents, Todd Maliska, 48, said that most of the furnishings have been donated.  The residents have even made arrangements for trash removal. They bag it up and give it to a man who disposes of it for them. They also have cleaned up some of the abandoned camp sites left in the area by homeless who lived there before.

The town of Keene has not yet decided what to do. For a tightwad place like New Hampshire, the reaction from local residents has been surprisingly generous. Some commented to the Union Leader that the town should leave the men alone.

One writer said: “The last time I checked, this was the United States of America. Home of the free and the brave. As long as the land owner doesn’t mind these men living there (which he stated he does not) then let them be. Let’s stop this rediculous nonsense about code violations. These men have nowhere else to go.”

“The city can do whatever they want,” said one of the homeless residents.  “Unless the man who owns the land wants to get us out, we’re not leaving.”