New Hampshire: #1 in SO Many Ways

Today was New Hampshire's first in the nation primary, and it gives this Granite Stater an easy excuse for lauding the state's many virtues and wonders.

The Old Man in the Mountain - Greatest naturally existing anthropomorphic rock profile on Earth. R.I.P.

While I could write an epic tome in honor of my homeland, I will opt instead for a more digestible list of factoids:

1. Clean water
2. Fresh air
3. No sales tax, no income tax - You control your level of tax expenditure based on the property you choose to own
4. Cheap booze

We have a little saying in N.H., maybe you have it, too: 'Home is where the cirrhosis is.'

That's all you really need, but I'll give you a few more since I can't help myself.

5. Four seasons - best fall foliage in the country
6. First in the nation primary - registered independents dominate the elections as moderate views reign supreme
• Pat Buchanan = exception that proves the rule; I'll be damned if we aren't the most independent thinkers in the country, so smart
7. First to declare independence from England - 6 months before the Declaration of the 13 colonies, look it up
8. Live Free or Die - best state motto, and inspiration for the title of a meh Die Hard movie
9. General John Stark - Wrote the famous words above; total badass who only accepted promotion on the condition that he wasn't answerable to any other Continental Army authority; contributed indirectly to the big win at Saratoga; not to be confused with Jon Snow of House Stark in Winterfell 
10. Daniel Webster - most silver-tongued orator in U.S. history, he could talk you out of your pants, no problem; highway named after him
11. Mount Washington - One of the windiest places on Earth; cars and cog railways climb it
12. Alan B. Shepard - First dude in space; again, highway named after him
13. Loudoun Motor Speedway - Not my thing, but if you like NASCAR and/or biker culture, we've got you covered
14. Levi Hutchins - Invented first alarm clock... wait, that's awful, scratch this one
15. Mills - provided jobs that were hardly worth baring then, provides trendy office space for rando tech companies now; unlike Massachusetts, our mill towns aren't crime-ridden polyps on the colon of New England
16. Great writers - N.H. has served as a muse to some great writers, like Robert Frost, John Irving, and Danger; Dan Brown: stop calling me, you're not making this list

There you have it: 16-ish sweet reasons to not hate, but appreciate, the Granite State! I hope this post was informative.

And if I could be indulged to address my fellow New Hampshirites for just a moment: even though Mitt Romney will win tonight, I could never be mad at you.