Disqus - Latest Comments for HampsteadGrandpa

Re: N.H. Lawmakers Consider Overhaul Of School Discipline Rules

HampsteadGrandpa — Thu, 31 Jan 2019 15:59:22 -0000

That's exactly why principal discretion has to be an important part of whatever changes are made to the law. The principal has to have the flexibility to decide when enough is enough. It may not be the same set of circumstances for each kid.

Re: Durham Council to Discuss Tree Lighting, Menorah Request

HampsteadGrandpa — Tue, 11 Dec 2018 07:29:00 -0000

A Christmas tree, by any other name, is still a Christmas tree, even if its roots lie in ancient paganism. Religious values not withstanding, the tree and the menorah both symbolize light during the darkest time of the year. Hard to believe this is even going on. Threat of vandalism? Handle it!

Re: Teacher Placed on Leave Over KKK-themed Holiday Jingle

HampsteadGrandpa — Thu, 06 Dec 2018 06:49:45 -0000

What was the intent/purpose of this lesson? The anticipated outcome? What were students expected to learn? Did the teacher brainstorm the idea with other members of the department? His chair? An administrator? Right now, this is looking like a well-intended lesson gone horrible wrong.

Re: Should School Start After Labor Day? Educators and Businesses Disagree

HampsteadGrandpa — Wed, 05 Dec 2018 09:20:38 -0000

Lots to think about here. Core question: Are we doing what's best for kids or are we doing it for the money? Are we held to 180 days of school? With harsher winter weather, will we substitute those questionable "snow day" packets for a full day in the classroom? Talk about Dumbing Down for Dollars! And - even if New Hampshire decides to hold off the start of school until after Labor Day, what about those folks from other states who summer here but leave early because they are starting school earlier? For the record, I'm one who prefers "the good old days" myself, but this is neither the world nor the times we're living in.

Re: Sarah Sanders Joins List Of Top Trump Aides Confronted At Restaurants

HampsteadGrandpa — Thu, 28 Jun 2018 11:13:47 -0000

Hahahahaha... If only the rest of the world were as legally astute and as morally upright as you. Sadly, it's not...and that's what I'm talking about. Get your head out of the clouds and try to keep pace with what's happening in the real world. You might actually find people are in agreement.

Re: Hassan Intern Becomes Flashpoint In 'Civility' Debate

HampsteadGrandpa — Thu, 28 Jun 2018 10:38:17 -0000

If we're looking to have this spectacle play out in public, let's stop right where we are. It took a nearly a month after her crack about Senator John McCain for White House staffer Kelly Sadler to "leave" her position. Fired? Resigned? Do we know? Should we? The aftermath played out behind closed doors - and never once did the White House offer an apology. Same rules apply here and now. Ms. Marriott's comments were inappropriate. That Senator Hassan suspended her is one step ahead of the White House's response to Ms. Sadler. So - there's time to see where this goes. Wherever that might be, the senator's office, under no circumstances, owes anyone an apology.

Re: SCOTUS Ruling On Unions Hailed By N.H. Right To Work Supporters

HampsteadGrandpa — Thu, 28 Jun 2018 10:16:35 -0000

Not every working person agrees with union policy. Not everyone wants to belong to a union. Maybe it's time unions take a different tactic and negotiate in good faith for their active - read "dues-paying" - members only; all others should be left to fend for themselves or rely on their employers' generosity. No one should have to belong to a union. Equally no one should be allowed to freeload off a union's efforts.

Re: Sarah Sanders Joins List Of Top Trump Aides Confronted At Restaurants

HampsteadGrandpa — Thu, 28 Jun 2018 10:03:25 -0000

Well...what did you expect? Draining the swamp wasn't going to come easily or without cost. Your swampland is someone's farm, and they see it being sold out from underneath them. Worse, as they see it, they're being told they have to shut up and let it happen. Is that the way it is? Probably not. But it's all in the perception, isn't it?

And let's leave the police out of this. They're not without their underbelly, their seamy side, their perceptions, and their sometimes disdainful attitude toward the public. Respect for the law ought to be without question. Respect for those who sometimes think they're above it and who don't always enforce it as they should, though, ought to be - and often.

Re: Sarah Sanders Joins List Of Top Trump Aides Confronted At Restaurants

HampsteadGrandpa — Thu, 28 Jun 2018 09:45:29 -0000

Thanks for the legal lesson. I'm well aware of the court's decision and its outcome. Moreover, I agree with it. That said, the emotional response to the legal jargon - and we are a country that, of late, seems to be running on emotional responses - is what precipitated the events at the restaurant. Gay members of the staff, for whatever reason, felt uncomfortable with Ms. Sanders' presence, called their boss, the owner, and it went from there. I'll reiterate that it shouldn't have happened, but it did and will again as people react emotionally to what they perceive as a slight. Period.

Don't ever start a conversation with me in such insulting terms again. It's people like you, with your inflammatory rhetoric, that are destroying any semblance of civil discourse in this country. You disagree with what I said, that's fine. Keep your cheap shots and your insults out of it.

Re: Sarah Sanders Joins List Of Top Trump Aides Confronted At Restaurants

HampsteadGrandpa — Sun, 24 Jun 2018 10:47:18 -0000

Ugh! What a mess. The long-held belief was - and should still be - that businesses exist to serve anyone who walks in, leaving the political and philosophical scruples at the door. Sadly, the SC ruling has upended that. While the restaurant staff should have been "better than that," there's no second-guessing why they responded as they did. And, given the times we live in, can anyone blame them?

Re: Sununu Says He'll Likely Sign Voter Residency Bill If N.H. Supreme Court Finds No Issues

HampsteadGrandpa — Thu, 17 May 2018 10:04:50 -0000

Exactly what is the "true narrative" regarding voting rights for out-of-state college students living in New Hampshire? It appears transparent that they are not going to have access to the local ballot box, yet continue to pay tuition, rent, grocery and utility bills "for the privilege." And, will these same "guidelines" apply to those professionals and working families moving into the state because their jobs have brought them here "for the indefinite future?" At the end of the day, who among knows with certainty where they're going to spend the rest of their lives? Some clarity - please.

Re: When A Sexist Elevator Comment Becomes An International Incident

HampsteadGrandpa — Wed, 16 May 2018 09:52:24 -0000

You are absolutely not alone in trying to understand what's offensive? Or in remembering that cartoon. How many of us watched it and mimicked it in nothing more than the spirit of good fun?

Re: When A Sexist Elevator Comment Becomes An International Incident

HampsteadGrandpa — Wed, 16 May 2018 09:45:38 -0000

Even better: "It was not my intent to offend." There is no apology necessary. And, yes, this old English teacher knows the value of the passive voice. ;-)

Re: All Eyes On Sununu As Pair Of Voter Residency Bills Await Signature...Or Veto)

HampsteadGrandpa — Wed, 16 May 2018 09:43:19 -0000

What am I missing? The state legislature would hold my vote hostage unless I swear lifetime allegiance to New Hampshire? In a country where one out of three working families moves every year? This pig doesn't fly. Might as well institute a poll tax. We don't need the State Supreme Court ruling on what is clearly common sense: the language stays, anyone who can prove state residency - regardless of the amount of time they plan to be here - votes, and the governor vetoes this.

Re: When A Sexist Elevator Comment Becomes An International Incident

HampsteadGrandpa — Tue, 15 May 2018 08:46:19 -0000

Seriously? Both men AND women of a certain age share Professor Lebow's "youthful memories of elevator operators announcing department store stops." To a soul, "lingerie" was the automatic titillating-but-innocent response. Since an unqualified apology would amount to an admission of wrongdoing, Lebow is right to hold his ground. Better: "I'm sorry you were offended. That was not my intent." On the other hand, Professor Sharoni ought to choose her battles more carefully. This was a skirmish not worth engaging in. Calling him out on the elevator and being done with it - thereby sparing the rest of us all this silliness - might have been the more tactical way for her to go.

Re: Northern Pass Supporters Want 2 Evaluators Removed From Appeal Hearings

HampsteadGrandpa — Fri, 27 Apr 2018 10:44:52 -0000

This is becoming more ridiculous by the day.

Re: N.H. House Votes Down Tax Credit for 'Recovery Friendly Workplace' Program

HampsteadGrandpa — Fri, 06 Apr 2018 10:08:49 -0000

What a shame that we have to consider monetary enticements of any kind when, all along, this should have been/should be part of a community effort for no other reason than the right thing to do.

Re: Facing Deportation Threat, This New Hampshire Family Is Looking For Answers

HampsteadGrandpa — Fri, 09 Mar 2018 08:55:16 -0000

It seems some among us have lost understanding of punishment fitting the crime. This young man came here at the age of nine. He most likely arrived excited and full of hope, as most nine-year-olds are. Whatever happened after that, over time and space, he is a product of our system, not Sudan's. Let him face the appropriate consequences for his bad decisions; deportation is not one of them.

Re: N.H. House Kills Bill to Add Oversight for Homeschool Students

HampsteadGrandpa — Wed, 07 Mar 2018 11:19:34 -0000

So, perhaps you can explain this to me, from the Homeschool Base page: "New Hampshire policy for homeschool assessment is as follows - Annual assessment or evaluation with no ramifications." What am I missing? Also, going in another direction - if I want to homeschool my children, do I have choices? IE - do I educate in my own home, or can I send them to an established homeschool?

Re: N.H. House Kills Bill to Add Oversight for Homeschool Students

HampsteadGrandpa — Wed, 07 Mar 2018 11:10:55 -0000

Let's revise this and say "currently receive zero funding." SB 193, if it passes, could change that. BTW, what exactly are the standards set for home educated students? And who sets them?

Re: N.H. Senate Rejects Tapping Rainy Day Fund for Drug Crisis

HampsteadGrandpa — Mon, 19 Feb 2018 11:48:14 -0000

So - what "cautious plan" did Republicans share? Do they have one? Seems as though GOP squelched an opportunity to reach across the aisle and work in a true, bipartisan manner, leaving the state with little other than talk, which we all know is cheap.

Re: Details Emerge About Accusations Against Ashbrook

HampsteadGrandpa — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 11:36:51 -0000

Find and read that Microsoft founder's "Advice for High School Students." He spares nothing in letting them know how easy they've had it and how a little hard work and thicker skin might be just what's needed to ensure a sound future...

Re: Details Emerge About Accusations Against Ashbrook

HampsteadGrandpa — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 11:29:23 -0000

Again, where are the details? You're expecting people to jump on a bandwagon without any facts behind accusations not even the accused was made aware of. Sorry, you're out of line. "Innocent until proven guilty" is still a mainstay of the judicial process and a cornerstone of what defines our country and society. Those of us who are angry have every right to be, but not for the reasons you claim. This is about someone's reputation, and so, if there's anything at all salacious to it, the details had better come out quickly.

Re: Details Emerge About Accusations Against Ashbrook

HampsteadGrandpa — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 11:13:15 -0000

Well, here's the thing. It gets tense in any job. And, for better or worse, occasional "tirades" are part of that tension. Certainly, it's been part of any job I've ever had. I can only imagine what it must be like being part of a daily, two-hour talk show. Then again, "tirade" is open to interpretation, isn't it? "OK?" More like, "It's life." You don't have to like it when it happens, but you'd better have a mechanism in place to deal with it.

"Creepy sex talk?" What on earth could that be that would not have been sounded out long before now? How many of us have given hugs or touched a back or an arm or a shoulder in the normal course of working and living? I'll wait for more specifics from the unknowns before I start heading down an accusatory path. Or does living in our brave new world mean he's guilty until/unless he can prove innocence?

Re: Details Emerge About Accusations Against Ashbrook

HampsteadGrandpa — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 09:05:24 -0000

Well, we are officially through the looking-glass. What's the saying? "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen?" You're either cut out to do a job, or you're not. That means, recognizing when you've made a mistake, accepting the criticism - and, yes, the occasional dressing-down - that comes in a critique. You want to be coddled? Go home to your parents. Anyone who listens to On Point understands Tom Ashbrook to be dedicated and demanding. That's what makes it a quality show. And yet, there is a sense, after reading this report, that he is also caring, compassionate, and committed to ensuring those who work with him are successful. One wonders what's worse: seeing (what amounts in the real world to) constructive criticism as harassment or the reassurances given afterwards. And to not make him aware of these accusations? WBUR ought to know better! Whatever happened to sitting down with an impartial arbitrator or someone from HR to hash things out? One wonders how some of these young people looking for meaningful work have been brought up? Sounds like "sour grapes" and then some. Shameful!