Posts by Brian Chicoine
In less than two weeks, we will once again be celebrating Thanksgiving. That once per year celebration of family, friends, football, and food…in some cases, lots of food!
Recently I was playing a game of Kahoot with a roomful of youth in 6th through 12th grade (GenZ and GenAlpha) and a question regarding President Reagan came up. One of the youth shouted out, “Who is Ronald Reagan?” And almost none of the youth knew who Reagan was…and sadly most of the youth are in high school.
Cases such as what is happening in Bow highlight the importance of the First Amendment, and its relevance to our everyday lives. I fully support the right of the People to peaceably protest, but I DO NOT support violence, blockades, or the destruction of other people’s property.
In 50 days, we will be heading to the polls to choose a new President and Vice-President, as well as members of the House, and in some states Senators, and in states like New Hampshire, Governor, Executive Council, State Representatives, State Senators, and County offices. It is often said that “this election is the most important of our lifetime,” to which I usually laugh, but believe that this one may be because our choices represent two very different directions for our state and country.
I was recently reading about the criminal justice system, specifically corrections, and how the recidivism rate between 2016 and 2019 showed that within ten years of release, 82% of state inmates were arrested again, and that 62% of those arrested went back to prison. So basically, 62% of the incarcerated returned to prison…not a good rate and certainly flies in the face of one of the goals, (or desired outcomes), of the criminal justice system. *(Note that 2016-2019 was the latest statistics that I could find, and that the “arrests” and re-imprisonment were for crimes of homicide, rape, and sexual assault). So what is the solution?
I’ll start with this: The U.S. Constitution, (in which our laws are built upon), was created to – and still does – protect THE PEOPLE. The Constitution DOES NOT give us rights; it is not a document that outlines the rights that the government gives us. Rather, the Constitution limits what the government can do.
I was listening to an interview with Elon Musk the other day, and he was talking about how we seem to have stopped dreaming about space exploration – or at least stopped exploring. He mentioned how we put a man on the moon back in 1969, how we had Space Shuttle launches (1981-2011), and of course, we have the Internation
In following the 2024 presidential campaign, I find myself longing for the days when those seeking political office talked more about the issues than trying to score political points by pointing out the personal imperfections – most of the time some character flaw rather than their abilities – of their opponents, or worse that of their opponents families. I remember when people debated issues, didn’t yell or act hateful, maybe disagreed but respected the other, and when “politician” wasn’t seen as a bad word
In my last article, I wrote a brief history of Christian denominations. I originally wanted to include both the benefits and the problems of denominations, but because the history and theological significance of denominations is so rich, I decided to not make the article any longer by adding to it. Instead I am writing about the benefits and problems with Christian denominations this week.
I want to make it clear that I believe that there is a difference between the Separation of Church and State and the outright removal of God from the public square. For example, I do not believe that “In God We Trust” needs to be removed from money because it is a phrase and I do not believe that it alone establishes a religion. However, like John Locke, I believe in religious tolerance and believe that the government should be a secular institution. I believe that the government should serve the interests of all citizens regardless of their religious beliefs.
Although we love the city and the Downtown area, there is one thing that we would like to see more of…retail. Downtown Manchester has a good array of eateries and bars, but it is lacking retail. There is of course some retail but not a lot. Downtown Manchester was once a mecca of retail (as a planned city much of the retail, restaurants, and banks were on Elm Street to accommodate the workers of the nearby Amoskeag mills). But as we know, many retailers moved to malls or the areas near malls (like South Willow Street) as the automobile became more accessible and people were willing and able to travel for goods.
In an era of increasing polarization and bitterness in politics, the Electoral College plays a crucial role in encouraging candidates to build broad coalitions and engage with diverse communities across the nation. Rather than discarding this system, efforts should be focused on understanding and refining it to ensure that it continues to serve its foundational purpose of balancing diverse interests in a vast and varied republic.
Who doesn’t want to protect children? I want to protect children…but this bill is NOT about protecting children, it’s about government overreaching and taking decision-making away from the parents/caregivers.
On March 13, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 352-65 to force the owners of TikTok to sell the app in six months or face a nationwide ban. (The good news is that the bill still has to pass the Senate and – if it does – will head to the President to sign). Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D – NY) has been noncommittal as to when he will schedule the bill for a floor vote. For those keeping score, the bill, (H.R. 7521 – officially called The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, was introduced by Rep. Mike Gallagher (R – WI).
I recently read an article about a bill that was introduced, (and postponed – for this session anyway), to ban certain books in New Hampshire schools. Before I begin, I want to stress without a doubt that I am for protecting children. I believe that as a society we should be protecting the vulnerable and those who cannot speak for themselves. However, I do not believe that banning books is the way to do it.
The benefits of music are vast and varied, touching every aspect of human life. From enhancing cognitive abilities and emotional well-being to fostering social connections and improving physical health, music offers a universal language that speaks to the heart and mind in equal measure.
There are many ways to treat mental health-related ailments. There is medicine, which can be harmful to the patient and others if incorrectly prescribed, (not to mention the potential harm on one’s body), there is traditional counseling, which is helpful and often aids the patient, and there are expressive therapies, which certainly help.
The issue of Human trafficking has in recent times come to the forefront and has received more attention and increased awareness thanks to movies such as Angel Studios’, Sound of Freedom.
