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Also a place where conversation happens – from Letters to the Editor and Op/Eds to The Soapbox, you’re welcome to tell us how you really feel.
Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh.—G. B. Shaw
But this “New Civil War” is really putting a hex on some plans I had going. I wanted to go dune buggy riding in the Arizona desert. Wanted to go see the Red Claws play in Maine. Wanted to watch my buddy walk the aisle again. But instead, I guess, I’ll be fighting with my neighbors. Is that correct? And what are we fighting about? Oh, yeah: Freedom. Same stuff we fought over way back when. Least we won’t have to rewrite the textbooks. Tweak here, tweak there.
Religion, education, and politics are the three areas that I’ve seen the most division and have experienced the most pushback. And of course, people and organizations (usually with an ulterior motive) take advantage of these differences to drive a wedge between us. Like a modern-day Civil War, we see family members and friends on opposite sides of issues hating on each other.
If you haven’t been out and about in Manchester for a while, you’re missing out on what the city of Manchester now offers.
The Manchester Board of School Committee has already called for the state to apply for MDC. Governor Sununu and Education Commissioner Edelblut—time is running out to help our neediest children. Please apply for the Medicaid Direct Certification Project by the September 30 deadline. The program is there to help us and would be a win-win for NH and our students.
At the risk of sounding like a curmudgeon, a wet blanket or a sardonic asshole, the whole “Friday”-thing exasperates me[3]. In fairness, I’ve never been a big proponent of small talk. I’m a little awkward around people and, quite frankly, not very good at banal conversation.
I’ve written to Manchester InkLink about homelessness before and today will be no different. As I write this on September 7th, I’m still reflecting on the public testimony from last night’s Manchester Board of Mayor and Alderman meeting. Several testimonies came from a place of frustration toward the city from the perspective of homeless allies. Others were neutral, and a few were downright malicious to the homeless. One of such was Victoria Sullivan’s speech.
Homelessness is not an easy issue to solve, and there are many factors including addiction and mental health that contribute to people living on the streets.
Join us for what, hopefully, won’t be our last event this coming Thursday, September 8, from 4-7 p.m. and meet your neighbors, buy local, make art, share your voice. Let us work together to shape the Manchester of our future!
Facts matter. Words Matter. Truth matters. Keep this in mind in November. Remember, Republicans would have you believe our Democratic U.S. representatives are ruining our country and region. Grants like the $44 million dollar Millyard biofabrication one with its projected 47,000 indirect and direct jobs is their proof.
This academic year marks the first time since COVID-19 shut down the world in March of 2020 that educators have experienced anything that resembles normalcy in our schools. There are no mask requirements, unless a person has recently contracted the virus; there is no social distancing; there is no remote learning—synchronous or asynchronous—no spraying down student desks between classes, and no COVID-19 PowerPoint presentations from the school nurse.
I’m lying to my child. There, I said it. And it’s about something important. I don’t feel guilty about it either. Maybe I should explain.
In Hillsborough 20, a district where a mere handful of votes could be the difference between electing a progressive candidate or not, it’s crucial we all turn out to vote. Because of this, I wanted to take a minute to talk about two politicians who need our support.
Put Manchester’s Pam Eliason in the pantheon of American free-spirits who have set out to find meaning, meals and a clean bathroom while on the fly across our Passaic and prairies, Walla Walla and Wally World, Roswell and Rosebud. Jack Kerouac crawled. John Steinbeck glamped. Cheryl Strayed and Bill Bryson hiked. Robert Pirsig Zen-Motorcycled it.
Recently, I did another check presentation at my home, as I always promised that 100 percent of my book sales would go to charities that would benefit children without parents in some way. I always showcase this on Manchester Ink Link to show you that I am true to my word.
So I picked up the envelope and carried it inside, laying it on the kitchen table while trying to figure out how I was going to afford a lawyer. I tore open the top of the envelope and quickly gleaned that there weren’t divorce papers inside, rather a vinyl album.
My point is that when people run for local office, it is generally to serve their community. Of course, you do have people who have ulterior motives or who want power, but we should not judge the lot based on a few. Elections are too important.
This is due to the fact that Heathcliff and I both struggle with anxiety disorders[2] that can make socializing strenuous and sometimes manifests in panic attacks—sometimes at a table with comfortable and gregarious friends.
I suppose there’s no graceful way of phrasing this—especially to music aficionados, many of whom I’ve interviewed and written about and will likely never take me seriously again. So I’ll just say it bluntly with my shoulders back and my chin up. I love Billy Squier’s music.
When I felt like I had no one to turn to, basketball got me through it all. It improved my confidence. It made me more assertive but respectful. It showed me the value of hard work and kept me safe from being on the street and stepping out of line. I laser-focused on my love for the game and became better and better over time.