Also on today’s menu:
A Felon’s Misguided Protest
Protecting Youths From Tik-Tok
Bill Would Eliminate Site Evaluation Committee
When Governor Chris Sununu announced his proposal to eliminate “copious licensing requirements” in New Hampshire, one of the professions on his list for elimination was a forestry license. Shaun Lagueux of Bristol doesn’t think that’s such a good idea.
“[T]he forests are pretty complex systems,” said Lagueux, a licensed forester. “[Y]ou need to have some kind of basis to be able to make a decision [when hiring a forester]. I think the licensure goes a long way towards that.”
To qualify for a forestry license, a person has to have knowledge of ecology in general, tree ecology, silviculture (the science of how trees grow and how to manage that growth), mensuration (forest measurements), boundary law, and mapping and forestry law.
“As a forester, I have a fiduciary responsibility to my client,” Lagueux said. “We handle their funds ... and if financial professionals should be licensed, I would think that anybody with fiduciary responsibilities should have the same licensing standards.”
A Felon’s Misguided Protest
Michael Guglielmo is well-known for promoting the bone marrow registry to help his son, Giovanni, and others fighting cancer. He served as executive director for DKMS Americas for New England, a non-profit bone marrow registry. (“Baby Giovanni” has since died.) Guglielmo also has a long criminal record that included a violent standoff with Manchester police. He spent 17 ½ years in state prison.
Now Guglielmo is on a campaign against Silas Allard, a member of the LGBTQ community who serves as art teacher at the Christa McAuliffe School in Concord. Guglielmo’s complaints about Allard’s “girly” style of dress and social media posts led to a temporary suspension while Superintendent Kathleen Murphy looked into the charges. She found the complaints to be unsubstantiated and Allard was able to return to work.
Parents and students have overwhelmingly supported Allard and many came to the March 7 school board meeting to voice their support. Guglielmo also came in costume, declaring, “I am Caesar, Julius Caesar of Rome, the emperor. I’m also a female. Does anybody here believe that? Of course not, it’s ridiculous. I’m not Caesar. I’m not a woman. … Engaging and facilitating gender confusion, gender dysphoria is developmentally injurious to the mental and emotional capacity of children.”
Yesterday in the News Café, I highlighted what I consider legitimate concerns about “gender-affirming care” for transgender youths — the use of puberty-blockers and irreversible surgical procedures that in many cases are being performed without parental consent. Those are decisions best postponed until adulthood; but allowing students to choose how they want to dress and how they wish to identify themselves is completely legitimate. Gender confusion is not unusual. As for adults identifying as LGBTQ, that is a right and it in no way indicates that they are incapable of success at teaching or any other job.
Protecting Youths From Tik-Tok
Attorneys-general in several states are demanding access to internal TikTok communications to determine whether the China-based company has engaged in “deceptive, unfair, and unconscionable conduct that harmed the mental health of TikTok users, particularly children and teens,” according to New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella. He and 46 of his colleagues in other states are seeking a court order to look into whether TikTok, Inc., violated consumer protection laws.
“Protecting our young people, especially their mental health, is crucial, as is seeking more information about how companies like TikTok are influencing their daily lives,” Formella said. “We already know that on TikTok [youths] are being exposed to harmful content including … potentially deadly viral challenges, bullying, and graphic content showcasing sexual images and drug use.”
In an amicus brief, they assert that TikTok repeatedly “failed to preserve relevant information and failed to provide internal communications in a useful format.” TikTok employees use an instant messaging service called Lark to communicate internally, but TikTok has continued allowing them to send auto-deleting messages since the start of the investigation and the messages they have provided are in a format that “is difficult to use and navigate.”
Bill Would Eliminate Site Evaluation Committee
House Bill 609 would eliminate the state’s Site Evaluation Committee, which reviews and has jurisdiction over new energy facilities generating more than 30 megawatts of electricity, weighing the environmental impact against energy needs. Membership on the SEC includes lay residents who help determine whether a project is in the public interest.
HB 609 would transfer permitting authority to the Public Utilities Commission. It has the support of state agencies, labor unions, Eversource, and other business officials. Opponents are worried about the reduction in public participation and the consolidation of power within the PUC, a three-member body appointed by the governor and confirmed by the executive council.
Representative Michael Vose (R-Epping), chair of the House Science, Technology, and Energy Committee and prime sponsor of House Bill 609, said said the SEC lacks institutional knowledge and suffers from sparse technical expertise, turnover, and a dearth of funding and dedicated support staff. Moving jurisdiction to the PUC, he said, would professionalize the site evaluation process and lead to more timely decisions.
Café Chatter
On A Good Citizen: What a perfect recognition for the Town of Bristol to make! Barbara loves her town and it shows in all she has done for many years. We have all benefitted in many ways from her work and efforts. Thank you, Barbara.
— Susan Duncan
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