Also on today’s menu:
Remembering The Attack At Pearl Harbor
Laconia Accepts Newfound Into Huot CTE Program
Former president Donald Trump, who leads in the polling for the Republican presidential nomination, again skipped the debate stage on December 6, with his campaign labeling the Alabama event a race for second place. Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, who is challenging Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ claim to be the Trump alternative, responded to criticism from other candidates by saying, “I love all the attention, fellas.” Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie exchanged barbs over Ukraine with Vivek Ramaswamy, who made a crack about Christie's weight. DeSantis said he drew inspiration from President Calvin Coolidge because the Vermont native understood the proper role of the federal government under the Constitution.
Christie took on the former president for Trump’s response to Sean Hannity’s efforts to downplay concerns about a second term: “Do you in any way have any plans whatsoever if reelected president to abuse power, to break the law, to use the government to go after people?” Hannity asked. “You mean like they’re using right now?” Trump responded. When asked a second time, Trump said, “Except for day one. I want to close the border and I want to drill, drill, drill.… After that I’m not a dictator.” Christie said that proves Trump is a would-be dictator and a bully focused entirely on exacting retribution. Christie said the other candidates’ silence on the matter makes “it seem like his conduct is acceptable”. DeSantis only criticism of Trump was for being old and not fulfilling his promises on immigration.
Ramaswamy focused on the conspiracies he sees everywhere, saying he is the only one at the debate willing to say that the riot at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, was an inside job; that the American government lied about 9/11; that the 2020 election was stolen by the tech industry; and that there is a secret plan to replace white people in Europe and the US through mass migration. He accused Haley of corruption and Christie of being a fascist.
Christie responded by calling Ramaswamy the “most obnoxious blowhard in America” and telling him to “shut up for a little while”.
Discussion: I leave it to you to draw your own conclusions.
Remembering The Attack At Pearl Harbor
Ira “Ike” Schab is one of just six survivors of Pearl Harbor who was expected to take part in today’s ceremony commemorating the assault that led to the United States’ entry into World War II. There is just one crew member of the USS Arizona still alive — 102-year-old Lou Conter of California.
Schab, 103, who lives in Beaverton, Oregon, was aboard the USS Dobbin when he heard a call for a fire rescue party. He went topside to see the USS Utah capsizing and Japanese planes in the air. “We were pretty startled. Startled and scared to death,” he said. “We didn’t know what to expect and we knew that, if anything happened to us, that would be it.”
Today’s ceremony was to take place on a field across the harbor from the memorial for the USS Arizona, which exploded and sank shortly after being hit. More than 1,100 sailors and Marines from the Arizona died, and more than 900 are entombed inside.
Discussion: Each year, as there are fewer living survivors of the attack, there are fewer people who mark the day. Newspapers used to put out full sections on the attack and its consequences, and when I was at The Citizen, we could always rely on reporter Gordon King to locate local veterans who had stories to tell — often opening up to Gordon for the first time after keeping their experiences to themselves for years. Now Gordon is gone, as well.
Laconia Accepts Newfound Into Huot CTE Program
The Newfound Area School District is a step closer to becoming a voting member of the Huot Career and Technical Center’s regional advisory board, now that the Laconia School Board has approved Newfound Regional High School’s formal entry into the program. The agreement still needs the approval of the six other district school boards in order to take effect next year. The agreement would last through the 2027-28 school year.
Newfound students have taken classes at the Huot Center for several years since switching from the Plymouth Regional Career and Technical Education Center, but their participation in classes is delayed until member schools have enrolled their students in the programs. Huot Director David Warrender said that, of the 420 students participating this year, 42% come from Laconia, 16% from Gilford, 13% from Belmont, 10% from Inter-Lakes, 9% from Winnisquam, 5% from Franklin, and 5% from Newfound. CTE centers can accept students from other regions if those schools do not offer a course the student wants to take.
Admitting Newfound also provides a benefit to Huot: The center becomes eligible for federal Perkins grants obtained through the Newfound Area School District.
Discussion: Over the past decade, there has been an increased recognition of the importance of training in service and technical careers. The previous push for students to attend liberal arts colleges and business schools has left behind those whose talents lie in more hands-on pursuits and turned others away from factory jobs. The result has been an abundance of college-educated graduates competing for the same jobs, while too few people were available to fill service jobs, and manufacturers were unable to hire skilled workers. The problem became even more acute during the pandemic. Career and technical education restores those critical positions.
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