Common Sense For New Hampshire

11 Comments

1. George wrote:

   Maybe go to Costa Rica for a week

   Friday, November 7, 2014 at 2:47 pm | Permalink
2. VITO CORLEONE wrote:

   I’m leaving for Italy for the holidays. Maybe stay for a few months.

   Friday, November 7, 2014 at 6:07 pm | Permalink
3. Richard Deakins wrote:

   Dave, you said you weren’t sure what direction this blog should take. I have an idea. The problem with most political blogs and websites is they are nothing more than echo chambers — people of the same mindset go to one site or the other and tell each other how they are “right” and the other side is “wrong.” Nothing very constructive happens there. It’s just a bunch of like-minded people all agreeing with each other. If a person of a different mindest enters the conversation, they are “shouted” down, told they don’t love their town, or basically told to go away — as I was in a comment the other day.(Go to the Mayor’s FB page I was told. Your comments will be better received there.) I’m sure they would. But what would that accomplish? Progress isn’t going to be made by me seeking out only people who agree with me. Opposing viewpoints need to engage and see what can be worked out. My suggestion is that you make your blog such a place. As Admin, it would be your job to make sure everyone plays nice in the sandbox. Wouldn’t that be something? A civil dialogue between people of different beliefs, trying to actually reach a mutually agreeable position for the common good of the town.Could anyone possibly have a problem with that???

   Friday, November 7, 2014 at 11:10 pm | Permalink
4. admin wrote:

   Hi Richard.

   Unlike the mayor’s Facebook page, which deletes within minutes any opposing comments or even comments that attempt to correct actual mistruths, the comments section of this blog have always been welcoming of all opinions. And based on the fact that the page load numbers each day are usually more than double the visitor numbers, I think most readers are going to the comments pages.

   I have, actually, been thinking about creating a separate public forum page so the conversations aren’t scattered between the different blog posts. But I really don’t want the job of deciding who’s playing nice and who isn’t.

   There are some comments that have come in that I wished hadn’t and have had to swallow hard before hitting the “approved” button. I really do want people to be civil to each other. But if I try to control it too much it really wouldn’t be a public forum anymore. Anyway it’s only a handful of comments that come in that I have to publish with some reluctance. Of course those are the ones the other guys look for to use to smear what I’m doing here but I just have to live with that. The people that come here know what this blog is about.

   Saturday, November 8, 2014 at 5:13 am | Permalink
5. Guest wrote:

   Good point Admin, your blog supports people’s voices to be heard. Keep your blog as it has been – an open forum of truth.

   Saturday, November 8, 2014 at 8:23 am | Permalink
6. Guest wrote:

   Suggestion to Richard Deakins, start your own blog.

   Saturday, November 8, 2014 at 8:24 am | Permalink
7. admin wrote:

   Your comments are always welcome here Richard.

   Saturday, November 8, 2014 at 8:27 am | Permalink
8. Richard Deakins wrote:

   Two points. I talk about how this blog could be an open dialogue, and “GUEST” suggests maybe I should just start my own blog. TRANSLATION: If you want to disagree, do it someplace else. As long as this kind of attitude persists, we are ALL screwed. I also think you have to try and resist EVERY opportunity to take swipes at the “other” side. If I’m talking about how to make something better, you don’t need to talk about Matt’s FB page. I wasn;’t talking about his FB page, which, BTW, I have NEVER been too.

   Saturday, November 8, 2014 at 8:37 am | Permalink
9. BEN REAL wrote:

   Richard,in your #3 post you described a Belmar council meeting to the t. “Nothing very constructive happens there. It’s just a bunch of like-minded people all agreeing with each other. If a person of different mindset enters the conversation, they are shouted down, told they don’t love their town, or to basically go away.”(You forgot they are also called “anti-recovery” or “an element in town.”)

   Saturday, November 8, 2014 at 7:44 pm | Permalink
10. Steven Koren wrote:

    Doherty is the mayor, he sets the tone. It’s pretty simple. He’s insufferably smug. People don’t like that. A Mayor who characterizes an important town referendum as “drama” (“lets put all this drama behind us”) is clearly tone deaf. He refers to a “small but vocal” opposition, when he barely squeaks by on a handful of absentee ballots.

    He’s pretty much the definition of a smug politician, and appears to be almost completely tone-deaf. That’s why you have rancor in Belmar.

    Monday, November 10, 2014 at 3:51 pm | Permalink
11. Tulips wrote:

    to 10 – Certainly all the people can not be wrong all the time. Aside from that I see money as a big factor here. Mail In votes should be abolished for all except the handicap until this mess is solved. I do not like another element deciding my life style for me.Maybe in another 10 years they may see it differently.

    Tuesday, November 11, 2014 at 7:38 pm | Permalink

Post a Comment