re: NH parent arrested for protesting graphic sex content in school assignment

quote:

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It's good to know this context, but I would still have major issues concerning the content of the book.

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I pretty much avoided commenting on the content of the book because I think there is an argument for both sides.

The purpose of providing context was in response to the national publicity it has brought to my small NH county. Some websites have made the town sound like both a liberal bastion (due to the quoted passage in curriculum literature) and a nazi storm trooper site (due to the cop arresting and handcuffing the guy) at the same time. Liberals and libertarians are mad about the arrest - conservatives are mad about the book. Publicity-wise, Gilford looks bad either way.

The incident was a one-off incident that took place in a generally politically conservative town, but hardly a home to militias and religious zealots. I know the town, and many of its residents. It's a perfectly normal New Hampshire community that is friendly and receptive to both residents and the steady stream of tourists that visit every year. It's police force has never been seen as heavyhanded. Sometimes shite happens, and this time it happened in Gilford. Despite the national turmoil, the townspeople have simply flushed and moved on with their lives, lesson learned on all sides.