Freak the News gets some gov-luv

Maine Gov. Paul LePage and Freak the News author and Lebanon Voice editor Harrison Thorp on Saturday at the Capitol in Augusta. (Martha T. Soto-Galicia photo)

The Lebanon Voice was heard all the way up in Augusta on Saturday, but mostly the governor just wanted to talk about Freak the News, this writer’s debut novel about the dark and seamy side of the newspaper industry.
And who was I to dissuade him from discussing one of my favorite topics. We sent him a copy of Freak the News several months ago, but we certainly didn't know he'd like it so much.
What was supposed to be a 15-minute sit-down with Maine Gov. Paul LePage turned into more like a half-hour.
We wish it could’ve been a lot longer.
I’ve met many politicians, from governors to mayors to selectmen, but this man is without a doubt the most genuine article you will ever find.
The nicest thing I can say about him? He sure doesn’t sound like a politician.
There’s no nanosecond of hesitation while contemplating the “politically expedient” response.
And isn’t that what you want in your leaders? A straight shooter.

President Obama and the Republican leadership in Washington could take a cue from this man. We’d all be better off.

Speaking of better off, as you can see, The Lebanon Voice continues to improve your website.

First, you’ll notice we have a new columnist, Alaina Goodnaugh, who will write a pet column every week.
Goodnaugh is a longtime Promotions Coordinator at the Cocheco Valley Humane Society in Dover, N.H. She has a wealth of information about the adoption and care of our furry little friends.
Welcome Alaina. Great to have you aboard.
Secondly, you’ll notice we implemented a horizontal navigation bar at the top of the home page. This allows for a much easier navigation of the website. Readers can either scroll down the home page and click on a section they want to peruse, or they can click on the navigation bar to go immediately to that section.
We’ve also begun a weekly reader poll. It’s located on the home page on the top left. This week’s poll is whether you think the wearing of hats should be allowed in the classroom.
The question comes in the wake of a story The Lebanon Voice did last week after learning that both Nute High and Middle School and Noble High School allow hats in class. Spaulding High does not, except with teacher OK.
Adults we spoke to overwhelmingly agreed wearing hats is a detriment to learning and a sign of disrespect.
We couldn’t agree more. Plus, once you allow hats, where do you draw the line? Can they wear a 3-foot-long clown hat, a Prussian spike helmet? Backward? Inside out?
One last observation about the hats in class story. Of all the adults and students we spoke to the only one that dared give his name was a parent whose son had already graduated.
Several who worked at area public schools and/or had children at those schools refused to give their names for fear of reprisals against them or their children.
Coincidentally, a neighbor of mine dropped off the movie “1984” he’d rented from Netflix the other day. When my daughter got home from school, she saw it on the table. “That’s weird, we just started studying that in school,” she said.
Coincidence? Or prescience?
Hello, Big Brother.
Finally, a shoutout to school administrators whose schools allow hats. Keep it up and maybe one day one of your graduates will get to meet the governor, too. Unfortunately, they won’t take their hat off. Sad. Very sad.