4th graders from the Lincoln Akerman School in Hampton Falls, New Hampshire recently decided to figure out how to draft, advocate, and pass a bill in the State Legislature. What a great idea! Gain an understanding of how your state government works, not by reading about it, but by actually DOING some of the work. Pretty darn cool if you ask me.  Steve Benen at MSNBC writes:

The idea seemed pretty straightforward. The fourth-grade class, made up of 9-and-10-year-olds from the Southeast corner of the state, worked on a proposal to make the Red Tail Hawk the official State Raptor of New Hampshire. The kids and their teacher brought their proposal to the state capitol, and it was approved by the Environment and Agriculture Committee.

Can you imagine the excitement of these kids, their teacher and their chaperones as they watched all their research and work clear each hurdle? I’d bet they had poster boards full of carefully pasted on photos of the Red Tail Hawk, cut-outs of words, free-hand drawings, and note cards to help them in case they are asked questions. I can just picture about 30 4th graders dressed in their best, and doing their utmost to simultaneously take everything in and yet keep quiet when they are supposed to. Just think of their pride in themselves and in each other as lobbyists, other witnesses, and legislators complimented them on their efforts, and their absolute glee when their bill – THEIR BILL! cleared the Environment and Agriculture Committee and went to the NH House floor for the final vote.

Can you even imagine how hard it was to sit still and calmly,as much as any 4th grader can do calm could, watch as their bill proceeds to a vote? I mean, their WHOLE class got recognized by the entire State House of Representatives and now they are debating on the House floor!!

Well, all was fine for a while… until the debate started. And then, it was like deflating a balloon in about 3 seconds. You see, it wasn’t that the bill didn’t pass – because it didn’t. It wasn’t that it was a bad bill – because it wasn’t. No, it was because of the rudeness and attitude of two of the State Representatives on the House Floor. NH1’s Shari Small has more:

Rep. Warren Groen, a Republican from Rochester said, “It grasps them with its talons then uses its razor sharp beak to basically tear it apart limb by limb, and I guess the shame about making this a state bird is it would serve as a much better mascot for Planned Parenthood.”
NH1 spoke with Groen over the phone on Thursday afternoon. Click here to listen to the interview with Groen.
That comment, considered offensive by many, was made while the fourth graders sat, watched and listened. The tough lesson didn’t end there.
Rep. John Burt, a Republican from Goffstown said, “Bottom line, if we keep bringing more of these bills, and bills, and bills forward that really I think we shouldn’t have in front of us, we’ll be picking a state hot dog next.”

Yes, you read that correctly. Meanwhile, as your absorbing that level of idiocy and picking your jaws up off the floor; some are saying that those terrific 4th graders have now received a harsh lesson in government. Ummm yeah NO. You know what the lesson they’ve gotten is? RUDENESS and ASSHATTERY

Representatives Groen and Burt may not have liked the bill; and it is within their realm to speak against it. However, the level of contempt and rudeness that they exhibited is inexcusable on every level. Its highly evident that neither State Representative wanted to treat this bill or those 4th graders seriously. Nor do they understand what a Raptor actually is. Perhaps this definition will help:

Birds of prey, also known as raptors, hunt and feed on other animals. The term “raptor” is derived from the Latin word rapere (meaning to seize or take by force).[1] These birds are characterized by keen vision that allows them to detect prey during flight and powerful talons and beaks.

In case anyone is wondering, here is a photo of a Red Tail Hawk:

Here’s a photo of Raptor that we are all familiar with:

Think about that for a moment. A terrific group of 4th graders puts together a legislative bill proposing a Red Tail Hawk as a State Raptor.  One that is in the same family as America’s beloved Bald Eagle.  In light of all of that; WHAT in the world does a bill proposing a State Raptor have to do with Planned Parenthood or hotdogs?! That horrendously crude comparison in front of 4th graders has people all over the country scratching their heads and asking WTH?? The mind absolutely boggles at how one could equate a bird of prey with Planned Parenthood as a mascot with the hotdog as a backup. Well, there is an explanation of sorts via StarTribune’s AP reporting by Rik Stevens:

Groen defended his comments and chastised critics for being outraged by his comments but not by abortion.

“The gallery is open to the public and there are children in the gallery every day,” he said. “I don’t know if we should limit free speech or limit the attendance in the gallery. It seems either one would be bad for transparency in government.”

Representatives Groen and Burt, let me explain something to you.  When you have a group of young people take the time, trouble, and effort to learn about government and in fact take the steps to become actively involved in the process; crudeness and mockery should NEVER be the answer to their efforts.  The two of you, and a few others on that House floor, taught those 4th graders a lesson alright.  Its evident that Representatives Groen, Burt and all the other NH House jokesters need to be reminded that they should treat ALL their constituents, including 4th graders who are future voters, with courtesy and civility and respect; even in a debate on the House floor.