I would like to thank Matt Cardillo for his Forum letter in the Aug. 13 Valley News in which he talked about the casualties of the drug war. I am a casualty of that war, as are many other parents, siblings, loved ones and friends. We live in a special world of pain, not knowing how to talk about our loss, not knowing if we should mention it to others. There is such stigma, such shame. Who would want to know? We are silenced by our community’s opinion of drug use and those who use. We hear addicts must be losers, a drain on society.
My daughter was nothing of the sort. She had a college degree. She worked in the Harvard University Health Services in Cambridge, Mass. She was smart and beautiful. She also had severe asthma and lung disease which often put her in the hospital with pneumonia. In the worst bout, she was intubated and in intensive care for several days. After three weeks when she was recovered enough to go home, she was given two pages of medications to take. Several were opiates.
The insidious character of these drugs is that you unwittingly become addicted. It doesn’t take long. It happens to many people because doctors aren’t cautioned by the drug companies who are trying to sell their products.
When my daughter’s prescriptions ran out, she went to the street. The drug was everywhere and it was cheap. And deadly. She died of an overdose last Nov. 15.
To honor her and to give a voice to all those who have lost someone to this terrible epidemic, there will be an event on Nov. 15 in Newport called Speak Up. It will be held in conjunction with Hope For N.H. Come and let your outrage and sadness be heard. Together we can help turn this around. We need you. Please join us. Contact Hope For N.H., 65 Park St., Newport, N.H. 03773.
The Rev. Alice RobertsNewport
Why do Republicans make such bad choices? I am flabbergasted that the Republican Party, with all its wealth, stealth and wisdom, has, for the past three presidential elections, blown it. First, we were presented with the buffoonery of Sara Palin, then the pious ineptitude of Mitt Romney, and now Donald Trump, who could easily morph into one of Batman’s mortal enemies. Can anyone explain it to me?
Ed Berger Canaan
We’re getting closer to the presidential election and we have the folks who don’t want you “wasting your vote” coming out in droves. I’ve read the Forum letters blasting Patricia Greene, of Canaan, for endorsing Jill Stein, and I can’t think of a more intelligent candidate. From knowing Patricia, I’m sure she will be volunteering very diligently for Dr. Stein. This is who she chooses. I personally like someone else, not named Clinton or Trump, and plan to not only vote but volunteer also.
As an American with empathy, compassion and a strong sense of fair play, I applaud anyone who chooses not to reward cheating, bullying or outright shenanigans with their vote. If the so-called progressives want to bemoan how folks could let Mr. Trump become president by not voting for Hillary Clinton, who I call “Shillary,’’ maybe you should direct your criticisms to Debbie Wasserman Schultz and the DNC. When our kids cheat and swindle, we don’t reward them. But Clinton rewarded little Debbie. And that is just a sign of things to come.
Daniel Moore Grafton
Forum writer John Yocom argues that climate change is not worthy of such prominence in the political discussion (“Climate Change Is Not No. 1 Issue,” Aug. 15). He justifies this by saying “they” don’t understand the atmospheric physics behind the greenhouse effect, specifically that the logarithmic relationship of CO2 concentrations and warming means that CO2 must double to maintain a linear relationship.
There are two issues with Mr. Yocom’s postion. First, he is wrong on the science. It is well understood that the CO2 and temperature relationship is logarithmic. In the mid-19th century, CO2 levels were about 280 parts per million (PPM), a level that had been roughly the same for at least 800,000 years. We are now at 400 PPM, and increasing steadily. How long it takes to get to the doubling level of 560 PPM depends on our fossil fuel use. Most estimates are around mid-century, leading to about a 3.5 degree Celsius increase in warming. Contrary to Mr. Yocom’s assertion, the warming trend has not flattened.
How long will it take to double again — to 1,120 PPM, and another 3.5 degree Celsius increase? That depends on our actions. If we continue our business-as-usual approach, it could be as early as 2100. While 3.5 Celsius seems small, we can already see the effects of warming and they are, for the most part, not good. It is hard to imagine what awaits us in 2100.
Second, like many who deny the reality of climate change, Mr. Yocom believes that he has discovered something that thousands of scientists have either missed or are deliberately hiding. If he were really interested in understanding warming, the Upper Valley has a number of world-class researchers who could explain the basic science. But, for him, it appears that it is not about science, it is about avoiding an issue that can’t be explained away and will require concerted efforts and a change in lifestyle to address.
Michael Hillinger Etna
As we are heading into one of the last weekends for vacations and camping, I would like to ask as you are putting away your camping gear and maybe thinking of buying a camper to replace your tent, to consider donating your tents, sleeping bags, tarps, cook stoves and any other camping equipment you will no longer use to Silent Warriors. Silent Warriors provides such items to our local homeless citizens, helping them with shelter in our community. Any donations are tax deductible, and we are willing to pick up at your location.
Please let us know by calling 603-504-5432. We have only three tents left and have supported on average three to four adults a week. We accept financial donations and checks may be made payable to Silent Warriors. A tax receipt will be provided.
Feel free to follow us on Facebook, silentwarriorsnhvt of Enfield or our website, silentwarriorsnhvt.org.
Bev McKinley, founder of Silent WarriorsEnfield