For more than a decade, I’ve enjoyed the experience of watching the annual Dartmouth Relays indoor track event every January. In particular, it hosts some great high school competition including many local and state athletes, but also draws interest from all over New England, New York and Canada.
Chris Brown assisted in these meets for as long as I know. Chris was a great supporter of track and all track athletes in the Upper Valley, no matter their ability. This was the first year I didn’t see him there.
Chris passed away last year.
I will always remember him, stationed near the finish line. He seemed to know most all of the athletes from the local schools. I remember the smile on his face and the positive energy he expressed in the support and encouragement he offered to so many kids.
He never sought a public presence, but with his unassuming manner, the kids and parents knew, this guy knew his stuff.
Chris, you really made a difference in many peoples’ lives and in our community.
Billy Cioffredi
Lebanon
A Lesson in Alternative Reality
As a high school teacher charged with helping my students learn about American history, as well as English, I’ve had a sobering year so far.
First there was the concept of a “political fact” — articulated and advocated by those oblivious to accountability and accuracy. Then there was the challenge presented by “fake news” sites. Most recently we had the first press conference by the new administration at which blatant lies about Washington Metro ridership and inaugural attendance were insisted upon and emphatically argued. As one student said, in exasperation, “Who cares?!”
But wait — there’s more. On Sunday during Meet the Press, Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway presented, with a vehemence stunning for its determination to deceive, the concept of “alternative facts.”
As I brace myself to give and then grade midterm exams, something also taking place at many other schools, I wonder if I am about to encounter students and parents challenging their grades. Insisting, as modeled by the White House, that their answers aren’t wrong, they are simply relying on “alternative facts.”
Deborah H. Bacon Nelson
Hanover
We Care About Trump’s Taxes
I have many issues with Donald Trump. The Forum limit of 350 words would not even touch the surface. Let’s talk about just one thing — Trump’s tax return and Kellyanne Conway’s “alternative fact” (lie) when she stated that the American people don’t care about Trump’s tax return.
I say that “Yes we do!” How about a focus on “We the People” raising our voices (letters, emails, phone calls, letters to the editor, marches, petitions) to demand that most basic ethical transparency. One of the most basic requests of accountability has gotten swept under the rug.
Carol Stedman
Hartland
The Real Issue: Voter Suppression
Let’s be clear. The issue about voter fraud is not about Trump’s ego and thin skin. The larger issue and concern has to do with voter suppression. Investigate voter suppression, not fraud. There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud, but plenty of evidence of voter suppression and attempts to make it even more difficult for people to vote.
I believe not allowing people to vote is a crime and should be treated as treason.
Joe Silver
Hartland
Before the Impeachment
While it may be too soon, too complicated and too divisive to impeach Donald Trump, perhaps Congress could pass a law compelling him to see a psychiatrist. Trump’s erratic behavior during his first week in office is troublesome, so why not give therapy a try? I could easily see him doing a weekly televised therapy session with Dr. Phil — the ratings would be through the roof.
Philip Glouchevitch
Hanover
Love the Flag, Don’t Burn It
Shame on Tim Messen! One day he threatens to burn the American Flag (“Division, Dialogue in Hanover,” Jan. 21). The next day he pledges his allegiance to it, after thanking people for coming to his rally.
It sounds like he doesn’t have a clue what our flag stands for or why this precious symbol means so much to so many.
Burning the flag serves no purpose and does nothing but incite violence and hatred. It certainly is not an act of respect, as Messen claimed.
Just because the Supreme Court deems it a constitutionally protected form of free speech, does not make it right. I applaud Keith Hanson of WNTK-FM for encouraging listeners to stage a counter-demonstration. Most Americans are grateful for our freedoms and take pride in raising our flag as a display of gratitude.
I was raised in Haverhill where there is a special group of veterans who sacrificed their lives for our country. We have freedom today because they fought to protect it. They are still serving by their commitment to community service projects.
I feel honored to be able to raise the American flag on my property. I am proud to be a daughter of a World War II veteran. I count it a great privilege to be an American citizen and I love the flag!
Margo Farnham Longacre
North Haverhill
Working on Child Care Issues
Solving our child care challenges is imperative from a variety of perspectives. As Gov. Phil Scott so aptly described in his recent inaugural address, fixing our shortage of high-quality, affordable child care is very much a part of resolving Vermont’s overall affordability issues. That’s why I’ve decided to join Vermont’s Early Childhood Business Council.
We are a coalition of employers and business leaders who recognize the importance of high-quality, affordable child care to Vermont’s economic health and prosperity.
In the spirit of Malcom Gladwell, I’m writing this letter as a rallying cry for businesses, workers and legislators to become more invested in this issue for the sake of reaching a tipping point. Politically, child care is a nonpartisan problem and therefore there are plenty of seats at the table. According to the Joint Fiscal Office’s 2015 Basic Needs Budget, child care is generally the second-highest expenditure behind housing. In fact, for families with two wage earners and two children, child care costs exceed housing costs by upward of $200 per month. Middle-income families with two parents and two young children spend 28 percent to 40 percent of their income on child care. Shockingly, the cost of child care often exceeds the cost of in-state tuition at Vermont’s state colleges.
If you’re a business owner, worker or legislator, or otherwise have an economic stake in solving our child care challenges, then please join the conversation. Get involved, get vocal. Familiarize yourself with the facts and realities. Talk to parents and talk to businesses to help figure out solutions. Be creative and don’t be afraid to break new ground. Help create the groundswell that will get us to a tipping point.
The solutions to solving our child care challenges are still somewhat fuzzy, but they are gradually coming into focus. The more we talk about it, the more the answers will reveal themselves. Visit letsgrowkids.org for more information. And if you’re a business leader, consider joining me on Vermont’s Early Childhood Business Council. Learn more at ecbcvermont.org.
Scott D. Woodward
Pomfret
We marched. I was in Boston with friends and neighbors. Other family members, including three granddaughters, were in Rome, Italy, Vancouver, British Columbia, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. While at times we focused on what we were marching against — ugly, hurtful, sexist and exclusionary language and behavior during and after the presidential campaign — we also marched in solidarity with our sisters who are members of ostracized minority groups.
In Boston, we listened to the voices of national and local political leaders like Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Mayor Marty Walsh, who cautioned us that this should be just the start of our efforts to raise our voices. We sang along with the chimes of the Arlington Street Church and chanted about the legitimacy of climate change and the importance of a woman’s right to make decisions about her health. We laughed at comic signs, took photos of those we found to be particularly meaningful and admired the creativity and artistry of others.
Mothers carried children on their backs or held them tightly by the hand. Daughters and granddaughters pushed elderly mothers and grandmothers in wheelchairs. We moved slowly, more than 170,000 of us, as we attempted to reach the starting point of the march, always being careful of those around us. When we finally reached the walking route, we were buoyed by the curb crowds, who shouted, “So, what does democracy look like?” lated, we would respond: “This is what democracy looks like.”
We marched in public spaces all over the world. We marched together, democratic women and men, united and free. We marched in hope.
Judy McCarthy
Grantham
A Cult of Personality Begins
Every day I hope that things cannot get any worse, and every day I am proven wrong: Trump’s behavior reminds me of Ceausescu’s Romania, which I escaped in the 1970s. This last week triggered nightmarish memories of Nicolae Ceausescu’s personality cult and jingoism.
I guess the last straw was the naming of Trump’s inauguration day “National Day of Patriotic Devotion.” This is scary!
Patriot, based on its etymology (Latin and Greek), is someone who loves her or his country, not its leader. What is going on now here is not patriotism, it is cult of personality. Here are some famous examples: Stalin, Mao, Hitler, Mussolini, Ceausescu, and today, Kim Jong Un. Wake up, America.
Nadia Gorman
Lyme Center