A heartfelt thank you to my senators, Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, and my representative, Annie Kuster, for their opposition to the Trump administration’s policies on immigration and refugees. I also want to thank Sens. Shaheen and Hassan for their opposition to the nominations of unqualified people like Betsy DeVos for secretary of education and Jeff Sessions for attorney general.
As a mother of an adult child with severe disabilities, I ask my representatives to forcefully fight all Trump administration attempts to shift federal funding of Medicaid to block grants. Such a shift would decimate the programs that serve our most vulnerable citizens, like my son.
I hope my representatives continue to vigorously oppose the onslaught of Trump administration initiatives that are eroding our democratic system of checks and balances, such as the executive order giving Steve Bannon a seat on the National Security Council. The NSC should be a check on Bannon’s power, not another organization he controls.
Finally, I ask Sens. Shaheen and Hassan and Rep. Kuster to please help build a new and truly progressive Democratic party that is entirely different from the one exemplified by Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Donna Brazile. We need a party that embodies integrity, transparency and honesty, that is responsive to Americans’ deep hunger for economic, climate and social justice, and the abolishment of Citizens United and corporate welfare. To be powerful enough to overcome dangerous authoritarian trends, the Democratic Party must be respectful of its constituents, and pick progressive candidates that enliven and energize its base.
Miriam R. Osofsky
Hanover
Eliminate Death Penalty in N.H.
State representatives should vote no on HB 351, which would expand the use of the death penalty in New Hampshire. Rather, the Legislature needs to advance a bill that would abolish this practice once and for all.
The history of the death penalty in the U.S. is riddled with cases containing errors, class and racial bias, and the conviction of innocent people. Thankfully, there have been no executions in New Hampshire since 1939, proof that without the death penalty we will not be overrun by violent crime. It begs the question, why do we keep this most expensive sentencing option on the books and now want to expand it?
The death penalty is not justice. It is premeditated murder — an atrocity and violation of human rights whether committed by the state or an individual. The death penalty needs to be eliminated, not expanded.
Maria Weick
Dorchester
The Risk of Terrorism
Referring to Peter Rousmaniere’s Forum letter, “Muslims Among Us” (Feb. 4), ISIS appears to be vaulting over the idea that the risk of terrorism in American is very low, and that a limited ban on immigration is required, to refine their operatives already in place to recruit, guide and equip young people (who “want to enter paradise tonight”) to export terror with a global reach.
For details see “Not ‘Lone Wolves’ After All: How ISIS is Guiding Terror Plots from Afar” (The New York Times, Feb. 4, by Rukmini Callimachi).
Don Kivell
Hanover
Cicero Said It
For all those who rejoice at the results of the election and to all those who don’t like the results, I would encourage you to put the pressure on our elected officials to heed the words that Cicero spoke sometime around 40 B.C.
Just as in the music of harps and flutes or in the voices of singers of a certain harmony of the different tones must be maintained, so also a state is made harmonious by agreement among dissimilar elements. This is brought about by a fair and reasonable blending of the upper, middle and lower classes, just as if they were musical tones. What musicians call harmony in song is concord in a state.
Would that our politicians on all levels, national, state, county and local, could remember this when they are performing their duties.
David Bowen
New London
Don’t Impugn Others
Without getting into the purpose/appropriateness of last week’s action in the U.S. Senate, I see the applicability of not allowing one person to impugn another on the pages of the Valley News Forum. Including such in letters that contain suggestions, ideas and statements of position not only doesn’t move forward others’ acceptance of what’s offered, it sets a tone that diminishes our community.
The Valley News should announce that it will become its policy not to print letters containing impugnment. They can put this into action by editing out the portion that includes such, send it back to the originator for change, or not print it. The purpose would not be to discourage letters that want to offer another side of an issue. It would, in fact, foster more open-mindness and more appreciation of others’ ideas.
Louis A. Kislik
West Lebanon
Editor’s note: The Valley News discourages personal attacks in Forum letters. Wider latitude is given comments regarding public figures.