Jim Kenyon’s column “Little to see in Canaan” (Feb. 20) ignores facts by insinuating a cover-up by the Canaan Selectboard.
Readers of Kenyon know he frequently criticizes police. The Canaan Selectboard does not have to defend the fact that a former Canaan police officer is now a New Hampshire State Police trooper; only the state could do that.
Kenyon ignores the rulings of New Hampshire courts: The Canaan Selectboard does not have to release its findings to anyone, or to Kenyon for his conspiracy theory in the Valley News. “Judge Kenyon” has no legal authority in New Hampshire. Kenyon, and the citizens of Canaan, should congratulate the Selectboard members: They got it right when they confidentially decided to review police personnel, policies and procedures and how the police are carrying them out. Cities and towns across the country are doing likewise.
Kenyon ignores facts: To assure citizens there was no cover-up, the Canaan Selectboard employed an outside law firm, sworn in New Hampshire to tell the truth. The firm would lose its license to practice if it participated in a cover-up. To have the firm do its own investigation, the Selectboard had to pay for it. That is not “feeding at the public trough.” It surprises me it did not cost more.
Kenyon is free to say anything he wants in the Valley News. Freedom of the press for him, and for us as well. But he and we have a responsibility not to slip into the national pastime of finding conspiracies where none exist. Trying to scare us with a conspiracy theory is not being a responsible citizen.
This should not be hanging over us when we citizens of Canaan participate in our annual Town Meeting. It is a false issue. The Canaan Selectboard did it right. There is much good to see in Canaan.
RICHARD K. FOX
Canaan
Those who exaggerate their actual power, influence or importance — usually for nefarious purposes — are “backbenchers.” A more common, less inflammatory meaning of the term is “a member of the British House of Commons who is not a party leader.” Which definition did Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin intend in her op-ed piece designed to diminish the credibility of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and the Green New Deal (“Hard questions that need to be asked,” Feb. 14)?
Another thing I question is whether the “hard questions” Rubin lists should be addressed to lawmakers. Sure, the government has been diluting the EPA by attrition, and by replacing scientists with bureaucrats (ditto NASA, NOAA, etc). Nonetheless, we still could round up enough climate scientists for a quorum and provide the answers. Meanwhile, we, the people and their representatives, definitely need to do some organizational homework to throttle back fossil fuel infrastructure as we bring renewable energy online. It may be we have only a dozen years to monitor and guide the transfer, so I’m glad Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is planning to take a vote on the resolution: Time is of the essence.
Jared Bernstein’s column (“Progressives must ignore noise, stay ambitious,” Feb. 15) presents a different take on the Green New Deal: It’s not legislation but “a set of broad ideas … to reduce carbon emissions while creating good jobs through investment in green industry,” providing flexibility while fostering progress. I agree with Bernstein that we must stay ambitious, but instead of ignoring noise, as he advises, we must make noise of our own. I vociferously protest the climate crisis each weekday. I contact my representatives when inspiration strikes, as well as the so-called-president and selected minions when they do something notable. And — surprise — I sometimes post letters to editors.
I bet you, too, support climate justice, and help out-shout the deniers. I salute your commitment.
KEVIN McEVOY LEVERET
White River Junction
With great interest I read William A. Wittik’s Feb.19 letter to the editor (“The gaffes and deceptions of the new Democrats”). Of the six Democratic members of Congress he chose to criticize, five are women, the lone male being Eric Swalwell, who responded intemperately to a prediction that banning assault-style weapons “would lead to war.” Of the five women, four are non-white, one is LGBT. Considering that these women have suffered more than two years of vicious, misogynistic, xenophobic slander and lies from our 45th president, I would think they might be forgiven some excesses. But their dress and language are faulted, and an unproven right-wing allegation is thrown in. Then, by writing “The Democrats sure know how to pick ’em,” the irony is complete: The Democratic National Committee decidedly did not pick these candidates, unlike the highly managed 2016 election, which sidelined U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and delivered us Donald Trump.
These women are part of a nationwide, diverse, grass-roots, largely women-led demonstration of democracy at its finest: The largest minority party vote since Watergate. But with such pious voices on the Republican side, 2020 will be another winning year for Democrats.
RICHARD DYBVIG
Tunbridge
The United Valley Interfaith Project and Vital Communities would like to thank Village Pizza in Lebanon and Ramunto’s Brick & Brew Pizzeria in Hanover for their very delicious, hot pizzas, and the Lebanon Hannaford supermarket for the gift card to make the recent “fuel burden” event successful. These establishments are caring members of our Upper Valley communities.
Thank you all for your collective generosity.
SHARON RACUSIN
Norwich