Our judicial system since the founding of this nation has been based on the premise that an individual accused of some form of wrongdoing is innocent until proven guilty by the accuser. In the past few years, it appears that the opposite is now the new norm.
Just think, anyone at any time can accuse anybody of anything. Your neighbor could accuse you of something terrible and the rest of the neighborhood and the local news media immediately determine that you are guilty. Your reputation is ruined, your kids are attacked in school and your employer fires you.
The truth is that you never committed the “crime” and it is determined that the accuser is a nut case, but the stigma is still on you and your family. It never really goes away.
This is where our news media and society are going.
The latest example is the new accusation against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The New York Times, taking an excerpt from a forthcoming book, has “uncovered” another alleged instance of sexual misconduct. The supposed victim has said she has no recollection of the incident, but Kavanaugh must be guilty because The New York Times, the Valley News, and most of the Democratic presidential candidates say so.
The alleged victim has absolutely no knowledge of the crime. Therefore, there is no crime, there is no guilt.
Apologies and retractions to follow? Highly unlikely. Kavanaugh must be guilty because he hasn’t proven his innocence.
BRUCE ST. PETER
Grantham
As co-director of Biofuelwatch, I have assisted communities resisting biomass and biofuel proposals for more than a decade. I have learned that claims made about biomass supply, the kind of wood that is needed, the impacts of harvests on forests, costs and air pollution generally turn out to be incorrect.
Put Blodgett, in his recent Opinion column (“Dartmouth biomass project would help forests, economy,” Sept. 13), rightfully questions what alternatives might exist for heating the campus, and requests that Dartmouth College reveal the details of its analyses. But his claims that a demand for biomass would be good for the forest compel a rebuttal.
First, natural forests are nothing like vegetable gardens, as he suggests. Vegetable gardens are essentially monocultures (or collections of monoculture patches), the goal being rapid growth and turnover. This is about as unlike a natural forest ecosystem as possible. But it has been key to the business model of the timber/pulp industry, which aims to replace natural forests with tree plantations.
Organizations around the world, including the Global Forest Coalition (on whose board I serve), have opposed the confounding of plantations and forests for decades, demanding that the U.N. definition of “forest” discriminate between the two.
Tree monocultures are often referred to as “green deserts.” Study after study has demonstrated the lack of biodiversity, impacts on soils and waterways and reduced carbon sequestration of tree plantations as compared to natural forests. Left to their own devices, without any interference from us, natural forests store more carbon than “managed” forests. That includes carbon, nutrients and biodiversity that is held in “deadwood” and “low-grade” timber.
Common sense tells us that it is not possible to provide enough “low-grade” wood from within a 40-50 mile radius of the Dartmouth campus to provide heat to 119 buildings for the next 30-40 years.
Putting such a demand in place would create a wood market indeed, and that would likely be profitable for tree farmers in the region. But let’s not delude ourselves that it would be good for the forests.
RACHEL SMOLKER
Hinesburg, Vt.
The North Country Chordsmen’s 42nd annual show, “Everyone In Harmony,” opens at the Lebanon Opera House on Saturday, at 7:30 p.m. Come enjoy the rich, lower-register sound of the North Country Chordsmen, and exhilarate at the new, all-gender VoxStars chorus, debuting at the show.
This year’s guest quartet is the world-renowned Throwback, the 2019 Barbershop Harmony Society International Silver Medalist quartet. Also appearing will be Greenlight, a young quartet and this year’s Northeastern District champions, and the Upper Valley’s own Clef Hangers, Granite and Pine Senior Division champs. Our guest master of ceremonies will be Lebanon’s own Karen Liot Hill.
Order seats through Lebanon Opera House (lebanonoperahouse.org or 603-448-0400). After the show, come share food and drink with the cast for only $10 at our “Afterglow” at the Upper Valley Senior Center just down the road. Tickets will be on sale during intermission and at the senior center door.
BRUCE PACHT
Lebanon