The Lebanon Emblem Club No. 358 would like everyone to know that it is with heavy hearts that we have decided to cancel this year’s annual drive-thru chicken barbecue. As most of our regulars know, almost all of us are up there in age and it would be disastrous to catch the novel coronavirus. Also, all of the extra work with our small crew would be extremely difficult with social distancing, etc. Then there are the extra costs to consider, as well as being able to get the chicken with the meat shortage.
We will miss seeing all of our regulars and making special cakes and desserts for many of you. Please know you will be in our thoughts, especially during the month of August, and you will be missed personally. You are part of our family.
The barbecue is our only real fundraiser, as it has grown by leaps and bounds over the last 14 years. We will have to really tighten our belt and reduce the amount of money we give to local charities and scholarships. If you would like to contribute, you may send a check to Lebanon Emblem Club No. 358, P.O. Box 169, Lebanon N.H. 03766. You can designate if you would like it to go to scholarships or charities. Also, we welcome new members.
We say a sincere thank you to all of our wonderful customers, and to the Valley News for its coverage, which have made our 14 years a success. We look forward to seeing you all in August 2021. Until then, stay well and happy!
ANN COUGLE
Orford
The writer is chair of the annual chicken barbecue for the Lebanon Emblem Club No. 358.
I am writing in support of Ted Herz’s recent Forum letter (“Giving in to a narrow political agenda,” July 7). The American Indian has always been a proud symbol of Dartmouth College. Once, Dartmouth’s sports teams were known by the nickname “Indians,” before we switched to the bland Big Green.
JUDY CROSS
Hanover
In 2002, as co-captain of the Dartmouth College men’s swimming and diving team, I fought alongside my teammates to save our program from budget cuts. Now, 18 years later, the college has again deemed the program undeserving of its meager annual budget.
In his email to alumni, President Philip Hanlon wrote, “athletic recruitment at Dartmouth has begun to impact our ability to achieve the right balance between applicants who are accomplished in athletics and applicants who excel in other pursuits.”
Hanlon’s assertion implies a false dichotomy: that student-athletes at Dartmouth do not excel beyond their pool, field or court. In the 2019-2020 season, both swim teams earned College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America Scholar All-America honors, and the incoming swimming and diving students’ average SAT score of 1502 exceeds the class average.
More generally, how should student-athletes interpret Hanlon’s statement?
Hanlon and Athletic Director Harry Sheehy have made contradictory remarks regarding budget constraints. The Athletic Department website says the COVID-19 pandemic “has simply accelerated our need to find savings across Dartmouth.” A few sentences later, addressing a hypothetical question regarding fundraising efforts, it says, “even if financial resources were plentiful, these sports would exist without any admissions support.”
I call on the administration to eliminate this paradoxical and opaque messaging. Sheehy was tasked to reduce the number of recruited athletes, and yet the swimming and rowing teams have some of the lowest percentages of recruited athletes on their teams. Hanlon has cited the importance of diversity and inclusion, and yet in cutting the swimming programs, Hanlon will be firing the only two female assistant coaches affiliated with a Dartmouth men’s athletic program.
Dartmouth’s athletic traditions should not fall victim to such misguided, shortsighted thinking. In 2002, President James Wright met with the Dartmouth community and developed a meaningful, long-term solution. Hanlon has conveniently chosen to deliver his edict while the campus is empty, but I hope he, too, will listen to the thousands of voices protesting this decision and reconsider. His students deserve to be heard.
PAUL SCHNED
Avon, Conn.
The writer is a 2003 Dartmouth College graduate and a former Norwich resident.
Ensuring reproductive rights is a priority for New Hampshire voters. As a woman who has lived in New Hampshire for 20 years, I am personally invested in the welfare of this state’s people. If Gov. Chris Sununu signs HB 685, the Reproductive Health Parity Act, the health care values of the Granite State would be protected. Currently, the bill has passed in the House and Senate and is awaiting Sununu’s signature.
The bill would require commercial and Affordable Care Act insurance plans to cover abortion care if they also cover maternity benefits. Instead of insurance companies supporting some aspects of reproductive care, they should expand support to include all aspects of reproductive care. This inclusion would permit individuals to make decisions for themselves, rather than insurance companies making decisions for patients by excluding care.
As a Granite Stater, I know that our communities are tight-knit and caring. The passage of this bill would ensure the health of our neighbors while reflecting the values of New Hampshire voters. One in four women will obtain an abortion in their lifetime. Therefore, the coverage of safe and legal abortions is crucial to many New Hampshire residents.
Call or email the governor and urge him to sign HB 685 into law to show he prioritizes the health and well-being of Granite Staters.
FIONA GREENOUGH
Meriden
As a teacher in New Hampshire, I was interested to see Gov. Chris Sununu’s guidelines for reopening schools. Fearing he might put politics before duty, I was slightly encouraged when he said he would not attend President Donald Trump’s New Hampshire rally (which was eventually canceled), explaining that he was uncomfortable with the large gathering during a pandemic. That seemed reasonable, and a rare act of bravery for a Republican in the age of Trump.
On Tuesday, Sununu showed his true stripes when he announced his school reopening plan (“Sununu: NH won’t force schools to reopen,” July 15). I was underwhelmed with the concern this plan showed for students, teachers and families, including the reduction of the social distancing of 6 feet, which we have been encouraged to keep for months, to 3 feet.
The justification for this comes from the respected medical journal The Lancet, which recommends 6 feet but indicates that 3 feet provides some protection, with proper personal protective equipment. So you might expect that a 3-foot allowance would come with a mask mandate. But Sununu has decided to pass that decision onto the districts. For Republicans today, the buck never stops here; it just rolls down hill.
What were the members of the governor’s task force thinking by rolling out this reopening plan? It doesn’t matter. This wasn’t their plan. Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut admitted that this plan came from Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, whose expertise in public health and safety is as deficient as her expertise in education. This is the plan being pushed out by the White House, and Sununu’s charade of creating a task force to look out for the specific needs of the state turned out to be just another deflection from a politician falling in line to obey his president.
It’s almost hard to believe that Sununu had the courage to stand up to the Trump campaign when it came to his safety at the rally. Too bad he doesn’t have the same concern for the safety of the children of New Hampshire.
SKIP CHALKER
Wilder
In order to right some of the wrongs in the world, we have to start teaching comprehensive history, starting at an early age and continuing throughout school and beyond. This is how we learn where we came from, how we arrived at where we are today, and why. We have to understand what went right, what went wrong and how not to repeat past mistakes in order to ensure a better future.
Comprehensive means everything — the good, the bad and the ugly. History cannot be whitewashed, erased or omitted altogether. Yes, George Washington owned slaves, but without him, America would not have won independence from Britain.
What we do have to understand is that slavery was a way of life historically, and that it was wrong. Tearing down statues of those associated with slavery will not end prejudice.
Although the Black Lives Matter movement is important, the ongoing racial, religious and societal injustices encompass much more than one segment of the population. Prejudice covers all colors, all beliefs. Most of us, students and adults alike, know the significance of the Holocaust, the Emancipation Proclamation or Pearl Harbor. However, how many of us were taught about the Trail of Tears or the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II? Has anyone heard about the Vermont eugenics project of the 1920s and 1930s? What was the significance of The Stonewall Inn riots? Does anyone know the Spanish Inquisition destroyed entire communities of Jews, Muslims and Christians who lived together peacefully before the wrongful persecution started?
JANE KELLY and SANDRA CUTLER
Brookfield, Vt.
I am really tired of hearing our impeached President Donald Trump and his crony-filled administration trying to place blame on China for our coronavirus situation.
As I see it, Trump’s administration did less than the minimum to protect the citizens of the United States. The basic reason for having a federal government is the protection of the citizenry. The serious impact of COVID-19 has never been met by any form of federal leadership or real action.
Trump is trying to place the blame for the pandemic on China when he should be spending the administration’s efforts to solve the situation and thereby protect all the residents of the United States. What can he expect to achieve by blaming China — he can’t sue them, make ’em pay (like the tariffs, which we pay) or sway world opinion, etc.?
Trump should play the cards he was dealt. Blaming the dealer for your bad hand does nothing because you still have the cards to deal with. Aggressive national standards for testing and contact tracing will result in the United States getting out of this situation as rapidly as possible. Trump should lead us forward out of the abyss, not spend his time complaining, passing the buck or otherwise avoiding taking real action to resolve the situation we are in.
He should do his job — lead, follow or get out of the way (and permit a real solution to occur).
ROBERT W. GRONAUER
Etna
Please support Kirk White in the Aug. 11 primary. He would be an asset in the Vermont House for Bethel, Stockbridge, Pittsfield and Rochester.
His community involvement in the Bethel Revitalization Initiative, Bethel University and his service on the Board of Civil Authority prove he has the skill and drive needed to represent our small towns in Montpelier. When we served together on the BCA, White was a careful listener and worked to build consensus.
Our rural communities face unique challenges. White will work to empower the economic, cultural and social revitalization of small towns. He is ready to tackle the challenge of school funding. He is committed to finding a sustainable solution.
Vote on Aug. 11, in person or by mail.
LISA HILL
Bethel
Correction
The Vermont primary election is Aug. 11. The date was incorrect in an earlier version of the Forum.