I am appalled at the recent physical attacks on Asian Americans. These attackers hold Asian Americans responsible for the virus that has killed more than half a million Americans. The supposed link connecting our Asian American citizens — fellow citizens — with the virus is, to my mind, as weak as the supposed link connecting Donald Trump with a landslide win over Joe Biden, or the link connecting Hillary Clinton with a child sex trafficking ring.
Let me call to mind a moment in our history to those who think that Asian Americans are un-American. In 1942, the U.S. confiscated the property of American citizens of Japanese descent living on the West Coast and sent those citizens to live in internment camps for the duration of the war. They were labeled “enemy aliens.” No proof of divided loyalties, no such accusation, no due process, no nothing. Just that they were of Japanese descent. (And our Supreme Court would hold that all this was perfectly legal.)
But the United States needed as many troops as it could marshal to defeat the Nazis, and there were hundreds of young men in those Japanese internment camps who were eager to serve. So the Department of War formed the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a segregated combat unit made up entirely of second-generation Japanese Americans — many from the internment camps — and sent them to fight in Europe. The 442nd fought in eight major campaigns. It is perhaps best remembered for saving the “Lost Battalion” and for the capture of a Nazi submarine (the only infantry unit ever to do that). It was, and still is, the most decorated unit for its size in the history of the Army. Its awards include 21 Medals of Honor, more than 4,000 purple hearts, and eight Presidential Unit Citations.
There’s a lesson here.
BILL DONAHUE
Hartland
I’m not entirely sure, but I would guess there are as many people highly interested in music as there are interested in athletics. Has it become a numbers game as to which activities or studies are worthy of Dartmouth College’s support? Evidently it has.
With the reinstatement of so-called minor athletics, one realizes that those that shout the loudest will prevail. So now, do those music people who came to Dartmouth precisely for the depth of its liberal arts curriculum have to shout even louder for themselves? How much do their alumni have to contribute to be heard? Is this a decibel game or the age-old money game? In any event, it really shouldn’t be either.
The Paddock Music Library should not be part of a zero-sum game. It doesn’t fit easily on one side of the ledger or the other. It may come as a surprise to the powers that be that many people are attracted to Dartmouth as much for the riches and depth of the liberal arts as the riches of Wall Street. Many come for a full and broad education that can only be achieved with the full and broad support of the college — in all its wisdom.
The definition of what is, or is not, a full education is not quite as easy to come to terms with as it would seem; evidence the decision to close and shelve priceless works at the library. Sometimes decisions must be made without marriage to the bottom line. Sometimes a $6 billion endowment will suffice, at least for a time. To be honest, no one knows anything for sure. Sometimes the heart has to lead the way and tell you what love is, and what joy is and what virtue is. What it is not, I can say for certain, is the amount of your net worth.
MARTIN SINGER
Hanover
An “everydog” is one that just wants to be your best buddy. Consider that face when you enter the house — wide-eyed with tail wagging, reminiscent of Dino from The Flintstones. When asked to sit, an everydog does you one better by rolling over and eagerly waiting for a tummy rub. When you are feeling down, Everydog is there to comfort you.
Everydog has no use for fancy cars or designer clothes; status symbols mean nothing. Everydog never judges by race, color or creed, but by who you are inside. All Everydog asks for is a little attention, food, water, a walk and a scratch behind the ears or under the chin. Everydog operates on the premise that humans require affection and reassurance. With those eyes, Everydog will believe in you.
In closing, I say, get away from your computers and spend more time with your dog.
PHILIP SALVATORIELLO
Hanover