Amid the fireworks and celebrations marking the Fourth of July, let’s pause and consider what the holiday commemorates: freedom for self-determination and avoidance of subjugation by the powerful. Yet, as of May 21, 14 state legislatures around the country, including New Hampshire, had passed 22 new laws making voting more difficult. And 61 other bills were moving through 18 other states. Even more dangerous than voter suppression, 24 laws in 14 states allow states to interfere in election administration and politicize the process.
Through gerrymandering, massive amounts of money in politics and control of the courts, Republicans are trying to pick their voters instead of allowing voters to pick their leaders.
We cannot allow this to happen.
Groups that favor a democracy of all the people (as did the electorate) are declaring the next two weeks a “Deadline for Democracy” and teaming up to organize calls to senators and public events all around the country in support of the For the People Act. The act would create uniform voting standards throughout the country, impartial redistricting commissions and take big money out of politics. Even if your senators already support the For the People Act, they need to be able to say they know their constituents do so, as well. Tell them to do everything they can, including modifying the filibuster, to be sure that it passes.
You can join thousands of others in taking action through any of the following groups: Indivisible, Common Cause, Public Citizen and End Citizen United.
SUSAN ORKIN
Grantham
In celebrating 50 years of coeducation, the women of Dartmouth College have generously funded the renovation of Dartmouth Hall. However, unwittingly, and with the best of intentions, they have sadly set up for ruination the most iconic building on campus.
This devastation seems to have been caused, at least in part, by the college’s insistence, in its marketing strategy, that the renovation will not change the building’s exterior, but, which will, instead, be forever marred by the addition of a silly plaza extending the entire width of the front facade.
As one of the country’s premier examples of institutional Colonial architecture, Dartmouth Hall has proudly stood out, for most of the college’s existence, as a sturdy, unadorned expression of the severity of its remote Northern New England location; vox clamantis in deserto doesn’t need a plaza attached to its most iconic building.
Dartmouth Hall has never even had foundation plantings, in order to maintain its pristine architectural strength through its rugged simplicity (as opposed to other, more ornate examples, such as those found on campuses like Oxford, Cambridge or William and Mary).
If the rationale for this planned debacle is based on accessibility for the handicapped, there are other, less intrusive ways of providing access, as in the case of Baker Library, where access was accomplished at the main entrance simply by raising the grade.
Dartmouth women and other concerned members of the community, including Dartmouth-educated architects from all over, are urged to reject the plan, to insist that the physiognomy of Dartmouth Hall, the architectural soul of the college, remain truly untouched, truly authentic.
As an aside, it is noted that Thornton Hall, the building next to Dartmouth Hall, similar in style and importance, is slated to receive, on its primary facade, a similar deck, but even worse, because it will include a roof cutting across the facade, an even more egregious architectural violation than that planned for Dartmouth Hall.
Help is urgently needed to stop this assault on Dartmouth Row.
GEORGE T. HATHORN
Hanover
The writer is the Dartmouth College architect emeritus and an “adopted member” of the Class of 1953.
The recent tragedy at the Miami condominium has been reported by local press, national news organizations, the BBC, The Associated Press and Reuters. Globally, we weep.
The images of the collapsing beachfront structure have been imprinted on our minds and in our souls. A home to many unexpectedly and without warning crumbled, appearing as shockingly fragile and vulnerable as a sand castle subjected to the force of the ocean tides. Only remnants remain. Swift, unforgiving and with no regard for the many lives and personal stories that occupied the building. Could it have been prevented? There were warning signs. Talk of red flags has been bandied about, but no conclusions yet. Time will tell. Inspections and analysis are underway while a massive search continues in the rubble.
The final collapsing moments were not long in duration. The wait for news of a family member or friend must seem heartbreakingly endless. Staggering numbers but few answers. They wait on fate. Storms continue to interrupt the search. Lightning continues to strike. Conditions are dangerous for the fearless responders who rush into harm’s way.
A couple celebrating a milestone anniversary. A daughter returned to visit her mother after months of social distancing. Latin American citizens coming to the U.S. to, ironically, receive a lifesaving vaccine. One heart-wrenching, poignant story after the next. People unaccounted for. Loved ones missing. The many stories told and the great human toll. The magnitude of the real tragedy comes in human form.
How long can one survive buried under the building debris? Family members must wonder. Authorities speculate. Faith is challenged as hope dwindles.
What questions are we asking?
ELIZABETH RICKETSON
South Pomfret