Channel outrage into action
Let’s not let our heavy hearts paralyze us.
The issue of commonsense gun safety is not a partisan issue; it is a public health issue. We are all responsible for finding out which of our local and federal representatives actively support turning the tide of gun violence.
Last year, the House passed bills to expand background checks on firearms purchases. The bills are stuck in the Senate. In New Hampshire over the last several years, the governor has vetoed bipartisan gun regulation.
Solutions are not rocket science, and we are not helpless. Together, let us take action.
If not now, when?
Vivian Dolkart
Grantham
It has been over 20 years since Columbine and 10 years since the horrors of Sandy Hook, and year after year, week after week, we are forced to see the continuous, ongoing murder of the masses. Innocent Texas children sent happily off to school for the very last day of their sweet young lives only to be slaughtered. Parents forced again to identify their children’s small bodies riddled with bullet holes. More families forced to go through life with the memories of the violent deaths of their precious little ones. Dedicated teachers murdered.
What kind of society allows these murders to repeat again and again and does nothing to stop it? Why have we allowed weapons of war, AK-47 assault rifles and body armor to be sold all across this nation as though they’re toys rather than lethal weapons that inflict pain, suffering and death? President Biden is absolutely correct: We must act.
The reason for ongoing mass murder is the gun lobby, which hands out vast amounts of money to politicians who need it to fund their reelection campaigns. How sick and twisted are we that we cannot face down these wretched people who protect their careers over innocent children?
We must hold them accountable. Let their names and amount of NRA blood money taken be fully known. We cannot not simply move on. We must vow to act. One thing we can all do immediately is call our governors, senators and congressmen to demand that all flags be left at half-staff until we pass gun safety laws and rid our country of lethal assault weapons. Let the ongoing visual of our flag at half-staff lead us out of this deadly morass.
Jackie Smith
Sunapee
My name is Craig Tomlinson. I am excited to announce my candidacy in the Democratic party for the New Hampshire House of Representatives in Grafton County’s 6th district, serving the towns of Orford, Wentworth and Rumney.
I was born and raised in rural downstate Illinois. My wife and I moved to Orford in 2006 from Cincinnati, Ohio, and we have lived in the same home since. We have a daughter who attends Rivendell Academy in Orford. I am a senior scientist at the Dartmouth Cancer Center and serve as associate director of Shared Resources and director of the Genomics & Molecular Biology Facility.
I attended Illinois State University (B.S. and M.S.), University of Texas at Austin (Ph.D.), and the California Institute of Technology and University of Texas MD Anderson (postdoctorals). My research interests are the causes and treatments for obesity and diseases resulting from defects in metabolism. I have taught undergraduate, graduate and medical students at several universities.
As your representative, I would do everything in my power to promote accessible and affordable health care, especially for the young, elderly and veterans. I would work to reduce energy costs through renewable energy resources while reducing the ravages of climate change to preserve the beauty that is New Hampshire. I would vote to reverse cuts in public education to support our schools and educators. I would defend a woman’s right to choose. I would work to make it easier to vote, not set up unnecessary barriers. I would help secure infrastructure funding for my district and support struggling lower-income folks with state aid and food assistance.
I believe that my lifetime of work in the scientific field gives me insight on issues such as climate change, energy independence, health care and many other issues we face today. I look forward to traveling the district over the next few months, meeting you on your doorstep, listening and learning, and hopefully serving you in Concord next year. If you live in Orford, Wentworth or Rumney, please vote this fall for me, Craig Tomlinson, to be your state representative.
Craig Tomlinson
Orford
The United States has the dubious distinction of being the world’s leader in mass gun shootings. The gun lobby and Second Amendment ideologues consider the root cause to be mentally disturbed individuals out on the street. But as President Biden recently stated in his address to the nation in response to the latest slaughter, other countries also have cohorts of mentally disturbed citizens. For a logical conclusion to these facts, I borrow from the words of former President Clinton’s 1992 election campaign: “It’s the guns, stupid.” Can’t our members of Congress comprehend that, and act?
David Greenfield
Grantham