I’ve been thinking a lot about Jim Kenyon’s Dec. 8 column (“Background actors”) and have decided to add my two cents in response.
I mean no disrespect to the preservationists referred to in the column, but as an avid arts supporter I take issue with Kenyon’s inference that Northern Stage is involved with a secret, nefarious attempt to destroy two downtown buildings in White River Junction. The facts are that the willing owner/potential seller and Northern Stage, the willing potential buyer, have mutually agreed on a legal transaction transferring ownership of said property.
The house in question has sat empty for three years, the town has assessed the property at $264,700 and the estimated cost of repairing and bringing the structures up to code is estimated to be between $700,000 and $1 million. I wonder who would be willing to invest money in a set of facts like that? I am all for historic preservation, but unfortunately, in this particular case, I don’t imagine a very promising or satisfactory outcome. Attempting to save a derelict and unused structure when the land it sits on could be put to practical use by a significant local enterprise seems like a misplaced endeavor to me, regardless of how well-intended.
For anyone paying attention, White River Junction has undergone a remarkable renaissance over the past 20 years due to the collective, creative energy of multiple entrepreneurs, businesses and town officials. Northern Stage figures prominently in these endeavors and is, I think, deserving of full support and appreciation for its role as a major contributor to the arts in the Upper Valley.
It seems unnecessarily disparaging to portray the theater’s managing director and special projects manager as being “content to sit back and watch the drama unfold” when in fact all they did was respectfully attend a Hartford Planning Commission meeting, which was open and available to the general public.
PIERRE FOURNIER
Hartland Four Corners
On Jan. 1, New Hampshire will put into effect a law, passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Chris Sununu, that effectively mandates an invasive intravaginal examination, with a camera, of any woman seeking an abortion in the early stages of pregnancy. This is a medically unnecessary government invasion of a woman’s bodily integrity.
As the New Hampshire Bulletin article mentioned (“NH abortion law takes effect Jan. 1,” Dec. 8), this invasive procedure can cost up to $500; a more appropriate, noninvasive way to determine gestational age is through the woman’s medical history.
Implementation of this mandate will occur in a New Hampshire, which advertises its devotion to individual liberty. How many men would welcome a similar, mandated invasion of their prostate or anus?
Yes, there are divisions among us on the topic of abortion. Some of us believe firmly that the right of a woman to an abortion is her human right, in consultation with her doctor. Some oppose abortion at any time. Others recognize the rights of a fetus after it takes on certain characteristics of life. Some individuals and religious traditions give priority to the health and well-being of the mother and of the child as it enters this world.
These divisions are not easily resolved.
Can we learn how to respectfully disagree, and join together to create a caring society where all our mothers have access to quality reproductive health care (including free contraception and free prenatal and postnatal care), and all our living children have access to safe homes with adequate income, good day care and schools that prepare them for meaningful work and lives?
Access to abortion is an issue that will continue to divide us, but it is a controversy that obscures the values many, if not all, of us share.
Together we value the life of a woman and the opportunity of a child to grow up loved, healthy and educated, ready to enjoy the advantages of this great country.
ARTHUR HOLCOMBE
and SUSAN HOLCOMBE
Hanover
Despite a meager procedural win achieved by abortion-rights advocates in countering Texas’ extreme restrictions on current law, with conservative Supreme Court justices now decisively in the majority, the constitutional rights of women are at grave risk.
These justices appear open to reverse the precedent set by Roe v. Wade regarding a woman’s right to decide which health decision is best for her life circumstances. Such a decision would be consistent with conservative philosophy of the elected officials who proposed and approved the justices’ nominations.
Many of these same officials have opposed not only abortion but also federal policies that help those who are born, such as Aid to Families with Dependent Children, child nutrition, child care and shelters for battered kids. This view was best described by former Massachusetts U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, who said that, for conservatives, “life begins at conception and ends at birth.”
If the court succeeds as it appears inclined, will it, as Justice Sonia Sotomayor asked last week, “survive the stench that this creates in the public perception that the Constitution and its reading are just political acts?”
DAVID GREENFIELD
Grantham
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has decided to follow Texas’ lead and proposed a similar vigilante law be passed in his state. Unlike Texas, where the law encourages citizens to sue those who violate anti-abortion rules (and get paid a bonus and legal expenses), Newsom proposes using the principle for prosecuting those who violate the state’s ban on the manufacture and sale of assault-style weapons
Republicans are all on board for empowering citizens to rat on one another, and we should be happy to follow suit. The following is a preliminary list of new laws that should be promoted and passed so we can all benefit:
■ Reporting anyone carrying an assault-style weapon.
■ Reporting any student who body-shames another on social media.
■ Reporting anyone attempting to prevent a patient from entering a Planned Parenthood center.
■ Reporting any merchant falsely collecting sales tax.
■ Reporting any business failing to pay minimum wage.
■ Reporting any citizen thought to be addicted.
■ Reporting any motorist violating the rules of the road.
■ Reporting any police officer acting disrespectfully toward a fellow citizen.
■ Reporting any officeholders taking corporate money if they promised not to.
■ Reporting anyone killing or injuring an endangered species.
■ Reporting any person defiling public property.
■ Reporting any person failing to follow medical mandates.
We can do this. We can recreate the Wild West, “A place where men are men and women don’t know the recipe for equality.”
On second thought, maybe it is time for wiser heads to prevail. If only we had some in public office. Our current cast of characters can’t even protect our voting rights.
DAVID RUSSELL
Perkinsville
It is a privilege living in the Upper Valley, surrounded by natural beauty, fine people, outstanding institutions and a multitude of cultural opportunities. Add to this list many services offered to the community at no cost.
I recently had the misfortune to slip on a patch of ice under new-fallen snow, which resulted in a broken ankle. Remembering that Hanover provides a community nurse to address residents’ health care needs, I telephoned the appropriate person. Within a short while a friendly, capable woman returned my call and provided practical medical advice. She then referred me to the Lions Health Closet, a service offered by the Canaan Lions Club and the Lebanon-Upper Valley Lions Club, which provides free medical equipment to area residents. Within an hour, a kind, amiable gentleman arrived with a wheelchair and then crutches and a knee scooter. After only a few hours of getting about the house with a wheelchair, I had a much greater compassion for those individuals who are permanently required to use to this mode of transport.
My mishap was an opportunity to utilize another marvelous service offered here. For a nominal fee, the Hanover Co-op Food Store delivers groceries (within 5 miles) to Co-op members who are housebound. It also employs personal shoppers to complete members’ shopping lists and load items into the back of folks’ cars.
Many thanks to these kind, good people and the dedicated health care providers at Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, who continue to provide excellent care to our community throughout these challenging times.
During this season of thanksgiving, celebration of light and spiritual guidance, and with the promise of a new year just ahead, I feel blessed to have dear friends, to be a golden-ager and to live here in the Upper Valley.
FERN MEYERS
Etna