Help With Opioid Crisis Needed
For too long, Granite Staters have struggled to combat the devastating opioid crisis with limited help from the state and federal government. New Hampshire has the second-highest overdose death rate in the country, yet when President Donald Trump apportioned relief funds with Opioid State Targeted Response grants, he refused to alter the formula that gives money based on state population, not need.
And despite Gov. Chris Sununu’s close relationship with the president, he remarked that he “would never pressure” the president to do anything.
Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan have fought to provide additional opioid funding for New Hampshire, but without additional support from Trump and Sununu, Granite Staters simply do not have the resources they need.
That’s why I joined my fellow Democrats in the state Senate to introduce and support the RESCUE Act, which will use money from the rainy day fund to combat this crisis by declaring a state-level public health emergency.
It is vital that we take whichever steps we can to provide people suffering from substance use disorder with relief and access to care. To do that we need to invest in additional treatment centers, provide our first responders with improved training and resources, and stop the spread and continued dealing of Fentanyl and other opiates.
Gov. Sununu himself has constantly discussed the need for additional resources to help the Granite State’s crisis. Since he has been so ineffective in advocating for New Hampshire to the president, he should immediately support our bill and urge its passage.
Martha Hennessey
HanoverThe writer is a Democratic state Senator.
We have been fortunate to have the opportunity to enjoy the Christmas Revels, an Upper Valley tradition, for the past four decades. In these dark times, we need the kind of celebration that Revels brings: the spirit of community, the connection between people of all ages and cultures. We need beauty, joy, song and dance, folk tales linking us with peoples in ancient times, in celebrating the rhythms of the seasons.
This past weekend I attended the Revels performance and once again felt the magic of Revels touch me deeply. I am a Reveler from the beginning of my life here in the Upper Valley in 1975. I have been a participant, served on the board and was involved in many ways as part of the Revels community. My heart is filled with gratitude.
More than ever, we must preserve the traditions and values of Revels. Costs are rising. Many are feeling the pinch of economic stress.
Please join me in making a contribution to Revels via RevelsNorth.org or to P.O. Box 415, Hanover NH 03777. We need to keep the flame burning so that the light of Revels continues to bring the joy of celebration and community to us, year after year.
Jean M. Bates
Orford
Living More Respectfully
This seems to be a watershed moment in our history: Women are finally finding the courage to raise their voices and defend themselves against predatory, unwanted sexual behavior.
However, let’s be careful not to lose a sense of proportion and work ourselves into a fit of Puritan witch-burning. Let’s remember two things: 1.) Sexual misconduct can consist of a range of behaviors, from an insensitive hug to criminal assault or rape. We need to develop a careful, trusted process of evaluating unproven claims of sexual misconduct; we need to develop proportional responses to different kinds of behavior. 2.) Let’s not confuse power inequalities with gender issues. Bullying and sexual harassment are not gender issues only. Inequality of power is the main cause of bullying, harassment or other unwanted sexual behavior; powerful women can be transgressors just as men can.
This is an opportunity to learn how to live more respectfully with one another; please, let’s take the time to learn how to do this right.
Margaret A. Brightman
Taftsville
“Sociable robots!” How reassuring to have a companion: cute, reliable and caring, one with whom, over time, you can develop a mutual relationship. In a recent article in the Valley News, Sherry Turkle described how children saw the robots as “sort of alive,” having thoughts and emotions and seeming to care. Is this true? Turkle thinks not. She questions the potential for robots to “communicate the way people do to enrich our daily lives.” The author argues that the robot cannot engage in a mutual relationship since they have “no emotions to share” nor can they “put themselves in our place,” necessary for empathic understanding.
Our digital culture is distinguished by speed, information, instant communication and even robotic companionship. Benefits of digital media are many. Technologies like Skype, Facebook or Twitter allow us the potential to build relationships in ways that were previously impossible. “Sociable robots” like Cozmo, Jibo and Kuri can provide us with virtual companionship. Businesses are already conducting meetings through Skype or Face Time. Actual face time seems increasingly unnecessary. But, is it?
One researcher noted that the “displacement of in-person social interaction by screen interaction seems to be reducing social skills.” How you say something is often more powerful than what you say. The subtle nuances of communication — body language, gestures, facial expressions, tone of voice — are lost when you communicate by email or text. Without these clues, messages can be misinterpreted, causing confusion or friction. Malcolm Gladwell argued in The Tipping Point that much of communication is done non-verbally and emotions can easily be transferred from person to person without the utterance of a single word. What have we learned? For one, make sure you test the validity and credibility of information provided by any website to avoid being manipulated. For another, social interactions occurring largely online serve to narrow experiences required to develop skills to manage a complex social world. Finally, digital technology limits face-to-face conversations with people who are part of our real lives and precludes transactions requisite for authentic relationships.
Bob Scobie
Lebanon
Of Intelligence and Guns
While I’m not qualified to say what exactly is indicated by the enthusiastic embrace of helplessness in the face of violence or unease in the presence of weapons, I’m reasonably certain that it’s neither robust mental health nor a high level of intelligence. I do know that if someone is too irresponsible and/or dimwitted to possess a firearm or to defend himself with one, as the gun-control crowd claims to be true of the vast majority of us, it must be equally irresponsible and/or unintelligent to encourage or even to allow him to vote.
Anthony Stimson
Lebanon