I’m going to stop trying to make sense of New Hampshire Rep. John Sellers’ Aug. 21 screed in the Valley News Forum (“Democrats represent the evil among us”) and just recall how he was appointed a Republican substitute on our committee one day last year. I had the privilege of being seated next to him. In what must have been a remarkable act of self-restraint, he did not once quote Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin or Vladimir Lenin to prove how we Democrats were working overtime to deny New Hampshire citizens their rights to use “wood burning stoves” or drive hundreds of miles. I must thank Rep. Sellers for exercising such largesse that day. He never made the claim that Democrats were ushering in “mob rule,” or despoiling our nation by calling it a democracy rather than a “republic.”
But should he be called upon again in 2024 to fill a vacant Republican seat on our committee, I hope he will share his disdain for his colleagues openly. I hope he will take his own advice and not try to “fool the people,” as he warns. After all, we may be tricked into thinking the person next to us is a normal, decent public servant, and not someone who actively spews hatred and derision at his colleagues.
Laurel Stavis
Lebanon
Laurel Stavis represents Lebanon’s Ward 1 in the state Legislature where she is ranking member of the Municipal and County Government Committee. She is also a member of the Lebanon Planning Board.
On Monday morning (Aug. 21) readers of the Valley News were once again subjected to a hateful screed by Rep. John Sellers (“Democrats represent the evil among us”). One of Mr. Sellers’ pet peeves is the rejection of so called “parental rights” bills by the New Hampshire Legislature. These bills are part of the organized campaigns against the LGBTQ+ populations occurring throughout the country in the last year, with the ACLU tracking over 400 such legislative attacks.
Mr. Sellers would have you believe that the family is under assault by teachers and schools supporting trans children. Let’s review some actual facts regarding these bills.
■While we all wish that all parents were accepting and helpful to their children, this is just not true. 67% of trans children experience parental rejection.
■Children who experience parental rejection, the vast majority of such children, are 8.4 times as likely to report suicide attempts.
■They are 5.9 times more likely to report high levels of depression. (Ryan et. al, 2009)
■Parental rejection often leads to homelessness. Trans youth are almost 10 times as likely to be homeless as their peers.
Forcing teachers or school counselors to “out” children who are struggling with gender identity issues is likely to put many such children in danger. And having thoroughly read the so-called parental rights bill for New Hampshire, it’s clear that the only goal of this bill was to force the “outing” of such children. All other rights in this bill were already provided for in state law.
These bills are part of the hysteria of hate being directed toward gender-nonconforming persons. Such hate campaigns serve to isolate and demonize minority populations. And once such populations are removed from the ranks of “normal people,” history teaches that any number of abusive consequences can follow.
Philip J. Kinsler, Ph.D., ABPP
Lyme
I marvel at the abundance of birds at the feeder each day. Nuthatches, chickadees, goldfinches, wood peckers, cardinals, purple finches and house finches take their turns. Two male goldfinches had an aerial battle, retreated separately to the trees and returned calmly standing side by side at the feeder. While the community of birds spars with each other, they enjoy a peaceful meal outside my window.
It was with this vision in mind that I read with sadness the letter from New Hampshire Rep. John Sellers in the Valley News on Aug. 21 (“Democrats represent the evil among us”). His letter reminded of the NPR piece by Ron Elving on Sept. 10, 2022,: “Is America a democracy or a republic? Yes, it is” which is a thoughtfully discussion of the dynamics between our democratic and republic elements of our government.
While Democrats, Republicans, liberals, and conservatives may have different ideas about the direction for our country, we all love our country deeply and are patriotic. Vilifying each other only encourages barriers to fruitful discussions to find acceptable compromises for all. Perhaps John McCain said it best on Oct. 10, 2008, in a televised debate. He responded to a questioner’s fears of then-presidential candidate Barack Obama by commenting: “He is just a decent family man, citizen, whom I just have disagreements with on fundamental issues.”
Sadly, Rep. Sellers has injected vitriol into the debate and not taken Sen. McCain’s path of dispassionately discussing the differences between Republican and Democratic approaches on important issues. As we live in a democratic republic, we all have the responsibility to elect representatives that can listen well, understand the complexities of issues, articulate positions without fearmongering, and have effective discussions finding solutions to the manifold tribulations that our diverse and multifaceted society face.
Marc Ernstoff
Norwich
Normally, to provide a coherent response one needs to address a coherent opinion clearly stated. Alas, Rep. John Sellers provides neither (“Democrats represent the evil among us”). He seems to believe that no one knows how our system of government works and that Democrats are doing something nefarious by calling the U.S. a democracy rather than a republic. In fact, it is both. In equating democracy to “mob rule” Sellers promotes the simplistic idea that democracy means “pure” democracy where all laws and actions are decided by the direct vote of the people. This has never been the case but it is a convenient bogeyman to invoke when promoting unpopular ideas or candidates.
He goes on to provide a fact-free and scattershot attack on the Inflation Reduction Act and the Build Back Better infrastructure bill. He adds some random quotes from three dictators to no discernable purpose. Finally, he sticks his dismount by urging parents to abandon public schools via an Education Freedom Account.
I certainly hope the voters of District 18 take note of their (democratically elected) representative’s display of ignorance. The next election could not come soon enough.
Michael Hillinger
Etna
I was appalled and dismayed to read Rep. John Sellers’ letter (“Democrats represent the evil among us,” Aug. 21) stating that Democrats are “evil,” for basically not being members of the cult he joined, and wonder why he chose this method to announce to the Upper Valley that he’s not qualified to hold public office. I would expect all elected officials, at minimum, to recognize that they must served all the people in their district, not just the ones they agree with.
Brian Benkel
Enfield
In response to the opinion from (“Democrats represent the evil among us”) on Aug. 21 signed by Rep. Sellers for Enfield, I will offer a quote, often attributed to Abraham Lincoln that likely traces back to Proverbs 17:28, by saying, “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.”
Roger W. Dontonville
Enfield