Dear Editor:
In the news, Trump wants to take Greenland for the U.S.A., “the easy way or the hard way.” He posits that, “If we don’t, China or Russia will.” They’re not NATO members, but we are. So we’d fight NATO to have his old-age craving for glory be satisfied? Question for DJT—Why wouldn’t China or Russia, IF they want it, then take Greenland from us? Not shy of the “hard way.” Now we’ve a nuclear-armed world, a modern-time seriousness.
An NPR commentator puts Trump in the 19th Century, “Sounds a lot like James Polk wanting Texas and taking it from Mexico.”
At the Concord rally on Saturday, that supported and grieved for ICE-victim Renee Good, I listened to a middle-aged Navy vet and a middle-aged Army vet, there as anti-ICE and pro-people. Importantly, too—for law. Trump’s central failing is not caring for the average person. He’ll lie to followers, demeaning them. My two new acquaintances, rally-goers, good veterans, are pro-decency. Valuing people comes with being raised that way. Appreciate citizens. Immigrants in line for citizenship. Immigrants filling labor needs. Family people working to hold it all together. Diversity, equity, inclusion.
Lynn Rudmin Chong
Sanbornton, N.H.
Lynn:
This brings to mind an event that took place long ago—859 years before this newspaper was founded. In January, 879, Pope Stephen VI had Pope Formosus, the predecessor of Stephen’s predecessor, disinterred and put on trial in what became known as the Cadaver Synod. Formosus, unable to muster much of a defense, unsurprisingly was found guilty.
How is this relevant? One might well ask. Compare the decency of your new friends with its conspicuous absence in a certain powerful buffoon. We doubt that genetics alone could create such a person.
Our so-called President is beyond the law. Perhaps a Citizens’ Court could convict his parents for having inflicted such a wretch upon us.
The Editor
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When $1.00 = $0.11
To the Editor:
In 2025 I had an operation at Portsmouth Regional Hospital. The hospital sent Medicare a bill for $152,000. Medicare reduced it to $16,600. The hospital accepted that amount. The main reason people cannot afford health care or decent health insurance in this country is the medical profession billing patients at many times the actual cost.
People do not go bankrupt in other countries because the medical costs are regulated. We should do the same.
If this country can set the cost of procedures under Medicare and Medicaid, it can do so for everyone else for any provider accepting Medicare or Medicaid. It can be higher than Medicare, but something reasonable like two or three times that of Medicare. This would greatly reduce bankruptcies caused by medical debt and make health insurance more affordable. Employers could afford to pay their employees more because they would be spending less on providing health insurance.
Walter Hamilton
Portsmouth, N.H.
Walter:
Portsmouth Regional is part of HCA, the nation’s largest for-profit health care company, founded by now-Senator Rick Scott. Wikipedia: “During [Scott’s] tenure as chief executive, the company defrauded Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal programs. The U.S. Department of Justice won 14 felony convictions against the company, which was fined $1.7 billion in what was at the time the largest healthcare fraud settlement in U.S. history. Following his departure from Columbia/HCA, Scott became a venture capitalist and pursued other business interests.”
We don’t have a health care system. Instead we have a vampiric, profit-making racket, holding us all for ransom. Scott is not wholly responsible for this; no one has that much power. Doesn’t he make a fine poster boy, though?
If we had a functioning democracy, this insane system would be among the first things to go. Medicare for All!
The Editor
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Greedy for Greenland
Dear Editor:
Mr. Trump continues to escalate his threat to take over Greenland. He has now threatened a number of NATO allies who have sent troops to protect Greenland with tariffs of 10 percent on February 1st and will increase them to 25 percent and keep them in place “until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland.” Mr. Trump insists that only America can protect Greenland from possible threats from Russia or China. Of course, this ignores a number of important historical facts.
First, Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark and is part of the NATO Alliance. As such, an attack on Greenland by another nation would require that Article 5 of the NATO Charter to which the U.S. is a signatory, be enforced. As such an attack on one member is considered an attack on all and they will respond accordingly, including using military force. This alliance has protected Greenland and all other NATO members successfully for 80 years.
Second, the U.S. has had a strong military presence in Greenland since 1951 when Thule Air Force Base was established. Thule AFB was created as a strategic defense against Soviet threats, housing bombers, and missiles and developing an early warning system for missile detection. The name was changed in 2022 to Pituffik Space Base and remains in full operation today. In essence, Pituffik Space Base is a unique, vital outpost for U.S. national security in the Arctic. In addition, Denmark is increasing its military presence with new air surveillance radars and upgrading airports (like Kangerlussuaq) for potential fighter jet deployment, enhancing NATO’s Arctic situational awareness. Despite this, Mr. Trump described Greenland’s level of protection with the comment, “currently have two dog sleds as protection, one added recently.” I think that our current Space Base and other NATO facilities represent much more than two dog sleds. If not, why has not Mr. Trump built up and increased the capabilities of Pituffik Space Base?
Of course, the real reason Mr. Trump wants Greenland is because of its huge deposits of natural resources, not to mention how this distracts from the Epstein file debacle. Some estimates put the value of these resources into the trillions of dollars. Where does Mr. Trump think America will come up with the funds necessary to make such a purchase considering our already immense national debt? And to take Greenland by force would require that NATO respond accordingly. The consequences of such a scenario are unthinkable.
Rich DiPentima
Portsmouth, N.H.
Rich:
We suspect Trump’s lust for Greenland may be simpler than it appears. As depicted on the most common form of flat world map, the Mercator projection, the ice-covered island appears to be huuuge. He probably thinks he’s outdoing Jefferson and his Louisiana Purchase.
The Editor
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In Whose Interest?
To the Editor:
Political activist Noam Chomsky was once asked if the United States acts in the national interest. He replied that no nation acts in its national interest. That’s a term of propaganda. He added that nations act in the interests of powerful internal groups that control policy.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the Trump administration’s “Drill, baby, drill!” mantra, its efforts to gain control over Venezuelan oil, and President Trump’s recent meeting with major oil executives at the White House.
Notably, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright previously served as CEO of Liberty Energy, North America’s second-largest fracking company. Similarly, Rex Tillerson, Secretary of State during Trump’s first term, was formerly chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil, the world’s largest non-government-owned oil company.
Trump even called on oil executives to donate $1 billion to his 2024 election campaign, and members of Congress are estimated to hold up to $93 million in fossil fuel stocks.
When fossil fuel profits drive both foreign and domestic policy, it’s the world’s most vulnerable people—and the planet—who pay the price.
Terry Hansen
Grafton, Wisc.
Terry:
Damn good point there from Chomsky.
It was kind of you to leave for us the opportunity to cite the late and unlamented Dick “Dick” Cheney, who received “deferred payments” from Halliburton—“the world’s second-largest oil service company, responsible for most of the world’s fracking operations,” according to Wikipedia—while working in oil scion George W.[MD] Bush’s White House.
The Editor
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Trump’s Epstein Foreign Policy
To the Editor:
Trump is currently threatening to attack Columbia, Cuba, Mexico, Iran, Greenland and Denmark, just after he attacked Venezuela and kidnapped its leader. He has also threatened to make Canada the 51st state, bombed in Yemen, Somalia, Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Nigeria. And he wants the Nobel Peace Prize, too.
All this from a candidate who promised “America First” and that domestic policy would be all-important while foreign policy would take a very back seat. So while the labor market is shrinking, prices are rising, exports are falling, tariffs are costing Americans billions, and working class and middle class incomes are falling, he’s off bombing.
The one thing he is not threatening to attack is the Epstein Files!
He will do anything to keep the focus off the Epstein Files. Don’t fall for it.
Michael Frandzel
Portsmouth, N.H.
Michael:
The last thing we would ever do is defend the rapidly-deteriorating individual to whom you refer. And we do suspect that he’s doing everything he can to prevent the Epstein Files from being released.
However, we do not believe that’s his only motivation. What about greed? Praise? The exquisite delight of forcing legions of flunkies to kiss his ass on camera?
Listening to him babble, it’s fairly obvious that he really is a simple-minded individual. The only thing on his simple little mind is getting his needs satisfied. Those needs are so many, though, that they take many forms.
The Editor
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Trump’s Boomerang
To the editor:
President Trump’s imperious removal of Venezuela’s President Maduro without Congressional approval and lacking a coherent plan for the country’s governance is ill-considered and fraught with risk. The act illustrates his arrogant narcissism and inept grandiosity and provides a convenient distraction to the revelations of the Epstein files, and a deteriorating economy.
Trump justified the invasion as an effort to eliminate an imminent threat by drug trafficking Venezuelan gangs to the security of America. This is most certainly a false narrative. Most of the drug traffic from Venezuela is in the form of cocaine and much of that is sent to Europe rather than the United States. Venezuela is not a supplier of fentanyl, the drug that causes the most deaths in America. Maduro may have been a corrupt and illegitimate leader, and Venezuelan gangs do traffic illegal drugs to the U.S., but to claim that these factors constitute an imminent threat to the security of America is pure hyperbole. More likely explanations for Trump’s action can be found in the recently published National Security Strategy and in his desire to control Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.
Maduro’s kidnapping is an articulation of Trump’s new National Security Strategy which defines the Western Hemisphere as the most important strategic focus for the U.S. The doctrine calls for the re-introduction of a more muscular Monroe Doctrine that includes the use of force to counter perceived threats to American interests whether from an international actor external to the region (e.g. China and Russia) or from national or intranational elements within the region (e.g. Communist Cuba or drug gangs). The “Trump doctrine” divides the globe into “spheres of influence” to be dominated by the most powerful countries in each region. The Western Hemisphere is clearly considered to be America’s “sphere of influence.” The doctrine is a throwback to the “Big Stick” policy of the early 20th century when military force was often used to impose American interests on Central and South American countries. During that period, the U.S. conducted a series of military occupations in Central America and the Caribbean known as the “Banana Wars.” The purpose was to secure the banana and sugar trade for American business interests. In 2026, the goal is to gain control over Venezuelan oil. Trump sees control over oil resources as a major source of political influence. He frequently boasts about American oil production and counts several petro billionaires among his supporters. He has eliminated virtually all subsidies for wind or solar power that compete with fossil fuels. Globally, Trump has assiduously courted the Saudis and especially bin Salman as allies to coordinate oil production. It is no surprise that Trump covets Venezuelan oil production as a means to drive up production and reduce gasoline prices in the U.S. for his political advantage.
The world in 2026, however, is different from in the 1900s and reverting to a doctrine that led to two World Wars is not a good idea. Trump’s arrogant action in Venezuela ignores a world order that has illegitimized the unilateral use of force to achieve national goals for eighty years. By ignoring international law and in the absence of any direct threat from the Maduro government, Trump has legitimized Russian and Chinese efforts to pursue similar ventures, boding ill for the Ukraine and Taiwan. Moreover, international relations are more integrated now than in the 1900s. China has developed extensive commercial interests in South American that it will not easily yield to a declaration of American hegemony. Russia has a long running and close relationship to Cuba that it will not abandon. Venezuela itself is riven by competing internal factions that will not easily acquiesce to American demands on its oil reserves. Other sovereign nations in the hemisphere may also have something to say regarding the “Trump doctrine.” As has been proven in Iraq, military action without consideration for long-term consequences is a recipe for disaster. It’s a scenario that an arrogant and inept President seems destined to repeat.
Robert D. Russell, PhD
Harrisburg, Pa.
Robert:
Our Commandante-in-Chief seems to be modeling his second administration on the works of Ian Fleming, with himself playing the role of evil genius. He must always fall asleep before the last reel.
The Editor
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A Gilded Lord of the Flies
To the Editor,
That an unarmed woman, a U.S. citizen, was shot and killed by an ICE agent is tragic, but hardly unexpected given the sort of MEN who respond to an offer of a substantial signing bonus, a mask and gun, and license to do any damned thing they please, not to exclude engaging with high school students and terrorizing elementary school students. A comparison that hadn’t occurred to me was recently suggested between ICE and the Ku Klux Klan; there is some credit to it, masks that conceal identity, a penchant for intimidation and violence, absence of respect for law and order. ICE is fueling a pervasive loathing for law enforcement; if the profession hopes to preserve any respect among those it is sworn to protect, it should unite in denouncing that agency’s practices and tactics and call for it to be reigned in, ideally, abolished.
I recall a reference, during his first term in office, to ____hole countries by the ___hole currently posing as leader of the free world. I believe he was referring to what are more often termed third world countries. Former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura, in the wake of the aforementioned killing, pronounced the United States a third world country because, in his words, “in third world countries they have the military doing their police work in the cities.”
That the current state of affairs prevails as the world as we know it enters its death throes is lunacy. Unless this country elects representatives with morals and courage, converts or deposes sycophantic MAGA worshippers, invigorates their opposition, impeaches and removes the Lord of the Flies thereby ending his quest to be the planet’s biggest and baddest bully, and installs in that office a responsible, intelligent, nurturing, empath, by definition, a WOMAN, the entire world may well end up being one big ____hole country.
John Simon
Portsmouth, N.H.
John:
You make an excellent point about the damage now being done to the profession of law enforcement. [Mutters to himself: “Now there’s a scary indicator of how bad things have become—we’re standing up for cops!”]
The Editor
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Immigrants and Refugees: Your Turn to Defend Democracy
To the Editor:
The nationwide attacks on our democracy, and the attempts by our federal government in Washington, D.C. to dictate to states on issues such as the rule of law, education, health care, and the role of law enforcement, call on all of us to come to the defense of the values on which our country was founded. Those of us who came to America from countries in which a dictatorship or a government threatened the lives of anyone who opposed their policies, should now stand up to defend democracy here in the United States.
I, like many others who came to this country as a child, was too young to fight for democracy in the country of my birth. Until now, I have never been required to engage in protecting the democratic rights that I have enjoyed in this country. Under the present administration, however, we should give back to this country by engaging in pro-democracy activities. Such activities should be non-violent, focused on contacting our lawmakers and our media outlets (e.g. letters to the editor), organized in our local communities, and include non-cooperation with illegal laws.
Even if you are not a first or second generation American, the odds are good that many of your ancestors came from countries where their opportunities and democratic freedoms were limited by religion or class. If you have not yet been engaged in protecting democratic rights before, consider your heritage and decide how you can honor your ancestors by protecting the constitutional freedoms that are under attack now.
Peter Somssich, former N.H. State Representative
Portsmouth, N.H.
Peter:
Thank you. Many a native-born American has yet to take this much trouble to defend democracy—not to mention your many other efforts.
The Editor
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Trumpism is Fascism
Dear Editor,
Is there any doubt that America has an authoritarian fascist in the White House?
According to his late wife, Ivana, Trump kept a book of Hitler’s speeches. And, apparently, held a fascination with the Nazi leader. And, in 2023 in Claremont, N.H., he used terms that echoed those of the Nazi dictator. He said: “We pledge to you that we will root out the communists, Marxists, fascists, and the radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country.”
Prior to the 2024 presidential election, Robert Jones, founder of the Public Religion Institute said, “Trump has clearly crossed into the domain of Nazi ideology openly.” Jones also said Trump expressed that “immigration is a very sad thing for our country… it’s poisoning the blood of our country.” Shades of Nazi rhetoric! When various Republican presidential candidates in 2024 were campaigning, only Chris Christie criticized Trump’s comments as “disgusting,” and said Trump was “becoming crazy” and “worse by the day” and is using such language to appeal to “bigots.”
Recall the time his DOGE leader gave the Nazi salute during a speech to the MAGA faithful? How about when Trump travelled to Europe in 2018 and told his then chief-of-staff, John Kelly, that Hitler “did a lot of good things,” such as acting decisively in creating a positive economy (with the help of U.S. Banks, and corporations such as Ford Motors, IBM, GE, and Dow Chemical, among others).
Trumpism is Fascism.
Will Thomas, N.H. Veterans for Peace
Auburn, N.H.
Will:
Suddenly we’re nostalgic for chickenhawks. At least they weren’t Nazis!
The Editor
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Biden Did It Better
To the Editor:
Job creation under President Trump in 2025 was the worst since Trump’s first term. President Biden gave Trump an economy creating two million jobs a year. Trump’s mismanagement caused it to tank to under 600,000 a year.
Trump sent $20 billion to Argentina, which did nothing for this country, and is asking our oil companies to spend $100 billion in Venezuela instead of here.
Trump should be concentrating on helping us. He isn’t. He is concentrating on enriching himself and his billionaire buddies.
He is also doing everything to divert attention from the Epstein files by invading Venezuela and taking their oil, to threatening military action in Columbia, Mexico, Iran and Greenland. None of this is helping you or the economy.
We are stuck with Trump for another three years, but we can get rid of members of his party who believe standing by Trump is more important than the American people or the Constitution.
Walter Hamilton
Portsmouth, N.H.
Walter:
The cycle goes back at least as far as Ronald Reagan: when there’s a Republican in the White House, Republicans in Congress throw money at him and the budget deficit soars. When there’s a Democrat in the White House, Republicans in Congress suddenly become allergic to spending and the budget deficit shrinks.
We’re not so sure Trump will last through 2028, and we’re not talking about the dubious state of his health. The saner members of the GOP have to understand that this a Potemkin economy.
The Editor
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“Advantage” for Whom?
To the Editor:
This past week the N.H. House passed HB 155. This bill clearly reveals the priorities of this Republican House by giving another tax break to big business in N.H., ignoring small businesses and forcing more financial responsibilities onto municipalities. As our local municipalities are forced to shoulder more financial burdens, our property taxes rise. Property taxes are regressive in nature, as they are imposed without regard to one’s ability to pay.
Each tax break for the rich and big business is an increase in property taxes in disguise. In N.H., our state revenue shortfalls routinely are covered by property taxes. Recently, there was a big tax break for the rich when the Interest and Dividends Tax was repealed. Now the legislature is again cutting the Business Enterprise Tax and Business Profits Tax, after a recent 27 percent cut. Not to mention subsidies for the wealthy to send their children to private schools in the form of school vouchers. These subsidies, designed to cut state funding for public schools, are already pinching our pocketbooks. Even non-homeowners are affected, as landlords will likely raise rents to offset increases in property taxes. All of this is clearly an assault on N.H. residents not in the top 10 percent.
We must contact our representatives to tell them how this legislation is impacting us. Let’s explain to our senators that we don’t want any more drains on our finances caused by rising property taxes simply because the legislature wants to claim a “New Hampshire Advantage.”
Lorraine Hansen
Rollinsford, N.H.
Lorraine:
Republicans will happily hide their greed behind that slogan forever. The purported “Advantage” from our tax structure goes to them and their high-net-worth cronies, who would grind the rest of us into the dust rather than pay an income tax.
The Editor
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Shades of George Wallace
Dear Editor:
While many believe that unconstitutional and un-American behavior is confined to Washington, D.C., we are seeing stark examples right here in New Hampshire.
As reported by InDepthNH and The Granite Post, Rep. Kristin Noble (R-Bedford), Chair of the House Education Policy & Administration Committee, allegedly posted the following during a Signal meeting with Republican committee members: “When we have segregated schools, we can add all the fun stuff lol…. Imagine the scores if we had schools for them and some for us.”
A subsequent press release issued by the House Republican Office stated: “It’s funny to watch the Democrats feign outrage when I thought they’d be supportive of managing their own schools, with libraries full of porn, biological males in girls’ sports and bathrooms, and as much DEI curriculum as their hearts desire. Schools like that will have terrible test scores because they focus on social justice rather than academics.” Interesting that Hanover High School in Hanover, N.H. and the Oyster River High School in Durham, N.H., two Democratic communities, have some of the highest test scores in the state.
The release continued: “Republicans have been self-segregating out of the leftist indoctrination centers for decades. If democrats had their own schools, and we had our own, families wouldn’t need to avail themselves of the wildly successful education freedom account program. It’s a win / win proposition.”
Unfortunately, the rest of us are paying now for Republicans to “self-segregate” with our tax dollars, just like when we had segregated “separate but equal” schools in the south. It seems like Republicans want to return to those dark days in American history.
Richard DiPentima
Portsmouth, N.H.
Richard:
One would have to be blind not to see the irony in it: Free Staters are leading the charge to make taxpayers subsidize their kitchen-table indoctrination centers.
The Editor
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America’s Choices
To the Editor:
Any Other Past President vs President Trump; Normalcy vs Lunacy; A Constitutional Republic vs Fascism/Authoritarianism; Cooperation vs Confrontation; Rationality vs Fabrications; The International Order vs World Dominance; Honesty vs Falsifications; Law vs Corruption; Collaboration vs Dominance; The U.S. Constitution vs Terror In Our Streets; Education vs Propaganda; A Safe Future vs Masked Troops On American Streets; Sanity vs Madness; Democrats vs (Some) Republicans; A Functioning Congress vs A Gaggle of Sycophants; Rules-Based Order vs Might Makes Right; Peace vs War.
Herb Moyer
Exeter, N.H.
Herb:
Some opinion columnist: “Here we see the nation’s problem, in a nutshell: polarization. This writer is clearly unwilling to compromise with insane fascists.”
The Editor