Mash Notes, Hate Mail & Other Correspondence

To the Editor: I am grateful to Arnie Alpert and John Lindsay-Poland for their recent OpEd* regarding the weapons exports into Mexico by Sig Sauer. In their piece they profile a number of Mexican civilians who have been the victims of corrupt law enforcement or illegal gangs and killed by Sig Sauer guns made in New Hampshire. Apparently, these weapons find their way into the hands of corrupt police, drug dealers and illegal paramilitary groups. As the State Representative from the ward in Portsmouth which includes the New Hampshire headquarters of Sig Sauer, I have had concerns about the business practices of this company for …

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To the Editor: [Note: We got another letter from Don Ewing. In an effort to avoid the usual tedium, and keep the peace with the 100 Proof Department, we’ve decided to try a new approach. We have summarized, as accurately as we could, the first nine paragraphs. In the spirit of fairness, we’ve given Don the last word by leaving his final paragraph untouched. – The Ed.] [An ungrounded 36-word assertion that Joe Biden wants to destroy jobs, lower incomes, raise the cost of living, and endanger personal safety.] [A gullible, 36-word repetion of Big Oil talking points.] [A 56-word expansion on the previous fiction.] …

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To the Editor: Supposedly sitting at the very heart of our country’s explosive situation is the “overwhelming” evidence that X-president Trump claims to possess, proving the election was stolen from him. And stolen from his diehard supporters—who believe in an odd framing of reality, one in which appearance is valued far above rationale. Appearances can always be made to be deceiving. If his followers can ever be weaned back to reality, then disproving this biggest hoax of all—in their eyes—will help delegitimize not only Mr. Trump but the entire far-right. This may not be as difficult as it sounds. Not one page of this pivotal …

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“The survivor, then, is a disturber of the peace. He is the runner of the blockade men erect against knowledge of ‘unspeakable’ things. About these he aims to speak, and in so doing he undermines, without intending to, the validity of existing norms. He is a genuine transgressor, and here he is made to feel real guilt. The world to which he appeals does not admit him, and since he has looked to this world as the source of moral order, he begins to doubt himself. And that is not the end, for now his guilt is doubled by betrayal—of himself, of his task, of …

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Dear Editor, Now that the Democrats have control of both houses of Congress, citizens have high expectations that Dems must do what is necessary to solve the many crises we have been left with, after too many years of Republican control. To avoid the mistake from Obama’s presidency, the filibuster must be ended. If the 60 percent supermajority filibuster remains, Trump’s Republicans will assure gridlock. Democrats must not make the mistake of playing defense—worrying about what happens if Republicans regain the Senate in 2022 without the filibuster in place. Now they have a majority; now is the time to play offense. Majority rule is 50 …

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To the Editor: After each ten year census, New Hampshire is “redistricted.” How can 400 representatives be shared among equal-sized groups? The New Hampshire Constitution requires one representative for every 3,290 citizens. It is supposed to be a fair, nonpartisan and transparent process. But in 2011, the process was not bipartisan, not transparent, and not fair. In 2011, three people created the maps behind closed doors, not a nonpartisan committee. Public hearings were required, but no maps were shown, making informed public input impossible. That year, 24 towns were “gerrymandered”—cheated. Towns of 3,290 citizens or more didn’t get their own representatives, as guaranteed by the …

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