Mash Notes, Hate Mail & Other Correspondence

by Ambrose Bierce Labor, n. One of the processes by which A acquires property for B. Lawful, adj. Compatible with the will of a judge having jurisdiction. Lawyer, n. One skilled in circumvention of the law. Liar, n. A lawyer with a roving commission. Liberty, n. One of Imagination’s most precious possessions. Litigant, n. A person about to give up his skin for the hope of retaining his bones. Loquacity, n. A disorder which renders the sufferer unable to curb his tongue when you wish to talk.

by John LaForge The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is about to win its 50th state ratification, the golden number needed for the treaty to enter into force. The list of 47 current signatories can be seen at ICANw.org, website of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize-winning coalition that helped navigate the treaty. Formal ratification of the new law—TPNW for short—is a nation’s binding promise “never under any circumstances…develop, test, produce, manufacture, otherwise acquire, possess or stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.” The United Nations opened the TPNW for consideration by a vote of 122 …

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To the Editor: Blend a sudden global respiratory viral pandemic with an incompetent, science-denying Donald Trump downplaying the virus as a liberal hoax, add a full measure of disgust for pedophilia, and beat vigorously on social media. Swallowing this delicious mixture is comforting for many folks, who prefer it to the menace of a death avoided only by masks and separation. QAnon makes it clear we are threatened, instead, by an identifiable, hidden, global cabal of child-violating liberal elites. Instead of separation and fear, the global threat is to be fought by the enlightened, intimate groups of QAnon adherents. QAnon offers clear answers and familiar, …

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To the Editor: It has been nice to see all the signs for Joe Biden around the state. Especially encouraging for the country and for the future of the Republican Party are the “Republicans For Biden” signs, including the one in Rye Center, “I Am A Republican Not A Fool – Biden 2020.” Cynthia Muse Rye, N.H. Cynthia: In Rye, no less…. The Editor

To the Editor: Over $4,000,000,000 leaves N.H. annually to pay for energy. It’s a smart town that finds a better way. Take a useless plot of land—say, an old landfill—cover it with solar panels, and let the sun do the rest. If the sun produces more energy than you can use, the credit earned is “net metering,” paying the cost of putting up those panels. Your town saves hundreds of thousands—even millions—in energy bills. Those savings get passed on to you, the tax- and rate-payers. No wonder so many N.H. towns are considering net metering, or have invested money in designing plans, now shovel-ready. But …

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Dear Editor, Why does Trump deny the efficacy of masks, when doctors agree this simple measure could prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths? Is he intentionally ignorant, or so selfish that the inconvenience of mask wearing to preserve other peoples’ health is beyond his moral character? Why does he actively thwart cooperative efforts to reverse global warming before the climate crisis becomes irreversible? Is he scientifically stupid, or selfishly willing to sacrifice the well-being of our planet to grab short-term petro-profit? Why does he work to remove health insurance from millions, before coming up with a workable replacement? Does he actually believe his slap-dash slogans …

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