Mash Notes, Hate Mail & Other Correspondence

To the Editor: According to a recent Journalist’s Resource report by Chloe Reichel, between 2004 and 2015 the U.S. newspaper industry lost 1,800 print outlets due to closures and mergers. In a democracy, the basis for self-government is an informed citizenry. Local news media, and newspapers in particular, bear the primary responsibility. As the result of closures and mergers, the American newspaper industry has lost hundreds of news outlets, shedding journalists and investigative reporters, leading to a more challenging news landscape. Ms. Reichel highlights various studies indicating that areas with fewer local news outlets and declining coverage not only have lower levels of civic engagement …

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To the Editor, The COVID-19 pandemic is just getting started and will be with us for another year or more. Getting people back to work and students returning to school is important but so is containing the virus. The two are not mutually exclusive. If we maintain social distancing and practice other safety measures, we can and will lessen the severe impact of the virus, free up resources in acute care facilities, and save lives until we have effective medications and vaccines. This should not be a partisan decision, it is an altruistic decision. To show our humanity we must all wear masks when near …

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by Roy Morrison The killing of Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta in a Wendy’s parking lot by Officer Garrett Rolfe is a reflection not only of racism, but also the transformation of police from protector to predator, and the criminalization of social problems like DWI. Officer Garrett Rolfe was a reputed “expert” in detecting drunk driving. “Failing” sobriety test automatically leads to arrest, slapping on cuffs, and, in this case, the shooting in the back of Rayshard Brooks. Yes, drivers if drunk should have their keys taken away, their car towed if not parked, and given a summons to appear in court facing appropriate consequences like …

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Dear Editor: I’ve just written to the few people I know reading or having copies (that I gave them) of Maine author Carolyn Chute’s just-out novel, The Recipe for Revolution (Grove Press). The paper jacket has this Kirkus Review recommendation: “Essential Reading.” I agree. It’s a big book, 732 pages—good for pandemic-time/isolation reading. On pp. 666-675 Chute does an exposure of our U.S. racism’s roots through the eyes/mind of Blake who is mixed—”Some of my family is white by marriage and we got the Indian factor. But we’re labeled ‘Black’. And we’re labeled ‘inner city,’ which is like being labeled ‘toilet.’ This didn’t happen overnight. …

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To the Editor: In Tulsa on June 20, President Trump announced that he had asked “his people” to go slow on virus testing, explaining that if you do more tests, you have more cases (which would be embarrassing). Spokespersons said the next day that Trump had spoken “tongue in cheek.” This was after doctors standing next to the President at numerous press conferences had explained repeatedly that testing is essential to controlling an epidemic, as it allows directing of efforts, quarantining and contact tracing. It avoids having contagious staff infect nursing home residents, and young people bring the virus to their grandparents. At those conferences, …

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To the Editor: COVID-19 slashed household and town income in N.H. and across the country. Senator Martha Fuller Clark’s June 24th “My Turn” [column in the Concord Monitor] highlights a bipartisan solution to save money for towns and citizens: expand net metering (renewable energy sharing). Make it more accessible in our state. Last year net metering bill HB365 passed the Senate and House with bipartisan support. Governor Sununu vetoed this bill; the vote to override failed. A similar fate met net metering SB446 in 2018. HB365 would have saved N.H. businesses and communities $2-$2.5 million annually, just on electricity generated with hydropower. Tax- and rate-payers …

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