Volume 264 | No. 18

Revelations 2020

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Responses to the spread of the coronavirus vary considerably in different jurisdictions. In states of the U.S. that are dominated by massive cities, health constraints have tended to be severe, subjecting rural counties to the same crippling strictures as urban ghettoes. Relief from such broad-brush diktats often depends on discretionary enforcement by police, who can usually judge local needs better than governors. Here in New Hampshire, the outbreak has thus far struck a fairly light blow, perhaps because the Governor’s order fell a little more on the strict side than the situation originally seemed to warrant. He didn’t close the borders, but this time last …

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This Shows Us Where True Power Lies

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To the Editor: These United States of America were founded upon dissent, civil disobedience, direct action, and defiance against a tyrannical government. On one hand, this nation proclaims pride in that fact and on the other, it works non-stop to suppress any expression of opinions that vary from the status quo Ameri-capitalist economic machine. Our founding fathers even went so far as to enshrine the suppression of dissent and defiance in the U.S. Constitution (Art. I., Section. 8.) Is there any wonder why the majority of U.S. inhabitants cannot seem to forge the kinds of structural change in governing powers that are truly necessary to …

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“Nothing’s Too Good for a Soldier…”

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To the Editor: It is hard to keep up with an almost daily outrage from this Administration. From the Postal Service to the rape of the environment to “Obamagate” to hydroxychloroquine to dismissing Inspectors-General and on and on. “…a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” Today I would like to address just one of these abominations—the “hard stop” of the Federal deployment of National Guard troops on Day 89 of their deployments, June 24th. This means that the troops will not be able to claim the GI Bill benefits to which they would be eligible if they were deployed …

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Free and Fair Elections?

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To the Editor: The U.S. Constitution’s 15th Amendment guarantees all citizens the right to vote. But until the Voting Rights Act of 1965, literacy tests suppressed voting in many states. Many hurdles for pandemic-wary New Hampshire voters promise novel forms of voter suppression. Hooray! The Governor and Secretary of State say anyone can vote absentee—just claim a disability (fear of Coronavirus). What about those hurdles? New Hampshire is the only state without registration by mail or online. The only way to register to vote is in-person at your Town Office… …which is probably closed. If applying (by phone, mail, email) to vote absentee, be sure …

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Real American Carnage

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Officially, as of Tuesday afternoon, more than 1.5 million Americans were confirmed to have been infected by the coronavirus. More than 90,000 have died. Those are the figures we have to work with, anyway. We know that both numbers will only rise. That goes without saying for the death toll, of course, because life is a one-way street. These days, though, with more than 1,200 people dying every day from the virus, the mortality department’s accountants can no more keep up than Lucy and Ethel in the candy factory. The number of total cases is also a moving target; with new people getting infected every …

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