Prioritize NH’s children

I am puzzled by the priorities of some New Hampshire legislators: banning books from school libraries, withholding medical care from trans students, censoring what can be taught in the social studies classroom, worrying about who uses which bathroom. If these legislators are so concerned about New Hampshire children, why aren’t they protecting them from gun violence? Why not focus on keeping our children safe from lethal weapons by supporting universal background checks, red flag laws and safe home firearm storage requirements. Let’s prioritize keeping our children alive. We have a lot more to gain by doing so than by banning a book.

Dena B. Romero

Hanover

Funding for fossil fuels

Bank of America has recently broken its self-proclaimed commitment to help transition from fossil fuels. It is again going to be lending for new coal mining, coal-fired power plants and for new oil exploration in the Arctic. These investments represent some of the most egregious possible insults to this planet. Bank of America is one of the most powerful funding promoters of fossil fuels in the banking industry.

These investments are embedding our infrastructure investment for the next 20 years. That’s 20 years we don’t have to change our carbon emissions course. The fossil fuel industry costs 5.13 million excess deaths each year due to air pollution. Apparently Bank of America feels that making money is more valuable than such risks. If you think they are wrong and you are a Bank of America customer please consider that your money and business is underwriting these decisions. There are alternatives. Go to thirdact.org and look for a bank that is working for us and the planet. Apparently Bank of America has other things to think about.

Phillip Mulligan

Lebanon

Support end-of-life options

When a person is considered terminal by physicians (six months or less to live), there are situations worse than death. Pain, suffering, restricted mobility, total loss of eyesight and/or hearing, inability to swallow food and no hope for improvement or recovery rob people of any quality of life no matter their age or circumstances. If the situation is terminal, the person is conscious, and can indicate (or have already indicated through Advance Directives) that their choice is to end their life, the choice should be theirs to make. Please contact your New Hampshire State Legislators and ask them to support HB 1283, the NH End of Life Options Act.

Patricia C. Whitney

Sunapee

Jack Candon answered
call to public service

I would like to contribute something to our memory of Jack Candon, noted Norwich attorney, who passed away on Dec. 5, and whose life was written up recently in this paper in the Monday feature, A Life on Jan. 22.

Whether or not you had the honor to know Jack personally, or had witnessed him in his professional role as an attorney, or in his civic role as a Selectman, it is important to know of him — a truly great man who devoted his life to helping people. He was extremely effective in all the roles he played in his life thanks to his extraordinary endowment of brilliance and humanity, the likes of which this world rarely sees.

His command of the law, great as it was, did not define him. His concern for his fellow man did. Jack understood public service, and his vision for the world, coupled with his faith, his courage and his personality, came together to achieve a great deal, and to leave an enduring example for all of us.

Who can we look up to? I often ask myself after listening to the news. Who understands the common good and is willing to work to restore it? Having been a public servant myself for a short while, sitting next to Jack on the Norwich Selectboard, I can say that Jack answered the call his life long.

His gift to us will live on, as we try to live up to his example.

Suzanne Lupien

Vershire