While we’re consumed with a candidate’s emails and the latest racist comment, another young person died of a heroin overdose, the fourth in the last 3½ months in the Upper Valley, two of whom I knew personally. The first, a father of one preteen, the second a father of two.
I met the latter at a local business where he worked. He worked hard, smoked cigarettes and seemed cheerful. A few years later, as he couch-surfed through life, he show up at my rental. He helped out with snow removal and other chores. One day I noticed his socks showing through the tips of his boots in the snow. I went to Dan & Whit’s and bought him work boots.
I don’t judge people. It’s not what we are on this Earth to do. What I’m asking Vermonters and Americans is: “Do you care?”
I will peal it off our Green Mountains: “Do you care?” I will say it in our swimming holes, on our golf courses, our co-ops and foodstands: “Do you care?” Our sons and our daughters, our fathers and mothers, our brothers and sisters are dying. “Do you care?”
Help destroy and abandon the destructive criminalized system of drug use we have suffered under for at least 50 years. Legalize all drugs and deal with it. Stop giving your loved ones the back of your hand.
Raise your voices before it’s you at a wake for someone you knew or loved.
Matt Cardillo Sharon
The claims Donald Trump made about Hillary Clinton and the Second Amendment to the Constitution on Aug. 9 require some comment. I am referring to his assertion that Secretary Clinton will “abolish the Second Amendment.”
Two things are immediately clear. One, that Clinton has never said this, and two, that Mr. Trump has not read the copy of the Constitution that Khizr Khan offered him. Clinton favors some means of gun control. If elected, she will probably support a familiar set of restrictions, such as the banning of assault weapons and large clips and an expansion of background checks to cover gun shows and private sales.
She will not and cannot abolish the Second Amendment. Here’s why. In order to change the Constitution, it has to be amended. The methods for making amendments are laid out in Article V of the Constitution. Two such methods are described. In the first, two-thirds of both houses of Congress — both the House of Representatives and the Senate — must vote for such an amendment. If they do, the amendment becomes law. In the second method, the legislatures of two-thirds of the states must call upon the Congress to authorize the states to consider constitutional amendments either in their legislatures or in specially constituted conventions. When three-quarters of the states approve a given amendment in either their legislatures or conventions, the amendment becomes law. Please note two things. First, that the president, and therefore Secretary Clinton, if she is elected, would have no role in either process. Second, the bar for passing an amendment is very high. There’s not the slightest chance that two-thirds of our representatives or three-fourths of our state legislators would support any such thing. I’m confident that I’ll keep my rifle as long as I live.
Steve Rounds Piermont
Barack Obama doesn’t think that Donald Trump has what it takes to be president? As the worst president in our nation’s history, what the heck does he know about that?
Jim Newcomb North Haverhill
How refreshing and wonderful to open the Aug. 7 Sunday Valley News to Section B and read the article on 20 immigrants from 15 countries who became naturalized at the Calvin Coolidge Homestead in Plymouth, Vt., on Saturday, Aug. 6 (“Their Home Sweet Home”).
I was elated to have good news and read about the happiness, seriousness and sincerity of those who took the oath and pledged allegiance to our United States of America. We really do have a wonderful country overall, and I sincerely hope that those who are natural- born citizens will welcome these new citizens with the caring and dignity they deserve.
We whose families go back numerous generations take so much for granted. People who are new citizens do not take their new life and freedom for granted. I wish all of them the best. Welcome to the USA! We are, and hopefully will always be, a melting pot of people from all over the world. It was and still is the foundation of our country.
Lorraine Zigman Perkinsville
I stopped at the White River Junction Listen thrift store to drop a few donations as I was on my way to West Lebanon. I was overwhelmed to see the amount of donations. The pile is almost to the ceiling and at least 20 feet wide. I am sure that the workers and volunteers are discouraged about getting items sorted, priced and out on the floor.
Why are not some of these donations sorted and shipped to Third-World countries or families in Louisiana who have had nothing since the hurricane? With the Good Buy Store at the Hartford landfill closing and The Haven closing its free clothing room, this has put a burden on the remaining Good Buy Store and Listen in Lebanon. Get volunteers to sort and pack donations to ship elsewhere.
Donna Fowler-Greenwood West Hartford
The Sierra Club, Upper Valley Group, is working with other community organizations to promote new visions of our energy future. As part of this effort, we received grant funding and joined dozens of other cities and towns across the country in the Ready for 100 campaign.
Ready for 100 is a movement of people working to inspire our leaders to embrace a vision of healthier communities powered by 100 percent clean energy. We are asking our town leaders, CEOs, pastors, principals, community leaders, parents and students to commit to solutions that help us achieve 100 percent clean, renewable energy across the U.S. by 2050.
To kick off this campaign, we are gathering people from across the Upper Valley to pose for a picture — an aerial photo of supporters forming a Ready for 100 image. Join us Wednesday, Aug. 17 at 5 p.m. on the Dartmouth Green. Be part of the big picture and help us put Hanover and other towns on track for a sustainable energy future.
Michael Hillinger, Chair, Sierra Club, Upper Valley Group Etna