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Letters

Letter: Fall of the American Empire

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

To the Editor: Toleration is moral cowardice. It is the inability to stand for anything, so by default one stands for everything. Toleration is the vice that stands in opposition to the virtue of patience. Patience is the virtue of enduring suffering now in the firm hope of attaining a greater good later. Toleration is the vice of enduring evil now in the hope of postponing suffering until later. In …

Letter: A Newcomer Says Thank You

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

To the Editor: I arrived with 100 pounds of personal items on my back, as that was all I could board with as I said goodbye to Texas and headed to New England. I had a vision of hope, of starting a brand new life — and a brand new life it is! Although not the way I had envisioned, I have been …

Letter: Facing Our Real Challenge

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

To the Editor: As economists, politicians and ordinary citizens grapple over the best way to “grow our economy again” so we can reduce debt, create more jobs and strengthen our position as a world leader, I am unable to understand their thinking. The United States has met its citizens’ material needs. This is the first time in the history of mankind that poor …

Letter: Thanks From the Stern Center

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

To the Editor: Thanks to everyone who participated in our first ever “Run for the Roses” Kentucky Derby event to raise money for the Stern Center for Language and Learning Scholarship Program. Held on May 4 at the Norwich Inn, the gathering was a big success. The Stern …

Letter: A Refreshing Sort of Debate

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

To the Editor: As a retired English teacher and unretiring lover of language, I was proud of my valley and your paper to find an entire Forum page devoted to a debate about the merits and demerits of The Great Gatsby. Some say our culture is about to …

Letter: Ranks Low on Atrocity Scale

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

To the Editor: So let me get this straight. Because of the 2008 election, a number of groups spring up that affiliate themselves with the Tea Party and decide to apply for tax-free status to form groups to discredit the president. As a result, someone at the IRS …

Letter: Welcome Home to Vietnam Vets 

Monday, May 20, 2013

To the Editor: I had the privilege and honor to play a part in the Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day ceremonies on March 30 in Concord. Over 2,000 people came to welcome home our Vietnam veterans, a welcome they never received some 40 years ago. On May 23 …

Letter: A Gross Misreading of 'Gatsby' 

Monday, May 20, 2013

To the Editor: The publicity churned out for the latest movie version of The Great Gatsby encouraged me to reread the novel. I finished the night before I read Ernest Hebert’s scathing commentary, which left me wondering if we had read the same book. In disparaging Fitzgerald, I …

Letter: That’s the Way Things Were

Monday, May 20, 2013

To the Editor: Ernest Hebert’s May 10 commentary on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby was an effort to demean Fitzgerald. Hebert is not dealing with the facts of the novel. The novel describes the way things were in certain segments of society. You can’t undo them or …

Letter: Exploring Human Behavior

Sunday, May 19, 2013

To The Editor: I’m puzzled by the May 10 Valley News commentary in which Ernest Hebert writes about The Great Gatsby as though both the current film and the book on which it’s based somehow promote aspects of this work which he finds offensive. Here’s the opening sentence …

Letter: Rape and War Are Linked

Sunday, May 19, 2013

To the Editor: I wonder when we’ll realize that rape and war are blood brothers, and that as long as men are trained to kill, they will continue to rape and abuse. The only way to stop rape within the military, it seems to me, would be to …

Letter: The Chaos Around Colburn Park

Sunday, May 19, 2013

To the Editor: “Sign, sign, everywhere a sign; blockin’ out the scenery, breakin’ my mind. Do this, don’t do that; Can’t you read the sign?” — Five Man Electrical Band. During my daily commute, I have the option of traveling the interstate or taking Route 4 around Colburn …

Letter: Hanover Bicycle-Pedestrian Summit

Sunday, May 19, 2013

To the Editor: Transportation is an issue of interest to everyone in the Upper Valley. Governments at all levels, from town to federal, devote time to transportation and infrastructure planning. Taxpayers then fund the implementation. Successful planning and execution require communication between governments and constituents. The Hanover Bicycle/Pedestrian …