Valley News Forum for Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023: Invest in community nursing

Congratulations to Nora Doyle-Burr for her very well-written article on Hartford considering hiring a community nurse. That would be a wonderful investment for the community, an easily accessed resource particularly for vulnerable seniors who often don’t know where to turn when they or loved ones need help with health issues. The health care system seems to be ever-evolving, with providers coming and going, so a community nurse can be a trusted voice on how best to proceed with their own health issues or health issues of a loved one.

Ann Bradley

Hanover

The writer is an RN and the former parish nurse at Church of Christ at Dartmouth College.

A successful clothing swap

The Nov. 11-12 Upper Valley Community Clothing Swap was a tremendous success, one of the biggest swaps ever!

Some statistics: 378 bags of clothing donated; 25-plus volunteers sorted it all; 298 shoppers carried it home.

The remaining clothing was distributed to: Dismas House, in Hartford; LISTEN Community Services and the Salvation Army, both in Lebanon; and Baby Steps Family Assistance, in Claremont.

And 68 pounds of donated nonperishable food was delivered to the Upper Valley Haven’s food pantry.

We would like to thank Bugbee Senior Center, for letting us use their lovely space; Budget Print for making our posters; and Upper Valley Food Coop, Price Chopper, Coop Food Stores, The Baker’s Studio, Hannaford, and Ramunto’s Pizza for feeding our volunteers.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to the whole community for supporting this annual event.

Jo Alexander, Bobbijo Roussel
and Betsy Alexander

Organizers, Upper Valley Community Clothing Swap

Beware of Biblical justifications

Interpretation of the Bible is splendid blood sport, especially when one tries to read it “literally” without consideration of such matters as cultural and historical context or metaphorical/allegorical matters (“U.S. Should Join God on Israel’s Side”; Forum, Nov. 4). There are circumstances in which such mutilation becomes indefensible.

So it is that in the name of “God” the writer urges his readers to take the side of the state of Israel in the current iteration of the indiscriminate violence visited by Hamas and Israeli political leaders against innocent civilians. So far there are more than 1,200 dead, plus some 240 hostages held by Hamas, on the Israeli side. The toll is much higher among Palestinian Arab civilians in Gaza, over 11,000 (as of this writing) mostly civilians, largely women and children. Currently we are confronted with images of Gaza suggestive of the metaphorical havoc wreaked by God on Sodom and Gomorrah, consequent on their failure of morality and justice.

An aspect of the long-standing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs is the faith held by political zealots on both sides, abetted by proxies like America and Iran, that violence is the way to deal with this matter.

So far, when asked, Israel’s leaders do not answer what comes after their attempt to eliminate the threat of Hamas. Are the so-called “great powers” (e.g. the USA, Iran, Russia, China) capable of sponsoring or guaranteeing a durable peace in the Middle East? Is it possible to make peace by making war?

In the light of such issues it is no surprise that we humans, in this particular instance “Christian” communities, prefer to fob off our profound responsibilities in this matter on “prayer” and “God.”

Boris G. von York

Springfield, Vt.

Extremism leads to violent conflict

Recent tragic events in Israel should teach lessons about the dangers of right wing extremism.

Hamas came to rule Gaza first by claiming more moderate political parties like Fatah were weak and corrupt, and then, after winning the 2006 election, harassing and even murdering those who opposed their increasingly radical views.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu came to lead Israel by claiming more moderate parties could not be trusted to defend the country and then assembling an administration intolerant of Palestinian rights or concerns. The 2 million Palestinians in Gaza were relegated to an “open air prison” without basic needs such as sufficient clean water, electricity or jobs. The 4 million Palestinians living in Israel often find their rights and very lives threatened.

Here in the United States, we have a presidential candidate who says if he’s elected he will “root out the communists, Marxists, fascists and the radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country.” I hear echoes of Hamas and Netanyahu. Beware, America.

David Allen

White River Junction