Re “Grand jury indicts trump over 2020” (Aug. 2):

James Madison wrote in 1822 that “people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives.” His advice rings true today, as debate about the former president continues to divide our country.

Whether we get our daily news mainly from The Valley News or MSNBC or Fox News, we must not pretend that we fully understand the gravity of the criminal charges against Mr. Trump without first reading the actual indictment.

The indictment is easily found online. It does not take long to review. And one does not have to be a lawyer to evaluate the evidence underlying each charge.

Our rare and fragile democracy requires constant care and attention from a well-informed electorate. We cannot rely entirely on the opinions of others. Only by reading the grand jury’s allegations for ourselves can we act as responsible citizens to govern ourselves.

Stephen Dycus

Strafford

After 2 ½ years of investigation, it has been confirmed that Donald Trump, the former president of the United States, has been indicted. This development comes as a relief to many who have witnessed the consequences of his actions over the course of his term in office and the consequences of having a dictator in office led us to.

Nobody can forget his response of the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in the loss of countless lives. His decisions and responses were heavily criticized and questioned by experts in the medical field. The repercussions were felt by families and communities across the nation.

Furthermore, it is essential to address Trump's track record on issues such as sexism and racism. These discriminatory attitudes not only divide our society but also undermine our progress toward equality and justice for all. Many individuals have experienced firsthand the negative effects of his divisive agenda.

We need to use this as a moment of “Is this who we want to represent the U.S.?” No. We need change where we do not move in the past and move toward a better future.

Hudson Ranney

student activist
Windsor

Why did 200-plus Dartmouth summer students queue up outside Hanover’s Nugget Theater at 10 p.m.? Why all the pink? As we were exiting the “Mission: Impossible” movie, we encountered a long line of students stretching a block up the street. They were excited and happy. A “Barbie” study break was the reason.

Congratulations to the Hanover Improvement Society and the Dartmouth Student Involvement staff for teaming up for some good summer fun. We asked a group of students if they expected “Barbie” to meet the high academic standards of Dartmouth College. They all cheerfully ignored my bad sense of humor and laughed.

William Young

Hanover

I am responding to a Forum letter published on July 31 from Dennis Logue, who wrote to complain about the anti-Christian nature of the content of a comic strip previously published in the VN (“Thought on a recent comic strip,” July 31).

Mr. Logue needs to chill out. As a devout Christian, I am surprised he did not recognize the phrase “The power of Christ compels you” as part of the Catholic Rite of Exorcism. Even I know this, and I am about as far from a devout Christian as one can get. Let me interpret the strip for Mr. Logue. Two witches in a loving relationship sit down on the couch for an evening of TV. They are watching “The Exorcist” (what else would witches be watching?), and the TV screen is showing a scene and quoting a line from that movie.

Mr. Logue’s letter reminded me of the old TV show “The Smothers Brothers.” Chastised previously for something said on their show (by another comedian), they pointed out to the audience that if one believes we are created in God’s image, and we have a sense of humor, then God must also have a sense of humor. Mr. Logue might do well to remember that.

Roger Sloboda

Hanover