The lives of our LGBTQ+ youth depend on Gov. Sununu vetoing HB 1431: Letters

The lives of our LGBTQ+ youth depend on Gov. Sununu vetoing HB 1431

May 20 — To the Editor:

HB 1431, the so-called "Parental Bill of Rights,” poses a significant threat to LGBTQ+ youth in the state of New Hampshire. According to the 2019 NH Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), youth who identify as LGBTQ+ are those most at risk for feeling unsafe at school, for being bullied, for feeling sad and hopeless and for attempting suicide. HB 1431 would mandate school employees to inform parents about a youth's clubs, extracurricular activities and gender expression or identity and would have catastrophic, negative impact on the safety and mental health of NH’s LBGTQ+ youth. In recognition of this, numerous groups have spoken out against HB 1431, including the office of the attorney general.

On Tuesday, HB 1431 failed to pass the Conference of Committee, appearing to be tabled. In a true authoritarian move, GOP House Majority Leader Jason Osborne and House Speaker Sherman Packard replaced two Republican committee members opposed to the bill with those who would pass it. This move included making Majority Leader Osborne chair of the committee. During the Conference of Committee meeting this morning the level of disrespect shown for Senator Whitley, the lone voice of opposition remaining, was uncalled for. The committee failed to discuss or vote on amendments proposed by Senator Whitely and swiftly moved to approve HB 1431.

More: Sununu vows veto of ‘parental bill of rights’ bill. Here's why it's controversial.

More: As NH ‘parental rights’ bill debate rages, LGBTQ+ advocates feel left out

We, the Executive Committee of the Dover Democrats condemn the actions of House Majority Leader Osborne and House Speaker Sherman and vehemently oppose HB 1431.

Gov. Chris Sununu recently stated he would veto HB 1431 if it crosses his desk. We strongly encourage Gov. Sununu to hold true to his word; the lives and safety of our LGBTQ+ youth depend on it.

Mother Nature a major factor in global economic woes

May 22 — To the Editor:

It’s interesting how modern Republicans often tell us about how the free market will solve all of our problems, but when prices go up, they are quick to shift the blame.

The concepts of supply and demand are taught in Economics 101. With that said, who should we really blame for higher prices? Since some are unwilling to look in the mirror, let’s blame Mother Nature.

Why are chickens and eggs more expensive recently? Mother Nature created a new avian flu, which is killing birds in the wild and is infecting flocks of chickens/laying hens on farms. Millions of chickens have been killed to contain the outbreak. This is nothing new; millions of pigs were killed in Asia not long ago to contain a swine fever infecting pigs. Mother also created COVID-19, which shut down the world in many ways including in the transportation sector. A glut of crude oil quickly developed; there was nowhere to store it and prices plunged. Financial institutions stopped funding domestic production because they were losing money on every barrel pumped. Refineries also went offline for lack of fuel demand. Several shuttered refineries never reopened. There have also been a number of refinery fires.

Perhaps because according to Republicans, safety regulations are a burden on business, lip service was given to safety protocols resulting in fires. We could be swimming in crude oil right now, but with nowhere to refine it, it does nothing to lower prices.

Then there are building materials to consider. Mother has been on a rampage. She has flooded out, washed away, incinerated and blown away thousands of businesses and homes. Forests that could have provided lumber have burned down. For those lucky enough to still be able to get or afford insurance, the destroyed structures may be rebuilt. When your local contractor is competing against multi-billion dollar insurance companies for materials, the independent contractors will likely lose the bidding wars. That is the free market at work.

Mother Nature isn’t done with us yet however; she will keep making life more unpleasant for us the longer we continue to ignore her warnings. She is just showing us some tough love. Perhaps we can ask Republicans how they will make peace with Mother Nature and reduce her impacts on the free market. Not only that, but ask her how she will stop the annual uncontrolled border jumping of thousands of Canada Geese to our north. They are potentially spreading avian flu to our born and raised American chickens. Get a jump on it Republicans; if turkeys are infected, we will start hearing from you guys about who should be blamed for the War on Thanksgiving. The blame shifting is getting old.

Don Cavallaro

Rye

Congress must end terrible war in Yemen

May 22 — To the Editor:

I am a member of a New Hampshire team working on ending the Saudi-led, U.S. supported war on Yemen. It is a devastating conflict, but the possibility of a resolution has emerged and we can help.

I am Irish-American on my mother's side. My ancestors came to this country fleeing a famine caused as much by political choices as by crop failure. We have not forgotten that tragedy, which might be one reason I feel so strongly for the people of Yemen.

Unlike Ukraine, the war on Yemen does not get very much attention. In Yemen, bombing of civilian targets, including hospitals, schools, and water treatment plants, and the blockade of Yemeni ports preventing food and other supplies has put millions of people on the brink of starvation. Of the 400,000 dead, 60% are civilians who died of hunger, lack of healthcare and unsafe water.

This war is only possible because the U.S. provides intelligence and maintenance for Saudi-led coalition warplanes and billions of dollars in weapons sales. While it is painful to realize our complicity, it gives us power to change things.

There has been an unexpected opening for peace. For the first time in 7 years, a cease-fire is holding. An opening in the blockade has allowed ships to bring in essential supplies and planes to evacuate people with dire health needs.

Congress plans to introduce a resolution to end U.S. support for Saudi-led military operations in Yemen before the two-month truce expires on June 2. Representative Pappas can help end this terrible war by cosponsoring and publicly supporting the Yemen War Powers Resolution. I invite others to call Rep. Pappas to voice their support for ending this brutal war.

Amy Antonucci

Barrington

Chris Pappas took the time to truly hear Alzheimer's care challenges

May 20 – To the Editor:

I had the honor and the privilege to travel to Washington, D.C., this past week for the Alzheimer’s Association AIM Advocacy Forum. It was a three-day event where we were able to meet with advocates all over the country to come together as one to paint Washington purple. I am proud to say that in just one day, we collectively had almost five hundred meetings with members of the senate and congress.

In these meetings we urged our representatives for the change we wish to see for those living in our Nation with Alzheimer’s disease. A disease that effects over six million Americans and as our population ages, that number will skyrocket. As a memory care program director, I see firsthand how this disease affects my residents, their family, friends and caregivers and we need to come together to create proactive change.

During my time in Washington, I was able to meet with a staff representative in the offices of Rep. Kuster, Sen. Hassan and Sen. Shaheen. We were lucky enough to meet with Rep. Pappas in person. Each office was gracious and patient with our asks, heard our stories and offered support. I am especially thankful for Rep. Pappas for staying for the duration of our meeting even with his time constraints.

Please visit the AIM website at alzimpact.org and urge congress and senate to cosponsor our legislative asks so we can change lives of so many Granite Staters as well as the Nation who are living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia.

Meghan Wentworth

Barrington

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Lives of NH LGBTQ+ youth depend on Gov. Sununu vetoing HB 1431: Letters