Why does Executive Councilor Janet Stevens care now about life-saving drugs?: Letters

Janet Stevens didn't care before, why the change?

Feb. 22 — To the Editor:

It was interesting to see Executive Councilor Janet Stevens on the nightly news recently. She was expressing concerns over delays in providing drugs to New Hampshire residents and that any delays in receiving drugs was a matter of life and death.

This is quite a change from three years ago, when she didn’t feel New Hampshire residents should receive life-saving vaccines in a timely manner. Due to the delays in providing vaccine doses to Granite Staters, we quickly achieved the No. 1 status for new COVID-19 infections in the United States. Considering statistics, and if more people get infected, more people die, our Executive Council's action resulted in a number of avoidable deaths. Now Councilor Stevens is outraged as many were outraged a few years ago. In the world of COVID-19, unvaccinated people die at a higher rate than vaccinated people. This is a simple statistical fact. Not only were more deaths a result of the self inflicted slower vaccine rollout, it also delayed the return to in-class education, which students are still academically recovering from. New Hampshire had the lowest vaccination rate of our surrounding states, in part to the politics of the day and to those such as Councilor Stevens, who felt it necessary to toe her party's line as Granite Staters died. Those of us who had loved ones die of COVID-19 without being able to see them before they died, and could not even have a timely funeral, deserved better Councilor Stevens. Glad to see you are concerned now.

Don Cavallaro

Rye

Re-elect JoAnn Hodgdon as Rye library trustee

Feb. 23 — To the Editor:

I am writing to highly recommend JoAnn Hodgdon to be re-elected for Rye Library Trustee.

I want you to know that I have known JoAnn for over 30 years, and I have worked with herclosely in a variety of capacities. As the former CEO of the Greater Dover, Portsmouth, andManchester chambers of commerce, and as the economic development manager for the cityof Somersworth, I have had the opportunity to work with a wide variety of community activistsrepresenting numerous arenas, all committed to community improvement, through manyvenues that impact both social and economic systems that support community. JoAnn is ashining star among decades of work I have been involved with that depended on volunteers.

As it specifically relates to Portsmouth, and the New Hampshire Seacoast - please know that Iwould not have been able to accomplish the lofty goals of the period without JoAnn. JoAnn hasremarkable vison and creative approaches to accomplish goals. Her strength in sound strategicthinking, coupled with her ability to develop sound tactical plans, all while engaging andsupporting volunteers, is a phenomenal skill. And, at the same time this very smart and creativewoman is positive, humble, unpretentious, and truly kind. JoAnn is a master at buildingcommitted allies who will work to advance the mission and goals of any organization she servesand its projects too. The Rye Public Library is in good caring hands as it evolves, as JoAnn hasconnected with so many other Rye residents and committees.

Please reach out to me if you would like to discuss my opinions and experiences of workingwith JoAnn. At the same time, know that your Library and community, will greatly benefit fromJoAnn continuing in her trustee role. I sincerely hope you reelect JoAnn Hodgdon as a Ryelibrary trustee.

Robin Comstock

Nottingham

Cease-fire needed to stop the killing

Feb. 24 — To the Editor:

Yes Rabbi Slavaticki, you are right. As you said, what a crazy world we live in. It sure is “ crazy”to believe that 142 days of carpet bombing Gaza is just Israel defending itself. Even crazier tobelieve the massacre of over 13,000 babies/children is OK because “Israel is defendingitself." And how about the bombing of hospitals, schools, refugee centers, mosques? Or the135 journalists, 354 doctors/nurses slaughtered? Crazy to think it is Israel defending itself.Even crazier that Israel moves over one million people to Rafah, a supposed “safe zone,” buthas decided to bomb Rafah since of course it is “defending itself." But oh wait, how about thewar crime of the starvation of 2 million people trapped in a open air prison? Or the destructionof Gaza’s infrastructure? I guess Rabbi Salavaticki your response would be, what a crazy worldwe live in since it is just Israel defending itself so why the outcry against the ongoing genocide (that you deny). Yes Rabbi, what a crazy world we live in. Cease-fire now!!!

Bonnie Rodriguez

Hampton

Raise your hand if you oppose the book 'Gender Queer'

Feb. 24 — To the Editor:

I recently attended the Barrington Town School Board candidates' forum to hear the three school board candidates introduce themselves to the public. During the question and answer session I raised in hand my personal copy of one of the more controversial books of the year, "Gender Queer" by Maia Kobabe. This award winning book recounts Kobabe's journey from adolescence to adulthood and the author's exploration of gender identity and sexuality. I conveyed to the candidates because of its graphic contents and depictions of children in certain acts within the book that the Dover School District Superintendent Dr. William Harbron assured the Dover School Board and the public this book does not exist in any Dover elementary school library. As an aside, this is not an issue of book banning, but rather of age appropriateness.

In closing, I asked the candidates to raise their hand should they object to the book "Gender Queer" appearing in any Barrington elementary school library. The only candidate to raise his hand in affirmation was Fire Chief Rick Walker. The other two candidates did not object, in effect approving of its availability to elementary school children who would likely not be ready for such exposure.

For this reason, and the fact that Chief Walker has previous experience as a member of the school board, I heartily endorse his candidacy. He will be the only school board candidate my wife and I will give our vote.

Randal Heller

Barrington

Is keeping an embryo frozen considered child abuse?

Feb. 24 — To the Editor:

For decades "pro-life" Republicans have claimed that life begins at conception. That position became an official legal determination when the Alabama Supreme Court decided that in fact life does begin at conception when it ruled that embryos are "extrauterine children," and the accidental destruction of embryos is considered a wrongful death.  This raises enormous political, social and legal issues now that Alabama has opened Pandora's Box.

There are probably many frozen embryos in Alabama awaiting a possible in vitro fertilization (IVF).  Since these embryos are now considered "children" they must be either used for IVF or kept in a frozen state forever, since destroying them would be committing a wrongful death.  This begs a number of serious questions.  Does keeping an embryo, or a "child" according to Alabama, in a frozen state for an undetermined amount of time considered child abuse? Are women in Alabama who use a intrauterine device (IUD) for contraception committing a wrongful death since the IUD prevents a fertilized egg (post-conception) from attaching to the uterus? Are these "children" entitled to any inheritance from their legal parents upon their deaths?  Will these "children" be counted in the census of the State in which they reside and used to determine congressional representation and other for other purposes?  Can their legal parents claim these "children" as dependents on their Alabama state income tax as they now claim their other "extrauterine children"?  I am sure there are other ethical and legal issues that now need to be answered.

You may think that the above questions are ludicrous, however once you make a legal determination that an embryo is a "child" these questions become very much legitimate.  Alabama has determined that an embryo is an "extrauterine child." For that matter, every child born alive is considered an "extrauterine child" As such both deserve the same rights and privileges according to Alabama. The absurdity of the Alabama decision along with the U.S. Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe v. Wade has shown how radical the Republican Party has become.  Their position on women's reproductive rights are very much in line with the Taliban, and they need to be held accountable for their extremism.

Rich DiPentima

Portsmouth

Trump is being prosecuted and ordered to pay for non-crime with no victim

Feb. 25 — To the Editor:

On the fraud case brought against the Trump Organization by the attorney of New York, Letita James, we need to look at the details to see if justice was actually upheld or not. 

There were no victims in this case and no one filed a complaint against the Trump Organization other than the District of New York. The charges were based on their own estimation and narrow knowledge of the real estate negotiation process between borrowers and lenders.

None of the lenders suffered losses; as a matter of fact they made money, and wanted even more business with the Trump Organization.

A question must then be asked, if Trump was not running for office, would this case had ever happened? Doubtful, very doubtful.

By awarding a $355 million penalty for a non-crime, the judge, who is openly critical of Trump, used his power to damage a political enemy, a common practice in places such as Cuba, Venezuela and other despotic nations in the world.

After the ruling was announced, many business owners  leery of getting the same treatment as the Trump Organization, decided not to pursue further expansion in New York. The pushback was severe enough to prompt a statement from the clueless governor of New York, Kathy Hochul: "New Yorkers who are business people have nothing to worry about because they’re very different than Donald Trump and his behavior." 

Hochul’s words are evident that only Trump is getting  this treatment because he's Trump.  In other words, if we don't like you, if you’re a threat to our power, we will find the crime, any crime, and ruin you in the process.

If our goal is to save democracy, addressing judicial corruption and malfeasance  is a must. Otherwise, no one is safe from being accused based on the whims of a politicized system run by political ideologues. 

Sue Polidura

Portsmouth

Medicare fraud warning for Seacoast residents

Feb. 25 — To the Editor:

Medicare fraud is spreading and now pervasive in the Seacoast area, caution!

Two of my patients received Medicare "this is not a bill" statements recently. Please read these carefully. Each statement was for the period of February through November 2023.

Each was for urinary catheters - they were billed 10 times on one statement for 200 catheters each for a total of 2000 catheters! These catheters were never ordered, never needed, and never delivered. Medicare was billed $19,000 and paid $14,582.

Another patient was called at home saying that I had ordered specialized neurologic testing. I hadn't ordered anything and fortunately he hung up on them. They had his Medicare and telephone numbers. The form for the test was bogus and likely expensive for worthless data.

I have received requests for another senior patient for a back brace, knee brace, diabetic testing equipment, and her records for their review. She had none of these medical issues. We called the phone number listed and got a grocery store in New Jersey.

Agree to nothing by phone and hang up quickly. Report anything suspicious to Medicare 1-800-633-4227 and ask for the fraud unit.

Thomas Clairmont MD

Portsmouth

Ukrainians dying every day while Congress sits on its hands-blocked by Trump

Feb. 26 — To the Editor:

Michael Frandzel (PH:2/23/24) had it right (UL: 2/12/24. Trump is dangerous, outrageous and Ukrainians are dying every day while Mike Johnson and the GOP sit on their hands, bowing to Trump.)

Congress dithers and American credibility and influence goes down the drain!

Fund Ukraine now! Bury Trump’s pressure on election denier Speaker Johnson.

How many Ukrainians will die every day while the United States bows its head in shame?

Malcolm Odell

Exeter

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Why does Janet Stevens care now about life-saving drugs?: Letters