To the Editor:

Dear Ginger and all at The Hooksett Banner, I’m taking a week off; a moment of silence, if you will, but had to send this note: Thank you, Banner editorial staff, for your words of encouragement in last week’s editorial. Thanks to all the other readers and neighbors for their support and encouragement. Truth and fairness are the highest and noblest attributes of journalism. Unfortunately, these are not found as often as they should be in today’s media. Thank God we have a genuine “free press” called Neighborhood News.

David Ross
Hooksett

To the Editor:

The Girls Major Softball All-Star team and coaches would like to thank all of our sponsors:Auburn Little League Board, businesses and our local community, who helped make our trip possible to Albany, N.Y., for the East Region Tournament.

We appreciate everyone’s support and generosity creating memories that will last a lifetime for the girls.

Richard Pelletier
Auburn

To the Editor:

You’ve heard the expression ­ ”Move it or lose it.” Sadly, that applies to the Epsom Meetinghouse on Route 4. For 145 years, the building has withstood storms and numerous changes on the First NH Turnpike. Through paving, road widening and the addition of traffic lights, the graceful outline has remained the same. In 1861, Epsom citizens banded together to create this building, and it has been a part of the Epsom community since the Civil War. Memorial Day celebrations have been traditionally held inside the building that stood years before the first Memorial Day was ever celebrated.

Once again, Epsom citizens are coming together to preserve our town’s heritage. The Friends of Epsom’s Historic Meetinghouse have done a thorough job exploring all options of saving the building.

This dedicated group has worked for over a year to develop a detailed plan with several options for moving and preserving the building. You may contact a member by calling 736-9295 or 736-4571 or check out the detailed reports at www.epsomlibrary.com/epsom/ Committees/fhmh/.

What price do you put on preservation? The project needs funds. You can help with a tax-deductible contribution that will be refunded to you if the move can’t beat the wrecking ball.

Please make your tax-deductible check payable to: Epsom Historical Assn. Meetinghouse Fund and mail it to: Epsom Historical Association 1775 Dover Road, Epsom, NH 03234.

Not only will you be preserving a piece of Epsom history, but you will be assisting in creating a future community center and town office space. The goal is to renovate the Meetinghouse into needed town office space and to help create a community center.

Don’t allow another piece of our history disappear!

Virginia J. Drew
Epsom

To the Editor:

The irrepressible David Ross is a whole lot smarter than I’d previously thought: now he can read minds! Thus he writes about my “professed belief.” Use a damned dictionary, Ross: “professed” means “openly and freely declared or acknowledged.” You have no idea (short of mind-reading, that is) what my beliefs are, and your psychobabble about my feelings and motives are not only self-serving, they’re sophomoric in the extreme.

Now, apparently I’ve been misinformed about the seriousness of a belief in God. I’ve been taught that when you pray, you go into your closet and pray in private, as Jesus instructed us, and not in public in order that we be seen to pray by our fellow man. But Ross will apparently have none of that, preferring instead to wear his religion on his sleeve ­ to advertise his religion ­ that his piety may be seen by all. It’s nothing but shameless religious grandstanding, in my book, and so contrary to the teachings of Jesus as to verge on blasphemy.

Moreover, there’s this from Ross: “Those who deny the existence of our Creator are the “self-worshipers.” That’s not just twaddle, it’s patent-leather twaddle. The people I’ve know in life who’ve come to question or disbelieve did not then suddenly elevate themselves in their own estimation. What happened, they tell me, is that their loss of certitude made them humbler, if anything, not the opposite.

Moreover, Ross apparently has no idea how his vanity and conceit breathe through his letters. And if you think I’m kidding, re-read his letter of the 7th of September: it’s all brag and egoism, David Ross 24/7.

Finally, let me apologize for a lack of care in my previous letter: it was not my intention to tell the Banner to stop printing Ross’s letters. When I wrote about one reader’s plea that the Banner stop printing his letters and then wrote, “now seconded,” it was not myself I was referring to, but to a second letter writer (there were two on separate occasions, as I recall) who also came up with the suggestion. My “now seconded” was meant to refer to the second of those, and not to myself. Sorry.

Charles Beward
Candia

To the Editor:

I’m writing in regards to the next attempt coming within days in Congress to open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. This is an issue that keeps resurfacing, taking on different forms and disguises in its hopes of getting passed.

The majority of the American people have repeatedly stated that they do not want the oil companies spoiling this last great natural treasure with drilling and its accompanying devastating pollution (think North Slope, Exxon).

In an effort to line its pockets with billions of dollars in profits, oil companies prey on America’s fears of national security by implying that drilling in the refuge will supply us with valuable oil obtained right here in our own country, making us more independent and secure. Interestingly, Americans would not benefit from this scenario. After all the construction and destruction, we’d be lucky to realize, after 20 years, perhaps one penny saved at the pumps!

With global warming finally getting the recognition it deserves, it is about time America changed from its backward focus of burning fossil fuels, and looked ahead to using clean, renewable, economical energy sources such as wind and solar.

California very recently put forth some exciting and significant regulations into motion, proving that you can lower harmful greenhouse emissions and invest in green businesses that will grow a robust economy. Providing incentives to companies to invest in and use this sensible technology is creating a significant revolution in the way we view businesses and protect our environment.

Dow Chemical has already slashed its energy use nationwide by 20 percent over the last decade. According to a University of California ­ Berkeley study, cutting California’s greenhouse emission levels back to 1999 levels by 2020 could boost the state’s economy by $74 billion and create 88,000 new jobs!

Please write or call your congressmen now, and urge them to vote no to any attempt to drill in the Arctic. This may be our last chance to save this national jewel. Sen. Judd Gregg, 41 Hook Road, Manchester, NH 03104, (622-7979). Sen. John Sununu, 1589 Elm St., Suite 3, Manchester, NH 03101, (647-7500). Rep. Charlie Bass, 142 N. Main St., Concord, NH 03301, (226-0249. Rep. Jeb Bradley, 1095 Elm St., Manchester, NH 03101 (641-9536).

Thanks for getting involved, and showing how each caring individual can make a difference.

Judith Lindsey
Candia

To the Editor:

The New Hampshire Inter-tribal Native American Council will host its annual Veteran’s Pow-Wow and Food Drive at the 4-H Fairgrounds off Route 106 in Belmont/Laconia, on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. This event, is open to the public.

For food drive donation ideas, please go to the Web site, nhitnac.tripod.com/.

Many people have stereotypes or pre-conceived notions about Native Americans and are surprised when they come to a pow-wow and find us incorporating traditions with contemporary lifestyles.

Don’t come expecting it to be a certain way. “Just experience it and have fun with it.”

For non-natives, it is a chance to experience a new and different culture. For Native Americans, it is a chance to reaffirm connections to community, family and spirituality. A pow-wow is many voices of many different nations coming together in one place.

The pow-wow experience can be overwhelming. Each element, from the spectacular entrance led by veterans in full regalia to the heartbeat of the drums, is imbued with meaning. First-timers should not let this discourage them. A master of ceremonies generally leads the event, setting the tone and explaining what is happening as the pow-wow develops.

The vendors normally open at 10 a.m. Then at noon, the drums will begin the entrance song at the emcee’s signal. The songs will usually progress in a circular fashion from one drum group to another. When the grand-entry song begins, usually the carrier of the eagle dance staff and then prominent war veterans enter the dance arena or circle at the east gate, followed by other veterans and traditional dancers carrying brightly colored staffs, fans, dance sticks, and United States, Canadian, M.I.A. and P.O.W. flags. Sometimes a member from a specific Native American nation will carry in their tribes flag as well.

The clothes or regalia (as it is called here in the east) the dancers, drummers and singers wear is mostly all handmade by each participant.

While you are there, you may want to visit the craft booths where a variety of beads, flutes, moccasins, clothing, artwork and other items are sold.

This is a great educational experience for young and old alike. So bring a chair and join us.

Please contact Sandy Chase 539-5015 for more information.

Kim White Feather
Center Ossipee

To the Editor:

Why vote Republican?

No income tax, no sales tax.

Lowest per-capita taxes.

Least poverty.

Best delivery of help to needy, and especially to children.

Low, low unemployment, high wages and an entrepreneurial business climate.

Routinely out-performs New England states and most of the country in economic prosperity.

Measured by family income, one of the ten wealthiest states.

Excellent schools, routinely leads the country in national test scores.

Clean water, a beautiful, environment, the healthiest state.

Rated the best state to live in.

These assets describe New Hampshire.

Our successes are directly attributable to many decades of Republican legislative leadership in Concord. Republicans in control, have promoted lean, efficient, hands-off, affordable state and local government.

Don’t believe it? Look to our moribund tax-crushed neighbors Vermont, Massachusetts and Maine for the opposite. New Hampshire’s opposites fail.

New Hampshire’s an inspiration.

Successful, limited, mostly local government is anathema to the left. New Hampshire’s minimalist government is an embarrassment to the Democrat message that big, bureaucratic, government is good.

Consequently, angry, left- wing, national political action committees, PACs, like Moveon.org, are now flooding the state with activists from away, who are intent on electing PAC surrogates, the hundreds of local Democrat candidates running for state office this fall. They want radical change. “Had enough? Vote Democrat,” their T-shirts say.

Had enough of what? Prosperity? If you like New Hampshire’s success and potential, the flood of interlopers intent on turning New Hampshire government upside-down, should creep you out.

Given a choice, most of us would probably prefer to belong to the “I-want-to-be-left-alone” party. We have, though, only two practical choices ­ Republican or Democrat.

Those who value making libertarian-minded, limited government, entrepreneurial, low-tax New Hampshire an even better place, need to support Republican candidates for all elective offices this fall.

Still in doubt? Look around. Even our present governor is trying hard to act, look and sound like a Republican.

Paul Mirski
Representative
Chairman New Hampshire House Republican Alliance
Grafton, District 10