Letter: Counterintuitive, yet effective: Forests should be thinned

Letter: Kissing Trump’s Ring?

Letter: Social Security woes

Letter: From the perspective of colonized peoples

Letter: No to complicity in deporting children

Opinion: Gaza’s lament

By ROBERT AZZI

Robert Azzi is a photographer and writer who lives in Exeter. He can be followed at robertazzitheother.substack.com.

Letter: Keep Concord out of harm’s way

In response to the addition of Nakba Day on the city calendar, the Capital City needs to leave world politics to the federal government where it belongs, and immediately refocus on caring for the 44,769 people who already live here. The number 44,769 needs to show prominently on the city’s website home page. The figure 44,769 needs to appear in the mission statement. The quantity 44,769 needs to become ever-present in the minds of leadership because those are the only people they have been hired and elected to serve.

Letter: Stop the unfair comparison

Pembroke is unfairly painted with a broad brush regarding last March’s school funding cuts. In feature stories and editorials, Pembroke is being compared with Croydon, which proposed to cut a school district budget of $1,700,000 budget to $800,000, a reduction of 47%.

Letter: Benson returns

If you like Elon Musk, you’ll love Craig Benson. Not because Benson had the same success in business, but because they both share a brashness and huge ego, a total disregard for open government and conflicts of interest. Let’s remember that Benson was the first governor in 80 years to lose his re-election bid after serving only one term. And it wasn’t because he was rich. John Lynch who succeeded Benson and had plenty of wealth, served for four terms. Lynch left office as one of New Hampshire’s most popular governors. The last thing we need in Concord is the return of Benson, who used his own money to pay “volunteers” to do work for state government out of sight from the public.

Opinion: Like a complete unknown: Bob Dylan and culture change

By JONATHAN P. BAIRD

Jonathan P. Baird lives in Wilmot.

Letter: Sadly, a grim horoscope

Planet-wide fire, flood, drought. Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, Syria in shambles, Greenland, Panama, even Canada in a gunsight. Trump again, January 6 twice, the first, an insurrection, a “Day of Love,” the second, a peaceful transfer of power presided over by VP Harris; “drill, baby, drill,” “we have liquid gold under our feet,” the proclaimed reversal of an oil drill ban. Plastic abuse with forever consequence; another “unprecedented” severe weather pattern across the U.S. the week of January 5; gradual human-caused extinction of species and more fire, flood, draught.

Letter: Both sides are wrong on education funding

The drama with the Pembroke and Kearsarge regional school districts has brought public school funding to the public’s attention. The problem is both sides of the issue are wrong. One side believes the state needs to pay more towards education. The problem with this group is they never say how. Is the state going to raise taxes on workers? Is the state going to raise taxes on New Hampshire businesses? Unless the state has a bag of gold stashed away someone is going to be left with the bill. According to the Education Data Initiative, New Hampshire has the seventh highest per student spending in the country. This includes both state and local funding. Why is that? Does New Hampshire have a higher percentage of kids with special education requirements? Does New Hampshire have a higher percentage of administrators that make six figures? Maybe our new governor’s COGE team can investigate this.

Letter: About euthanasia

Some recent news about there being legislation being considered that is seen as “euthanasia, assisted suicide” is why I write. I don’t believe that the words euthanasia and suicide belong in the same sentence! To go to the top of the Empire State Building and jump off is suicide. To lay in bed and have a medical person apply the right medicine to end your suffering, however described, is not suicide, it is euthanasia.

Opinion: Now is the time for Gov. Ayotte to codify reproductive rights

By KAYLA MONTGOMERY

Kayla Montgomery is the VP of Public Affairs for Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund.

Opinion: Protecting and providing in the White Mountain National Forest

By PAUL DOSCHER and CHARLIE NIEBLING

Paul Doscher is a retired environmental scientist who lives in Weare. Charlie Niebling is a professional forester and forest activist who lives in Boscawen.

Opinion: U. S. complicity with Israeli genocide

By JOHN BUTTRICK

John Buttrick writes from his Vermont Folk Rocker in his Concord home, Minds Crossing. He can be reached at johndbuttrick@gmail.com

Letter: Jan. 6 ‘celebrants’ or rioters?

An article in the Jan. 8 edition of the Monitor is titled “January 6 celebrants, hoping for pardons, gather in NH.” I cannot believe anyone would call the rioters celebrants. They broke into a federal building, defecated, destroyed property and hunted down senators and the vice president with chants of violence. Please, let’s not make these people sound like innocent party-goers!

Letter: Feathers, stones and beadwork

I was thrilled to see a photo of my friend Laura Morrison’s work on the front page of the Thursday, Jan. 9, edition of the Insider. When I read the article about our joint show at Two Villages Gallery, however, I was upset that the writer claimed I “often used feathers and stones” in my beadwork.

Letter: Where are the birds?

Our two bird feeders have been surprisingly quiet for over a week, no chickadees, nuthatches or finches. Even our beloved cardinals are nowhere! Has anyone else noticed this? We miss them.