To the editor:

An open letter to Senator Jeb Bradley:

On April 9 the voters of Conway, Carroll County's largest town, by a nearly 200-vote margin, 705-520 , approved a non-binding resolution calling for the N.H. Legislature to adopt a similar resolution calling for a federal Constitutional amendment declaring that the Constitution applies to "natural persons" only. This resolution, brought to the warrant by a citizen petition, is a direct response to the issues of "corporate personhood" and "money as free speech" that have threatened to wrench our very democracy from "we the people."

Last month, the N.H. House of Representatives, voted by a bi partisan margin of 189-139 to adopt a similar resolution known as HCR 2. The Senate in its partisan wisdom had acted this term to adopt rules which forbade the considerations of any resolutions. With these indefensible rules in place the Senate recently acted to reject the consideration of three House resolutions that required Senate action including HCR 2. Clearly the will of the people has been thwarted and denied.

On April 22 a poll was released indicating that more than two-thirds of New Hampshire adults support a constitutional amendment to limit campaign contributions and spending. The poll, conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center on behalf of People For the American Way, Public Citizen, Free Speech For People, and the New Hampshire Coalition for Open Democracy, found that 69 percent of the state feels that such an amendment should be in place — including majorities of Democrats, Republicans and Independents.

Senator Bradley, the citizens of New Hampshire deserve better. This is no time for a partisan gambit. However, it is an important time for an up or down vote by the Senate to declare where they stand on one of the most important issues of our time.

Your leadership can make the difference. Do the right thing.

Richard Pollock

North Conway

To the editor:

Having written a strong criticism of the Wildfire pentathlon as it was run this year as part of the Friends Of Tuckerman Ravine races, I would like to express my absolute support for a continued adaptive Wildfire division as described in Alaine Breen's letter in Tuesday's Conway Daily Sun. Thank you for your comments, Alaine.

Adaptive athletes need the joy, the challenge, the participation, the support, the love and the learning that come with athletic endeavor.

Let us as a community continue to grow programs on behalf of adaptive athletes everywhere, as we have locally at Kennet High School, and let's do it safely.

Bill Aughton

Conway

To the editor:

If Tom McLaughlin feels we should deny Muslims or other religions because of a few radicals, perhaps we should shove his acclaimed religion out of the United States. In the last few years, Catholics have been through scandals to make one's hair raise.

There have been countless instances of child abuse in his (or His) church causing many churches and dioceses to cough up millions of dollars for the innocent victims. Not only were children molested, but the clergy went to cover up the crimes. Just recently, there is a post that a priest in Missouri was indicted on child pornography charges. Other cases show clergy stealing from church funds. Some early popes used the Papacy as a road to luxury. And let us not forget the Inquisition, the Catholics "jihad."

Another point of contention is how the Catholic church denies contraception, especially in Africa, where HIV is killing by the thousands if not millions, but "no, no, no" to condoms.

And, if we to analyze the IRA and all of their killings, perhaps we should not allow any Irish people in the country, either.

And look at home-grown terrorists like Timothy McVeigh, James Holmes, the KKK and others, supposed "Christians," means we should toss out all Protestants, too.

So, perhaps all Muslims, Catholics, Protestants and Irish, by Mr. McLaughlin's view, should not be allowed in the country. Who would be left?

We cannot generalize a people or a religion because of what a few radicals do. If you meet a run of the mill Muslim, Hindu, Rastafarian, Catholic, Shinto, atheist or whoever, you will find them to be normal human beings wishing for the same things you do. You are not born a racist, it is learned. We must educate all about the American ways of life, espouse the Golden Rule (versions of this exist in all religions), and live peaceably with each other. Get and use the COEXIST bumper sticker.

Walter Davis

North Conway

To the editor:
Having gone out of town for family business last week, I returned to emails from friends trying to convince me to change my mind about the farmers’ market in North Conway and about the value to a community of a farmers’ market.  I scratched my head in bewilderment, as no decision was made in regard to the farmers’ market presented to the Conway selectmen at their April 23 meeting. Obviously, some false information was out there, so I proceeded to track it down to The Conway Daily Sun.  And now that I’ve seen Tele-Talk, I know that those who saw the actual meeting did not have the same reaction as those who just read the paper.
So for those of you who just read the paper: When the concept of a farmer’s market at Whittaker Woods was presented to us at our last meeting, that was the first that we had heard that anyone was considering this.  We asked some hard questions of the presenters, like who they had asked to participate, whether they had talked to any retailers who also sell “farm” products and what they thought, since they had talked about bakers and wool and soap vendors, and whether they considered church parking, since they wanted to hold it on a Sunday morning next to the Episcopal Church.  As they didn’t have answers to many questions, we then asked them to get some answers and then we could continue the discussion at the next meeting. They said they couldn’t wait the two weeks, so they would just go to the community center.  Also, they were asking us to provide the liability insurance for this market as well as a reduced event fee.  As selectman, I feel we were doing our jobs by asking the questions, so that we will make informed decisions.
The only decision that was made at that meeting was that we would not make a decision that night, as we wanted to get answers to our questions and learn more about this group’s organization. Not a single selectman was against a farmer’s market or necessarily even one in North Conway village. All of us were willing to continue the conversation at our next meeting on May 7. So meanwhile, I know that I have been looking into some of the questions that I asked of Will Abbot and Glen Mitchell, as I hope they have been, too, if they still want to utilize Whittaker Woods for their market. I have also gotten feedback from a few people, all of whose opinions will be considered.
It is the selectmen’s job to ask the questions on things that utilize taxpayer’s money and property, and though I personally shop and support local farmers and businesses by shopping at their farm stands and shops and would most likely shop the farmers’ market, too, I will continue to ask hard questions of the folks who want to use public property in fairness to all our taxpayers.
Stacy Sand, selectman
Conway