Register should vote early to avoid lines
To the editor:
The state primary election will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 14. Many people are upset with the current political situation and this is your chance to have your say through your vote. In the past, the turnout of voters has been small and that is saddening.
New registrations and changes of name and address may be made at the Town Clerk's Office up to and including Friday, Sept. 3. On Tuesday, Sept. 7, the supervisors of the checklist will have a session from 7 to 7:30 p.m. in the office (Room 112) at the Municipal Center to register new voters and make changes of name or address for existing voters. No party changes are accepted from June 1 through the election Sept. 14 per state law.
Though one may register at the polls on Election Day, by registering early you save the frustration of standing in possibly long lines. If you are not sure that your name is on the checklist, a copy of the complete checklist can be found at the Derry Library, Taylor Library and the Town Clerk's Office.
Renee Routhier
Supervisor of the Checklist
Derry
Put a stop to illegal immigration
To the editor:
Concerning the problems with illegal immigrants and their civil rights: They complain about being stopped by the authorities in Arizona and asked for proof of citizenship. No one seems to mention that when you go into Canada, you are checked for your country of birth, your car may be pulled over and you are asked to vacate the car while they do a complete search. If you were born in Canada but moved to the United States and want to go back for a visit, you are asked for your immigration papers. If anyone looks suspicious, they run a check on you to make sure you have no wants or warrants against you.
I was born in Detroit and have visited Canada many times. When I wanted to go again, the immigration men asked my wife, myself, and my dog to step out of the motor home we were driving. It was pouring rain and we had no place to step out of the rain. They took a full 25 minutes to search our vehicle, then we were told to proceed into Canada. This has been the way for years and years. You will receive the same treatment returning to the United States regardless of where you cross the border. No one has ever complained about that security in either country for 75 years that I know of.
Why are we allowing the illegals to have a free pass? We have millions of Americans unemployed. Try to imagine what would happen if you entered Mexico illegally; you would be in jail for a time or worse. We would certainly be in big trouble if we all marched on Mexico City with our demands.
Let us face facts. Cheap labor is the big motivation by big business here. Another thing that is never mentioned is all the immigrants who have applied for citizenship legally and are waiting their place in line only to be set back by the crush of illegals. I'm sure no one would want to be in that line and have 20,000 illegals unwilling to do the right thing.
Let's do the right thing and open the gates for legal immigrants and send the others back.
Patrick Sheridan
Londonderry
Hoping for intelligent, honest debate
To the editor:
At heart, I am not a Sarah Palin basher, although I do admit to some eye-rolling and "Oh, pleases," regarding some of her comments since she entered the national arena on stage right. And next to the terrific bargain that state was to purchase, along with the discovery of its huge natural resources, the pipeline and the Valdez catastrophe, no one has done more to put the great state of Alaska on the map than Sarah Palin.
That said, as an unabashedly proud, liberal Yankee Democrat, I do have problems trying to identify myself as a grizzly, or being impressed with whatever skill it takes to shoot a wolf from a helicopter. I'm for the wolf.
But the great thing is that the Tea Party movement has mobilized a lot of people who have not been politically active before. And in our democracy, having any opinion is better than having none and not caring. The problem I have with it is, at least so far, that they are mobilized by fears that are not based in fact: such as fearing our president actually had proposed "death panels" for our seniors, or that the Constitution is being "taken" from us.
Predictions are that these current campaigns are going to get as ugly as it gets, and even though I'm probably a dreamer to think or even hope that there could be some honest, intelligent debate instead of just a lot of "Nos" or screaming from the right — some effort to come together for solutions, like good jobs and the like — I still hope.
Eleanor White
Derry
