Lamontagne is best choice for Senate
To the editor:
As a Republican who has had the privilege of knowing and working with Ovide Lamontagne for the past 25 years, I am writing to urge my fellow voters in the Republican Senate primary on Sept. 14 to join me in voting for Ovide, the one tried and true conservative in the race.
This election year is a watershed for our country. If you believe that the president, the Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court have set us down a road which is deeply at odds with the Constitution and the founding principles of our republic, then Ovide is your candidate.
"Ovide's Oath" — the choice of that word should tell you a lot — is a statement of Ovide's principles which guarantees that he will go to Washington not as one more servant of the status quo, but rather as an active defender of the security, sovereignty and human dignity of all the people of this country.
When a citizen asked Benjamin Franklin what sort of government the Constitutional Convention had adopted, Franklin is reputed to have replied "a republic, if you can keep it." The success of that republic is not automatic. We should remember Abraham Lincoln's warning that we Americans "will nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth."
Ovide Lamontagne is the one candidate who understands what this election is all about.
Robert E. Dunn Jr.
Londonderry
Downing is right for sheriff's post
To the editor:
In the Republican primary on Sept. 14, there are many choices for the office of High Sheriff of Rockingham County, but the clear choice is Mike Downing.
I served with Mike in the state Senate and can attest unequivocally to his leadership and management ability and as the former chairman of the Rockingham County sheriff's budget committee, I can tell you that Mike's budgetary know-how will serve the county in a conservative manner. The job of sheriff maintains a large administrative function as well as the law enforcement piece — that is why Mike fits the role perfectly.
Mike and his wife also operate a small laundry business in Salem. Mike has served as president on a board of directors of a nursing home. Mike maintains the right temperament and ideology, and he's a veteran of the 82nd Airborne Division.
Mike will stand up and lead for a stronger Rockingham County. I hope you'll join me in supporting Mike Downing for sheriff Sept. 14.
Sen. Bob Letourneau
Derry
Mosque should be built elsewhere
To the editor:
Religious freedom is one of the core values on which our democracy is built. Some commentators argue that allowing a mosque and Islamic cultural center to be built within a few blocks of ground zero would be a true testament to our constitution. All of the faithful have every right to build a house of worship anywhere they choose. In this instance, they choose to build it in a place that many of their fellow Muslims consider the site of a jihadist victory. I think we all remember the celebrations in the streets of Tehran, Amman, Beirut and the Gaza after the attacks. I certainly agree that our nation is founded on religious freedom.
Where I differ is that tolerance, religious or otherwise, requires understanding the feelings and emotions of your neighbors, no matter what their belief system is. Understanding that this will cause grief and pain to many people should be enough to move the mosque elsewhere. The imam and his worshippers are choosing to ignore that community and the very real pain that it still bears. Each and every time that the call to prayer is sounded from the mosque, it will echo the tragic events of that September day.
As a native New Yorker, an American and a Catholic I believe that the mosque has a place in lower Manhattan to serve all of the religious and Allah. It would be a giant step toward understanding if the mosque was built beyond where debris from a jetliner hijacked by Muslim fanatics who killed 3,000 innocent souls landed on Sept. 11, 2001.
George Herrmann
Londonderry
Grzasko knows the sheriff's job
To the editor:
Have you ever just wanted to put the best person in public office regardless of who they know or how much name recognition they have? Well you have that chance.
On Sept. 14, voters in the Republican primary have a chance to restore public confidence in the office of Rockingham County sheriff. There are six individuals running for the office, but only Frank Grzasko has actually done the job.
Frank understands the needs of the sheriff's office as he actually is one. Frank has been working in law enforcement for over 25 years, but what stands out about him is that he isn't a politician. Frank wants to be our next sheriff for all the right reasons. He wants to lead the office away from scandal and politics. He wants to focus on the law enforcement needs of Rockingham County.
Please join me in voting for a sheriff, not a politician. Please vote for Frank Grzasko for Rockingham County sheriff.
Kevin Coyle
Derry
Mosque decision speaks to our principles
To the editor:
Religious intolerance has caused more wars, deaths, and murders in the history of man than any issue, disease, and all acts of nature.
The Pilgrims risked their lives to come to America seeking freedom of religion and to avoid religious persecution. The United States was founded on the principle of religious freedom.
If you assume that the 19 hijackers represent all American Muslims and more that 1 billion Muslims in the world, you would have to assume that Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber, represents all Christians.
I can think of no greater symbol and demonstration of this principle than the Park 51 community center and mosque near New York's ground zero. Allowing or forbidding its construction will demonstrate who we are and what we stand for.
Bob Spiegelman
Londonderry
Ayotte is best choice for Senate
To the editor:
On Sept. 14, I will be casting my vote for Kelly Ayotte for U.S. Senate.
I became interested in Kelly's campaign last year, when I heard she was stepping down as our state's attorney general to run for the first time for political office. As the first woman ever to hold the attorney general position, she earned a reputation for being a tough, conservative crime fighter. She worked hard to keep our children safe by cracking down on sexual and Internet predators, leading efforts that became law. She also took it upon herself to personally prosecute the man responsible for gunning down Officer Briggs in Manchester, which she did successfully.
I have been fortunate enough to meet Kelly Ayotte on a few occasions, and I am always struck by how down to earth she is. She and her husband, Joe, an Iraq war veteran who currently serves in the Air National Guard, started a landscaping and snow plowing business. I also discovered that Kelly attended the same college I did (Penn State) and is the mother of two young children. She has middle-class values, knows what it's like to own a small business and knows what it's like to have family in the military.
With her background, I feel that she understands the issues that are important to me, such as the economy, jobs and national security. I know that if she wins, Kelly will go to Washington and work hard every day to fight for New Hampshire families, just like she has already proven to have done so here in our state.
The stage is set for a showdown for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate on Sept. 14, but I think Kelly has what it takes to win. Please go to her website at ayotteforsenate.com for more information about her plans to bring New Hampshire common sense to Washington and how you can get involved.
Lara McIntyre
Londonderry
