Recent events around the world: The Chinese dictatorial government is shutting down the free press in Hong Kong, arresting pro-democracy demonstrators, and removing the last monument to the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre of young citizens seeking democratic reforms. China is busy changing its history to keep its people ignorant of actual events. The Russian high court shut down a well known human rights group and the dictatorship continues to arrest opposition activists and deter independent media.
While right here in our beloved state of New Hampshire, far-right GOP legislators are busy proposing, and passing, bills that are chipping away our democratic values. Bills that forbid the honest teaching of our history. Commissioner Edelblut created a form so parents can report teachers they think are not conforming. Bills to gerrymander our congressional and legislative districts, moving 367 towns to a new district so that only one party’s candidates will win, undermining the votes of thousands of residents. These bills sound like the very things that we understand happens in actual socialist countries like China, Russia and North Korea, and now is being forced upon formerly free people in Hong Kong.
Your constitutional rights are being attacked right here at home by GOP legislators pushing legislation reflective of states like Texas, Florida or Wisconsin where democratic values are undermined repeatedly. Stand up for your rights! Get active, make calls, write letters and emails, be visible, before NH joins the ranks of disenfranchisement.
Gail Laker-Phelps
Chichester