Pelham - Windham News | September 9, 2011 - 3


The Word Around Town... Letters to our Editor


Nesmith Library Teen


Summer Reading Program Te Nesmith Library would like to publicly


acknowledge the teens who participated in this year’s summer reading program. Tere were 110 kids ages 12 -17 (or entering 6th grade and up) registered at the Nesmith Library and together, they logged in approximately 483 books. Water Country graciously donated a large number of one day passes to their establishment to any teens who read 5 books or more and completed the book review forms. It was amazing that over half of the teens enrolled in the summer program completed the requirements and earned a ticket to Water Country. Congratulations to all who participated in this year’s program. We hope you continue to keep reading for fun throughout the school year! Te end of the summer party featured an “Edible


Fun Shop for Starving Artists” led by Let’s Gogh Art along with grand prize drawings. Te following is a list of the raffle winners: $25


Barnes and Nobles G/C - Ashley Domogala; $20 Walmart G/C - Matthew Miloro; $15 Dunkin Donuts G/C - Timothy Bates; $15 McDonalds G/C - Nicholas Taurus; $10 iTunes G/C - Amanda Miller; $10 Target G/C - Kelsey Kendzulak; Priceless Bag of Books - Angela Balcom; Priceless Bag of Books - Roger Balcom.


Nesmith Library - Windham Te Chief Shouldn’t Apologize


I am writing in response to the “Tumbs Up & Tumbs Down” that appeared in your newspaper, September 2 (1) regarding the Windham Fire Chief, Tom McPherson and (2) To the town of Windham of informing us of the impending hurricane Irene. I disagree that Fire Chief Tom McPherson should publicly apologize and get administratively reprimanded for his automated message left on answering machine! Te Chief and the town did their job to inform us,


as well as the media and weather professionals! We were informed where to seek shelter at Windham High School (WHS), as well as other surrounding town areas were informed. Fortunately we only lost power! If we were not informed by our Fire Chief and town, there


would be complaints. We were informed in a calm, serious, professional manner by message left on answering machine by Fire Chief Tom McPherson and I appreciated the call! I would rather be informed through our Fire Chief, our town, and weather professionals no matter how the storm or storms turn out. Tank you Fire Chief Tom McPherson and to our town for showing you care and your professionalism.


Ruth Coole - Windham Windhamite Hosting


Benefit Raffle for Garden Club, Great Dane Rescue


A Windham Garden Club founding member, who, with her husband, has rescued Great Danes for more than 25 years, has created a unique raffle benefiting both digs and dogs. Shirlee Dallas, longtime horticultural leader of the Club’s annual Plant Sale, has fashioned three original scarecrows for lucky winners this fall. One, a captivating girl, will benefit the surgical fund for Jackson, a young, otherwise health Great Dane with congenitally turned feet. His condition is correctible, but his All-New England Great Dane Rescue friends are hard-put to find the nearly $5,000 per-foot fee. Te other two scarecrows will help support the


Garden Club’s ongoing gardening and public education programs. Tickets may be purchased at the following venues:


• September 10: Woof It Down, Hilltop Plaza, 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m.


• September 17: Howie Glynn’s, Cobbetts Pond Road, 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m.


• October 1: Transfer Station, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. • October 8: Windham Shaw’s, 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. (Jackson’s drawn today)


• October 15: Harvest Fest, Griffin Park, 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. (second drawing) Persons may purchase tickets for either/both beneficiaries.


Linda M. German, Windham Garden Club - Windham


Pelham Eagle Scout Deserves Recognition


Te Trustees of the Pelham Public Library would like to acknowledge the terrific work done by Jake Wormald in creating an outdoor patio space for library programming. For his Eagle Scout project, Jake was required to complete a community service project entirely on his own, from initiation and design, funding and completion. He initially approached the trustees about the proposed project several months ago. After obtaining our approval, he appeared before the Board of Selectmen to obtain permission to construct the patio on town property. By himself, Jake obtained all necessary approvals, and obtained materials through donations and fundraising. He completed all of the


work himself, creating a beautiful outdoor addition to the library space. We appreciate the dedication to community exhibited by Jake. With this kind of commitment to public service, the trustees have faith that he will go on to great things in his life. Tank you, Jake, for your hard work and spirit of


service to the Pelham Library and our community. We invite everyone to come by the library and see our new outdoor space he has given to the town.


Fran Garboski, Chair, Board of Trustees, Pelham Public Library - Pelham


submitted by NH Attorney General Michael A. Delaney


Attorneys General to Backpage.com: Prove You Are Fighting Human Trafficking In many cases involving human trafficking on


New Hampshire Attorneys General Michael A. Delaney and 45 other attorneys general has called for information about how Backpage.com presumably attempts to remove advertising for sex trafficking, especially ads that could involve minors.


In a letter to the online classified site’s lawyers, the attorneys general say that Backpage.com claims it has strict policies to prevent illegal activity. Yet the chief legal officers of Washington state, Missouri and Connecticut have found hundreds of ads on Backpage.com’s regional sites that are clearly for illegal services. “It does not require forensic training to understand that these advertisements are for prostitution,” the attorney general wrote. The letter says the hub for illegal sex ads is a magnet for those seeking to exploit minors and points to more than 50 cases, in 22 states over three years, involving the trafficking or attempted trafficking of minors through Backpage.com. “These are only the stories that made it into the news; many more instances likely exist,” the attorneys general wrote. They also reminded Backpage.com of a 2010 request from nearly two dozen attorneys general asking that the adult services site be taken down. “Traffickers who exploit


runaways and other disadvantaged kids shouldn’t be provided with a tool that makes that process so much easier,” Attorney General Delaney said. “The only way for Backpage. com to completely stop child sex trafficking on its site is to take down adult services advertisements altogether and take aggressive steps to be sure such posts don’t appear elsewhere on the site.” Attorney General Delaney added that kids aren’t capable, legally or otherwise, to consent to be sold for sex. And regardless of a prostitute’s age, it’s difficult to know whether the person advertised is being coerced.


Community Parents


send us your stories & photos


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Backpage.com, law enforcement finds that minors are, in fact, often coerced. Prosecutors in Benton County, WA, are handling a case in which teen girls say they were threatened and extorted by two adults who marketed them on Backpage.com. One of the adults rented a hotel room and forced the girls to have sex with men who answered the online ads. Backpage.com charges $1 and up for such ads. Backpage.com, owned by Village Voice Media, LLC, is the top provider of “adult services” advertisements. The multimedia company admits its involvement in advertising illegal services. In a meeting with staff at the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, Village Voice board member Don Moon readily acknowledged prostitution ads appear on the Web site. And in a June 29 article published nationally by the Village Voice, the corporation criticized those concerned about child sex trafficking as “prohibitionists bent on ending the world’s oldest profession,” acknowledging that, as a seller of adults services ads, “Village Voice has a stake in this story.” Industry analysts suggest that Village Voice’s stake in adult services advertisements is worth about


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$22.7 million in annual revenue. Many state attorneys general believe that


Backpage.com is attempting to minimize the impact of child sex trafficking because they fear it will turn attention to the company’s robust prostitution advertising business. While Backpage.com has ramped up its effort to screen some ads for minors, the attorneys general involved in today’s letter believe that “Backpage. com sets a minimal bar for content review in an effort to temper public condemnation, while ensuring that the revenue spigot provided by prostitution advertising remains intact.” The letter from attorneys general makes a series of requests to Backpage.com, asking that the company willingly provide information in lieu of a subpoena. For example, in order to substantiate the claim that the company enforces policies to prevent illegal activity, the attorneys general ask that Backpage.com describe in detail its understanding of what precisely constitutes “illegal activity,” and whether advertisements for prostitution fall into that category. The attorneys general also ask, among other requests, how many advertisements in its adult section and


subsections have been submitted since September 1, 2010, how many of those advertisements were individually screened, how many were rejected and how many were removed after being discovered to be for illegal services. In 2008, 42 attorneys general in reached an agreement with Craigslist to crack down on illegal listings, in an effort to reduce crimes like human trafficking. Craigslist ultimately removed its “erotic services” section altogether in May 2009. In September 2010, 21 attorneys general wrote Backpage.com to request that the adult services section be closed. The states signing on to the letter are Alabama,


Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wyoming and the territory of Guam.


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