On the last night of the Republican National Convention in 1988, the candidate sought to impart to the country a vision of the America it could be. “Some,” he said, “would say it’s soft and insufficiently tough to care” about troubled children. “But where is it written, that we must act as if we do […]
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Posted inLetters, sj-web
End the baseless claims
Shouldn’t Bruce Poliquin be behaving better than he is right now? Yes, he did lose the election and, yes, his right to a recount is valid as long as the rules are followed completely. However, he has no right to make baseless claims that Maine election laws cost him re-election; and his calls for a […]
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Posted inbPlus, sj-web
In verse: Maine places and people
Produced by Dennis Camire This week’s poem in by Mark Melnicove of Falmouth. How can you tell By Mark Melnicove How can you tell if you are a bluesy bird disguised as a human, or a human disguised as that bird? And if you are a human, you might be a ghost without name […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
We need to talk and listen without judgment
“You know what you should write about? You should write about how nasty everyone is. About how no one talks to anyone anymore.” My friend Tracy was tiring of the midterm election campaign, disgusted by the number and tone of campaign ads. I couldn’t disagree with her. The day before, I had received four large […]
Posted inbPlus, Lewiston-Auburn, Maine, sj-web
New Year's Eve among the stars
From galactic roller coasters to Hubble images, the planetarium at Portland’s University of Southern Maine offers a universe of shows to ring in 2019. PORTLAND — About a decade ago, Edward Gleason got an idea: The University of Southern Maine’s Southworth Planetarium should join New Year’s Portland. They’d run some of their newest and most […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Some of Bush's WASP values are worth keeping
NEW YORK — The death of George H.W. Bush has occasioned a fair amount of nostalgia for the old American establishment, of which Bush was undoubtedly a prominent member. It has also provoked a heated debate among commentators about that establishment, whose membership was determined largely by bloodlines and connections. You had to be a […]
Posted inLetters, sj-web
America — land of hatred
America has become known as a country of fragmented fear, anxiety and hatred. I don’t understand the thoughts of citizens who have become part of a movement that seems outrageously centered on thoughts that “other people” are a threat to themselves and their way of life. Everything is the fault of someone else and we, […]
Posted inLetters, sj-web
Vaccinations are a personal decision
Rep. Ralph Tucker, D-Brunswick, will be introducing a bill that would eliminate non-medical exemptions for vaccinations. Maine currently allows people to opt out of vaccines for philosophical, religious or medical reasons. Rep. Tucker wants to eliminate the first two. If passed, his bill would strip Maine residents of their right to make an informed health […]
Posted inPerspective, sj-web
Climate change needs action not denial
The federal government’s Fourth National Climate Assessment, released the day after Thanksgiving, puts an exclamation point to what most of us already knew. This country (not to mention the rest of the world) faces an existential threat from climate change that is far more grave than North Korean nukes, unfair Chinese trade practices, Russian-cyber meddling […]
Posted inPerspective, sj-web
Swamped by cyberthreats, citizens need government protection
Most people can’t keep up with the latest in technology, which puts them at risk as cybercriminals exploit human and technical weaknesses. For example, William and Nancy Skog hoped to retire to a beautiful new home. Then a fraudster fooled them into transferring US$307,000 to his bank account. Their entire life savings disappeared in the […]