As a descendant of Irish and Lithuanian immigrants, I want to applaud Paul Baribault’s letter to the editor (Nov. 29). Well done. It’s time for others to “get real” as well. Tom Carey, Rumford
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Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
The 2018 transition to . . . spending like a drunken sailor
(With apologies to all sailors who never drank to excess, it’s a phrase of historical context, no insult intended.) During a recent discussion about health care costs in Maine and Gov.-elect Janet Mills’ promise to expand Medicaid immediately upon taking office, the question arose as to whether the carefully set aside “Rainy Day Fund” of […]
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Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
America treats illegal immigration worse than most crimes
By Kenneth Roth Special To The Washington Post Who is an American? Traditionally, we look to citizenship to answer that question, but the issue is more complicated than legal labels. Even President Donald Trump seems to recognize this in his periodic openness to negotiating comprehensive immigration reform. Among the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Latest climate report worth only thing — the trash can
Each time an end-of-the-world prophecy is delivered — whether by a self-deluded preacher, a group of politicians or scientists — we are told that we must believe. Never mind how many of their prophecies have been wrong in the past, this time they mean it. The latest prophecy of doom and planetary extinction comes from […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
A case of all the justice that money could buy
No one even knows how many girls there were. Federal prosecutors identified 36. In “Perversion of Justice,” a stunning piece of investigative work by Julie K. Brown that was published last week, the Miami Herald reported that it has found 80. But accounts given by the girls themselves suggest there may be hundreds. Hundreds. We’re […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
As U.S. influence wanes, China stands ready to step in
NEW YORK — The G-20 summit in Argentina is taking place at a moment when the United States still stands at the center of the world. The U.S. economy is booming, the dollar is almighty, American technology companies continue to dominate the new digital economy, and the U.S. military remains the unrivaled master of land, […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Gene editing is here and it's an enormous threat
WASHINGTON — A Chinese scientist’s claim to have created the first genetically edited babies has evoked widespread condemnation from the scientific community. “This is far too premature,” one American genetic scientist told the Associated Press. But here is a larger question: Should we be doing this at all? The Chinese scientist, He Jiankui, used a […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Successful bad ideas
The United States has been a world leader for more than a century because we are a country of ideas. Much of what is now the world’s commonplace began as an idea in the head of some American. We have had just the right combination of individualism and cooperation to come up with ideas (individuals) […]
Posted inMark LaFlamme, sj-web
Mark Laflamme: A heart full of unwashed socks
Fight for your right to nude up While advising a police officer out on a routine call at the start of the week, an emergency dispatcher passed along that the homeowner “believes it’s her right to answer her door unclothed.” She’s right, too. Why, the Second Amendment alone addresses “bare arms” and I think if […]
Posted inbPlus, sj-web
Mystery Photo for December 2
If you can identify where this photo was taken, contact us at bmail@sunjournal.com or call 207-689-2896 and leave a voice mail with your answer, your name, town and phone number. Correct entries will be eligible for a drawing for a $20 Hannaford Supermarkets gift card. Find the Mystery Photo online at www.sunjournal.com/bplus.