Since his inauguration, President Donald Trump has been waging war against the American press by dismissing unfavorable reports as “fake news” and calling the media “the enemy of the American people.” As a countermeasure, The Washington Post has publicly fact-checked every claim that Trump has labeled as fake. In August, The Boston Globe coordinated editorials […]
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Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Why should I vote?
We live in a great democracy and yet, even with constant urging to “get out and vote,” rarely do we see voter turnouts that reach 50 percent of the eligible electorate. Why don’t people vote? Or, maybe it is the corollary argument — why do people vote? Let’s look at avoiders first. Sadly, perhaps almost […]
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Posted inMark LaFlamme, sj-web
Mark LaFlamme: It was a night just like this
Cider house ghouls A storytelling cemetery walk in North Yarmouth advertises “cider, doughnuts and opening of the vault!” Can you say, yoinks! I can only guess what’s in the vault – the door of which will no doubt swing open with a chilling ‘creeeeeeee’ sound – but I’m going to go out on a limb […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
What Khashoggi's apparent murder says about Saudi Arabia — and America
NEW YORK — The apparent murder of Jamal Khashoggi tells us something important about Saudi Arabia. But it also tells us something important about America. First Saudi Arabia. As has been often noted, Jamal Khashoggi used to be part of the Saudi establishment. Although not a member of the House of Saud, he was well-born […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Why vote for Democrats?
Given what the Trump administration is saying are record achievements for a president at this stage in office, why would anyone consider voting for Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections? Writing in The Washington Examiner, Paul Bedard lists 289 accomplishments of the Trump administration, beginning with the obvious one, the economy: “They include 173 major […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
A walk down memory lane … with Stevie, Aretha, Gladys …
Boy, this takes me back. That’s what I kept thinking the other night as I paged through a new coffee table book, “Soul R&B Funk: Photographs 1972-1982” by my friend and former colleague, Bruce W. Talamon. Another friend had sent it for my birthday — thanks, Herschel — and I opened it up, intending to […]
Posted inLetters, sj-web
Hoping to stay at home
I am a 55-year-old female survivor of ovarian and thyroid cancer, as well as cancerous polyps found in the colon. I have degenerative bone disease, fibromyalgia and arthritis. I can see the day when I will need help around the house. I do not want to go to a nursing home. I also do not […]
Posted inLetters, sj-web
Colburn — a new voice in Augusta
We don’t usually write letters to a newspaper, but we think it is important to share why we are supporting Doretta Colburn to represent our district in the State House come Nov. 6. Colburn has listened to our frustration and concerns regarding access to health care and the need for expansion of Medicaid to be […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Double-standard double down
Harvey Weinstein. Bill Cosby. Roy Moore. The list of men disgraced (finally) by their assumption of male privilege over the bodies of women grew for months. So much so that it was hardly news when another man harassed his way onto the list. After Cosby, whom many of us had thought of as “America’s dad,” […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Have some respect for Sen. Collins’ rights
My grandfather was a Republican, an admirer of Margaret Chase Smith. My father was a Democrat, an Ed Muskie man. In spite of this, the political discussions in our home respected the right of others to have opposing views. Or what Sen. Smith called, “the basic principles of Americanism — the right to criticize; the […]