When returning from an overseas trip in January, I was delayed by a snowstorm in JFK Airport. During my nine hours there, I was struck by the number of employees who were people of color, who had foreign sounding names or who spoke with an accent. These were people who worked for the airlines, were […]
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Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
For Democrats, the tide is still against them
NEW YORK — With their successes this week in the California primaries, Democrats are increasingly optimistic about their prospects for the midterm elections. But they should take note of the bigger picture when it comes to left-right politics these days. During the last decade, the center-left has been devastated electorally across the West. Unless Democrats […]
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Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Supremes make case for freedom of religion
Nothing appears beyond the reach of the social engineers, not even cake. In a 7-2 ruling, the Supreme Court said the Colorado Human Rights Commission had failed to take into account the religious beliefs of a Lakewood baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a gay couple. Justice Anthony Kennedy, who has sometimes […]
Posted inDear Abby, sj-web
She doesn’t find family’s pranks funny
DEAR ABBY: I tend to react poorly when someone pulls a prank on me. My reaction is usually anger, hurt or embarrassment, and I end up saying or doing things I later regret because emotion took over. My husband has always liked playing pranks, and my children have started to follow his lead. The pranks […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Mainers, coming and going
Maine’s chief export, say wags and leaders alike, is Mainers. More than lobsters, more than blueberries, more than vacation snapshots. Maine ships people out by the thousands. Among those shipping out were my forebears, leaving North Norway and Guilford decades ago for brighter prospects in — you guessed it — Massachusetts. Only when my grandparents […]
Posted inLetters, sj-web
Auburn officials out of touch
How sad that the Auburn City Council and school officials are so out of touch with the city charter and out to lunch on the meaning of a cost of living adjustment (COLA). They should pat themselves on the back for making Auburn unaffordable for seniors or others on a fixed income. The water department […]
Posted inbPlus, sj-web
Face time: Andy Turner — creating a safe place through theater
Andy Turner made his stage debut in 1986 starring in “The Music Man.” He didn’t return to the stage until 1996. Since then, however, he’s been a prominent figure in community theater: He’s directed eight major musicals, two plays and acted in 15 shows. He’s heavily involved in the Oxford Hills Music and Performing Arts […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Obama took lying to new heights with the Iran deal
WASHINGTON — When it comes to the Iran nuclear deal, the Obama administration increasingly appears to have been a bottomless pit of deception. First, President Barack Obama failed to disclose to Congress the existence of secret side deals on inspections when he transmitted the nuclear accord to Capitol Hill. (They were only uncovered by chance […]
Posted inLetters, sj-web
Observations about President Trump
Questions at the 17-month mark of Trump’s White House ego trip: If he’s sure that Robert Mueller is on a “witch hunt” and that neither he nor his campaign colluded or obstructed justice, why doesn’t he just be quiet and let the investigation unfold? As commander-in-chief, how does believing Putin’s no-meddling claim, then denigrating his […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Society overlooks victims of sexual assault
There will be few tears for Aaron Persky. California voters gave the Superior Court judge his walking papers last week. Persky, the state’s first judge to be recalled since 1932, became a target of national fury two years ago when he sentenced Brock Turner, a Stanford University student convicted of sexually assaulting a young woman […]