“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” (Matthew 6:24) The verse refers to money, but in light of today’s debate about the unaccountable devotion many Christian leaders have for President Trump it is not […]
Op-Eds
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Shania Twain’s comment points to America’s divide
Dear Shania Twain: I used to love “Roseanne.” I don’t know if that show aired in Canada, where you’re from, but here in the States, it was considered appointment TV, groundbreaking and mercilessly funny. That’s why I welcomed news of its reboot. But the show ended up sitting on my DVR for weeks. See, I […]
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Proficiency-based learning is a cruel experiment that has failed
Never, in my 30 years of high school teaching, have I seen an initiative do so much damage to student learning and motivation as I have with Maine’s Proficiency-Based Learning Diploma. It is a piece of feel-good legislation that was poorly conceived and enacted. Fortunately, the Legislature is now considering repealing PBL. I hope others […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Barbara Bush made responsibility a way of life
The memorial service for Barbara Bush over the weekend marked the passing of an era. The outpouring of praise for a woman who was an unselfconscious member of a political elite, an insider and establishmentarian, spoke to a pang of regret over a lost ethos of leadership. George and Barbara Bush were easily — and […]
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Cooperative farmland ownership provides important benefits to agricultural producers
Those of us at Maine Farmland Trust firmly believe that we need to employ many different types of tools to get more farmers on the land. Cooperative ownership is one of those important tools. By incentivizing such ownership, LD 1338 — An Act to Create and Sustain Jobs through Development of Cooperative and Employee-Owned Businesses […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Racism in America is a white problem
Racism is a white problem. I know that many white people will instinctively and emphatically resist that observation. They’ll note the self-evident truth that prejudice is confined to no one culture or color. Having known more than a few African-American bigots, homophobes and anti-Semites, I’ll be happy to concede the point. But racism is more […]
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Comey's book reveals the true strength of America's law system
NEW YORK — The most remarkable parts of James Comey’s memoir are not about Donald Trump. We already knew most of the interesting revelations, and some of the others are gossip and color commentary. But in his discussion of the George W. Bush administration, Comey is far more revealing and highlights something crucial and hopeful […]
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The wrong question
To get the right answer, we have to ask the right question. Too often, we don’t. I first saw the importance of asking the right question 28 years ago, when I was on the SAD 9 (Mount Blue) school board. In response to a question about students’ smarts, the superintendent, Dr. Lawson Rutherford, said: “We […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Senate Foreign Relations Committee abdicating its responsibilities
WASHINGTON — For the first time in the history of the republic, it appears increasingly likely that a majority of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will vote against the president’s nominee for secretary of state. If this happens, it would be a black mark not on Mike Pompeo’s record, but on the reputation of this […]
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Nothing wrong with being 'old-fashioned'
“It’s a modern changing world Everything is moving fast. But when it comes to love I like What they did in the past.” — The Everly Brothers, 1962 Call me old-fashioned — and I’ve been called worse — but do I sense the possible end to the sexual revolution, which exploded in the ’60s and […]