WASHINGTON — Much of America has reacted swiftly and strongly to Donald Trump’s grotesque suggestion that there is a moral equivalence between the white supremacists who converged last weekend on Charlottesville, Virginia, and those who protested against them. But the delayed, qualified and mealy mouthed reactions of many in America’s leadership class tell a disturbing […]
Op-Eds
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The baby and the bath water
Well-meaning people sometimes can’t tell the baby from the bath water, which is part of what happened last weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia. The brutality in that beautiful city might not have happened, at least not then and there, if folks in charge hadn’t repeated history by throwing out the baby with the bath water. A […]
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Charlottesville didn’t spring from nowhere
It is important to look beyond the riot. Yes, the recent violent demonstration by white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia, culminating in the death of 32-year-old Heather Heyer, made for a carnival of obscenity as sickening as it was riveting. But the thing is, it did not spring from nowhere. And while your first instinct — […]
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Tackling the drug abuse epidemic
Fifteen years ago, I was diagnosed with depression. I have had days, even weeks, where just getting out of bed has been a struggle. Those moments come with shame, making it harder to look for help exactly when I needed it most. Fortunately, health care and love from family provide me with what I need […]
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There is a price for pushing the boundaries
At age 10, one of my friends was told her skin tone was not ideal for a role in the Nutcracker. Three years later, I was told I needed to lose weight for the first time. Growing older, I saw a director mock one of his homosexual dancers. And now, at age 20, I have, […]
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Evaluate merger of cities without fear of change
REARVIEW MIRROR Opponents of the Lewiston-Auburn Joint Charter Commission’s proposed municipal merger would do well to recall President Franklin Roosevelt’s stirring words during the Great Depression that “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Change is almost always emotionally unsettling. However, that’s no reason to reject it out of hand, because the […]
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New local food ordinances important for Maine farmers
The Local Food and Community Self-Governance Ordinance passed unanimously at the annual Greenwood town meeting in May — one of 20 towns adopting the ordinance since 2010. The concept of food sovereignty began in Spain in the 1990s. In Maine, the work began in 2009, to address rules changes by the Department of Agriculture — […]
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President Trump’s top advisers can still shock
An insane woman was madly swinging her pocketbook at strangers on the street. No one tried to shame or reason with her. They knew she was unwell and needed to be removed by responsible parties. In a similar vein, I’ve stopped expressing shock at things Donald Trump says, tweets and does. His is a cracked […]
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China backing away from North Korea
On August 11, the U.S. island territory’s Homeland Security Office of Civil Defense posted a website fact sheet entitled “In Case of Emergency … Preparing for an Imminent Missile Threat” in response to North Korea’s threat to launch a volley of ballistic missiles in Guam’s direction. The fact sheet included a warning reminiscent of late […]
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Sadly, America is not ‘better than this’
It has become the go-to cliche for moments like this. We whisper it when someone breaks the mosque window or scrawls hatred on the synagogue wall. It is our assurance and our hope. “We are better than this,” we say. “This is not America.” So it is no surprise to be hearing that sentiment days […]