Children are now mainstays in migration policy debates and news, with unaccompanied minors at the border drawing much attention over the past decade. The systemic violence and poverty that displace thousands of children from Central and South America have a long history. While these factors have only worsened in recent years because of climate change, […]
Ben Bragdon
Staff Writer
Ben Bragdon is managing editor of the Sun Journal. Prior to that, he was deputy managing editor for news at the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel. Ben was previously editorial page editor for those newspapers and Central Maine Sunday for more than 10 years. Before that, he was managing editor for weekly newspapers at Current Publishing in Westbrook. He began his career as a reporter at the Piscataquis Observer in Dover-Foxcroft and editor at the Moosehead Messenger in Greenville. He has a bachelor’s degree in history from Boston University.
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Commentary: Don’t grow all the way up, it’s a trap!
The other night, after a long family dinner, my 13-year-old niece disappeared into our downstairs closet and soon reemerged with a box of toys I’d saved from my daughter Chloe’s childhood. Chloe, who is now 31, was surprisingly happy. “I want that,” she said, reaching for a Furby. “That one too,” she said, looking at […]
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Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Commentary: How new House Speaker Mike Johnson tried again and again to overturn Biden’s election
In less than 15 months, Congress will count and certify the votes from the electoral college. It is truly frightening that House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., from the far right of the Republican Party, might have a prominent role in the process. If Republicans keep control of the House in the November 2024 elections, it […]
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Commentary: American dams are being demolished. And nature is pushing that along
This summer, the first of four dams on the West’s Klamath River was destroyed, unleashing a torrent of cold water that had been held back for a century. By the end of 2024, three more dams near the California-Oregon border will come down, restoring the massive runs of salmon and steelhead along some 400 miles […]
Posted inEditorials, Opinion
Our View: Brokenhearted for Lewiston, we will have to heal together
Gone forever is the idea that Maine is an unusually safe place to be.
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Ben Bragdon: For their sake, we’ve got to let kids be kids
You have to watch out for nostalgia. No matter what people say, hindsight isn’t always 20-20. Sometimes, it’s a lot hazier. That’s why so many people today look back with fondness at an American past that never really existed, while others feel hopeless against today’s biggest challenges, and unable to acknowledge how much better life […]
Posted inEditorials, Opinion
View from Away: Why are governments still subsidizing fossil fuels?
The fight against climate change commands the support of governments across much of the world. Targets for carbon abatement have gotten more ambitious and policies to address the challenge are proliferating. Yet one measure of progress shows how badly these efforts still fall short. Last year, global fossil-fuel subsidies expanded to a new record — […]
Posted inEditorials, Opinion
Our View: Yes on Question 4 to preserve Maine’s right to repair our vehicles
Residents across the state rely on Maine’s 700 or so independent auto repair shops to keep their cars on the road, year after year, without busting their wallets or opening themselves to risk. However, rapid changes in the automotive world are putting that most important relationship – the one between a Mainer and their mechanic […]
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Commentary: Through the generations
A lot of folks have deeply held opinions about Gen Z. Some say they lack initiative — how else could they spend that much time on TikTok? Some question their maturity—it’s not possible to be independent while still being on your parents’ phone plan, right? A lot like judges at the Westminster Dog Show, these […]
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Andreas Kluth: Israel and Ukraine are linked, and the US must stand with both
Almost without exception, lawmakers from both parties in Congress are eager to give Israel whatever it asks, from missiles to dollars. And that is as it should be, for Israel just became the victim of unspeakable barbarity and now needs stalwart support. But in the very next breath, some of those same U.S. legislators, mainly […]