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, […]
Op-Eds
Opinion columns from the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel.
Commentary: Veterans’ gun rights amendment paves way for the next tragedy
Just before the shooting in Lewiston, our system of background checks took a big hit.
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 […]
Jim Fossel: No country deserves to be the victim of terrorism
A mixed global reaction to the attack of Oct. 7 is a grave disappointment.
The Maine Millennial: What’s in a weekly column?
Six years into writing mine, I’m looking back with awe and gratitude.
Commentary: Maine officials remain deeply committed to child protection
A combination of laws and legal concerns prevent the Office of Child and Family Services from revealing as much information as the public wants. We’re making a concerted effort to bridge those gaps any way we can.
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 […]
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 […]
Commentary: In debate over Pine Tree Power, utilities should speak for themselves
The ‘Yes on 3’ campaign for Pine Tree Power is challenging top executives at CMP and Versant to a public debate.
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 […]