Op-Eds - Centralmaine.com

Commentary: Have fun with strangers. Democracy and our mental health may depend on it

by Jean Guerrero Los Angeles Times (TNS) August 19, 2023August 18, 2023

Over the past couple of years, I lost my fear of the Other. It happened while I was picking up new hobbies, such as skating and dancing, while befriending a larger and more diverse array of people. In some cases, I bonded with people whose politics are very different from mine. The disconnection I’d felt […]

Op-Eds, Opinion

Leonard Greene: The second-most important speech at the March on Washington

by Leonard Greene August 18, 2023August 17, 2023

At the age of 92, attorney and activist Clarence Jones reminds us of the life Martin Luther King Jr. might have enjoyed if he had been a simple church pastor or a seminary professor. Jones, a top King lieutenant and a trusted friend of the slain civil rights leader, has been blessed with longevity and […]

Op-Eds, Opinion

Douglas Rooks: There’s a reason senators don’t serve for life

by Douglas Rooks August 17, 2023August 16, 2023

The infirmities of aging have been much debated as they apply to recent presidents, but mostly ignored when it comes to the U.S. Senate, where there’s evidence of actual disability. The most prominent example is Diane Feinstein, the California Democrat who made the apparently unwise decision to run for reelection in 2018 to a fifth […]

Op-Eds, Opinion

Commentary: We’ve defended Trump’s 1st Amendment rights. But his latest claims about the Jan. 6 indictment are nonsense

by David Cole and Ben Wizner Los Angeles Times (TNS) August 17, 2023August 16, 2023

Does the 1st Amendment shield Donald Trump from prosecution for conspiracy to obstruct the 2020 election results? Trump’s lawyer has proclaimed the indictment “an attack on free speech and political advocacy.” He says Trump thought there was voter fraud, and “as a president, he’s entitled to speak on those issues.” And the indictment by special […]

Op-Eds, Opinion

Maine Voices: Too hot to ignore – much more action is needed to fight climate change

by David Costello Special to the Press Herald August 17, 2023August 16, 2023

We need to immediately develop and implement an aggressive national, science-based climate plan, including a panel that evaluates and reports on our progress and recommends needed adjustments.

Op-Eds, Opinion

Commentary: Conservation can help nature weather forces of change in Maine

by Karin R. Tilberg Special to the Press Herald August 16, 2023August 15, 2023

A plan to set aside 3,000 acres of forested land in Piscataquis County will protect wildlife, jobs, recreation and more.

Op-Eds, Opinion

Commentary: With Maine governor’s veto, farmworkers were again denied their basic economic rights

by Cynthia Phinney and Arthur Phillips August 15, 2023August 14, 2023

We’re concerned that the stakeholder group Mills has set up won’t give farmworkers the state minimum wage and protection from excess overtime they deserve.

Op-Eds, Opinion

Commentary: How pickleball taught me to stop saying sorry and learn to have fun

by Kate Spencer August 15, 2023August 14, 2023

“Find some calm, Kate,” my pickleball coach, Roland, cajoled me from across the court a few months ago. He thwacked another neon-green ball in my direction. “Do less.” “But I am not a calm person!” I shouted back, a complete understatement. I am a tightly wound, neurodivergent, people-pleasing extrovert who lives in fear of making […]