Sign In:


Letters to the Editor
  • Published
    December 5, 2011

    Brian Rines made each person feel worthy

    I wrote recently (along with the late Andy Rooney) that Thanksgiving was my favorite holiday. This year, I gave thanks for the life of my friend, Dr. Brian Rines, who died Nov. 25, a person who had a great influence in my life. We met at a Halloween party in 1999. He was duded up […]

  • Published
    December 5, 2011

    Support, don’t discourage Occupy movement

    Throughout the world during the past year, people have protested nonviolently for greater democracy and economic and human rights. The demonstrations in North Africa and the Middle East and the Occupy movements in this country are obvious examples. Democracy means that every person can speak up to support government policies that they believe are beneficial […]

  • Published
    December 5, 2011

    Swine flu starts in pigs but then makes humans sick

    The alarming news about the new swine flu strain that has sickened three children in Iowa — and seven other people in Pennsylvania, Maine and Indiana — should make us think twice about raising pigs and other animals for food. Swine flu has that name because it afflicts pigs. The virus thrives on pig farms, […]

  • Published
    December 5, 2011

    Our senators urged to support new mercury rule

    Families in Maine have more than one reason to celebrate this holiday season. The Environmental Protection Agency is slated to finalize this month a rule limiting mercury pollution from power plants, the largest industrial source, for the first time in history. Mercury from power plants gets into the fish we eat and poses serious health […]

  • Published
    December 4, 2011

    Domestic manufacturing not easy, but is rewarding

    As an owner of a domestic manufacturing company, I would like to applaud George Smith (Nov. 9 column) for searching for locally made products, and assure him that textile manufacturing in Maine is re-inventing itself and is definitely worth a closer look. At Sea Bags, we take Made in Maine seriously and have made it […]

  • advertisement
  • Published
    December 4, 2011

    Don’t ask lung cancer patients if they smoked

    I have a request for Lung Cancer Awareness Month, which was November: Please don’t ask us if we smoked. Lung cancer is the leading cause of death from cancer, and it is the second leading cause of death for women, heart disease being No. 1. More than 65 percent of all people newly diagnosed with […]

  • Published
    December 4, 2011

    What are residential benefits of gas line?

    I have been following, with great interest, articles about Kennebec Valley Gas Co.’s proposed natural gas pipeline from Richmond to Madison. In my opinion, such a pipeline has the potential for great benefits to the residents of the communities through which the line would be built. The price of fuel oil for heating has continually […]

  • Published
    December 3, 2011

    Both political ‘teams’ playing by their own rules

    I wish this forum, and media in general, spent more time and energy focused on thoughtful dialog concentrating on solutions to problems, and less time focused on blind party loyalty and sophomoric fighting between the two teams. They are just teams, right? Democrats vs. Republicans? Well, they play games, and they have cartoon animal mascots, […]

  • Published
    December 3, 2011

    Compromise is needed for problems to be solved

    It seems like just yesterday when citizens were fearing a $6 trillion debt, so it is no surprise to me that with the now $15 trillion debt, Congress faces the lowest-ever approval rating at only 8 percent.

  • Published
    December 3, 2011

    As a society, we are out of control

    This year’s Black Friday is a confirmation of how other countries view the United States of America. Our capitalistic “me first” attitudes have made us the laughing stock of the entire world. We have become a society of spoiled citizens who idolize merchandise over family values, money over morality, and indulgence over dignity. We take […]