I’m fascinated by the appointment of young Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head of the medical directorship of the country. Surely everyone should save a great deal of money on health care by finding and applying some: “Eye of newt, and toe of frog,Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,Adder’s fork, and blind-worm’s sting,Lizard’s leg, […]

I believe that we need voter ID in our state. We need to show identification for any bank transaction, to obtain a driver’s license, for travel, and sometimes even to get an account at a local water district. Why wouldn’t we want to have identification as a normal part of voting — this most important […]

Republicans promised Americans that Donald Trump was the next best thing to sliced bread. Why does he seem to be more like limburger cheese gone bad? Where did he promise that he would operate the U.S. government as he did Trump Inc.? He is no longer the actor playing the kingpin on “The Apprentice,” theatrically […]

In response to the Sept. 9 op-ed regarding prostate cancer, “Prostate cancer numbers have increased. Are you vulnerable?,” I would like to mention that one of the many factors that should be considered is exposure to Agent Orange and other defoliants used during the Vietnam war. The Veterans Administration (VA) has determined that anyone who […]

Regarding the Sept. 4 report, “West Gardiner’s clerk broke Maine election law, and the state can’t do anything”— as a resident of West Gardiner for almost 20 years, I find this revelation disturbing. Were it not for the spectacular hubris of West Gardiner town councilors and staff, this egregious error wouldn’t have occurred. But why […]

Politics aside, I’m taking a more worldly view of President Donald Trump. Noticing that he is pictured rarely, if ever, smiling, I’m convinced that he has never experienced true joy. That, despite holding a very powerful position, he is a sad and lonely man — possibly, like many of us, frightened at times. His friends […]

Here is my response to Canadians who are threatening to no longer visit Maine: Don’t. I’ve noticed that our beaches are cleaner and more free of cigarette butts since fewer Canadians are visiting Maine beaches. The few dollars they spend here will not break any business in Maine. Joseph J. Valecko, Jr.Lewiston