Sen. Susan Collins “presses RFK Jr. during contentious hearing.” How many times have we seen this headline? In this case, it reminds me of someone asking an arsonist to explain why he kept starting fires after hiring him to be the chief of the fire department. As I recall, the senator explained that her vote […]

According to the Maine Principals’ Association, there are two transgender athletes competing in high school sports in Maine. The headline of one recent article was “NCAA president says there are ‘less than 10’ transgender athletes in college sports.” A letter last week asked us to “imagine” a conversation between parents and their “athletically talented, elementary-aged […]

In Maine middle schools in the mid-1960s, students received civics instruction. We were taught that the proper salutation for elected officials began with the word honorable. Hence, we referred to the Honorable Sen. Muskie, the Honorable Gov. Curtis, etc., as we sometimes contacted our elected officials in civics learning endeavors. This acknowledgement of praiseworthy regard […]

High school sports have never been about fairness. If they were, everybody would come across the finish line at the same time. Short, stout fellows like me would not be seen as having any kind of advantage over athletic girls. But I have never been any good at sports. I did participate. I ran in […]

When asked in an interview if he should “uphold the Constitution,” our president answered, “I don’t know.” Did he not realize he swore an oath to do that very thing when he took the oath of office? He swore to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” Does he have memory problems, […]

On May 20, news sources declared that if Israel fails to allow food and other necessities to enter the ravaged communities of Gaza within “the next 48 hours,” 14,000 innocent children will die of starvation. Israel’s military (mostly supplied by weapons from the United States) has been blockading Gaza, thus causing thousands to die of […]

I was talking to a friend, a fellow student of history, and we came to the following conclusions. When the government starts deciding that the Bill of Rights only applies to certain people, it has just reduced those rights into privileges. This is the first and biggest step toward elimination. Either those rights protect everyone […]

When we hear emergency vehicles, sirens wailing and lights flashing, driving through our neighborhoods, we wonder about the crisis unfolding. We too often overlook the enduring commitment of those routinely responding to those calls for help — the paramedics, EMTs, dispatchers and support staff — who rush toward danger, not away from it. Emergency Medical […]