TV Armageddon

The BDN could perform a great service to those of us who either cannot subscribe to cable or satellite television services or who do not choose to do so. This service would be to list all the elected officials who supported and voted for conversion to digital television. Thus, we could return the favor by voting them out of office!

In February, we may discover that these converter boxes will not work with our present television sets, and it is possible our antennas are not adequate. February in Maine is not quite the ideal time to replace a rooftop antenna. It is not possible to check this out right now while the weather is good since not all channels are broadcasting digital signals at full strength. Additionally, it is difficult to obtain answers to our questions as every “expert” has a different slant on how to fix the problems.

Since our VCR recording systems apparently will not work unless we attach a converter box to the VCR as well as one to the television, I am sure that the broadcasting programmers will cooperate by not scheduling all the good programs opposite each other.

Television as we know it will cease to exist. I hope that the radio stations are up to the challenge.

Patricia L. Reynolds

Hermon

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Two-party monopoly

In the wake of the second presidential debate between John McCain and Barack Obama, pundits have been spinning frenetically over which candidate “won.” The real winner was neither McCain nor Obama — it was militarism, plain and simple.

Between McCain’s absolute, unyielding commitment to the unwarranted and unjustified occupation of Iraq, and Obama’s insistence that U.S. forces should be redirected to Afghanistan, as it is somehow a more “just” or “noble” conflict, neither of these candidates stands for peace, justice or the rule of law.

It is unfortunate viewers were denied hearing from a candidate who does embody those values — independent Ralph Nader. Nader, and other independent candidates like Cynthia McKinney and Libertarian Bob Barr, are routinely and unjustly prohibited from participating in the presidential debates, which are controlled exclusively by the two dominant parties and their corporate sponsors.

As a result, voters are denied hearing contrarian, dissident viewpoints on the crucial issues of our time. Ralph Nader’s campaign entails an end to military aggression in the Middle East; implementing a universal, single-payer healthcare system for all; clamping down on Wall Street’s corrupt, corporate crime, which led to our current financial crisis; and investing in solar and wind power — not nuclear — to reverse the effects of global warming and end our reliance on foreign oil.

With the Republicans and Democrats becoming increasingly indistinguishable by the day, America needs real progressive voices to enter the political arena. I say, enough of one-party, corporate rule. Let Nader debate.

Adam Marletta

Old Town

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Re-elect Schneider

I am writing in support for my state Sen. Elizabeth Schneider, Democrat for the Orono area. Elizabeth Schneider works tirelessly for our community. I have seen Elizabeth at every Orono High School student awards ceremony and graduation for the past four years. She can be seen at village festivals and church and charity events in Orono. Elizabeth even came to Leonard’s Mills last August in pouring rain and presented a State of Maine citation at my son Darren’s Eagle Scout ceremony.

Maybe there are other state politicians that attend town events during election years, but Elizabeth is visible and approachable all the time. Sen. Schneider not only gets out to the public frequently, but also she genuinely listens and talks with people in a caring manner.

She is a woman of credibility and loyalty. When she hears a concern, she takes action, a true woman of her word. I view her as a woman who is passionate about her work and her community.

Teddi-Jann Covell

Orono

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The ‘bad surgeon’

For decades, John McCain has championed the deregulation that has led to the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Now he can only fall back on declaring that he has better judgment than Barack Obama because, as McCain claims, “The surge is working!” This is akin to a member of a surgical team that has amputated the wrong limb trying to insist that everyone should now focus on how well the stump is healing.

The war in Iraq was completely unnecessary. While most Americans are rightly appalled by the cost of bailing out Wall Street to the tune of $700 billion, that’s roughly equal to what we’ve already spent on the war in Iraq. The total cost of the war, including long-term health care for veterans of Iraq, could end up close to $2 trillion. And that’s not counting the misery of warfare: the dead and wounded Americans and Iraqis and the near complete destruction of infrastructure and social order in Iraq.

If you knew a doctor had amputated the wrong limb of a patient, would you hire him as your surgeon? Given his mistakes on Iraq and the economy, do you really want to hire John McCain as your president?

Deb Suran

Deer Isle

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Attacks are racist

The recent attacks waged against Barack Obama by John McCain and Sarah Palin have revealed a shocking racial undertone. Questioning Obama’s patriotism, his honesty, his “Americanness” to increasingly hostile crowds of overwhelming white proportion, McCain and Palin have lowered the discourse of the election and the value they place on everyday Americans’ intelligence exponentially.

To their base, this strategy seems to have worked, and it has reaped rather unseemly rewards. A woman shows up to a Palin rally with a lynch rope around her neck and is cheered. Threats of “Kill him!” in response to Obama’s name are met with applause. McCain and Palin expect Obama to repudiate every statement any of his past associates have made, no matter how tenuous the connection.

However, McCain and Palin, as of now, have yet to decry these shameful threats made in their presence, have yet to clarify what their attacks actually mean, have yet to disprove they are racially motivated. This is beyond reproach and does not deserve support. But beyond the disgraceful antics of two people on a rapidly sinking ship, any backer of the Republican ticket should be looked at with a more than sideways glance. To support two people who would stoop so low, who would unflinchingly welcome the support of what could amount to a lynch mob, who would stir up old racist feelings that should have long been erased, creates serious doubt and casts an unflattering and unsettling shadow on any one of their supporters.

Heather M. Johnston

Mars Hill