Reform Wall Street
It is past time for us to get a Wall Street reform bill done. Had these reforms been in place earlier, this would have prevented the economy from going in the ditch and so many losing so much of their retirement savings.
I know people need to take responsibility for their spending, but so many don’t read the fine print, which they should. Maybe the new rules will help people see the light. I don’t want to have to bail out this country again.
Fredrick Oney
Limestone
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Learning from kids
I would like to share the story of my phenomenal luck. I am in debt. My truck is on its last leg and I am a single mom of two who receives no child support — and never have. As you probably are confused completely by now, I will elaborate.
My daughter and I are members of the Hands & Hooves 4-H club in Penobscot County. Although life can be brutal sometimes, the kids at the club are always positive and upbeat. They set a fantastic example for not only their peers but for adults as well.
Sometimes I think they don’t understand that some things in life just aren’t possible. The kids have the attitude of “what do we need to do to make this possible?” They are tenacious and follow through until they achieve what they set out to do. It amazes me that failure is not an option, or even a fleeting thought, with these kids.
I think during these tough times we Americans get as depressed as the economy and give up way too easily. I want to extend a huge thanks to these kids for reminding me what can be done if we just keep working at it, and I hope that all of you are fortunate enough to achieve my luck.
Gina Farrell
Hudson
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God and Israel
In her June 25 letter, “Israel’s apartheid,” Melodie Greene is in error when she wrote, “Since its inception, Israel has consciously and systematically stolen and occupied Palestinian land, bombed its civilian population.” The word which makes it in error is “stolen.”
Almighty God promised and provided his Jewish people this land permanently. He is the source of the Jews’ right to live there. You may read this covenant in Genesis 12:1-3; 13:14-17, 15:18 and 17:17-21. Here you’ll see the land between two rivers and one sea.
For further information to deepen and widen personal knowledge on Israel, I list three books to read: “Jews, God and History,” by Max Dimont; “Holy War For the Promised Land,” by David Dolan and “The Battle for God – A History of Fundamentalism,” by Karen Armstrong.
Israel’s democratic government allows for all people to live there, not to destroy the citizens. The national policy of defense involves Israel in war, not “apartheid.”
Elmer Morin
Limestone
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No more matches
Picture this: There is a pool of gasoline, and the military leaders of the world are all standing in it, each holding a box of matches. Each match represents one nuclear weapon. They are arguing over who gets the most matches. Some have only one or two and the more powerful have a whole box.
We need to get rid of all the matches. The new START treaty signed in April by the United States and Russia is a step in the right direction, but even one match is all it would take.
I have written to Sens. Snowe and Collins to urge their support in ratifying START and to get all the world’s match holders to agree and sign on. The United States should take the lead and show the world it is serious about nuclear nonproliferation.
Al Larson
Orono Peace Group
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Biker noise unhealthful
Motorcycle noise is too often used as a deliberate weapon, and it is used by other riders, not only those on Harley-Davidsons. I’ve been a licensed motorcycle rider since I was 18, and at 64 I still love bikes. I wish I still had one.
Intentional abuse of noise laws is very common with motorcycles, and you can see that on Maine roads any given day. Why should three tractor-trailer rigs, fully loaded, drive through Ellsworth with very little noise, while the straight-piped Harley riding impatiently behind them guns his engine over and over again, making more noise than all the other vehicles there combined?
Gayle Millan’s assertion in a recent letter to the editor that a love of Harleys entitles anyone to be deliberately, publicly offensive, or to habitually break noise laws, or they can move out of this state, is an unfortunate expression of absolute selfishness.
Have motorcycles become the vuvuzelas of the road? Damn and be gone all non-tribal members? Most riders are considerate citizens who simply love the wind in their faces and the exhilarating feel of the ride, but there are many riders who just love the power of disruptive noise.
Cycle owners often remove standard exhaust system equipment in favor of straight pipes capable of earsplitting noise levels. It’s offensive to most, but hey, look at me.
The new Maine motorcycle noise law describes such overly loud noise as a public health issue. Where is the enforcement?
Keith R. Heavrin Jr.
Surry
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Swim lesson kudos
I’d like to thank Joni Averill for the walk down memory lane through her recounting of the full life that Nancy Savage led while in the Bangor area. Many were touched by her generosity, yet never knew the personal impact she had on their lives. I have a Nancy story to share.
I was swimming at the YWCA pool one summer day in 1973 and heard a loud voice calling MAR-gret, MAR-gret. It was Nancy with a great idea for teaching more children in the Bangor area to swim and be safe in the water.
She graciously offered the Bangor School Department, and specifically, Harlow Street School, the use of the pool two days a week for an hour and a half each day. There was no fee involved, simply a time to teach sixth-graders to swim or learn basic water safety skills. I was ecstatic and brought the idea to my principal, Bill Martin. Bill was as forward-thinking as Nancy, so the idea became a reality.
For the next three years, until the school closed in June 1976, all students who attended sixth grade at the Harlow Street School in Bangor were afforded the opportunity to hone their swimming skills in an eight-week program at the YWCA thanks to the offer made by Nancy Savage, and gratefully accepted by the staff at Harlow Street School.
So to all former sixth-graders from Harlow Street who marched to the YWCA pool for swim lessons, your thanks should go to Nancy Savage. One more feather in her very plumed cap.
Margaret T. Clancey
Orono