Police overrated
“To Protect and Serve” is on way more cars than necessary. And truthfully, a lot more protection and service is not what the law is giving the citizens lately. It’s more like a paid protection sort of thing, but all we citizens need protection from is the law and its enforcers.
I know personally of three different murders that have been left unsolved. All because the Barney Fifes either muff the investigation or just didn’t bother to do one to begin with, so the guilty go free and the victims get no closure.
Most small towns don’t even need a police force. To me, police forces are just a fort in an occupied land ruling over the locals. They are to serve not rule, and they are an extension of the central government, but their paycheck comes from us.
If one had the time to do a thorough investigation into the crimes that the local law enforcement have let go and weigh that against busting drivers going six miles an hour over the speed limit, they’d get the picture.
Look at it from the cost vs. need point of view. Just the buildings and their maintenance are phenomenal, then you have to pay the help and their insurance. The “help” is often lurking in places looking for civil and misdemeanor violations, something not too dangerous, instead of getting the murderers and the like off the streets. We don’t need their protection or services.
Dennis Friel
Whitefield
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End the cruelty
In April, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in an 8-1 vote that banning the depiction of animals being crushed, burned or otherwise tortured to death was unconstitutional — that it violated the First Amendment rights of those who take pleasure in watching these videos.
Justice Samuel Alito was the only dissenter, stating in his written opinion that animals are living creatures suffering excruciating pain in making these films. Their cries can be heard in the videos.
The day after the court’s decision, Rep. Elton Gallegly, R- Calif., introduced a bill that amends the original law, giving it a narrower focus that will sustain any court challenges. H.R. 5092 will prohibit the sale and marketing of any depiction of animals being tortured to death, now aided by distribution on the Internet.
Please urge our representatives to co-sponsor and support this important legislation to protect animals from this unspeakable cruelty. See aavs.org/crush for more information.
Carolyn McKinnon
Bangor
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Don’t suffer alone
I can’t stop thinking about the recent BDN article: “Pa. widow lives with corpses of her husband and twin sister.” The article tells of a 91-year-old widow who dressed up the embalmed bodies of her husband and twin sister and spent her days talking to them as if they were still alive.
A professor of psychiatry from UCLA was interviewed, and she suggested that people who aren’t particularly religious or spiritual may have difficulty accepting death. This explanation seems a bit too simplistic to me.
We all have a difficult time accepting death. I wish this article had mentioned that although the death of a loved one is often exceptionally painful, there is help. The help I refer to is the wonderful organization hospice.
Hospice has many local chapters in our area and offers an array of support to adults and children who are grieving. Hospice of Eastern Maine can be reached at 973-8269 and Hospice of Hancock County can be reached at 667-2531.
When living with profound loss, there is no need to suffer alone.
Carol Rosinski
Ellsworth
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Wrongly convicted
I was saddened to read in the July 17-18 BDN that Dennis Dechaine had attempted suicide this past April. He obviously felt such despair from having lost faith in the Maine state justice system that even while waiting for a decision about a retrial, he didn’t have faith that the justice system would know what we all know would be right: a retrial.
Having been let down countless times before, from having concrete evidence that proved his innocence brought forward over the years and ignored by the AG’s office, it’s no wonder he felt the way he did. He’s only human. A wrongly convicted human.
Why would he be charged with “drug trafficking” for having it for the sole purpose to use to try to take his own life?
In Maine a life sentence isn’t 25 years, as in some states. It’s for life, unless you were wrongly convicted and can prove it. Why charge him for using something for the sole purpose of committing suicide? What’s to be gained from that? Tack on more years to a life sentence? That doesn’t make any sense.
In my opinion, these are very suspicious actions by an office that has fought to try to prevent Dennis from receiving a fair trial with all of the evidence that was not brought forth in the initial trial.
Add this indictment to the growing list of suspicious actions of that office, where Dennis and real justice is concerned.
Lori Dumont
Bangor
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Let us decide LNG
The fact that leadership is lacking on the part of the state regarding LNG is nothing new to the people of Washington County (“Leadership lacking on LNG,” BDN July 19 editorial).
We have been ignored for years. It is also no reason to suggest that LNG cannot become a reality for Calais and Robbinston. The vast majority of people in our area strongly support the LNG projects.
Washington County needs all the economic development it can get.
Perhaps it would be better if the citizens of Washington County were left alone to decide for themselves what is best for their area.
Neil Lane
executive director
St. Croix Valley Chamber of Commerce
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No more meek Mike
I voted for Mike Michaud to represent Maine in Washington. Instead of touting the benefits of what he has done for us (to us?), he has remained quiet.
Having seen many married couples where one spouse has all the opinions and does all the talking, it may be he can’t state these accomplishments any better than Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Politically, she is quite capable of herding sheep into a voting bloc for her agenda, but in her public speaking, how often has she made sense on critical issues such as Obamacare and our troops?
We elected Mike to speak for us, yet he remains silent to our questions. I didn’t intend to elect a mouse and neither did you.
The foundations of this nation and the future of our children are at stake. We can’t afford “mute” Mike anymore!
Jason Levesque is the principled leader and voice experienced in honor, duty and courage we need.
Larry W. Mayes
Lewiston