Cleaning up Bangor
I have a double challenge for the residents of Bangor.
It is spring again and now that the snow is gone all the trash from the last six months is visible. Take gloves and a trash bag, walk around the immediate area surrounding your house and pick up all that unsightly garbage. If everybody would do this Bangor would look so much better.
The second challenge: Let’s pledge to be more careful with our trash this year. Even a cigarette butt is unsightly. Do you drive a pick-up? Make sure nothing can fly out of the truck bed. No more trash on the streets.
We have such a beautiful city; let’s keep it that way.
Nori Kazdoy
Bangor
Lincoln and Obama
In recent letters to the editor there have been complaints lodged against the Obama administration’s treatment of the judicial process in regards to American citizens overseas operating as terrorists. I would like to offer some food for thought: During the Civil War, 258,000 American citizens were killed by the military on Lincoln’s order. None of them received due process of law and all of them were actually on American soil — and in response to the argument that the South was a separate country, the Lincoln administration operated the war under the premise that the Confederacy was a rebellion within the country.
In most polls today, Lincoln is considered one of the Top 3 presidents of all time. The Obama administration’s actions are not unprecedented. Anwar al-Awlaki was an American citizen who became an enemy combatant, thereby giving the administration the right to act. It’s as simple as that.
Ryan Asalone
Hampden
Course correction required
I can’t believe the U.S. would consider launching a third war, this one against Iran, or that we would back Israel in such a colossal blunder. This country does not need another war. Let’s end the ones we already started a decade ago. Let us save lives, theirs and ours. Let us save a trillion dollars.
We are a rogue nation, bullying others, telling them they can’t have what we have. We could fix our schools, our health care system and deal with our energy crisis if we simply said no more war, anywhere. The rest of the world would take note of this and admire us. We could be proud Americans, helping other nations instead of desecrating them.
Is it really that simple? Of course not. But we need to honestly evaluate what we are doing to other nations, to our worsening climate and to ourselves. We need a major course correction.
Steve Cartwright
Waldoboro
Room for all
As a person who was raised from a very young age by a single, widowed mother, I find Michael Heath’s claim (“Referendum would institute the opposite of marriage,” BDN OpEd, March 21) that “marriage between man and woman is needed for the proper education of children” to be both absurd and deeply offensive.
The statement is probably meant to cast aspersions on people who procreate without ever having been married, but by this logic a widowed parent is also unfit to raise children. Would Mr. Heath have had my mother remarry the first man who came along just so we would have had someone in our household on hand for all of the necessary and supposedly masculine jobs involved in parenting? This may surprise him, but despite our man-free (read: woman-led) household, we managed quite well, and I am grateful my mother didn’t legally bind herself to the first willing guy who came along just so we’d “have a father.” Instead, her parenting was based on quality, not quantity.
Families come in all shapes and sizes: some have one parent, some two. Some have no children, and yes, some families have two men or two women who love one another. The institution of the family could be, and sometimes is, based on much less. It is high time we recognized this fact and ensure that all Mainers have the chance to form the type of family that they choose.
Guess what? There’s room in the vineyard for us all.
Regina Rooney
Old Town
Blue Star grandstanding
As an honorably discharged veteran of military service with indelible memories of World War II, Korea and Vietnam, I find the BDN’s front-page story of the reservist nailing up a Blue Star flag prior to his own Afghanistan deployment as a self-described “armor-wearing, weaponry-bearing, individual augmentation” to be nothing more than nauseatingly disgusting grandstanding.
He needs to be informed that when those flags really meant something, the proud families of service members quietly hung them inside a window instead of creating a spectacle by climbing up on the roof and making a commotion to attract public attention.
Carroll B. Knox
Caribou
Slow down mining changes
Jeff Reardon (BDN OpEd, March 20) makes the case that a hard-rock surface mine at Bald Mountain, and the majority of other possible mine sites in Maine, would inevitably lead to acid mine drainage with substantial risk to water quality and fisheries.
Lest we assume that the mining bill currently being rushed through the Legislature would affect only “a remote mountain in the woods of far northern Maine” (BDN news story, March 21), it is important to know that at least one other site, Big Hill in Pembroke, has been the scene of repeated mineral explorations and mining speculation in recent decades, most notably by Scintilore Explorations, Inc. in the 1980s and again as recently as 2007 by Golden Hope Mines Ltd. of Quebec.
This project, touted in the 1980s as potentially the deepest open pit mine in the world, would exploit a polymetallic sulphide deposit to recover silver, zinc, lead, copper and gold. It also would create acid runoff in close proximity to feeder streams for Cobscook Bay and within five miles of Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge, the state-protected Dennys River Corridor (salmon habitat) and other important conservation properties.
Given the permanent, severe and irreversible environmental impacts of large-scale, low-grade mining of the sort proposed for Bald Mountain and Big Hill, the Legislature should stop, take a deep breath and defer to the next regular session any bill that would hastily sweep away regulations that emerged from years of thoughtful, bipartisan work to protect Maine’s environment.
Alan Brooks
Lubec
Steve Cartwright–Great letter. Dwight D. Eisenhower warned us about the ‘military-industrial complex’ back in 1961 and his fears have come to be the status quo.
A few fat cats want us to wage perpetual war all over the globe because they are getting filthy rich from it but in the words of Bob Dylan, “All the money you’ve made will never buy back your soul.”
It is all of our souls that are equated with our war machine across the globe and we should make it clear to our politicians that we want–No More War!
Remember that Ike said to scrutinize it, but the military-industrial complex didn’t sneak up on him in the middle of the night. He said it was necessary and deserving of suspicion.
Bob Dylan…a struggling 99 percenter?
poetry
During an interview I heard his daughter say that his actually comment was
‘the military-industrial-congressional-complex’.
Ike Eisenhower also told John Kennedy (while passing the torch) that he (Kennedy) would probably have to put ground forces in Vietnam. He said if that happened he (Ike) would come back from Gettysburg and stand with Kennedy when he made the announcement.
Bob Dylan also said “Jeez I can’t find my knees”
Mr. Asalone, the same individuals who so despise President Obama share much in common with those who despised President Lincoln: white, southern males intent on cloaking their prejudices with the gloss of religion, “freedom” for themselves, and the supreme sovereignty of states over a fairly elected national government. Plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose.
You know so little of which you speak. We don’t despise the President. We disagree with his overspending, overreaching, government expansion, weak foreign policies, apologetic attitude, blaming Bush and the Republicans and Fox for his woes, bailouts, union coddling, deceit, partisanship, closed-door agenda, and four year campaigning. And, if you’d actually listen for a change, you’d realize that many of us aren’t white, Southern, or male.
But you complain about things that are half-truths and/or things that people on your side of the political spectrum do themselves. It’s pure hypocrisy and opportunism.
Explain, please.
Actually, here is a great example. How many times have I asked you to explain your obviously false or erroneous statements and have been offered no response? Answer is several times within the past few days! You hold people you disagree with to a high standard, a standard you no where near hold yourself (or those you agree with) to.
Explain, please.
“Please explain clearly the rational basis for denying gays and please explain why you feel it is all right to hold them to a higher standard than those straight couples seeking marriage licenses.”
“Please explain your understanding of the constitutional basis then. I’m interested in hearing.”
There you go. Proof of your hypocrisy and inconsistencies.
Because, my belief is that the homosexual lifestyle is a choice; therefore, they should not be considered a minority, nor should they expect special rights. People do, however, have the right to choose any lifestyle they want as long as their lifestyle choice does not adversely effect others.
The Constitution does not address homosexuality, abortion, or marriage. It also does not draw a line between church and state. It has been interpreted both correctly and incorrectly over the years, at least in many people’s opinions, and has been used and abused by both sides. The courts decide, in many cases, what the Constitution says, even though it really doesn’t say any such thing, based on past cases, many of which were judged incorrectly. But, that’s the way it is.
I don’t care what your opinion is after the fact. The point is that you hold others to a different standard than yourself and those you agree with.
Your belief is not factual and to extrapolate from a misinformed opinion makes your opinion a bigoted one.
As far as your constitutional interpretations they contribute only to your own bigotry.
EJ, I was obviously not speaking of you if you do not despise the President. You cannot seriously question that a vocal minority of Americans do despise the President. They tend to be the half-wits who think he is Muslim, born in Kenya, and a Marxist. That is a significant part of the Republican base in the South.
You are merely misinformed, as reflected most famously by your claim that President Obama’s bringing bin Laden to justice was all President Bush’s doing, although Bush had critiqued candidate Obama for proposing what candidate Obama ultimately did (entering Pakistan without its consent), had closed down the bin Laden desk at the CIA and had said to reporters that he had ceased worrying about bin Laden.
Tell bin Laden and Gaddafi about the President’s “weak foreign policies.” Bush and McCain seemed to have ignored the former and coddled the latter.
Yes, there is a vocal minority that despises the President. There is a vocal minority that despises many people. Just look at the vocal minorities that have bashed Rush Limbaugh, President Bush, VP Cheney, Michelle Backmann, Sarah Palin, and the late Andrew Britebart. Have you read the comments about Cheney and his heart transplant? It’s way over the top.
By the way, I’ve never said that bringing Bin Laden to justice was “all” President Bush’s doing. I gave Obama props, as well as President Bush for getting the ball rolling. The real credit, however, goes to the intelligence agencies and the Seal Team.
Gaddafi? Obama backed off and let the French lead that effort. That is weak.
How about leaning over and whispering to the outgoing Russian leader that in his second term, Obama would have the flexibility to back off of the missile defense system? Or how about the arms-length attitude with the Israelis while coddling the Palestinians?
Well, let’s be honest, EJ. Rush and Britebart are/were deliberately provocative.
But you’re right: I heard–and hear–much more vitriol about W and Cheney…esp the very personal comments about his surgery. Otherwise intelligent, thoughtful folks on the left would say such things all the time. Only the losers on our side say they despise the President.
And so instead, you’ll be voting for a guy who never tells the truth, and hey! At least you won’t have to demand to see Romney’s birth certificate!
Republican half-wits in the South: I guess some on here have placed me in that category. They can deal with their own ignorance.
In my line of work, I get to meet people of all races, all parties, and all economic levels. I also get to meet a lot of people that are either out of work, haven’t had a raise or promotion for years, or are just trying to get out of the pit of debt they are in. The vast majority of them couldn’t care less about the President’s skin color or party. They are upset with the price of gas, increase in prices across the board, the lack of good jobs, and the decline in their quality of life. And the majority of them, from all parties and races, are blaming Obama.
The words “Muslim”, “Marxist”, or “Kenya” very, very rarely come into any conversation.
And just one more thing, if you’d like to come down here and call any of them “half-wits”, I’m sure you’d get an ear full. People in the South may sound like hicks, but they’re not.
EJ Parsons, your second paragraph speaks of Bush’s term, also, when he ran the budget into the ground, starting wars for no true cause.
The downturn in the economy under Bush occurred in the last 2 years of his administration when the Dems controlled both houses of Congress, and the present President was a Freshman Senator contributing his votes to spend, spend, spend. Granted, Bush signed too many of the Dems spending bills, it is still the responsibility of Congress to control spending.
The Dems were in control of the countries purse strings for the last two years of the Bush administration and the first two years of Obama’s administration. The damage they did is still being felt. Unfortunately, the actions they took were wrong, and will take another decade to reverse.
So that makes all of Bush policies the Democrats fault. Brilliant logic.
Look up “Comprehension”. It’s in the dictionary.
The Republicans are in control now. What happened?
The Republicans are certainly not in control of this country. They have the House of Representatives. The Democrats have the Senate and the White House.
Poor excuse better than none.
Yeah, and what about Obama’s wars for no just cause?
No one “brought Bin Laden to justice” He was (reportedly) eliminated and his body was (reportedly) dumped at sea. I’m sure that all US government officials who dealt with and around this man are delighted he never got to testify before a judge.
As to foreign policy, I really see no difference between Obama and Bush. None at all.
Tell that to the Iraqis, the Libyans, and the victims of 9/11.
Cleaning up Bush’s mess has not been easy for President Obama. I regret that he didn’t set an earlier pull-out date from Afghanistan. However, for the foreign policy crises he has faced, rather than inherited, he has acted with all the judicious caution that Bush lacked.
I see what I see. You see what your party says you see. Doesn’t your nose get sore from following Barry so close?
As my post expressly criticizes the President for prolonging the war in Afghanistan, your ad hominem attack rings hollow.
I have railed against Carter for de-regulation, railed against Clinton for NAFTA, welfare reform, and deregulation, and railed against Obama for the lack of a public option, the continuation of Bush’s tax cuts, and his budget deal last summer. Your ipse dixits don’t cut it with me. Simply claiming there is no difference in foreign policy is intellectually lazy. When I post, I include my analysis as well as my conclusions.
Good for you.
I’m not doing a thesis on all your posts just responding to two sentences.
“Tell bin Laden and Gaddafi about the President’s “weak foreign policies.” Bush and McCain seemed to have ignored the former and coddled the latter.”
No difference. Obama Bush McCain all cut from the same flawed cloth.
deleted
So those bumper stickers saying “Don’t re-nig in 2012” are just good old Southern hospitality?
Wow, haven’t seen that one yet – regardless of how people feel about how the current president’s doing, that’s unacceptable no matter which side you’re on. That just show how simple, ignorant, and racist we as a society are when something like that is placed on a vehicle. Makes you wonder if that person is unhappy with Obama’s actions, or his skin tone. Not acceptable.
Never seen that one. Someone’s pulling your chain.
Nope there real.
http://newsone.com/nation/afisher/obama-dont-renege/
They have also been seen as far north as NH but mostly in the south.
EJ, I have long understood you to be white, Southern, and male. Did something change?
Just because I live in the South, it doesn’t mean I’m Southern. To folk down here, I’m still a Yankee.
Okay. Yet from the perspective of someone who actually lives here, you appear to be pretty Southern these days. Kind of makes you “The Man Without A Country” in a manner of speaking.
By the way, “Yankee” can be a slippery word. In New England it refers to someone whose family has been here for many generations, perhaps centuries. Outside of New England it refers to anyone from New England. In the South it refers to anyone from the North. In Europe and South America, it refers to anyone from the U.S.A., even if they come from Mobile, Alabama, or Biloxi, Mississippi!
And then there’s the baseball team, also known as “The Evil Empire.”
Even people in the South don’t consider Floridians to be Southerners.
So Floridians — who are not Southerners (even though one can’t get further south in the continental U.S.) — think you’re a “Yankee.” But if they’re not Southerners, does their opinion about who is a Yankee count? You just seem to be out of time and place, EJ. Shall I refer to you as an anachronism?
:-)
My only comment to Mr. Asalone is that Lincoln comes in, not just in the top three presidents, but first in most polls taken both of historians and the U.S. public.
Ryan Asalone: To compare the Assassin in Chief to President Lincoln is like comparing moldy bread to a fine meal. To compare the Civil War to the assination of a US citizen on foreign soil is ludicrous at best and typifies how illogical the liberal mind really is.
Plan and simple, Nobama killed a US citizen without any due process. You liberals are the same ilk who were demanding prisoners at GITMO be given civilian trials and now you defend Nobama? Very two faced and inconsistent.
Impeach Obama Now
Could not have said it beter myself.Good to see common sense is still out there
Had President Obama not ordered the killing of Anwar al-Awlaki and he exploded a bomb in the US as planned you would have been calling the president a murderer for not getting Mr Awlaki before he set the bomb. Face it. Nothing President Obama does will ever suit you. Antagonism like yours has a very ugly foundation.
It has more to do with the precedent. When you couple the Al-Awlaki assassination to certain provisions of the Patriot Act and other attacks on basic freedoms a pattern begins to appear. Do you feel safer now that Al-Awalaki is dead? You shouldn’t.
I agree 100%
Unfortunately most of the rabid D & R posters on here cannot see the reality. Both parties are actively working to undermine the Constitution and centralize power. The Patriot act under Pres Bush was abhorrent, as was Pres Obama’s signing of the Defense Authorization Act. Both of these laws received bipartisan support.
But the D’s & R’s on here are to busy calling each other names and arguing over foolish social issues to notice the degredation of their rights.
You have been so blinded that Nobama can do no wrong. Your logic is priceless. I guess you are okay with an execution of a US citizen ordered by Nobama without any due process. If Bush did this you would be demanding his impeachment. It is this two faced type of behaviour that I find sickening
And you are so blinded by your antagonism toward President Obama (as evidenced by your many posts and your name calling) that you have forgotten the many criticism I have made against Obama. Killing al-Awlaki is one of them. I thought it was deplorable. The point of my post, which you apparently missed in your eagerness to call names, was to point out that it matters not what President Obama does, he will be condemned for it. Again, the kind of antagonism being expressed has a foundation in something other than his actions and his policies.
Um, you do realize that the only people who were actually concerned about Obama’s killing of American citizen terrorists ARE liberals, right? (Well, liberals and libertarians, too.)
Don’t pretend that you actually care that what Obama did was wrong, dangerous and immoral – you just want another excuse to hate the guy.
Ryan Asalone: The big difference here is that the Southern rebels had attacked a US fort, were collecting arms and setting up a new government. The US army did not shoot people as they were sitting down to breakfast in their homes. They shot at people who were shooting back at them on the battlefield. If you cannot see the difference between the US actions in the Civil War and Obama’s sending a drone to kill a suspected terrorist in his home, then I don’t know what to say. Your hero-worship of Obama has rendered me, yes, moi, speechless.
I do suspect that if the election had gone to John McCain and the same circumstance offered itself, Mr. McCain would have made the same decision as President Obama.
The individual who was killed was a self declered member of Al quaeda (?). As such he joined an enemy force that has declared war upon the USA and any allies. They have made the world their field of battle. There fore it seems that he was killed on the field of battle. The terrorist have set the rules and by the rules they shall suffer the consequences.
I believe we’ve had this discussion before.
I think McCain would have done the same as well.
But it’s always a pleasure to disagree with you (again) about the rest of your comment!
Amen Regina Rooney!! Let’s stomp some more grapes and make a toast to ALL those Loving Families you mentioned!
Regina. Excellent letter. I too raised 2 children as a single parent after my divorce. I don’t believe my children would have been better off with me stayng with an abusive alcoholic just so they could have “2 parents”. I so agree with you that it is the quality of parenting not the quantity that is important. I believe my children would agree.
Though I do not agree with pres Obama on almost all of his socialized agenda,faulting the commander in chief of the US military for protecting our men and women in uniform by authorizing the killing of that pig is ridicules.
RYAN,
Obama holds his own special spot as the worst president ever, right below Jimmy Carter.
STEVE,
Israel needs no help. If and when the time comes Iran will just simply disappear. Here one day, and gone the next.
REGINA,
Please make the room in your vineyard, mine is full.
Just to clarify, if he was below Jimmy Carter, he would be the second worst president ever. It must really infuriate you that a working man once occupied the White House. Or is it the fact that the man is a genius that hurts you the most? Or the fact that he picked up a hammer and helped to put a roof over the heads of the less fortunate among us since he left Washington? Maybe if he had hit the speech circuit and made the cash register ring you would have more respect for him? Jimmy Carter is a fine example to all Americans on how to be a great human being. Something I fear you know precious little about.
Jimmy Carter has done far more since he left the White House then he ever did in the White House.
He taught us all a valuable lesson on what happens when an honest guy with callouses on his hands goes to Washington. Then he taught us an even more valuable lesson about how to be a decent human being and help others less fortunate. I am sure that he is way more concerned with how history judges him as a human being than he is how it judges him as a president.
Jimmy Carter was one of the best presidents this nation has ever seen. He offered us a choice at a crucial moment in our history, he saw the looming oil crisis and attempted to steer us to a more sustainable path. We choose the other path, and now we will bear the burden of high oil prices, and endless wars to secure that oil.
Once Reagan pulled the solar panels off the White House the die was cast, and we will now scrabble for the last drop of oil.
And just how will Iran “disappear”?
As to vineyards, yours is obviously not Christ inspired.
AMC is so blinded by his own beliefs, and motivated by his internal hatred, that he thinks Nuking Iran would solve a problem. He doesn’t consider the fallout, physical and political that would follow such an action.
I assume the nuke solution because that would be the only way to remove them from the earth.
In his own ignorance, AMC would start WWIII just to have his own personal hatred of Iran stroked…
ignorance is not bliss…
You can lead the ignorant to knowledge but you cannot make them think.
amconservative – Your vineyard is full? As in there is no room at the inn?
There is always room in my inn, but it is the national inn which is full. It’s time to put out the closed sign. The millions who have come illegally have ruined it for all other. Our resources have limits and they have been reached.
This will explain amcon, EJ Parsons, avoiceinthe crowd, oldmainer, flat_lander, and their ilk on marriage.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFkeKKszXTw&feature=player_embedded#!
Lame. Very lame. Do me a favor and keep me out of your comments from now on.
Yet Betty Bowers understands the Bible better than most evangelical Christians do. Still, four out of five divorced evangelicals believe marriage is sacred.
I wouldn’t want to be Ms. Bowers on Judgment Day.
I’d be willing to bet that God has a better sense of humor than you do.
:-)
Your Christians are so unlike your Christ. God Bless
Regina Rooney, Alan Brooks: good letters.
Instead of having to fight the world for Israels security, it is time to move out the 6 or 7 million Jew’s from there and bring them to the US to live in harmony with our evangelists in America.
LOL funny on several levels except you should have used the word Zionists instead of Jews. Many Israelis are appalled at their countries increasingly hostile take over by Zionists and their militancy against seemingly the rest of the world.
Comment was intended for fwteagles. System posted it up front.
You don’t care. That about sums it up. You see, it doesn’t make any difference if I answer your questions or not. I could even agree with you and you would throw it back in my face. Your brain is set in left-wing cement, and there’s nothing that anyone can do or say that will chip away at that block.
Cleaning up Bangor
Ditto for the whole State.
Lincoln and Obama
Lincoln is the favorite president for those who have not researched his life and presidency. Lincoln suspended Habus Corpus, he violated principles of the Bill of Rights numerous times. He ran a prison full of US citizens which makes Gitmo look like a summer camp for girls. He was a white supremacist who believed folks of African decent were nothing more than poorly treated pack animals. Once one gets past the fact that the Civil War was no more about “freeing slaves” than the war in Afghanistan is about “bringing freedom to Afghanis then they will understand that Lincoln (for all his good press) was just as duplicitous as Obama and Bush.
Course correction required
The “world” needs to hire a new policeman. The US government should start thinking about the people who actually vote here.
Room for all
Some single parents are very good at producing productive adults. Some children are good at raising themselves. Most children do better with two parents… it is the only place Michael Heath and I agree.
Blue Star grandstanding
Not my business….and… if I can be so bold not yours either.
Slow down mining changes
Anyone who supports mining in Maine should read about Pitcher, Oklahoma. Maine was once a mining state. the Republican Legislators of the mid 20th century put in most of the current mining regulations…. You might want to do some research to find out why before embracing a change.
Steve Cartwright,
I was with you the whole way until the part about the environment. Yeah end the wars, but climate change can’t be man-made. I’m all for clean air, land and water, but that global warming nonsense has got to go.
Here’s the difference between what the Republican candidates say about Israel, and what President Obama says about Israel:
Obama — “We support Israel 100%, and we are willing to go to war sith Iran if necessary.”
Republican candidates — “We support Israel 100%, and we will go to war with Iran.”
Not a lot of difference, except sanity.
Why does it make any difference how the climate change was initiated or are you doubting climate change itself? I used to live in Alaska. I now visit most summers. I’m watching glaciers I used to know pretty well disappear further and further back every year. The oceans have already risen. When do you start planning on dealing with the changes rising sea levels will bring?
Oranges and palm trees used to grow in Northern Florida and parts of Southern Alabama and Georgia. Not any more. Maybe the earth is just returning to what it was a long time ago.
Wishful thinking — and if you are wrong, our grandchildren will wonder why we were so irresponsible to destroy their world.
Fewer people would help. We should neuter them at age six like they do for cats.
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/globalwarming/medieval.html