Summertime blues
This summer I am vacationing in Maine. I am particularly anxious and incensed this time, as Dennis Dechaine gets his hearing to review DNA evidence from Sarah Cherry. Dennis’ integrity is obvious, due to the wide support for and visibility of his case. I want as many people as possible to known him, and believe we all need Dennis on the outside, healing, contributing to our society, and standing as a beacon of hope for innocent convicts.
Dennis and I began our friendship during childhood. We met again in 1979 when we attended Western Washington University together. Dennis was an avid bicyclist, hiker, explorer, forager and gardener. He was also the person I trusted the most when I needed advice or comfort. Dennis is a true gentleman … and was best man at my wedding.
Maine’s pristine beauty is astonishing. Folks are friendly and relaxed. My Acadian and Scotch-Irish roots are there. I always visit Dennis on my way through. He is still the same; a bright and enthusiastic communicator and spiritual soul … but a treasure locked away. Under the current Maine state judicial system, there have been serious mistakes made in the handling of Dennis’ case and blatant disregard of the consequences. Whenever I read the national news, I am reminded of this pervasive approach by those in power to exercise and maintain that power at the expense of the innocent. It is perceivable that this manipulative ploy to save face is as heinous as the crime itself.
Daniel McLaughlin
Soquel, Calif.
Missed opportunity
Maine missed a golden opportunity to develop new high-tech jobs in agriculture, forestry, boat building, fisheries, biomedicine and other industries.
The Legislature first passed the $20 million research and development bond with strong bipartisan and business support. With a proven 10-to-one return on investment, R&D funding creates new technologies and jobs.
It’s easy to blame Gov. LePage, who vetoed the R&D bond based on extreme views and distorted facts ( Amy Fried, Opinion, June 5). But by the same two-thirds vote required to pass it, the Legislature could have overridden the governor’s shortsighted veto.
What we have here is a failure to legislate. Despite overwhelming support in the Senate thanks to Sen. Chris Rector, R-Knox Co., the veto override fell six votes short in the House.
Consider the failed leadership of House Majority Whip Andre Cushing, R-Hampden. He voted twice in favor of the R&D bond before voting no to override the governor’s veto. Rep. Cushing reneged on his agreement with other legislative leaders and failed to rally his own caucus.
As a result, the Bangor region and Down East Maine have lost millions of dollars of investment in the innovation economy. Past R&D funding supported technology development at Ocean Renewable Power Company, the Maine Institute for Human Genetics and Health in Brewer, and at the University of Maine, which helps industry develop composite materials, bio-based products, wind power and aquaculture.
It’s a sad day when legislators place politics before jobs for Maine people.
Michael Belliveau
Executive Director
Environmental Health Strategy Center
BDN trust
It seems that every time a letter to the editor about the BDN ends up on this page, it is always negative and critical. I feel sorry for those who search through their morning papers for any evidence of “bias” instead of leisurely sipping a cup of coffee and catching up on what’s happening in the world.
I have never found a newspaper that feels more right alongside breakfast than the BDN. The local writers for the paper are as talented as they come, and I think all of us readers appreciate their work. There is a reason so many people read this paper; we trust the BDN.
Ryan Asalone
Hampden
Relocate Paul
Want to draw a little more attention to the Bangor area? How about moving Paul Bunyan down to the waterfront, where photos could be taken of him with the Penobscot River in the background. People from near and far would share their photos with friends and relatives and he may become as popular a draw as Portland Head Light!
How about some of you general contractors that stand to do very well on your construction contracts to build the new auditorium due to the mild winter step up and contribute the use of the heavy equipment and labor to give Paul a ride to the better location that he deserves?
Bill Rodzen
Winterport
District 17
How interesting that we, in District 17 in Bangor, only hear from our representative, Sara Stevens, at election time. Thanks to her state-funded franking privileges! Just got her very nice mailing today, four days before the primary. Guess that saves her campaign funds. Her latest mailing is surely a campaign for re-election — thanks to her franking privilege.
I hope the voters in District 17 remember this, come November. You can be assured that we will receive another “newsletter,” at state expense, before the November election.
I would urge all voters in District 17 to take a close look at her opponent, Mary Budd. She is coming to your door between now and November. Listen to her and read her resume — she is a voice of reason, something we need in Augusta. It’s time for a change and I believe Mary Budd will serve us well, not only for District 17, but the state of Maine as well. Please join me in supporting Mary Budd.
Dawn Price
Bangor
Do the right thing
Climate change is the critical issue of our time. Regardless of how each of us feels about milder Maine winters, heavier rainfall and more severe storms, the indisputable fact is that our planet is in crisis and we need to act.
June 25 is the deadline for the United States Environmental Protection Agency to adopt a carbon pollution standard that would require all new power plants to use technologies that limit their carbon pollution. The EPA’s proposed rule is modest — it only applies to new power plants — but it is a step in the right direction.
Power plants are the largest source of carbon pollution in the U.S., emitting more than two billion tons of dangerous carbon pollution yearly, the main cause of global warming. By lowering the amount of carbon pollution that future power plants can emit, EPA’s rule would likely result in the adoption of cleaner technologies that mean less haze, smog, acid rain and climate change impacts in our beautiful state and across the country.
Join me in supporting the EPA in doing the right thing for Maine and our planet.
Robin E. Brooks
Topsham
Robin E. Brooks–Great letter! I am with you in reducing emissions from power plants as an important step in slowing the change that we have started with our polluting lifestyles. Unfortunately, until glorification of profits takes a back seat to humane principles, we will solve nothing. Until the vast majority of us are willing to sacrifice some of our “exceptionalism”, it is going to get worse. Until we evict the rapacious power mongers who have hijacked our democratic process and usurped the power of the citizens, we will move towards extinction of our species.
Robin E. Brooks, there have been stricter regulations in place for years on coal fired generation plants. The problem is that they were allowed to keep operating with their poluting plants as long as they bought carbon points from clean energy plants. It seems that this practice was written into the laws to enable them to do nothing for our environment. What we have is a lot of lip service to cleaning our environment with little real action. This legislation, if passed, will just stop any development of new coal fired generating plants.
….
Just seems to me a lot more people go by Paul where he is now than would if he were removed to a side street.
Robin Brooks – Climate change is a hoax. I know for a fact that it’s a hoax, so don’t come asking for any support from me. But, you have the right to support it with all your money and time if you want. So forget the legislation; just write those checks and send them into the treasury. The treasury will find somewhere to spend it or someone to give it to. They always do.
Agree, if someone wants to throw money at every big government investment scheme I say go for it. I probably will not. Stopping global warming is a good example of how big government sucks money out of folks and then throws it away at something else.
We have only one planet that is inhabitable. You would be willing to lose it in order to score political points. I’m inclined to believe that the vast majority of climate scientists are correct.
If you’re wrong, your grandchildren and great-grandchildren won’t have a planet to live on, but hey, who cares about them?
I agree with you. And when I see Al Gore and any number of celebrity doomsayers–with monthly carbon footprints bigger than my annual one–start living like Ed Begley, Jr., I’ll know it’s serious.
EJ, you have fallen for the anti-science hoax, but you believe in so many hoaxes that I should not be surprised.
It is a hoax being pushed on the dumb masses by the world elite in an effort to bring the world together under a one-world flag. The climate change science has been debunked over and over and more and more scientists are jumping from the climate change train. Of course, as soon as they jump off the train, those left demonize them as not being climate scientists in the first place.
But, just for grins let’s say it is real. Go ahead and tell everyone just how much money needs to be gathered and what will that money buy in terms of climate change prevention.
Google Richard Muller, the climate change skeptic who was funded by climate change deniers to study the science. He did and he recanted his criticism and acknowledged that global warming was real.
Read the letter signed by 255 members of the National Academy of Sciences, all agreeing that climate change is real and largely man-made. The Wall Street Journal refused to publish their letter.
If you do neither, I will know that you are a flat-earther who cannot understand the logic of science.
There is a plethora of information that supports and debunks climate change. The choice to believe or not believe is just that, a choice. There is no conclusive scientific evidence that proves or disproves climate change. That is a fact. It all depends on what a person chooses to believe.
That said, even if climate change was bringing this world to an end, there’s not a thing we could do about it that isn’t already being done. And the world leaders that are pushing for money, money, and more money know this. They are using climate change as a vehicle to gain power and introduce us all to a one-world government.
Al Gore is the climate change Pied Piper, and he’s got a whole lot of people dancing their way over the cliff.
There are none so blind as those who will not see.
I am trained in science (physics) and have read the “plethora” of evidence on both sides. The evidence is overwhelming and what little contrary evidence is funded by Big Oil, directly or indirectly, and has not been peer-reviewed. It is not a matter of belief. It is a matter of the application of reason to an undisputed core of facts.
And I worked weather data analysis and manipulation and know just how easy it is to make the date prove whatever point is being made. With a single parameter change in an embedded or external module is all it takes to tweak the results.
I also know about the problems with the worldwide data collection system, the elimination of exaggeration of weather extremes, and the regional averaging that goes on. It’s an easy system to manipulate.
I’ve seen how easy it is, therefore I am not blind.
The word is “data,” not “date.”
Do you concede the planet has warmed significantly? Do you concede that CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere have increased significantly over that same time? There is an overwhelming wealth of data to support those two findings.
If you contend that scientists world-wide are lying about the temperatures and CO2 concentrations they have measured you are suggesting a conspiracy so vast that any rational person would deem you paranoid.
The planet has warmed by less than one degree Fahrenheit over the last century of recorded and reliable data. The CO2 concentrations have risen and fallen several times over the last 60 years. They do that on their own. And those dastardly ozone holes open and close in accordance with the amount of CO2 and other pollutants in the air. Isn’t it amazing how perfectly God created this planet?
As for the scientists, they are bound by the data they are given and by the paychecks they receive. If the data is skewed, they provide inaccurate information. If the paychecks are high enough, then who knows what they will say.
Ah, EJ, you cite data without attribution, suggesting that it only comes from your fevered imagination.
Here, with attribution, is the real evidence. Global land temperatures, in just 5o years, have risen 1.64 degrees F per the Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature Group (confirmed by NOAA, the Hadley Centre, and NASA’s GISS). Overall temperatures over land and water have risen about 1.0 degrees F in just the last 30 years.
The CO2 levels measured at the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii have risen steadily in the last 60 years, not waxed and waned. The concentration has moved from 316 ppm to 392 ppm. That is almost a 25% increase. It comes with consequences that you wish to blindly ignore.
The ozone layers were depleted not by CO2 but by CFCs. The ban on CFCs has had a significant effect on ozone depletion. Ozone depletion has nothing to do with CO2. I can take you through the basic chemistry, but I am tired of casting pearls before swine. Matthew 7:6.
Thanks for your BDN Trust letter Mr. Asalone. I have to agree with you. If the BDN were truly biased I don’t think my recent LTE would have seen ink.
Most media outlets do have some bias however. It’s just good to know that the BDN still allows opposing points of view on the important issues that we face today.
Together we can make a difference.
I agree that the BDN prints letters from the left, right, center, and every other point-of-view. Their columnists also have a range of opinions.
The recent changes in the editorial department, though still left of center generally, are more reasoned in their approach and a lot less knee-jerk. I am still not sure why some things (5 people standing in the rain with signs) are newsworthy.
Missed opportunity…Michael, you are correct this is what should be being done to advance Maine’s future by investing in new technology and our industries. Maine has some very unique industries and qualities. By advancing technology and attracting new industry our college grads will remain here and have good paying jobs. Maine would attract industry because of the quality of life and environment. However, unless and until we are willing to make an investment in such we will remain in a stagnant state of affairs.
Robin E. Brooks..there are 2 sides to this equation here. On one, yes carbon needs to be reduced conversely there needs to be an equivalent push to replace the energy that is
producing the carbon emissions. It is one thing for the EPA to place a mandate, there must be an alternative here. In my view it is more productive to place assets towards clean energy than to continue to keep placing restrictions and mandates on energy companies. Now, I am sure you are not in favor of nuclear energy but I am and that is the best alternative there is in my book.
Mr. Belleveau, A bond paid for by the citizens of Maine is not what is needed to grow jobs in R&D. It’s the big corporations who should be shouldering R&D, they get to write off these costs on very lenient tax codes, and we, the citizens pay twice.
And for Mr. Brooks, The corps. are only concerned about their bottom line and the rest of us are concerned about our health and the quality of life we can enjoy in clean air and water. The legislators who allowed the biggest polluters to keep on polluting by way of carbon trades were bought off by the corps.
Get out to vote! NO to the BONDS.
Belliveau is a D name, I believe, so we know from whence this letter is coming. Too many voters simply vote for bond packages without thinking about the long term taxpayer expense involved. It is not free money.
Mr. McLaughlin – You say “…Dennis’ integrity is obvious,…” I’m sure the fact he was on drugs when he killed Ms. Cherry and three months was added to his life sentence this week for using drugs didn’t enter into your conclusion. Isn’t it time Ms. Cherry got some justice?
I thought he was in prison, how could he be using drugs??
Ryan Asalone
The BDN is awsome…..
I agree 100%