Marriage money
Supporters of same-sex marriage have raised lots of money. What else is new? Generally speaking, liberals and liberal-based organizations and causes tend to outraise and outspend their opponents. The money is mostly in southern Maine. Again, no big surprise there. It’s been my opinion for years that southern Maine, in general, has reverted back to its original roots and become part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
People of Maine, let me kindly remind us all of something. Money isn’t everything and there are certain things money won’t buy. Take the 2009 referendum, for example. How much did it cost the 53 percent of us to drive to his or her voting place and repeal the same-sex marriage law? I think the answer is a resounding “Not very much!”
It’s four years later, and I know gas prices are higher, but if you stop and realize what the long-term cost will be if same-sex marriage becomes law in our state, I know you will agree with me that driving or being transported to the polls this November and casting a “no” vote against same-sex marriage is a small price to pay to keep “Maine, The Way Life Should Be.” Remember, 50.1 percent or more of registered voters in the state of Maine to vote against gay marriage is all we need to keep the legal definition of marriage in Maine as between one man and one woman.
John Henderson
Bridgewater
Take time to compare
Why do people just assume or believe in gossip and not get the correct information? We have a great opportunity in our area to allow DCP to put in a propane tank of great opportunity for so many of us and the entire region.
Are we so blind or busy we do not take time and compare pros and cons anymore? We need this opportunity here. Searsport is a working port! This propane tank is far safer than the tanks there now.
Just because of its size you worry? This product will be detained and have multiple safeguard methods, including being kept at a temperature that nothing can burn. We are worried about the burn-off sound at night? Really? Go to Auburn and check it out there. It is not going to be as loud as everyone thinks.
So what more trucks! Every year there are a lot more trucks. People are working. This is a positive thing. We need work. This tank is going to attract people. Everyone is going to want to see what caused so much controversy, not to mention see it.
This product, as we speak, is in your backyard or in your house with no safeguards except a shut-off switch, which most people do not even know how to turn off. How about the natural gas pipeline? Now, my friends, that is far more dangerous than this propane tank. No one really questioned that.
Why? Because we need work here. We need opportunity. This is not a retirement state. Let’s keep it alive!
Carie Murray
Winterport
Bee extermination
As someone who raised bees during all of my young adult life, I was greatly saddened and at times angered to read of the actions taken by the city of Bangor with respect to the bee swarm in Fairmount Park.
There is absolutely no reason why a beekeeper could not have been contacted to try to hive the swarm.
Swarming bees sate themselves with honey before leaving the hive with their queen, and are generally docile and easily approached by a knowledgeable beekeeper with the proper equipment. I would frequently help my father when he was called to hive a swarm and we welcomed the opportunity to try and get another beehive.
Bees are responsible for the success — or failure — of many of Maine’s crops, including blueberries. Such an extreme measure of exterminating bees in the face of other much more beneficial solutions should have been avoided at all costs. The use of pesticides in this situation was totally uncalled for.
I would hope that the city of Bangor rethink its actions and in the future contact a beekeeper. It would be a win-win-win solution. The park is free from the bee swarm, the community benefits from the continued necessary presence of these hardworking insects, and a beekeeper gets another hive from which to perhaps harvest honey.
Susan Pope
Bangor
The benefits of faith
Faith and belief make a difference in how people live in troubled times. While many believe, as some past world leaders, that “religion is the opiate of the masses,” true religion does more than narcotize the spirits and frustrations of the people. Faith and belief provide more than placating, soothing, comforting and inspiring participants.
Faith and belief provide that much needed boost to confront the challenges of a slow economy, national crises, an election year and personal obstacles to happiness. There is honest comfort in spirituality because the majority of beliefs advocate for a greater meaning than the immediate.
Spirituality is not a negation of the real world: It says there is something more. While denying the world and its appetites has its legitimate place in beliefs, we are striving for a deeper connection than the material and the obvious. Life must consist of more than accumulation of goods and services. The principles of love, justice and mercy are not antiquated notions merely for motivational speakers at fancy gatherings. Spirituality has its limitations, but the rewards vastly outweigh those.
Faith and belief do make a difference in how people live in troubled times. Believing in something higher, more lasting and meaningful alleviates stress, boosts the immune system and improves overall health to the body. We have a relationship that validates our existence and reminds us that life is a precious gift, to be cherished and enjoyed. Our sense of isolation and estrangement become moot points: Faith and belief propose connection to Divinity. Find comfort, joy and yes — peace, in your daily living: Pax, Salaam, Shalom.
James Weathersby
Spruce Head
Unconstitutional classes
Why does the American Civil Liberties Union have any interest in how a school runs a class in which boys choose to join? It seems to me that by shutting down single-gender classrooms, it is thwarting the civil liberty of those who want single-gender classes. The ACLU says that single gender classes are unconstitutional.
Whose constitution do they go against?
Ed Huff
Old Town