Veterans celebration
I was very proud to escort my dad, Maurice “Bud” Pierce, a U.S. Navy veteran, to the Veterans Day Celebration at Brewer High School on Nov. 10. Breakfast was served to the veterans. It was a wonderful presentation by the Brewer High School Student Council and JROTC. Everyone was kind and showed a great deal of respect for all of the veterans attending. Some of the JROTC members sat down with us and introduced themselves and carried on a nice conversation. One of the Brewer High School students read an essay she had written about veterans, which was very touching.
The keynote speaker was Col. Michael Pooler, director of personnel, Maine Army National Guard, and he also gave an excellent speech. The 195th Army Band, along with some selected Brewer High School students, played the branch themes, national anthem and Taps. They were great.
There was a flag folding done by two JROTC students and a third JROTC student read what each fold of the flag represented. It was a good history lesson, as I had never heard that before.
I’m very glad I was able to take my dad to the celebration and want to thank the Brewer High School Student Council, Brewer High School staff and JROTC for hosting it. The veterans also received a vest with symbols of all the branches of service on it and they received a white carnation as they walked out of the gym.
Betty Jean “B.J.” Maybury
Brewer
Ann LePage commitment
As we prepare this year to honor our veterans, there is a champion for all Maine veterans who has quietly been attending ceremonies, laying wreaths, thanking and encouraging the men and women who have served in the wars, past and present. First Lady Ann LePage has worked tirelessly and with full commitment to honor those who have put their life on the line in defense of our freedom. She has made it her mission to raise awareness as well as funding for disabled veterans. Whether jumping from an airplane or riding in a motorcycle convoy to Washington, D.C., in an effort to raise money for these wounded warriors, Mrs. LePage has accepted the challenge with a heartfelt smile and a big dose of moxie.
She and her husband have worked to create job opportunities and financial support for the vets and their families. Legislation was signed to provide veterans’ services at Togus, funding for the Disabled American Veterans transportation program and to assist the homeless. Funding is now offered for higher education, and special dispensation has been given for hunting and fishing.
The election victory on Nov. 4 will send Gov. Paul LePage back to Augusta and Ann LePage as well. We are very fortunate to have this caring, hard-working first lady serving the people of Maine. I have no doubt there will be an army of vets cheering when Mrs. LePage returns to the Blaine House in January. In fact, that army of vets may even be cheering inside the house, laughing, playing with the family dogs, yes, eating ice cream and jabbering non-stop with their devoted advocates, the governor and his wife.
Elizabeth Printy
Damariscotta
Ebola and defiance
I have been following the Kaci Hickox saga since she announced she was suing over the quarantine requirements for Ebola. The best way I can describe her behavior is shameful. As a medical provider, she has a duty to protect everyone, not just her self-interest.
When the report was made that she was to return to Maine, there were many hate-filled statements online that were soaked in fear and misunderstanding. As time continued, I found that this nurse, with medical training and presumably an understanding of disease processes, was doing nothing more than seeking her 15 minutes of fame. Anyone with a knowledge of medicine knows that sometimes the best treatment is patience.
I have to question what she actually expected to happen when she returned. She had the benefit of finishing the agreed to, voluntary quarantine at her own home. She had the opportunity to be a leader. Instead she chose the path of defiance.
I applaud those who are working to better the lives of the less fortunate. I am proud to be a member of the medical team that cares for people in need. What I am not proud of is the self-serving, “after-me-comes-you” mentality that has pervaded our culture. I am not proud of people who use their “knowledge” to get what they want through threats, blatant defiance and selfishness.
Jane Moore
West Rockport
Mitch McConnell’s conflicts
Now that Republicans have won a majority in both chambers of Congress, Mitch McConnell, the likely upcoming Republican Senate majority leader, feels it’s important to “get some things done.” A true departure from his position in 2008 when he stated that his party’s primary goal in the next Congress was to make President Barack Obama a one-term president.
It’s no coincidence that McConnell thinks it’s time to work across the aisles now that the legislation being produced will be benefit his big business supporters and some of the richest people in the world. “I got a lot of members who believe that international trade agreements are a winner for America,” McConnell said recently as he immediately pushed for the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement. It is another in a long line of trade deals known to undermine the American economy and worker.
What the senator isn’t disclosing is that one of the “key members” he’s referring to is his father-in-law who owns an international trading company named Foremost Maritime Corp., which will benefit directly from TPP.
Foremost Maritime, which is currently being investigated for shipping 40 kilograms of cocaine, is widely seen as McConnell’s main source of personal wealth. In one instance, McConnell was given a gift of between $5 million and $25 million (Senate ethics forms protect senators from disclosing the exact amount.)
Incredible isn’t it? The top Republican openly peddling legislation for his own benefit, in spite of the fact that it undermines jobs and hurts the American economy.
John Hafford
Medway