Never on Sunday
I am a Christian educator in a lovely little church in Holden and, together with several other dedicated educators, I am asking the Holden and surrounding area sports travel teams to please take into consideration the effect of scheduling games on Sundays has for us. I was very pleased to read a recent article in the BDN titled “ Families are Forever,” especially the paragraph that read, “When athletic events and practices fall on Sundays, the children are never there – that’s a day for focusing on church and spending time together as a family.” I pray that someday soon other parents will feel likewise.
Donna C. Hall
Holden
King wrong on Keystone
Most economic experts predict that the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline should stimulate employment, just like the laying of the Alaskan pipeline did. In that undertaking, unemployed, ambitious, or adventurous men and women rushed to exploit the opportunity that engineering work presented to increasing the contents of their pocketbook. Probably, that workforce included Mainers seeking to share in the harvest, if even for a limited time.
If the Keystone XL pipeline is approved, people from across the country and Canada will stampede to the area. Perhaps those able-bodied 19 to 20 year olds, who have recently been deemed too impoverished to buy health insurance and must rely on Medicaid, would use their initiative and physical abilities and join the crowd, rather than depend on productive taxpayers to subsidize their health care.
But our stealth Democratic, environmentally blind Sen. Angus King opposed construction of the pipeline in a Senate vote this week.
Coupled with his unyielding support of Obamacare, that would make two strikes against the best interest of Mainers, and two reasons to oppose his bid for re-election. Maine Republican Party, are you keeping score?
Ron Goldstone
Dexter
Save Wilson Hall
Every once in a while, you hear a story about an old historic building that is being restored and you say “Why can this not happen in my town?” Monday was one of these days for us when we read the Bangor Daily News article about the overhaul of the historic Mayo Mill in Dover-Foxcroft. Then we thought this can happen in our town of Bucksport.
No, it is not the mill but rather the historic Wilson Hall, which sits on top of a bluff off Franklin Street and overlooks the town and the Penobscot River. This is a building with much history and once played a prominent role in the town but has been sitting vacant for many years. A group of three area businessmen have been working with the town save this building and bring it back to once again be catalyst for the town. They have recently been joined by a core group of enthusiastic citizens. The ideas of what to house in this building are numerous but most center around it being an arts and music center.
You too can be part of this effort from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22, at the old Orland School the group has organized a night called “Arts for Arts.” Local artists will display their works along with a cash bar, hors d’oeuvres and live music. Art work will be available for sale and there will be a silent auction. Please join this fundraiser effort to bring back Wilson Hall and make it a catalyst for the revitalization of Bucksport.
John Paul
Milissa LaLonde
Bucksport
King right on Keystone
On behalf of the Natural Resources Council of Maine, I want to express our deep appreciation for Sen. Angus King’s vital vote that blocked legislation that would have allowed construction of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. The pipeline would let Canadian companies pump toxic tar sands oil from Alberta, Canada, to the U.S. Gulf Coast, where it would be shipped abroad.
Tar sands is the world’s most polluting oil, and burning this Canadian mother lode of tar sands oil would be “ game over” for our climate, according to NASA’s former chief climate scientist, James Hansen. This pipeline would have no positive effect on our gas prices or energy independence, and could slow much-needed progress on the dependable clean energy sources that we need to be building instead.
King has repeatedly demonstrated his understanding of and concerns about unchecked climate change. We are also pleased that Sen. King has spoken out in favor of the EPA’s Clean Power Plan, which sets limits on climate-disrupting carbon emissions from power plants.
Thank you Sen. King for working to protect Maine’s economy and way of life from the dangers of climate disruption and for understanding the enormous opportunities for Maine as we build on our homegrown clean and efficient clean energy sources.
Lisa Pohlmann
Executive Director
Natural Resources Council of Maine
Augusta