A tree for Till
I was glad to read that a tree was planted near the U.S. Capitol to honor Emmett Till ( “A tree for Emmett Till,” BDN, Nov. 20). I was disappointed that the role of Till’s mother was written out of the story.
Without Mamie Till Mobley’s bold intervention, the torture and murder of her 14-year-old son would have received scant attention in the nation’s media, like so many other murders and lynchings of African-Americans in the South and elsewhere throughout our history.
Though shattered with grief, Mobley insisted that photographs of her son’s disfigured remains be published to bring this horrible crime before the American public. With fortitude and courage that I find awesome, she shared these wrenching pictures of her beloved and only son.
If we planted a tree for every African-American murdered in a hate crime, and for their family members who suffered so, it would create a sizeable forest. The tallest and straightest tree in that forest would be for Mamie Till Mobley.
John Curtis
Surry
Constitutional read
President Barack Obama’s decision to ignore existing law and legislate via executive action will profoundly affect our system of government and our freedoms if he is not forced to walk it back.
These executive orders far exceed the scope of past presidents’ actions. Separation lines between the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government are becoming blurred and will eventually disappear. Obama has repeatedly said he did not have the powers to take these actions, such as the recent executive orders regarding illegal immigration, yet he reversed course after the midterm elections.
As he sets this precedent, I wonder if he thinks about how future presidents will find it easier to violate our laws and Constitution as well. The action he takes will lead to more abuses, and Americans’ liberties and quality of life will suffer. Americans must demand that he change course. We should stop this slide into tyranny. We must allow Congress to make the laws. I agree with Sen. Angus King’s statement that “in order to achieve a long-term solution that brings people together, the Congress, including the House of Representatives — not the executive — must take the lead.”
The president’s background is constitutional law. Yet he acts as if he is not familiar with that document. Perhaps in college, as in the Illinois State Legislature, he was just “present” during most of his classes. I am mailing him a copy of the U.S. Constitution.
I pray that he reads it.
Philip Duggan
Milbridge
Home, sweet home
Every day, a remarkable group of Mainers performs a great labor of love: caring for aging parents, spouses, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and friends so they can remain in their homes. They are on duty 24/7 and often cannot take a break. Yet they wouldn’t have it any other way. These caregivers are truly unsung heroes.
To honor family caregivers, AARP launched a new initiative to focus attention on their stories called “I Heart Caregivers.” Every caregiver has a story, and gathering these stories strengthens the caregiver community for everyone’s benefit. Those who know someone with a story to share, are encouraged to visit www.aarp.org/iheartcaregivers.
In addition to “I Heart Caregivers” offering caregivers the opportunity to share stories with each other, the initiative also provides us with a powerful way to bring those voices to Augusta. Together with other organizations, AARP Maine is gearing up to work for common-sense solutions in the next legislative session to support family caregivers and their loved ones. For example, we need to develop improved transitional care plans for patients returning home from the hospital, secure better workplace flexibility for caregivers and assess the programs and services that caregivers and their loved ones need in their own communities.
We know that there are almost 200,000 Mainers who are caregivers each year. Let’s recognize these remarkable individuals who are working to help seniors live independently and who make it possible for them to stay in their homes where we know they want to be.
Lori Parham
AARP Maine State Director
Portland
Thank you, community
I believe that each person should have opportunities to learn and to teach every day. Our greater Bangor area community has so much to offer and consists of caring, generous individuals willing to give of their time, interests and expertise.
Because of this, my family and several other homeschooling families recently had the privilege to participate in eight “religion” field trips.
We visited The Islamic Center of Maine and Orono Friends’ Meeting, both in Orono; Congregation Beth Abraham, Bangor Baptist Church, St. John’s Catholic Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, all in Bangor; Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Old Town; and a graduate student at the University of Maine, who was willing to give us a talk on Hinduism.
We are richer for these experiences, and we want to thank each host. We learned so much, misconceptions were corrected and barriers disappeared. We want our children to, in turn, participate in community, holding on to their individual belief set while respecting other belief sets and living kindly, human to human. We asked, and they were willing. The tremendous success of these visits is because of them. We are still discussing and exploring what we learned, and we are better for it.
Wendy Smith
Carmel
Belfast kudos
Recently, 42 members of the Downeast Outing Club had the pleasure of taking a tour of the Front Street Shipyard followed by a walk on the Belfast In-Town Nature Trail.
The tour of the shipyard was extremely interesting and informative. A big thank you to our tour guide, Hank Witt.
Belfast has done a wonderful job of integrating a working waterfront with a waterfront that is aesthetically pleasing and accessible for tourists and local residents.
After the tour, we were led by Chole Chun and Skip Pendleton on a wonderful hike along the Belfast In-Town Nature Trail. This trail includes waterfront, downtown Belfast, cemetery and woodlands.
After the tour and hike, several people stayed in town to eat at local restaurants and shop at local stores.
Kudos to the city of Belfast for its successful revitalization efforts.
Kathy Zeman
Member of the Downeast Outing Club
Bucksport