Veterans honored
Over the Veterans Day weekend, the state of Virginia honored Maine’s own Civil War hero, Gen. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, placing a plaque at the spot where he had received a near fatal wound leading his brigade at the Battle of Petersburg. The people of Maine were invited to attend the dedication, but, despite our sending out a dozen or more press releases before the event, no coverage was given.
The National Park Service at the Petersburg Battlefield also extended an invitation to the people of Maine to visit Virginia for its special acknowledgment of the service and sacrifices of Maine soldiers in the Civil War during this, the 150th anniversary of the war. I was honored, as author of “Chamberlain at Petersburg,” to make a well-attended presentation at the Battlefield Visitors’ Center, while I, along with my husband, Civil War author Ned Smith, participated in a special event remembering the men of the First Maine Heavy Artillery, the regiment that lost the most men in any single action in the entire war — in their case, 632 out of the 900 men who made the assault at Petersburg.
The people of Virginia turned out to these events in droves but, unfortunately, since there was no coverage of these events before or after from the BDN, there were almost no people there from Maine — a sad lapse in our efforts to remember those who gave so much.
Diane Monroe Smith
Holden
Land use
I have lots of friends and family who hunt, and I do not wish to deprive them of their activities, but hunters who do not ask permission to use your land and put you at risk ruin it for the other hunters.
We used to allow hunters who asked us to hunt on our land, but recently as we were going out to gather wood on our own land, we saw a car parked in one of our driveways with the driver in orange. I drove over and advised her that we owned the land, and we did not want hunters. She lied to me and told me she was just sitting in her car and would move. What she did not say was she was driving for a hunter in the woods.
I am afraid of guns, and to be restricted to my house because of someone wandering in my woods with a gun does not seem right. Hunters should have permission from landowners prior to using our land. I used to post my land, but after several years, everyone respected our wishes, and I thought we were safe.
I learned a lesson and will once again have to put up those rude signs. I would like to know the hunters’ address and pitch a tent in their front yard and see how they feel about someone using their land without asking first.
Mary Ryan
Frankfort
Religious answers
In response to Dave Richards’ Nov. 24 letter to the editor, “God is not the answer,” his idea that society should work together is admirable, but to suggest that we “keep God out of our schools and government” isn’t the solution.
In society, we are often guided by “personal truth.” We justify our actions and decisions based on our particular situation and without regard to an “unseen deity.” We have no need; we are self-sufficient. It is unpopular to suggest that truth is not relevant to each person’s situation and that there is only one truth, which was given to all out of love thousands of years ago.
Condensed, it exhorts us to “love God with all our minds, hearts and souls; and to love our neighbor as ourselves.” Neither through the writings of Thomas Paine (political theorist), nor Lucretius (Roman poet and epicurean philosopher) will we find truth. Those who choose faith are rich in book learning, which is inerrant and indisputable — the Bible. Many Christians are given a knowledge and wisdom from God in excess of any advanced degree.
The most precious commodity in today’s society is that which cannot be found in any university — humility. It allows us to recognize our own insufficiency and to accept the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. God is not impressed with self-sufficiency. He wants to walk with us through life. It is a necessity if we are to partake in a hope not offered by man, but by the God of the Universe.
Judith C. Alley
Prospect Harbor
Get the lead out
The co-directors of the wild bird rehabilitation center Avian Haven have made it abundantly clear that Maine can do more to prevent deadly lead poisonings among our land and water birds. The mature female eagle, which had a tragic and poignantly described death reported by the BDN on Nov. 13, was just one of several eagles to have arrived at Avian Haven after ingesting lead from hunters’ ammunition. Once they ingest lead, all birds, whether predator or scavenger, begin the battle to stay alive. Loons still succumb to another source of lead poisoning — lead fishing weights.
Avian scavengers are particularly susceptible to lead poisoning. They often encounter lead in carcasses of animals that have survived hunting and carry lead fragments from ammunition.
Maine is home to a significant number of hunters and conservationists. Maine Guide Tips clearly states, “Science is the proper means for conducting wildlife management responsibilities.” This vital component of the Maine Guides’ model was established over 100 years ago by Maine’s first environmentalists — hunters and outdoorsmen. This model is highly regarded as the most successful approach to wildlife conservation.
Maine’s state motto, “Dirigo” (I lead), if recognized by our conservationists, hunters and legislators, could provide strong leadership in regard to the elimination of lead hunting ammunition in Maine. Scientific evidence continues to demonstrate that lead is exceedingly toxic, not just to humans, but to all living beings. The opportunity to lead, indeed, awaits both our hunters and lawmakers. Let’s get the lead out now.
Beth Henderson
Belfast