Drug treatment, not tests
The current drug policies in the state of Maine and the U.S. are not working. Ask any responsible, educated and honest law enforcement officer, treatment provider or elected official. The idea that the governor is trying to use drug testing to entice people to stop using drugs shows his ignorance regarding addiction.
In a May 18 BDN article, Holly Lusk, Gov. Paul LePage’s health policy adviser, states the “the new law would serve as a powerful deterrent and a sure path to saving taxpayer dollars.” That statement is completely false. Addiction is not a choice a person makes. It is unbelievable to me that in 2015 we are still even entering into discussions regarding drug testing as qualifications for support.
If, in fact, the governor was truly interested in helping people struggling with addiction and saving taxpayers dollars, maybe he would change the tone of this debate. What a great opportunity to collaborate with groups dedicated to assisting individuals struggling with addiction and those suffering from addiction to actually come up with a comprehensive drug policy that provides treatment in a respectful and positive manner.
I recognize there are no easy answers. I trust that the people of Maine would rather see long-term, research-based strategies to assist individuals and families dealing with addiction. I would like to see my elected officials take the lead and seek the advice and input of those who have spent years researching and working in the field to develop comprehensive drug policies and addiction treatment separate from welfare support.
Maryann Carroll
Portland
Change the mascot
I proudly wore the uniform of the Skowhegan Indians. At the time, it was about being part of a tradition and a team and having an identity that stood for something. It seldom, if ever, occurred to me that the symbol of our team was an entire people that few if any of us would identify with otherwise.
Change is difficult, especially perhaps when that change involves symbols that have been the focus of passion and pride for generations. But, what is wrong is wrong, no matter how cherished a tradition. Using a name for a racial minority is offensive because it reduces the living legacy of a proud people to an aggressive war-like caricature.
Supporters will say their intent is not to offend or denigrate anyone. Indeed, many will say it is meant to be an honor to use the Indian name without bothering to notice that actual Indians are not honored by it.
All that should matter is that the tribes of Maine are offended by the name. While I have no doubt about the good intent of those who support the continued use of the Indians name, this is a prime example of the subtle and insidious form of injustice that is hard for those in power to see but cannot be allowed to stand.
We are Skowhegan. We are not Indians. And it’s way past time to change the mascot.
Derek Michaud
Fairfield
Respect the dead
There are three veteran stones beside the now gravel road at the Pond Cemetery in Unity that have been covered with rocks and dirt again this spring. Many other stones also have been mistreated. Some of those stones are just 6 feet from the now gravel road. All the stones on both sides of the road will be covered with dust and grime all summer long. But I find few people here in Unity who care about what has happened to this cemetery.
Two of Unity’s selectmen still refuse to make a commitment to return the road to its original paved state in order to protect this beautiful cemetery, even after the town received a petition signed by 80 voters. Most of the people in Unity simply do not seem to care.
The town is obligated through perpetual agreements, legal agreements made contractually with the lot owners. The law demands municipalities “shall keep in good condition and repair” all graves and markers designating the burial place of veterans. Past selectmen failed to recognize the Maine Cemetery Law, which requires a road to be located at least 25 feet from graves, but I also know they would not have been so foolhardy as to set a veteran’s grave just 6 feet from a gravel road. They trusted the town to keep the road paved.
I feel deep respect and admiration for those veterans who sacrificed so much for our freedoms. It is a privilege to decorate their graves with flags each year. Who will speak for those loved ones buried here beside the road?
I ask Unity residents please call their selectmen and stand up for those who are buried in the Pond.
Lynn Marie Warman
Unity
No mining in Maine
There are some people who want to open the natural beauty of northern Maine to mining at Bald Mountain. It is easy to forget how privileged we are to live in such a wonderful healthy world as we do here in Maine.
It is easy to take our healthy way of life for granted when we constantly are surrounded by fresh fragrant air and surrounded by lakes, rivers, streams and an ocean absolutely filled with with abundant thriving life.
I look upon this this natural beauty as an integral part of a healthy life, in physical, emotional and spiritual senses, it is what sustains me.
Our clean air and water here in Maine becomes more rare and more valuable as each day passes. If we allow this wanton destruction of our irreplaceable and relatively unspoiled natural resources, it will be gone forever.
The act of creating mining laws that would permit the permanent destruction or degradation of our water and air will be the beginning of the end of Maine — “The way life should be.”
Maine can be a gleaming example of how to do things right and protect that which sustains us, or it can be another toxic wasteland created for a profit to the few at the expense to every living thing. I’ve made my decision; now its time for the rest of Maine to make its own.
Peter Crockett
Argyle Township
Beware: Bad meat
What ever happened to the good old days when the worst things we had to fear on Memorial Day were traffic jams and indigestion?
This year, it’s all about food poisoning by the nasty E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria bugs lurking in hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken nuggets at millions of backyard barbecues. The U.S. Meat and Poultry Hotline’s advice is to grill meat and chicken products longer and hotter. They fail to caution that high-temperature grilling forms lots of cancer-causing compounds. Do we really need to choose between food poisoning and cancer?
Luckily, enterprising food manufacturers and processors have met this challenge head-on by developing a great variety of healthful, delicious, convenient plant-based veggie burgers, veggie dogs and soy nuggets. These wholesome foods don’t harbor nasty bugs or cancer-causing compounds. They don’t even carry cholesterol, saturated fats, drugs or pesticides. And they are right there in the frozen food section of our supermarket.
This Memorial Day, let’s stay safe on the roads and safe at the family barbecue.
Burke Dietrich
Bangor