No religious test
The anti-Islamic rant by Chet Suske saying we should keep U.S. citizens who are Muslim out of public office because of their beliefs is the height of ignorance of just what America is really about.
Here is a little bit of history for those who claim to be constitutionally inclined and for those who simply don’t know better — including presidential candidate Ben Carson: The “No Religious Test” clause of the U.S. Constitution is found in Article VI, paragraph 3, and states that: “The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.”
It is fully agnostic in its application, meaning anyone can run for office, no matter what he or she believes. A voter can have a religious reason for voting or not voting for someone based on whatever they want. But in the United States, we have a Constitution that says everyone is entitled to representation, no matter what their regions views.
If you don’t like the representatives, vote them out in the next election or simply don’t vote for them in the first place. That is the American way, not this extreme xenophobic claptrap as advocated by people who are ignorant of the history and Constitution of the United States.
Charles Carter
Bangor
Information age
Based on the current crop of letters, my only comment regarding Dr. Ben Carson, who is seeking the Republican nomination in the presidential race, is it really is a sad commentary on life in America today that we no longer know how to listen.
Thanks to the information age, anything more than a 10 second sound bite doesn’t penetrate.
Glennice Cline
Greenbush
Rick Perry’s ‘greatness’
Jennifer Rubin’s lament for the recent departure of former Texas Gov. Rick Perry from the Republican presidential field in a Sept. 15 column ranks in my mind as the silliest defense of any presidential candidate I have read in the BDN for decades.
Initially, I thought Rubin’s elevation of Perry to some kind of deep thinker with cutting edge policy proposals was a joke. But it was not. Somehow most Republicans apparently didn’t appreciate Perry’s “ideas,” which, as she unintentionally conveys, consisted of a string of cliches bounded by the slogan of “leadership.”
Missing here was perhaps Perry’s foremost actual policy: closing down as many health care agencies for women throughout Texas as he could in order to stop all abortions, regardless of the circumstances. Other nonabortion services provided by all of these agencies were completely ignored.
Not surprisingly, the pro-life governor simultaneously executed dozens of prisoners and saw no contradiction there. Maybe Rubin could comment on that additional element of Perry’s alleged greatness.
Howard P. Segal
Bangor
The pope and the governor
It is curious to me that, although I am not of the Roman Catholic faith as is our governor, I feel inspired by Pope Francis’s visit. The pope’s presence in our country and the enthusiasm with which he has been greeted has encouraged me to consider the moral authority of positions he has espoused. I am not grounded in any one organized religion. So perhaps it is this lack of spiritual foundation that I listen carefully to a representative with the gravitas of leadership, respect and love of millions of individuals.
Now given over to introspection I have concluded Pope Francis’s focus has been upon some important subjects. The one with the most personal meaning, for me, is that humility is a virtue. I have the right of expression and persuasion of my beliefs but not the right of imposition, even if I am in a position to do so. Another is that there is a commitment to the poor. Compassion supersedes an assumed moral supremacy. Basic human needs should be met before the cause of those needs are addressed.
I make the observation that Gov. Paul LePage, our governor, is a member of the Roman Catholic church and that I am not. I question why is it that Pope Francis’s words have spiritual meaning for me, a nonbeliever, yet they seem to have been ignored by LePage.
Peter Froehlich
Whitefield
Defend WIC access
I am a Levant resident and an example of the American dream. I love my job, and it’s in a field that helps my community. I have a teenage daughter. I volunteer in my community. I’m a homeowner and a taxpayer.
Before that, I was a teenage mom. I relied on the Women Infants and Children nutrition program to get me through hard times. WIC was a chance to get out of poverty. It helped me to use the money from the low-wage jobs I worked to be able to attend school. It’s what allowed me to escape the cycle of poverty and become the first person in my family to graduate from college.
That’s why I find it disheartening when people condemn those who use nutrition programs. WIC is a critical service on which millions of children and pregnant women rely. During a pregnancy and in the early stages of a child’s life, the need for adequate nutrition is paramount, and WIC is the only program that addresses those needs.
Please consider what we want to offer those creating a better life for their families. Becoming a college graduate was a dream that my mother thought was impossible, and that now seems imminent for my daughter.
Please contact U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin’s office and ask him to defend access to WIC and programs that promote women’s health. Generations of women have brought us to this point, and we need to keep doors open for women.
Kimberly Hammill
Levant