Chamberlain research
Considering all the work I have put into building my website, Joshualawrencechamberlain.com, and the variety of resources I ask my readers to consider, I find it insulting that Bryce Suderow insinuated in an Oct. 1 article in this newspaper that I only consulted one source for my assertion that Joshua Chamberlain’s charge was made toward the Confederate lines at Rives’ Salient on June 18, 1864.
I understand that Suderow may be upset that I raised concerns on many of his claims to the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. I did so to aid in the department’s decision concerning whether to move the Chamberlain marker.
I don’t claim to have all the answers; undoubtedly new documents and reports have yet to be discovered. Even though I admit to not knowing everything, after reading Suderow’s evidence, I could not sit silently by and hold in my many concerns.
For example, I had found a source showing that a Confederate officer, Kershaw, was engaged at the time and place Chamberlain stated despite Suderow not being able to find such evidence and using this lack of finding as proof. He only bothered to show this newspaper his work checking to see if another Confederate officer, Field, was engaged, although he and his research partner Dennis Rasbach (who has thanked me for the material available on my website) listed both Field and Kershaw not reporting an attack as evidence to the Department of Historic Resources.
I wish Suderow and Rasbach luck and ask that they stop trying to discredit me and mislead newspapers such as the BDN.
Susan Natale
North Hollywood, California
Gun control can save lives
If you could save someone’s life, would you do it?
Giving blood can save a life. Making sure that you and your friends do not drive under the influence or distracted can save a life. Wearing a lifejacket while boating can save a life.
Donating to a food bank or a disaster relief organization can save a life.
In their Oct. 2 CNN article, Julia Jones and Eve Bower pointed out that between 2001 and 2013, 3,030 people in the U.S. were killed by acts of domestic terrorism (including 9/11). In the same time period, 406,496 in the U.S. lost their lives to gun violence. What can you do to save a life from gun violence?
Let your congressional delegation know it is way past the time when the lives of the citizens of this country are more important than campaign contributions. To quote Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger: “The gun lobby’s interpretation of the Second Amendment is one of the greatest pieces of fraud, I repeat the word fraud, on the American people by special interest groups that I have ever seen in my lifetime. The real purpose of the Second Amendment was to ensure that state armies — the militias — would be maintained for the defense of the state. The very language of the Second Amendment refutes any argument that it was intended to guarantee every citizen an unfettered right to any kind of weapon he or she desires.”
Save a life.
Kenneth Horn
Hermon
Fiorina stands for the unborn
At the Republican debate in September, contender to the nomination Carly Fiorina attacked Planned Parenthood, taking a stand defending unborn babies. Debate sponsor CNN, had 23 million viewers that night. The immediate audience, according to CNN commentator, Michael Smerconish, was not very pro-life.
Her powerful debate performance included this remark: “As regards Planned Parenthood anyone who has watched this video tape, I dare Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama to watch these tapes, watch a fully formed fetus on the table, its heart beating, its legs kicking, while someone says we have to keep it alive to harvest its brain. This is about the character of our nation, and if we will not stand up and force President Obama to veto this bill, shame on us.”
Congress was to place a budget bill on his desk that did not include funding for Planned Parenthood. After the debate Fiorina went up in the polls. The usual pro-abortion media said that there was no such video as Fiorina described, but they hadn’t seen all the videos. Holly O’Donnell, a former parts worker, described how she was asked to cut open the face of a boy baby to obtain his brain while footage of another baby boy was shown in a metal pan. This horrible business has been exposed. Let’s pray that it’s shut down.
Thomas Coleman Sr.
Dedham
Support childhood nutrition
With Maine’s school year officially in full swing, I would like to urge my fellow community members to think about the many Maine students and families who are affected by food insecurity. I remember my mother sending me to school each week with an empty envelope of “lunch money” so that I didn’t have to worry about why my friends paid for lunch and I didn’t. My mother was careful not to let my sister and me know how much she was struggling, but not every family has this privilege.
Maine currently has more than 50,000 children living in poverty, and more than 15 percent of Maine families are food insecure. Many studies show that students who start their day with a healthy breakfast have a significant increase in standardized testing scores. Not only do these programs help students and families now, they are a significant investment in Maine’s future. How can our state reach its full potential if our students are not given the resources they need to succeed?
Without having access to quality food from child nutrition programs, I’m not sure I would have been able to go to graduate school and bring my skills back to Maine to help future generations. Please tell Congress it is important to invest in our future by providing new funds for child nutrition programs in the upcoming reauthorization this fall.
Carissa Tinker
Bar Harbor
Sanders for Belfast
When I was elected to Belfast City Council in 2014, I had been a resident of the city for 10 years. But when I took office, I quickly found out just how much I had to learn about the city and its government. From the budget to personnel matters to economic development, the agenda can seem overwhelming.
That is why we need experience and institutional knowledge on City Council. Eric Sanders has provided Belfast with steady, thoughtful leadership. He is always well-informed on the issues and open to finding the best path forward for the city.
Great things are happening in Belfast, but they aren’t just happening on their own. It takes commitment and dedication from those who represent us. Sanders has that commitment and dedication and deserves to be elected to another term on the council.
Neal Harkness
Belfast