Penobscot is for the Penobscots
Nickie Sekera of Fryeburg wrote earlier this year in an OpEd to the Portland Press Herald that “in 2012, then-Attorney General William Schneider, on behalf of the state of Maine, initiated a dubious claim against the Penobscot Nation, challenging their rights to the river water on their reservation. The Penobscot were left no choice but to defend their territory through legal channels.”
The court date is 9 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, at the U.S. District Court in Portland. I will be there showing support to the Penobscot Nation and to go on record as a 10th-generation resident of Maine that the state of Maine is not acting on my behalf. We all deserve clean waters. The Penobscot River is for the people’s sustenance and well-being, not for corporations to use as a sewer, which is happening. Historically, through treaties, this section of the Penobscot River is part of the Penobscot Nation.
In the early 1600s, my ancestors came from England and traveled by boat up the Penobscot and settled on its banks. I feel obligated to speak out now.
Nancy Hathaway
Surry
Dechaine’s tangled web
Nancy Farrin makes the argument in an Oct. 12 BDN letter to the editor that convicted killer Dennis Dechaine is innocent.
In the interest of full disclosure to BDN readers, it should have been disclosed that Farrin, a longtime vocal supporter of Dechaine, is on the board of directors of Trial and Error, an organization dedicated to proving Dechaine’s innocence.
Clearly, Farrin’s letter was not from a disinterested observer.
Michael Taylor
Brooklin
Repeal concealed carry law
Beginning Thursday, Oct. 15, a new Maine law allowing concealed handguns to be carried without a permit will go into effect. Not only is this an insane law foisted onto Maine residents, it’s also sociopathic.
Again the Republicans in the Maine Legislature have foisted a seriously flawed and bad law onto Maine residents. This one will eliminate the need to undergo an application process to get a concealed weapons permit, therefore, also alleviating the need to demonstrate knowledge of firearms safety.
Why does any sane and responsible Mainer want to carry a concealed weapon? Exactly what paranoid fears drive them to this desire? Is this a delusional Rambo mentality?
This is not a good law. It is bad, and it needs to be repealed and eliminated. Period.
James Chasse
St. Agatha
History and memories
I know several of the people involved in the debate over Gen. Joshua Chamberlain’s role in the charge toward Confederate lines at Rives’ Salient on June 18, 1864, and respect their opinions. If there is a problem here, it is probably the fault of Chamberlain himself. The general was a genuine hero, without a doubt. But like many old soldiers, as the events of the war became more distant, his memories became more embroidered and less in line with the historical record.
Being an old soldier, I understand this. Memory is always a factor in researching historical events. There is no substitute for on-the-scene witness accounts close to the time of the event, and even that can conflict with other sources. For the researcher, it may be a balancing act among sources and a need to confirm information by other means.
Few readers of history understand how difficult the process of researching and writing can be. Chamberlain, like other military figures, became one of America’s distinguished political leaders in the post-war years. His reputation was built through stories and legend. The actual location of this event may never be settled to everyone’s satisfaction. But that it occurred is a well-established part of our history. We can be proud that he is one of Maine’s own.
Steve Bunker
Gray
Democrats’ policies hurt America
Years of leftist policies by the Democrats have left our economy in shambles (highest nonparticipation and real unemployment rate since the Great Depression), social well-being a disgrace (nearly one in seven Americans receive food stamps), and a foreign policy that lacks any semblance of national security (nobody in their right mind thinks either the Iran accord or China policy is anywhere near rational).
Be it at the local, state or national level, where the Democrats dictate policy, the outcome is against the well-being of the citizens. Democrats’ true colors (pink) come out with their devoted socialist nominee and the tack to the left by their so-called front runner. Their tripe about helping the middle class is a ruse to court them so that taxes can be further levied on them to support their now radical agenda of socialism.
While we hear of crony capitalism, the Democrats can best be described as supporting and acting out crony incompetency.
Robert Holland
Rockland
Yes on Question 2
As the oldest state in the nation, Maine has no shortage of seniors but does have a significant shortage of affordable homes for them. Our housing stock, like our population, is among the oldest in the nation. Thankfully, the Maine Legislature worked hard this past session to help expand the inventory of affordable, safe and convenient housing that will enable more seniors to age in place.
The result is the senior affordable housing bond, which will be Question 2 on the statewide ballot Nov. 3. It will authorize the sale of $15 million in general obligation bonds to be used in combination with more than $22 million in leveraged funds. Together, the funds would support the construction of affordable, energy-efficient homes for seniors across the state. In addition, the funds would support the repair and weatherization of existing homes across the state.
This initiative won bipartisan support in both chambers of the Legislature. On behalf of our 230,000 members, AARP Maine thanks co-sponsors Democratic Speaker of the House Mark Eves and Republican state Sen. David Burns, co-chairmen of the bipartisan Caucus on Aging. It has been endorsed by more than 150 organizations representing a multitude of sectors, including aging, housing, construction and economic development.
All we need to do to ensure more Mainers have access to reasonable housing options is to vote yes on Question 2. Older Mainers deserve a safe and affordable home.
Rich Livingston
Volunteer state president
AARP Maine
Auburn