Obama wrong to close GITMO
I may be in the minority here, but I believe President Barack Obama is not the king of America. He consistently makes decisions, blatantly over the objections of Congress, which are not in the best interests of the United States.
The decision that really has me in a knot is Obama’s insistence on closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The prison is there for a good reason: We do not want enemy combatants housed on our soil.
Obama has done an outrageous job of releasing prisoners from there and insisting it is “unfair” to keep the prison open. All that will be accomplished by bringing the hardened enemy combatants onto American soil is that they will have the opportunity to recruit and launch dozens of terrorist cells all over the U.S.
It is unconscionable that Obama wants to bring these people, who want to annihilate all of what America stands for, closer to the homes and neighborhoods of Americans. There is simply no good reason to make such a move. And yet, over the objections of Congress and the American people, he once again is threatening to use “his pen and his phone” to accomplish his objectives.
Obama is not a king. It is time someone told him that, and very clearly.
Lisa Davis
Caribou
Republican warhawks
The Republican presidential candidates have been competing to display the most belligerent attitude toward Russia, expressing eagerness to shoot down any of its planes that should intrude on a possible no-fly zone over Syria. This is an invitation to start a nuclear armageddon.
Those who can remember the Cuban missile crisis of October 1962 and the few other occasions when the world came within a hairsbreadth of plunging into World War III will shudder at the cavalier, reckless threats made by these people.
Have we not learned any caution in depending on military power after the Bush administration led us into the Iraq debacle based on false claims about Iraq’s weapons program, a war that is spreading throughout the Middle East and beyond with no end in sight?
Should these irresponsible warhawks have their way, the universe could well look forward to one less planet with advanced life.
Gene Clifford
Mount Desert
Sanctuary for Syrians
As a resident of Maine, I am ashamed the governor is trying to slam the door on Syrian refugees whose lives have been shattered by the ravages of civil war. The governor seems to have forgotten that this country was founded by refugees fleeing persecution, just as he seems to have forgotten the long Christian tradition of, and commitment to, sanctuary for those fleeing persecution.
If the governor is concerned about terrorists, perhaps he should bar the entry of Democrats and Republicans, as these two parties have been waging an unrelenting war of terror on the citizens of Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Syria and Libya for 14 years.
Gov. Paul LePage may slam the door on refugees who risk their lives every day to find safety for themselves and their children, but I will not. If Syrian refugees arrive on Maine’s doorstep in Kittery, I will personally drive there and pick them up and find them shelter, the governor be damned.
Lawrence Reichard
Belfast
Support palliative care
As a cancer survivor, I’ve experienced first-hand how the mental and physical side effects of treatment can take a toll on one’s quality of life. After my pancreatic cancer diagnosis, while my doctors worked to treat the cancer itself, I battled other concerns such as pain, nausea and anxiety, all while teaching, mentoring and mothering my children.
That’s where palliative care can help. It’s a growing field of specialized medical care that improves the quality of life of patients and their families by focusing on symptoms of treatment for a serious disease such as cancer. Palliative care is a big change in health care delivery, and it works in favor of the patient.
In September, I traveled to Washington, D.C., and met with Sen. Susan Collins to urge her to co-sponsor a bill pending in Congress that would increase education of and access to palliative care. Our lawmakers must take this opportunity to increase access to palliative care so patients and their families have that extra layer of support when they need it most. On behalf of cancer survivors, such as myself, I urge Collins to become a leader in this fight.
Karin Howe
Volunteer
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
Wade