Rhetoric of intolerance
We saw in September the image of a young Syrian boy, drowned, his small body washed up on the shores of Turkey. The sufferings of the Syrian refugees are embodied in that image. But now we have the images of the attacks in Paris, and the child has become lost.
The rhetoric of intolerance in the name of our protection has begun. And the child, who came with a message of peace and hope, becomes lost.
Susan Reilly
Lubec
Obama’s Middle East ‘strategy’
It is only a matter of time before White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest, responding to a reporter’s query, can be counted on to say something like this about President Barack Obama’s strategic plan in the Middle East:
“The president, as commander in chief, has ordered that all Special Operations Forces now in the Middle East, or about to be there, maybe, exchange their boots for sneakers, which will end all this nonsense about there being American boots on the ground in the region. Next question.”
Charles Packard
Camden
Rep. Lockman’s comments
After Rep. Lawrence Lockman labeled Lewiston mayoral candidate Ben Chin an “ anti-christian bigot” in comments on Facebook, many people in this hypersensitive culture were outraged. Lockman’s comments were said to be “mean spirited” and “hateful.”
It seems that suddenly some have taken to proclaiming Jesus’ teachings. In a Nov. 14 BDN letter to the editor, Janie Phillips wrote that Lockman’s comments were mean spirited and that he should re-read the Gospels because Jesus loved everyone and had compassion for all. Jesus would not be so harshly judgmental. But that’s not the whole picture of Jesus. I suggest she re-read the entire Gospels.
This same Jesus one day tore through the Temple with a whip, yelling, overturning tables and chairs and dumping out coins because some people had turned a place of worship to God into a dishonest marketplace. Jesus called these men “dogs,” “wells without water,” “evil,” “generation of vipers,” “fools,” ”hypocrites” and “murderers.”
Would she call these names Jesus used “mean spirited” and “hateful?”
Jesus was standing up for the oppressed and poor by calling these men what they were. He was all about justice as he brought their dirty laundry out for all to see. Jesus was not afraid of truth.
I am glad that lawmakers, such as Lockman, are willing to take a beating in order to bring the truth to light and stand up against power-hungry men who place themselves in the political arena.
Mariah Curtis
Pembroke
Poliquin silent on climate change
There is overwhelming scientific evidence that humans are changing the Earth’s climate. Some action has been taken to address this problem. The Kyoto Protocol of 1997 seeks to reduce the greenhouse gases that are the most important factors in this change. This international treaty has been signed by a number of countries around the world. There will be an international conference from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11 in Paris to reach a more effective international agreement.
Climate change is one of the issues Pope Francis addressed in his encyclical, Laudato Si’. In it, Francis says “we know that technology based on the use of highly polluting fossil fuels — especially coal, but also oil and, to a lesser degree, gas — needs to be progressively replaced without delay.”
I recently wrote to Rep. Bruce Poliquin, including the above quote from the encyclical, asking what legislation he plans to sponsor or support to replace the use of fossil fuels. His reply to my letter said nothing about actions to replace fossil fuels. As close as he came was this statement: “I will always keep the preservation of Maine’s great outdoors in mind when considering every vote.”
The other three members of Maine’s congressional delegation clearly support reduction in the use of fossil fuels. This is one of the most critical issues of our time, and legislative action is needed. Poliquin should state his position on this issue and not dodge it. Maine’s forests and fisheries are at risk.
John Tjepkema
Orono