Thibodeau a sincere lawmaker
Over the past several months, I have seen Maine Senate President Mike Thibodeau come under fire for doing his job. Having been in the Legislature, I found Thibodeau to be one of hardest working, sincerest lawmakers in Maine.
I have very seldom written a letter to the editor for support of anyone as I feel elections are an individual choice. But at this time Thibodeau is not running so it is important to point out that his is the hardest job in the Legislature. Leadership in my mind is trying to do the people’s work even if it does not always fit your or the party’s stance.
We all go to the Legislature with pre-conceived ideas. Once there we find that in order to truly move Maine forward we sometimes must play nice with all. Thibodeau has provided solid leadership within the party, as well as attempting to forge collaborative work groups to improve the lives of all Maine residents.
Let’s demand focus and leadership from all our senators and House members, reflective of Thibodeau. His attributes are not limited by party; they are only limited by personal ethics.
Jethro Pease
Morrill
Missing Bangor
Boy, do I ever miss Bangor. After seeing the photo of the New Year’s Eve of the ball drop in little old Bangor, I want to cry from missing out on being there after leaving too soon. I worked across the street from what is now West Market Square at WGUY Radio. My son, Kevin, who still resides in Bangor, had a coffee shop I helped build where Dakin Sporting Goods used to be on Central Street. Now I look at the New Year’s Eve crowd and say: “Dan, what the hell are you doing in Providence, Rhode Island? Boy, did I miss the boat by leaving too soon?”
But my work as a professional magician and TV personality took me away from Bangor in 1979, to Providence and then Hollywood, with Larry Harmon Pictures. This left me the hard choice of family versus career. But there was a lot of good that has come of it, too.
I may soon decide to pack up this spring and come back to do the things I so loved to do in Maine: fly-fishing, cooking, gardening, photography, flying in my plane, having lots of fun teaching and doing my magic shows, and playing my drums with my band that I played with in Bangor for many years, Nat Diamond and Hal Wheeler. So now that I just hit a young and very active 75 years young, maybe it’s time to slow down a bit and return to my other roots in Maine.
Dan MacLellan
Providence, Rhode Island
Gun control action
Good for President Barack Obama, finally doing something positive in the fight to end gun violence. After watching the Republican-controlled Congress collectively do nothing after so many mass shootings, this is one small step at restoring some sanity in the gun debate. But, of course, the gun rights folks will tell you this is just another imperial act by a president they already loath.
In a Jan. 5 BDN article, a gun dealer said that if anyone wants to buy a gun with no threat of a background check, all they have to do is look in Uncle Henry’s. If I wanted to get a weapon, all I would have to do is simply open up Uncle Henry’s and find the one I wanted and meet the seller in a parking lot and hand them my money. By requiring more gun sellers to become licensed dealers and to perform background checks, Obama is just tightening the loopholes so it is a bit more difficult to purchase a weapon if a buyer is a criminal or has mental health problems.
If you support the status quo, you are not a patriot, you are part of the problem. If you are a law-abiding citizen who wants to see gun violence reduced or ensure no one gets a weapon who does not qualify, then what Obama has done is a tiny step in the right direction. It’s time to use your heads and support common-sense laws that in no way infringe upon the Second Amendment. It’s a small step to be sure but if it saves just one life, it will have been worth it.
Chuck Carter
Bangor