Stop armyworm invasion
When I see the large cocoons holding hundreds of armyworms alongside Interstate 95 and other roads, I wonder why they aren’t destroyed before they hatch. On my property, I use a long pole to burn the nests I can’t reach and spray on the ones lower to the ground. It seems that when they are still in the nest and haven’t yet hatched and started eating the leaves is a good time to control them.
Bob Tweedie
Westfield
Taking down Hello Kitty tree right
Now that the winter holidays have passed, many Bangor natives are still upset about the Bangor School Department’s “baseless” decision to order a high school teacher to remove her Hello Kitty Christmas tree from her classroom. The school’s justification for that decision was that the tree and religion was not in any way tied to the curriculum. This decision, however, shouldn’t need justification because of the complete disregard for the other religions not represented by the tree.
The vast majority of the people in Bangor and surrounding towns celebrate Christmas and are of Christian or Catholic faith. To them, the tree is just a symbolic gesture of the holiday they all hold near to their hearts. But for the people who supported of the school’s initial decision, the presence of the tree in the classroom is not the problem but the lack of presence of the other symbols that represent the other holidays of the month. Next to the tree could have been a menorah and a kinara. The lack of other symbols highlights what the tree symbolizes and how it reminds the students everyday that the tree and Christmas is all that matters. The people upset with the school district’s actions are misinterpreting inclusiveness for hatred toward their beloved holiday.
Although she got what she wanted in the end, my hope is in the future the teacher thinks about the implications that come with focusing on just one religion in the classroom.
Dani Wolland
Perham
Reaction to Oregon occupation
The occupation in Oregon of a federal wildlife refuge building is a great example of how an armed insurrection should be approached by local and federal law enforcement. So far, things remain calm and there has been no bloodshed, and hopefully there won’t be any in the future. But would we have seen this same reaction if this group were made up of members of the African-American community or any other noncaucasian ethnic community?
We recently have seen many African-American men, women and children being struck down, killed and mistreated because of the slightest amount of protest or sometimes no protest at all just because of their skin color or ethnicity.
All these men in Oregon are white, from what I understand, and I feel as though this would have been seen as an act of terrorism if it were any other group. It seems like the rest of America feels like this is not that terrible of a situation. I feel as though this may very well be the media’s fault in its portrayals of certain situations.
Edward Rupia
Orono
Obama gun order makes communities safer
While Maine is no stranger to the recent change to gun laws, the reaction of local business owners to President Barack Obama’s executive order on gun control is troubling. How many gun laws exactly are too many in the United States? The U.S. is notorious for having the highest amount of gun violence in the world.
My problem with gun control is that anyone who meets the qualifications for and has legal intent, purchasing a firearm should be more than willing to go through licensed dealers and submit to a 10-minute background check. The fact that “anyone can buy a gun from Uncle Henry’s” is truly terrifying and is something that should be addressed to keep our communities safe.
I understand U.S. citizens have the right to keep and bear arms, but that right should not and would not be affected by requiring more people to comply with simple licensing laws that are already adhered to by a majority of dealers. It is undeniable that criminals will still find ways around these laws, but I think it is owed to victims of violent crime and their families to make these loopholes are narrow as possible.
It will be interesting to see the continued reactions of the community if the proposed universal background check referendum makes it on the Maine ballot in November as it has been deemed “more strict” than Obama’s executive action.
Alix Malarky
Orono