UMaine disability service
University of Maine Disability Support Services provides accommodations and assistance for UMaine students with disabilities Monday through Friday throughout the calendar year. One of those services, the UMaine Access Van, provides on-campus transportation.
This academic year alone, the van service has provided more than 1,300 rides to UMaine students with disabilities. Usage increases during inclement weather that can be particularly challenging for students who have mobility or balance issues. Indeed, some UMaine students with disabilities only take advantage of the van service during the winter months.
True to its name, the van service is focused on accessibility, safety and service at UMaine.
Sara Henry
Director
Disability Support Services
University of Maine
Hampden
Chamberlain dedication
A dedication ceremony to recognize the naming of the Interstate 95 northbound rest area and visitor center in Hampden for Joshua Chamberlain, announced in my April 19 BDN letter to the editor, has been delayed until 1 p.m. Monday, May 2, at the visitor center.
David Hanna
Brewer Historical Society
Brewer
Rigged system
Donald Trump says the electoral system is “ rigged.”
The question is how many Maine registered voters cast votes for a Republican candidate? No one I know.
William Mahoney
Southwest Harbor
The world is a park
Yellowstone is a special place. Archaea, microorganisms that live in hot springs, were first discovered in Yellowstone. This area also has a baseball field near Mammoth Campgrounds. Fenway Park is a special place, and like Yellowstone, it too may have archaea under our Earth’s mantle. Nature is all around us.
Maybe because we ourselves live in such a small realm of what is, we may limit what areas we deem worthy of being set apart.
Denying access to sled dogs in Acadia National Park or burning out leaseholders on land near Katahdin does little to enhance just how special these areas are. Deferring responsible use and management of the natural resources on such areas does little to educate the public that we are a part of nature.
Viewing well-managed forests from recreation trails could be integrated into our culture, as well as not treating the animals as zoo pets with poor fencing. The commerce of any special area should be tax neutral and not disrupt the economy of a region for the future.
Maybe our species will reach a level of self-awareness to realize all our air, water, land and life forms are worthy of being called special. We already live in a park.
Tim Basham
South China
Sue offenders, not police
We have police officers in our communities to help protect us from lawbreakers and apprehend those breaking the law.
Why is it the police officer’s fault if a driver flees the officer after committing an offense and crashes?
It is the officer’s job to apprehend lawbreakers, even for minor offenses. It is the offender’s responsibility to pull over when the blue lights come on. We should be suing the people who do not pull over and try to outrun the officer, not the officer who is doing her or his job.
But I forgot that lawyers go after the deepest pockets, in this case the insurance company for the department the officer works for and not the one responsible for the mess in the first place. That way they have a better chance of a bigger payday. Right and wrong are irrelevant.
Bob Mercer
Bucksport
Second Amendment history
Great Today in History column on Patriot’s Day about the rides of Paul Revere and William Dawes way back in April 1775. But come on, BDN, the reason the British troops marched on Lexington and Concord wasn’t just to arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock. You don’t send 700 troops to arrest two men.
The primary objective of the British military was to disarm the colonists in Concord. No doubt they would have grabbed up Hancock and Adams if they had encountered them. But the mission was to seize arms and munitions.
The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution came about because of these types of government actions. Let’s not forget this when we remember the patriots.
Steve Canzona
Jonesboro