Confederate flag a symbol of separation
Maine is one of the northernmost states in our country. I live in a town with little diversity but with a fairly liberal population that is coming of age. A vast majority of us believe in love, kindness and inclusion. The handful of those who continually jab at this inclusiveness are surely ignorant of the impact of their actions.
Those who put a Confederate flag on the back of their truck may think it’s just a flag on the back of their truck. They think it’s just a celebration of the good old boys in the South. Well, maybe it is. Maybe they just see some fabric and think it’s a status symbol among their white, country friends. I would hope it just didn’t cross their mind that it could frighten people.
Now, it isn’t the fabric that makes people nervous. It’s the message behind it they don’t understand. Yes, the Confederate flag represents the South, even decades after its failed attempt to secede. But in addition to representing a part of our country’s history, it represents cruelty, slavery and pain. It represents the deaths of thousands of fallen soldiers who fought to create equality.
We have still not healed from slavery. Racial prejudices are clearly a problem in our nation. The flag they’re hanging is not the flag of their country. It is a symbol of the separation in our society. I can only hope that they understand how their actions make people feel.
Mikayla Burridge
Newburgh
Maine should accept national monument
I am so proud of my community of East Millinocket. U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin requested a public forum held June 1 to hear what local residents thought about the proposed Maine woods national monument. Forty-eight monument supporters addressed the congressman, compared to 12 members representing the opposition. That’s 4-to-1. Poliquin can no longer, at least without a straight face, make the absolutely false claim that “the locals” oppose a national monument.
A Maine woods national monument, generously donated to the people of Maine and America is a major gift and should be considered a wonderful building block for our area’s economy. It should be accepted with gratitude.
Many years ago, when the paper industry came to this region, it too was a building block. Many people moved to this area to meet the challenge of a new industry and created a successful economy and strong community. Now the mills are gone and we have a new challenge to take on: tourism from a new national monument. The Katahdin region is up to the challenge.
Poliquin gave the people of the Katahdin region the opportunity for us to share our thoughts. Also, U.S. Sen. Angus King and National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis gave us the same opportunity in Orono. The momentum toward a national monument is strong, and these events have shown that the momentum starts in the Katahdin region. I implore others to act on this tremendous gift by publicly expressing their own support for a Maine woods national monument.
Maria Gifford
East Millinocket
Addressing Alzheimer’s crisis
More than 15 million Americans are caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia, including 68,000 here in Maine. I am one of those people.
My family and I care for my mother, who has been living with the disease for four years now. As her mental faculties break down, her day-to-day tasks become more difficult, thus needing more assistance. In addition, the hardest part for her and the family is that fewer and fewer people stop to visit — almost as if they think they could catch the disease. Isolation is a reality for Alzheimer’s patients and caregivers.
In addition to the human toll, Alzheimer’s is the most expensive condition in the nation, costing $236 billion per year. Nearly one in every five Medicare dollars is spent on people with Alzheimer’s or another dementia. These costs will continue to increase as baby boomers age, soaring to more than $1 trillion in 2050. Alzheimer’s is not only devastating but fatal. Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. and the only cause of death among the top 10 without a way to prevent, stop or slow its progression.
Thank you, Rep. Bruce Poliquin and staff, for meeting with our delegation to discuss the Alzheimer’s crisis. I hope we can count on their continued support. It is only through adequate funding and strong implementation of the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease that we will meet its goal of preventing and effectively treating Alzheimer’s by 2025.
Michael Vittum Jr.
Brewer
Maine supports national monument
I have spent a lot of time reading about the pros and cons of the proposed Maine woods national monument. As part of my research, I drove up with a friend to see the land in May. Traveling by bicycle, we explored the northern portion of the land owned by Elliotsville Plantation Inc. and rode along the East Branch of the Penobscot River to Haskell Rock Pitch, where we discovered an exceptional example of a wild Maine river.
Just days before, I had attended a public meeting hosted by U.S. Sen. Angus King, in which National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis heard from residents across Maine — both their support for and concerns about a national monument. Jarvis responded directly and in detail about each concern and spoke about the virtues of inclusion in the National Park System to the monument itself and to surrounding communities.
I was reminded of his statements during my trip to the property, when we stayed with an energetic young couple who had recently taken over ownership of a lodge near to the proposed national monument. Not only do they enthusiastically support the creation of a national monument because it will conserve a piece of Maine they love but also because it will help them support their fledgling business venture as well as that of others around them. In Orono, we were joined by more than a thousand supporters.
It is time for King and our other congressional representatives to publicly join in the enthusiastic support for this proposal.
Carol Cuddy
Holden