Cushing for Senate
I was raised by a family that believes in a few things: being a good neighbor, taking care of my patients as an orthodontist and giving back to my community. I am pleased to be represented by someone in the Maine Senate who also shares these values.
Sen. Andre Cushing, R-Newport, is a great example of the type of person who lives these same type of values. My father has known him for years; they both served together on many projects in the Bangor Rotary. My family and I became his neighbors several years ago, and I have watched as he worked on our Town Council and then in the Legislature to support our community and its residents.
It is rare nowadays to find individuals such as Cushing who will listen to us regular folks and then work to make a difference for their issues, regardless of what party they belong to or whether they voted for them.
That’s why my family and I will proudly continue to support Cushing. He is a hardworking, thoughtful and respectful representative of Senate District 10, and I am proud to have him serving in the Maine Senate. I ask voters to join me this November and keep him working for all of us.
Anthony Liberatore
Hampden
Recovery from addiction a struggle
I believe that Gov. Paul LePage is trying to fight the substance abuse treatment all wrong, and so do many others. The Maine Department of Health and Human Services also is doing so by making changes that will hurt people in treatment in the long run.
I attend services at a methadone clinic and others as well. I spend many hours per week on my recovery, and I am a success story and proud of the progress I’ve struggled to make. To do so, I needed help from the counseling at the methadone clinic I attend and other resources. Anyone in recovery serious enough to recover doesn’t only rely on the methadone clinic at which they’re a patient, but also therapy and counseling, plus meetings.
People don’t realize how much of a struggle it is to recover from an addiction to substances. No one’s recovery is cookie-cutter, and everyone has different things to overcome during and after recovery. It took me over a year to be where I’m at, and I’m proud of myself for having success. I hope all others in this battle can take a positive lead in their recovery as I have, and I will do what I can to help others to do so. LePage has no heart for people and needs a new job, not as a political figure.
Amanda Spencer
Levant
Racism needs to be addressed
Some media groups are blaming the Black Lives Matter movement for the murder of five police officers in Dallas. There is no causation here. Black Lives Matter is a group that’s saying because of racism, black lives haven’t mattered. Because they haven’t mattered, it’s necessary to say that they do matter — Black Lives Matter.
Some object to the very words, Black Lives Matter, crying, “all lives matter.” Of course, all lives matter, but the level of police violence against African-Americans with little or no repercussion is a powerful statement that black lives are expendable; it’s as if they don’t matter. If they mattered, we’d see justice for those who kill blacks.
The murder of the Dallas police was tragic, just as was the killing of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling. Black Lives Matter speaks out against police brutality. The Dallas police were brutally executed, but peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters didn’t kill them — a military man with access to guns killed them.
Blame is easy. Rather than blaming, let’s see what we can do to foster understanding of ourselves and others. Can we talk to people about Black Lives Matter? Can we recognize the privilege we have as white people who can’t know what it’s like to be profiled because of skin color? Supporting Black Lives Matter does not mean that we don’t support our police. Let’s talk about these issues in our community and in our country.
Linda Garson Smith
Belfast