LePage’s intolerable antics
The prophet Jeremiah speaks, “Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not.” While our state must endure two more years of Gov. Paul LePage’s antics, threats and insults, we do not have to suffer in silence.
I raise my voice and am prepared to walk the talk in opposing his hate speech, his disregard for common decency and civility, his bullying tactics and his threats of violence to all who challenge him. From “kiss my butt” to the latest outrageous challenge to shoot a state representative in a duel, I say enough.
I ask all people of conscience, good will and civility, especially those who are members of his party, to hold him accountable for his words and actions. We would never tolerate this behavior in our homes, churches or classrooms; why do we tolerate it in an elected official who serves as our ambassador to the wider world?
I pray for peace in our hearts and homes, our communities and our world, but my faith teaches me that peace is the fruit of justice. Let us remember, in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., that “peace is not merely the absence of tension, it is the presence of justice.”
Where is the justice that holds LePage accountable for his thuggery?
Leslie Manning
Bath
Fulford for Maine Senate
Not only am I planning to vote for Jonathan Fulford, I am volunteering for him again as he runs once more for the state Senate. He says that he is in the race because of his grandchildren. I get that; I am a grandfather as well. Fulford understands that preserving our environment is vital to the interests of Maine farmers, fishermen, hunters, foresters and all those Maine businessmen and businesswomen who depend on the tourist industry.
Furthermore, he understands that government at all levels must become proactive when it comes to green power, to protecting all those low-lying Maine towns along the shore, and yes, even to ensuring a habitable and productive Maine for all our grandchildren.
Jim Owen
Belfast
Changes in the North Woods
From the sale to Great Northern Paper in mid-1980s to the liquidation of the mills in Millinocket and East Millinocket, the Katahdin region has experienced many changes. The new national monument and Acadian Timber Corp.’s proposed sale of 300,000 acres near Baxter State Park bring new anxieties to the region.
The current landowners of the North Woods may propose road fees and more may restrict access to some areas. If no wood is being harvested, road maintenance will be at a minimum.
If the the proposed sale of 300,000 acres goes forward, this will and has created concerns about who will own the land and what the changes will be. Will the new landowners make land available for a tourist-based economy? Will the land around the lakes be developed for camps and homes? The local politicians have made Millinocket irrelevant In this debate by insisting on a forest-based economy. In my travels north, on Acadian Timber Corp.’s land, it appears that most of woods of any value has been harvested.
I would like to see the land preserved so my grandchildren and great-grandchildren could experience and explore the North Woods as I have. Baxter State Park is a great example of how this was, and can be done. My father, brother and I camped in Baxter State Park in the 1950s. Little has changed there in the last 66 years. We can only hope that 50 years from now the largest tract of forest east of the Mississippi still is wild and accessible and open to the public.
Larry Carr
Millinocket
Conservation land-grabs
The presidential designation of the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument is a kiss of death. Every Mainer should study the first 17 pages of “Maine Atlas and Gazetteer” to discover that the federal government, state government, local governments and conservation do-gooders have already swallowed much of our state with a national park, a national monument, historic preserves, national preserves, wildlife refuges, protected islands and land trusts land-grabs. Sears Island is just one singular but typical land-grab for the “people.”
Enough is preserved, saved, conserved, protected and set-aside. Anywhere you are in Maine, you’re close enough to some kind of park. The tax base of small towns is dwindling by having all this land locked up and not contributing.
Don’t spew an argument that tourists will make us rich. That just doesn’t wash. Maine people are not richer. Enough of Maine is now set aside, protected, conserved and pickled.
Robert Kord
Cutler
Thibodeau works for Maine
I have had the pleasure of serving with Mike Thibodeau in the Maine Senate over the past couple of years. He was unanimously elected to serve as Senate president, and after getting to know him a little, it is easy to understand why.
There are not enough positive words in the English language to describe all that Thibodeau contributes to Waldo County and to Maine. His love for this state is unmatched, and his dedication to doing all he can to keep Maine the best state in the nation is always his top priority. Instead of blocking out his constituents’ needs and concerns, he actually takes the time to listen to them. Thibodeau does not vote the party line just to get along. His votes are guided by what is best for his constituents back in Waldo County.
Thibodeau makes sense out of chaos, even under the worst of circumstances, always takes the high road, maintains his integrity and always remains respectful. Believe me, that is not always easy in Augusta. He works with legislators on both sides of the aisle to get results for the people of Maine.
We should all be thankful to have Thibodeau working for us. Thanks Thibodeau for who you are and all that you do.
I don’t live in Waldo County, but I encourage everyone there to vote to re-elect Thibodeau to the Senate.
Sen. Linda Baker
Topsham