Flying Confederate battle flag
Our brave Union Army volunteers lie dead and forgotten. The fabled 16th Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry is legendary for its 13 engagements including its crucial role at Gettysburg when it lost more than half its force.
Just north of the Chambersburg Pike overwhelmed after significant losses, forced to surrender to the Confederates, Abner Small of the 16th Maine recalled the colors they carried, the American flag and a regimental flag: “We looked at our colors, and our faces burned. We must not surrender those symbols of our pride and our faith.” With the consent of their colonel he wrote, “they tore the flags from their staves and ripped the silk into shreds; and our officers and men that were near took each shred.” They hid them in their pockets and under their shirts depriving the Confederates of battle trophies.
When I see a lobster boat moored on Narraguagus Bay in Milbridge fly on its stern the Stars and Stripes on one side and the Confederate battle flag on the other, I consider if the boat owner conflates the Confederacy with patriotism, whether he consider the profits of his catch being purchased by people of color, and how his and my neighbors must feel as they honor their patriotic ancestors who died to ensure freedoms we as Americans enjoy, including his right to fly the battle flag.
Vivodh Anand
Milbridge
Trump’s inappropriate discourse
While I agree that Rep. Scott Hamann’s recent comments directed toward our president were inappropriate, I also strongly believe it is the president who should be a model of that higher standard of discourse. He is not, and never has been.
Where is the condemnation there, especially from his party? Unfortunately for our country, he seems to be held only to the lowest standard, both in his speech and in his actions, for which he has never apologized.
Where’s the outrage and clamor for accountability there? When will the inexcusable and unacceptable, the embarrassing and unethical speech and behavior coming from this administration be decried by these same critics of Hamann, news media and legislators alike, with a call for the president’s resignation?
Kathy VanGorder
West Tremont
Penobscots’ sovereignty over sacred river
The recent 2-1 decision by the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston is impossible to understand. How can the Penobscot people be separated from their sacred, ancestral river and told they can only practice sustenance fishing? That if there is a severe drought, the land then uncovered due to the shrinking flow of water is not part of their reservation?
How can two of the judges ignore the words of the 1980 Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act that the tribes fishing rights are “within” the boundaries of the reservation — which, of course, indicates that the main stem of the Penobscot River surrounding their islands is indeed part of their reservation.
We believe that the two judges did not and could not have understood the stab in the heart of justice that they have rendered to those who live with and cared for the Penobscot River since time immemorial. Hubris is often caused by ignorance. We were once there, not even knowing we were so ignorant. Now, not quite so.
Many loving measures to really enlighten us “settlers” in the gut have been and are now being undertaken by Wabanaki peoples. The sacredness and care of the waters and all life is a mandate taken very earnestly by Wabanaki and other indigenous peoples. One of the judges seemed to understand this. How can the other two judges, our attorney general, governor and those in his administration become aware of this? We pray that way will open.
Harry and Marilyn Roper
Houlton
We can’t afford universal health care
Last week, my 15-year-old grandson earned and received his first paycheck complete with deductions for income, Social Security and Medicare taxes. As a grandfather of four, I’m disgusted with the federal government’s refusal to face up to the disgraceful national debt and financial commitments we are leaving our future generations.
That brings me to the health care debate currently raging. Senators and representatives across the country are trying to come up with a solution that will be acceptable to the lobbyists and industry interests that finance their re-election campaigns while confusing voters enough to return them to office. This is where the free press is failing us miserably by not shining a bright light on the truth, but instead is fixated on tweets and congressional finger-pointing.
We have the best, but by far the most expensive, health care system in world, and there is no way we can offer it unlimited to all. We are too unhealthy and don’t have enough money to pay for it as the system is now. I have said it so no politician has to. Now can we have an honest discussion. There is no talk about the obscene costs for health care, only who is going to pay for insurance.
The media needs to apply political horsepower to forcing honest discussion about medical care. Politicians concerned with re-election simply cannot.
Richard Ginn
Bucksport
Medicaid cuts threaten caregivers
As a caregiver, I try to make people’s lives better every day. I support older adults and people with disabilities so that they can stay at home. Depending on the services people need, I help with bathing, dressing, eating and being active within their community.
In Maine, the median wage for this work is $10.37 per hour. It’s hard work with low pay. I am fortunate to have benefits at one of my jobs, but many workers are not as lucky. I do this work because I feel like I’m making a difference in the lives of people who, over time, feel like family.
Nationally, most long-term services and supports are paid for through Medicaid. Medicaid is a lifeline to my clients. But the Republican health care bills threaten to strip billions of federal dollars away from Medicaid, taking away care and coverage from consumers and eliminating hundreds of thousands caregiving jobs nationwide, including thousands in Maine alone.
The Republican health care bills will cost jobs, lives and independence.
Mirkka Lyons
West Boothbay Harbor