Take a knee
Every time I enter my house of worship, I “take a knee,” as do most people who share my faith tradition. This is not a gesture of disrespect; this is a ritual of respect and honor.
Athletes who silently kneel as an alternative way of acknowledging the national anthem and all that it stands for, while at the same time calling attention to continuing racial inequities in our country and, now, the importance of exercising freedom of speech, are respecting the flag and the First Amendment.
Cheryl L. Spencer
Old Town
Trump is deplorable
Throughout history and across the globe and cultures, kneeling has always been seen as a sign of respect and reverence. The athletes who choose to kneel during the national anthem are showing their respect for those who have died in the face of racism as well as their reverence for American freedoms. There is nothing wrong with that. I hope the practice will spread, and more of us will kneel in respect and reverence for those who have suffered.
Unfortunately, President Donald Trump has chosen to twist this gesture into being against the flag and those who have fought to defend it. This is a sick interpretation, done only for Trump’s own self-promotion. Trump, who received five draft deferments during the Vietnam War, has insulted a former prisoner of war and disrespected a Gold Star family. Now he suddenly accuses others of disrespecting veterans.
We all know he is willing to tear the country apart in order to deflect attention from his failing presidency. The man is truly deplorable.
Linda Buckmaster
Belfast
Obamacare repeal failure
My father-in-law said that you have to know more than the dog in order to teach him anything. Clearly, the Republicans don’t know more than the Democrats and make the same mistakes, although with less success.
The Democrats put together the legislation that created the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, and got it passed by a slim margin, with very little support from the Republicans. Now the Republicans, ignoring the reasons for the lack of wide support for the Affordable Care Act, use the same approach in their attempts to repeal and replace the health care law. Several times. Stupidity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results.
When are the Republicans going to figure out that legislation of the magnitude of America’s health care needs bipartisan support? When are the politicians going to learn the techniques of mediation?
President Donald Trump blames the failure of repeal and replace on Sen. John McCain. The Alabama audience booed McCain. McCain is a true war hero. He chose to remain a captive until all of his fellow Vietnamese captives could go with him. Those who booed McCain should read McCain’s story.
The failure of repeated attempts to repeal and replace can be blamed on the Republicans’ approach, in their failure to create a bipartisan approach to the health care problem. It cannot be blamed on McCain. It can be blamed on not knowing more than the other dogs about how to develop and get passed good legislation.
Alfred Webster
Dedham
Tim Rich for Congress
Universal health care is the best way to protect and support women’s reproductive rights in this country. Many women go without yearly exams or the right contraceptives because they can’t afford the high cost of health insurance or out-of-pocket expenses from doctors appointments.
When I cast my vote for my future congressperson, these issues will heavily impact my decision. I plan to cast my vote for Tim Rich, a Democrat, for Congress because he is the strongest advocate for health care in the race for Congress.
Rich has worked in health care and knows the impacts that the costs and lack of availability of care have on regular Mainers. He has vowed to fight for the best coverage and quality of care for Mainers.
I trust Rich to represent my concerns, protect my access to quality, affordable health care, and fight for me when he represents us in Congress. He has my support and I would like to encourage others to learn more about Rich and consider supporting him in the Democratic primary in June.
Michelle Ross
Sedgwick
Trump’s tweets
President Donald Trump’s tweets have headlined the news. I continue to see Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un trading jabs, metaphorically speaking. The consequences of these two schoolyard bullies could devastate the world.
As Trump tweeted, I began to question the issues myself. The flag and the national anthem are symbols, the First Amendment is a right; a reminder to Trump that the right to freedom of speech embodies both actual words and actions. The acts of kneeling and linking arms are covered by the First Amendment. There is no law that penalizes a person for refusing to stand during the national anthem.
As people are starving, recovering from hurricanes, wildfires and earthquakes, Trump tweets. Serious events are happening around the world, and yet one man’s Twitter account takes center stage. I lie awake concerned about our nation and world. Health care, climate change and world peace abound. Guam, South Korea, Japan and the West Coast of the United States, all of which are within range of an ICBM unleashed from the schoolyard bully, are in my thoughts.
The man at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. needs to put away his childish toys, heed his position in world events, and place the welfare of the United States and of the world first. Trump needs to see that there are more important issues facing this country than goading a man with nuclear capabilities and inciting discontent over a basic right, freedom of speech.
Margaret T. Clancey
Orono
US needs universal health care
When will we, the citizens of the U.S., be valued by our representatives in government as much as citizens of the rest of the industrialized world?
Every other industrialized country on earth has a form of universal health care. Medical bankruptcy is less common and their citizens don’t have to worry about asking a doctor to check on their condition for fear that they will find something they don’t have the money or insurance to cover. Nor are they forced to work in lousy jobs because they can’t afford to give up health insurance.
Thomas Bonner
Holden