Trump policies dangerous
It is amazing that Elizabeth Printy, in her Oct. 13 BDN letter to the editor, can roundly criticize Democratic presidents for the Vietnam War while ignoring the mishandling of that war by Republican President Richard Nixon and his operative Henry Kissinger.
As for her assertion that President Donald Trump is defending America with his uninformed, dangerous foreign and domestic policies, we can only conclude that Printy is part of Trump’s horribly divided U.S. that threatens us all.
Nancy Allen
Brooksville
Regulate bullets
Guns don’t kill people, bullets do. So if bullets were regulated like prescription drugs, authorities could be notified and the purchaser could be investigated as to why such a large purchase is necessary. If the purchase is legal, no problem; if the purchase is not legal, the purchaser could be prevented from more sales, perhaps some lives could be spared.
We need to get a grip on this problem. A purchaser of ammunition should go into a shared database for other ammunition dealers to see. Proper identification is a must.
Douglas Pooler
Dexter
Fake news not news
Newspapers have a duty to report news accurately based on the available evidence. Fake news is not news because the event has not taken place. Pre- and post-truths do not make sense because the concept of before and after truth is not an existential concept. If something is true, then it is true. If not, not.
If the public distrusts news reports, then it is obligatory that a separation between what is desired, and what is real, must be invoked as our emotions sometimes overcome our understanding of how reality is portrayed. The latter is especially important in social media, where peer review is not possible pre-publication.
The public is overwhelmed by the media and may become immune to a barrage of tweets and postings. Our only position must be not to compromise the accuracy of news reporting with wishful thinking.
Donald Stanley
Nobleboro
End Cuba trade embargo
The Let Cuba Live Committee of Maine, now in its 25th year, continues to prioritize working to end the U.S. trade blockade against Cuba. A period of progressive change began in December 2014 when then-President Barack Obama declared that talks between the U.S. and Cuba would begin, and normalization of relations became a possibility. The blockade, however, has remained in full force, and the new administration is moving quickly to close the doors to respectful dialogue.
Let Cuba Live recognizes that real power in this issue is in the hands of Congress. To that end, we have collected signatories from around the state to a letter sent to Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King requesting that they take actual leadership in mending the current rifts between our country and Cuba.
The laws maintaining the blockade can be overturned by Congress. Political will is required. Maine’s two senators are in a powerful position. They need to hear the many voices calling for change.
Judy Robbins
Member
Let Cuba Live Committee of Maine
Sedgwick
Thompson golf feat
I have been a Mainer for 68 years and enjoyed a lot of great sport moments and stars. I am not a golfer, but I am aware of a young man in Lincoln who maybe have accomplished one of the greatest feats as an ongoing high school athlete.
Logan Thompson recently won his fourth consecutive state golf title, something never accomplished before in our state.
John Hale
Glenburn
Trump’s attacks on minorities
There have always been some in America who are constantly on the lookout to limit our freedom, especially those rights protected by our Constitution, specifically the First Amendment’s freedom of speech.
Last month, President Donald Trump sent a number of tweets attacking the right of one African-American, Colin Kaepernick, and other black NFL players not to kneel during the national anthem as a form of protest. There is no law that says anyone has to stand during the playing of the anthem. Trump, however, begged to differ.
During this same time period, Puerto Rico, an American territory, was reeling from a direct hit from Hurricane Maria, leaving 3 million to 4 million of its citizens without electricity, water, fuel and food. Even now, Puerto Rico is still in a dire situation, with increasing sickness and loss of life. Getting Trump to aid Puerto Rico is a constant struggle. Why would Trump swiftly move to assist and aid Texas and Florida just a few weeks prior, while almost totally disregarding Puerto Rico in its first week of chaos?
Trump, in his first nine months of leadership, has not accomplished much of his agenda, especially trying to end the signature Obama-era Affordable Care Act, which Congress was trying to end during this same time period. When he realized there would be no vote to end the Affordable Care Act, again, Trump, in a narcissistic tantrum, resorted to his usual puerile tactic: surreptitiously attack minorities.
James P. Chasse
St. Agatha
Maine needs climate action
The Trump administration is rejecting the Clean Power Plan, the single largest effort to cut greenhouse emissions in the U.S. The Clean Power Plan would slash power plant pollution by 32 percent in Maine and around the country.
Climate change is already affecting Maine directly. Rising temperatures, which leads to growth in the population of ticks that carry Lyme disease, has affected both our residents and our moose population. Warming waters are hurting the lobster fishing economy.
The Trump administration is ignoring the will of more than 8 million Americans and 1,100 health professionals who publicly supported the Clean Power Plan during the public comment period. We must not be silent and must speak up for our environment, health and economy. We must advocate for smart regulation that helps the United States transition to renewable, innovative fuel sources. The Clean Power Plan is smart regulation.
Katherine Kirk
Brunswick
Election notice
The BDN will stop accepting letters and OpEds related to the Nov. 7 election on Oct. 28. Not all submissions can be published.