Aroostook County won’t snub salmon farm

Sen. Susan Collins issued a statement in January that Nordic Aquafarms’ decision “to build an innovative, environmentally friendly aquaculture facility in Belfast will help expand this important industry and create new jobs for Mainers.” Should the “gold coast of Maine” and Belfast, in particular, wish to snub this opportunity for economic development and prosperity for their area, I would encourage Nordic Aquafarms CEO Erik Heim to look north to Aroostook County. There is ample open space and clean water resources to support such a facility. The Loring Commerce Center at the former Loring Air Force Base quickly comes to mind as a location that might have the infrastructure to accommodate this aquaculture development.

David Basley

Ashland

Release all Kavanaugh documents

Our country and our system of government are built upon a foundation of public discourse. Open debate is critical to the rule of law — without it, democracy ceases to exist.

No matter which side you are on, it is clear that the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh have not been conducted with the highest level of transparency and open discussion and debate. For this single reason, it is requisite that there be a pause in the proceedings and a postponement of confirmation vote until after all relevant records have been released and available for public review. The National Archive has committed to doing this before the end of October, just a few weeks away. That still leaves plenty of time to conclude hearings and hold a confirmation vote.

It is our senators sworn duty to perform a comprehensive review of all pertinent records of any nominee to the Supreme Court. It is not simply a matter of ensuring adequate qualifications. If that were the only standard intended by the writers of the Constitution, I’m sure they would have recognized that such a low bar could be determined by any competent clerk and would not have written it as a Senate duty.

Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King must do their job, fully and diligently, and require their colleagues in the Senate to do the same. They should not make a mockery of their constitutional duty.

Peter Homer

Southwest Harbor

Golden for Congress

President Donald Trump is unfit to hold office. That’s the call from inside the White House. Since his inauguration, we have been subjected to a cataract of hateful, false and dangerous statements and behaviors that blow past constitutional and legal guardrails, and display an absence of competence and decency. We are witness to cruel-by-design executive orders, financial corruption throughout the administration, and blatant attempts to obstruct an investigation into alleged collusion between a hostile foreign power and members of the administration, his family and his campaign in interference in our elections.

Rep. Bruce Poliquin is a member of Congress that has investigatory powers and oversight duties over the administration’s conduct. What has Poliquin done? What has he said? Nothing.

The author of the anonymous New York Times OpEd tells us Trump is dangerous. But he and others are preventing the worst of it. And he boasts they are getting things done, including providing massive tax cuts for wealthy people ballooning the deficit with no public benefit. They are “de-regulating,” which will, for example, cause increased levels of air pollution in Maine from the Midwest, and trash access to affordable health care for tens of thousands of Mainers.

In this time of increasing peril, Poliquin, a Republican, has been unaccountable to us and to the nation. He offers little more than photo-ops and self-congratulatory campaign ads.

Jared Golden, a Democrat, has demonstrated by his service in Augusta and the military that he will not duck the responsibilities of office. Please vote on Nov. 6 to send Golden to Congress.

Gail Marshall

Mount Desert

Herbig for Maine Senate

I am supporting Erin Herbig for state Senate because she is a proven champion for all Mainers. She puts her values and ideas into action as evidenced by a strong record of listening to her constituents and making change in Augusta to support them.

Children who require specialized services (such as speech-language therapy) in rural areas of Maine face unique challenges due to a lack of in-person providers. As a speech-language pathologist who provides telepractice in these underserved areas, I appreciate that Herbig recognizes the importance of strengthening our broadband infrastructure. Not only does this allow access to health care and education for children in underserved areas, but it also ensures I can stay in Waldo County, an area I love, and continue on my web-based career path.

If you also believe that all people of Maine, across generations, deserve a senator who will continue to improve our access to the resources needed to succeed academically and vocationally in a rural state, please join me in voting for Herbig in November.

Amy Reid

Belmont

Reject Kavanaugh nomination

As Sen. Susan Collins approaches her proclaimed decision time, I am hoping she will decide to vote no on Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court. As I watched numerous days of his confirmation hearing, I wished I had written down how many times senators said “the American people deserve.” Republicans used it to say “American people deserve to hear from the nominee.” Democrats used it to say “American people deserve to know what is in all the unreleased documents.”

I will tell you what the American people deserve. We deserve every single question to be presented and answered before Congress votes on any candidate nominated to the highest court in our land. The court that has the power to agree with precedent and to overturn precedent. Kavanaugh has given indication numerous times that he is open to overturning precedent. We, the American people, deserve to know all his views. Pushing this confirmation hearing through when there is so much information of importance that hasn’t been released is not how we do things.

This is not normal and I believe Collins knows that. I have voted for her twice. Her vote to confirm Kavanaugh will result in at least one (mine) lost vote in the future. I don’t say that proudly. I say it with dismay.

Amy Roebuck

Mount Desert