Skowhegan district should follow own vision statement
As an educator, I must comment on the current Skowhegan debate regarding the use of a Native American school mascot. The high school’s official vision statement, developed with input from the school board, faculty and community, states the community “fosters personal integrity, growth, and social responsibility. We respect and honor the individual talents and differences that strengthen our local and global community.”
It goes without saying that these beliefs must apply to each student regardless of color, religion, ethnicity or socioeconomic status. Despite Skowhegan’s intent to “honor Indians,” the real outcome is that using native words and images as mascots perpetuates inappropriate perspectives of a culture, resulting in stereotyping. Language such as Indians, Redskins, Braves etc. does not honor. Images of feathers, headdresses, a man dressed in a loincloth armed with a spear, and the banging of drums do not honor. In fact many of these things are considered to be sacred and ceremonial by native culture, thus any misrepresentation of them is very disrespectful. What is it like for native students at Skowhegan High School to see, every day, their heritage portrayed in this way?
Research has repeatedly shown that stereotyping a group or culture in a school setting can negatively impact academic performance, self worth and confidence in setting/achieving future goals. How limiting for young, developing students striving to reach their potential!
It is time for Skowhegan to move forward, respect the native community by retiring all mascot images and language and, most importantly, to provide a learning environment that holds true to their own vision statement.
Beth Woodson
Dixmont
‘My way or highway’ is the wrong way
The partial U.S. government shutdown has stretched over 30 days. The president has made an offer to Congress that might offer some solutions to other immigration issues (DACA and other protections) while granting him the funds he wants for his wall. It is helpful to have suggestions as to a way forward with some of the very complex human and societal issues that immigration poses. It is terrible to have it wound up with the shutdown — nothing less than extortion really.
We have slid into an era of bullying, intimidation, inflicting pain and bribery as a means of governing. Maybe it works short-term in a gangster underworld, but as a way for people and democracy to move forward to face the very real problems that nations and civilization must deal with, it is not only morally bankrupt but ineffective and damaging, creating ever deeper divisions, animosities and adversaries.
Stop the shutdown now without conditions and get to work bringing people together to solve our common issues. Neither Republicans nor Democrats should allow or seek benefit from the “my way or the highway” bullying that is at the core of the shutdown.
Brian Dyer Stewart
Harrington
An ill-conceived wall
President Donald Trump’s border wall is the most ill-conceived idea I’ve heard in a long time. There have been samples shown on television of his “beautiful” concrete model and his “see-through” model (sounds like a fashion show, doesn’t it?). I’ll bet that a handful of Boy Scouts could get over either one in a heartbeat: Buy an extension ladder at the nearest Mexican Home Depot, or throw a weighted rope over the top, and fish the end back through the “see-through” hole.
Once the $5.7 billion sections are finished, people will just walk around the ends until the total wall is finished. $26 billion? Probably more like $50 billion — we know how those federal costs overrun work. And then there’s the Canadian border, twice as long as the Mexican border. And to think our Maine Republican party is pushing Susan Collins to vote for it!
John Frawley
Hampden
End the hostage taking
It is becoming more apparent that we need another amendment to the Constitution — one that would ban the use of government shutdowns to enable one branch of government to hold the American government hostage.
What is occurring at this moment is nothing more than the kidnapping of our government by one person and holding out for a ransom. This has happened before and it has cost us all dearly.
It is time for all of us to unite and demand an end to hostage taking. Which is exactly what has occurred.
One man is demanding a ransom. This is not the way we should run a government. Please contact your representatives and demand that they bring this folly to an immediate end.
Thomas Bonner
Holden