Service and sacrifice
No one understands sacrifice more than a member of the armed forces. My wife and mother of my two beautiful kids knows first hand what that feels like and how hard it is. She had pushed and persevered through so much in her career with little to no acknowledgment. It doesn’t bother her.
But it bothers me. I feel that she needs to know how much she is appreciated by her family and the great country and community she is serving. Technical Sergeant Jaclyn Johnson was a part of the 101st airborne refueling wing in Bangor, Maine, for seven years. She pushed herself to become better everyday.
As a military training instructor, she has trained and pushed more than 800 airmen from basic military training, and mentored and was a facilitator to more than 1,200 airmen, and managed a budget for her squadron of more than $70,000 a fiscal year. She is the definition of inspiration. She pushes herself everyday to be better than she was the day before.
I admire her sacrifice with not being able to be around for special family moments. She understands the meaning of service before self and always maintains integrity in all that she does.
Takari Johnson
Bangor
Support carbon tax bill
As I listened with anticipation to President Donald Trump outline his administration’s vision for leading our country forward in his State of the Union address, I was disappointed he didn’t talk about one of the most important issues of our time: the threat to our country, our world and our entire global economy of climate change, especially given the bipartisan bill just introduced in the House of Representatives.
HR 763, the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, would put a fee on carbon at the site of production and redistribute the money to all citizens in the form of a monthly dividend. This bill is the best first step to reducing America’s carbon pollution and to bringing climate change under control by using market mechanisms that have been shown to effectively reduce carbon use and increase development of alternative energy sources while supporting families.
In the interest of pursuing achievable, bipartisan progress, I urge Reps. Jared Golden and Chellie Pingree to support this bill, and our Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King to sponsor similar legislation in the Senate. Together we can protect our nation and our global community.
Lesley Fernow
Dover-Foxcroft
Ask a fisherman
The Down East Institute of Maine (DEI) has gone from a respected research group to an advocacy group for its own interest.
After a cold reception from the Maine Shellfish Advisory Council with their ideas, DEI has teamed up with the last five members of the Maine Clammers Association to try to force laws on the clammers of Maine. These bills have the potential to crash the shellfish industry. I encourage all shellfish towns to research each of these many bills, as some even come from Lewiston (that’s funny, I’ve never dug Lewiston). Here’s a thought: If you have to put a law on to put yourself on a committee, maybe they don’t want you there?
Good people of Maine, if you really want to know what’s going on in a fishing industry, please don’t ask a scientist, ask a fisherman.
Glen Melvin
Waldoboro
Outdoors suggestion
Every week, we look forward to Friday’s paper because of the Outdoors section and the fine articles by John Holyoke, Aislinn Sarnacki and Bob Duchesne. That is, until recently.
How many articles must there be about bird dogs? One, two or even three would have been fine, but it seems like the current series has been going on forever! In Maine, there are so many ways to enjoy the outdoors! Not everyone is interested in bird hunting with dogs.
Charlotte Stetson
Hancock