Moving toward a better future
I thank the young troops for going onto the beaches in Normandy on June 6,1944 despite their fears. My brother served in World War II.
I thank generals and admirals Jim Mattis, Micheal Mullen, John Kelly, Mark Milley, William McCraven, and John Allen for reminding people that their public officials’ oaths of office are to protect the Constitution. McCraven said officials’ actions need to be “moral, legal and ethical.”
I thank former Vice President Joe Biden for his speech in Philadelphia pledging to restore the soul of America. I thank former President Barack Obama for being hopeful that the marchers can bring needed change.
I thank the tens of thousands of protesters of all ages, races and ethnicities who have gone to the streets to hold leaders accountable for the years of racial injustice — criminal, social, economic, health and environmental — including in Bangor and Ellsworth.
Where is Sen. Susan Collins?
I am a 76-year-old white woman who lived near the 1968 Washington, D.C. riots, was incredibly moved visiting the beaches of Normandy, has worked on campaigns since 1960, and marched in Washington and Maine for improving democracy. I’ve seen the videos of too many blacks being killed.
I hope we will now move towards a better future for our beloved democracy.
Pamela W. Person
Orland
ZIP code overload
Bangor has long had to “share” one of its ZIP codes with three other towns: Glenburn, Hermon, and Veazie. This may seem innocuous on the surface, but it’s deceiving in a number of ways.
Increasingly, a wide variety of data “breakouts” are by ZIP code, but the data for Bangor and the other towns is never accurate or pure. The most recent case in point is the state’s release of coronavirus data by ZIP code. The resulting data is unfair to Bangor, and unfair to those other towns. ZIP codes 04403, 04404,and 04405 have been and currently are unassigned to towns.
Adding aggravation to the issue is the frequent result of entering “Bangor’s” ZIP code into a merchant’s or similar online form, and having “Hermon ME 04401” automatically come up.
It’s high time that the U.S. Postal Service assigns specific and proprietary ZIP codes to each of the other three towns.
Michael P. Gleason
Bangor
Delay dietary guidelines report
I am writing to urge you to call on the U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) to postpone publication of the report by the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, so that the federal agencies in charge can have time to address serious allegations by one or more members of this committee about the process that produces the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
These allegations, which recently came to light in a letter submitted by The Nutrition Coalition, detail serious flaws in the process and imply that the very reliability of our federal nutrition recommendations is in question.
With 60% of Americans diagnosed with one or more chronic illnesses, conditions which increase the risk for severe outcomes and death from COVID-19, the U.S. now more than ever needs evidence-based advice on how to maintain and restore our metabolic health. The guidelines to date have self-evidently been unable to flatten the curve on the rates of these diet-related diseases.
Please urge USDA and HHS to delay the release of the committee’s expert report to provide time to thoroughly investigate these allegations.
Peter Suber
Brooksville
21st century leadership
Susan Collins was elected to the Senate in 1996 and, if I’m honest, I do think of her as a 20th century politician. Sworn into office before Google was founded, Collins’ campaign sometimes behaves as though we can’t search for her inconsistent views on President Donald Trump.
In 2016 Collins penned an OpEd in The Washington Post titled, “Why I cannot support Trump.” She wrote Trump does not reflect “the inclusive approach to governing that is critical to healing the division in our country.” She added that Trump “opts to mock the vulnerable and inflame prejudices by attacking ethnic and religious minorities.”
Sounds definitive.
Yet Collins won’t say if she voted for Trump during Maine’s 2020 Republican primary, and dodges answering if she’ll be voting to reelect Trump in November. Because Collins refuses to address this, her clear-eyed views from 2016 haunt her campaign. She wrote then that Trump is “unworthy of being our President.”
Does Collins believe Trump’s behavior since 2016 makes him worthy of being our president?
I genuinely wish she would tell Mainers instead of apparently trying to run out the clock. In 2016, Collins wrote Trump’s “essential character appears to be fixed, and he seems incapable of change or growth.” I worry it is Collins’ character that has changed and is persuadable.
For that reason, I am supporting Sara Gideon for Senate. 1996 was a long time ago. It’s time for 21st century leadership.
Aaron Bergeron
Portland
Be careful what you sign
I support ranked-choice voting, because I believe in majority rule. Often, we have elected officials with pluralities under 50%. The result, I believe, is rule by minority.
Mainers have voted twice in favor of ranked-choice voting, and our courts have ruled it constitutional for federal elections. Thus, we can use it for our congressional elections. The Legislature last year supported its use in presidential elections as well, but it cannot be used for state general elections at this time.
Ranked-choice voting does not favor one party over the other. It simply ensures that “spoilers,” candidates with little support, will not be able to tilt an election away from the person who is supported by the majority. The second choice of those who voted for the “spoiler” are counted in the final tally, resulting in majority support.
Maine is leading the nation in this method of voting. But there is a movement afoot to take this hard-won right away. A petition is being circulated by paid signature gatherers to block the use of ranked-choice in the November election for president, and again put the question on the ballot. If they succeed, we will have to vote for the third time on this issue, and will not have the opportunity to rank our choices for president in November. We will, however, rank our choices for Congress.
I ask you to honor the decision of the people of our state and refuse to sign this petition.
Victoria Adams
Kennebunk