Keep the faith, ?keep the symbols

I hope I’m not the only one offended by the opinion rendered by the Attorney General’s office on religious imagery on Hacker’s Hill. This is a blatant attack, though subtly disguised not as a challenge to Christianity but as a disenfranchisement to the non-Christian community.

This ploy is being perpetrated by discrediting and nullifying the icons of my and hopefully your faith, as well. Try to discredit any aspect of Allah and it will bring on a reign of violence and terror.

So, many would argue that we are not a Christian nation today, but let history confirm our Christian roots. Read, if you dare, “The Myth of Separation” by David Barton and you will no longer believe what the other side perpetrates. It’s a great read and thoroughly documented.

It also appears that it’s now open season on Christian symbols and expressions of faith, and there’s no license needed and no bag limit. Have at it you bureaucrats and atheists! I’m not enamored by bureaucrats, but I love atheists since I was one myself in my other life.

Randy Perkins

Standish

Move religious icons, save hill

My family has been going up to Hacker’s Hill for decades and we were sorry to hear that it was for sale, but gratified to find out that Loon Echo Trust was taking on the purchase of it for the public good. The large Land for Maine’s Future grant of $220,000, plus the $75,000 granted by the town of Casco, was not only icing on the cake, but a good part of the cake.

And now the purchase is in great jeopardy, due to the controversy over the religious icons that were put up after the lightning-created cross. There is a big difference between what a private landowner can allow, versus a public tax-exempt organization which deals with issues of separation of church and state, particularly when the state is partly funding the purchase.

It has become all too evident now that there was no long-lasting meeting of the minds over what was to become of the religious items, should the fund-raising effort succeed and the purchase go through. Loon Echo has a very competent Executive Director and board, so I can’t believe it wasn’t discussed and some accommodation come to at the time, but perhaps feelings changed over time.

I would urge Conrad Hall, Don Fowler, and others involved in this potential purchase to relent and decide on another place to move the icons and statuary to, and display in the way they see fit, lest the purchase not go through and the hill be lost to public access forever.

Erik Bartlett

Casco

Leavitt needs his own show

This is in response to the letter by Mr. Leavitt in last week’s paper.

Having watched the Raymond Selectman’s meeting for the past few years I would like to make a suggestion to Mr. Leavitt. Instead of being the negative vote on most issues and spending a great deal of time at the end of each meeting emoting on issues that don’t seem to have a lot to do with the smooth operation of the town, he should create the “Charles Leavitt Show” on the local government channel. That way he can go on as long as he wants to make his ideas known to anyone interested in his point of view. He could also have guests. Who knows, maybe some of them might make YouTube.

Until the show becomes a reality I would suggest that all Raymond citizens watch the televised selectmen’s meetings. You will find four very dedicated selectmen doing their best for all the residents of Raymond. As Chair, Joe Bruno does his best to keep control of the meetings and I respect him for it. Gentlemen, keep up the good work!

Frank McDermott

Raymond

Hacker’s Hill ?is sacred for all

When I read the recent article about the fate of the religious imagery on Hacker’s Hill, I was considerably startled. I’m familiar with the icons, since I grew up just a few miles from the hill and have enjoyed the view long before the cross, statue, or well appeared. I also knew that some people gathered there for religious services. But I never would have guessed that those things would take priority over preserving the property itself.

To me, the wonder of Hacker’s Hill has always been its natural beauty, which is something that can be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of their religion. I don’t disagree that it is a spiritual place, but I don’t think that it should have any one particular focus for that spirituality.

While I understand that some people have attachment to the religious icons, I would ask that Conrad Hall and Don Fowler reconsider their position. After all, if someone purchases it for private development, the cross and other imagery will all come down anyway.

I would suggest instead that the intent of preserving the hill be to allow future generations to do what I did as a kid: Go up to watch sunsets, storms, and meteor showers. Bring visitors to show them the incomparable view. Or simply sit for a time in silence and enjoy the peace of the land. To me, and I suspect to others, that is what truly makes it sacred.

Erica Bartlett

Portland