King was right to vote yes on Pompeo confirmation

The President has the right to choose his or her own administrative team.

Mike Pompeo is qualified by education and by experience — West Point, Harvard Law School, U.S. House of Representatives, and Director of the CIA.

Importantly, the Department of State needs an experienced leader, now.

The advice and consent of a Senator needs to be thoughtfully considered for our State, as well as, the Nation. A ‘yea’ vote for confirmation is not an endorsement of all of the Secretary’s past political positions. It is a confirmation that candidate meets the Constitutional qualifications as a nominee of the President.

I support Sen. King’s decision to vote “yea” on the confirmation of Mike Pompeo for Secretary of State.

Peter J. Mendall

Bowdoinham

‘Loser’ or concerned citizen?

Martha Tetrow in her letter of May 9 repeats the Trump mantra that those who oppose the elected president’s policies and criticize his conduct in office are “sore losers.” What Trump and those who call the Democrats sore losers do not understand or conveniently refuse to acknowledge is that those who choose to “resist” are not obsessed, as is the President, with the “game” of winning or losing but are rather much more concerned about what Trump and his team have wrought since he took office. They are concerned about the erosion of traditional American values, the systematic sabotage of crucial government institutions, the politicization of the judiciary, the repeal of measures to protect the environment, an arrogant, isolating and potentially dangerous foreign policy , and above all, repeated and deliberate attempts to obfuscate or deride the truth, leading to a grave lack of credibility at home and abroad.

More specifically, when the President, in effect, condones white supremacist demonstrations, they are concerned about his failure to condemn racism and racist violence. When they see this administration rip children from their parents seeking asylum at the borders or threaten to deport the DACA immigrants, they are concerned that the nation has abandoned its humanitarian role as a refuge for the “tired,” the “poor”, the “huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” When they hear the President extoll the merits of rough treatment or torture, they are concerned that civil rights and human decency in America and the world community are in jeopardy.

So here is the answer to letter writer’s question of what the Resist bumper sticker really means. Concerned citizens are not resisting because they “lost” this last election. They are resisting because they refuse to stand passively by as all that is the best of America is lost. Vive la résistance!,

Janet Kehl

Arrowsic

Mills for governor

No one doubts that Janet Mills is tough and smart. She has successfully stood up to Gov. LePage many times and he, in fact, has sued her and lost. On behalf of all Mainers she has repeatedly joined with other states’ attorneys General to fight sex-trafficking, to regain funds from illegal mortgage activities and to prevent the Trump administration from weakening our environmental laws. As an assistant attorney general she was a tough prosecutor of major crimes and homicides and has a strong winning record.

But not many of us are acquainted with her personal life. We may know about her brother, the former Sen. Peter Mills and perhaps we remember her sister Dora Ann Mills who headed the CDC for many years, but few are aware of Janet’s marriage in 1985 to a widower who brought with him five young daughters that she helped to raise. Janet Mills usually hides her soft side from the public but to our minds, her wellspring of compassion and caring have fueled her passion to be tough on behalf of all Mainers.

She has our support.

Sandy and Ole Jaeger,

Georgetown

Supporting Levy

Criminal justice reform by expanding restorative justice

Nationally, there is a growing movement toward criminal justice reform, and this year is so exciting because the conversation is prominently featured in the race for Cumberland County District Attorney. There are three Democrats vying for the Primary nomination, and Seth Levy has earned my vote.

A friend suggested that I attend Seth’s campaign announcement event in Brunswick, so I stopped by. I was impressed with his clear enthusiasm and energy for the issue of criminal justice reform. Seth described work he has done with adult clients, expanding restorative justice into the system on a case by case basis. For those that are not familiar with restorative justice, it as an opportunity for the victim, offender, and community to come together and discuss the harm that the offender has caused. Offenders need to take greater accountability for their actions in the restorative justice process, and victims come away more satisfied with the outcomes of their case.

As a retired superintendent of schools I was already familiar with the concept, and to see a candidate for district attorney vocally advocate for expanding the use of restorative justice to adults is refreshing.

In the upcoming Democratic Primary, residents of Cumberland County have the opportunity to vote for a committed reformer. Seth hasn’t just been walking the walk, but he has a comprehensive vision for what criminal justice reform should look like. Please join me and vote for Seth Levy on June 12th.

Arthur Pierce,

Brunswick