YIMBO supports oyster farming in Maquoit

I am writing to express support for the Mere Point Oyster Company’s proposed oyster farming lease in Maquoit Bay. I believe that is it is important to retain green jobs and industry in Maine, employ young people and combat the declining natural resources caused by global warming and invasive species.

It is my belief that Maine should take every opportunity to invest in ‘green’ industry that supports the local economy without having a detrimental affect upon the environment. As a Brunswick, Maine, resident, I would like to latch onto a policy of YIMBO (Yes In My Back Ocean). I believe that Mere Point Oyster Company is a piece of a thriving industry of the future that will benefit all of Maine for years to come.

I know that Mere Point Oyster Company is currently employing many young people, as are other similar enterprises that are providing them with a business opportunity that keeps them in the state. This does not even touch on the auxiliary seafood and restaurants that are the backbone of Maine’s tourist and local economy.

Through visiting the facility at 1087 Mere Point Road during the month of August, which was open to the public, I have learned of the adaptive strategies that have been employed to sustain the shellfish industry in the local area, as well as the state. I urge anybody that opposes their endeavors to make Maine a better place to live to contact them with any concerns, as they are quite up-front about their operations, intentions, and future goals for their company and the region.

Thank you, and feel free to contact me with any questions regarding my communication.

Matthew Cost,

Brunswick

GOP subverting separation of powers

Paul Ackerman (“Another View,” Sept. 18) accuses the Democrat Senators of assuming a “scorched earth attitude.” In the confirmation hearings of the Trump Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.  The Democrats (plus honorary member Angus King) are all characterized as “hard-left liberals,” in large part due to their “usual … rallying cries” supporting voting rights, and opposing partisan gerrymandering.  When did opposition to free and fair elections become a Republican core value?

Ackerman contrasts the hearings for Obama’s 2010 nominee Elena Kagan with the current contentious Kavanaugh process, but fails to recognize recent history or provide any context.  The ABA evaluated both candidates as “highly qualified.” Kagan’s hearing was characterized by appropriately close questioning by Republicans concerning her writings, views and lack of judicial experience.   She was easily confirmed in a highly partisan vote in the Senate: Over 90 percent of the Republicans voted against confirmation.  What changed in the interim?  Mitch McConnell and the “party of ‘no’” happened, gaining control of both houses of Congress.  After Justice Scalia’s sudden death in the winter of 2016, President Obama nominated the “highly qualified” moderate Merrick Garland to replace Scalia.  The Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee sent a letter to McConnell stating it intended to withhold consent for hearings on any Obama nominee until after the next election, and Garland hung twisting in the wind for 293 days. Early after Trump’s election he nominated and gained confirmation for the conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch. In this context, sometimes rude questioning of Kavanaugh by the “loyal opposition” is perfectly understandable:  Republicans “have sown the wind, and shall reap the whirlwind.”

McConnell’s Republicans are guilty of more than partisan gamesmanship.  In failing in their duty to offer advice and consent for Obama’s nominee, they have subverted the Constitution’s separation of powers envisioned to provide checks and balances.  While looking for someone to blame for Kavanaugh’s plight, they should look in the mirror.

Steven Zimmerman,

Topsham