When I worked at Current Publishing, a family of weekly newspapers covering southern Maine before the company was sold in 2015 to the Forecaster family of publications (which is now owned by MaineToday Media), we had a fun newsroom tradition of asking the Magic 8-Ball to predict events for the following year. Reporters and editors […]
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Posted inThe Forecaster
Letter: Balentine should appreciate unseen qualities
John Balentine writes “… because real Mainers care not for social status.” (“Tis the Season for Maine Status Symbols,” Dec. 4). Why does Balentine only view and judge individuals by their material possessions? In “The Little Prince,” Antoine de Saint Exupery once revealed the secret of life: “It is only with the heart that one […]
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Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Here’s Something: Vaccine is best Christmas gift ever
The No. 1 thing we should be thankful for this holiday season is the speedy delivery of an effective COVID-19 vaccine. The proverbial and actual shot in our arms comes courtesy of Operation Warp Speed, the most remarkable and effective private-public partnership the nation has seen since World War II. The scientists at Pfizer, which […]
Posted inThe Forecaster
Letter: Balentine should encourage readers to follow virus guidelines
In his desire to attack Democrats, Mr. Balentine recently wrote “government can’t stop the virus” (“Don’t lock ME down,” Nov. 20). If he had said “government alone can’t stop the virus” I would have agreed with him. Government guidelines have been shown to limit the spread of the virus. States taking steps to control the […]
Posted inThe Forecaster
Letter: Forecaster editors challenged to change policy
Quoting from an old spiritual, Martin Luther King Jr. once gloriously proclaimed: “Free at last, Free at last, Thank God almighty we are free at last.” With respect to the final results of the 2020 presidential election, I should like to amend the final portion of this spiritual to be: “…Thank God almighty, we are […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Here’s Something: ’Tis the season for Maine status symbols
Don’t know what to get your difficult-to-buy-for loved ones this Christmas season? Why not a gift that will help elevate their social status within the Pine Tree State? Every culture down through the ages has had status symbols. Everything from tanned skin to powdery white skin, a fat belly to a Twiggy-thin waist, a castle […]
Posted inThe Forecaster
Letter: Balentine no health expert, reader is
John Balentine writes a weekly column, usually through a Trump/Republican Party/Fox News prism. However, despite having no scientific qualifications, Balentine questions why Gov. Mills “is talking about further shutdowns as (COVID-19) case numbers rise. This simply (a shutdown) can’t happen again” (“Don’t lock ME down,” Nov. 20). I am an Oxford University-trained immunohaematologist and a […]
Posted inThe Forecaster
Letter: Businesses won’t move to save a few bucks
Like many of John Balentine articles, he is looking from the outside with no knowledge of what he is talking about. Has he ever owned a small business, what business knowledge does he have? (“Don’t lock ME down,” Nov. 18). I have owned and managed small businesses since 1976. The locations are Lewiston, Auburn, Brunswick, […]
Posted inThe Forecaster
Letter: Balentine’s wrong, Portland voters did the right thing
In his Nov. 13 opinion piece, John Balentine gleefully railed against Portland’s voters who approved rent control, a $15 minimum wage and an $18 minimum wage for declared emergencies. I say shame on those Portland voters for dealing with the problem of low-wage workers, unable to afford to live near where they work in Portland, […]
Posted inThe Forecaster
Letter: Balentine needs enlightenment on Democratic Party principles
I should like to enlighten Mr. Balentine (“Prepare now for Portland exodus,” Nov. 13) and all his like-minded conservatives, with respect to their constant manipulation of the facts. These conservatives want the American public to believe that the Democratic Party will turn this country into a “Socialist Command Economy, which deprives citizens of any private […]