In a nation with fewer and fewer shared experiences, one remains resilient, rich and redolent of memory. Thanksgiving is our most beloved American holiday, and its story ”“ about grace and gratitude, played out on a wilderness tableau of brotherhood ”“ is a venerated part of our national narrative. Its treasured place in our country’s […]

After 28 years representing the Sanford area in the Legislature as both a House and Senate member, I will not be returning to the Maine Senate to serve in the 127th Legislature. The people of Maine have spoken and I am once again reminded of the strength of our democracy to heed the wishes of […]

This past Veterans Day, I had the day off from my government job, as I always have. I know that because of the sacrifices made by the many military personnel, I live in a free country. I have ancestors that fought in the Revolutionary War and in World War I. My father and uncle served […]

Wasn’t it shocking the first time you ever heard a teacher swear? I was in middle school, if memory serves. Our geography teacher, a man I’ll call Mr. Mustache, was doing his usual bang-up job of telling us where stuff was. At one point during his lecture, he let an expletive fly that snapped into […]

The economic news from abroad is not good. Japan has plunged into a recession and Europe could soon follow. America’s performance ”“ 3.5 percent annual growth, 5.8 percent unemployment rate ”“ looks positively robust by comparison. But the U.S. cannot escape the downdraft of foreign failures. “The United States is about the only growth beacon […]

The Concord (N.H.) Monitor, Nov. 13, 2014 Americans have a complicated relationship with the penny. On one hand, people don’t have much use for pennies and are happy to leave them in those ubiquitous plastic “need a penny” trays at convenience stores. But polls show that a majority of Americans can’t bear the idea of […]

Armenia continues to illegally, militarily occupy some 16 percent of Azerbaijan. On Nov. 12, Armenia, while holding its illegal military drills in the occupied Azerbaijani district of Aghdam, started to provoke the Azerbaijani military by flying its Russia-supplied Mi-24 military helicopters along the Line of Contact ”“ a ceasefire line established in 1994. Part of […]