Churches are havens and shelters for needy humans. They contain no perfect specimens. Nevertheless, they are held to high standards and are embarrassed when their building doors are locked during a local crisis. Yet their mission goes on, and we would be most miserable without strong churches. For example, as reported in the Philadelphia Inquirer, a […]

The Legislature met on Monday, Aug. 26 for a special session to vote on a series of bonds to be sent to Maine voters for your approval. While our first session had ended in late June, Gov. Janet Mills called a special session in late August because we still had not addressed bonds, all of which […]

“China” has been in the news a lot lately as pro-democracy protests have erupted in Hong Kong and the Trump administration engages in continuing hardball trade negotiations with them, among other countries. As a country, “China” and its almost 1.4 billion people, in contrast to its current state apparatus, is no greater belligerent inherently than […]

Delbert McLain dropped in at the Mule Barn yesterday for a quick cup. He was wearing his usual suit and tie, despite the heat. Usually Delbert does his coffee drinking and socializing out at the country club where the business guys go. We’ve been there, and the chairs don’t fit as well. For the past […]

How do you picture the typical American of the future? A prosperous tech specialist, assured of a challenging and well-paid job in a thriving environment? Or retired or nearing retirement, living on a tight budget in uncertain health? Because of two widening gaps – between the wealthy and everybody else and the old and everybody […]

In almost all public men’s restrooms — airports, truck stops, stadiums, convenience stores — there are now diaper-changing stations. Because dads are certainly just as capable of changing diapers as moms. The thing is, I’ve never seen anyone use the one in the men’s room. Many of them look pristine. Maybe I’m never in there […]

As you shop for back-to-school supplies for your kids or food for the Labor Day cookout, consider this: the clerks, shelf stockers, truck drivers, and factory workers who make that possible can all be legally forced to pay money to a union or else be fired. Why? Because Maine is one of the 23 forced-unionism […]