All lives matter. There. I’ve written it for all to see. I believe it and will not apologize for it. We need to spend much less time highlighting our differences and begin focusing on what unites us. There is no need to put one group ahead of another. The possibilities are endless of what might […]
Lakes Region Weekly opinion
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Here’s Something: Rise from your foxholes, teachers
There are three kinds of employees in these pandemic times: essential workers, nonessential workers and those stuck in between. Workers considered essential by the government include nurses, grocery store employees, delivery drivers, first responders and others who are needed onsite for the operation of life-sustaining sectors of the economy. They have been going to work […]
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Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
The Universal Notebook: Being and nothingness
The recent hot spell may partly explain why I find myself in such a listless state of mind lately. I was going to write about some pressing issue of the day, such as whether the United States can recover from another four years of Donald Trump (A: Not in my lifetime.), but that will have […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
The Universal Notebook: Closed until further notice
Schools all over the state are wrestling with the question of whether and how to reopen this fall. Let me make it simple for them. Don’t. Maine public school systems have been working on contingency plans geared to the state’s designating communities as green (OK to return to in-person instruction), yellow (best to try hybrid […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Here’s Something: All that, without the bag of chips
Have you noticed the price of everything, especially food, has been increasing quite a bit lately? I recently ordered a cinnamon doughnut and iced coffee at my local coffee shop and left with eight fewer dollars in my pocket. A trip to the grocery store costs a lot more than it used to, too. Somehow, I […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Here’s Something: Why do Portland’s homeless get special rights?
Remember the Occupy Wall Street and related protests that commandeered America’s city streets and parks about 10 years ago? Compared with many of those protests that turned violent, Occupy Portland, based in Lincoln Park across from City Hall, was relatively peaceful with protesters sleeping overnight in tents and hanging out in the daytime as they […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
The Universal Notebook: Preferred gender pronoun primer
Though I have written for publication since 1965, I had never run into the use of gender-neutral pronouns until a couple of weeks ago and then I blew it. To begin with, I was not told that the subject of my article used “they/them/theirs,” not “she/her/hers,” but when we did try to make the requested […]
Posted inLakes Region Weekly
Letter: Founding fathers knew change would be necessary
I am extremely disappointed with Edgar Allen Beem’s remarks in his July 17 article, “America makes a correction.” His comments highlight a fundamental difference I have when assessing and commenting on the founders and our U.S. Constitution. Mr. Beem says: “All of the founding fathers were racists and sexists, otherwise Black citizens and women wouldn’t […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Here’s Something: ‘Follow the science’ and reopen schools
A few weeks ago I saw with my own two eyes about 10 teenagers playing shirts-and-skins basketball on a Buxton playground court. That same day I also witnessed about 40 kids taking part in a town-sponsored summer recreation program inside a gymnasium. A few days after that, I saw dozens of children congregating on a […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
The Universal Notebook: The root of all evil
The senatorial race between incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic challenger Sara Gideon is already the most costly political race in Maine history. The 2018 2nd District congressional race in which Democrat Jared Golden unseated Republican Bruce Poliquin held the record briefly at a combined $31 million. Gideon v. Collins now stands at about […]