I very much enjoyed Randall Balmer’s history lesson (“Opinion: Are women in the pulpit the reason Christians are leaving the pews?,” Aug. 3). While not an Episcopalian, I perceive that church to be continuing strongly, likely because of its meeting its historic challenges. The Episcopal Church was one of the earliest denominations, along with Unitarian […]

My thanks to President Biden for proposing changes to the Supreme Court, including term limits of 18 years, adopting a formal code of ethics, and a constitutional amendment limiting presidential powers. The majority court seems stuck in an academic exercise of what the words of the Constitution meant when first adopted, rather than how they […]

A recent op-ed made the point that political parties, among other groups, portray their opponents as subhuman (“Trump’s politics are the politics of illusion,” July 24). This is a step towards slavery and/or extermination. Word used in former President Donald Trump’s speeches (vermin, garbage, refuse and animals) prove the point that “MAGA” language dehumanizes those […]

Donald Trump’s words do not sound presidential. They fail to inspire us to trust in his leadership of America. He says that he alone can fix whatever he believes is wrong in our lives as citizens. His is the vision not of a resident, but of a dictator. Nelson Hart Gorham

Citizens are struggling to understand why the town of Bridgton has a Land Use Code in place that puts hundreds of residents in the path of particulate matter (PM) 2.5, that is not visible to the naked eye, and is known to aggravate heart and lung conditions. The EPA recognizes and continues to strengthen its […]

Newspaper headlines sway public opinion. Reading actual news articles may get skipped, but the headlines? They’re scanned. Examples of the spin: ‘The S&P 500 has rallied, but there is still a 58% chance of a recession” or: ‘The age-old question looks different now. Will it matter to young voters?” Opinions, often published under analysis, give […]

As the Press Herald reports (“Island communities ask Gov. Mills to intervene to get ferry service back on track,” July 24), there have been cancellations of ferry services to various Maine islands because of problems related to hiring and retaining crew members. Those problems, in turn, are because of pay, as well as licensing requirements. […]