Life without parole in our prisons is a reflection of the inhumanity that is in all people. Life without parole is designed to be harsh and final. This is a punishment that lacks compassion and says more about the hate, resentment and darkness in society than it does about the person serving the sentence. Until […]

Regarding Jim Fossel’s March 19 column (“Biden budget beggars belief”): Mr. Fossel’s clever wordplay makes for a catchy headline, but the content “beggars” a response along the lines of his closing sentence. Hopefully, this newspaper can soon get a columnist who’s more interested in writing constructive pieces than spinning false comparisons and lame attempts at […]

I am old and retired. Most every day this winter, many of my neighbors used the remote start on their vehicles and let them run 20 to 30 minutes to warm up. They may also do this when returning to home. I believe that doing this five days a week uses more gas than mowing […]

I watched the State of the Tribes speeches by the Wabanaki chiefs a few weeks ago on Maine Public. Each chief spoke with such humility, resilience and sense of history. It was fascinating to further learn of the many contributions of the Wabanaki to defending our country, as well as to the state of Maine […]

We should not raise the Social Security retirement age, as Sen. Angus King says. Nor should we raise the age for early withdrawals. Both make capitalism itself work better. New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu says, on “PBS NewsHour,” that government’s job is “to create doors of opportunity,” and that he is “amazed by people that […]

When I read the caustic column regarding the comic pages in the Maine Sunday Telegram (“The staying power of comic strips is mystifying,” March 4), I felt sorry for the writer, Siobhán Brett. I wanted to say, “It’s OK to be silly sometimes.” “It’s OK to have a friendly connection in your mind with certain […]

As a grandparent, looking back, I did not have the worry about my children being the victims of a school shooting like parents nowadays. There were no lessons to be learned about how to defend a school against a violent attack. Teachers did not carry guns. With the proliferation of military-style weapons in this country […]

What’s in a name? Sometimes not much. Other times, it’s a clue to the function of an item: “watering can,” “potato masher” and “paintbrush” come easily to mind. Then there’s “assault rifle,” an ominous name that portends harm and destruction. It’s a very different name than “hunting rifle.” While I am aware that banning assault […]

I don’t understand. What do people who own AK-47s do with them? Really. If you own one or believe others should be able to buy them, please tell me why, what for? Sandy Lovell Portland