Scholars and children alike can articulate the traits of narcissism that Donald Trump wears proudly: exaggerated sense of self-importance, entitlement, exaggeration of personal achievement, pattern of taking advantage of others and inability or unwillingness to consider the needs of others. And yet what is really terrifying is how Trump’s modeling and leadership have now evoked […]

Thank you to the Editorial Board for bringing attention to rising rates of “deaths of despair” – deaths from opioid overdose, suicide, alcohol and a range of diseases associated with obesity – in their Jan. 20 editorial. They cite two recent research studies and draw the conclusion that “the health of Americans is tied to […]

I am deeply distressed with Sen. Susan Collins’ reaction to the explosive documents from Lev Parnas (an associate of Rudy Giuliani, President Trump’s personal attorney), which have just emerged to see light of day. If Sen. Collins wants a full and fair trial in the Senate, why would she not want to demand to see […]

I am a proud Franco American. My original family name, Plourde, was changed by my great-grandfather or the census takers. His direct ancestor, Rene Plourde, was one of the first farmer peasants to come to Quebec in the 1690s and there is a monument to him in St. Cyr/Traverse in Nouvelle Aquitaine, France. On my […]

Re: Susan Collins’ voting record on nominees for federal judgeships (Jan. 12): Collins has voted repeatedly for the judges each president nominated (96 percent) throughout her tenure as senator. To quote Press Herald Staff Writer Rachel Ohm’s paraphrasing of Collins: “She (Collins) says she has consistently evaluated all judicial nominees in the same way, regardless […]

I am a liberal Democrat, intensely anti-President Trump and admittedly partisan. I am someone who cannot fathom how my Republican friends are able to overlook the lying, disrespect, bullying and plethora of behaviors that diminish the stature of the presidency and compromise our relationships with allies around the world. But, no, I don’t see those […]

The “uniquely difficult” position Sen. Susan Collins supposedly finds herself in regarding the impeachment process (per the political scientist quoted in the headline on Sunday’s front-page story) doesn’t garner any sympathy from me. She has a unique opportunity to speak out for truth, democracy and the rule of law. This president has corrupted our democracy […]