This pandemic is twisting us all into ethical knots, one of the knottiest of which is whether and when to wear a face mask. Masks have come to symbolize the partisan divide in this sick society of ours. One day last week, I stood in line at Home Depot in Topsham. The majority of the […]
The Universal Notebook
Posted inForecaster Opinion
The Universal Notebook: Play ball!
Among the things I miss most because of the pandemic is baseball. It’s June. I should be watching high school, college, minor league and major league baseball live and in person, but instead I am watching World Series reruns and the Korean Baseball Organization playing in empty ballparks. Baseball is my favorite sport. I wasn’t […]
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Posted inForecaster Opinion
Letter: Me Too movement effective, but not every accusation true
It is obviously important to hear women’s voices on the issue of sexual harassment. I totally agree with Edgar Allen Beem’s piece, “Do we really have to believe all women?” (Forecaster, May 5, 2020) My answer is, No. Tara Reade accused Joe Biden of sexually assaulting her many years ago. My question to her would […]
Posted inLakes Region Weekly
Letter: Reader shocked by anti-Trump Beem column
I have been writing letters to the editor and reading others’ letters and columns for almost 60 years now. It has been interesting and enlightening to see how others view issues that I have formed a strong opinion on. When I read “The selfish minority” column by Edgar Allen Beem in the May 8 issue […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
The Universal Notebook: Conspiracies ‘R’ US
The appeal of conspiracy theories is that they allow frightened people to dismiss unpleasant realities and weak people to feel superior, as in they know the real story. Lately, the same tinfoil hat brigade that peddled the evil idea that the Newtown school massacre didn’t really happen has been pushing a couple of other malevolent […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Letter: Reader questions why Beem still with Forecaster
I write to question why your newspaper continues to afford a weekly forum to Mr. Beem to spew his hatred of our president and, in general, members of the Republican Party. In his polemic published on May 7, Beem stared two things that are utterly untrue. First, he stated, “I have never referred to Donald […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Letter: Reader shocked by anti-Trump Beem column
I have been writing letters to the editor and reading others’ letters and columns for almost 60 years now. It has been interesting and enlightening to see how others view issues that I have formed a strong opinion on. When I read “The selfish minority” column by Edgar Allen Beem in the May 8 issue […]
Posted inLakes Region Weekly
Letter: U.S was founded on individual liberties, not collective values
Mr. Beem’s article “The selfish minority” (May 8) is probably the most outrageous of his many outrageous articles. In addition to his customary Trump bashing, he has managed to castigate everyone of a conservative viewpoint. He says he is only writing about a minority of people, but then says “Trump supporters are not really conservatives.” […]
Posted inLakes Region Weekly
Letter: Beem small-minded to say re-opening economy is selfish
Glass half empty or half full? Same glass, opposite viewpoint. That is how I see columnist Edgar Allen Beem’s screed, “The selfish minority” (May 8) because otherwise I cannot understand his view that Americans who think it is time to re-open the economy are selfish. From my point of view, it is selfish not to […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Letter: Not enough words for how wrong Beem is
While I am used to the vitriol, deceit and truth twisting which characterize Edgar Allen Beem’s columns, his “The selfish minority” piece achieves new highs for mendacity and hypocrisy. But maybe I am being too judgmental. Perhaps he is deserving of pity, not scorn, as he seems to have difficulty in assessing reality and a […]