On Nov. 16, representatives from Lexington and Concord Townships and Highland Plantation delivered signed petitions to Gov. LePage’s office as evidence that a majority of the residents in these three communities are opposed to the building of grid-scale wind facilities on the mountains surrounding our homes.

We respectfully request that Iberdrola Renewables live up to the promise of the energy corporation’s chairman, Ignacio Galan, who said, “If Maine signals that it’s no longer friendly to wind power, the global energy company will expand elsewhere.” Lexington, Concord and Highland have sent that signal, loud and clear.

We also ask that Angus King and Rob Gardiner, the principals of Highland Wind LLC, abandon any plans to erect turbines on the mountains in Highland Plantation. Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife stated in review comments regarding their proposed project that “the collective wildlife concerns . . . demonstrate that this is not an appropriate locality for an intensive wind energy installation such as that currently proposed by Highland Wind Power.”

In addition, the majority of Highland Plantation residents have signed petitions stating that Highland Wind is not welcome in their community. There is no way to be any clearer than that.

Will these wind developers respect the resolve of the people, or will they ignore the residents of these rural Somerset County communities and push ahead with their plans, regardless of our public stance?

Karen Bessey Pease

Lexington Township

As Mainers struggle, waste still dominates government

So, is it only me, or does anyone else see the continued wastefulness of the government at a time when so many are struggling to just get by?

On the same page of Sunday’s paper, we had the Bill Nemitz column, telling the story of a young family working hard to get by in spite of many obstacles that would cause others to surrender, and the efforts of her employer to help the family succeed; then the Beth Quimby story of Good Shepherd Food Bank’s work to feed 20-50 percent more hungry Mainer’s than they did just last year. These two stories show so clearly the struggle that so many people are facing just to survive in this economy.

Then I read that Congresswoman Pingree has submitted a bill that may actually pass to spend a half million dollars on a study of the York River! A few months ago, over $300,000 was spent on “Evacuation Route” signs that are supposed to tell us which way to go if a tsunami hits southern Maine (It’s pretty easy actually — go away from the shore.) How can we continue to support this kind of spending on projects and programs while knowing that so many are falling out of the safety net? I would welcome a response from the congresswoman.

Dennis Dean

Kittery

Occupier reporters need to give some background

Recent stories about Occupy Portland featuring incidents of violence are examples of flawed journalism.

Rather than reporting on incidents, why are you not telling readers who is behind this so-called spontaneous movement? The Occupy movement suddenly sprang up around the country but you never questioned the who and why of the phenomenon. President Obama voiced his support of the movement immediately, as did Nancy Pelosi and many other Democrats.

Police officers are attacked, laws bent by mayors, businesses harmed, citizens molested and reporters roughed up and threatened. And the press, the very press whose free speech many Occupiers would deny, try to convince us this is some sort of political Woodstock.

Last week, as support for Occupy plunged, 16 Democratic mayors held a nationwide conference call and suddenly there was a crackdown on Occupy. Did the order for the call and crackdown come from the Democrat Party, the White House, angels on high?

We don’t know because the media are failing to dig into these questions. Reporters, when it comes to the Occupy movement, start waving your press credentials and stop waving pompoms.

Tom Molloy

South Portland

What about Maine’s right to enforce its own rules?

This past Wednesday the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that would require states that issue concealed gun permits to recognize permits from any other state regardless of differing requirements.

For example, unlike Utah, Maine does not issue concealed gun permits for non-residents. So under the law, if it were to pass the Senate and be signed by the president, out-of-state individuals, in some cases as young as 18, could come into our state armed. Added to this there is no national database for law enforcement to check the validity of a permit from out of state.

House Republicans who voted for this bill said it was about freedom and rights. This comes from the party that believes states’ rights are sacred.

My question to them then is what about Maine’s rights to set and enforce its rules? How utterly hypocritical of them when what they are really talking about is the bidding of the NRA. I would hope that when this bill comes before the Senate our senators will vote for Maine people and sanity and reject this ill-conceived law, even if it means going against their party.

Ann Marie Briggs

Kennebunkport

Let state championships evolve by natural selection

My comments are not intended to take away any of the glory and success of Cheverus following their State Division I Football Championship. Cheverus has shown great achievement in many sports: football, basketball, soccer and cross country for both boys and girls, which is due to hard work by the competitors and their coaches.

I am concerned with the unfair playing field created by Cheverus recruiting athletes for its teams.

Growing up in Massachusetts, I am well familiar with certain parochial schools recruiting hockey players from surrounding areas and providing them with scholarships — and, to be fair, with a solid education. The atmosphere here in Portland is similar.

I would suggest that the Maine Principals Association take a good look at this unfair structure that puts public high schools at an athletic disadvantage when competing with schools like Cheverus.

It is a double-barreled injury to the public schools in Maine in that they can lose a fine student-athlete and then may compete against him or her on the athletic field.

It is understandable why a student-athlete would seize on the opportunity of a fine education, but for the rest it puts previous teams at a disadvantage.

In fairness, why not let Cheverus and similar schools compete against each other in a conference of their own and leave state championships to “natural selection?”

John Linscott

Portland

 

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