Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram editorial page (Feb. 5) exhibited the best and worst your paper has to offer. “Bombings imprint like shadows — forever” was a compelling account from one of our senior residents who grew up during World War II in Germany, close enough to Dresden to see the glow of the firestorm ignited by Allied bombing raids.

It is a reminder that in a “just war” against Nazi evil, sometimes terrible prices are paid. Perspectives like those of Dr. Bachem are vanishing and should not be forgotten.

The Steve Meyers cartoon immediately above was, unfortunately, one of the most disgusting items I have ever seen in print. A young woman asks, “Do you think, this time, Maine will pass the referendum allowing gays to marry?”

A young man responds, “It depends on if enough old people have died.” A little mouse comments, “Time is on your side.”

I’m not sure what is more repugnant. Is it the juxtaposition of this offensive cartoon above the Maine Voices column which honors the memories of Dr. Bachem? Or is it Mr. Meyers’ presumption that all old people are homophobes? Or not entitled to opinion? Or is it Meyers’ best hope for the referendum is to wait for your opponents to be dead?

No matter your opinion of gay marriage, anyone should be revolted. Gay marriage opponents would be amazed to find the cartoon’s theme as the slogan for those who are campaigning for the referendum.

In just a few years the majority of the population will be over the age of 65, so to insult their intelligence while calling for an early death is just plain dumb — and a new low for this newspaper.

Shame on you Steve Meyers and the editors for printing it.

Dave Spellman

Cumberland

I deeply resent the Steve Meyers editorial cartoon in the Feb. 5 Maine Sunday Telegram.

It implies that we older people are (1) all homophobic and (2) unable or unwilling to learn about and appreciate the differences in people and their lifestyles. I find that insulting.

Many of us as children or young adults had little knowledge of or contact (that we knew of) with the homosexual population. Now that homosexuality is out in the open and we have become acquainted with gay people, we realize that they are the same as everyone else and should have the same rights and privileges as everyone else. At least, some of us do.

I don’t think that we, the older population, are any different from everyone else, either. Some are against gay marriage and some are for it. To paint us all with the same brush is to depreciate our value as singular human beings.

Priscilla Brobst

(age 75 and still evolving)

North Yarmouth

I am writing in regard to Sunday’s editorial cartoon equating the age of voters to the outcome of the gay marriage referendum.

I’ll be 68 soon and don’t know if I qualify as “old,” but I personally don’t give a figgy pudding who marries whom.

What I find offensive is stereotyping people based on their race, sex or age. Just sayin’.

Sandra Jubinsky

Stone Turtle Baking and Cooking School

Lyman

Governor misses boat with anti-renewable energy stand

I’m a professional energy engineer who has spent more than 30 years working in Maine. I’ve worked for the largest electric utilities, was plant engineer and operations manager at Bangor Hydro-Electric Co.’s largest customer, the chief engineer at the University of Maine’s Industrial Assessment Center and worked for the state energy program, several national and international energy service companies and for my energy engineering and renewable energy systems company, Heliotropic Technologies, based in midcoast Maine.

My experience developing energy efficiency projects typically results in projects that reduce my clients’ energy requirements by 35 percent to 60 percent. These projects lock in a large amount of their future energy costs and reduce their risks in the dynamic energy market. Oftentimes, renewable energy systems complement these energy management projects, which can radically reduce the environmental footprints while lowering their operational expenses.

I am appalled at Gov. Paul LePage’s lack of understanding and his position on the ballot initiative for renewable energy that could lower electricity rates while reducing Maine’s dependence on imported fuel. His statements against energy conservation and renewable energy are totally wrong-headed and ignorant.

The governor has no formal energy education and continues to make incorrect policy statements. There are many studies that show that the energy conservation, energy engineering and renewable energy installation business sector, in addition to reducing clients’ operational expenses and ISO-NE’s (high-priced) peak electric system demand, has continued to grow strongly throughout the last decade, including during this severe recession.

Our governor’s Lewiston street-smarts are greatly lacking in basic scientific knowledge and tend to rely on comments heard rather than checking the science behind the issues. My motivation for writing this letter was to encourage Maine citizens to support the renewable energy initiative and to protect Maine’s environment.

Michael J. Mayhew

Boothbay Harbor

Maine hospital expansions outpace capacity demands

The need for services are down, revenues are falling and the outlook for the future is not promising. MaineGeneral officials find these are no reasons to stop the construction of a third-of-a-billion-dollar hospital.

The business model of health care delivery is unlike any other business. If this were a for-profit business, the CEO would be fired by the board of directors or the company’s shareholders for proceeding with a business plan under such conditions.

Recent expansions of the new birthing center and Barbara Bush Pediatric Center have more capacity than demand.

The question that needs to be asked: Are there too many hospitals and too much capacity for such a rural state and do we really need to build more capacity in this health care environment.

This hospital, if built, whether it makes sense or not, will be paid for by taxpayers and employers paying for health insurance for their employees. Is this the best use of our money?

Robert P. Lynch, D.C.

Lynch Chiropractic Arts Center

South Portland

Sanford project will make spring warmer for students

Although we are still in the midst of another Maine winter, I wish to inform your readers of an event that will make the spring much warmer and enjoyable for many high school girls in the Sanford area. The Sanford Prom Project is an event that I took part in last year and will attend once again on March 24. This project relies on generous Mainers to donate used or new prom dresses for girls who may not be able to afford their own and therefore could go without the prom experience.

Last year I was lucky enough to take part in this wonderful event, and it was truly rewarding to see the smiles of more than 50 girls who walked away with beautiful dresses and the confidence to join their classmates at the prom. Prom is one of those seminal events in our children’s lives that should be looked back on with fondness, and the people running the Sanford Prom Project are ensuring that future generations have the same experience.

I hope that your readers will dig through their closets and donate dresses to a cause that will help girls build lifelong memories. We are all entitled to a prom worthy of the movies, and this project does its part in making that dream come true.

If you would like to donate used or new dresses to the Sanford Prom Project, please feel free to email me at dylan.ney@gmail.com. Do your part in making this project an even bigger success than it was last year.

Dylan Ney

Portland