Maine news, sports, weather from Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland, Maine

July 1, 2012

Letters to the editor, July 1, 2012:
Reflecting on the Founders' ideals

Ahh, summertime, and with the season also comes the July Fourth holiday, when we celebrate America's independence and everything good about the greatest nation ever. America may have many faults, but I'd stack the land that I love up against any other nation in the world.

As summer is short in Maine, it is also a busy time of year squeezing in as many non-wintertime projects, ball games, vacations and outdoor recreational activities as possible. With the Independence Day holiday come myriad festivities, all to be crammed into an already hectic schedule.

I would like to ask everyone to take the time during the barbecues, fireworks and parades to honor the sacrifices made by so many by respectfully standing when our American flag passes gallantly by and even say a little prayer thanking Almighty God for America's many blessings.

Dave Ricker

Wiscasset

Mainers will soon join all other Americans in celebrating the birth of the United States on the Fourth of July.

In 1776, the Founding Fathers felt compelled to explain to mankind the "causes" that impelled them toward their separation from England. They maintained that not only are all men created equal but they were also "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Unfortunately for many in this country, the fight for these "unalienable rights" didn't end with U.S. independence. It took almost 200 years for blacks to enjoy all of those rights, and that was only after a Civil War in the 19th century, civil rights marches in the 1960s and the passage of the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments to the Constitution and the Civil Rights Act.

For women, it took the suffragettes of the early 20th century and the subsequent passage of the 19th Amendment for them to enjoy full citizenship and all their "unalienable rights."

Now another group of Americans is asking us to fulfill the promises of the Declaration of Independence. Same-sex couples want to fully participate in the joys and benefits associated with a legally recognized marriage, thus allowing them to pursue their happiness to the same degree as everyone else.

Please do not let the ideals of July 4 be forgotten at the ballot box in November.

Gerry Langlois

Old Orchard Beach

Nemitz should write about human interest, not politics

Bill Nemitz does a great job bringing human interest stories to our attention. The stories are interesting, sometimes quite meaningful and the writing is just great. But when it comes to politics, not so good, never has been.

In the June 17 Maine Sunday Telegram ("Summers has two hats in this election"), Mr. Nemitz really crossed the line. He imagined a very unlikely scenario of a Maine U.S. Senate race recount between Charlie Summers and Angus King.

Because Mr. Summers is secretary of state and, therefore, would become involved in a recount, Mr. Nemitz wants us all to assume Mr. Summers would do something wrong in this scenario. Bottom line, Mr. Nemitz used this unlikely scenario to denigrate Charlie Summers by innuendo.

The goal was to leave us with the hanging pre-indictment of Mr. Summers long before anything real has happened. In the end, Mr. Nemitz has indicted himself, again, as an extraordinarily closed observer of politics.

There is no doubt in my mind that Mr. Summers would step out of a conflict of interest in his role as secretary of state involving a recount. He would do the right thing in the unlikely scenario Mr. Nemitz uses to advance his cynical political twists.

(Continued on page 2)

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