Once again, I must take issue with M.D. Harmon and his July 27 column titled “Comments from the past hold true in the present.”

Perhaps he is unaware of the emotional conflict that can arise from seriously believing in the values engendered by the Boy Scouts of America.

When Mark Rudd, leader of the Students for a Democratic Society, organized a sit-in at Columbia University in 1968, a reporter asked him if he belonged to any subversive organization.

His reply was in the affirmative.

He noted that he was a member of the Boy Scouts of America.

He tried to continue by saying that a Boy Scout was trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.

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He tried to say the war in Vietnam created an America that was the opposite of those values.

In my opinion, this is as true today as it was then.

The war on terror has again reinforced the opposite values of the Boy Scouts of America.

Mr. Harmon needs to be aware that another Boy Scout may take the values offered by the BSA as seriously as Mark Rudd did.

As for the issue of homosexuality, the BSA organization cannot officially take any other position on homosexuality. The lawsuits would be overwhelming and the BSA would go broke.

Since homosexuality occurs in the larger society, the BSA cannot immunize itself from homosexual males being in its organization.

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Therefore, its policy appears to be the standard, “Don’t ask, don’t tell.”

By the way, Lord Robert Baden-Powell took Genesis 38:9 out of context.

Herbert W. Twiddy

Yarmouth

National group doesn’t understand local business

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce ran a series of ads recently that highlighted a major issue facing Maine: nameless, faceless out-of-state money spent trying to influence our elections.

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National, partisan organizations such as the U.S. Chamber do not represent the interests of Maine businesses like mine, nor do they understand the challenges that our local businesses face.

As governor, Angus King demonstrated that he was pro-business by making important investments in bringing new technologies to Maine and encouraging trade.

He founded the Maine Technology Institute and the Maine International Trade Center, which helped spur the development of technological advances and increased international trade.

He also increased the annual tourism budget from $1.5 million to $6 million, helping to promote our beautiful state and to make Maine an even more popular vacation destination.

Angus’ record shows that he supported business in Maine — a mentality that he will bring to Washington when he is elected on Nov. 6.

Maine voters will not be fooled by corrupting outside interests trying to poison our politics and tell us how to vote.

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Mainers, after all, are just like Angus: independent.

Timothy M. Concannon

Westbrook

Who’s to blame for deaths because of poor health care?

According to a 2009 study by the American Journal of Public Health, about 11,000 people a year die needlessly and prematurely simply because they do not have health insurance and, therefore, do not get medical care when they need it.

This was based on an estimated 49 million people who did not have insurance that year.

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If many legislators and Maine’s governor are successful in cutting 27,000 people from MaineCare, that means that, on average, five to six people will die needlessly in the coming year and each year these cuts are in effect.

Of course, many more will also have poorer health and suffer more, even if they don’t die.

So, who is responsible for those deaths?

The governor? The Legislature?

Should they be prosecuted for “manslaughter”?

Larry Dansinger

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Monroe

Maine GOP abandons those who helped it regain power

Over the last several months, we have watched the Maine GOP fracture to the utter detriment of the party. What is lost upon those in control is that they alienated thousands of us “other Republicans” (also known as “Nazis,” “Paulistas,” “kooks”) to the point where most of us will never again support the party with the kind of money, effort and votes we so eagerly donated when we took Maine back from the Democrats after decades.

The state GOP mucky-mucks violently insulted, marginalized and attempted to degrade their fellow Republicans. The continuing disrespect and intolerance shown toward thousands of us is obnoxious and anti-American.

They still cling tenaciously to Charlie Webster, even though he and his bullying cronies managed to inflict utter ruination on our party with dirty tricks, intimidation tactics, name calling and buck passing. He deserves no better than to sit in Tampa on the convention floor all alone.

Our governor, to his credit, spoke up and defended those of us who dared support a candidate other than the one picked for us by the state GOP gang. Perhaps he alone understands that this is the way things work in a free and open society, that we have more than one choice and we are allowed to pick the candidates we want to represent us.

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It ain’t China, or North Vietnam or Nicaragua or Libya or Lower Calumberthumpia, it is the USA, and here we are allowed choices!

Let’s hope that the governor keeps his word and stands firm in this convention matter. After all, many of us helped put him in office (along with the other turncoat ingrates who knifed us “kooks” in the back). This is the true test of our governor’s convictions.

Linda Schaiberg

Dennysville


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