SCARBOROUGH – Each month a group of people gathers at the Scarborough Public Library to discuss the hot topics of the day in a controlled, non-judgmental environment.

The facilitator for the discussion series, dubbed “Let’s Talk America,” is Robert “Sam” Kelley, who has lived in town for nearly 40 years.

Kelley grew up in Portland and attended Cheverus High School. After graduation he joined the U.S. Army and now runs a business that offers used semi-trailers for sale.

He first began a local Let’s Talk America group about 12 years ago, when there was a national movement designed to bring people together on a regular basis to discuss the headlines of the day in a setting where no interruptions are allowed.

Kelley founded that initial group with two others and the discussion series was held at the Portland Public Library. But in 2006 the group wound down.

However, Kelley missed it and in 2008 asked the Scarborough Public Library if he could re-start the discussion series.

“The Scarborough library opened their arms to us and gave us the use of their meeting rooms,” he said.

This week, Kelley spoke with the Current about the discussion group, how it works and what he hopes people get out of participating.

Q: How do you decide on the monthly topics?

A: We try to pick subjects that are very important in the world-state-town at that time. In other words, we focus on the hot topics of the day. For instance, on Aug. 7 we’ll be talking about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the armed action now taking place in Gaza.

Q: Who generally turns out to take part? Do you have a core group?

A: We usually have between 12 and 15 in attendance any given month. But there are some 60 folks on our email list with about 30 or so who attend six or more sessions per year.

The folks who come to these sessions vary in age from teenagers to seniors. In fact, a couple months ago we had an exchange student at Cape Elizabeth High School, who is from Ukraine, come give us great insight into that country’s issues.

Q: What do you most enjoy about the discussion series?

A: I am a political junkie, so having the opportunity to sit down with others – Republicans, Democrats or independents – gives me the chance to hear viewpoints from many different perspectives in a civilized manner.

I think that’s what the participants also enjoy about our sessions. Overall, the goal is to make us all better-informed citizens, while also giving us the opportunity to air an opinion on the subject of the day and listen to other’s opinions, as well. For me, facilitating the discussion also ensures that I am going to do a fair amount of research.

Q: How does the discussion group work specifically?

A: At the start of the session everybody is given a few minutes to give their comments or opinions without interruption. After that, if someone wants to provide additional comment, the chairperson gives each participant a few minutes to ask questions or simply vent – all without any interruption. Everybody usually gets five to 10 minutes per session to talk.

Q: You’ve discussed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict before, so do you wish that you could email the solutions discussed to the leaders of Israel and Palestine?

A: We have talked about these issues before and no doubt those comments would probably still be very pertinent today. Unfortunately, I fear those leaders have probably heard the same thing many times over the years, but have chosen to ignore them because it does not meet their own agendas.

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A CLOSER LOOK

Let’s Talk America is a monthly discussion group held at the Scarborough Public Library on the first Thursday of the month, 6:30-8 p.m. The topic for Aug. 7 is the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Call Sam at 650-1814, or see the library website at www.scarboroughlibrary.org, for more information.

“Sam” Kelley