Trump/Pence signs stand for hate, fear
A man was seen passing out Trump/ Pence 2020 political yard signs at a park-and-ride just off the interstate a few weeks ago. Now they can be found littered across rural portions of Midcoast Maine.
May every Trump/ Pence 2020 sign serve as a sobering reminder that we enthusiastically vote Trump out of office on Nov. 3.
I am all for political expression during election season, but these signs, curiously erected five months prior to election day, represent something altogether different.
These are symbols of hate and fear, appearing precisely as millions grieve following the murder of George Floyd and over 110,000 Americans losing their lives from COVID-19. It puzzles me that any of the good people in and around my town would make a conscious choice to display such a hateful symbol to their community.
Instead of addressing national crises with policies aimed at addressing systemic racism and saving lives, the president signed an executive order to protect Civil War-era statues of those who defended slavery. Instead of working to preserve lives and protect families during a global pandemic, the president ridicules mask-wearing and decries the crucial testing measures that help us battle COVID-19.
Meanwhile, the Trump/Pence campaign distributes signs and flags that say “Make Liberals Cry Again,” and they share media that suggest “The only good Democrat is a dead Democrat.” These are useless messages aimed only at spreading hate and division.
Perhaps the guy at the park-and-ride convinced some people otherwise. We certainly have the right to put anything we like in our yards. But make no mistake. A Trump/ Pence sign displayed five months before election day does not stand for patriotism or policy; it is a symbol of hate, fear, ignorance and division in America.
James Gale,
Bowdoinham
Vote Hepler
I am gratified that voters in my town of Arrowsic have two strong candidates that they can support to represent them in Augusta. Both Senator Eloise Vitelli and Representative Allison Heppler have served our interests so well since they were first elected. Senator Vitelli has spearheaded two bills of particular importance to us. One has made prescription drug pricing more transparent. The other is the bill that will allow Arrowsic to build a broadband system without paying extra to add the wires to poles. She has also been very effective in conveying important information from Augusta. Representative Heppler has been extremely responsive to questions and concerns from constituents and has also been a strong advocate for those working on our waterfronts. During this pandemic, both have been amazingly supportive of some of the crises many of us have been dealing with. The information they are able to distribute in an accessible form has been helpful for all. But there is more work to be done and more challenges to be met. If elected, these two people will continue to work hard for all of us.
Sukey Heard,
Arrowsic
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