Teel off the mark on Brunswick student protest criticism
On June 8, The Times Record ran a story about the Brunswick Junior High School student walk-out protesting in-school gun violence against children (“Uvalde school massacre prompts Brunswick Junior High gun violence protest”). A Republican candidate for the Maine Senate, Brogan Teel, claimed the event was political and organized by a “partisan progressive group,” and not a “good look” for Brunswick. Can we talk?
If the walk-out was political, it was legitimately so. It was a protest to encourage legislative change regarding guns, a peaceable assembly protected under the First Amendment. The school administration did not sponsor or organize the walk-out; students were the driving force. The administrators attended to assure student safety.
If I’m an eighth-grader and I hear/read about Uvalde (or Columbine or Sandy Hook or Parkland or…), where students are gunned down in schools, I can’t help but be partisan — an adherent to the cause of preventing further such events. To be otherwise would ignore the undeniable reality in this country.
In the current political environment, the term “progressive” has lost its meaning. For some Republicans, any politician to the left of Attila the Hun qualifies. That students, an at-risk population, desire a change in current gun laws (which facilitate mass shootings) seems pretty middle-of-the-road to me.
If the Republican Teel supports the currrent interpretation of the (ambiguous) 2nd Amendment, she supports the status quo which enables these atrocities. I don’t think she belongs in the Maine Senate. And if she is enraged by peaceable protest organized by eighth-graders, she needs to read the Constitution with all of its Amendments.
Steven Zimmerman
Topsham
Action needed to curb gun deaths in America
I was appalled to read of Mr. Teel’s remarks that demonstrating for an end to gun violence is a “partisan” issue (“Uvalde school massacre prompts Brunswick Junior High gun violence protest”). Since when is wanting to be safe, to live without fear, “partisan”? I applaud these students for speaking up, as we adults have basically done nothing to curb the epidemic of gun violence and mass shootings we have in this country. Gun violence is the No. 1 cause of death for American children and teens with more than 4,300 killed with guns every year. A total of 40,620 people are killed by gun violence in an average year — a shocking average of 110 people every day. Americans are 26 times more likely to be killed by guns than those from other high-income countries.
We need thoughts and prayers but we also need action. Let’s try some actions and see how they help. Let’s ban assault rifles and high-capacity magazines, increase the age to buy a gun, enhance background checks, and institute “red flag” laws on the federal level. We should also ask the CDC to research gun violence and its causes and possible solutions, and fully fund that effort. Doing nothing in the face of all this violence is immoral. Putting limits on gun ownership does not mean everyone’s gun will be taken away — far from it. But some use this idea to reject any laws on gun ownership and offer no solutions to the problem.
We also need to address what is behind this epidemic. There are many causes that need to be looked at so we can figure out how to help. Many of the mass shootings are linked to young men radicalized by the white power/white supremacy movement. Listening to some of the spokesmen for these groups makes me feel sick and frightened, especially for any person of color and our children, as well as anyone who might cross them. For some of our politicians to say the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol was just legitimate political discourse and should be forgotten is encouraging this violence. We need to act to save lives! Together!
Nancy Marstaller,
Harpswell
Agreed: Conservative voices needed
I enthusiastically applaud Tricia Smith’s recent letter to the editor, “Times Record needs more conservative voices” (June 7).
Yes, more conservative voices, but also more just middle of the road types of opinions, neither liberal nor conservative.
I love the local coverage, and that’s why I buy the paper. During the Trump administration, we saw four years of anti-Trump political cartoons, day after day after day.
Take a look around at what else is going on in the world besides what left-leaning liberals are saying.
Paula McKenney,
Woolwich
An important article on fake news
Thursday’s edition featured an outstanding article in the BoomerTech Adventures column regarding the need for diligence with regard to news and facts (“Due diligence and dealing with online fake news and bias,” June 7). It listed a variety of sites that can be utilized for checking facts as well as our wonderful local library resources for spotting fake news. Given the amount of fake news perpetrated by friends who are trying to either enlighten or alarm me, it is wonderful to have resources to double-check info. This is one article that should not be buried on the bottom of the last page of the last section of the newspaper. It is a well-written and informative article on resources for people to use to do fact-checking, especially in light of the frequent perpetuation of incorrect “fake” news.
Darlene Breton,
Brunswick
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