Debate debacle
What we saw on CNN last Thursday was not a debate. It was a travesty, a grotesque imitation with intent to ridicule. It was never meant to be a grown-up conversation structured to enlighten us 60 million viewers about how the candidates would govern in a second term.
Trump shamelessly spewed 602 lies in 40 minutes — that’s a lie every 3.9 seconds. The CNN fact checker couldn’t keep up with him and neither of the CNN moderators challenged anything he said, though little that he said had any connection to the real world.
His rhetorical assault is known as a “Gish gallop” — a gaslighting technique used by conmen and domestic abusers to make coherent debate impossible. There is no known defense, and it is rarely seen in public because only sociopaths use it.
Trump called America a “hellscape,” the worst country in the world, and has already told us his plan for a second term: dismantling of the government as we know it, vindictive retribution against those who disagree with him, deportation of millions of hard-working immigrants, destruction of reproductive health care for women, climate degradation, chaos and mayhem. He will be dictator on day one.
How can we even imagine such a man as president again?
Trump is the candidate who must be called to step down.
Susan Goodwillie Stedman,
Westport Island
Trouble in Wiscasset schools
I am writing on behalf of the Concerned Parents and f Wiscasset. As a group, we have been in contact and are very concerned of the state of our schools currently. The transparency, communication from the school board, even at meetings, is contentious at best.
We do not believe that the school is following all of the procedures, policies, legal actions, following hiring practices and extension of administrative contracts. As a group, we will be filing a freedom of access request for all evaluative tools that were used for the extension of the superintendent behind closed doors.
We do not believe that the performance of the superintendent, principal warrant any extensions or pay raises. We would absolutely like to evaluate the evaluative tools that were used by the Wiscasset School Board. As a parent group, we do not believe that the current state of the schools, provide safety to the levels that we demand, especially when you lose children during fire drills at Wiscasset Elementary School. (Parents of that child should be upset, as they are!)
The lack of organized, academic standards and proficiency are lacking. How can anyone justify extending contracts for people/employees/leadership that are not up to par. The committee also has a lot of issues with the way that the school board, especially the chair, treat community members when they have questions! Apparently some of the Wiscasset-elected school board forgot what a Democratic Republic is, and how it works. We are informing the school board and potentially the future of Wiscasset schools that we are totally dissatisfied. The freedom of access Freedom of Access Act (FOAA) request will be placed in next week. We love this community, but do not believe that our voices are being heard.
When our children are forced to stay in a school system, that is not providing what we need as a community. It’s not the time to extend the failed leadership. We feel it’s time for a change. Why should we pay taxes to a system that many parents wish to remove their students from?
Concerned Parents of Wiscasset
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