Give more consideration to people experiencing homelessness

It seems there is delight with giving money, funding to those people/groups who are monetarily comfortable and even well to do.

We feel good about donating money to nonprofits that might be extremely wealthy. Maybe we can even deduct our contributions from income taxes.

We delight in our interactions with some people we grant a celebrity status to who are more image than substance.

Homeless people are still ignored for the most part. Homeless people don’t appeal to our egos, our minimalist ideas about success. Homeless people might not wear trendy clothes, might not be shaven every day, might not have much to say, might not smile often.

It is not the responsibility of the homeless to entertain us or appease us in any way! There are wars happening in a number of countries simultaneously. Many people are saying we are in WWIII, including the people “on the ground”! There is too much suffering, too much barbaric behavior, too many bombs!

We continuously look for approaches to increase revenues, profits. We look anywhere for new products to sell to increase market presence and profits. Products that have no value whatsoever for improving all life on this planet! Corporations’ only concern is appeasing their stock investors.

Where is our search for humanity, for becoming fully conscious of our present existence, our social (or anti-social) condition?

We need food, water, shelter, the need to occasionally communicate with others, have time to explore and appreciate our natural environment, our eco-systems, which we are only one part of, to express love and compassion, to share ideas.

Perhaps we have lost our humanity completely and can only focus on superficial, even artificial things, ideas that provide no real life substance … but provides monetary profits for those who look at life through a drinking straw … and there are many!

The homeless people in this region should be given more attention, more consideration, much more! Are we all homeless in a society built upon material wealth only … and while we receive only an occasional glimpse of our social condition?

Silence is not the answer.

Joe Ciarrocca,
Brunswick

An open letter to Sen. Collins

Dear Sen. Collins:

It was truly upsetting to me to find out that President Trump has pardoned 1,500 people who were involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot in the Capitol building. It is especially galling that the organizers and ringleaders of this event, who have been convicted of seditious conspiracy and violent attacks on federal police officers, will be not only freed from jail but probably honored by the MAGA community.

To call these people “hostages” dishonors the many people from the U.S. and other countries who have been and still are being held by hostile foreign governments, as well as over 150 Israeli citizens kidnapped and held hostage by Hamas. I find these pardons by Donald Trump insulting and unforgivable. This act is a stain on the honor of the United States.

It would be appropriate for you to write a resolution to put before the Senate condemning this action. I think it is time for you and other honorable and decent Republicans to have the courage to stand up and object to this kind of travesty.

With respect,

Kevin Twine,
Bowdoinham

Asylum-seekers a plus for Maine

In response to Rep. Soboleski’s opinion (Portland Press Herald, Jan. 18), I am puzzled by his use of the words “catastrophic damage” to describe the effects of the immigration system in Maine. To me, catastrophic damage brings to mind the severe coastal storm we had two Decembers ago, destroying billions of dollars of the infrastructure our fishermen rely on for their livelihoods; the intense storm damage in North Carolina that wiped out entire towns and the roads to access them; the wildfires in Los Angeles destroying thousands of homes, including every school building, grocery store and library in the fire perimeter. This catastrophic damage, now adding up to over 100 billion dollars in the past two years and clearly caused by the global climate disaster we have created, seems to be mostly drowned out by the all-consuming focus on getting rid of these “terrible immigrants.”

I am not denying that the flux of asylum-seekers here has not put a temporary strain on many state and local programs, including school systems, General Assistance and other safety net programs designed to help people to get back on their feet. This of course affects all of us as taxpayers. I believe the breakdown of costs was around $80 per year for each taxpayer in the state.

I wonder if Rep. Soboleski has ever even met a person who is an asylum-seeker in his home town of Phillips? I think it may be enlightening for him to reach out and listen to their story. I have made friends with a local family of asylum-seekers in my town. They are legal immigrants, having filed all appropriate documentation with the USCIS. The parents both work full time, pay taxes, go to church and support their kids, like many other families in town. They also volunteer at our local food bank on their days off, sorting and packing food for Mainers in need. They do not drink, smoke or take/sell drugs. They look forward to giving back to their community that helped them get on their feet, while they were waiting for their work permit.

In the end, my friends who are asylum-seekers are simply open-hearted human beings, grateful for the temporary help they have received, who may end up making a positive contribution to our town.

Tina L. Phillips,
Brunswick

Trump betrays 14th Amendment

The first sentence of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside.”

Donald Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship is a cruel and unconstitutional assault on our democracy. Yet our senators and representatives have refused to take a stand. Their silence is a betrayal of the 14th Amendment and the fundamental rights it guarantees to every child born in this country.

This is a moment that demands courage and clarity. Will our elected senators and representatives defend the Constitution or will they stand by as newborns and immigrant families are targeted by this un-American policy? Our community and country deserves leaders who will fight for justice and equality.

We demand that our elected officials start listening to the constituents of their districts. As citizens of the United States, we implore that you stop this assault on families trying to make a safe and new life in this country. They are seeking safety and a livelihood here as the Constitution promises.

This president does not have the ability to change the Constitution! We do not accept corruption and the violence that he is exhibiting. Please pay attention, do your job, defend the Constitution and the people of this great country.

It’s time to stop the chaos and elect officials who will stand up with the law and order of the Constitution of the United States.

Rhonda Clark,
Harpswell