Maine is Lagging in Solar Support

I was disappointed to hear of Gov. LePage’s latest attack on the Natural Resource Council of Maine.

His attempt to delegitimize the jobs that could be created and sustained by expanding the solar industry in this state was particularly disturbing. He has already attempted to slow the adoption of solar power sources by vetoing an important bill that would have made solar more available to small producers. By doing this he stopped possible job growth and may well have caused existing jobs in solar power to be lost. All the while advocating for more job opportunities.

As it stands, the solar industry currently employs more Americans than the coal industry. Maine is the only state in the region that does not have a legislative support system in place for the solar industry, and we are lagging behind because of this.

It is essential that Gov. LePage take action to transition towards renewable energy sources and to comply with the Clean Power Plan. This will limit carbon emissions from power plants, which contribute more carbon pollution than any other source currently. Gov. LePage needs to make a plan to comply with this mandate when it rolls out, or Maine will continue to be left behind.

Helping Maine transition away from harmful and outdated energy is the necessary next step in preventing the worst effects of global warming.

Gwyneth Roberts,

Cape Elizabeth

Correcting the Record About Ranked Choice Voting

Gordon Weil is a respected Democrat with a record of public service for which he should be proud. However, in a recent column,

Mr. Weil made claims about ranked choice voting that are simply not true. Perhaps he misunderstands how ranked choice voting works. Allow me to clear up three incorrect assertions from his column:

1. Mr. Weil claims that candidates who receive no first choice rankings can win. Not possible. A candidate who receives no first choices would be defeated in the first round. Here’s how ranked choice voting works: if no candidate receives an outright majority in the first round, the candidate with the fewest first choice rankings is defeated, and voters who liked that candidate best have their ballots cast for their second choices. This process repeats until the candidate with the most votes in the final round is elected by a majority of voters. It’s that simple and straightforward.

2. Mr. Weil claims that ranked choice voting might lead to the system being gamed. Not true. Strategic voting doesn’t work under ranked choice voting. Voters can rank the candidates they like best without worrying that they will help elect the candidate they like the least. With ranked choice voting, there would be no more “spoiler” effect. In contrast, the system we have now is full of opportunities for vote-splitting and the need for strategic voting. Ranked choice voting puts more power in the hands of voters and makes politicians, parties, and PACs think twice before running negative campaigns that could alienate voters and cost them the majority coalition needed to win a ranked choice election. This reform is a very real solution to very real problems.

3. Mr. Weil claims that this is a partisan response to a particular election. Wrong. In 9 of the last 11 elections for Maine’s governor, candidates were elected by less than half of voters: 2 Democrats, 2 Republicans, and 2 Independents. The first ranked choice voting bill was introduced in the Maine Legislature in 2001. Ranked choice voting has been endorsed by leaders of all political persuasions, and 73,000 Maine Republicans, Democrats, Greens, Libertarians, and unaffiliated voters signed petitions circulated by volunteers to put this simple, common sense, and nonpartisan reform on the November ballot.

Increasing hyper-partisanship, gridlock, and negativity in politics show us that we need to change the way we elect our leaders. In 2008, members of the nonpartisan League of Women Voters of Maine began to study and discuss election methods that might improve campaigning and governing in Maine. Our members reached consensus that ranked choice voting held the best promise for giving voters what they deserve: more choice, more power, and a government of, by, and for the people with leaders elected by a majority of voters. We’ll be better off as a state if the majority of voters elect our leaders.

This is about our right to determine how democracy works. I urge voters to learn more and join us for a better democracy.

Ann Luther,

League of Women Voters of

Maine,

Trenton

Fear and Pride in Portland

As a gay person, I have been to many Pride events and have marched many times, including way back in the first one in Portland, many years ago. This past Saturday was the first time I went, not with the intentions to march, but to watch and soak in the Pride community, after the terrible, hateful massacre of 49 people at the gay bar in Orlando .

A good friend and I went together, and we got to Deering Oaks well before parade time. It was wonderful waking around, seeing old friends, shopping, meeting new folks and just generally feeling “The Pride.” Finally we heard the parade coming and walked out to the curb with hundreds and hundreds of others, to watch. It was fantastic and lasted over an hour. It was so great to see so much support, especially from our allies. But, my story isn’t just about the parade. About half way through the parade, during a lull between groups, I looked around and then up. On the building across the street — at least three stories high — was a lone person, looking down over the edge. In the past, when marching, I have noticed folks on roofs and thought. What a great viewing spot. You can see everything, and you can see just how big and glorious it all is. I thought what fun and how empowering it must be to view all this in one big picture.

But this past saturday it was different. I nudged my friend and pointed to the roof and we both had the same reaction of unease! We watched him for several minutes, wanting to be sure he didn’t have a gun! That’s something I have never really checked for in the past, or at least not for many, many years. We kept checking back up at him and finally saw another head pop up, and both of them leaned over with cameras to take pictures. We both gave a relaxed breath and went back to enjoying the parade. However, occasionally, we would both look up for an instant, just to check. I had thought the deep, long ingrained feeling of fear, about being gay, had been left in the past, but, I was wrong.

With that said, I want to thank my many straight friends and strangers, for giving me, an also deep seated, feeling of total acceptance, love and support. Indeed, we are all in this together.

Kathy E. Wilson,

Brunswick

I, Too, was Arrested for Peace

Two of the 12 people that protested the christening of USS Monsoor, Connie Jenkins and R. Brown Letham, are glad to have been arrested in the name of peace. I too was arrested while serving on a peace mission. I too am glad to speak out.

Following the first gulf war, I made two six-month deployments to the Mediterranean region. From there many of my detachments were to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to fly embargo missions in the Red Sea. The peaceful goal was to prevent ships from delivering ammonia and other items to Jordan which could be trucked to Iraq as ingredients for weapons of mass destruction.

After a flight one day, during Saudi’s National Traffic Safety Week, I was flagged down while making a long winding turn passing through a yellow light. I was arrested for running a red light and brought to jail. While there, I spoke with several traditional Saudi Arabian men, who were also arrested for traffic violations. Once they learned that I was an American pilot, they thanked me and our country for standing up to the real evil that pervades our world.

In light of the letters of the two protestors, it troubles me how people can be so one-sided when talking about peace and freedom. They conjure up a notion-a culture of fear and war. They exaggerate their statistics. Yet, there are legitimate and real problems in the world like those posed by the governments of China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran to name a few.

How do these people think their freedom is protected? Are they not aware of the real evil portrayed by ISIS? If left unchecked, ISIS would harm these 12 protestors, and sink the DD 1001 on the same occasion. As Americans we need to come together and compromise. Once the facts are straight, we will be able to focus on true evil.

Todd Kousky,

Brunswick