As a death-denying culture we tend to turn ourselves inside out linguistically to avoid the truth. The phrase “physician-assisted suicide” and even the far more innocuous “death with dignity” have been replaced in recent years with generic obfuscations of the sort embodied in LD 1270, “An Act Regarding Patient-Directed Care at the End of Life,” […]

To those of you graduating from high school this spring, here is some advice: When Maureen Stapleton won an Oscar in 1982, she immortalized her acceptance speech by stating that she wanted to thank everyone she’d ever met in her entire life. You should do that now. Thank every friend you ever had and every […]

Portland’s second mayoral election in almost a century is five months away and the only person who has announced their intention to run is a homeless, self-described revolutionary who admits he has no chance of winning. Is it any wonder that Mayor Michael Brennan chooses to lay low and rely on his inherent advantage as […]

Marian McCue’s Capitol Notebook column about physician-assisted suicide (“Lawmakers weigh ‘Death with Dignity’ bill”) did not provide balance to the subject. Moreover, the article was published in the same issue with a report about a parade marking the Memorial Day holiday, to tribute our veterans. Tragically, 22 veterans a day are dying as a result […]