Last week, Here’s Something featured the first of two columns exploring 10 foundational truths about President Trump. This week’s column concludes the series with six additional truths: The fifth truth about Trump relates to the coronavirus pandemic and his reaction to it, namely that his reaction wasn’t perfect, but it was better than the Democrats’. […]
Forecaster Opinion
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: The idea at the heart of our nation is getting lost
Hang around folks who study governance long enough and you will undoubtedly encounter the debate over whether our nation is a democracy or a republic. I often find myself hesitating before using either term, knowing that somewhere out there, lurking in the shadows ready to pounce, is an individual who feels strongly about it and […]
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Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Life Unwound: Voting is a right, a privilege, an honor and a duty
My grandmothers told me they were thrilled when women were granted the right to vote. My mother’s mother said, “Women unable to vote made no sense to me. It is such a privilege, so important. I would never miss it.” My father’s mother said, “I cried the first time I voted. We matter. You’ll see.” […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Superintendent’s Notebook: Portland Public Schools grateful for our school nurses
I was thrilled this month when Talbot Community School teacher Cindy Soule was selected as Maine’s 2021 Teacher of the Year. I wasn’t surprised, however, that a Portland Public Schools educator won such an honor because we have so many exemplary staff members. The people goal in our Portland Promise commits us to attracting and […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Here’s Something: Truths about Trump, part I
I have a little confession to make. I didn’t vote for President Trump in 2016. Yep, this conservative columnist who defends Trump didn’t even vote for the guy for whom he willingly and routinely goes out on a limb. (I didn’t vote for Hillary Clinton, either. I wrote in Mike Pence’s name, because, simply put, […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: Happy, belated, Indigenous Peoples Day
Maine officially adopted Indigenous Peoples Day, celebrated this past Monday, in April of last year. Brunswick was even earlier, making the change from Columbus Day back in 2017 (along with several other Maine towns), though the United Nations beat us all to it back in 1977. This is a good thing. Italian culture has given […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Guest column: The vote of my life
I became a naturalized U.S citizen on Jan. 17, 2020, just as the United States was starting off its election year. I have lived in three countries in my life. One is Somalia, my native country. Two is Kenya, where I escaped to safety, and third is the United States after winning the Green Card […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Over Easy: Just because you can say it doesn’t mean you should
I was saddened recently to see an offensive bumper sticker on a truck with a Maine license plate in our local community. Sad because I know that once a cultural shift occurs, things don’t revert back any time soon. In other words, so-called “progress” only moves in one direction. You can’t go back to the […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Forum: Improving racial equity in Maine
Racism in America has been around for generations. Since the murder of George Floyd a spotlight has again been shown on this grave fact. To undo hundreds of years of racial injustice, we first have to acknowledge there are some structural issues that have to be addressed. It’s sometimes hard to see the structural issues […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Superintendent’s Notebook: Civil discourse
Election Day is quickly approaching. In a little over a month, the elections will be behind us. I watched with millions of others the recent presidential debate with dismay and embarrassment, not only for the two candidates, but for our country. What has happened to us as a society and to the civil discourse that […]