The “centuries-old pandemic,” as I have heard racism described, is killing us. All of us. I had decided to use my column this week to give space, not to my thoughts, but to the words of people of color who are acting in the now because in working with the Wabanaki communities, I learned that […]
Forecaster Opinion
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Here’s Something: Protesters wrong to call for Jennings’ ouster
Protests calling for change in how Maine and other states police the black community took a surprising and disturbing turn last week as protesters in Portland turned their ire toward the widely respected city manager. Portland Mayor Kate Snyder and other members of the Portland City Council came to the defense of City Manager Jon […]
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Posted inForecaster Opinion
The Universal Notebook: Who was that unmasked man?
This pandemic is twisting us all into ethical knots, one of the knottiest of which is whether and when to wear a face mask. Masks have come to symbolize the partisan divide in this sick society of ours. One day last week, I stood in line at Home Depot in Topsham. The majority of the […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Over Easy: Virtual graduation speech to the virtual class of 2020
Dear graduates, You will be the first graduating into a world of face masks and gloves and the end of trust between the government and the people. Off to a good start, you may think. And I hate to be the one to pull your face mask off, but here’s the real scoop: None of […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Letter: SoPo resident urges air quality monitoring
As a resident of South Portland, a parent of an elementary school child and a home care provider in South Portland, I want to express my support and appreciation for every effort the Department of Environmental Protection is making to end the dangerous pollution that the people in our community are exposed to. I am […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Letter: Maine senators shouldn’t support ‘heroes’ bailout
One trillion. A thousand billion. Ten thousand million. An almost incomprehensible number. Light travels at 186,000 miles per second or 5.88 trillion miles in a year. To analogize with money, you would have to spend $186,000 per second to burn through $5.88 trillion in a year. But our government is poised to do just that. […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Letter: Scarborough taxpayers have a right to know about pay increases
The Scarborough school budget this year has built-in secret pay increases for teaching staff. First, there is a lump sum payment to teachers for the retroactive payments they would have earned if their contract had been settled last August, when the previous contract expired. Next, in addition to that pay increase, which gets built into […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Letter: Carney is the right choice for Maine Senate
As director of a statewide labor union organization and strong advocate for working families, I write to share my unequivocal support for Anne Carney for state Senate. Some of my time is spent in Augusta fighting for working women and men, and Anne has consistently been by our side as a leader on issues such […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Letter: SoPo air quality still a vital issue
At a time when we are all so profoundly aware of our health, it is extremely important to remember that even in our South Portland yards and homes we are at risk every day. The air we breathe constantly in our neighborhoods has chemicals that can be damaging to the health of our community. Our […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Letter: Balentine needs to see plastic is a real problem
Your columnist John Balentine has recently written in dismay about how liberals are telling us lies about plastic (“Pandemic exposing liberal lies, Part I,” May 14). He would consider to be a lie National Geographic’s article called “Plastic Apocalypse,” which describes and photographs the Pacific Ocean’s Plastic Garbage Patch, which is the size of the […]