A comment by a spokesman for Cumberland Police Department in the April 23 story “Cumberland-Portland firefighter’s trial expected in May” is particularly worrisome: “… Police are hopeful, though not confident, that the alleged victims will not be asked to testify.” The right to a trial by jury of one’s peers, guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment, […]

The reporter wanted to know how Mark Benjamin persuaded the mother of slain Pfc. Albert Nelson to talk. Within seconds, Benjamin, a writer for Salon.com, is borrowing a pen. He snatches a handout from the May 1 investigative reporting conference in Boston. He scribbles a crude map of the 2006 U.S. Army operation in Ramadi, […]

Edgar Allen Beem wrote “Maine Citizens against Handgun Violence brought Tom Mauser to Maine to testify on behalf of LD 814. Mauser’s son Daniel was killed in the 1999 Columbine school massacre by a student wielding a gun purchased legally at a gun show, so if he couldn’t persuade the Maine legislators, I’m sure I […]

Where is the American Civil Liberties Union when you really need them? It is outrageous that the city of South Portland is endorsing the stopping of law-abiding citizens who are walking their dogs on Willard Beach and requiring them to demonstrate voice control of their pets. Next they’ll be scouring the beach for people of […]

Gay marriage is obviously a divisive issue. Witness the thousands of folks who turned out at the Augusta Civic Center to speak for and against the marriage equity bill currently before the state Legislature. Gay marriage is not, however, a religious issue. It’s a civil rights issue. The sooner some churches understand this, the better […]

The media are full of stories about the threat that the swine/Mexican/H1N1 virus poses to our health, our economy, our country and the world. In The Washington Post, Gene Robinson writes that swine flu is a bigger threat than Islamic terrorism. And, in terms of the statistics, he has a point. According to the Centers […]

While a tiny bit is better than nothing (density bonus, LEEDS compliance), those pathetic crumbs are inadequate chicken feed compared to the massive zoning reform Bath desperately needs if it hopes to meet challenges of the 21st century as well as its own stated goals (spelled out in the Comprehensive Plan of 2009). The Brookings […]

Is there not a moral issue in the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority applying for $500,000 in public funding for a private company such as Oxford Aviation? Has anyone looked into the environmental impact of Boeing 737s coming and going over our heads? Does Oxford Aviation care that hundreds of us have lovely, quiet homes adjacent […]

Cumberland’s Main Street is one of the few remaining residential Main Streets in the greater Portland area. Shoehorning a two bay, drive-through bank on an undersized lot in the middle of this residential zone is a significant change in character from which there is no return. Think Gorham Center, with a proposed bypass now sorely […]