Does it matter what we call ourselves? What descriptive words we use to carve out our identities? Am I a different person if described as a Mainer rather than a Phippsburgher? Several years ago I helped an editor of a weekly newspaper in Wiscasset come up with a descriptive single word that didn’t sound like […]
Forecaster Opinion
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Letter: Maine Democrats will caucus March 8
Although Maine will return to a presidential primary next Tuesday, March 3, Democrats throughout the state will still gather to caucus on Sunday, March 8. In South Portland, the Democratic Party Caucus will be held in the Community Center’s 1st floor senior wing at 21 Nelson Road. Doors open at 12:30 p.m. with the city […]
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Posted inForecaster Opinion
Letter: Amy Klobuchar for president
After the 2016 election, I grabbed a map of the U.S., searching for states in the middle with females in Congress who won in Trump districts. I found U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. I spent many hours with her close friend from law school. She loved Amy, as did her other classmates. When your […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Letter: Vote No on Question 1 to protect public health
As health care providers in our schools and community we believe in primary prevention with vaccinations. Overwhelming data proves that vaccines are safe, effective and protect the health of all. Maine has the fourth-highest rate of vaccine opt-outs in the nation. This put our schools and community immunity below the safe threshold for outbreaks of […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Letter: Support Sachs for House 48 in Freeport, Pownal
I strongly support Melanie Sachs’ candidacy for Maine House District 48, representing Freeport and Pownal. Melanie has dedicated much of her life to advocating and supporting others, whether at Freeport Community Services, Sexual Assault Response Services of Southern Maine, town council or any of the other roles she has filled in her community. Her dedication […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Letter: Limbaugh made farce of GOP, conservatism
Is John Balentine trying for irony or absurdity when he bemoans the lack of decency and empathy in America while simultaneously lauding Rush Limbaugh? (“Rush to judgment reveals society’s sad state,” Feb. 12) Until Donald Trump arrived on the scene, Rush Limbaugh was the divider-in chief, attacking anyone and anything that threatened the power and […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
The Universal Notebook: And the Oscar goes to … institutional sexism
For many years I hardly ever went to the movies. As a teenager I went to the Star Theater in Westbrook for social reasons. As an adult in the age of DVD, I found it rather pointless to sit in the dark with a bunch of strangers just to see a movie I could watch […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Here’s Something: Who’d want to be a millionaire under Sanders?
Socialist Bernie Sanders’ electoral wins in Nevada, New Hampshire, and perhaps Iowa, have left me thinking, who’d want to be a millionaire, let alone billionaire, in Sanders’ America? Not even Regis Philbin, the former host of the “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” game show, I dare say. Sanders has long scapegoated “millionaires and billionaires” […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Life Unwound: How do we know who we are?
I’ve always known I’m French: my dad from bilingual Lewiston; mom from bilingual Westbrook. My grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles spoke English except when French kept their secrets from us. My great-grandfather, Pierre, spoke only Québécois. I once asked my mother why they named me Susan Jeanne. She said, “We wanted a name that could […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Letter: Scarborough has already paid for WEX
We’ve already paid for the WEX deal, let’s not pay again. Should the town of Scarborough give WEX a $2.25 million tax refund to move from South Portland to The Downs, the best location in the state? We’ve already committed up to $81 million to The Downs to do this. The town’s theory was to […]