Letters

Published
September 14, 2014

Letter to the editor: Opinion a valid element of any real conversation

In Francis Wilkinson’s Aug. 31 commentary in the Maine Sunday Telegram, “Racism is real,” Mr. Wilkinson states that “conversation … requires shared predicates and vocabulary.” He gives three potential topics of conversation: racism, global warming and government spending. In each example, he concludes that if you don’t agree with his opinions, conversation cannot occur. My […]
Published
September 14, 2014

Letter to the editor: Treat for African refugees stirs reader’s taste buds

I just read an article in the Source section of the Aug. 31 Maine Sunday Telegram (“Farmer grows familiar foods for Maine’s African refugees”) about Alfred Matiyabo, the land he farms in South Portland and the crops he grows, giving so much satisfaction to the community of African refugees in the Portland area. What a […]
Published
September 14, 2014

Letter to the editor: Saga of Maine homicide a sad but powerful story

The front-page story last Sunday on the discovery of Charles Woodburn’s body was a tragic tale, and I am struck at how it could easily be a short story from a collection by Flannery O’Connor (“In Maine’s Lincoln County, a shallow grave and a deepening mystery”). The details continue to unfold with a glimpse into […]
Published
September 14, 2014

Letter to the editor: Corporations as people defies logical examination

We are told it is immoral, unethical and perhaps illegal to terminate the life of the embryo once an egg and sperm cell have united to create a new person. And we are told that corporations are people in the view of the U.S. Supreme Court, with legal rights defined in the U.S. Constitution and […]
Published
September 14, 2014

Letter to the editor: Newspaper right to stop biased endorsements

It is welcome news that the Press Herald will no longer endorse candidates for political office on the editorial pages (“Our View: Who are we endorsing? Nobody – and here’s why,” Aug. 31). You are correct in stating that your opinion is no better informed than that of your readers, but unfortunately, many readers believe […]

Published
September 13, 2014

Letter to the editor: Why re-elect members of congress who fail to work together?

Our U.S. Congress has had as low as a single-digit approval rating over the past year. However, in the upcoming elections, most of us will still vote our own congressional members back in. Statistics prove this. But when this happens, the message our Congress gets is: “You and your colleagues may be unable to run […]
Published
September 13, 2014

Letter to the editor: Independent candidates offer alternatives for voters

Polls consistently show that around 85 percent disapprove of the performance of Congress and that voters feel most members of Congress listen to party leaders more than the people they represent. It seems fair to conclude that we are displeased. We might ask: Why don’t politicians get it? Well, they don’t have to care. Voter […]
Published
September 13, 2014

Letter to the editor: Proposed location – not the Brunswick Amtrack layover facility itself – draws opposition

I am writing regarding your editorial: “Our View: LePage administration goes off track on Amtrak layover facility in Brunswick,” Sept. 3. In it, as in just about every opinion piece on the same subject, the authors cite various “critics” who are “opposed” to the facility. The reality is that the opposition is not to the […]
Published
September 13, 2014

Letter to the editor: Social Security bigger than politics

I grew up in a typical coastal Maine family of staunch Republicans. Whenever my grandmother mentioned President Franklin Roosevelt, she would use a curse word (rare for her) because she thought FDR changed everything for the worse. My mother wasn’t a big fan of FDR either, but she is now 93 and is grateful for […]
Published
September 13, 2014

Letter to the editor: History’s perspective can inform immigration debate

My wife and I are the grandchildren of immigrants. Our grandparents came to America during the great migration of the 20th century. They were strangers in a foreign land. I still remember an occasional Polish newspaper lying on the kitchen table. But they made a difference. They became dairy farmers, tavern owners, carpenters and factory […]

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Letters