The U.S. is $36 trillion in debt. The Pentagon budget now is over $1 trillion per year once we add up the various military pots of gold hidden in other departments, like the Department of Energy (nuclear weapons), Homeland Security, CIA, intel agencies and the like. Just last week, President Biden announced he was sending […]

On Dec. 1, 2024, I wrote an op-ed for this newspaper about the importance of maintaining our hold on the facts as Donald Trump resumes power (“Americans must not lose sight of some basic truths“). Our soon-to-be president lies daily; some of his lies are little, and some are huge. It is worth commenting on […]

I study nuclear physics and fusion. I firmly believe that nuclear energy and, in particular, nuclear fusion are essential for a sustainable future while maintaining our current lifestyle. If we want to continue using cars, lights and stoves, we must adopt nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion is the process where two light atomic nuclei combine to […]

In a Jan. 9 op-ed, Jim Lemieux, president and CEO of Sebasticook Valley Federal Credit Union, asks: “How many people vow to give back more in the new year?” (“If you can, make 2025 the year of giving back“). Questions of this form, like “Have you stopped beating your wife?,” contain an implicit assumption. If […]

I am writing regarding the Sunday, Jan. 5, editorial “You get the Legislature you pay for.” The editorial board claims that legislator pay, before it was increased, could not attract the “best and brightest.” Oh? When our current governor, Janet Mills, came into office she ordered the minimum starting salary of teachers to be raised […]

Like other Nordic skiers, I am saddened by Smiling Hill Farm’s decision to close its ski business, as well as by the ongoing struggle of Harris Farm and other family operations affected by diminished snow levels. And I am angry at the reason we are in this situation: our societal inability to heed a quarter-century’s […]

Don’t trust “Pope” Francis. He’s confused about abortion (“Pope doubles down on abortion in New Year’s Day message,” Jan. 1, 2025). In the article, the pope was cited as saying: “…to respect the dignity of human life from conception to natural death.” Catholic Church teaching allows no exceptions on the abortion issue. Because no matter […]