When people vote, they pick candidates. That’s what elections are all about. Not really. This year, there are at least four hidden elections taking place. The push to put a new conservative on the Supreme Court before Election Day makes the presidential vote a referendum on that effort, perhaps after the fact. If Joe Biden […]

Fair Warning. This is a slight column, and this month I am asking it to bear the first of two exploratory parsings of hunting on public lands. There’s a lot to consider there — health of land, taking of animal life, juxtaposition of wild land and suburbia — but before you think, “Spare me the […]

We are in the midst of the worst pandemic in more than 100 years with over 200,000 deaths; horrendous fires raged in California, Oregon and Washington; the economy teeters on the brink. Meanwhile, President Trump was at a rally in Nevada with massive crowds (over the state and federal guidelines) with mostly mask-less people leading […]

Vote Finegan I am amazed at how many people are afraid to speak up, even fear retribution if they put up a yard sign supporting a candidate. This great country was built on free speech and the tradition of a two-party system. Both sides debate their ideas then come together in compromise to do what is best for the common good. The current economic […]

In a famous 1895 speech, Booker T. Washington castigated white industrialists for favoring European immigrants over black laborers in their new factories. “Cast down your bucket where you are… among the eight millions of Negroes” to find workers, he declared. The expression came from Moby Dick, wherein Melville related the tale of a distressed ship […]

Vote Berry I am looking forward to voting to reelect Seth Berry as our state representative for District 55. Seth is a dedicated public servant and a strong advocate for his constituents. He understands how the legislature works, and he uses that experience to get things done. I’ve been proud to have him representing me […]

The New York Times’ exclusive on President Donald Trump’s taxes contains a lot of startling new findings. A few noteworthy examples: He paid only US$750 in federal income tax in 2016 and 2017 – and nothing at all in 10 of the previous 15 years; he took massive income tax deductions for property tax payments […]

Looking at the bag of mackerel in my freezer, I was a little sad to think of not rebating our pair of lobster traps one last time. But, it was getting to be time to pull our boat out and to make the shift into what is officially now fall. At the same time, I […]