Doug Hitchcox in the Ask Audubon column “Ringing in the new year with a treat: Steller’s sea eagle” (Maine Sunday Telegram, Jan. 9, Page C6) provided an additional treat! His column is such an informative, fun, beautifully articulate piece on the Steller’s sea eagle. Plus, I learned so much about birds in general. Doug’s writing […]

Every time I hear the name Joe Manchin, what I really hear is “Susan Collins.” If we here in Maine had managed to retire Sen. Collins in 2020, Manchin would be just another senator from a coal state and not what he has become: a recalcitrant bully who is grasping desperately at his few months […]

As we watched the different remembrances commemorating the anniversary of Jan. 6, we realized that we had to ask the question: “Whose side are you on?” Watching these ceremonies, we noticed the shocking lack of any Republican presence, other than Rep. Liz Cheney and her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney. We realized just how […]

As a senior Republican who served in the U.S. Coast Guard and both the Nixon and Reagan administrations, I am writing to express the hope that our Republican senator, Susan Collins, will do her utmost to support and pass federal legislation that, at the very least, secures both equal access to the polls in every […]

Jan. 6, 2021, a day of infamy. Mount Rushmore must have trembled on that day, and I fear it hasn’t settled down yet. Former Vice President Dick Cheney said it well when he remarked that he is “deeply disappointed” in his party. Our democracy and the Constitution were attacked that day, and I don’t think […]

As an independent-leaning Republican who ran for office recently, I cringed at Editorial Page Editor Greg Kesich’s Jan. 9 column, “GOP attack on democracy not new” (Page D2), because it pointed to the deplorable lack of leadership in the Republican Party in failing to denounce bogus claims of election fraud. There are many thoughtful, longtime […]

On Jan. 6, 200 Mainers gathered in Monument Square to mark the anniversary of the Capitol insurrection by holding candles, carrying signs and urging support of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Six supporters of Donald Trump tried to drown out the vigil speaker. Their counterargument, spelled out in giant letters on a flag, […]

Speaking in the late Rep. John Lewis’ district in Atlanta to rally support for the crucial Voting Rights Act (hammered out with the help of Sen. Angus King), President Biden reminded us, “Not a single Republican has displayed the courage to stand up to a defeated president to protect Americans’ right to vote. Not one.” […]

Civics was a required course in school during the 1960s. Civics was based upon understanding of government, politics and your role as a citizen in a democracy. We actually participated in a civics project by electing a class president. We campaigned, debated, made posters and held an election. Civics helps to teach critical thinking and […]