All Maine Matters
Because All of Maine DOES Matter!
Vol. 1, No. 9 September 2006 FREE
Letters to the Editor
Celebrating the So-Called Surplus
Speaker Richardson and Governor Baldacci are hiding 800 pound gorillas in their state house offices, while showing us a yellowbird gaily flitting outside their windows.
That’s how they boast about a “state surplus,” when Augusta owes hundreds of millions to hospitals, and has an unfunded liability of $5 billion.
If these failures, with the worst economy in the nation, aren’t gloom, what is? If raising fees by over $1 Billion and exceeding LD 1 spending caps doesn’t highlight their failure, what will? If losing the most youth and the highest tax burden doesn’t invite doom, what does?
Richardson glibly offers flim and flam on behalf of the Governor and his Democrat Majority. He’s mastered the Simpson defense; as Homer told Bart, the best excuse is always: “It was like this when I got here.”
Richardson says Senator Woodcock “is not being candid.” Just how candid are Richardson and Baldacci? How do they reconcile their Catholic faith with support for aborting the lives of infants? How do they reconcile hiding the facts from us?
Richardson doubtless knows legislators who believe in “open marriage,” a right to extramarital “recreation.” Is he worried about them proposing to eliminate adultery as grounds for divorce? Or that those guilty of OUI will propose the elimination of drunk driving laws? If not, why is Richardson so concerned about Senator Woodcock’s personal beliefs?
Because Baldacci and hit man Richardson are terrified you’ll notice the 800 pound gorilla that is their failed economy.
Joy Schaeffer
Brunswick
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DUI Trumps Murder??
It’s very puzzling that Mel Gibson’s photo and details of his DUI make front page news for days, yet on the same day of his arrest, a man walked into a Jewish Federation office in Seattle, shot and killed one woman, and then wounded five other women. Both happened on the same day with different takes.
USA Today had Gibson’s picture on its front page while the murder was put on page three with one small paragraph. Gibson not only got big headlines, but even was written about in USA Today’s forum.
Boy! Talk about notoriety! Also, even the Anti-Definition League, on its website, gave second billing to the murder, and the ADL’s heading “Mel Gibson’s Apology for Tirade Insufficient” was put first, before the murder? Please explain THAT, ADL!
Where is the outrage by the Jewish community about the murder and woundings? It appears getting Gibson is more important than a murder of a woman and wounding of five others. Sticks & stones be damned! This is poor judgement when murder becomes secondary to some idiot mouthing off while drunk!
Speaking of outrage, why is none coming from all the Arabs and others who came from middle east countries and living in the US and also Maine now? I’m speaking, of course, about Hezbollah. Pro or con? Who knows? Are they afraid to show their true loyalties? Note to them: When you become an American and take the oath, your loyalties are to America and no other country, no matter where yu lived in the past. No ifs, ands, or buts about it!
I’ll close with this elongated view: Some people make mountains out of molehills and vice versa. I taught college with an Arab and a Jew many years ago. Suffice it to say that after two years working with them, it became apparent that they hated each other. I won’t go into details, but they did. So, concerning this outrageous battle between Hezbollah and Israel, who is to say which is the worst combatant? Both sides are killing civilians. As a retired old warrior, I recall an old song from the 60s: “Nobody is right if everybody is wrong.”
I can’t recall ever being told by generals, from World War II to the present, to hate your enemy. But in the case of Arabs and Jews, this is not only taught, but it is both sides war cry, sad to say. And of course, we are talking about a religious war just like our crusade in Iraq.
Don’t think it’s true? Just move a Somali community to a Jewish one and watch the sparks. Of course, in Maine, we are now being instructed by the federal government to integrate ASAP. My view is slow down and give all Mainers time to digest this influx so we can become integrated, not en masse.
Our military men and women are stuck in the Middle East losing arms and legs via IEDs versus Arabs hacking them off. Sorri, but I don’t respect any culture – AKA “multiculturalism” -- in this country or anywhere who have such a lack of respect for humanity. Ask an American woman how they treat their women. Enough said?
I hope people coming to Maine forget their culture. If they think treating their women as second class citizens is okay, go home!
Frank “Smiling Jack” Slason, Somerville, ME
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It Happens Every Day!
Forwarded from real estate advertiser Roger Ek with the subject line “It Happens Every Day”:
Hello,
While on vacation in maine last week i picked up the “All Maine Matters” paper and found some land for sale I might be interested in buying. I was wondering if you can send me some more info on the 45 acres in lowell maine and any others of at least 20 acres. Thank you for your time.
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Regarding John Churchill
In your August issue, ou published an article co-authored by Rep. John Churchill. Your readers should be aware that in the 2004 election, Mr. Churchill received an “F” rating from the NRA.
Mr. Churchill, a retired state trooper, has made statements that only police should have guns. His kind have no respect for the Constitution and in return have no credibility in my book.
On a positive note, you publish a fine newspaper. I will not allow one bad apple to ruin the whole barrel.
Blackstone
Sherman, ME
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Mystery Photo Winner
I recognize the barn well. It’s on Route 11 and greets one as they cross into “The County,” on the east side of the road.
I always thought it was a shame that this magnificent barn wasn’t preserved by the state....but they have focused all of their efforts on southern Maine farms/barns.
Awesome newspaper, guys!
Jim Cyr
Caribou
Editor’s Note: Jim Cyr was the winner of last month’s “Mystery Photo.” He has won a year’s subscription to All Maine Matters. Our thanks to all who entered and all who got it right! We have another contest this month. See page 7 for details!
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Children In Danger in the Water
This week end my friend and I took our grandchildren to Maine. She stayed at the Mic Mac Hotel in York
We took the four boys to the pool out back. While we where getting settled, the boys -- brothers Ryan (7 years old), Shawn (5 years old), and Colon (6 years old) and brothers Devin (3 years old) -- were told to stay at the edge on the steps until we got in the pool.
We were close by and getting in ourselves when Shawn decided to get off the edge and stepped into the pool. He then realized he could not touch bottom and started to cry and splash, trying to keeping his head above the water. No one around us realized he was in trouble, I saw him and was heading in to get him.
Three-year old Devin also saw Shawn and thought he needed help, Devin held on to the railing protecting himself and stretched out as far as he could and extended his hand to Shawn pulling him onto the steps.
Well, we were amazed that a three-year-old had that kind of instinct to think and act that fast. We told him that he was a hero and that he saved Shawn.
The one thing that I did not understand is why no one around the pool -- and there must have been at least seven people -- could see the danger Shawn was in and not one person moved to help.
I later found out that it is a known fact that children when in the water and in danger do not yell for help.
WHY????
We must educate them and let them know that you should yell “Help!” when in danger in the water.
Lorraine Harris
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Big Brother, No Child Left Behind, and MaineCare
Why is it that according to latest information, the State of Maine in 2006 owes Maine’s hospitals over $300,000,000 in unpaid bills? This is resulting in some institutions deciding to not take patients on MaineCare, which is a euphemism for Medicaid, albeit partially subsidized by the federal government? Add to this our billions in loan debt, and we can finally see why Maine is not growing economically. Also, as the #2 in taxes gives you some insight.
The State of Maine, in my opinion, is stagnant. Do you know any citizen on the street who will tell you they can’t survive with both spouses working and most working part-time jobs to supplement their meager wages, and at the same time, our elected officials voted down a minimum wage while giving them all a very lucrative raise unbeknownst to the voting public. After hours, eh?
Maine had better wake up! The Federal Government is in your pocket, and no matter what you do or say, it won’t matter. This is how countries were established over the years. Maine was, for years, out of the reach of Big Brother until it found out about your pristine state and all those people surviving on minimum wage. That was the door for them. Now we have No Child Left Behind, in my opinion as a former educator, the worst implementation to occur. NCLB was the door to finally make all -- even Maine -- succumb to Big Brother’s will.
Think I’m kidding? Hidden in the NCLB was an order that all schools will submit a list of high school graduates eligible for the draft and submit that list of eligible people to the Department of Defense or recruiting stations.
Another subject: So a dope rolled a pig head into a mosque. Big deal! If any other act upon another religion – let’s say rolling a beef into a Catholic place of worship on a Friday – would have been laughed about. Hate crimes; come on!
I’ll leave you all with this message: If you people in Maine are so worried about your new-found friends, why don’t those hypocrites who “hate” people from away show some of your compassion to your true friends?
I rest my case.
Frank “Smiling Jack” Slason, Somerville, ME
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Letters to the Editor are most welcome and even encouraged! Email editor@allmainematters.com or send it via USPS to PO Box 788, Kingman, ME 04451.
We do publish anonymous letters to the editor, or those signed with a pseudonym.