Apparently, Mark LaFlamme’s June 20 column was intended to be funny, although, “Look at all these trees. I mean, is there anything out here?” is hardly witty, urbane banter. It’s rather more like cranky, suburban banality. Maybe the Sun Journal could buy him an Audubon Field Guide, not that he’d use it.

His column idea wasn’t even original. The old Casco Bay Weekly in Portland ran that same, basic “Ha, ha, look at what a rural wasteland the rest of Maine is” column for years.

But, for the record, many of the random towns LaFlamme lumps together as the “same place” in his column are actually located hours apart, spread over four different counties. And I’d like to know what road map omits Naples? None of mine does. Thousands of tourists manage to find Naples each year, so it can’t be that tough. More than likely, LaFlamme simply doesn’t know how to read a map.

And, actually, most of us have long since become inured to know-nothing loudmouths from away acting as if their ignorance of rural Maine is supposed to be some sort of joke on us.

Briggs Seekins and

Stephanie Agurkis, Livermore

Editor’s note: Mark LaFlamme was born and raised in Waterville.