There is a qualitative difference between protecting diversity of opinion from official encroachment and inventing some magical “right” to say any harebrained thing you want without being “shamed or shunned.” Such a “right” would be more dangerous than the problem it purports to correct.
Alex Lear
Staff Writer
Alex Lear is a lifelong Mainer who has spent 25 years in journalism -- the first 20 as a reporter for newspapers in Damariscotta and Falmouth, then as Opinions section editor for the Sun Journal and now a digital producer with the Maine Trust for Local News. His long-running “Learics” column won first place in the Maine Press Association’s 2023 Better Newspaper Contest. He and his wife Lauren are kept young by their 9-year-old daughter Alaina. Send feedback and suggestions to Alex.
Posted inLetters, Opinion
Caleb Roebuck: ‘Hypocritical,’ ‘undemocratic’ behavior by some Lewiston councilors
Recent actions by some on the Lewiston City Council have been hypocritical, callous and undemocratic. First the Council decided to take away the public’s voice by reversing course on a referendum to establish a Charter Commission. Then some members refused to vote in support of a highly qualified appointee to the Planning Board and remained […]
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Posted inLetters, Opinion
Judy Hierstein: Lake Auburn needs protection, not pollution
Lake Auburn, without treatment, is the water supply for Lewiston and Auburn. But a zoning change passed by Auburn’s city council on March 21 might change that. It would allow development along Gracelawn Road, where there is a gravel pit and an old dump. Wells drilled there 15 years ago showed water flowing south, but […]
Posted inLetters, Opinion
Kayt Davis: Pause gas tax, give Mainers, tourists a break
I wonder if I’m the only one who plays this game. Drive out Center Street checking the gas prices and drive back to the one that is the cheapest, even if only by 2 cents. Given the upward trend in the cost of gas, I’m considering signing up for a program that will save me […]
Posted inLetters, Opinion
Barry Allen: ‘Unnecessary horror’ unfolds in Ukraine
One of the most quoted lines of poetry is, “No man is an island entire of itself,” written more than 500 years ago by the great English poet John Donne. These words still ring true today as we all watch the unnecessary horror unfolding in Ukraine. The United States government has had a difficult time […]
Posted inLetters, Opinion
Lawrence Everett: U.S. descending into abyss amid Ukraine crisis
I was angered by Sen. Mitt Romney’s comments regarding former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s concerns about dangerous biological labs in Ukraine and their vulnerability in the war there. This situation is exactly what I and others have warned our legislators about for years. (Nuclear proliferation, microbial volatile organic compounds, and bacterial and viral research related to clumsy […]
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Rich Lowry: Vladimir Putin and the fragility of order
During Vladimir Putin’s first invasion of Ukraine in 2014, then-Secretary of State John Kerry said that he was behaving “in a 19th-century fashion.” The truth is that Putin is behaving in a 19th-century, 20th-century and 21st-century fashion. He is confirmation of the fact that progress is not inevitable, and peace and order are fragile. Human nature means that remorseless and power-hungry men will always be with us, no matter how advanced we believe we have become.
Posted inBusiness, Noteworthy
Auburn-area girl among Black History Month art contest winners
AUBURN — An Auburn-area girl was among the top three winners of UScellular’s fifth annual Black History Month Art Contest, held with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine. Aubree T., 9, who goes to the Auburn Clubhouse, finished third and received $100 for her drawing of Zora Neale Hurston. Boys & Girls Clubs […]
Posted inLetters, Opinion
Mark Wood: Use some of Maine’s surplus for Ukrainian relief
Some ideas float like lead balloons, and others get traction only to get stuck in the muck of controversy. So, suggesting that Maine take some of its surplus and send it to Poland and Hungary to help them deal with the Ukrainian refugee crisis may seem nuts. But, why not? Very few of us have […]