As we saw after the Civil War, a minority party enforcing minority rule can succeed only with violence. The Jan. 6 sacking of the Capitol is but a prelude. The officials who refused to endorse Trump’s Big Lie have been deluged with threats of violence both to them and their families. Rigged elections that ensconce a minority will have less and less legitimacy.
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.
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Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Bob Neal: The Countryman: ‘Tis the season for hope, maybe?
In these first three days of winter, we’ve added just a minute between sunrise and sunset, but we’ve added. Hope glimmers in every bleak mid-winter, even if faintly.
Posted inLetters, Opinion
Mary Roussel: Support for labor union at Bates College
The definition of a labor union, according to Merriam-Webster, is “an organization of workers formed for the purpose of advancing its members’ interests in respect to wages, benefits, and working conditions.” The goal of a union is to build trust among the workforce as it provides a mechanism for dialogue between workers and employers, and […]
Posted inLetters, Opinion
Kerem Gungor: Build Back Better framework critical for Earth’s climate
Humanity is running out of time to prevent the irreversible impacts of climate change. Unprecedented forest fires, drought and floods are already commonplace. Climate change is taking its toll on the economy, public health and safety. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), annual occurrence of the billion-dollar weather/climate disasters in the US […]
Posted inLetters, Opinion
Bob Eaton: Mills should back Wabanaki sovereignty bill
The members of Durham Monthly Meeting of Friends (Quakers) have a deep concern for the sovereignty of the Wabanaki people of Maine. Our commitment to social justice and equality are central to our beliefs and to our support of the civil rights of Maine’s Native people. Sovereignty was taken from Maine’s tribes by the 1980 […]
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Rich Lowry: The high-water mark of Biden-era progressivism
It dominates the media, academia and almost all the rest of elite culture. At the same time, Democrats still control the elected branches of government in Washington. But a growing backlash against progressive excess has found expression in two notable acts of Democratic defiance.
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Cal Thomas: Building the wall back better
More than $100 million of taxpayer money was spent on materials intended for the border wall during the Trump administration. They should be made available to Gov. Abbott, but the Biden administration won’t allow it. President Biden canceled contracts for its construction after entering office last January.
