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.
As I watched in horror and amazement, the first tower of the World Trade Center collapsed. A sensation of astonishment came over me. The phone was still pressed against my ear, when Nancy explained that the Harvard office of the recording secretary on Mount Auburn Street was sending everyone home.
I sat there with my mouth open, trying to understand what I was seeing. Words like attack, phrases like “God help us,” and frantic news anchors’ voices came at me like bombs during the blitz.
We have become a nation of truths stranger than fiction, a nation where satire must run to keep up with reality. As we go forward from this moment, we find ourselves contending for the very soul of America — something none of us could have imagined 20 years ago. Which is why it must be said, tragically, that the terrorists succeeded beyond their dreams in inflicting damage on this country.
I clearly remember President Biden’s words when Democrats chose him to run against Trump. He vowed to be a president for all people, and work with his Republican friends so that both parties could bring America back to normalcy. Every new president merits enough time when moving to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. It’s a very serious […]
Recently a CNN news anchor and a late-night talk host went on a tirade against the unvaccinated, suggesting hospitals treat only COVID-vaccinated individuals and refuse to treat unvaccinated. About one third of Americans have chosen not to get the jab; that’s over 100 million people. This public condemnation of a whole segment of society is […]
The vaccine mandate from Gov. Janet Mills has upset some health care workers, and I’ll offer my two cents as well. While I am neither for nor against the mandate, I chose to have my vaccine done in May to protect myself and others. I’m no expert on COVID or the vaccine, but some of […]
I am grateful for our military and the safety provided for our nation in this troubled world. Recent events lead me to question the ability of the Pentagon. For two decades generals reported progress in the building of a national government and arm in Afghanistan. All those efforts were destroyed by the Taliban in a […]
It’s no secret I’ve had real concerns about the New England Clean Energy Connect corridor project in the past, or that CMP has had its share of challenges. But when I read Question 1 for the first time, one word jumped out at me: “retroactively.” This new question, which was clearly drafted by a team of […]
We’re in the midst of a tyrannical hurricane, the likes of which have never been witnessed — and its winds pose an existential threat to the lofty ideals to which we once faithfully cleaved. Those monolithic, sacrosanct ideals were the foundation upon which our constitutional republic was built. We believed the composition of those foundational […]
