Our freedom of speech and the freedom of the press are under pressure from multiple directions. Recent events make the danger impossible to ignore. When journalists like Don Lemon and comedians like Stephen Colbert are pressured simply for doing their jobs —documenting public events and asking challenging questions through satire — it sends a warning […]

I would like to share my enthusiastic support for Rick Bennett’s campaign as an independent candidate for governor.  As someone who has been successful in both the legislative and business arenas, Rick is uniquely qualified to solve problems including the need for better management and use of state government resources while keeping the costs of […]

The Somalians that I was referring to in my letter of Jan. 22 (“Mainers should let ICE agents do their job”), whom ICE proceeded to talk to, engage with, follow and/or detain, may not have broken the law — as in burglary, rape or stealing — but if their citizenship paperwork wasn’t in order to […]

My name is Charles Thelen, and I am the founder and president of the Midcoast Youth Activists organization. We have united high school students from the greater Midcoast Maine region to amplify youth voices and demonstrate the power of the next generation. Our mission is to eliminate the stigma surrounding youth involvement in activism. We […]

Maine has long prided itself on being a place where fairness, integrity and independence matter. Yet, when it comes to protecting our citizens’ most basic constitutional rights, we rely almost entirely on federal courts and federal statutes. It’s time to change that. A Universal Civil Rights Act — such as those adopted in states like […]

Some 25 years ago, I had the privilege of serving as the University of Southern Maine’s Russell Chair, an honor that entailed offering public lectures and forums on a specified topic. My topic asked:  “Is the University Failing Democracy?”  Today, I believe USM President Jacqueline Edmondson has embarrassingly answered that question in the affirmative. I […]

This is a response to Victoria Hugo-Vidal’s child care column (“Why do we still have to make the case for child care?” Feb. 15). Having a child is a privilege and a choice, not a right. It is not society’s responsibility to provide parents with a break from the job they chose. Having a parent […]