The historical case of Phineas Gage (1848) is an integral part of medical folklore, illustrating the involvement of the frontal lobes in problem solving, memory, judgment, impulse control and social and sexual behavior.  Before an accident in which a large iron rod was driven completely through his left frontal lobe, Gage had been a most […]

The president recently announced “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.” This comment was regarding the war in Iran, which was initiated without a congressional vote. This directly contradicts the caliber of our armed forces. Our military stands on integrity and defending ethical standards and guardrails that have long been […]

Sharon Bemis of the Election Integrity Network provided a public service, in a recent op-ed, by reminding Mainers that Sen. Susan Collins supports what I call Donald Trump’s Voter Elimination Act (“Susan Collins has taken a bold stand for secure elections,” April 8).  The Election Integrity Network is bankrolled by the usual gaggle of far-right […]

Augusta Democrats argue all day that their “minimal” tax increases are reasonable, but the facts speak for themselves: They are taxing us to death, and we can’t take much more. I’m an average Mainer. I don’t make a ton of money, but we get by just fine. Since Gov. Janet Mills has been in office, […]

Congress must strangle the “Department of War” until it is a Department of Defense again. Secretary of Security Leaks Hegseth and his boss are war criminals. Plans should be made now to arrest them and hand them over to the International Court of Justice. It’s the only way this great nation can purge its soul […]

It’s great that the Maine Legislature is preparing for the full-on federal assault against Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood does so much more than what MAGA supporters think. It provides services for men, women and children who have no other health care providers. It provides testing to protect our community health from epidemics as well as […]

This April, we commemorate the 25th Sexual Assault Awareness Month Campaign.  In recent years, we collectively bore witness to testimony from Chanel Miller, Tarana Burke, Christine Blasey Ford, Gisèle Pelicot and millions of individual #MeToos.  Public disclosures invite us to deepen our empathy, capacity for care and commitment to prevention. Unfortunately, too many are refusing this opportunity to listen and change. My heart […]

Steve Collins’ April 6 column worries about a 1690 raid at Laurel Hill, while calling for more “tribal sovereignty” for Maine’s Wabanaki tribes (“To overcome the sins of the past, Maine needs to support Wabanaki rights”). Fair enough to talk about the violence, but cherry-picking facts doesn’t tell the full story.  Pre-colonial North America wasn’t […]