If there’s one thing Maine knows about online criminal registries, it’s that they carry unforeseen consequences.The Department of Corrections plans to publish the an online database of 10,000 people serving prison or probation terms. The logic is simple: providing public information, to the public, for the benefit of the public.Yet this is the same logic […]

Batman was nothing without Robin. The Lone Ranger? Forget Silver; the man in the mask was lost without Tonto.C. Montgomery Burns, from “The Simpsons,” would be penniless if not for his faithful lackey, Waylon Smithers.Often overlooked, rarely recognized and usually under-appreciated, the roles of right-hand men are exercises in self-deprecation. The measure of their success […]

AL-BURULLUS, Egypt – A gaggle of peasant women, black caftans wafting in the breeze, crouched in the street over a small tray of fish, just caught but already teeming with flies. In their excited chatter, they sounded as if they had acquired a rarified commodity of untold value. By their own measure they had. The […]

For most of us, flying has becoming increasingly unpleasant. But not for the super-rich and the corporate executives. These elite few don’t fly first class. They fly on their own private jets. They go to their own small private terminals. There’s no security screening. No baggies with three-ounce containers. No strangers rifling through their undergarments.We’re […]

Sixteen Maine teachers became national board certified in 2007, adding to the existing 102 board-certified teachers in our schools. Educators say there’s a direct link between teachers participating in this voluntary assessment program, the quality of their work in the classroom and the achievements of their students, so more certifications is certainly good news.In a […]

In a presidential race in which John McCain seems to be holding the weakest cards — his age, limited campaign money, the albatross of an unpopular president around his neck — he has gotten a favorable shuffling of the deck from a Barack Obama surrogate. The blunder of retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark in questioning […]

As the presidential campaign begins in earnest, the Iraq War continues to preoccupy the American public. Sen. John McCain insists U.S. troops remain in Iraq until victory is achieved. Sen. Barack Obama stresses the need to bring troops home as soon as possible after President Bush leaves office. Both candidates’ positions leave many questions unanswered.For […]

There were, of course, small towns in Maine long before there were automobiles. But it’s worth pondering whether they will survive $4 or $5 gasoline.Small towns sprung up where people earned their livelihoods – in Maine, that meant where there were farms, forests or fish. They were the thriving centers of social and business activity.But, […]

It is our nature to seek independence from our parents.Then from our children.Often, from our work.From rules.Debt.In some cases, we seek independence from responsibility.Americans honor and embrace our independence, the foundation of our Democracy.This nation’s Declaration of Independence was and remains an assertion of our freedom and our expectation that this nation elects a representative […]

There is a law in Maine that requires any person or organization who wants to operate a motor vehicle racing event or track to obtain an annual license from the commissioner of public safety.That license provides the authority for the Department of Public Safety to require proof of liability insurance to cover losses, including death, […]