Virtual battle is turning into actual combat. And it’s happening too often.Rivalries and the emotion they generate are great for sports fans and franchises. They excite us and make us feel like we are part of the competition on the field. But when things go haywire, violence can be quick to erupt.Enough is enough.When there […]

Dear Arnold,Congratulations! You’ve won office in a way every candidate would envy: with a general thumbs-up, after having offered few details on how you would actually govern. Your substantive mystery gives you maximum flexibility to lead as you see fit.So here’s my deal: Govern as a true moderate – which includes slamming President Bush’s radical […]

Deland Eldred Small has served his time. He’s free, released after serving a week in jail after pleading guilty to a single count of unlawful sexual contact.He should not be harassed. He should not be bothered by over-vigilant residents. And he should not be out of jail.The 49-year-old Small has moved to Auburn, which he […]

While there are positive elements to the proposal, including the promise of new jobs and new revenue for a state facing a cash crunch, the good is not enough to overcome the bad.We are not opposed to prospects of a resort casino in Maine. We are opposed to this particular casino deal. The initiative process […]

Four.That, in case you hadn’t heard, is the age of the latest child at the center of the latest tragic shooting.Too young for kindergarten, too young to tie his own shoes, too young for bikes without training wheels. But old enough to stand behind a .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol and squeeze the trigger.It happened about two […]

Bangor Daily News, Oct. 8 Congress has tried for 10 years to develop a sensible energy bill that would address complex and shifting energy demands and very real environmental worries while anticipating the likely course of energy markets in the coming decades. Given the way the Energy Policy Act of 2003 looks as it is […]

Liberals had a good week last week, not because they won any arguments, but because they think two conservatives suffered damage to their credibility.A lot of liberals think their relentless and over-the-top invective against President Bush is starting to pay off because his formerly high approval ratings have declined. They think they have him hooked […]

California’s recall is over, but the task of fixing the state’s tattered budget remains. Now the real fun begins.Angry voters tossed the unpopular Gray Davis from office in favor of the larger-than-life, action-star-turned-politician Arnold Schwarzenegger.It’s difficult to decipher the tea leaves left from the recall. California is bigger and crazier than just about everywhere else. […]

Auburn’s firefighters are fighting the city over a promised 2 percent pay raise. The case is pending before an arbitrator, but the firefighters’ union plans to file a civil lawsuit to force the city to defend itself against what amounts to breach of contract charges on two fronts.In February, the city signed a new contract […]

The energy bill now snaking its way through the backrooms of Congress is a pork-laden, industry payoff masquerading as energy policy.While there are provisions of the legislation that deserve support, too much of it is warped by Congress’ tendency to weigh down even good ideas with scores of disastrous ones.Already dead is a provision in […]