War is hell on civil liberties.And if you don’t believe that, the proof is as near your history book. Or, increasingly, your newspaper.In the history book, you’ll learn how Abraham Lincoln suspended habeus corpus and defied the Supreme Court while prosecuting the Civil War. And how, during World War II, Franklin Roosevelt sent 110,000 Americans […]
Posted inOur View, sj-web
The economics of democracy in Iraq
BIRMINGHAM, England – Virtually everyone assumes that Saddam Hussein is so brutal that replacing him will give Iraqis a better leader. Perhaps it is time to think again.As the current argument goes, American forces – aside from fulfilling the many and tangled aims of U.S. policy in Iraq – will not be invading Iraq, but […]
Posted inLetters, sj-web
Know-theast
Having grown up on the coast of Maine, I was surprised at your rendition of “Nor’easter” for Northeaster (Jan. 5)!My grandfather was a lobsterman and my uncle owned the local lobster pound. We had more than one sea captain in the family and I never heard any of them call a Northeast storm a “Nor’easter.”The […]
Posted inLetters, sj-web
Very cool
A few weeks ago, it showed up that Bates College in Lewiston was one of the “”top 100 coolest colleges”” to go to, along with Harvard, Yale, etc. It caught my eye because, living in the area, I thought it was a great way to get noticed. A few Bates students didn’t think it was […]
Posted inLetters, sj-web
Town manager
A petition concerning discussion of a town manager form of government for Fryeburg was circulated recently and 170 registered voters signed it in just 10 days. That shows interest to discuss the need for a town manager in Fryeburg.Our government, as it is operating at present, finds itself in crisis mode much of the time. […]
Posted inOur View, sj-web
Another Social Security fiasco
Americans give about 12 percent of their income to perfect strangers, meaning politicians and bureaucrats, with the cheerful, simpleminded optimism the strangers will save the money for their retirement.This is called Social Security, and why we fell for the scheme is anyone’s guess. But as if the program isn’t a big enough scam, we now […]
Posted inOur View, sj-web
A double standard for cars
In its long-standing tradition of bucking every measure designed to protect our environment, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers has filed a lawsuit against Maine to derail a new law regulating mercury switches in car lights and ABS brakes.The law, passed last year, prohibits automakers from selling cars manufactured after Jan. 1, 2003 if they contain […]
Posted inLetters, sj-web
An ‘F’ rating
Coverage in your Jan 8 issue had some glaring problems. In the Associated Press story on the Bush economic stimulus plan, it was stated “Bush offered the nation a massive, $674 billion prescription for better fiscal health “. It didn’t state that Bush’s plan is over 10 years or that it will not stimulate the […]
Posted inLetters, sj-web
Not plowed
On Jan. 7, I read with great interest the article on plowing. Public Works Director Bob Belz of Auburn stated that they plow all the sidewalks in Auburn. I can tell you, we have lived on 8 Cliff St. in Auburn for 43 years and never once have they plowed out the sidewalk. We have […]
Posted inLetters, sj-web
National news
I hope that representatives of the major TV networks and various newspapers and newsmagazines were in Lewiston on Jan. 11. They were here in force last fall, willing to condemn citizens of Lewiston and surrounding areas and Maine in general when news of the mayor’s letter to the Somali residents reached them. Were they here […]