The importance of the vote
I am now 86, but years ago my friends and I fought to bring us Roe v. Wade. We wrote letters. We talked to our legislators. We marched on Washington.Now, the Supreme Court has taken away our constitutional right to make decisions about our own bodies. Now state legislators can decide how many children a man and woman will have. Now women are breeding stock and have forced pregnancies.And that is not all. Same-sex marriage is endangered along with our right to contraception. Blatant homophobia, antisemitism and racism are on the rise. Voter suppression is tolerated. Indeed, our democracy is threatened.
Those who share our views can make a difference. Kansas did it. We can do it too, but only if we pledge to vote for Democratic candidates and encourage our friends across the US to show up at the polls and vote Democrat.Vote Nov. 8.
Sandra Jaeger,
Georgetown
If you value bipartisanship, vote Vitelli
As politics seem to get more divisive, we know Eloise Vitelli is an excellent person to send to Augusta because she has the sense to stay out of that muck. She brings a solid understanding of our area to Augusta, and she works with both sides on bills that address problems facing Maine and her constituents.
Please join me in voting for Sen. Vitelli and supporting positive solutions for Maine.
Elinor Goldberg,Bath
Politics that go bump in the night
I like to read works of horror in bed, especially good ones that make me pull up the covers over my head. Right now, I’m reading a spine-tingling story I can’t put aside — even though it’s giving me nightmares. It’s called “The Maine GOP 2022 Platform.”This thriller begins with a dedication to “military veterans, active and reserve service members, first responders, fire fighters, and law enforcement, to whom we are forever grateful.” When I read this, I let my guard down. But then there’s a twist!The GOP platform declares that Maine Republicans believe in the sanctity of life from conception to natural death. Put simply, they’d like abortions in Maine to end without any exceptions, like in the case of incest or rape. How odd it is that although first responders have to make life-and-death decisions every day, the Maine GOP doesn’t respect them enough to allow them to make decisions about their own bodies.And as for gay, married first responders, despite their gratefulness, the Maine GOP doesn’t think these people who serve our community should have the right to legally marry.The Maine GOP has also sunk its fangs into Maine schools. The GOP finds sexual information as scary as I find their platform. They seek to “prohibit school district personnel, volunteers, or hired special interest groups from presenting sexually based material of any kind to students prior to grade 12.” The GOP doesn’t want kids to know where babies come from until they are seniors, and they also don’t want people seeking abortions. But maybe sex-ed would prevent kids from having babies in the first place? I know, it’s a crazy idea, right?There’s only one way to make sure the Maine GOP platform remains a work of horror fiction. In Harpswell, vote for Cheryl Golek for State House. She is a kind person with common sense and will work hard to represent all voters from all backgrounds. And then vote for all the other Democratic candidates on your ballot.I just heard a “bump in the night!”It’s the GOP platform haunting my attic.
Gregory Greenleaf,
Harpswell
Support for Maine’s tribes
What do Janet Mills and Angus King have in common? Both are afflicted with “Maine-governor-itis.” This malady, which has infected every Chief Executive of our state since at least 1980, induces Maine governors and ex-governors to want to block most federal benefits due to Wabanaki Tribal residents in Maine. Those funds, if received, would work to improve economic conditions for non-Natives as well as Natives in some of our state’s poorest counties.HR 6707, a bill sponsored by Representative Jared Golden, would allow the Wabanaki to receive federal aid enjoyed by every other Indigenous Tribe within US boundaries, which has been blocked by the settlement acts of 1980. The bill is now headed to the Senate, where both Sen. King and Sen. Collins have indicated their opposition. I urge every Maine voter to contact their offices and insist that they shed their nagging ailment and support passage of HR 6707.
Wayne Cobb,
Portland
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