Respect should never go out of style
With the current impeachment hearings underway, I feel compelled to write with my concerns about the office of the President of the United States. I have faith that Congress will follow the protocol that is set by the Constitution and will come to a fair conclusion one way or another. Whether guilty or innocent, our President has not been conducting himself in the manner that is expected by someone who holds the highest office in the land.
What has happened to integrity? Decorum? Acting respectfully? Shouldn’t our President set the tone that all other Presidents have followed for over 200 years?
This is not a partisan issue, but instead it’s about the position of the Office of the Presidency. Our President should be demonstrating leadership and doing the right thing regardless of political motivations. Being the President of the United States of America is an honor, and a privilege that only a selected few have obtained.
It’s time to honor our Constitutional principles and to have our leaders held accountable for their actions, behavior and execution of their duties. Respect is timeless and should never go out of style. I hope that we can get back to the expectation that being President demands serving the people of our great country with class, dignity and civility.
D. Washburn,
Brunswick
Supporting climate activists
I’m writing this letter to applaud the Bowdoin College Brunswick Rising group for their activism on behalf of combating climate change. The leading front page article in last Dec. 3’s paper, “Brunswick council adopts climate resolution,” was the result of students at a previous council meeting asking the council to declare a climate emergency. The councilors unanimously approved a resolution and the council chair told students and the council that the specific plans have and will continue to be discussed as part of the town’s 2020 Comprehensive Plan update.
Then on Friday, they sponsored a rally on the mall as part of the national climate strike. In spite of the bitter cold, a large group of students and community members (mostly students) gathered for a well-planned program of speakers — students and representatives from other community groups—plus some group singing and chanting. It warmed the heart of this 84-year-old activist to see these young people take the lead on this important issue and I was glad to be there to support them as they strive to make us all understand that the climate crisis is an emergency!
Joanne Hardy,
Midcoast governments offer hope for a stable climate
Last Tuesday the Times Record reported on the recent decision by the Brunswick town council, with the urging of Bowdoin students, to adopt a resolution pledging to help “safeguard against the current and potential consequences of climate change”. Similar resolutions were adopted this fall in Portland, South Portland, and Bar Harbor. The current Maine state legislature and executive branch have both committed to ambitious goals to lower greenhouse gas emissions. And last Wednesday the Bath City Council adopted a resolution to create a “climate commission” to help expand and implement the city’s climate goals.
This flurry of actions by our own local governments is timely and encouraging. The daily news is filled with stories about rising oceans, more extreme weather events, ticks becoming epidemic, and species going extinct. It has all been forecast by science, which now says we have 10 years to turn this around, or we risk unprecedented climate consequences. It is heartening to know that our local leaders have been studying the issue and are taking active steps to expedite the transition to a low carbon future. No matter what our ideologies, we can work together, and this example of leadership provides a bit of solid hope for stabilizing the Earth’s climate.
Paul Perkins
Bath
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