Welcome to another edition of Boos and Bravos, the catchall column of Here’s Something.
Bravo to Sen. Susan Collins for demonstrating true stateswoman-like demeanor in the impeachment trial of President Trump. Collins, who’s represented Maine for 24 years in the Senate, recently said she’ll likely support a motion to call witnesses only after each side has argued its side of the impeachment case. Only then will Collins decide whether she needs more information to determine Trump’s fate.
John Balentine, a former managing editor for the Lakes Region Weekly, lives in Windham.
This slow-to-judge approach is Collins’ calling card and, in this case, makes sense. Calling witnesses is something the Johnny-come-lately Democrats have been urging but something some Republicans have resisted. These Republicans say the Constitution requires the Senate to act only as the jury in an impeachment trial and that the Democrat-led House failed in its responsibility to bring forth witnesses and evidence both for and against President Trump.
Collins’ approach is the right one, however, since many still want to hear the full story regarding Trump’s interactions with Ukraine. I, for one, welcome witnesses regarding Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden’s Ukrainian connections.
By striking a balance on this issue Collins, who’s up for re-election this year, is once again living up to her moniker as a moderate and showing her ability to fully consider a controversial topic before making up her mind. This is why people of all political stripes like Collins and why she will beat Democrat challenger Sara Gideon this fall.
Boo to last week’s sentencing of Tyrese Collins, the 20-year-old man who shot to death a man outside the Oxford Street Shelter in Portland in 2018.
Supreme Court Justice Thomas Warren sentenced Collins to 6½ years in prison on a manslaughter charge. But Collins’ light sentence is a travesty that will bring further tragedy.
Maine’s judges are known for their leniency. Instead of employing a soft approach that trusts criminals will learn from their “mistakes,” judges should subscribe to the “broken windows” theory of crime prevention that New York successfully employed in the 1990s. By clamping down on minor crimes, such as broken windows, New York averted major crimes such as murder.
Warren was a fool for letting Collins off so easily. Here’s hoping more criminals don’t realize Portland’s a great place to get away with murder.
Boo to weak-kneed decision-makers at the Portland Sheraton at Sable Oaks in South Portland, Martindale Country Club in Auburn and the Gendron Franco Center in Lewiston for failing to host speaker Michelle Malkin last week.
The organizations disinvited the conservative political commentator after receiving social media backlash unfairly painting the Asian American as racist and xenophobic.
Thankfully, Malkin, who had been invited to speak regarding immigration and other issues by the University of Maine College Republicans, finally found a venue to share her common-sense thoughts at the Sabattus Town Hall. The eventual turnout was overwhelming, with people turned away due to overcrowding concerns.
Conservatives are fighting a “cancel culture” being waged by individuals and organizations on the left who hate and fear open dialogue and differing viewpoints. Rather than debating the issues, such close-minded leftists are seeking to remove from public view anyone with whom they disagree.
Americans used to welcome opposing viewpoints that challenged their thinking, but intolerant liberals today are turning against this tradition. They want to hear one view, their own, but such an echo chamber will destroy our long-esteemed value of dialogue. The growing close-mindedness on the left should scare everyone, liberals and conservatives alike.
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