Out on a limb
It is unfortunate that our governor has decided to weigh in on the Katahdin-region national park proposal before getting information more current than a 4-year-old moratorium adopted during the early stages of this proposal. I will leave addressing the governor’s assertions in his Earth Day letter to President Barack Obama to the good folks at Elliotsville Plantation Inc.
But I would like to know how the governor and Legislature expect the forest products industry to revitalize the area’s economy when it was the forest products industry that sold the land in question. Maybe they have a deal in the works to spend another $16 million of taxpayers money on an industry that can no longer drive the region’s economy like they did with the now shuttered East Millinocket paper mill.
Joe Pratt
Sherman
Wrong on Snowden
In Alex Steed’s April 24 BDN column about how his generation not only expects but demands brutal truth from our government, he holds Edward Snowden up as a modern day hero.
I take some exception that that characterization of Snowden seeing that he hacked (stole) government information that he alone determined should be public information and put many U.S. lives in danger, including our military and civilians of all political persuasions. He then slithered away to the country that best exemplifies truth, human rights and openness in government — Putin’s Russia.
Nels Kramer
Enfield
Just punishment for Tsarnaev
As a former naval officer and Vietnam veteran, I would deeply resent that any of my tax dollars would be expended on the costly maintenance of terrorist Dzhokhar Tsarnaev for the rest of his natural life. We must take steps to prevent him from becoming a focal point in the future as a cause celebre for international terrorists.
Once executed, no place in America should be degraded by having to accept his remains. Our soil is too hallowed by the blood of our brothers and sisters-in-arms to allow him interment here.
He should be disposed of as we did with Osama bin Laden — at a random spot far at sea — but without the religious observances that were given bin Laden. Jim Fossel had it right: the “Death penalty [is] a just punishment for Tsarnaev.”
John D. Hamilton
Corinth
Ask for ‘Living on Earth’
Here’s a plea for the radio program “Living on Earth.” This program has informative and timely environmental interviews and analysis, which can be painful, but the tone is calm, considered and considerate. And it is mitigated by reporting on nature and ingenious cheering adaptive behavior, somewhere around the world and here, too.
But Maine public radio has relegated it to 7 a.m. Sunday. Is this not to clutter up primetime? Or does it not have enough “gravitas” in tone to merit the policy-heavyweight slots? So as not to offend the corporate sponsors so important to media survival now? Or the delicate listeners who would rather not know?
Perhaps Steve Curwood, who originated and hosts this program, is too bland, too calm in the face of the appalling direction we are heading. He is African-American, and if he were strident and not so even-tempered, I believe he would be off the airwaves. But he is persistent, and he must have a dynamite staff.
If you can’t listen to “Living on Earth” at 7 a.m. Sunday, go to LOE.org and “listen/download.” But consider also contacting Maine Public Radio and asking them to schedule this crucial program during primetime. It’s not just me who isn’t listening to “Living on Earth,” it’s everybody else as well, a form of censorship by scheduling. And we can’t fix what we don’t know about.
Maybe we can’t fix our huge environmental problems, but knowing more about what is happening might hinder future unfair blame and retribution, which is what we do when we get scared.
Beedy Parker
Camden
Clinton nuclear sale
I could not believe it. Hillary Clinton said the State Department was not the only agency to vote “yes” to the sale of one fifth of our known reserves of uranium to a Russian-controlled company, Rosatom.
Our reserves are relatively low grade, meaning the cost of mining is relatively high. About 20 percent of our electric energy is generated from 99 nuclear plants. Not considering the military’s weapons and propulsion demands, we are going to need some control of our limited reserves.
The U.S. imports 10 times more uranium than we mine here. Now Hillary Clinton says the Defense Department, Nuclear Regulatory Commission and others approved the sale, so it was OK for State Department to do the same. All these agency chiefs are under the leadership of President Barack Obama.
What is going on? Where is the congressional oversight?
William Mahoney
Southwest Harbor
Mainers’ rights
When the Expedited Permitting Area was created as part of the Wind Energy Act of 2008, less than 1 percent of Maine residents abruptly lost an avenue to have meaningful input into questions of zoning. That “emergency legislation” summarily gave the wind industry an expedited path to change the future of our communities, whether or not we supported that change.
The Expedited Permitting Area was created behind closed doors. No minutes were taken of these meetings. The parties who created the Expedited Permitting Area consisted of former Gov. John Baldacci’s Wind Task Force, several environmental NGO’s and wind developers. Those few entities were the major drivers and designers of the rezoning of a large portion of rural Maine.
We — the people who live, work and play here — were not included in these secret meetings. We weren’t asked for our perspective. We weren’t sent notices about the creation of the Expedited Permitting Area. Without our input or knowledge, our hometowns were simply, quietly and immediately re-zoned as “industrial” — but for only one industry. Not all residents in unorganized territories, however, were treated thusly — just those of us who live in regions coveted by wind developers.
LD 828 will correct an egregious action; an action that removed a right to process from a few select rural residents in order to grant favor to one powerful industry.
LD 828 is a citizens’ rights bill. Voting to reinstate citizens’ rights is the ethical thing to do. The 127th Legislature has an opportunity to restore fairness to the people of Maine.
Karen Bessey Pease
Lexington Township