Commentary

• Viewpoint: Defending Acadia against industrial-scale aquaculture 

  September 14, 2021 by Guest on Commentary, Opinion

  By David MacDonald  For more than a century, landowners, community members and park partners have worked together to preserve the lands and waters that define Acadia National Park. We are blessed by their foresight, and we experience their gifts daily – dramatic coastal scenery, clean drinking water, recreation on the historic trails and carriage roads, dark night skies and the opportunity to restore ourselves in nature.   Acadia’s founders would likely have a lot to say about the proposal from American …

• Viewpoint: Solidarity against NOAA rules  

  September 14, 2021 by Guest on Commentary, Opinion

  Labor Day left me thinking about solidarity.

• Viewpoint: Working waterfront diversity is needed  

  September 7, 2021 by Guest on Commentary, Opinion

  By Des FitzGerald  A friend just sent me a copy of a May opinion piece written by Jerilyn Bowers that deserves a response (Standing up for working waterfront doesn’t mean supporting industrial-scale aquaculture, Islander, May 6). In the piece, the author suggests that marine aquaculture in Maine is an unfettered industry and that the state has given both foreign and domestic corporations the green light to come to …

• Viewpoint: Power-hungry party has lost its way 

  September 7, 2021 by Guest on Commentary, Opinion

  By Hugh Bowden  For the more than 79 years I’ve now lived here on planet Earth, I have believed that U.S. democracy would long outlast me. For the first time in my life, I now have serious doubts. And those doubts are completely attributable to a Republican Party that has been transformed from a once legitimate and honorable …

• Viewpoint: The answer is yes 

  August 31, 2021 by Guest on Commentary, Opinion

  By Beth Ellen Warner  The answer to the question of last week’s front-page article, “Can a town restrict cruise ships,” is a resounding yes, of course we can, absolutely, Bar Harbor can say yes!   Sadly, an atrociously flawed opinion was introduced in the story. It claimed banning certain types of commercial vessels outright would be “considered unconstitutional.” This is not fact. It is merely opinion and entirely erroneous. It was introduced to discourage and sidetrack the majority of citizens in Bar Harbor who stand against the destructive, predatory cruise ship industry. Big cruise ships routinely pollute, are petri dishes for diseases and reduce …

• Viewpoint: Time to bring this to a head 

  August 31, 2021 by Guest on Commentary, Opinion

  By Sean Sweeney   It would be fun to list all the money that out-of-state shorefront property owners are not having to pay this year. I did come across another winner of a $4 million-plus property owned by an out of stater whose taxes didn’t go down with the latest tax assessment. Instead his assessment finally reached the level of what he paid …

• Viewpoint: For a stronger Maine, paid leave is the solution 

  August 24, 2021 by Guest on Commentary, Opinion

  By Rep. Genevieve McDonald  As we attempt to turn the page on the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous issues have come to light that deserve immediate attention. One is the need for paid family and medical leave for Maine families.   The pandemic has been challenging for everyone. Many families have had to make difficult decisions regarding child care, school, health care or taking care of a loved one who may …

• Viewpoint: Towards a unified theory of composition 

  August 24, 2021 by Guest on Commentary, Opinion

  By Todd R. Nelson  On a good day, writing spontaneously appears. Sometimes 800 words arrive wholesale. Other times, a lonely opening sentence infiltrates my peace, demanding elaboration, or a memory inquisition for coherent details. I still recall the day when “Dynamite was my first love” came to mind and I was obliged to fill in the following blanks of the story. This led to a later sentence: “Dad! We love …

• Viewpoint: Enough is enough – The facts about the Clean Energy Corridor 

  August 10, 2021 by Guest on Commentary, Opinion

  By Serge Abergel  We see once again that the oil and gas companies, financing opposition to the Clean Energy Corridor, push their “talking points” into the hands of unsuspecting writers. The result – another letter to the editor spreading misinformation, this time showing up in the Islander authored by Richard Aishton.  With respect to the suggestion that Hydro-Quebec is involved in …

• Viewpoint: Lack of transparency in transmission corridor project 

  August 10, 2021 by Guest on Commentary, Opinion

  By Becky Bartovics  Sierra Club Maine is moving forward with its lawsuit, filed in October 2020, seeking the appropriate level of environmental review for the massively destructive NECEC transmission corridor proposed by Central Maine Power. The Club expects to brief the case for the district court in October but does not expect a decision until after the Citizens’ Initiative Referendum in November. Working with …