Letters to the editor, Week of October 13, 2016

Rebutts two letters

To the editor:

I want to thank Messrs. Pauley and White for their letters to the editor regarding the campaign for House District #79 and for providing me this opportunity to set the record straight.

With regard to Mr. Pauley’s letter, I have been a wildlife advocate in Maine for more than 20 years. I am also a sportsman. During that time I have seen how broken and corrupt Maine’s system of fish and wildlife management is. The special interest group that he identified as targeting me for defeat is benefiting from this corruption. They have tried multiple times to take away all of our rights to petition the government for citizens referendums on fish and wildlife issues. I believe in government of, by, and for the people and I believe that we need to identify corruption in government and get rid of it. No wonder they want to keep me out of the legislature. The people of Maine deserve a government that represents all of us, not just the special interests.

Regarding wolves, I am an advocate for a healthy ecosystem. Wolves are native to Maine and are essential for a healthy, complete ecosystem. I have never advocated bringing wolves into Maine. Mr. Pauley’s comment that, “I suspect that if wolves wanted to be in Maine, they would be in Maine” is an interesting one. In fact, wolves are attempting to naturally return to Maine but are being killed in the process. Unfortunately, neither our state nor federal governments are giving these animals the legal protection they are entitled to. I encourage folks to go to www.mainewolfcoalition.org for factual information on the status of wolves in the northeast. Because of their close proximity to Maine and our abundance of natural prey (beaver, moose, deer) and habitat, wolves will recolonize Maine and it is up to us to be educated and informed about them. Because the state of Maine refuses to do so, it is up to us to educate ourselves.

With regard to Mr. White’s letter, it is true that I visited the property and I did respond to one question, “That is a no brainer.” Mr. White left out a few other aspects of my visit. When I arrived at the property as part of my door to door campaigning, a number of people were sitting around a campfire consuming alcohol. I was not “asked” to leave, I was ordered to “get off my property.” Of the many hundreds of homes I have visited during the campaign, this is the only one where I was told to leave and I promptly did so. During the five or ten minutes that I was there talking with folks, I was asked a number of questions by several different people regarding my stances on several issues including the North Woods National Monument. I truthfully answered all of their questions (some weren’t happy with my answers) and I stated that I support the National Monument and that it was a no-brainer. From an economic standpoint, the creation of the monument is a no-brainer. The 87,000 acre donation of public land has now been completed, the National Monument has been created, and the local economy is already benefiting from visitors.

Concerning his claim that I stated that I, “…drew a big salary and did nothing…” I worked for the people of Maine for nearly three decades, most of that time in the Department of Environmental Protection. As many people know, and as all DEP staff, past and present know, this governor ran for office on an anti-DEP, anti-environmental enforcement platform. My career happened to be working for the DEP in water enforcement. For the last 5-6 years with the DEP, I was given so little work that I had nothing to do some 90 percent of the time. I am not proud of this. I am disgusted that given the environmental problems and issues in our state, DEP staff are paid to sit in the office and do nothing because people in positions of power don’t want to rock the boat. This is a major reason why I am running for the legislature.

It is this kind of government waste and corruption that I intend to eliminate if I am elected. I would add that it is easy to throw stones and complain. It is not easy to put yourself out there, expose yourself to lies and half-truths, and actually work to make things better.

John M. Glowa, Sr.
South China

Christians need to get involved

To the editor:

In less than a month, American voters will go to the polls and select their choice of who will become the 45th President of the United States of America, the most powerful office in the world.
Our founders recognized early on that the perfect foundation for a good government could only come through the blessings of God.

But once again, it is quite obvious that we have allowed our Government, our Courts, our Churches and Ourselves to succumb to a cancerous deterioration of our Founding Christian principles.

We see it every day through the TV lens, the constant continual moral decay that will eventually bring us to a course that knows no redemption.

America, our complacency is destroying us. Why aren’t professing Christians speaking up?

Isn’t it time for the body of Christ to awaken from its apathy and act responsibly?

If we fail to express our opinions, others will be more than happy to make decisions for us.

Let us never forget that we are a government, “Of the People, by the People and for the People.”

It says in II Tim. 4:3: “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”
Less than 60 percent of eligible Christians actually vote or are even registered to vote.

Christians, We need to Get Involved!

Gene V. Graves
Rockport

Vote No on Question 3

To the editor:

As a former member of the NRA and owner of a pistol and rifle, and also passed a background check, the following dawned on me.

Question 3 needs to be defeated because, too late for me and others who passed the, but in my opinion this law is a government “stealth” way to keep records on all us law abiding citizens. Why? Just like in Nazi Germany in the 1930s, the regime feared a possible uprising. How to be ahead of this possibility? Have all citizens register their weapons. By the late ‘30s, with all gun owners registered, the Gestapo quickly confiscated all the registered guns, claiming “national security.” Sound familiar? Vote “No” on Question 3, and remain free.

Frank Slason
Somerville