Letters to the editor, Week of October 27, 2016

Glowa visit to Hime Hill

To the editor:

Mr. Glowa, I am writing in regards to your letter to the editor in The Town Line of the October 13 issue. After reading your letter I quickly arrived to some opinions that are not favorable towards you.

First, I thought to myself – what does consuming alcohol on ones own property have to do with your campaign for House District #79? Actually nothing! You do not know what was in those glasses – it could have been a hot cup of tea, water, orange juice or even perhaps it was a beer. The fact remains it does not matter as all was consumed on private property and drinking is not a crime last I knew.

Was it your sole intent to make people look bad? Drinking alcohol has not one single thing to do with your campaign. The fact is we were sitting around a campfire mourning the loss of my dad, Roy Dow, a man who was good, honest, hard working, and very much devoted to his family and his wife, and then you arrived on the scene. You became confrontational, because we did not agree with your way of thinking. To you maybe things are a “no brainer” but to us, and many others, it could be a much different view. Also, instead of having to be asked to leave, maybe you should have realized that some function was taking place and you should have politely excused yourself and left – that is a “no brainer.” Instead you hung around until you were finally asked to leave, and even then you didn’t.

You had to be escorted to your car, a bad choice on your part especially when one is campaigning for a seat in the House.

Secondly, after reading your letter I came away with the thoughts – Wow, that man is on a one man agenda. In case you didn’t know it takes teamwork when you’re elected and you work for the good of people who elected you. You write about how you’re going into the House to change everything.

Thirdly, I would recommend that one should not go around bragging to all that one worked for the State of Maine for 5 or 6 years and did nothing each day yet collected a hefty salary. I don’t know about you but I take deep pride in doing an honest day’s work for a pay check.

Finally, my biggest beef with you is how you have tried to portray my family. You have attempted to portray your visit as one where we were belligerent and intoxicated, when in truth, you intruded upon a private mourning time and did not leave when asked. In the eyes of many, this has made you seem as though you cannot properly interact with the public and furthermore you, perhaps, have lost their votes.

Jane Dow Glidden
Palermo

Don’t sit this one out!

To the editor:

Last week I set out to write a supporting letter for Mr. Graves’ [letter to the editor] entitled Christians need to get involved. But after reading Eric Austin’s piece, I feel I first need to respond to two of Mr. Austin’s assertions.

First, Mr. Graves was addressing Christian, not “ordinary people.” Second, Mr. Austin makes no mention of the Declaration of Independence which embodies the principles on which our government, and our identity as Americans, are based. To quote the preamble, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.”

Can one really believe that the authors meant “Mother Nature” by using the term “Creator?” God may not be explicity expressed in either the constitution or the Bill of Rights, but there is no doubt that Judeo-Christian values have had a fundamental impact on the history of our country since before its inception. The denial or the dismissal of this understanding is precisely one of the reasons our country is headed in the direction of the Titanic (to paraphrase Mr. Pauley’s comment in another [letter]) and precisely why Christians need to stand up for the right to have their beliefs heard and respected by our fellow citizens, as any other religious group’s rights should be respected.

This belief is why I hope many quiet Christians like me have taken Mr. Graves’ words to heart, to become involved, at least as far as studying the substance behind this presidential election. As a Christian whose relationship with Jesus Christ is personal, I have been frustrated for many months by the lack of clarity in the media’s portrayal of the two major candidates. Like Mr. Graves, I am directing this [letter] to other Christians, especially those who feel they cannot make a wise decision based on what they hear blasted at them 24/7 by the many media outlets.

There is no denying that both Clinton and Trump are flawed, but who of us is not? Romans 8:28 is quite clear. It is so easy to become distracted by this continual bombardment of accusation and innuendo. By focusing on the flaws, we lose sight of the really important issues, which have everything to do with the future direction of America. Because Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have profoundly different world views, their solutions to the threats facing America are diametrically opposed. Set the candidates aside for the moment and consider the impact of what they propose concerning the role of the federal government, the protection of our Constitutional rights, our national security and defense, the future of the Supreme Court, etc. When talking to neighbors and friends, I am stunned to find that so many have no idea where each of these candidates stands on any of these issues.

Christians, the media blitz is designed to discourage you from exercising your responsibility to vote. Pray for God’s guidance and wisdom to make the right choice. For some deeply thoughtful insights into where each candidate would like to take our country, you can find an election guide that clearly defines the differences between the two candidates on all the major issues of importance to Christians, in the September 2016 issue of Decision Magazine, online at billygraham.org.

The future of our country and our personal liberty is at stake. The single thing that makes America different from any other country in the world is the belief that our rights are granted to us by a Creator God, not by nature or mother earth, and especially not by the government. If we continue to exclude, ignore, and even deny God in the public square, our freedoms cannot long endure and the decline of this great nation is assured. Don’t sit this one out. We are supposed to make the difference.

Carole Johnson
South China

Nadeau cares about veterans

To the editor:

My mom has a lot of respect and really cares about veterans. Her father, Richard “Duke” Caron, served in the Marines during the Korean War. My uncles John and Paul are veterans. I am a veteran having served in the United States Coast Guard.

My pépère died in 2009 after a long courageous battle with cancer and was buried in the Maine’s Veterans Cemetery in Augusta. Every year since then, each Memorial Day, mom joins a group of volunteers who place more than 30,000 flags on the graves of the brave men and women that are buried at both VA cemeteries in Augusta. She now serves on the committee that organizes these events.

Mom has served the citizens of Winslow for over 25 years and I believe her experience, work ethic and true caring nature are what we need more of in Augusta.

Jim Nadeau
Winslow

Nadeau leads by example

To the editor:

November 8 is fast approaching and I’m sure you’re as tired as I am of all the negative campaigning. Even in my wife’s race there are false claims and twisted facts being sent out by those supporting her opponent. Let me tell you what I know to be true.

During the past four years I have seen Cathy spend countless hours in Augusta working tirelessly on behalf of the citizens of Winslow and Benton. Even though Cathy is a Democrat she strives to work together with members of both parties to do what’s in the best interest of all the people of Maine. She does what is ethical and leads by example. This is what we surely need more of in Augusta and Washington.

I am extremely proud of the work Cathy has done and encourage you to re-elect her on November 8.

Bob Nadeau
Winslow

Know your audience

To the editor:

Mr. Glowa, political differences aside and perspectives aside (as we all know every one’s glasses are a different color), I am the daughter of Roy M. Dow, Jr., whom passed away on May 29, 2016, Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. He was the tender age of 86 years old. He has a large family – a wife of 65 years whom you met the day you visited us on your door-to-door campaign trail (and you probably don’t know which one of the persons she was), five children and spouses, 11 grandchildren and spouses, and nine great-grandchildren, five of whom were born right before he passed away.

Roy Dow was a pillar in the town of China for 65 years. He owned China General Store, he owned the ice cream stand “Custard’s Last Stand,” he owned the town little league fields, he plowed the driveways of China’s residents, he pumped the septic tanks of China’s residents, he owned and operated the heavy equipment of the town, he owned and managed woodlots, he worked for the state of Maine (yes, your employer who paid you to do nothing for five years, self-proclaimed); and the litany continues. He hunted, he fished, he trapped, he lobstered, he dug clams, he was a sharp shooter, he was a pilot. He was friend, he was a voice of reason, he was a giver. He had it, you needed it, he gave it to you. He was a creator.

He created “Hime Hill Road,” our private property, our family compound. Private the operative word here. You came onto our private property, unannounced and uninvited, walking into the middle of a very private family time….when the patriarch of the family had just passed and we had just gathered; and to top it off, you refused to leave when asked. You had to be told multiple times, like a child, to leave.

Mr. Glowa, you have no intuition. You have no political savvy. You have no social etiquette. You wrote in a letter to the editor of The Town Line published on October 13, 2016: “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.”

Roy Dow would have told you the same thing: ‘get off my property,’ because you were not welcomed there. Furthermore, we can drink all the alcohol we want on our private property. Not a political issue. Were you trying to paint a picture?

Lastly, regarding the Northern Maine Woods, Roy Dow [knew] every inch of the Northern Maine woods by vehicle, by boat, by snowmobile, by plane, and by foot. I can guarantee you that he could take you in there, and you would never find your way out – because you most likely do not know the Northern Maine Woods.

I would recommend that if you ever campaign for anything again you know your audience, because not knowing your audience is political suicide.

Roberta Ann Dow
China