After intently watching the Democratic debate on Sept. 12, I wonder if anyone is really listening to what they are proposing. Free health care for all, but where will the money come from? Do we really think that free health care is not going to come out of our paychecks? No wonder Democratic candidates want to raise the minimum wage.

Here’s a contrast in the speed of communications: I am reading “James Marshall: Definer of a Nation,” by Jean Edward Smith. Marshall was, among other things, Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, largely responsible for shaping that court and, to a great extent, our nation.

Just read the article about dropping the Mount from the name Katahdin. Makes perfect sense when you learn what the word means, many words have a meaning derived from early civilizations, cultures and nationalities. As a native of Millinocket, I stopped using the word Mount at an early age when I learned the native meaning from my grandparents, some of the earliest 1900s Millinocket settlers.

I am pleased to learn that Governor Mills has appointed a task force to study ATV changes and trail use. I find it especially interesting that it is also at a time when decisions are being made about where electric bicycles may be used. Intentionally or unintentionally, there also seems to be a push to attribute improper or illegal use as the reason for the need.

I will admit that I have not been a regular viewer of “Saturday Night Live” for a long, long time. In my opinion, it has been about 15 years since it was consistently funny and featured cast members whom I actually like. But I do still keep track of what they do occasionally, and will check in once in a while to see whether they've turned a page and it is worth my watching again.

We no longer have a two-party system in American Democracy. We have an asymmetrical system where one party continues to comport itself largely along traditional lines with deference to the law, the Constitution and Democratic norms, and the other has declared total and complete war on any institution or check that would constrain its power.

You have to be wary of what you post online these days and that is also true for genealogists.

Maine teacher certification is seriously flawed as Paul Stearns pointed out in his OpEd, and has been for years. Maine's restrictive and simple-minded requirements are keeping the highly qualified individuals mentioned, as well as others, out of our schools that urgently need the best teachers we can find.

Bob Mallard, in a letter to the editor, once again states that the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife does not fully embrace catch and release. While C&R is undoubtedly an effective management tool, there are many other options required for different situations.

Catch-and-release is an invaluable management tool. It’s the regulation that comes closest to allowing a fishery to be what it naturally is. Per the Department of Environmental Protection, Maine has nearly 6,050 lakes and ponds. Approximately 2,435 are listed on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s lake and pond database, indicating they contain fish.

This past Wednesday, September 11th, Eileen and I were in Freeport, ME, standing an hour in the rain for the farewell watch of the great Freeport Flag Ladies. The three ladies — Carmen Footer, Elaine Greene, and JoAnn Miller — stood on their Main Street corner every Tuesday, for 18 years, commemorating 9/11.

I don't remember Pearl Harbor. Nor should I. I was born in 1980, three days after the 39th anniversary of the event. I wasn't alive when it happened. I didn't see it. I didn't feel it. My knowledge of Pearl Harbor comes from news footage, dozens of documentaries, and some famous lines uttered by an American president.

Democrats should be embarrassed. But not for the typical reasons that might have quickly jumped to mind.

There’s a phrase, the cure is worse than the disease. Right now, Congress is aiming to give a master course on the meaning of this expression with new legislation targeting our health care system. If enacted, it would greatly harm rural Maine and my constituents.

I took a recent webinar which stressed the importance of using a research log to track progress in your searches. A research log allows you to list all sources and what you found or didn’t find. For example, you might list a book showing title/author/library/call number and indicate what you found. Some of these logs allow you to state your purpose in researching such as “seeking parents of John Jones”.

I wanted to respond to a letter written by Richard Aishton published in your newspaper. Mr. Aishton discusses in great detail the presumed environmental damage the New England Clean Energy Connect will do to Maine’s western mountains. I disagree.

The Maine Old Cemetery Association, dedicated to preservation of Maine’s neglected cemeteries, has a fascinating Facebook page. From the page’s 2,740 members, MOCA posters share photos of restoration projects, discoveries; they network and share history lessons.

On Wednesday, Sept. 11 the state board of education will meet at Brunswick High School to be updated and possibly approve changes to the rules of Chapter 115 “The Credentialing of Educational Personnel.”