I was listening to a President Donald Trump interview over the weekend. He said they’ve already started to build the wall -- big parts, it’s going to be beautiful -- with money they had on hand. So what I’d like to know is, why was there a shutdown? Or is that another lie?

If only it were a lost art and we had left it there long ago. Its device and scheme is a plague upon our nation's soul. So it has followed us from distant shores, infectious and diseased, to raise its ugly bulbous head in a legislative eruption of taxation.

The soldiers who identify as members of the transgender community serve our country and protect our freedoms in the U.S. military. Patriot hero soldiers from the LGBTQ+ community have given their lives or have come home from many wars with arms or legs blown off.

This week I extend last week's conversation with Tammy Estes, owner of Estes Consultant of Travel based in Augusta. Tammy has been a great help to me in understanding "deaf culture;" how deaf and hard of hearing (HoH) people communicate within the "deaf culture" and with the "hearing culture."

So, I've been a bit hard on the new liberal regime in Augusta recently. I've been giving Gov. Janet Mills and her allies in the Legislature unsolicited advice, telling them to do things that I am well aware they will never have any intention of doing. Things like controlling spending, lowering taxes and continuing to guard Maine's fiscal health.

Dear America, remember Maine! Not “Remember the Maine,” which maybe you read in a history book. Rather remember the last eight years of politics in Maine.

With few places in the world still relatively untouched by development, Maine’s 10.5 million acres of North Woods are a disappearing resource. These woods rejuvenate us: They provide opportunities for hunting, fishing and recreation, and serve as vital habitat for plants and animals.

Hope springs eternal or so the poets say But nothing seems poetic in Washington today Battle on the wind, stalemate all a'grind The blame, The game as who can best opine

Film Director Peter Jackson’s new World War I documentary, “They Shall Not Grow Old,” is a powerful story told using 100-year-old film and advanced computer technology.

I am constantly told that the ancient fossils in Congress need to be thrown out in favor of younger generations, because they will provide a "breath of fresh air" and offer "new ideas" about this country's future.

In a major victory for sound public policy over naked politics, Gov. Janet Mills continued her efforts to expand access to health care to Maine people. This time, she bucked the Trump administration and former Gov. Paul LePage by rejecting a change to the state’s Medicaid program, which would have erected unnecessary barriers to health insurance for low-income families.

The cure at the southern border is to identify the problem first. The number one problem is illegal drugs. The greatest percentage of illegal drugs cross the border by legal points of entry. We need more inspectors and electronic equipment to get this under control.

The latest journalistic debacle of BuzzFeed proportions has shown the spotlight again on a once revered institution devoid of any integrity. The nation has in many ways become numb to it, even at times accepting this as the new normal. Despite this, the next station in the march of relativism should leave even the most morally callous appalled.

Last week my computer locked up in the middle of an update. My computer is my right hand. It holds over 40 years of genealogical research, the chapters I’ve written on the book I’m doing for the Maine State DAR, all my columns, a photo collection and my online banking, among other things.

The woman on the phone wanted to know if I could get rid of a rock rising up from a section of her lawn. She was responding to my classified newspaper ad offering to do “odd jobs.” At age 15 or 16, my mom suggested the “odd jobs” ad as a way for me to earn money.

I am writing to thank Gov. Mills for acting so quickly to release the senior housing bond. Her leadership on this critical issue will enable more Mainers to age in place through the building of new, affordable, accessible and safe homes for older Mainers. Additionally, funds will be dedicated to home repair and weatherization of existing homes, some of which are the oldest in the country.

Over the past few years I have become familiar with the Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) which is a national, non-partisan group that is organized on the grassroots level. It has a practical plan to cut CO2 emissions by 40 percent over the next 12 years.

Spend, spend, spend. Tax, tax, tax. You heard a lot of flowery talk about responsibly leading Maine. You heard about discipline and "investments" that would make the state better. "No, we won't raise your taxes," they said, "we'll just reprioritize state government and we'll use money we already have to do a few things responsibly."