This is the cusp of July 4th, 2018. On this 242nd celebration of 13 North American British colonies adopting the Declaration of Independence, breaking chains binding the colonists to the King of England, I am having trouble making sense of the growing fear and madness driving leftists: If you’re not of the left, you are no longer someone with a different philosophy. No, you are the enemy of the left.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court finally announced a decision on the much anticipated Janus v. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) case. It will prove, I suspect, to be one of the most consequential Supreme Court decisions in a generation, given the impact it will have on American society.

Two women were recently kicked out of restaurants. One holds a position of great power and influence. The other is a member of one of the most bullied and marginalized groups in our society.

Most of us probably found in our mailboxes this week a legislative survey from our state representatives. The plain looking survey arrives as a brochure-size trifold on plain white paper marked “Legislative Survey Enclosed,” with an upper left corner black-and-white photo of my State Rep. Thick black photo border lines remind me of obituary photos on Mass cards.

To the Editor; The 2018 Maine Whoopie Pie Festival has successfully concluded and on behalf of the Center Theatre and the Piscataquis Chamber of Commerce we wanted to thank everyone involved for their help and support.

AARPMaine and our more than 230,000 members would like to extend our congratulations and best wishes to all the candidates running in the general election in November. We would also like to remind everyone that November is not that far away. By far the biggest and most robust voting bloc in the state is that of Mainers over the age of 50.

More than a week, and no winner. Glitches. Memory stick problems. Ballots sent by courier from remote Maine towns. And all for likely selecting the winner that would have been selected anyway under the old system? This is really how you want to do elections, Maine?

It’s that time of year again when genealogists are apt to feel the urge to track down a family cemetery.

Maybe this time will be different. But I’m skeptical, disappointed and angry. The plight of children stolen from their parents at the border has generated a national moment of outrage.

I offer praise to Bangor's Peace and Justice Center for showing the just released documentary “Awake” that shows the efforts of Water Protectors at the North Dakota Standing Rock Sioux Nation. The video exposes violent actions of the North Dakota National Guard, sheriff department, and hired mercenaries who worked for the oil pipeline company throughout 2016 and 2017.

Why do basic good manners seem so hard to grasp? I was thinking about that last night whenever our 4 ½-year-old grandson, Grafton, announced, “I want a snack,” or “I want juice.” My initial response was, “I’m not hearing any manners,” or the shorter, “Manners?”

As a new resident of Maine, I am dumbfounded at the recent legalization of marijuana in Maine. Everyone agrees that there is an opioid crisis in this state and around the country. So how does legalizing marijuana make any sense? It doesn't.

After all that, it turns out the Republicans don't need to worry about the foolishness of ranked-choice voting after all. The reason for that, of course, is that Shawn Moody became the Republican nominee for governor on Tuesday night by absolutely wiping out his opponents.

On Tuesday, for the first time Maine, voters had a chance to use ranked-choice voting to pick their nominees for governor and for Democrats in the 2nd Congressional District. Despite all the hand-wringing, ranked-choice voting itself is pretty straightforward. You rank the candidates in the order that you like them.

It’s hardly a startling headline that rural Maine is in crisis. In fact, the face of rural Maine has been a sporting a series of fresh bruises as a regular occurrence since the 1890s. The utter collapse of the farm economy, the demise of the ubiquitous shipyards and the sawmills that fed them, and the gradual, inexorable decline of papermaking has shaped the prospects for prosperity for which people in rural Maine tirelessly strive.

Is there ever a time suicide doesn’t leave a wake of sadness and grief? Suicide and death were very much a part of my week. I didn’t make it a point to engage suicide and death. The week just turned out that way.

Hold your horses! Ease off that throttle. Slow it down there, bub. The U.S. Supreme Court did not legalize discrimination and it did not affirm the right of business owners to turn people away who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. And the court certainly did not say that the First Amendment allows business owners to ignore state law, including anti-discrimination laws, on the basis of religious beliefs.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." That, of course, is the text of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.