Congressman is right to change view on banning weapons of war

Echo opinion published in the Portland Press Herald and The Post Star, a Glenn Falls, New York newspaper.

#TheNewYorkTimes reports:  "Representative Jared Golden of Maine, a centrist Democrat, called for a ban on assault weapons Thursday afternoon, reversing a long-held stance after 18 people were killed in a mass shooting in Lewiston," Emily Cochrane.

EDITORIAL:  In the devastating aftermath of the mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine, the Press Herald editorial board is calling on U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Angus King, I-Maine, to support a workable federal ban on assault rifles — however they wish to get there.

As a solemn attempt to weaken the sickening grip the threat of gun violence has on our families and our neighbors, as an acknowledgment of the consequences of decades of failure to take this action and as an act of faith in the future of our state, nothing less than an effective ban on the sale of military-style assault rifles can do.

No credible argument in favor of continuing to allow these guns onto store shelves and into our communities can be made or has ever been made.

Three of four, with Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree as the longstanding exception — until last Thursday night. Referring to "false confidence" in abstract ideas about local safety and control and "many other misjudgments," Rep. Golden stood up at a lectern and told the public that he had reconsidered his position on the accessibility of "weapons of war."

Among the memorable lines from the congressman's speech, one stood out to us: "Humility is called for as accountability is sought."

Humility is called for. In contemporary politics, any change of mind or approach is remarkable enough. In choosing to take responsibility for his failure, however, in explicitly asking for forgiveness and support from his constituents in the 2nd Congressional District, Golden went further than that. What we saw was a rare display of moral courage.

"Sometimes things happen that bring your worst nightmares to life," Golden said of his own tipping point, the mass shootings in his hometown that left 18 people dead.

Our reporting back in May, which followed the April shootings in Bowdoin and Yarmouth, was characterized as much by the delegates' reluctance to support an assault weapons ban as it was their reluctance to tell the public exactly why.

And yet, as the Press Herald reported in stark detail in May, three of four members of Maine's congressional delegation — Sens. Collins and King and Democratic Rep. Jared Golden — withheld their support for a ban, despite a majority of voters now strongly supporting it in principle.

The positions of Sens. Collins and King on an assault weapons ban are different.

Collins has previously explained that past proposals have been too broad. King has repeatedly expressed concern that the proposed bans he has encountered so far would be too weak, too easy for manufacturers to find their way around. The senator has instead been focused on placing limits on functional elements like high-capacity magazines and bump stocks.

In the immediate, emotional aftermath of a tragedy like Lewiston's, reservations about the content or form of any proposal to ban these weapons outright is particularly hard for us to accept.

Defenders of the right to access to automatic and semi-automatic rifles do the same thing when they wring hands about regulatory overstep that would deprive gun owners of choice, or quibble about what qualifies as a modern sporting rifle, as if it were a term that could not reasonably be defined.

The upshot of staying in the weeds is that our elected representatives have been at odds about what a ban on assault weapons should or should not look like for years on end. All the while, new assault weapons are being sold into our towns and cities — more than 20 million are now in circulation. 

That is not to say that there is not critical detail and definition that needs to be carefully negotiated. But at some point, and we firmly believe that point is now, lawmakers must set aside differing ideals and get real about putting an end to the availability of these guns.

Responding to the events in Lewiston, President Biden urged lawmakers in Congress to "end immunity from liability for gun manufacturers."

In calling for our senators to lend their support to a ban on assault weapons, we are urging the same. Until that happens, it should not be hard for anybody to say that these guns simply do not belong in people's hands. And how best to achieve that end? By instituting a federal ban on their sale.

End World Poverty ~ The Borgen Project

Increase funding to the extreme poor

Echo letter to the editor published in the Biddeford Maine Journal Tribune newspaper

Dear Editor,
I am a proud, privileged and hardworking citizen of the state of Maine and the United States of America.

I want to remind my fellow citizens that that they have a duty to the starving, sick and unsheltered all around the world. There is a misconception that the U.S. gives much more than the 1 percent it gives in foreign aid each year. This isn’t enough and it isn’t nearly as much as we could be contributing.

I urge you to contact your congressman and women in support of the International Affairs budget and ask them to increase funding to the extreme poor. Organizations like The Borgen Project are incredibly important and prominent in helping the needy all around the world by fighting for legislation that will help build these poor communities.

I have been contacting Senator Angus King, and Senator Susan Collins and Representative Chellie Pingree encouraging them to support The Borgen Project and The International Affairs budget to which they have been interested and knowledgeable on the issue, but they need our support.

Building up the poor around the world will create future markets that the U.S. can trade with while at the same time increasing national security and helping the overpopulation problem. When the extreme poor’s economy grows and the have more money, they have less children which significantly reduces the population. There is also less chance for extremism and crime. These are problems that affect all of us and they need your attention.

Christopher Steward Saco, Maine

American Nurses Association: ANA-Maine statement on separation of immigrant families

Dear ANA-Maine members:

ANA-Maine is supporting the position of the American Academy of Pediatrics, calling to prevent harm done to immigrant children by separating families at points of entry to the US. Therefore, ANA-Maine is calling on the Maine Congressional delegation to take action to end the practice of separating families, when immigrants are escaping violence and present to the Department of Homeland Security, as they enter the USA, at the southern border.

“Separating children from their parents contradicts everything nurses stand for as as we advocate for protecting and promoting children’s health,” Catherine Snow, president of ANA-Maine. "We support the position of the American Academy of Pediatrics as stated by President Colleen A. Kraft, M.D., M.B.A., FAAP. The implementation of the latest policy of separation of children and parents is the latest example of harmful actions by the Department of Homeland Security against immigrant families, hindering their right to seek asylum in our country and denying parents the right to remain with their children.”

Nurses supported by the ANA-Maine are requesting for our Congressional delegation, led by Senator Susan Collins, Senator Angus King, Representative Chellie Pingree and Representative Bruce Poliquin, take decisive actions to end these harmful actions and protect immigrant children from forced separations from their families.  Catherine Snow, President

Environmental protection - stop budget cuts

This is my own opinion in an "echo", published in the Maine weekly "The Forecaster"~ by Juliana L'Heureux (MaineWriter)

Proposed EPA cuts will damage Maine, nation

Congresswomann Chellie Pingree opposes cuts to the Environmental Protection budget

Maine recognizes the environmental leadership provided by Rep. Chellie Pingree, as she works with bi-partisan Congressional efforts to protect against proposed budget cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency. Cuts proposed by EPA Secretary Scott Pruitt will impact Maine’s economy.

While reading about the dialogue exchanged during public hearings conducted with Pruitt and the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, it was helpful to see the published remarks, where Pingree described, for the record, how Maine relies on the EPA as a resource for fishing and the lobster industry. She joined with her Democratic and Republican colleagues to support sustaining the agency’s budget.

Unfortunately, Pruitt has recommended severely cutting the EPA budget. Moreover, he is insisting that the EPA he leads could fulfill its mission by cutting the agency’s budget more than any other federal department. Thank you, Rep. Pingree, for bringing Maine’s respect for the environment into the public record and your bi-partisan support for the EPA budget. It is essential that Americans learn more about how the proposed EPA cuts will impact our economy and the public’s health. The EPA must have access to the funds needed to carry out its important mission in Maine and throughout the nation.

Juliana L’Heureux
Topsham

(Thanks to "The Forecaster")