Letter: Follow the facts, not Balentine’s ‘opinion’
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Hannah Arendt once proclaimed: “Freedom of opinion is a farce unless factual information is guaranteed and the facts themselves are not in dispute.”
According to this stated definition, John Balentine’s “opinion” piece (“What’s a conservative to do?”, Jan. 29) is a farce. Why? He has utterly failed to guarantee his provision of factual material to buttress his arguments.
Contrary to Mr. Balentine’s “opinion,” here are some facts: Trump lost the 2020 national election, Trump has been impeached twice (once for sedition), there was no voter fraud in the 2020 national election and Democrats, rather than Trump Republicans (conservatives), are implementing programs to stabilize the economy while fostering initiatives to enhance our response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Letter: Bath resident weighs in on Trump’s triumphs
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I loved John Balentine’s column, listing Donald Trump’s many achievements (“Trump’s legacy,” Jan. 15). Its brilliance lies in its being, basically, a list.
It is a rule of journalism that you cannot lie in a list, so what he says must be true, including the increased security we all enjoy due to “a more effective border wall.” Trump added 47 miles where no wall existed before. All this at a cost of only $15 billion. He ended the frivolous, $200 million – more than 1% of the cost of the new wall piece! – PREDICT program to detect and respond to pandemics. That move helped to pay for the necessary wall addition, which has confused alien invaders to such an extent that they are having extreme difficulty entering or even finding our country. We no longer have to experience sleepless nights worrying that rapists, murderers and traitors with foreign-sounding names like Drumpf, Kavanaugh, Hawley and Slatten wil
Letter: Reader sees value in all Forecaster columnists
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I look forward to reading the thoughts and opinions expressed each week in The Forecaster. It’s good to know the ideas and opinions of our local neighbors, as opposed to the professionals in the national media.
I like the positive thinking Heather Martin gives us and the valuable perspective of a new American, Abdi Iftin. I always read the measured comments of Bob Kalish and the exuberant Karen Schneider’s column, full of her love of cooking for others. Gee, I even read John Balentine to find out how folks with different political views are seeing things.
Letter: Balentine should appreciate unseen qualities
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John Balentine writes “… because real Mainers care not for social status.” (“Tis the Season for Maine Status Symbols,” Dec. 4). Why does Balentine only view and judge individuals by their material possessions?
In “The Little Prince,” Antoine de Saint Exupery once revealed the secret of life: “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” During this holiday season, let us appreciate those who live in Maine by their “invisible” qualities, rather than by their status symbols.
John M. Mishler