Bangor Daily News

Life, Liberty, Happiness

A recent letter to the editor, titled, "Separate church, state" (BDN, Aug. 28-29), has very serious flaws and distortions. President Bush's stand against the horrendous crime against our unborn has absolutely nothing to do with separation of church and state, which reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise there of..."

Kerry Fought Bravely

We're all hearing an awful lot about Sen. John Kerry's wartime record and whether or not he really deserved all of the medals he was awarded. There's a group out there, self-proclaimed, Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, most of whom were not even there when the event in question took place and none of whom actually served on the Swift Boat commanded by Kerry, who are disputing the official record of the event. But the question before us today, 30 years later, isn't whether then Lt. Kerry deserve...

Promise Doesn't Satisfy

The editorial, "A New North Korea" (BDN, Aug. 31), advocates the adoption of North Korea's proposal for step-by-step bilateral negotiations and helpfully suggests that, in light of mutual distrust, both sides offer concessions. The Bangor Daily News proposes concessions on both sides. The North Korean government will issue a statement. The government of the United States will deliver food and energy resources.

Protests Poorly Covered

I have been disappointed in the poor coverage the Bangor Daily News had of the protests in New York City during the Republican National Convention. What little was covered usually involved a picture of a demonstrator being carted off by the police. There were more than 100,000 people in a march as well as daily well-organized and generally peaceful demonstrations about significant issues in our society.

Local Right Endangered

Voters are responsible for the financial problems of our state and towns. "They" don't exist. We demand too much of our governments and we made a terrible mistake a few years back when we placed term limits on our state representatives. Maine voters took away our rights as local voters to elect whomever we wanted to represent us. Now when our representatives become experienced, they are "termed out." Thank goodness we don't do that with doctors.

Critical Details Missing

The Associated Press article, "Kerry blasts Bush's troops plan" (BDN, Aug. 19), omitted a couple of critical details. First, most of NATO is supportive of the idea of withdrawing two U.S. divisions and redeploying others to more "forward" locations. After all, West Germany is no longer the front line in the Cold War. Keeping our ground troops in the bases established to secure Western Europe from the Soviet Union is hardly a means of aiding the security of Europe. Germany is concerned about t...

Albion Resort Owners Promise Patrons a 'Natural' Experience

ALBION - It's a picture-perfect late summer day in the hills east of the Kennebec River, and a sixtysomething man is fly-fishing from a dock on a small pond. The scene is quintessentially Maine Vacationland - except for the fact that the fisherman is nude.

Emmc Tests New Technology Electronic Medical Records Aim for Efficiency, Patient Safety

BANGOR - Terri-Lee Brown, a registered nurse in Eastern Maine Medical Center's rehabilitation unit, is looking up a critical piece of information about her patient. Instead of leafing through the bulky loose-leaf chart most people are familiar with, Brown clicks to the data she needs on a backlit computer screen.

Correcting the Record

Mainers with Florida Homes Await Word of Damage

BANGOR - Hurricane Frances may have downgraded to a tropical storm just after it hit Florida over the weekend, but the storm still left at least four dead, 6 million people without power and billions of dollars in property damage. Many Maine residents who have homes along the path of the storm still are awaiting word if their winter havens remain standing.

Another Costly Bailout?

Three troubled airlines are moving toward possible default of their pension plans, and others could follow. The worst case would throw billions of dollars in pension liabilities onto the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corp., a U.S. government agency that insures private retirement accounts for 44 million people. It pays benefits of failed plans, but within certain limits. The agency is already running a $10 billion deficit. It has sufficient assets to meet near- term obligations, but a massive air...

Eating Right

Now that the kids are back in school, it is time to make decisions about what to pack in their lunch bags or what to let them buy at school. Some companies - even those long known for making unhealthy products - are making it easier for parents and kids to eat healthy. Some health advocacy groups are quick to point out that companies like Coca-Cola and Kraft will continue to make much more money selling sugary, fat-laden foods than their healthy fare. While this is likely true, it is encourag...