Opinion & Comment
September 10, 2015, The Bridgton News, Page 1D
Irreverence, Irrelevance, Whatever... by Mike Corrigan BN Columnist
About those emails
It Dawned on Me by Dawn De Busk BN Columnist
How quickly summer dragonflies by
Flower blossoms and berries, insects and spider webs, the courtship of birds, the aviation perfection of dragonflies and, at drive-in theaters, the titles of movies on the marquee. From late May through September, how swiftly shifts this landscape that has become summer-infused. From the lilac bushes to the roving ragweed — and all the species in between, the flowers in Southern Maine soil take their turn. The festivals and the fairs associated with the season take their turn. So does the availability of the foods grown locally and the “plate-ability” of the traditional handed-down recipes such as barbecue sauces on chicken or beef, berry pies, or the shortbread biscuits baked to accompany strawberries and whipped cream. In summer, everything has its course. First off, summer seldom starts on cue. It was a few weeks shy of June when this season’s lilacs burst forth. On a daily basis, I was greeted at my own porch by the scent of lilacs. In return, I greeted those pale purple flowers with a brush of my nose. That’s something I completely avoid doing with ragweed — that mustard seed-colored harbinger of allergies. By September, ragweed has overtaken the open fields. So has a much-preferred wildflower nicknamed “suncup” or “sundrop.” The pale yellow evening primrose draws birds of the same color, the eastern goldfinch. I daresay these lovely yellows forebode the hues of autumn to come. From June to September — in three short months’ time, the flowers have run the gamut between the lilac and the ragweed. Now, summer is coming asunder. Already, Labor Day weekend has been marked off the calendar, and the children and their teachers have returned to classrooms. SUMMER, Page 5D
Letters Select board has selective hearing
To The Editor: After two plus years of notices and meetings between the owners of a property on Long Lake and the Naples Code Enforcement Officer (CEO), the selectmen determined that a Consent Agreement requiring over $100,000 in corrective action is required on the waterfront property. Over the course of three public hearings, at least 10 year-round residents, including myself as the abutter to the property, spoke out in opposition to the town’s position. Not one resident spoke out in favor of the town’s mandate. At the center of the dispute is approximately 200 square feet of outdoor porch space on a one acre piece of property on Long Lake that does not exactly conform to the approved building per-
mit and shoreland zoning ordinance. Our Naples town officials want the porch removed. During the hearing on July 13, misinformation was presented by the town attorney and the chairman of the board of selectmen regarding the position of the Maine Department of Environment Protection (DEP) on this issue. When new information from the DEP was discovered, that was in contradiction to the basis of the town’s position of “compromise” and presented to the selectmen, this information was completely ignored. In summary, during the planning phase of the new construction, the prior CEO approved the building permit that specified where the house could be placed. The house is within three inches of the benchmark/specification used to mark the location on the permit. That the approved building permit specifies an incorrect distance from the lake by nine feet is the essence of the controversy. The new CEO identified the error; corrective action now being mandated by our town’s elected officials is to remove the porch and ruin the roofline
AS THE EARLY MORNING FOG LIFTED on Moose Pond in Bridgton Sunday, Sept. 6, anglers headed out in search of fish that might win them the 2015 Bass Tournament. The action here was captured by Eric L. Johnson, a seasonal resident of Bridgton for 40 years and a professional photographer.
We’re all expected to go along
“If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs…” was a tool Rudyard Kipling used to measure a man in the early 20th century. I think he’d agree that in the 21st century, it has gotten much harder. A few examples: One — The “smartest guy ever to become president” is pushing a peace agreement with Iran, the biggest terrorist nation on earth. We’re about to release $150 billion Iran will use to perpetrate even more terrorism against us and our allies. Our wickedsmart president tells us not to worry when over a million Iranians chant “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!” because they don’t
Front Row Seat by Tom McLaughlin BN Columnist
really mean it. Iranian leaders promise to “wipe Israel off the map” but they don’t mean that either. Two — A local Maine daily showed a picture of a woman with a buzz cut and wide eyes with a confused and profoundly troubled expression. A sane person senses immediately she’s mentally ill and she’d just been arrested for murder. As the Portland
Press Herald reported it: Police said MacCalister saw Wendy Boudreau (her victim) in the parking lot and followed her into the store. In the ice cream aisle, he grabbed Boudreau from behind and slit the woman’s throat, Kennedy wrote. Others in the store then responded to screams. Alexandra Gogos, who works in the Shaw’s bakery, ran to the scene and tried
to stop Boudreau’s bleeding. Gogos asked MacCalister, “Why? Why did you do this?” MacCalister replied, “She looked at me funny.” Another witness who responded to Boudreau’s screams, Benjamin Williams, also asked MacCalister, “Why?” “I’m off my meds,” he said. “She looked at me wrong.” I feel bad for Boudreau’s family, of course, and for MacCalister, as well. She’s haunted by mental illness, but the saddest part is how the media call her “he.” MacCalister “presents” as a man, so we’re all expected to go along, even when we consider her sexual confusion EXPECTED, Page 5D
O say, can you see, an enemy?
The question for this Thursday’s debate is what is the quality most essential for a serious, successful government, popular at home and feared, loved or respected abroad? Many Europeans will immediately chant, “An inspiring national anthem!” No American who has had to sit through four verses before a ball game will agree with them. What about a colorful, eye-catching flag? Well, maybe, if it can be made into an attractive T-shirt or successfully face-painted. Speaking of compelling attractiveness, isn’t a handsome leader a great advertisement or, one with a beautiful wife, or, as with America’s days of glory, a handsome
of a beautiful home. This reconstruction, which will have no environmental benefit, will cost over $80,000. The owner is being asked to devalue the property, which will lower the assessed value, and eventually reduce the tax revenue for our town. In place of spending money to ruin and devalue their house, the owners agreed to an idea to contribute funds to install a water filtration system to prevent hazardous road oil runoff from Route 35 into Long Lake. This offer was ignored by town officials. This is a lose/ lose for everyone from a tax revenue and environmental perspective. The construction of this new house and landscaping was a dramatic improvement from what was there before the current owners purchased the property. The new landscaping now evenly disperses the water flow
Small World by Henry Precht BN Columnist
couple. Well, yes, but beauty fades with age — as we all are aware. We could continue this exploration into the abstract realm – impressive history, equal justice, progressive policies or, if you insist, conservative values. Too much fuel for over-heated debate down that trail. The answer, I’m sure most politicians, academics and pundits would agree (if not out loud), is for a nation into the lake; the prior camp, with an outdated cesspool, had the water flow in a concentrated stream to the lake. No trees were cut down; two trees were pruned too aggressively. Yet, the town is asking the owners to plant $20,000 of new trees that will eventually ruin the owner’s view of the lake and mountains. As stewards to the lakefront, the owners have agreed to take on this effort. Furthermore, the DEP requested that the builder be held partially accountable. During the hearings, we cited this recommended action. Again, the selectmen and CEO are not following this direction and ignored the residents of the town. Over the course of three hearings, it was clear that our town officials had made up their minds on what to do LETTERS, Page 2D
BRIDGTON VOTERS!! Be informed before any Ballot Questions for Nov. 2015 about Town Sewer ordinances.
WWW.BRIDGTON.NET
16T30
All you have to do is drop the name of the World’s Most Respected News Organization and doors open. Yes, then they slam shut again, and wild laughter echoes from inside the room. But doors do open. When I asked the Department of Justice to see Hillary Clinton’s e-mail server, so that I might personally determine if national security interests had been breached by her clueless melding of personal business with official state messages about bribes and treaties and Deflategate and such, the reaction was scornful silence. But when I insisted I was from The Bridgton News and I demanded access under the Freedom of Information Act, some guy in a suit opened the door and said, “I TOLD you, sir...” just before I knocked him cold with a swift right cross and sneaked inside. (I may have watched too many action movies this summer.) Following are the texts of the five e-mails I was able to copy down before the guards seized me and poured battery acid down my throat. Don’t worry, I didn’t talk. In fact, after the acid thing, I couldn’t talk. To: Ashley Madison Fm: Madame Secretary Just checking to see how many times he e-mailed your EMAILS, Page 3D
aspiring to greatness must have an enemy. Preferably, it will be a foe, whom your citizens can hate while much of the more or less neutral world will understand their bitterness. It should be an enemy who is threatening enough to generate fear and stand-our-ground courage among your people. Happily, it often happens, when your
citizens are distracted by the looming enemy they won’t worry excessively about their domestic complaints. You ask how some countries seem to succeed while maintaining friendly connections in their neighborhoods. Sweden, Costa Rica, Botswana or elements in Japan, for example, seem to thrive without hating, fearing or projecting strength. Rare species. To clarify one detail, an enemy, in my analysis, doesn’t have to be a nation state; it can be a non-state terrorist group or non-invited migrants fleeing bad times at home. ENEMY, Page 3D
Medicare nugget
By Stan Cohen Medicare Volunteer Counselor Here is a case of profit motive evidently working in opposition to social good. It is the story of coverage and noncoverage by Medicare Part D plans for two prescription painkillers: the brand-name OxyContin, and the generic equivalent (almost equivalent) oxycodone. Both are in the class of drugs called opioids. A study by Avalere Health found that Part D plans coverage of OxyContin has been falling off while coverage of cheaper generics like oxycodone is on the increase. Here’s the rub: the abuse of prescription painkillers is a growing problem for seniors, as it is for other age groups, and while OxyContin contains an ingredient that deters abuse, the generic version does not. OxyContin was originally introduced in 1995. It gained notoriety because people soon realized that these extended release oxycodone hydrochloride tablets could be crushed and then injected or snorted for a euphoric rush. The drug was reformulated in 2010 by the manufacturer, Purdue Pharma, to make it harder to manipulate. The FDA then awarded abuse-deterrent labeling to OxyContin. OxyContin, however, is significantly more expensive than generic oxycodone. The generic contains the same active ingredient as OxyContin but lacks its special abuse-deterrent labeling, and is covered by nearly 100 percent of Part D plans. These same drug plans are covering OxyContin less and less. The insurers are certainly entitled to profit, but how can we avoid the conclusion that they are not considering the welfare of the patient as part of their coverage decision? Medicare volunteer counselors are available for free, one-on-one consultations. Call the Bridgton Community Center at 647-3116 to arrange for an appointment.