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In 1971, I entered Washington University in St. Louis to attend law school. There was nothing warm and fuzzy about my orientation or my first week of classes. Unlike undergraduate school, it was not about my individual journey of intellectual growth and education. I was there to learn the law. While the individual subject of each course would change, the overall objective of the law was the same.

How do you bring order and dependability to human behavior given the diverse actions and motives that prompt people to act? Justice is about predictability. It is about a system of principles which will judge you not by who you are or what you own, but by what you do. It is about a system that will punish you when you are wrong, but will protect you when you are right.

The alternative to justice is chaos. Who sits on the Supreme Court is of course important, but so too is how she is appointed. President Barack Obama was denied the right to an appointment because there was an election in 270 days. If we now just three years later say that President Donald Trump can now appoint a Justice with only 47 days to an election, then where is the order and predictability? Where is justice?

Jeffrey Lovit

Addison

I am a skeptic and actively seek the truth even when it is something I do not want to hear. In this case, a headline that President Donald Trump disrespects our veterans and military. I start with a high level of skepticism. The article was printed in a publication hostile to the president and sourced to anonymous people. There are credible people who were present and have gone on record saying it did not happen.

At this point, one might ask why all the excitement or even why was it printed? Trump is about my age and I have been a casual observer of his public life for many years. I spent many months in Vietnam and came home when some people truly disrespect our veterans the Jane Fondas and John Kerrys. Donald Trump did not.

Since he has become president, I have watched him comfort the families of fallen soldiers, meet flag-draped caskets as they are returned home, visit Arlington and officiate many public events honoring our veterans. To me the greatest respect he has shown our fighting men and women and something that speaks to his commitment to them is the unwinding of the endless wars and bringing them safely home.

I believe their sacrifice weighs heavy on his heart and, like Lincoln and Eisenhower, he understands the loyalty and sacrifices of our military men and women. His greatest gift to them is valuing their lives it speaks volumes to his character.

Joe Grant

Wiscasset

Im asking Waldo County voters to support Chip Curry for Maine Senate. Ive known Curry since our kids were at Belfast Area Childrens Center. He and his wife have dedicated their careers to education. He really cares about Maine families and their future, as evidenced in his work on the Maine Legislative Taskforce on Quality Afterschool Programming, the Maine Commission for Community Service and the Governors Childrens Cabinet.

He is passionate about access to quality education for Mainers and funding the tools to support it, such as good broadband internet. Curry understands what it means to live in a rural area. He has plans for supporting local businesses and residents, as well making life better for those living in poverty and for people of color in Maine. For those joining the workforce for the first time, we need fast, affordable and accessible ways for people to earn credentials to get good jobs right here in Waldo County.

We need a focus on preparing people for high-wage, high-growth fields, including the trades, technology, health care and our heritage industries such as ship building, farming, fisheries and aquaculture. Curry knows that to help Mainers succeed in the modern world and stay in Maine for their careers, we need to think creatively. He supports efforts to transform Maine jobs and protect the environment by focusing on renewable energy. He has the endorsement of Maine Conservation Voters. People should please support Curry when they cast their ballot this year!

Louisa Carl

Waldo

I wish to thank Kevin Raye and Roger Katz for their well-articulated reasons for Republicans (staunch, hardcore or whatever) to abandon the rhetoric and negativity of Donald Trump.

I can understand the vigor people feel for their views, but the way in which a civil and democratic society debates and compromises on issues must return to the normal level of discourse.

Floyd Miller

Levant

I keep thinking about two children playing together. If one child insisted on a rule and prevailed over the objections of their playmate, and then the next time they played together that child suddenly reversed their position and sought to change the same rule, again at their playmates objection, then the adults who were called in to referee would most likely say, You insisted on this rule last time, so you should play by it this time. It is only fair.

Of course, I am probably naive to think that the Republican Party would be guided by a principle like fair play. Nonetheless, I really want someone to look me in the eye and explain how on earth Republican senators who are moving forward to fill Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburgs seat, and those citizens who support them, can possibly say that filling this seat six weeks from the election is anything but the most blatant hypocrisy. I am also interested in how they would explain the difference between their approach to Merrick Garlands March 2016 nomination and the current moment to their children.

After all, fairness is a thing we all want to teach our kids, right?

Regina Rooney

Hope

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Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020: Where is the justice, Trump's support for our military members, response to Kevin Raye and Roger Katz - Bangor Daily News