Category Archives: Freedom

MADISON Today Gov. Tony Evers once again protected Wisconsins freedom to vote by vetoing a package of anti-voter bills passed by the Wisconsin Legislature.

BillsSB 935,SB 939,SB 941, andSB 943would have created barriers to the ballot box for voters with disabilities, older voters, communities of color, and voters in nursing homes. Additionally, these bills would have made it harder for nonpartisan election officials to administer our elections.

Rather than limiting our voting rights, our elected officials should put their efforts into pro-voter initiatives like automatic voter registration that would improve the accessibility of our elections and make voter registration easier a win-win for everyone.

Executive Director Kerry Schumann had this to say about the vetoes:

Gov. Evers has proven time and again that he believes democracy should be for all people, and will continue to work for fair and accessible elections that everyone can participate in. The constant attacks on our freedom to vote by many politicians in our legislature are damaging our state and undermining the voices of our residents.

Wisconsin Conservation Voters applauds Gov. Evers veto because we know that our democracy is stronger when everyone has a voice.

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Wisconsin Conservation Voters: Gov. Evers once again protects the freedom of Wisconsin voters with his veto - WisPolitics.com

Supporting Barrick for DA

We are the presidents of all of the peace officers associations of Ventura County. We represent hundreds of active sworn peace officers who work daily to provide safety and security to the residents of this county. John Barrick is the only candidate for District Attorney whom we believe shares our dedication toward public safety.

It is critically important to support a candidate for District Attorney who grew up here and has proven that true public service means putting the needs of the community first. Only John Barrick has done that.

John Barrick is not a career politician. He is a 17-year prosecutor who has worked in the trenches alongside us fighting against not only criminals, but harmful criminal laws passed in Sacramento that only serve to re-victimize those who have suffered the most.

The District Attorney must be supported by law enforcement. It is the only way people can be assured that their welfare and personal safety will always be placed first. As the last line of defense for crime victims, the peace officers associations of this county and their 900 active members loudly and proudly support John Barrick. Working so diligently and unselfishly for crime victims, Mr. Barrick has earned our respect. There simply is no other candidate who can say that, and there is no other candidate we trust to do what is necessary to protect everyone and keep them safe. On June 7, please join us in voting for John Barrick as our next District Attorney.

Mike Aranda, National Latino Police Officers Association Advocacy; Rick Marquez, Oxnard Peace Officers Association; Joe Metz, Ventura Police Officers Association; Tim Wedemeyer, Simi Valley Police Officers Association; Kris Acebo, Ventura County Professional Peace Officers Association; Dan McCarthy, Santa Paula Police Officers Association; Mike Hamrick, Port Hueneme Police Officers Association

Re: Judi Kroegers April 6 letter, Leave our flag alone:

The writer refers to our flag, but seems to want to choose those it represents. Her handwringing over what people do with the flag, or alternate flag designs, is a recycled issue from the 1960-70s. Shecites Websters definition of a patriot as, A person who loves his country. Supporting it and defending it and its interests. It is her interpretation that this includes symbols like flags.

Those who respect Americas best morals, high intentions, and our legal traditions, and consider the flag a symbol of such, should be commended. But since the 1960s, the Stars & Stripes have been showing up in fashions and posters in all manner of configurations.

Today, it isnt possible to determine the political affiliation of someone dressed in a flag hat, shirt, shorts, and sneakers.

Part of Americas story is that we are free to agree or disagree with how to support or defend the U.S and define its interests. America has achieved great things and held lofty ideals, but there have been other things, like slavery, denying the vote to Blacks/women, Japanese internment camps, etc. When she calls for honoring the flag, there was a time when much of the country flew a Confederate flag. Is that flag a sacred symbol?

One of our precious rights and privileges is to protest and to disagree. The Supreme Court has always protected that right, even when it involves the flag and what we are allowed to do with it. That freedom is our true symbol. Beware of recent self-proclaimed patriots, because that title is misapplied to those who disrespect democracy and the rule of law.

Stuart Wing, Moorpark

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Letters to the editor: Backing Barrick; flag isn't all about freedom - VC Star

Lets talk about freedom

Freedom has been in the public conversation a lot these days. Especially issues of freedom of speech and in the convoy movement. Its no accident those occupations and blockades grounded their protest in appeals to freedom. Early into the pandemic, anti-vaccination activists found that theories about nano-chips and side effects hidden by evil governments, were not mainstream ideas.

But arguing the choice to resist vaccination was a human rights issue, an issue of human freedom that had a lot more traction. Because human rights and freedom thank God are mainstream ideas in Canada.

Freedom is also a trending topic due to the very real struggle for freedom going on in Ukraine. As many have noted, the war in Ukraine helps crystallize the difference between a government that clumsily has tried to protect us from a generational crisis with some limits on civil liberties, and the reality of facing down an actual dictator.

Canada, despite what the detractors say, remains a place with an extremely high level of political and civil freedom. But a disturbingly large amount of Canada thinks otherwise. A recent Nanos polls showed 8.3 per cent of respondents believed threats to our freedoms are the nations biggest issue, the second-largest issue in the poll.

Now I want to be clear: I may not share the concerns some have about us losing our freedom of speech or individual liberties due to COVID-19 controls. But I think its a totally legitimate opinion for someone to have. And despite evidence to the contrary, I believe its still essential in 2022 for people with different ideas to engage in open discussion and mutual learning. Especially about an idea like freedom.

But the problem is our public discourse is dominated by a singular, limited view of freedom. Focused on our individual civil rights such as: the right to vote or freedom of religion. Rights regarding an individuals ability to receive fair and equal treatment under the law, and not have government or others restrict their ability to make their own decisions.

But a free society is about everyone having a real ability to make their own life choices. Freedoms that only exist on paper, that you cant use, are dead in the water. Its like a having a car but no gas. And for many, economic and social circumstances restrict them from living truly free lives.

Which means freedom includes making a living wage, so you can spend time with your kids every day, not be forced to hustle between survival jobs. Freedom is being able to afford housing, without having to sacrifice groceries to make rent. Or being able to access the therapy you need to escape the cage of depression and anxiety.

Dont consider this part of freedom? Well, lets look at history. Immediately after Americans achieved a degree of equality under the law with the Civil Rights Act in 1964, civil rights leaders shifted their focus to amplifying work around fighting poverty. They knew Black Americans would never be truly free without economic freedom.

A few years later in 1966 the United Nations drafted a covenant on economic, social and cultural rights, outlining the other rights needed to have a free society, like the right to health care, labour rights and a basic standard of living.

And in Canada in 1964 Emmett Hall drafted a report that laid the foundations for Medicare in Canada, arguing that universal public health care including dental, pharma, mental-health and home care were critical components to a free society.

Freedom is more than just an ability to say whatever you want on social media or give government the finger if they ask you to do something youre uncomfortable with.

But the political left has let populists and libertarians define our debates on freedom recently. And in truth within the Western tradition there has always been more consensus around a limited definition of freedom, focused on individual civil liberties.

Yet if we step back from our current context, its possible to imagine other ways to organize and achieve a free society.

David Graeber and David Wengrow in their landmark publication The Dawn of Everything, write in depth about the role Indigenous peoples of Eastern Canada had in shaping European ideas on freedom during the Enlightenment. Their intriguing (and controversial) theories argue that accounts of Jesuits debating Indigenous intellectuals during the 1700s set off formative debates in the salons and cultural institutions across continental Europe.

They argue that these Indigenous thinkers looked on in horror at Europe, where life seemed incredibly oppressive. People in their societies worked less, were healthier, had higher degrees of womens rights, leaders who ruled by consent and there was almost no ability for someone to use economic/political power to force a person to do something they didnt want to do.

But as Graeber and Wengrow write, these freedoms could only exist because Indigenous people built a society based on mutual aid and economic sharing. People had freedom to chose how they would live their lives because food, land and shelter were shared by default. No one could be forced to work from fear of starving and leaders had to rely on competence to get people to follow them.

Obviously, our current society is different from pre-colonial peoples like the Huron-Wendat. But if we drop the cultural superiority, we can recognize we are not the first free people to walk these lands. Indigenous societies are just one example of the different ways human beings have linked civil and economic rights to build a free society.

So lets talk about freedom. On the left we need to hear peoples concerns on freedom of speech and individual autonomy. And on the right, there must be openness to talk about how true freedom is contingent on everyone having the basics needed to make a real go at life.

We can wave our flags and fight for our causes but lets also step up to the moment and have real dialogue about what freedom truly means.

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Convoy protesters talked a lot about freedom. But heres the real threat to Canadians being free - Toronto Star

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky believes freedom must win in Ukraine first, and then wherever tyranny will try to raise its head.

The relevant statement was made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Telegram, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

Hatred must lose. Freedom must win. First in Ukraine, and then wherever tyranny will try to raise its head, Zelensky wrote.

Traditionally, the President of Ukraine posted some photographs, depicting the effects of the Russian aggression. This time he shared the images of the Ukrainian cities liberated from Russian invaders.

A reminder that, on February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin initiated a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, starting a war. Russian troops are shelling and destroying the key infrastructure facilities, launching missile and air strikes on residential areas in Ukrainian cities and villages, torturing and murdering civilians.

Photo: Volodymyr Zelensky, Telegram

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Zelensky shares photographs of cities liberated from Russian invaders: Freedom must win - Ukrinform

To the Editor,

What is freedom?

It is defined as the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action -

For most of us it means the right and privilege to live our lives OUR WAY without others telling us what we can or cannot do. And if we do that without causing harm to others, that is exactly what should be happening in our community. However, it feels less and less free as we deal with the consequences of recent elections.

We have ideology driven elected officials that hold a world view that isnt based on freedom, yet they wave our national flag as if they believe in true freedom. But then also use that flag, like the point of a gun, to threaten to withhold OUR tax dollars from an after-school program unless they consider hanging that flag in their building. They use THEIR ideology to tell our community that THEIR personal, political, and religious views on child rearing and childcare will be what is used to deny the building of a childcare facility on Port property. They use the eternal communist boogeyman to create fear of change and of people that look, worship, think and vote differently than they do. My grandmother was born in the late 1800s and joined a new-age religion back in the 20s they were terrified of the communists back then too. They had chants and prayers to keep them from attacking the shores of the US. We saw the fear of communism roll through again in the late 40s/50s with the McCarthy Era. And it seems we have entered another fear cycle.

Fear is not a good place to lead from. It is an inhibitor in making thoughtful, well-rounded, and logical choices that serve the entire community. Fear inhibits freedom. It restricts it and if leaders are leading from fear, they will begin to restrict the freedoms of those they are here to serve. And that seems to be the direction we are headed.

As a Republican and a firm believer in personal freedoms, it concerns me that people who once ran under the Republican banner and are now CCC members and elected officials, are, through their words and deeds, threatening the personal freedoms of our county citizens by making decisions based on ideology that isnt freedom-centric. None of us need them to decide for us how to raise our children, how we should display our patriotism, or how we should do ANYTHING in our personally free lives. Its not any of their business. And frankly, moral busybodies have no place in leadership.

Vicki Zoller

Dayton, Wash.

Excerpt from:

What is freedom? - The Times - Waitsburgtimes

Matzo, bread made without leavening, is the staple Passover food. Photo: Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle

The weeklong Jewish holiday of Passover begins at sundown on Friday, April 15, and is observed through Saturday, April 23. The main festivities are focused around a theatrical feast for family and friends, which encourages taking liberties with drinking wine and relaxing at the table.

Stories of the Jewish peoples liberation from enslavement and their exodus from ancient Egypt are related through discussion, song and food-based rituals. It is, at heart, a celebration of the basic right for all to be free and it honors human resilience in times of unexpected and difficult circumstances.

Heres how the holiday is typically observed:

In the weeks leading up to the holiday, many people get ready for the celebration by undergoing a deep spring cleaning. Most important in this particular bit of tidying up is the removal of all leavened grains, known as hametz, from the house. It is customary to pile up all the rogue crumbs and bready bits from the pantry that are not suitable to donate and nullify their leavened state by (safely) burning them up outside in the yard.

The festive, long-form, structured meal for family, friends and allies called a seder (which in Hebrew translates to order) is the main focus of the Passover celebration. Though it is most often held on the first and second nights of the holiday, many families enjoy attending and hosting them throughout the week. The idea that there is room for all at the table is an important value in Jewish households, and this is especially notable during Passover.

Traditionally led by a family elder, the food-, drink- and ritual-filled gatherings follow a printed program special to the occasion called a Haggadah. The guidebook can be made fresh every year or handed down from past generations celebrations, but all should follow a basic flow of events. The nonprofit website haggadot.com offers free online templates and inspiration to help hosts create a Haggadah that serves the unique dynamics of their group.

The seder typically includes a handwashing ritual, candle lighting, drinking plenty of wine or juice, dipping parsley (representing renewal and spring) into saltwater (symbolizing the tears of enslaved ancestors) before eating it, and breaking and hiding a piece of matzo, the afikomen, which the children search for later in the evening.

When the Jews reclaimed their freedom and left Egypt, it is said they left in such a rush that they had no time for bread dough to rise before their departure. Instead, the unleavened dough was hastily cooked and thus remained flat. During the entire week of Passover, only unleavened bread is supposed to be eaten in honor of this quickly assembled staple food.

Matzo is featured during the seder meal, eaten alone and also topped with chopped up bitter herbs (usually horseradish) known as maror, representing the bitterness of enslavement. The cracker-like bread is also eaten during the meal accompanied by a sweet mixture, often made of chopped apples with honey and raisins, called haroseth, which symbolizes the mortar used by those enslaved to hold stacked bricks together.

Whether you are planning to host your own, or are thinking of attending a local community seder in the Bay Area, 2022 is a good year to celebrate Passover and its meditation on the spirit of liberation and renewal.

Join Tkiya Musics Carla Friend on an interactive musical journey through the story of Passover. There will be craft activities, books to explore and snacks for nibbling.

10-noon a.m. Sunday, April 10. Free, registration required. Stow Lake Picnic Area in Golden Gate Park, S.F. 415-292-1200. jccsf.org

Join Jeni Clancy of Jewish Baby Network, and Rabbi Katie Mizrahi from Or Shalom Jewish Community, to celebrate the holiday with a kid-friendly event including songs, craft activities, dancing and socializing. Snacks and drinks will be provided. Masks are required for participants 2 and older.

10:30 a.m.-noon Sunday, April 10. Free, registration required. Mothers Meadow, 573 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, S.F. jewishbabynetwork.org

Join Jennifer Altman of Jewish Baby Network for a fun morning of socializing, singing, puppets and parachute play withyour baby or toddler. Snacks and drinks will be provided. Masks are required for participants 2 and older.

10:30 a.m.-noon Sunday, April 10. Free, registration required. Willard Park, 2730 Hillegass Ave., Berkeley. jewishbabynetwork.org

A holiday celebration with Rabbi Batshir Torchio. Dine on traditional Pesach fare, sing songs and experience the richness of Passover and the spring season.

11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 12. $10, vaccination proof and registration required. SFJCC, 3200 California St., S.F. 415-292-1200. jccsf.org

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra violinists Noah Strick and Maxine Nemerovski, violist Anthony Martin, cellist Paul Hale, and bassist Farley Pearce plan to perform works by Handel, Beethoven, Mendelssohn and others in a program based around the Passover themes of exodus, redemption, freedom and renewal.

1-2 p.m. Tuesday, April 12. Free, registration required. SFJCC, 3200 California St., S.F. 415-292-1200. philharmonia.org

A chocolate-themed Passover seder, designed for students in seventh through ninth grade, combines the traditional celebration of Passover with the fun of a chocolate-themed version for each part of the event. A real, non-chocolate dinner will also be served.

5:45-8 p.m. Wednesday, April 13. Vaccination proof and registration required. Congregation Rodef Sholom Courtyard, 170 N. San Pedro Road, San Rafael. 415-479-3441. rodefsholom.org

Not feeling up to doing all the cooking for the seder yourself? Wise Sons deli plans to offer online ordering of seder plates and supper foods that will be available for pickup at scheduled pop-up locations around the Bay Area throughout the holiday. You can also combine a Wise Sons lunch date with a visit to the Contemporary Jewish Museum, where Wise Sons runs the on-site cafe.

10 a.m. Thursday, April 14. Through 3:30 p.m. Saturday, April 23. At various Bay Area locations. See online schedule for pickup details. 415-787-3354. wisesonsdeli.com

The virtual film festival seeks to engage viewers with themes of Passover featured in films. For 10 nights, watch a diverse selection of Israeli movies. Check out conversations with the filmmakers as well as companion essays and activities to enrich your festival experience.

10 a.m. Thursday, April 14. Through 2:45 p.m. Sunday, April 24. $18-$20, registration required. Discount from the JCC East Bay available by entering the code jcceb2022 during checkout. Online event. 510-848-0237. jcceastbay.org

Pass the matzo and join a first-night seder with San Franciscos Rabbi Batshir Torchio and song leader Jonathan Bayer, for an evening dinner and celebration including song and stories. Vegetarian, gluten-free and childrens meal options are available.

6-9:30 p.m. Friday, April 15. $44-$79, vaccination proof and registration required. SFJCC, 3200 California St., S.F. 415-292-1200. jccsf.org

Celebrate with a special Passover dinner out provided by chefs Michael Dellar and Mark Dommen, who take their inspiration from a combined love of the elevated Jewish deli cuisine of both Los Angeles and Manhattan.

Reservations available for in-restaurant dining Fridays and Saturdays from April 15 to 23. $29.50-$59, reservations required. 11 a.m-8 p.m. April 15-23 for to-go orders. Mark n Mikes inside of One Market Restaurant, 1 Market St., S.F. 415-777-5577. onemarket.com

The Berkeley old-school deli is offering to-go seder foods, as well as dine-in options for Passover this year. Make a reservation, bring a Haggadah and your guests, and leave the cooking to them.

5-8:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, April 15-16 for dining-in. Reservations required. To-go orders available 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday, April 15-Saturday, April 23. Sauls Restaurant and Deli, 1475 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. 510-848-3354. saulsdeli.com

Everyone is welcome to reserve a spot at a public seder, featuring a kosher Passover buffet dinner and wine. Journey through the program with traditional songs, stories and spiritual insight.

5-7 p.m. Friday, April 15. $20, vaccination proof and registration required. Oshman Family JCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto. 650- 223-8700. paloaltojcc.org

All are welcome to enjoy a seder with handmade matzo, wine and dinner hosted in a heated outdoor courtyard.

7-11 p.m. Friday, April 15. $36-$75, registration required. San Francisco Mint, 88 Fifth St., S.F. chabadsf.org

Celebrate with Congregation Chevra Thilim at a first night seder with gourmet Passover cuisine, warm company, Haggadah reading, insight and live music.

7 p.m. Friday, April 15. $30-$180, reservations required. Congregation Chevra Thilim, 751 25th Ave., S.F. 415-752-2866. sfshul.org

Join a seder with East Bay community on either the first or second night.

7 p.m. Friday-Saturday, April 15-16. $36-$72, registration required. 510-859-8808. jewishemeryville.com

Join Rabbi Menachem and Adina Landa for a seder bringing to life the story of the Exodus through Kabbalistic insights and mystical teachings. Using an English-friendly, artistic Haggadah, everyone can feel welcome.

7:30-8:30 p.m. Friday, April 15. $40-$50, registration required. Chabad of Novato, 695 De Long Ave., Novato. 415-878-6770. jewishnovato.com

Join the ritualistic feast that encompasses observances of the Passover festival through telling the story of the Exodus, eating matzo, bitter herbs, drinking wine, and other symbolic foods and music to commemorate liberation from slavery.

7:30 p.m. Friday, April 15. $20-$50, registration required. Chabad Jewish Center, 2461 Summerfield Road, Santa Rosa. 707-577-0277. jewishsonoma.com

Families are invited to a Passover-friendly picnic. Enjoy the musical stylings of Cantor Luck, Cantor Attie and Eric Shoen, along with a Passover story from Rabbi Jonathan Singer. Coloring pages for children will be provided.

10 a.m.-noon Saturday, April 16. Registration required. 11th Avenue Meadow (near Mountain Lake Park), S.F. 415-751-2535. emanuelsf.org

The San Rafael congregations seder is back in person and will be hosted by Rabbi Stacy Friedman and Rabbi Elana Rosen Brown.

5-7 p.m. Saturday, April 16. $55-$75, registration required. Congregation Rodef Sholom, 170 N. San Pedro Road, San Rafael. rodefsholom.org

Celebrate in person with Rabbi Jessica Graf and Cantor Toby Glaser at a family-oriented seder. The event also serves as a fundraiser for Chicken Soupers and HaMotzi programs, which feed homebound seniors, those in need of healing and residents of local shelters.

6-8 p.m. Saturday, April 16. $20-$50, registration required. Sherith Israel, 266 California St., S.F. 415-346-1720. sherithisrael.org

Music in the Afternoon presents a concert of Sephardic music featuring the Aquila Trio. The Bay Area ensemble includes include vocalist Phoebe Rosquist; Shira Kammen, vielle/medieval harp/voice; and percussionist Peter Maund.

1 p.m. Tuesday, April 19. $20, vaccination proof and reservations required. Live-stream ticket option available. Oshman Family JCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto. 650-223-8700. paloaltojcc.org

Celebrate poetry, the return of spring and the holiday of freedom. Learn why love poetry from the Bibles Song of Songs is often read during Passover celebrations with UC Berkeley Professor Robert Alter. The scholar plans to recite selections from his 2018 translation of the work. Marin Poetry Center members will also read complementary modern poetic works. Gather before the readings for honeyed mead and snacks in the outdoor courtyard.

6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 20. Free, registration required. Osher Marin JCC, 200 N. San Pedro Road, San Rafael. marinjcc.org

A special evening with Rabbi Jonathan Singer featuring a screening of The Frisco Kid, starring Gene Wilder and Harrison Ford, Passover desserts, wine and soft drinks.

7-10 p.m. April 20. Registration required. Congregation Emanu-El, 2 Lake St., S.F. 415-751-2535. emanuelsf.org

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Passover 2022: Celebrate freedom and renewal with seders and more in the Bay Area - SF Chronicle Datebook

The Freedom of the Town event will be celebrated in Qualicum Beach on May 7.

The event is a historic ceremony with roots dating back to the 15th century when towns were endangered by invading military units. Before a military unit would be admitted to the town, council would need to grant the unit Freedom of the Town, which would entitle the unit to enter with drums beating, banners flying and bayonets fixed.

This high honour was only afforded to military units with a long and co-operative relationship with the municipality.

Qualicum Beach council on April 6 passed a resolution that bestows the right, privilege, honour and distinction of marching with colours flying, bayonets fixed and drums beating to 19 Mission Support Squadron, 19 Wing Comox within the bounds of the Town of Qualicum Beach.

READ MORE: Qualicum Beach Legion begins planning for Canada Day 2022 celebrations

The event is being organized in collaboration with Royal Canadian Legion Branch 76, the 19 Mission Support Squadrons (19 MSS), 19 Wing Comox. It will feature a formal military parage through town with an array of festivities lined up on May 7. There will also be a military fly-over and performances by the Esquimalt Naden Band of the Royal Canadian Navy.

Starting at 2 p.m. at the Civic Centre on 747 Jones St., in keeping with the historic ceremony, 19 MSS, will request permission of council to march through town.

The squadron will then parade from the Civic Centre to town hall on 660 Primrose St., where the mayor will present the Key to the Town to 19 MSS. The parade will continue to the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 76, where there will be refreshments and entertainment.

The public are invited to attend this historic event and watch the parade from the Civic Centre to town hall on Second Avenue East.

NEWS Staff, submitted

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Freedom of the Town ceremony to take place in Qualicum Beach May 7 - Parksville-Qualicum Beach News

The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set newsroom policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or onbangordailynews.com.

Charles Kniffen of Lubec is a combat-wounded veteran of the Vietnam War and the author of Fifty Years in a Foxhole.

Does Washington County really need the worlds largest flagpole? Morrill Worcester and company are already planting wreaths on gravestones across the country, waving flags every Tuesday, and reminding passersby on Route 1 of the exact words of the Pledge of Allegiance that we all learned in elementary school. Surely a few have forgotten the text, but to see every phrase hammered onto a post, in both directions, for nearly a mile causes the message to become little more than the drivel of insecure Americans flailing in the fear that the traditions of this beautiful country are being lost.

Maybe a few traditions (elective wars?) we could afford to let go. I maintain my sanity and curb my ire at the disrespectful intrusion into my drive down an otherwise pleasant stretch of highway by pretending that I am a draft-horse wearing blinders. Foolishness is my defense against the sheer trembling rage I feel within at these grotesquely intrusive modalities of free expression.

If that big pole and giant flaggo up, I will wear a hat with a large bill to block the sight of such a monstrous testimony to misspent money (a billion dollars?), a beautiful wooded tract trammeled by roads, manicured grounds, and nine miles of wall to honor all the vets lost during our various wars.

Veterans are largely a humble lotand the respect of our families, neighbors and local community is plenty sufficient, thank you. I have made few plans for the disposal of my remains: burnt, buried at sea, or planted in a little plot are all good. The one thing I asked for was: Please please, dont bury me in Worcesters graveyard.

I attend a biweekly meeting of a dozen local combat veterans; these are the veterans I listen to. Whenever you see the word billion and dollars in the same sentence, be wary that someone is taking home a hefty paycheck.

This proposed extravaganza is purported to be apolitical. Regardless of political persuasion, it looks like an effort to cash in on the flag fetish of America grown beyond all bounds of reason and discretion and far beyond any claim to respect.

The American flag demands and deserves respect as testimony to the honor, courage, self-sacrifice, and spiritual values which we all hold dear. I have fired my weapon in a 21-gun salute as the folded flag was handed to the family of a fallen warrior while serving on the Admirals Guard at the Newport Naval Station. Respect is not adoration, worship, or idolatry.

This proposed giant flagpole is an affront to any honest show of respect for our veterans and is a sensational bauble offered to a population that quails in guilt over the way veterans, particularly of the Vietnam war, were treated. No one wants to speak out against any effort, regardless of how inane or self-aggrandizing it appears for fear of being viewed as non-patriotic and worse anti-American.

Veterans do not need a theme park. They are people who have struggled, fought, and died to see this country flourish, in freedom, in harmony, and with the promise of prosperity. The efforts to idolize and immortalize veterans as heroes goes contrary to their very effort. Washington County has a large concentration of veteransin Maine because it is remote, quiet, and peaceful. A giant flagpole marring the beauty of our land and beckoning with an unsightly frenzy of flags to persons from afar is no honor.

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A proposed giant flag pole and 'freedom park' in Washington County is an affront to this veteran - Bangor Daily News

The Oklahoma state legislature has been busy. This week, in a surprise move, the state house passed a bill criminalizing all abortions. The bill had been passed by the state senate last year but had been largely abandoned as Oklahoma conservatives sought other, more promising, ways to restrict abortion in the state. As an outright ban on abortions, enforced by the state, the Oklahoma bill that now heads to the governors desk for signature would be in plain violation of Roe v Wade, and unlikely to survive a court challenge while that precedent stands.

The passage of the bill which makes abortion a felony and would imprison doctors for up to 10 years per procedure indicates that the state, like most legal observers, expects the supreme court to overturn Roe soon. The bill, which Oklahoma Republicans voted on while many of their Democratic colleagues were away participating in an abortion and civil rights rally, provides no exceptions for rape or incest. Oklahomas governor, Republican Kevin Stitt, has previously stated that he will sign any anti-choice bill that is sent to him. If he signs this one, it will go into effect this summer.

The day after the Oklahoma legislature sent the outright ban to Stitts desk, Oklahomas House Committee on Public Health approved another bill, this one banning abortion at six weeks. That bill is modeled after Texas SB8, the abortion ban that the supreme court allowed to go into effect in September, which bypasses Roe by having the ban on abortions be enforced by private lawsuits instead of state prosecution. Instead of imprisoning doctors, as the outright ban would do, this law aims to bankrupt them. The Texas-style bill, SB1503, now heads to the full Oklahoma house for approval. If it becomes law, it will take effect immediately.

The moves by Oklahoma come as the state has been playing host to reproductive refugees fleeing neighboring Texas for the past seven months. Ever since the supreme court allowed SB8 to go into effect on 1 September, Texas women in need have been flocking to Oklahomas four clinics, enduring the labyrinthine restrictions that Oklahoma already has in place including an ultrasound, a 72-hour waiting period, and mandatory anti-abortion counseling at great expense, in order to end their pregnancies. Texans fleeing the state for care have wound up in clinics from California to New York, but more of them have gone to Oklahoma than to any other state. More than half of Texas women who have fled the state for abortions since SB8 went into effect have gotten their care in Oklahoma. The states clinics two in Tulsa, and two in Oklahoma City have been slammed with these out-of-state visitors.

What we saw very immediately after SB8 is, we doubled our volume, Kailey Voellinger, the director of a clinic in Oklahoma City, told NBC News. We went from seeing about 100 to 150 patients to almost 300 in a month. She says the demand is so great that her clinic has had to turn women away. Now, these new laws might stop her from treating anyone at all.

These are the final days of reproductive freedom in America. The supreme court will almost certainly overturn Roe in Dobbs v Jackson this spring. Once it does, 21 states have laws or amendments already in place that would make them certain to ban abortion as quickly as possible, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive rights research group. Twelve states have so-called trigger bans, laws that declare abortion illegal as soon as Roe is overturned. Nine have pre-Roe bans that are still on the books, which could go back into effect once Roe is gone.

The result is that in the span of a few short weeks, womens rights are likely to be snuffed out in vast swaths of the country from the deep south, across the great plains, and into the mountain west, women will lose the freedom, and the dignity, that comes with the right to choose. The human tragedy of this the dreams that will be denied, the pain that will be endured, the humiliation and the enforced poverty that will inflicted on women forced to become mothers against their interests and against their will is incalculable.

What has the White House done to help mitigate this catastrophe? Very little. When the supreme court allowed SB8 to go into effect, nullifying Roe, Biden promised a whole-of-government response to safeguard abortion access. But that whole-of-government response has not materialized. The administrations reaction to the end of reproductive rights has been tepid and underwhelming. The Department of Justice vowed to step up its enforcement of the Face Act, a law that aims to stop anti-abortion protestors from blocking the entrances to abortion clinics a nice thought, but one that doesnt go very far if all those clinics are forced to close. The justice department also sued to block SB8 in the courts, but the supreme court, predictably, threw that out.

At the time, legal experts on the left offered ideas for inventive ways that the Biden administration could step in to protect the rights of Texas women provided that they were willing to bend some norms, and ruffle some feathers, in doing so. The Biden administration declined.

Even Bidens public statements are not especially strongly worded. Throughout his presidency, abortion rights activists have been frustrated with the presidents unwillingness to say the word abortion. He prefers euphemisms such as constitutional rights or womens rights, and the avoidance, according to some activists, suggests a stigmatizing disdain for the issue. At any rate, as the sun goes down on abortion rights in America, one does not get the impression that Biden will be willing to fight for a right that he is not even willing to name.

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We are witnessing the final days of reproductive freedom in America - The Guardian

FREEDOM A wildfire ignited and burnt nearly three acres of land in Freedom on Tuesday after a man burned materials without a permit, officials said.

The fire began at a 200 Getchell Ln. home while a resident was reportedly burning cardboard in a burn bin. The flames then got out-of-hand, said Freedom Volunteer Fire Department Chief James Waterman.

Waterman and his crew responded to the call at 1:32 p.m. and were on the scene for around two hours battling the blaze, he said. Around two and a half to three acres of forest land were burnt, he estimated.

It was a good size space, Waterman said.

The Freedom Volunteer Fire Department calls for mutual aid during the day when they are shorthanded, Waterman said. Albion, Unity, Montville Fire Departments responded to the wildfire for mutual aid, while Troy and Searsmont fire departments, along with Morrill Volunteer Fire Department, were on standby.

The individual is being processed by the Maine Forest Service since he did not have a permit to burn.

Waterman said it is free to get a burn permit in Maine, and certain permits are valid for one day only. With a burn permit, a person can only burn after 5 p.m. and before 9 a.m. on low or moderate fire-danger days.

Tuesday was considered a low fire-danger day for most of the state, including Freedom, according to the Maine Forest Services Wildfire Danger Report.

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Man burning cardboard sparks wildfire in Freedom, setting nearly 3 acres of land ablaze - Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel