Letters to the Editor
When we opened the August issue and saw the "Where in Maine?" photograph of Wood Island, it brought back memories of more than fifty years ago. In the
When we opened the August issue and saw the "Where in Maine?" photograph of Wood Island, it brought back memories of more than fifty years ago. In the mid-fifties I was stationed at the Naval Prison on the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. It was my duty to take new guards and regulars out to Fort Foster to orient them with various weapons. There was a small arms range at the fort set up for target practice, but we used the Wood Island house as an aiming point for shooting flare guns and tear-gas shells.(Of course, they never reached the building, but it made a good target.) After I finished my tour of duty at the prison I joined the Marine Reserves stationed across the river in New Hampshire and again we would use the range for target practice and the Life Saving Station would serve as a target for firing practice bazooka rounds. (Again, we never hit the building.) Also we used Wood Island for assault landing practice, both day and night, from rubber boats.
—Dean Walker
Bethel, Maine
Wild No More
The map of Plum Creek's proposed Moosehead expansion in your August article "Furor in the Forest" looks like the brink of disaster. The proposal is too extreme. It will be dreadful.
Speaking as one who is now "from away" — although I was born and raised in Maine, summer every year at Moosehead, and have deep family roots in the state — it is hard and presumptuous, at best, to give an opinion to the people who live in the area about what to do in the face of improved economic potential for their families. That said, this wilderness area is a treasure beyond compare. When it is gone it will be forever taken away, and nothing can give back the serenity.
I can't imagine that true Mainers would want much to do with what will amount to the destruction of such a precious and unique resource. Humanity and the soul need places like this in order to dream large and recover from the excesses of our so-called civilized society. Of course, that doesn't pay the bills.
—Carolyn Rogers
Hebron, Connecticut
I found your article about Plum Creek's development plans interesting and, at the same time, particularly ironic. As a former paper industry employee, I recall the forestry referendums where environmental groups, led by Brownie Carson and Jonathan Carter, took aim at the industry as the Maine equivalent of the "Evil Empire." These environmentalists positioned the debate so they represented the enlightened point of view, while marginalizing and discrediting the opposition. When we were dealing with Carson, Carter, and their supporters they were hard-pressed to find one redeeming characteristic of the industry.
Ultimately, the industry grew weary of the constant barrage of legislation, referendums, and regulation in Maine and many made the decision to sell land to companies like Plum Creek. Now the debate isn't about forest management, it's about land development that will truly change the landscape forever. The current situation is a classic case of "be careful what you wish for" from groups hell-bent on driving the paper companies out of Maine. In the end, maybe the industry wasn't quite as bad as Carter, Carson, and the Natural Resources Council of Maine always portrayed it to be.
—Jeffrey J. Nevins
Monroe, Louisiana
Your Own Private Island
Great article in your July issue about owning your own island. We have at one time owned much of Long Island in the New Meadows River near Cundys Harbor. We still have about fifteen acres and a five-bedroom summerhouse there.
What your article missed was the gas generators we use for electricity. (Actually they can also run on propane.) We have all the electricity we ever need, get free drinking water from a spring in Harpswell, and the rest of the water comes from the roof — 2,700 gallons. We have a full-pressure system when the generator is on; our place is a real summer self-contained house.
—Robert Damerjian
Glenside, Pennsylvania
Power in Numbers
I read with interest the article about Mainers vs. Wal-Mart in your August issue. I wonder about the claim that "only in Maine have towns banded together to oppose the world's largest retailer." I spend time between Maine and California, and I feel certain that citizens in towns and cities in California have fought to keep Wal-Mart stores from being built in their locations. There may be some aspects of what is happening in Maine to deny Wal-Mart stores in some locations that is unique, but I doubt that Maine is the only state where there is opposition to Wal-Mart stores in selected towns and cities.
—Jack Blackburn
South Portland, Maine
As a longtime Maine resident now retired to Key West, Florida, I was alarmed by your mention of campers in Wal-Mart parking lots. We've had a serious problem in Key West because RVs that try to stay in mall parking lots often dump their waste into the surrounding waters. Consequently, such camping has been outlawed. I hope there are provisions to require the RVs to use dump stations in Maine. If not, Wal-Mart should provide them.
—Susan White
Key West, Florida
Aging Gracefully
I want to thank you for the bright, new look at Down East. My wife and I have been subscribers for several years and have always loved the magazine — but even more so now.
—Tal Roberts
Dallas,Texas
Small World
This summer, my wife and I took the ferry over to Islesboro, but a thunderstorm knocked the power out at the Lincolnville terminal and drivers were told that they would have to leave their cars on the island. To my happy surprise, one private boat after another came pulling up to the pier and invited passengers on. The lobster fisherman who took about twenty-five of us refused all offers of compensation as we disembarked at Lincolnville, though he did accept my handshake and thanks.
The next morning when I returned to the terminal to fetch my car, I brought your August issue to read on the ferry because there was a cover feature on Islesboro in it. In that article, I read the observations of Pastor James Weathersby of the Second Baptist Church about the islanders: "You do what needs to be done for your neighbor not to establish a relationship, but because it needs to be done. If your car breaks down, five people will stop, but they don't need to know your name."
The article went on to mention that the pastor's parishioners had welcomed him, though his style had taken some getting used to because it was steeped in the Black Baptist church. I looked over at the only other occupant of the observation deck, a tall African-American man dressed in black pants, black shirt, and a necktie. The book he was reading was the Holy Bible. Holding your magazine aloft, I said, "Excuse me, but am I reading about you?" He nodded his head, stood up with a big smile, and extended his hand.
It was a delightful coincidence and the perfect finishing touch to an altogether unexpected summer adventure.
—Richard Barr
New York, New York
Protecting Popham
I was saddened by the article in your July issue regarding the proposed development of a subdivision with sixty or so homes in Phippsburg. What a shame! My brother and I were so fortunate to have spent many wonderful summers at Popham and have such great memories of that part of our childhood. To destroy such a pristine area in the name of progress is very disconcerting. The serenity and picture-perfect setting will be lost forever.
—Barbara Briggs Wilson
Jefferson City, Tennessee
My wife and I have vacationed at Popham Beach for the past twenty-five years, and your article concerning the development of Phippsburg and Popham Beach was most distressing. Bruce Poliquin and his ilk are only concerned with lining their pockets and converting the Maine coast into Cape Cod North. The residents of Phippsburg should ask themselves, "What type of town do we want to live in?" Let us all trust they will make the wise decision.
—Richard and Gloria Knoener
Granville, Massachusetts
Missingest Man
Your August article on Judge Crater was very entertaining but in dire need of a fact-checker. First off, it was Arnold, not Albert, Rothstein who was the legendary gambler who was murdered. And the sand under the boardwalk at Coney Island was only a few feet deep, having been trucked in from Suffolk County. The idea of a body being buried there for more than twelve hours is ludicrous. Under the boardwalk was where the people ate lunch, children played, and lovers loved. Finally, the item about Crater dropping dead at Polly Adler's establishment begs the question: "Why dispose of the body?"
—Henry J. Scherer
Southwest Harbor, Maine
—Dean Walker
Bethel, Maine
Wild No More
The map of Plum Creek's proposed Moosehead expansion in your August article "Furor in the Forest" looks like the brink of disaster. The proposal is too extreme. It will be dreadful.
Speaking as one who is now "from away" — although I was born and raised in Maine, summer every year at Moosehead, and have deep family roots in the state — it is hard and presumptuous, at best, to give an opinion to the people who live in the area about what to do in the face of improved economic potential for their families. That said, this wilderness area is a treasure beyond compare. When it is gone it will be forever taken away, and nothing can give back the serenity.
I can't imagine that true Mainers would want much to do with what will amount to the destruction of such a precious and unique resource. Humanity and the soul need places like this in order to dream large and recover from the excesses of our so-called civilized society. Of course, that doesn't pay the bills.
—Carolyn Rogers
Hebron, Connecticut
I found your article about Plum Creek's development plans interesting and, at the same time, particularly ironic. As a former paper industry employee, I recall the forestry referendums where environmental groups, led by Brownie Carson and Jonathan Carter, took aim at the industry as the Maine equivalent of the "Evil Empire." These environmentalists positioned the debate so they represented the enlightened point of view, while marginalizing and discrediting the opposition. When we were dealing with Carson, Carter, and their supporters they were hard-pressed to find one redeeming characteristic of the industry.
Ultimately, the industry grew weary of the constant barrage of legislation, referendums, and regulation in Maine and many made the decision to sell land to companies like Plum Creek. Now the debate isn't about forest management, it's about land development that will truly change the landscape forever. The current situation is a classic case of "be careful what you wish for" from groups hell-bent on driving the paper companies out of Maine. In the end, maybe the industry wasn't quite as bad as Carter, Carson, and the Natural Resources Council of Maine always portrayed it to be.
—Jeffrey J. Nevins
Monroe, Louisiana
Your Own Private Island
Great article in your July issue about owning your own island. We have at one time owned much of Long Island in the New Meadows River near Cundys Harbor. We still have about fifteen acres and a five-bedroom summerhouse there.
What your article missed was the gas generators we use for electricity. (Actually they can also run on propane.) We have all the electricity we ever need, get free drinking water from a spring in Harpswell, and the rest of the water comes from the roof — 2,700 gallons. We have a full-pressure system when the generator is on; our place is a real summer self-contained house.
—Robert Damerjian
Glenside, Pennsylvania
Power in Numbers
I read with interest the article about Mainers vs. Wal-Mart in your August issue. I wonder about the claim that "only in Maine have towns banded together to oppose the world's largest retailer." I spend time between Maine and California, and I feel certain that citizens in towns and cities in California have fought to keep Wal-Mart stores from being built in their locations. There may be some aspects of what is happening in Maine to deny Wal-Mart stores in some locations that is unique, but I doubt that Maine is the only state where there is opposition to Wal-Mart stores in selected towns and cities.
—Jack Blackburn
South Portland, Maine
As a longtime Maine resident now retired to Key West, Florida, I was alarmed by your mention of campers in Wal-Mart parking lots. We've had a serious problem in Key West because RVs that try to stay in mall parking lots often dump their waste into the surrounding waters. Consequently, such camping has been outlawed. I hope there are provisions to require the RVs to use dump stations in Maine. If not, Wal-Mart should provide them.
—Susan White
Key West, Florida
Aging Gracefully
I want to thank you for the bright, new look at Down East. My wife and I have been subscribers for several years and have always loved the magazine — but even more so now.
—Tal Roberts
Dallas,Texas
Small World
This summer, my wife and I took the ferry over to Islesboro, but a thunderstorm knocked the power out at the Lincolnville terminal and drivers were told that they would have to leave their cars on the island. To my happy surprise, one private boat after another came pulling up to the pier and invited passengers on. The lobster fisherman who took about twenty-five of us refused all offers of compensation as we disembarked at Lincolnville, though he did accept my handshake and thanks.
The next morning when I returned to the terminal to fetch my car, I brought your August issue to read on the ferry because there was a cover feature on Islesboro in it. In that article, I read the observations of Pastor James Weathersby of the Second Baptist Church about the islanders: "You do what needs to be done for your neighbor not to establish a relationship, but because it needs to be done. If your car breaks down, five people will stop, but they don't need to know your name."
The article went on to mention that the pastor's parishioners had welcomed him, though his style had taken some getting used to because it was steeped in the Black Baptist church. I looked over at the only other occupant of the observation deck, a tall African-American man dressed in black pants, black shirt, and a necktie. The book he was reading was the Holy Bible. Holding your magazine aloft, I said, "Excuse me, but am I reading about you?" He nodded his head, stood up with a big smile, and extended his hand.
It was a delightful coincidence and the perfect finishing touch to an altogether unexpected summer adventure.
—Richard Barr
New York, New York
Protecting Popham
I was saddened by the article in your July issue regarding the proposed development of a subdivision with sixty or so homes in Phippsburg. What a shame! My brother and I were so fortunate to have spent many wonderful summers at Popham and have such great memories of that part of our childhood. To destroy such a pristine area in the name of progress is very disconcerting. The serenity and picture-perfect setting will be lost forever.
—Barbara Briggs Wilson
Jefferson City, Tennessee
My wife and I have vacationed at Popham Beach for the past twenty-five years, and your article concerning the development of Phippsburg and Popham Beach was most distressing. Bruce Poliquin and his ilk are only concerned with lining their pockets and converting the Maine coast into Cape Cod North. The residents of Phippsburg should ask themselves, "What type of town do we want to live in?" Let us all trust they will make the wise decision.
—Richard and Gloria Knoener
Granville, Massachusetts
Missingest Man
Your August article on Judge Crater was very entertaining but in dire need of a fact-checker. First off, it was Arnold, not Albert, Rothstein who was the legendary gambler who was murdered. And the sand under the boardwalk at Coney Island was only a few feet deep, having been trucked in from Suffolk County. The idea of a body being buried there for more than twelve hours is ludicrous. Under the boardwalk was where the people ate lunch, children played, and lovers loved. Finally, the item about Crater dropping dead at Polly Adler's establishment begs the question: "Why dispose of the body?"
—Henry J. Scherer
Southwest Harbor, Maine
