In Missouri, the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel “Maus” about the Holocaust faces possible removal from schools for at least the third time over its depiction of a female character in a bathtub. In South Carolina, an Advanced Placement teacher has been forced to abandon her lesson about systemic racism using “Between the World and Me” […]
Ben Bragdon
Staff Writer
Ben Bragdon is managing editor of the Sun Journal. Prior to that, he was deputy managing editor for news at the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel. Ben was previously editorial page editor for those newspapers and Central Maine Sunday for more than 10 years. Before that, he was managing editor for weekly newspapers at Current Publishing in Westbrook. He began his career as a reporter at the Piscataquis Observer in Dover-Foxcroft and editor at the Moosehead Messenger in Greenville. He has a bachelor’s degree in history from Boston University.
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Commentary: Immigration should be about more than politics
Whichever side of the spectrum you’re on, the topic of immigration has never been more political than it is today. I know because I had to speak in public about the migration crisis recently, and it was a real challenge to decide whether to speak about the disappointment and heartbreak in my heart or whether […]
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Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Commentary: Gender crisis is really a marriage crisis
So many political issues, from debates over abortion and school curriculum materials to budget cuts, are framed as attacks on “women” as a group, and polls and statistics showing that women’s votes lean left are usually cited as evidence on behalf of the idea that the Republican Party is anti-woman. But these gender gap statistics […]
Posted inEditorials, Opinion
Our View: Maine must act now to make the most of offshore wind
The state can take steps this month to build an industry that promises both clean energy and good jobs.
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Commentary: The complex, misunderstood problem of absent fathers
With Father’s Day upon us, many of us will take a moment this weekend to show our appreciation to our dads. But what is often forgotten is that around 20% of fathers in the United States will likely not hear their child say “Happy Father’s Day.” For a number of reasons, they are absent fathers. […]
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Ben Bragdon: Gardiner school officials remove Pride flag, and take sides with bullies
A Pride flag hung until recently in Gardiner Area High School, sending to LGBTQ students the message that they belong, just like everyone else. It’s the right message to send to a group of students who haven’t always been treated well, and who now face a targeted attack by some of the most powerful people […]
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Commentary: Who deserves welfare? That’s the wrong question
The latest deal to avert a U.S. government default, with its new work requirements for welfare programs, illustrates a fundamental flaw in America’s social safety net: It’s far too focused on identifying the worthy, to the detriment of the needy. By official measures, nearly 40 million Americans are living in poverty. Yet not a single […]
Posted inEditorials, Opinion
Our View: The effects of the global climate crisis will be local
The climate crisis is global. The effects, however, will be overwhelmingly local. That reality could not be more obvious this week, as smoke from wildfires in Canada blanketed the East Coast, giving New York for a moment the worst air quality of any major city in the world. Maine, which has felt the unhealthy effects […]
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Maine Compass: Meet me on the Merrymeeting Trail
Imagine a trail from Augusta to Brunswick, offering rare and breathtaking views as it traces the Kennebec, Cathance, and Androscoggin rivers. Running along an inactive state-owned railroad corridor, it would attract tourists from around the country, benefit small businesses in our town centers, and provide opportunities for exercise, alternative transportation, and connection to people of […]
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Commentary: Why Donald Trump’s federal indictment is as breathtaking as it was inevitable
In one sense, it was breathtaking: the first ever indictment of a former president by the Department of Justice he once oversaw — and therefore the most important federal charge in U.S. history. In another, it was expected. Once Donald Trump had received a formal target letter from the department, his fate was effectively sealed. […]