The free speech implications of the coming ban on TikTok in the United States are staggering and unprecedented. On Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld a federal law that requires TikTok to stop operating here on Jan. 19 if its owner, ByteDance, does not sell it to a […]
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: Why aren’t more people talking about America’s alcoholism?
I come from a family of alcoholics. Sarah, my first cousin, was the most recent to die of complications from alcoholism, at age 41. Before her, seven people in our extended family, including her father, my father and our grandfather, died from alcohol-related problems. At one Thanksgiving, my grandfather passed out drunk into his gravy […]
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Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Commentary: Assad’s fall deals a blow to Russia and Iran, but leaves Syria’s future uncertain
Syrians are dancing in the streets of Damascus and other cities, to celebrate the collapse of the hideous regime of Bashar al-Assad, the man responsible for an estimated 600,000 dead in a 13-year-long civil war — including tens of thousands viciously tortured to death in his dungeons. Those still alive have been staggering out of […]
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Commentary: There are no righteous political parties
For all their moral superiority, it turns out Democrats are every bit as willing to sacrifice democracy to their personal interests as are Republicans. President Joe Biden stood on high ground for the past year as his son, Hunter, moved his way through the courts on felony gun and tax evasion charges. Asked repeatedly whether […]
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Commentary: The sad decline of the public hangout
You can learn something about a city by just walking through it. Most of New York City’s Manhattan core feels bustling, whereas a San Francisco block can seem dormant. In Rome, it is common to see groups of men standing around, chatting or arguing. We are all familiar with such casual generalizations, but what might […]
Posted inLocal & State, Maine Crime, News
Central Maine arrest log: Nov. 30-Dec. 6
Augusta- and Waterville-area arrests for Nov. 30-Dec. 6, 2024.
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Commentary: Biden should arm Ukraine to the teeth to prepare for the best negotiated peace
Before leaving office in January, President Joe Biden can still do much to bolster Ukraine’s security, and our own. The need for greater U.S. aid is obvious from reports from the war zone. Last month, Russia’s all-out war against Ukraine crossed the 1,000-day mark. And just as it has since the first day of its […]
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Commentary: Older adults need protection from financial abuse by family members
A mentor once told me that we take better care of our pets than we do older victims of mistreatment. As a researcher, I have sat across from people, including grown men, crying while recounting harrowing experiences of discovering and confronting elder financial exploitation within their families — by siblings, sons and daughters, nieces and […]
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Commentary: The looming GOP divide over school vouchers
In announcing the nomination of Linda McMahon, a former professional wrestling executive, to his cabinet, President-elect Donald Trump proclaimed, “As Secretary of Education, Linda will fight tirelessly to expand ‘Choice’ to every State in America, and empower parents to make the best Education decision for families.” It’s a reference to school vouchers, a priority for […]
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
View from Away: Cryptocurrencies triumphed alongside Trump on Election Day. Let’s finally get some rules in place
Donald J. Trump won big on Nov. 5, and so did cryptocurrencies. The crypto kingpins who poured a fortune into his campaign coffers were rewarded with flattering remarks on the campaign trail and even a pledge to create a new U.S. strategic reserve of digital currencies. Prices soared after the election. In case anyone wondered […]