Women's march a righteous cause for all of us

“We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. When the loyal opposition dies, I think the soul of America dies with it.” 

— Edward R. Murrow

“Freedom is hammered out on the anvil of discussion, dissent, and debate. “

— Hubert H. Humphrey

“Free societies are societies in which the right of dissent is protected.”

                                                                                         —Natan Sharansky

AUBURN — Witnessing a sea of humanity snaking through the streets of our nation’s capitol during the women's march reassured me that common sense, dissent and freedom are alive and well in the United States.

If you have a gripe with what you just saw across America and in fine cities around the globe, writer letter or relocate to a nation ruled by despots who intimidate and murder citizens for their opinions and outspokenness. 

If the current administration can’t understand what just transpired on the streets of Boston and New York City, then it doesn’t comprehend the intricacies and brilliance of the United States Constitution and its citizens, who gave us an old-fashion lesson in civics this weekend.

I stand with all women who demand to be treated with equality and respect — in and out of the workplace. I have no problem with a woman governing this nation. As a liberal democrat from the great state of Massachusetts, I voted for Mrs. Clinton after taking issue with President Trump’s acerbic remarks directed toward a female candidate and President Obama during an ugly campaign.

I grew up with three sisters and learned quickly that they are a formidable force when they band together. 

Nobody in this nation should be considered a second-class citizen.

Being bitter about Clinton’s loss is a waste of precious time, but what I can’t understand is a president with a Twitter addiction and his disdain for the Fourth Estate — the press. Calling the press to a briefing and then admonish it over the reporting of the size of inauguration crowds is simply absurd. This is the same nonsense when the president reeled off tweets about SNL skits about him.

Should the current administration move the press out of the West Wing, does the president truly believe reporters are going to go away or news organizations will start pandering to him?

When the press is doing its job right, I know the nation is doing well and not sliding toward rogue status, where life is cheap and leaders are assassinated when their countrymen grow tired of being tortured. We vote our presidents out of office. It works better that way.

By the way, the press isn’t going anywhere. Whatever it takes, the Washington Press Corp will file stories from the Watergate or from a phone booth like Clark Kent. The press will continue to keep a watchful eye on the U.S. government and its leaders, who need to be held accountable for their actions. 

I think we sometimes forget our officials work for us, but we reminds ourselves and politicians every time we vote. That is why citizens were standing up for themselves this weekend. It is our duty as Americans and to the founding fathers of a country that embraces dissent and debate.

This nation has always been a work in progress and I would like it to continue moving forward no matter who is in office.

Remembering Peter and all the victims of 9-11

My son, Anthony, took this photo of Peter Morgan Goodrich's name at World Trade Center 1 during a trip to New York City last year.

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." 

                                                                                                                      — Martin Luther King, Jr.

I got up this morning, had a cup coffee, scanned the newspaper and admired my yard and garden on a muggy summer day.

Peter Goodrich has not enjoyed any of those simple pleasures for the past 15 years.

He was killed on Sept. 11, 2001 — a casualty of terrorism. First responders and citizens enveloped in the rumble's dust are still dying from the attacks.

He was a passenger on the second plane that slammed into the Twin Towers in New York City. 

Like millions of Americans, I witnessed his murder on a clear, warm Tuesday morning on TV. I didn’t wasn’t aware the he was on that doomed United Airlines Flight 175 until a friend, who works for Stars and Stripes in Washington D.C., got in touch with me days later after the attacks.

My son and I were watching “Barney” on PBS when I switched over to watch the news where an NBC news anchor was talking about the first tower to be hit. I saw the second plane plunge into the other structure and burst into flames. I winced when people began jumping to their deaths because they couldn’t find a way down.

I remember nearly every moment of that day: The clear skies, the towers crumbling, the leapers tossing themselves out burning windows, and the silence at a restaurant when I took my 5 year old for lunch. There was an eery silence when I went food shopping that week.

Television broadcasted rescue and recovery efforts from the Twin-Towers’ ruins 24 hours a day for the next four days.

For me, Peter put a face on that horrible morning.

I was introduced to Peter Goodrich at Bates College where he was an All-American for the Bobcat track team. I interviewed him several times as a sportswriter. I wrote a column about him several days after the Towers fell. Two stories were about a memorial that was constructed near Bates’ track and another concerning his induction into the Auburn-Lewiston Sports Hall of Fame.

I spoke with Peter’s father just after the attacks. Donald Goodrich is a man of integrity and didn’t want to see retaliation and more bloodshed despite his son’s death.

I would find it impossible to turn the other cheek if my son was murdered, but Donald Goodrich saw retaliation for Peter’s death as senseless.

His mother, the late Sally Goodrich, established a scholarship in his name. She was an extraordinary woman who adored both sons. She called me and asked for permission to place my stories on her son’s scholarship web page. I told her she would have to establish a link to the Sun Journal.

She told me during the conversation that despite all that has been written about Peter, she still enjoyed re-reading the column I wrote just after 9-11 because of Peter’s quotes that I used from my earlier stories.

When I met the Bates athlete, it didn’t take me long to figure out that Peter, despite his intelligence and impressive athletic abilities, was fine young man whose humility was genuinely endearing.

He had a great sense of humor and a warm smile that could light up a field house. He was a pleasurable young man and I liked that he wasn’t a pretentious, know-it-all college kid.

He was gentlemen who went on to become a products manager. He had a promising future before fanatics murdered all those Americans.

I find it impossible to make sense of such lunacy and treachery, but that’s what separates people with strong moral fiber from killers who use a religion to justify their malevolent actions.

The nation will remember the dead and honor first responders and the military on the 15th anniversary of 9/11 on Sunday.

What have we learned since the Twin Towers crumbled to the ground?

Not much!

We are still killing terrorists who continue to murder citizens across the globe. It is a vicious cycle with no end in sight. It is a war without end as the body count continues to rise.

I know Peter would shake his head in disgust. 

Peter has never left me. 

When the anniversary of 9-11 rolls around each year, I think of him on that day and many other days.

When common sense finally prevails

“Common sense is not so common.”                                                                                                                                   ― Voltaire

AUBURN, Maine - They finally figured it out that it was no longer worth going the distance to defend the running of the New York City Marathon this weekend.

It took them long enough to wake up and listen to the outrage from citizens along the eastern seaboard.

And all it took was Staten Island residents bawling their eyes out and pleas for help in front of homes knocked off their foundations.

Maine was spared from a storm that stayed to the south of the Pine Tree State.

New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg did an about-face and made the right call to cancel the event even though it took days for his office to decide to put the kibosh on the race. But that decision should have been made the moment after Sandy blew through the area and leveled thousands of homes.

Sure, it would be an economic and morale boost to a city devastated by Hurricane Sandy. But I am not buying the argument that allowing the marathon to go on would have been in poor taste.

This decision wasn't about taste. It is about resources which have been stretched to the limit in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Those areas hardest hit require a huge police presence to maintain law and order. New York City does not have the manpower to cover a race that runs through an area that was pancaked by a natural disaster.

Imagine runners sprinting through neighborhoods without running water and residents camped out in their yards waiting for the cavalry to arrive.

I shook my head when a marathon competitor whined about the race's cancellation on national television. I imagine he would have felt differently if it was his home that was washed out to sea or burned to the ground as helpless fireman watched from a distance. I guess he forgot that nearly 100 people lost their lives in a hurricane that was a 1,000 miles wide.

He doesn't have to go without water or look for his next meal. This athlete should act more like a marathon runner than a moron.

Now that this controversy has subsided like the raging flooding waters in NYC, the region can concentrate on helping displaced citizens recover from this destructive storm. In the long run, helping storm victims is what a recovery effort is all about.

After all, this was the cancellation of a race, but the real marathon will be about a tale of survival in the coming months, and this recovery will give all Americans a run for their money.