I don’t know what President Trump was trying to accomplish Monday evening when he ordered federal officers to disperse with tear gas and flash grenades peaceful protestors exercising their First Amendment rights of free speech and peaceable assembly so that he could walk over to historic St. John’s Episcopal church for a photo op. What struck me was how small and alone he looked standing on the broad sidewalk in front of the church.

I understand that this week President Trump will visit Puritan Medical Products, the maker of swabs for coronavirus testing.

I am writing to voice my support for Paul Davis in his bid for re-election to the Maine Senate. During his time in the House and Senate, Davis has been a voice of reason in an increasingly partisan political climate, without the bombast and posturing that drives people with differing viewpoints apart from one another, and is respected on both sides of the aisle in Augusta.

Candidates are always promising change and this is a time that we really need it. That’s why I’m proud to support Sara Gideon.

What's this? A letter to the editor from Paul LePage with advice regarding his “plan for reopening”? With all due respect (which isn't much), I must admit I didn't bother to read it.

In a recent letter, Paul LePage all of a sudden says that he cares about poverty and domestic violence and substance abuse: "Excessive, lengthy closures are having a devastating effect. Increased unemployment leads to poverty, hunger, domestic violence and substance abuse."

According to the U. S. Census Bureau, Maine has the highest number of registered voters as a percentage of the state’s population (77%) when compared to all of the other states. We also earn high marks for voter participation in primary and general elections. Yet, in the 2018 midterm election, statewide voter turnout was only 59%. Is that considered a good turnout?! What does it say about us as citizens when more than a third of us won’t even weigh in on the shaping of our State and Federal governments?

I will be voting for Sen. Paul Davis in the July 14 primary election for the District 4 seat in the Maine Senate. I have served in the Maine House for the past six years alongside Paul and have been impressed with his work ethic and dedication to the job.

I am writing this letter that it may help some family to stay together, for the sake of the children.

I was excited to see you had an article on Sir Harry Oakes in the Piscataquis Observer. When I was a teenager living on East Dover Road, my house was directly across the road from the lot where they were building his mausoleum. We watched with interest when they built the foundation.

There is a safe and secure way to act. Call the Maine Secretary of State election office at 207-634-7736 to ask for an absentee ballot (or if you have the Internet use your search function for “Maine State absentee ballot”). I urge you to request your mail-in ballot now. Absentee ballots must be returned to your municipal clerk by 8 p.m. on election day, July 14.

Secretary of State Matt Dunlap recently said that “unless something radically changes,” he doesn't expect Maine wouldn’t see a “major change” in the conduct of the July election.

On April 23, I published a plan for reopening Maine, outlining several steps for our economic recovery, including reopening rural counties first, looking to similar states like South Dakota.

Sen. Paul Davis represents District 4, and he recently published a joint letter with Reps. Higgins, Stearns and Foster about reopening the Penquis region. In response, my mother, who is immunocompromised, wrote him about her concerns of pushing ahead too quickly against the advice of medical experts. My mother received a reply, telling her to stay safe, but that “people are hungry” and “need to get back to work.” This very typical response fails to address key issues.

Maine is blessed with pristine vistas where souls can find their quiet repose and reflection. The soothing sounds of nature, while rejuvenating, prove to us that in the silence of the forest it is nearly impossible, even in the whisper of the wind and the chirp of the chickadee, to find complete silence. And yet, Rep. Jared Golden has managed to achieve the impossible.

While this global pandemic has already consumed many of our nation’s largest cities, as the recent Bangor Daily News OpEd “Coronavirus pandemic is exacerbating a rural access crisis” highlights, what has been overlooked is the profound and potentially irreversible effect of this crisis on rural communities around the nation.

The teaming frustrations aired by protesters demanding removal of restrictions to our daily lives due to the highly contagious COVID-19 virus is frightening. Why one would even consider endangering my life and yours by not following simple directions from our elected officials to promote safety?

This letter is in regards to a situation years ago when I first met then Cpl. Paul Davis of the Maine State Police, and now running for re-election in Senate District 4, Piscataquis County.