If The Forecaster will “always edit letters for grammar and issues of clarity,” should they also offer that guidance to contributing writers? Julie MacDonald-Smith’s “The Right View” is only exceeded in its poor composition by its vitriolic hyperbole, i.e., “leftists are filled to the point of boiling” and “taking actions to … deepen dependency, poverty, and despair.” Extolling George Will’s “brilliant” opinions on Ronald Reagan’s acting ability and “creating reality that matters” to attack Mike Michaud’s “absolute involvement” in the offensive independent video production is a risky argument, especially when his opponent is famous for publicly speaking as our governor lewd and vulgar attacks on political opponents.

Finally, MacDonald-Smith might reconsider her charge of “culpability” for Michaud’s leadership in Veteran’s Affairs Committee when analyzing Sen. Collins’ leadership role in the Senate Armed Services Committee and Homeland Security Committee that rubber-stamped water-boarding and other questionable “enhanced interrogation techniques” and the removal of any real oversight of the NSA and CIA invasion of privacy in Patriot Act and Foreign Surveillance Acts. The enormous waste of money given to defense contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan were on her watch.

If The Forecaster is determined to dedicate space to “The Right View,” it seems some editing is needed.

Robert Libby
Chebeague Island