Somehow it seems fitting that former Lincoln County Sheriff William C. Carter has left us at this time of the year. Carter’s passing truly closes the door on an era in Maine law enforcement.

We both would like to share some joyful bird news. On Dec. 17, we both were setting at the kitchen table working on a future article and looking out our double kitchen windows at the birdfeeders, when we saw a lot of action.

As a very concerned resident of South Bristol, and the person who owns the property directly on the Gut, adjacent to the proposed construction of a new swing bridge, I am writing to voice my concern that this project has become a boondoggle and a waste of the scarce resources and revenue available to Maine DOT and the state in general.

Drinking and driving is very dangerous, sometimes deadly. About three in every five Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some time in their lives. Dying or killing someone because of alcohol or drugs is a preventable tragedy. If you don’t want to add to these numbers, don’t drink and drive.

The Christmas story is much more than a message about the birth of Jesus. Christmas is more than sleigh bells and mistletoe. It is a story whose center is Mary, the mother of Jesus.

The apparent mess at the Bristol/South Bristol Transfer Station, which we report in this issue, is a particularly unusual situation, because, generally speaking, things run pretty smoothly in those two towns.

Recently a friend of mine asked me a question about my religion and my faith. I answered it as honestly as I could, but when I expressed the sheer joy at knowing that God sent his son to save the lives of every man, woman and child in the world, she was taken aback and denounced this act as an “unfair act.”

Maine’s problem with Medicaid isn’t one that can be fixed by raising taxes or demanding other state agencies make up the $221 million dollar difference.

The most fundamental right and privilege of being an American citizen is voting, yet in Maine, no one needs to show photo identification to prove that you are who you say you are. Why?

“Childhood Memories of the Maine Central RR Station,” by Calvin and Marjorie Dodge drew me back to the 1940s as I too grew up in Damariscotta. (LCN, 11/14/11, Page 13)

Thank you to all involved in the recent repairs and restorations to the Walpole, Huston, Woodward Cemetery on Bristol Road, Damariscotta. It was a job well done by our Cemetery Board and, most recently, by residents of Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset.

I believe that Governor LePage is right and the welfare recipients should be drug tested. I think it is an insult to the hard working Mainers who pay State taxes that help support the welfare recipient. Why should our tax dollars support a drug addiction?

Each year at this time, as we pause to give thanks for the blessings we enjoy, we are especially thankful as we consider the letter from Waldoboro Selectman Steve Cartwright last week, and the responses he engendered this week.

Herman Cain came from a poor family. He grew up in Atlanta, Ga. His mother and father had a very strong work ethic and sent him to college. He graduated from Morehouse College with a BS in mathematics. He went on to Purdue and got his master’s in computer science.