Ben Bragdon

Kennebec Journal/Morning Sentinel

Latest

Published
May 15, 2023

Commentary: The US war on terror continues. We just don’t talk about it

At a time when the Biden administration has its hands full trying to reverse Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and manage a U.S.-China relationship stuck in the doldrums, America’s vast, lethal counterterrorism machine continues to be in high gear. The U.S. intelligence community, in close partnership with America’s special operators, are tracking and hunting down terrorists […]
Published
May 15, 2023

Commentary: Oceans are heating up and El Nino will make it worse

Even if you hate the beach, live inland and aren’t bothered by dwindling fish, the latest spike in ocean temperature matters to you. The ocean is like a huge closet where we’ve been able to store 90% of the excess heat trapped by greenhouse gases. That closet is now stuffed. The latest readings from more […]
Published
May 14, 2023

Our View: The wrong compromise on guns will invite more violence

With background checks, waiting periods and prohibition of sale or transfer of guns where necessary, the Legislature has an opportunity to get it right. Will it?
Published
May 13, 2023

Commentary: We know so little about how social media affects kids’ brains

The American Psychological Association has issued its first advisory on social media use in adolescence. What’s most striking in its data-based recommendations is how little we really know about how these apps affect our kids. The relative newness of platforms like Snapchat and TikTok means little research is available about their long-term effects on teen […]
Published
May 11, 2023

Our View: Strengthening the safety net for Maine’s safety net

Maine’s General Assistance program helps people when they have nowhere else to go — no other options for finding food, shelter or medicine. It is the safety net’s safety net. And since asylum seekers began arriving in large numbers in 2019, it’s been one of the only ways to keep them afloat while the federal […]
Published
May 10, 2023

Commentary: Americans’ move to identifying as ‘independent’ foretells a change in political parties

Since 2004, the number of Americans who identify as political independents has skyrocketed. In the first decade of the 21st century, nearly two-thirds of American voters affiliated with one of the two major parties. Now, this figure is less than half, and there are slightly more political “independents” than either Democrats or Republicans. “It was […]
Published
May 9, 2023

Eduardo Porter: Fentanyl will win the war on drugs

So let’s say the United States labels Mexican drug cartels terrorist organizations, like so many Republicans are demanding. Let’s say it deploys “cyberwarfare” and missile strikes against its kingpins, declares war against the cartels and sends troops across the border, whether the Mexican government agrees or not. Then what? Here’s what: Fentanyl keeps killing Americans; […]
Published
May 8, 2023

View from Away: The Supreme Court needs ethics reform. That shouldn’t be a partisan issue

Thanks to recent reports about financial and personal dealings by members of the Supreme Court — including lavish trips bestowed upon Justice Clarence Thomas by a friend and prominent Republican donor — the public has become aware of a troubling fact: Unlike other federal judges, justices aren’t bound by the Code of Conduct for United […]
Published
May 8, 2023

Nicholas Goldberg: Trump’s up in the polls. How can that be?

I guess it’s possible that Republicans really don’t care about Donald Trump’s run-ins with the law. Maybe, despite the numerous allegations, investigations and charges against him — for rape, for defamation, for seeking to subvert the 2020 election, for his role in the Jan. 6 assault, for falsifying records about hush money payments — he […]
Published
May 6, 2023

Our View: Give landmark housing law a chance to work

As the housing crisis mounts, Maine shouldn’t neuter a law designed to help relieve it.