Stark contrast

Your recent reporting and editorial comment concerning the construction of future veterans homes in Maine has revealed a stark contrast between the regional reporters who produce the Down East Washington County section of the NEWS and the powers that be in the central office in Bangor.

I want to applaud and thank the writers of the Down East section. Over the years, I have always trusted them to be fair and honest in thier reporting of issues. They have never betrayed that trust.

Suddenly, in the case of veterans homes, I am faced with a reporting and editorial staff in Bangor that has forgotten the concepts of fair and honest journalism — a reporting staff that has forgotten the meaning of objectivity, and an editorial staff that doesn’t seem to know that editorial opinion should be based on factual considerations as well as strongly held beliefs.

Your assertion is that my support of the American Legion plan to build future veterans homes in rural areas rather than continue the trend to construct them along the I-95 corridor is a sly attempt to enhance my re-election chances. The assertion is absurd and has no basis in historical fact.

Doris Baker, state commander of the American Legion, and I have been working side by side on the veterans homes issue since the beginning. At their request, I co-sponsored the legislation that made funding available for the construction of the homes in non-specified locations in eastern and western Maine. When the Legion disagreed with the Board of Trustees’ decision to construct the home in Bangor along I-95, I put forth the current plan to build the homes in Machias and Dover-Foxcroft. The Legion believes, as do I, that these locations will provide better service to all veterans, especially those in rural areas who deserve and need the same level of care….

As a legislator from rural Maine, it is my duty to represent the interests of veterans who live in these areas. As a veteran of World War II, and a lifetime member of the American Legion, insuring their well-being is my responsibility. I take that resonsibility very seriously. I will continue to have my actions dictated by the needs of the veterans and citizens I represent, and not by the whims of fantasy cooked up by the editorial staff of the NEWS. Sen. Harry Vose D-Meddybemps