A human face at last

The Donald Sussman account of Feb. 16-17 is refreshing in that it attempts to dispel lies and half-truths by going directly to their object. In effect, it gets the other half of the story and puts a human face on opponents of past and present timber company practices; a group often depicted as a union of tree-hugging invaders from “away” bent upon the ultimate destruction of Maine’s storied way of life.

The blatantly subjective and distorted depiction is unfortunately often well received among hard-working blue-collar employees of the industry who rightfully feel threatened. As for those who control the industry and derive millions of dollars from it, the lie is a virtual magnet for gaining allies.

Your reporter [Susan Young] made a small blunder when she wrote of the “locally harvested Douglas fir” used in Sussman’s home. Douglas fir is native to western North America and if harvested locally could only have come from a plantation. It is more likely she meant the indigenous balsam fir.

Alfonse C. Impallomeni

Washington