In CONGRESS July 4, 1776. The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America
When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume, among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

Columns:

SKIP GREENLAW : Consolidation won't work because costs are more than savings
The paper's editorial of June 24, titled, "Consolidation Delay Doesn't Mean Do Nothing," indicates a profound misunderstanding and lack of information about the reasons why many Maine voters turned down their proposed consolidation plans at the polls.

Letters to the Editor:

Diploma-denied grad didn't uphold contract he signed
As I was reading the June 23 Kennebec Journal article about Bonny Eagle senior Justin Denney, I couldn't help but notice that the lesson of responsibility is missing.

'Wonderful guys' from Augusta Police helped out
I have had two auto mishaps (don't want to call them accidents) in the past year and a half. One was in the winter (got caught up in slush) and ended up in a ditch and the other one was last week when my car just literally died on Western Avenue.

Augusta area Relay for Life happily walked in gym
Relay for Life is one of The American Cancer Society's biggest fundraisers.

PREVIOUS WEEK'S OPINIONS

OPINIONS SPECIAL PROJECTS HENRY DAVID THOREAU
Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them. Not Thoreau. 150 years ago he ventured into Maine's woods. The high drama of the nature Thoreau encountered made its way into the equally dramatic prose of his book, ìThe Maine Woods.î We mark the 150th anniversary of Thoreauís 1857 trip as well as the legacy of this transcendentalist, nature lover and, as author Ted Williams writes, contrarian who loved Maine in its wildest and most rugged incarnations. For more, click here.

SPECIAL REPORT: Hunger Series
"For I was hungry," a seven-part editorial series, documents the depth and breadth of hunger in Maine, from the dramatic increase in food pantries to the thousands of children who come to school hungry to the elderly with bare cupboards. For more, click here.