How sweet it is.
America’s Golden Boy of the slopes, Bode Miller, has a penchant for breaking records. So maybe no one is surprised that Miller became the first American man to capture three medals in a world championship, and the first to win two golds.
Miller swished to victory in St. Moritz, Switzerland, yesterday to win the gold in the giant slalom event. The New Hampshire native and Carrabassett Valley Academy grad previously won a gold medal in the combined event, and shared a silver in the super giant slalom.
The victory was especially sweet since Miller’s friend, Erik Schlopy, took the bronze in the giant slalom. The friends stood together at the finish line to see the end of the race, then hugged.
“It’s the most important medal of my life, sharing it with Erik,” he told a reporter. “The best race of my life.”
American men haven’t captured a giant slalom world title since Steve Mahre did in 1982.
We applaud Miller and the rest of the U.S. team for their great effort and victories. And we take just a smidgen of pride in knowing that Miller refined his skills and honed his talent here in western Maine.
ccoultas@sunjournal.com
A misstep
Last week, Rep. John Patrick of Rumford shared an e-mail critical of recent immigrants to the United States and Canada by forwarding it to a select number of people to get reactions. He should have known better.
The e-mail, which acknowledges that our population is “almost” entirely comprised of descendants of immigrants, argues that “this idea of America or Canada being a multi-cultural community has served only to dilute our sovereignty and our national identity. …If Stars, stripes and a maple leaf offend you, or you don’t like Uncle Sam or beavers, then you should seriously consider a move to another part of this planet.”
Patrick, who disagrees with the e-mail’s content, said he was sending it to get reaction. And he did, from Brian Sessions of Norway, a fellow Democrat whose wife is from El Salvador. The Sessions are also involved with the Maine Rural Workers, headed by Jose Soto, which works with Hispanic employees at DeCoster egg farms. The e-mail specifically targets people who do not speak English.
Sessions was flabbergasted. If it had been one of those xenophobic e-mails that replicate themselves endlessly on the Internet, it would have been deleted without being read, said Sessions. But because it came to Sessions from a state representative, it carried gravitas.
Patrick said he inadvertently left off a note explaining why he was forwarding the e-mail. It was a mistake, one for which he should apologize. And one from which we can all learn a thing or two.
These inflammatory e-mails do nothing to boost the public good and we, as human beings, have a responsibility to curtail their spread. Their only deserving destination is the delete folder.
jmeyer@sunjournal.com
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