DON’T FORGET PAINTBALL

I live in Brunswick and I have heard many things about this new civic center "uber complex" (see "Don’t Blow It," Jan. 7, by Alex Irvine). I saw your piece and think that your ideas are great thing to do with it. There are no places for kids to go in town. It may sound pathetic, but the Denny’s in Brunswick was the only thing to do in town at night when I was in high school. Now that Denny’s is gone, there’s nothing for kids under 21 to do anything or go anyplace. The Civic Center is huge and it would be awesome if they could turn it into some kind of all-ages rec facility.

May I add paintball to your list of possible uses? There are no large indoor paintball parks in the area. Maybe a speedball course or some kind of tactical SWAT-style game would make sense. That would bring in some revenue for sure. The courses could be removable (most are inflatable bunkers) so the space could be used for any other purpose. This is a subject that should be discussed fully and not evaded.

It would suck if Portland built a new facility and let the old one stand empty and rust away for 10 years while the powers that be bicker over what should be done with it. Anyhoo . . . great article. It’s good to see people who have common sense.

Greg Klein

Brunswick

PC? PU

Thanks to Shay Stewart-Bouley for defending the last bastion of conservative outrage (see "PC becomes BS," Jan. 7). It was a stroke of genius for the right to appropriate the term "political correctness" (which had been used in a self-deprecating way by progressives for years) to dismiss minorities’ concerns as simply a form of fascistic social thought-control.

In a country that has seen a decades-long rise in right-wing power and influence, it becomes increasingly difficult for conservatives to maintain their cherished sense of cultural victimhood at the hands of an all-powerful liberal mafia. The "political correctness" fable allows them to do so. As for the Maine Medical Center’s outrageous policy of taking steps to provide medical care to Muslim immigrants, might I suggest a remedy? How about a massive capital gains tax cut for people earning over $200K?

Keep fighting the good fight, Shay!

Philip Sewell-Bancroft

Peaks Island

UM? WHOOPS

Re: the "On the Move" article (Jan. 7, by Becca DeWan). When was the last time Becca DeWan traveled out Forest Avenue? The Pizza Hut was torn down more than two years ago. And Oakhurst just invested millions of dollars in a new storage facility where Pizza Hut was! Sheesh!

Cat Eldridge

Portland