Maine
updated
8:21 p.m.
For some reason, Sarah Palin believes if she just does some fancy pageant walking and mentions our soldiers & Trig in a speech, we will all leave her alone! Yeah, yeah, she quits on Friday as the Governor of Alaska, doesn’t give a very good reason as to why, and rambles on in her presser [...]...
White Noise Insanity - 7:09 p.m.
(image created by KayInMaine of White Noise Insanity) I don’t have a link to the tweet, but apparently on Twitter yesterday, Sarah said she was mad at the media for making fun of her “I Ain’t No Quitter” speech, because in her mind quitting is only for losers and then her quitting her governorship did not [...]...
White Noise Insanity - 11:21 a.m. - 4 clicks 
Last week, as part of the Rebuilding America's Infrastructure series, I posted this about renovations to the Elizabethtown Amtrak Station in Pennsylvania , which is #8 on Sen. Tom Coburn's list of 100 wasteful stimulus projects. Reader Bob K had sent in this picture of the platform as it looks today: And has followed that up with another that he took in April, 1976: He writes: The ph...
Turn Maine Blue - 11:20 a.m.
Good morning. How long has it been since a day began with sunny skies in Maine? This is definitely a day to get outside and hike up a hill or get on the water for a view of our beautiful state. ProPublica has this story about How a Loophole Benefits General Electric in Bank Rescue : General Electric, the world's largest industrial company, has quietly become the biggest beneficiary of one...
Turn Maine Blue - 5:47 a.m. - 3 clicks
Taken earlier today of the 4th of July Parade in Thomaston, Maine. The Coast Guard COlor Guard was followed by this bagpipe band: A man on stilts from the Shoestring Theatre Troup: More after the fold: Antique vehicles: One has to like the sticker in the cigarette window of this Nash - so good: A high school theatre cast: And - THE SUN : Rep. Joan Welsh (D-Camden)...
Turn Maine Blue - Sat 5:06 p.m. - 5 clicks
What are you doing today to celebrate America’s Independence Day? My son is going to a pig roast and I’ll be joining a friend in Portland to watch Rep. Herb Adams read the Declaration of Independence. A little known fact: Maine has one of the only 25 copies left in the nation of the original [...]...
White Noise Insanity - Sat 7:44 a.m. - 5 clicks
The rumors are flying around the Internet about Sarah Palin’s resignation yesterday. We are all wondering why she would quit her governorship half way through her first term. No one does that if they’re innocent of any charge and a governor is more protected in office than out. Sarah’s quick resignation is definitely strange. So, what [...]...
White Noise Insanity - Sat 7:44 a.m. - 3 clicks
You have no doubt heard the news that Sarah Palin will resign as governor of Alaska. The AP reports: In a hastily arranged news conference at her home in suburban Wasilla, Palin said she will formally step down July 26, and Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell will be inaugurated at the governor's picnic in Fairbanks. She said she had decided against running for re-election as Alaska's governor, and believed...
Turn Maine Blue - Sat 7:44 a.m.
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...
Turn Maine Blue - Sat 5:44 a.m.
Mayor Larry Gilbert is one of the many public figures that have stepped up to voice support for the Employee Free Choice Act in Maine. "The reason why I support the Employee Free Choice Act is because I remember the working conditions as a patrol officer, when I just started. They were terrible." Larry continued "I feel that if employees wish to join a union they have that right." ...
DailyKos (Maine) - Fri 9:06 p.m. - 8 clicks
As of right now, no one except Sarah knows why she resigned the Governorship of Alaska. Her brother says there are no scandals and the Lieutenant Governor was all choked up apparently. Uh ha. Apparently a few people are going to miss her. Me? Not so much! Andrea Mitchell of MSNBC stated earlier that she [...]...
White Noise Insanity - Fri 2:43 p.m.
Food AND Medicine and the Eastern Maine Labor Council invites you to attend our Ninth Annual ... FOURTH OF JULY SOLIDARITY CELEBRATION Featuring Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion with Slaid Cleaves PLACE: at the Solidarity Center, 20 Ivers St. Brewer, 04412. TIME: 6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m Rain or Shine This year's Fourth of July promises to be a blast with amazing food, music and program to c...
Turn Maine Blue - Fri 12:07 p.m. - 3 clicks
If you are looking for a way to celebrate the holiday, the Bangor Daily News has this list of communities holding 4th of July events . I'll also remind you of this post recounting last year's parade in Round Pond - if you look closely at the photographs, those dark areas are called shadows, and are caused by sunlight. Use the comments to promote your town's event, or if a group will be ...
Turn Maine Blue - Fri 8:28 a.m. - 7 clicks
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., has this piece in today's WaPo on mountaintop mining, and what must be done to stop it . It begins: Mountaintop removal coal mining is the worst environmental tragedy in American history. When will the Obama administration finally stop this Appalachian apocalypse? If ever an issue deserved President Obama's promise of change, this is it. Mining syndicates are detona...
Turn Maine Blue - Fri 6:18 a.m.
This week on Glenn Beck’s show he talked about the upcoming 4th of July Teabagging Parties at length. At one point it was mentioned that these parties were a great opportunity to register new voters. Geeeeee, registering new voters like ACORN? Say it isn’t so! But I thought Glenn Beck, his supporters, and the rest [...]...
White Noise Insanity - Fri 5:39 a.m. - 5 clicks
Firefox 3.5 is out, but beware - there is a startup bug. It takes about 5 minutes for it to load. Also, the right click mouse function no longer works. So if you're jonsing to upgrade, wait a few days and check their website to see if it has been fixed. ...
Turn Maine Blue - Fri 5:39 a.m. - 2 clicks
Today I heard the report that one of our soldiers had been captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan. The news report said he had ‘wandered’ off and was captured a few hours later. Interesting…why would ONE soldier wander away from the rest of the unit? Was he forced out by the other soldiers for [...]...
White Noise Insanity - Thu 5:58 p.m. - 2 clicks
The AP is reporting that a draft health insurance/care reform plan by Senate Democrats includes a public option (via Yahoo ): Democrats on a key Senate Committee outlined a revised and far less costly health care plan Wednesday night that includes a government-run insurance option and an annual fee on employers who do not offer coverage to their workers. The plan carries a 10-year price ...
Turn Maine Blue - Thu 10:23 a.m.
Come Celebrate the Fourth of July and Support Laid-off Workers with Food AND Medicine and the Eastern Maine Labor Council July 4th 6:00PM, 20 Ivers Street, Brewer Maine The Solidarity Celebration is Bangor/Brewer's best kept secret. This year they've got great music from Sarah Lee Guthrie (Arlo's Daughter), Johnny Irion as well as Maine native Slaid Cleaves. Congressman Mike Michaud will join us o...
Maine AFL-CIO Employee Free Choice Act Blog - Thu 8:05 a.m. - 15 clicks
You may recall that last month Sen. Tom Coburn released a 100 examples of waste to be found in the stimulus package. Included on that list, at #8 in fact, was the $9.38 million to be spent renovating the Amtrak station in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. At the time I wrote: I do have to take exception with Coburn's 8th example, the rehab of a station along an AMTRAK line in Lancaster County, Pe...
Turn Maine Blue - Thu 8:05 a.m.
Good morning. In Beltway political news, the Hill reports that former senator John Sununu announced that he will not seek to return to the Senate , and that Rep. Joe Sestak to take on Sen. Arlen Specter in the Democratic primary in Pennsylvania. This will be an interesting race to follow. Rep. Chellie Pingree will be joining over 25 groups and organizations, including the Maine State Ch...
Turn Maine Blue - Thu 4:57 a.m. - 5 clicks
(image created by KayInMaine of White Noise Insanity) I suppose Sarah Palin has had enough practice running from the truth, so it’s not surprising she believes in her mind she is the fastest runner in the history of mankind. You know, I too would be a very good runner if I lied as much as she [...]...
White Noise Insanity - Thu 4:45 a.m. - 5 clicks
John Podesta, President & CEO President of WalMart Stores, Inc., Andrew L. Stern, President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and Mike Duke President & CEO of the Center for American Progress (CAP), have written a letter to President Barack Obama regarding health insurance reform. You'll find it below the fold in its entirety. June 30, 2009 President Barack Obama The White ...
Turn Maine Blue - Wed 9:17 p.m.
Told you so Jack McKay and Steve Husson of Food AND Medicine warn against FairPoint in September 2007 A cloud of doom hangs over the northern New England land-line telephone carrier. Today in the news a changing of the guard is reported "amid money problems." According to a story in the Montpelier Times Argus , Vermont has "hired a law firm with experience in corporate bankruptcy c...
Turn Maine Blue - Wed 2:48 p.m.
Maine Republican candidate for Governor Les Otten has just announced he is running for governor. His website is a total ripoff of Barack Obama's website. http://lesotten.com/ (image from www.politics1.com ) Story is developing. Maine Politics is covering it- http://mainepolitics.net/... Also the Republicans are already tearing each other apart over it on their As Maine Goes fo...
DailyKos (Maine) - Wed 6:51 a.m. - 10 clicks
On May 6, 2009, the Governor of Maine signed the law ending discrimination in marriage for same-sex couples, but it is already being threatened. Our fight to protect civil rights through marriage equality is just beginning out here in Maine. Almost immediately, national opponents of equality declared they wanted to turn back the clock and are working tirelessly to place a measure on this November...
DailyKos (Maine) - Wed 6:51 a.m. - 6 clicks
Businessman Les Otten announced yesterday that he will seek the Republican nomination for governor in 2010. Based on his campaign website and materials, however, he looks more like he's running as a Democrat. One Democrat in particular . I served on the academic discipline committee for two years in college and this is still one of the most blatant rip-offs I've ever seen: It's not jus...
Maine Politics - Tue 4:41 a.m. - 4 clicks
Ron Hemingway the Recording Secretary of USW Local 900 authored a great Op-Ed in support of the Employee Free Choice Act, that was published in the Lewiston Sun Journal last Sunday. If you didn't happen to catch it, you can download a pdf of the article here. Download Sun Journal sunday June 28th, 2009...
Maine AFL-CIO Employee Free Choice Act Blog - Mon 12:44 p.m. - 4 clicks
Republican Representative Jim Campbell represents the people of district 138 in the Maine House of Representatives. He is a retired printing plant manager and a devout public servant. Jim's father was an active union member and he hasn’t forgotten that. In his words he “Started at the bottom and worked my way to the top… but I haven’t forgotten where I came from.” This may explain why Rep. Campbel...
Maine AFL-CIO Employee Free Choice Act Blog - Mon 7:11 a.m. - 6 clicks
We’re saddened to say that Adam Weiss, a NALC Political Field Coordinator that has worked closely with the Maine AFL-CIO, has returned to Washington D.C. Adam has been an integral part of the campaign for the Employee Free Choice Act for the last three months and we would like to extend our gratitude to him and his union. Judging from this photo Adam will at least miss Maine’s lobster....
Maine AFL-CIO Employee Free Choice Act Blog - Mon 2:11 a.m. - 3 clicks
"The erosion of journalistic credibility." That's what Jeannine Guttman said in 2000 when an interviewer with the American Society of News Editors asked her what she worried about the most. You can't make this stuff up. UPDATE: Even more: The press is the watchdog, providing citizens with a lens on government. If we do our jobs correctly, readers are well informed, they understand the is...
Collins Watch - Mon 2:11 a.m. - 8 clicks
IBEW 2337 held an informational picket outside of the Seadogs Stadium, Maine's triple A team, last Thursday. In spite of the rain nearly fifty people showed up, to hand out fliers and inform the public. ...
DailyKos (Maine) - Jun 26 - 6 clicks
So let's review: First, as editor of Portland Press Herald, Jeannine Guttman supervises soft, superficial, spotty and error-prone coverage of the Allen-Collins race--coverage that seems, almost invariably, to tilt toward Sen. Collins. She never runs profiles of the candidates, and even allows the publication of a Collins endorsement that side-steps literally all the major issues in the race...
Collins Watch - Jun 26 - 10 clicks
A front page post on the website of the Republican Project, the organization created by unsuccessful first Congressional District candidate Dean Scontras in an attempt to turn the Maine GOP to the right, endorses a video labeling Democrats "traitors" and calling for a second American Revolution. Most of the video, which Scontras' group calls "A meesage [sic] worth hearing and taking to heart...
Maine Politics - Jun 26 - 8 clicks
Ed Jones isn't a union member. He never has been. However, he supports the Employee Free Choice Act. At one point Ed worked in the development of heat sources for satellites. During this time he and his co-workers came into contact with plutonium 238, a highly radioactive material. As a consequence, he and his colleagues have had many health problems related to their exposure. Fortunately, the uni...
Maine AFL-CIO Employee Free Choice Act Blog - Jun 25
This is gross : The former editor of the Portland Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram has taken a post in Washington, D.C., as communications director for the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs. The appointment of Jeannine Guttman was announced Wednesday by Maine Sen. Susan Collins, the committee's ranking Republican. Collins said Guttman has tremendous experience b...
Collins Watch - Jun 25 - 7 clicks
Les Otten's web firm, Insyt New Media emails over a clarification of the strange language previously accessible on the putative gubernatorial candidate's campaign site. They apparently received some worried phone calls from Otten's campaign staff after yesterday's post . From the website managers: The language Mr. Tipping found in the password-restricted construction site of a yet-released ...
Maine Politics - Jun 24
As Executive Director of the Maine State Building & Construction Trades Council, John Hanson has enthusiastically supported the Employee Free Choice Act. Prior to his involvement with the building trades, John was an active member of AFT Local 189, a unique local of labor educators. His background as a labor educator and his work with the Building Trades give John a unique appreciation for just ho...
Maine AFL-CIO Employee Free Choice Act Blog - Jun 24 - 5 clicks
Why is Sen. Collins stalling confirmation of the administration's nominee to head the Office of Legal Counsel? Is it because the nominee, Dawn Johnsen, is willing to call out illegal torture and the lawyers who abetted it? Because Johnsen is unambiguously pro-choice ? Something else? ...
Collins Watch - Jun 23 - 4 clicks
The 2010 gubernatorial field is quickly getting crowded. Today, Dawn Hill , a second-term state Representative from York jumped into the race for the Democratic nomination. Hill is a lawyer and owns a dog daycare center called "It's a Dog's World". Yesterday, Les Otten, a businessman whose most recent venture is Maine Energy Systems in Bethel and whom MaineBiz described as "one of Maine's ...
Maine Politics - Jun 23 - 6 clicks
Today, we went out to Windham for SummerFest , then drove off to Brunswick for " Taste of Brunswick " (all in all, entirely superior to SummerFest). Somewhere in Durham or Pownal, we saw a man setting up an awning on the side of the road, with a card table and a chair and a sign that said "Marriage = 1 Man 1 Woman SIGN HERE." Looks like the Prop 8 Army has begun to seek a toehold here in the gr...
Borrowed Suits - Jun 20
AFGE 2610 is a unit that encompasses all of the workers that run the Togus VA Medical Center and the VA satellite sites throughout Maine. The Togus VA Medical Center is one of the largest VA facilities in the country and 2610 members pride themselves on providing the best possible care. In support of the campaign for the Employee Free Choice Act Chris Bovie and the other executive members of 2610 ...
Maine AFL-CIO Employee Free Choice Act Blog - Jun 19 - 4 clicks
Bill directs the Bureau of Labor Education at the University of Maine. Under his direction the Bureau has produced invaluable research and literature in support of the Employee Free Choice Act campaign. In 2008 the Bureau published a briefing paper entitled "Restoring the Right to Organize: Impacts of the Employee Free Choice Act." This Briefing has been distributed widely throughout Maine. Last T...
Maine AFL-CIO Employee Free Choice Act Blog - Jun 17 - 6 clicks
One of the current right-wing talking points on this seems to be that "if the saviour (their word for Obama) doesn't declare his support for these freedom fighters now, then he will be complicit in their downfall." Like most right-wing screed these days, this is specious and stupid. Of course, some of the reasons for that have to do with the extensive and draining elected war in Iraq from which ...
Borrowed Suits - Jun 16
No violence. No burning flags. Just Iranians, demanding a voice. We took the gun away from their heads. We unclenched the first fist. Will we see an open hand by the end of the year? It is to be hoped for and encouraged. read more: Borrowed Suits ...
Borrowed Suits - Jun 15 - 5 clicks
We already have a majority in the House of Representatives and we have President Obama's promise that he will sign the bill. It all comes down to the Senate. It is expected that by the end of the month AL Franken the Minnesota Senator, will be seated. This will place us just shy of the 60 votes we need for a “cloture” vote. The cloture vote will stop the filibuster and allow the bill to proceed fo...
Maine AFL-CIO Employee Free Choice Act Blog - Jun 12
Democratic former Attorney General Steve Rowe has filed papers to run for governor in 2010 and has launched a very narrow website . ...
Maine Politics - Jun 9 - 6 clicks
Nationally the Sierra Club has allied with labor to support working families in our fight to pass the Employee Free Choice Act. They have done so because the Sierra Club understands that if we are to rebuild our economy with green jobs, it will only be sustainable if those green jobs are also good jobs. Sandy Amborn is a Field Organizer for the Maine Sierra Club. She spoke at the Southern Maine La...
Maine AFL-CIO Employee Free Choice Act Blog - Jun 9 - 2 clicks
Sen. Collins' office : U.S. Senator Susan Collins today met privately with Judge Sonia Sotomayor for 45 minutes... "During our meeting, I was able to ask Judge Sotomayor a broad range of questions. Much of our discussion focused on a speech that she delivered in 2001 in which she says she "would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a...
Collins Watch - Jun 8 - 3 clicks
At Down East this week, I take a look at the Portland Charter Commission election, including its possible effect on state politics and a likely explanation for why Jim Gooch's campaign signs have all gone missing. ...
Maine Politics - Jun 8 - 7 clicks
Maine 2nd District Congressman Mike Michaud appears to be out of sync with fellow members of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of conservative Democrats in the House, on the issue of federal health care reform. The Blue Dogs today sought to limit the bounds of discussion on reform, releasing a memo outlining the conditions under which they would be willing to support new health care legislation...
Maine Politics - Jun 8 - 5 clicks
CQ : "She assured me that she understands when deciding cases that she needs to put aside any personal experiences that might color her decisions and, as she said it, that the law is the law," Collins said. Collins said she was "somewhat frustrated" that Sotomayor would not discuss perhaps her most controversial case, Ricci v. DeStefano , in which Sotomayor was part of a three-judge panel that...
Collins Watch - Jun 8 - 4 clicks
And New Hampshire makes six . Traditionally conservative New Hampshire today became the sixth state in the nation to legalize gay marriage, after a bill was was enacted by both the state House and Senate and then signed by Governor John Lynch. Where you at, Rhode Island? read more: Borrowed Suits ...
Borrowed Suits - Jun 3 - 4 clicks
The New York Times : Much attention, however, focused on Judge Sotomayor’s remark in 2001: "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life." Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, who voted to confirm Judge Sotomayor in 1998, said she needed a fuller explanation and ...
Collins Watch - Jun 3 - 3 clicks
Andrew Sullivan gets it right: Imagine an Islamist fanatic had assassinated a pro-Israel rabbi in a synagogue, and had harassed synagogues for years, including one arrest for bomb materials in his car. Imagine if one of his associates had tried to kill the rabbi before. Would there be any question that this was Islamist terror? So why is this not Christianist terror? By "this," Sullivan is referen...
Borrowed Suits - Jun 2
In today's installment on knee-jerk hypocrisy, you will be presented with a quote from a recent nominee to the Supreme Court that displays a nakedly empathetic approach to decision-making based on the ethnicity, religion or gender of the plaintiff rather than a dispassionate review of the law and facts of the case. Then you get to guess which of the most recent activist-judge nominees made the ...
Borrowed Suits - Jun 2
Sen. Collins has left herself wiggle room. But given what the junior senator has said so far, it's not clear how she would defend (for example) trying to block a vote on the health care legislation that will soon be coming down the pike. New York Times , October 26, 2008: After the debate, she told a voter concerned about health care who came up to talk to her that she was open to supporting...
Collins Watch - May 28 - 2 clicks
For the first time in 30 years, Maine's budget has decreased in size. Hardest hit are state services for children, education funding and state workers. The budget passed the House 119-26 and the Senate 33-2. ...
Maine Politics - May 28 - 6 clicks
