proponents of gay marriage see victory as inevitable, but lack strategy
WASHINGTON—History repeats itself. That old maxim is a favorite of those who advocate same-sex marriage in Maine.
One month after the passage of a ballot question vetoing the state’s five-month-old same-sex marriage law, activists are beginning to look at what went wrong in a battle that seemed won before any votes were cast and are searching for new tactics for the next round of the fight.
To read the rest of the article, see behind the cut. To see the full interactive graphics depicting gay marriage laws and allowances across the country, click here. (Note for all graphics: Green indicates ‘yes’, purple ‘no’. Data accurate as of Jan. 1, 2010.) This article was originally published in the Bangor Daily News. (more…)
collins: heavy hitter for heavy trucks
Because of Sen. Collins' provision, heavier trucks will be allowed to stay on the interstate, instead of contributing to the wear and tear on Maine towns' back roads.
WASHINGTON — Republican Sen. Susan Collins proved herself to be a congressional heavy hitter late Tuesday night when she got a measure that would allow heavier trucks on stretches of interstate through Maine included in the 2010 Transportation Appropriations bill.
The one-year pilot program will increase the maximum allowed weight of trucks driving on the interstate in Maine from 80,000 pounds to 100,000 pounds. The trial year is the first step in correcting what Rep. Mike Michaud, D-Maine, called in a statement a “truck weight mismatch.”
Read the full article at the Bangor Daily News, or behind the cut. (more…)
maine military mom doesn’t see an end to war
WASHINGTON — Carole Whelan decided early not to watch President Barack Obama’s Tuesday night prime-time announcement of his plan for the war in Afghanistan.
“I’m tired,” the 63-year-old Whelan said. “I’ve been around a long time, and I think that I’m really tired of the propaganda that is given to the American population in lieu of the truth about what’s really going on.”
Read the full article in the Bangor Daily News, or go behind the cut to read the article and see a larger word tree. (more…)
maine delegation not sold on obama’s afghaniplan
WASHINGTON–When President Barack Obama stood in front of cadets at West Point Military Academy in New York Tuesday night and announced that 30,000 more troops would be deployed to Afghanistan, he acknowledged that the move would not be universally popular. He said in his speech that the debate over the Iraq war — and by extension, the war in Afghanistan — has drawn the “dominant share of our troops, our resources, our diplomacy and our national attention.”
The “wrenching debate” will continue in the aftermath of the president’s address, even among members of Maine’s congressional delegation.
Read the full article at the Bangor Daily News, or click to read the full article (and see a bigger word cloud) under the cut. (more…)
turkey day, congress-style
Though they’ve weathered elections and long hours on the floor, members of Congress are really no different than the rest of us when it comes to Thanksgiving. They head home to get together with friends and family, eat way too much and practice the same traditions, year after year.
I caught up with Sens. Collins and Snowe, as well as Reps. Michaud and Pingree to chat about their Turkey Day plans.
Read the full article online at the Bangor Daily News or behind the cut. (more…)
military’s first amendment rights questioned by senate
Photo credit: msnbc
WASHINGTON–The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs questioned soldiers’ First Amendment rights while beginning hearings for their investigation of the attacks at Fort Hood army base in Texas.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, the committee’s top Republican, asked whether Malik Nidal Hasan, the alleged shooter, should have been flagged or questioned by his fellow soldiers.
Read the full article behind the cut. Originally published in the Bangor Daily News. (more…)
collins and lieberman announce fort hood hearings
WASHINGTON–Sens. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, announced that later this week their committee would begin investigation of the Fort Hood shooting. Though it is rumored that the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee had been asked by the White House to wait for the criminal investigation of the incident to be finished, Collins and Lieberman said in a press conference that they would proceed.
Lieberman said that he was “not interested in political theater,” but all signs point to plenty of drama in the hearing room, starting tomorrow.
Read the full article online at the Bangor Daily News or behind the cut.
UPDATE: Read the next-day article I wrote, about the hearing, here.
gop has mixed temperatures about snowe
WASHINGTON–Whatever you say about her, you can’t deny that Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, inspires heated opinions and debate. Recent polls suggest that she has lost popularity within her party, while, at the same time, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele has said that Snowe is just one of a range of idealogues in his party, and that there is definitely room for her in the party.
Under the hot national spotlight of criticism and speculation, is Snowe melting away from her conservative roots?
Read the full article behind the cut. Originally published in the Bangor Daily News. (more…)
maine man nominated for UN post
Influence map for Rick Barton, courtesy of muckety.com
WASHINGTON — If confirmed as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Economic and Social Council, Rick Barton, a West Boothbay Harbor native, promised Wednesday to “help to focus our direction, energize our team and seek to increase the impact of America’s efforts.”
Read the full article online at the Bangor Daily News or behind the cut. (more…)
there’s something fishy about michaud’s campaign spending
I see food. Get it? Photo credit: Flickr creative commons by emdot
WASHINGTON — There’s something a little ‘fishy’ about U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud’s latest filing with the Federal Election Commission.
The campaign spending disclosure forms of the Maine Democrat are all in order and were submitted on time, but the intriguing fact has less to do with forms than with fins: Almost one-tenth of Michaud’s campaign outlays have been spent at seafood restaurants.
Read the full article behind the cut. Originally published in the Bangor Daily News. (more…)
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