Damariscotta, ME
Category: News
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May 14 – Testify to Support Universal Healthcare: the All Maine Health Act
On Wednesday, May 14, consider testing in support of LD 1883.
Location: Burton M. Cross Office Building Room 220, 111 Sewall St, Augusta, ME 04330
Time: 1-2:30pm, Wednesday 5/14/25
From Maine AllCare: “(LD 1883) will establish a publicly funded universal healthcare plan for Maine. You can testify in person, via Zoom, or submit testimony online. Any testimony highlighting the many problems with our current system will be welcome. We’re especially looking for personal stories that illustrate why we need publicly funded, universal health care. These could be stories about unavailable or inaccessible care, exorbitant costs (of care or insurance), medical debt or bankruptcy, treatment delays, or denials.For more information on the bill and a guide to writing testimony, check out our toolkit: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fpvqbpsuo9m-J3K-w6yDSIp5pusaMU-DdrIBq7Y2iG8/edit?tab=t.0“
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Submit your comments to Avelo Airlines, transporter of immigrants
Send a message to Avelo Airlines and let them know that you will be boycotting their airline until they stop cooperating with ICE and Trump. They are aiding illegal deportations. Phone: 346-616- 9500. Email: support@aveloair.com, or leave a comment on their website.
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Angus King’s 4/29 Speech: All Talk Backed up by No Action
Yesterday, a staff member of Senator Angus King told me I should be sure to watch his U.S. Senate floor speech (text here), that I would be impressed.
I am not impressed in the slightest. Why?
1) King takes to the floor, draping the mantle of Margaret Chase Smith about his shoulders as if he’s saying something shockingly similarly new and revelatory as what MCS said decades ago. But what he says in the speech, people have been saying for *months*.
2) King declares correctly that “we in this body, at least thus far, are inert—and therefore complicit.” But his speech does not remedy this. He never commits to actually doing anything about the situation. He never uses the words “I will” or their equivalent.
3) The closest he comes to suggesting action is the indirect, subjunctive, and passive suggestion about what that members of Congress could do:
“We could reclaim our power, however, by pulling back the trade authority (there’s a bill to do that), instituting vigorous oversight of the activities of DOGE to determine to what extent their actions compromise congressional intent, or holding the President’s nominees and his prized tax bill until he ceases his attempts to make policy unilaterally, including impounding congressionally authorized and appropriated funds. You know, do our job.”
That’s some snappy rhetoric. But regarding these three hypothetical suggestions for action, Senator King is fully aware that the trade authority bill will not pass due to the Republican majority, and that the Republicans will not institute vigorous oversight over DOGE. So the first two ideas are empty of possibility, leaving only the third left.
The third item, blocking the progress of the President’s nominees and legislative agenda, is available to Senator King NOW. No coalition-building is necessary. He can slow Senate progress on implementing Trump’s dictatorship NOW, simply by withholding the unanimous consent that makes the Senate work quickly. In an instant, the GOP Senate agenda would progress at a tenth of the current pace. When Republicans were in the minority, they pulled this tactic all the time and extracted all kinds of concessions from the majority as a result.
It’s what King says someone ought to do in his speech — but while he talks big, in practice Senator King is refusing to do it. He has been asked by citizens and pro-democracy groups to block the progress of the Trump agenda in the Senate for months, but he has refused to act in the manner of his speech.
I can’t tell you yet what he did yesterday, because the Congressional Record for April 29 hasn’t been released yet. But the Congressional Record for April 28 is available right here. Read it. You will find:
* 27 times during the floor business of the Senate on April 28, the unanimous consent of the Senate to proceed on 27 different items on the agenda was solicited, with just one Senator’s objection required to slow the agenda down. Senator Angus King failed to object to unanimous consent every single time.
* There was a roll call vote April 28 on the nomination of David Perdue to be U.S. Ambassador to China. Not only did Senator King fail to withhold unanimous consent to proceed with the vote, but when the vote came, he cast a “YEA” vote to end debate on the nomination — not to slow down or hold the nomination, but to speed it up.
While King talks tough, in action he fits his own accusation: “inert—and therefore complicit.”
While pregnant mothers are dying at twice the rate in states where abortion has been banned,
while students who have broken no law have had their visas revoked,
while people have been hauled to torturous overseas concentration camps without the due process guaranteed to them,
while citizens are being deported, also without due process,
while the protections of the Constitution are being stripped away more and more by the day,
and while everyday citizens are taking to streetcorners to declare their public opposition at an increasing risk to themselves…
… Senator Angus King is delivering yet another empty speech and sitting on his hands. King is failing to take the actions available to him to stop it, or even to slow the process down.
So no, Senator King, I am not amazed by your speech. I am galled by the temerity with which you are daily failing us in your actions.
You have the power within you to do better, to do something, Angus King, and the future of our country relies on it.
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Testifying Through Presence: Handmaids at the Maine State House
On Friday March 28 of 2025, members of the theater group of The Audacity traveled from their various home towns of the midcoast to the Maine State House in Augusta, donned the red robes and white bonnets that visually refer to Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, and stood outside the hearing room where the Judiciary Committee of the Maine State Legislature received testimony regarding L.D. 975 and other bills that would outlaw and criminalize abortion in the state of Maine. The visual testimony of this group augmented the written transcript of testimony by 34 members of The Audacity submitted to the public record for the same hearing. Multiple members of the theater group had lived through a time in American history during which abortion had been criminalized and women punished for making choices about their own bodies.
Participant Lisa Kushner arrived alone:
“I attended that event dressed in a red costume. When I walked up outside the statehouse there were 2 small groups of people, anti abortion Christians and pro abortion supporters. Those against the bills were loudly chanting slogans like ‘my body my choice’. There were more young people than I’d seen at other demonstrations. I joined another red cloaked person who was there on her own. I was looking for The Audacity group but didn’t know where they were meeting up.
After about 15 minutes the red cloaked white bonnet maidens came from the Cross building in single file through both groups of protesters. A silence occurred. It was a dramatic moment.
The red tape covering their mouths was really effective.”
Nancy Davis describes the day:
“I was part of the handmaid‘s group who went to Augusta on Friday. We met outside the Cross building a little after nine, finished getting our red outfits on and strolled through the building to the capital. We were a big stand out in the crowd as we approach the capital building. Lots of people took our picture and news crews filmed us entering the building. unfortunately, the hearing was in a small room and couldn’t accommodate groups of people. People who wished to speak, had to sign in, declare if they were in favor or opposed to the law and wait their turn to speak one by one. Of course they chose the people who were opposed to abortion go first. So we stood for a couple of hours waiting and still realized we had a long time to go so most people left to go home. Three of us were interviewed by Channel 8 news. However, I watched, and unfortunately, only one of us was quoted and in just a few words. I was the only one filmed in the story, although the two women with me were much more articulate than I.”
Kimberly Krejsa adds:
“We gathered together in a cold, windy parking garage. Looking furtively around, we quickly put on our disguises; red gowns, white bonnets. Briskly, we walked to the rendezvous point, gathering more maidens as we approached the government building. Protesters gathered outside, yelling and chanting at each other; cameras were turned in our direction as we solemnly walked into the building. We were recognized and warmly greeted by several folks. We could hear people murmuring about our costumes as we walked about, silently protesting the extremity of these 7 bills. People signed up to argue their case, one by one, in front of the legislative committee. Passions were high, arguments were eloquent and the committee was patient and kind. Everyone had a chance to speak if they did not mind waiting for hours. Some of the personal testimony was heart-breaking as people shared their personal stories. It was good trouble.”
Cynthia Stancioff concludes:
“We were sort of struggling with costumes in the wind, not all that unified in appearance, and without any choreography of our movements. So I think we looked like a small group of distinctly-dressed, mostly-old ladies (one childbearing age person among us), there to make an impression – but doing nothing in particular. It was clear some people recognized the trope, but there wasn’t news coverage as far as I could tell, so we impressed a hundred people or so? Maybe I missed a tv camera or something though.
“I felt like we needed some plan (marching orders, as it were) of how to walk around, like single file, heads down, – didn’t have to be fancy to be dramatic, but we didn’t take advantage of the theatrical possibilities! A fair number of people did take pictures of us, and we met with only approval, no opposition that I could see.” -
We Mainers need to talk more about Angus King
I received this from Becca Glaser, the original author, who told me she wants us to pass it on. — Nancy Galland
Scroll down to sign on to register for King’s virtual Town Hall on April 9, TOMORROW – and when you do, there will be a form to fill out with your questions.
We Mainers need to talk more about Angus King, and the fact that he may not be the “Maine treasure” many Democrats still seem to believe he is.
King is taking part in a carefully curated virtual Zoom Town Hall this Wednesday, April 9th at 5PM hosted by Cumberland County Indivisible.
It’s time that people start focusing on the ways King has failed us, question why so many Democrats are still giving him the benefit of the doubt, and start giving him a much harder time for his pro-Trump votes.
He’s been making strong-sounding speeches on the one hand, while on the other, voting for 1/3 of Trump’s 2025 Cabinet members and standing out FOR being one of only two non-Republicans who voted for the recent Republican continuing budget resolution which stripped hundreds of millions of dollars for Maine projects, beefed up ICE and the military, and gave more power to Trump/DOGE.
CALL HIM OUT AT TOMORROW’S TOWN HALL (IF THEY LET YOU…).
TOWN HALLwith Senator King WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9TH @ 5 PM – ONLINE REGISTRATION REQUIRED Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSenM4FFJ5GszlLG2_wT9wNCa2L4T9t2MI0VuVrnJseoknr0Jg/viewform
I routinely see LOTS of emphasis on Susan Collins—At a recent anti-Trump Rockland protest, someone was handing out “Where’s Susan?” flyers. But when I asked him about Angus’ recent vote FOR the Republican continuing budget resolution, he was unaware. At this weekend’s giant Hands Off protest in Augusta, I saw plenty of “Susan, Speak Up” and “Susan, Grow a Spine” signs, but not a single one calling out Angus King. Why the different treatment?
Susan Collins, after all, IS a Republican. That is her party. Why would we expect anything more from her? Her values align with them most of the time. Despite saying she would not support Trump, and despite taking a few mostly-performative votes against the Trump agenda, she never left the party. That’s what she stands for. We should still keep pushing her to do better, but be aware in the end, that is who she is, despite the media’s constant refrain about her supposedly being a “moderate” Republican.
But what about Angus King? Why do I see posts like this one: “Angus is a treasure and we’re lucky to have him on our side.” Another: “Angus is an amazing human. We in Maine are especially lucky to have him…”Or, after King’s outlier vote for the Republican CR budget, someone saying, “Angus is always so reasoned and smart. This makes us wonder if there is a good reason for his vote.”
I ask you, the next time you think about giving King the benefit of the doubt like this, ask yourself, “Why am I giving him the benefit of the doubt? Why when he and Susan Collins vote the same, do you give King a pass? Is there a chance it could be because he is MALE? WHITE? Speaks in a CLEAR, WHITE, RICH, MALE “REASONED”-SOUNDING VOICE that we have been trained to associate with rationality and caring? How about how wealthy he is? Do we really think he is in touch with what most Mainers are going through, and will go through? Should we keep letting him off the hook?”
A FEW FACTS ABOUT ANGUS KING’S RECENT PRO-TRUMP ACTIONS:
He is one of only TWO non-Republicans to VOTE FOR the Republicans’ recent continuing resolution budget. ABC News: “Sen. Angus King, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen voted in favor of the bill. All other Democrats voted against it.” Let me be clear. He voted NOT just to move the bill forward, but FOR the Republican budget itself. He is one of the ten non-Republican Senators who, along with Sen. Schumer’s about-face on the Republicans’ continuing budget resolution, to vote to move the bill forward, in order to make a Democratic-filibuster impossible. The Republicans’ continuing budget resolution which King went OUT OF HIS WAY to vote for, heavily beefed up the military and ICE even more, it gave MORE power to Trump/DOGE to further control congressional spending, which they have otherwise been illegally usurping, AND it broke trust with the House Democrats, who had had an agreement with the Senators to filibuster and therefore be able to negotiate at least something or other from the Republicans.
The budget King voted for REMOVED hundreds of millions of dollars for incredibly important projects that had previously been earmarked. SOME OF WHAT MAINE LOST WITH KING & COLLINS’ VOTE FOR THE REPUBLICAN BUDGET RESOLUTION (focused on Midcoast Maine):- Rockland Marine Access Improvements: To upgrade access related to Rockland’s working waterfront and public pier. $5,100,000
- The Landing Place: To construct a new building to accommodate youth programming. $600,000.00
- Penobscot Bay YMCA: To repair and replace the critical infrastructure of the Rockport YMCA branch. $906,000.00
- Matinicus Island Plantation: To publicly acquire the Matinicus Island Airstrip and rights of way from private ownership. $90,000.00
- City of Rockland: To renovate the Fire Station and to build an addition to the existing building for the Police Department. $3,012,000.00
- City of Belfast: To fund the construction of the superstructure (above ground portion) of a new City of Belfast Public Safety Building. $3,965,000.00
- Town of Northport: To construct an upgraded, energy-efficient town office and community center. $1,750,000.00
- City of Belfast: To retrofit and upgrade the Waldo County Court House building’s exterior and interior. $1,870,000.00
- Healthy Acadia: To purchase and upgrade a property in Machias to be the Safe Harbor Recovery Residence for Women and Children. $421,000.00
- Island Institute: To support microgrid deployment in Maine’s coastal and rural communities. $995,000.00
- Midcoast Youth Center & Skatepark: To support the renovation and expansion of Midcoast Youth Center. $1,500,000.00
- Town of Friendship: To demolish, dispose of and reconstruct the town Wharf. $975,000.00
- William A. Farnsworth Art Museum and Library: To reopen and preserve the historical Olson House in Cushing, ME. $1,094,000.00
- South Thomaston Library and Community Center: To build a modern, energy efficient facility to house a Library and Community Center. $2,595,000.00
- Regional School Unit 13: To construct a Performing Arts Center. $1,513,000.00
- Northport Community Center and Town Office: To construct a consolidated facility to house the town office and community center, which would also serve as an emergency shelter. $2,325,000
- Owls Head STEM Community Center: To construct a STEM community center and public spaces for educational and professional programming. $1,533,000
- Maine Veterans’ Homes Facility and Equipment Upgrades For facilities upgrades and equipment to support care for aging veterans. $2,946,000
- Vassalboro Sanitary District for Wastewater Infrastructure Improvements To upgrade wastewater infrastructure in Vassalboro. $363,000
- St. George CTE Makerspace Building To purchase equipment and tools for the Career and Technical Education Makerspace Building. $272,000
- Town of Waldoboro Ambulance: To purchase a new ambulance $306,000
- Searsmont Storage Upgrades: To construct a salt and sand storage facility. $950,000
- Maternal Delivery and New Infant Project: To replace and modernize equipment across hospitals with labor and delivery units. $1,555,000
- Gulf of Maine Ocean Observation System: To expand the ocean observation system in the Gulf of Maine, which is used by the maritime industry. $8,000,000
- FOR THE ENTIRE LIST, LOOK THROUGH THIS BANGOR DAILY NEWS ARTICLE: https://www.bangordailynews.com/2025/03/12/politics/washington/congress-may-cut-millions-in-maine-earmarks-to-avert-shutdown-joam40zk0w/
King voted to APPROVE SEVEN of Trump’s 2025 Cabinet Members (that’s a 1/3 support rate). Sure, the ones he supported don’t have the same flashy name recognition as some of the worst we all worked so hard to stop, but can anyone plausibly argue that ANY of Trump’s 2025 appointees are not explicitly part of a horrific fascist agenda? A vote for ANY of these sickos is too many. Seven means that King is trying to still play the fascists’ game. Or could it be he just doesn’t have the same values we like to think he does? Our Maine federal representatives (except Chellie Pingree, though she needs to do so much more) are completely and utterly shameful and causing tremendous harm. I for one am completely despondent about how little our supposed reps are protecting us. Once again, it comes down to US. So, please take really good care of yourselves right now, and reach out when you need support.
<3, Becca
TOWN HALLwith Senator King WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9TH @ 5 PMONLINE REGISTRATION REQUIRED REGISTER NOW!
On April 9th, Senator King will be in Washington DC, but has agreed to meet with Indivisible Cumberland County via Zoom. Given the anticipated interest in the event, we are moving to a fully online format. In order to participate, you will need to register. We are asking for questions ahead of time (they can be submitted through the registration form). -
Rep. Chellie Pingree to Hold Congressional Town Hall in Rockport 4/13/25
In early April 2025, The Audacity submitted a petition containing the names and towns of 1,089 Mainers to the offices of Representative Chellie Pingree, Senator Angus King, and Senator Susan Collins inviting each to visit Knox County for an in-person, listening town hall in which any person in attendance could ask their member of Congress a question. This is a classic mode of political representation in the United States with deep history.
To date, we have received no response from the offices of Senator Angus King or Senator Susan Collins.
In contrast, Rep. Pingree’s chief of staff promptly got in touch with leadership of The Audacity, not only to affirm the communication, but in full agreement regarding the importance of in-person town halls. We are pleased to announce that Rep. Pingree will be holding a Town Hall on Sunday, April 13 at the Camden Hills Regional High School, off Route 90 in Rockport.
Admission to this town hall is free of charge and open to all, but to obtain a free ticket you must register using an Eventbrite page set up by Rep. Pingree’s office. Because the space of the Camden Hills high school auditorium is limited (although large), we encourage you to request a ticket right away through that Eventbrite page.
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Follow Senators’ Evolving Positions on a Continuing Resolution with this Google Doc
— March 14, 2025
The United States Senate has received a bill from the Republican-controlled House of Representatives that Republican leadership pushed through without any consultation with or inclusion of Democratic members of Congress. The bill, contains a wave of disastrous changes, and yet a shocking number of Democratic Party Senators are indicating their inclination to vote for the bill, under the theory that if they appease Donald Trump and don’t make him angry, he might not act as tyrannically as if they stood up to him.
What you need to know:
- H.R. 1968 can be read and tracked on this Congress.gov page
- Which Democratic Party and Independent Senators are tilting which way on the Continuing Resolution? You can follow the shifting political trends on the C.R. using this regularly updated Google Doc.
- Independent Maine Senator Angus King as recently as February 20 lectured his colleagues that they could not safely appease the newly authoritarian Donald Trump: “What’s it going to take for us to wake up, when I say us, I mean this entire body, to wake up to what’s going on here? Is it going to be too late? Is it going to be when the President has secreted all this power and the congress is an afterthought? What’s it going to take?” But now Senator King is himself going wobbly, indicating he may vote for the bill to appease Donald Trump after all.
As independent media analysis and the office of Senator Bernie Sanders report, the bill would if passed:
- Cut more than $20 billion in funding needed to provide health care for veterans who were injured during their time in the military;
- Pave the way for the Trump administration to slash funding for teachers, schools, student loans, and Pell grants for low-income young adults seeking to improve their lives through college education;
- Cut funding for community health centers (where the most poor and desperate Americans go for health care) by 3.2%;
- Cut the National Health Service Corps, which brings doctors, nurses, dentists, and midwives to regions of our nation with the greatest shortages, by more than 5%;
- Cut funding for Teaching Health Centers — a program which establishes and runs residency programs for health care practitioners in rural and underserved areas — by almost 13%;
- Cut rental assistance to keep struggling low-income families in their homes, preventing the more expensive disaster of eviction and homelessness, by $700 million;
- Cut spending to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons by $185 million’
- Allow the Trump Administration to spend as little as it wants to confront the ongoing disasters caused by climate change, and cutting $1.4 billion from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ budget for projects to help hurricane- and flood-struck areas;
- Pave the way for $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid;
- Cut $230 billion from nutrition programs for hungry children that help them grow up to be strong and capable citizens as adults;
- Eliminate funding for programs that ensure election security;
- Cut rural internet broadband infrastructure by $30 million;
- Let the FEMA budget run empty as new climate disasters unfold by the week;
- End Congress’ constitutional ability to control tariffs through legislation;
- Use these cuts to programs that help struggling Americans to pay for a tax cut for billionaires and the wealthiest 1% of Americans by $1.1 trillion;
- Increase military spending, including in areas that involve lucrative new contracts for private corporations;
- Increase spending by $485 million for ICE agents to rip immigrants from their home and send them to camps where they have no access to legal help and are humiliated, beaten, and even tortured.
Call Senator Angus King’s office if you have a position on this bill. His phone numbers:
AUGUSTA
Phone: (207) 622-8292BANGOR
Phone: (207) 945-8000BIDDEFORD
Phone: (207) 352-5216PORTLAND
Phone: (207) 245-1565PRESQUE ISLE
Phone: (207) 764-5124WASHINGTON, D.C.
Phone: (202) 224-5344