Mrs. Barry, although I'm not catholic, I agree that Obama should have never been invited to speak. He is the most pro abortion president ever. Using our tax dollars to support partial birth abortion overseas to boot. There is no debate, If your pregnant its a baby. If you abort, you've aborted a baby. When put into practice abstinence works 100% of the time, every time. We need to get back to the basics. I applaud the students in the crowd that painted the crosses and babies feet on their caps in protest. While I'm not naive enough to think all kids will abstain, they need to learn there are consequences in life to every decision, and sometimes you need to step up to the plate and do whats right even if it means having to make adjustments to life's plans. Its called character.

4Him2day- You really are 4Him! ive read all kinds of posts where blithering idiots like to try to discredit you, and our God, The Original God. Keep it up, dont let them get you down, you are doing The Lord's work!

DEW

I was going to buy a "New York Loves Obama" sweatshirt today and send it to you but, I don't know just how short and fat you are now.

How about if I get a "Maine Loves Baldacci'" tee shirt hand screened on a double sized bed sheet?

Instead, I stopped into Saint Frances of Assisi National Shrine of Saint Anthony Roman Catholic Church on West 31st Street between Broadway and 7th Avenue.

Beautiful little church that is set into a little court yard, I have never been in it before.

The chapel is in the basement level and so interestingly laid out with nooks and corners of statues and candled shrines.

I only had three one dollar bills in my change purse and, the push button candles were a dollar donation so, I lit three candles in front of the statue of Saint Frances, got down on my knees and said my regular string of nightly prayers..

One candle was for all my friends both on earth and passed over, and one for all the wonderful Homosexual people, their relatives and friends in the state of Maine who have so much at stake in this newly passed Human Rights Law.

The third dollar I put in the slotted tin box was for you, Dew.

Just as I slid the folded bill into the little opening I heard a tiny heavenly voice say,"DEW has a filthy mouth" but, I knew that was with only a couple of your user names the other, like 4Him2day you are just a harmless messenger for Satan, himself.

I asked God to grant you the peace of mind that other's of us have, and prayed that you will come to grips with your many personal mental problems stemming from your much confused sexual idenity.

I hope God grants you the peace of mind I prayed for you as, I know my firends here on earth and on the other side, and all the gay people of Maine and their supporters are safely tucked into God's hands in their quest for happy equality.

I'm sure if you go to church and make a good confession God will double my prayers today as, he now knows for sure that there is someone here on earth who cares for your salvation, too!

Perley J. Thibodeau

Mainelyme

Diana McNally - Probably cause the guys didn't get caught. Dur

Andy Torbett - A few things if I may, First of all Olympia Snowe voted over 85% with Bush during his administration. (Sorry for those grammar police I meant Former President Bush II) I would hardly call that moderate. She is the beneficiary of the fact that the papers here in Maine (the BDN included) don't really point out too much of what she is doing unless it is unexpected (ie Breaking party lines which she does about twice every term) Because of this she can pander to a liberal portion of the state come election time as well as to the conservative portion of the state. This whole notion of Mavericks is fiction just as it was with John Mccain. I mean just look at last years senate race between Collins and Allen. Allen voted on most all major issues the same as Obama did and Collins voted pretty much the same way Mccain did. Yet because Collins like Snowe can point to her being in the headlines a few times a term people think she is a Maverick/ moderate. All it really is is poor journalism by the local newspapers. And a poor job by Mainers in General for not paying attention unless it is big news. As much as I hate to say it Olympia and Suzie are here to stay.

Thomas A. Bonner - Seriously people, this is not rocket science make a call, sound like you have other options and are close to taking your money else where and then write a letter about something serious already. For Christ sakes my cable went out this weekend too, I made a call said a few profanities and had everything fixed within 15 minutes.

Sally C. Jones - You know what I don't care. And yes I will admit it I voted for Baldacci and if he were able to run again I vote for him again. Baldacci gets a lot of heat for the struggling economy and tremendous job loss that really belongs on the shoulders of Former President Bush II and his administration.

Catharine R. Collins - Like I said on an earlier one about this Former President Bush II did a lot of damage to Social Security but I have faith that Obama will fix it up nicely.

Jean Barry - Heres the thing as far as I am concerned Religion is not like sports where you can like the Patriots and the Celtics (yea Doc Rivers is overrated in case I am the only one who notices) but not the Sox and Bruins, with religion its all or nothing. And while I personally like Obama I think it was an awkward move for Notre Dame to invite him.

Diana McNally- Every one needs a little love? Is that so wrong?

Andy Torbett- Lets work on getting all the retards in the Maine Legislature out before we actually get rid of the people that are actually doing something useful.

Thomas Bonner- Yes fairpoint sucks, go to the Best Buy and get a wireless card and give someone else your business.

Sally C. Jones-Nobody should applaud Gov. BaldNazi, he has literally put the state in ruins.

Catharine Collins- The government is stealing your money......No way!

Mrs Jean Barry-Obama was there as a speaker, does not mean everyone has to agree with him.

Taxedtodeath - Find me a state that over the last year hasn't seen tremendous job loss or economic hardships. Guess what you can't . So probably the problem was more of a national issue. Not that I don't agree with getting quite a few morons out of Augusta, Joe Perry, Wanda Monthey and countless others included. However its a hard sell that you can put all of our states problems on John Baldacci. A large portion of it was Former President Bush II.

Sorry I meant last 6 years in my last post.

cm1113, could you be more specific ? What large portion of our State's problems are former Pres Bush II's fault?

Andy Torbett great editorial, one of the best I've read on the subject in a long time.People are not buying this new push for the GOP to move more to the center, there is great support for , like you stated, a conservative candidate and a more conservative GOP. Obama and his admin need to be sharply contrasted, the need has never been greater. And let's not forget that 58 million Americans did not vote for Obama and let us also not forget the stories and confessions of "voters remorse" of late.

Taxedtodeath1 & cm1113, read Thomas Bonners post. He has NO other options. There is NO cable available, NO DSL available, NO wireless available, he stated what his options were. Have you tried to call Fairpoint? How has that worked out for you? Have you tried to call Time Warner and demand that they run their cables to your town? How has that worked out for you?

Andy Torbett, I do believe that what Snowe is talking about is communicating with fellow Senators from both parties. You on the other hand seem to want all the extreme right wing Senators to walk in lock step at all times, and all the extreme left wing Senators to walk in lock step at all times.

*** THUMBS DOWN TO BIBLE THUMPING WINGNUTS ***

he sewed his eyes shut,

because he is afraid to see,

he tries to tell me,

what I put inside of me,

he's got the answers,

to ease my curiosity,

he dreamed a God up,

and called it Christianity.

God is dead,

and no one cares,

if there is a hell,

I'll see you there.

he flexed his muscles,

to keep his flock of sheep in line,

he made a virus,

that would kill off all the swine,

his perfect kingdom,

of killing, suffering and pain.

demands devotion,

atrocities done in his name.

God is dead,

and no one cares,

if there is a hell,

I'll see you there,

your God is dead,

and no one cares,

if there is a hell,

I'll see you there.

God is dead,

and no on cares,

if there is a hell,

I'll see you there,

your God is dead,

and no one cares,

(drowning in his own hypocrisy)

if there is a hell,

I'll see you there,

(burning with your God in humility)

ziggy, wow, what a sad, sorrow-filled, existance you must lead.... I will pray for you. Promise. You can thank me later.

4Him2day: I think you may have the wrong idea about Obama being "pro-abortion." I am Catholic, I am PRO-CHOICE. Abortion may not be an option for myself personally, but as a woman, I'll be damned in I'm going to make a life-changing decision for another human being. No dice. I'm not "pro-abortion." I am "pro-choice," and I think you'll find our President holds the same views.

tellie, pro-choice? Tell me what the choices are! To abort or not to abort, those are the only two choices. Saying your pro-choice rather than pro-abortion is nothing more than another liberal buzzword used to lessen the guilt of what's really taking place. Obama is the most pro-abortion president ever. To think of what partial birth abortion actually entails, and for you to say your won't speak out against it is no different than the german people not standing up to hitler and the massacre he orchestrated.

Dear Perley J.,

Our opponents have wasted no time at all.

The day after Governor Baldacci signed the law to end discrimination in marriage, our opponents began their efforts to overturn it. This week they begin collecting signatures to ask voters to reject the new law at the ballot box.

The most important thing you can do right now is to join us in launching the next phase of the campaign. We have a plan to win, but we cannot win without you.

To learn how we will protect marriage in a referendum campaign, please join us for one of our Community Conversations on Marriage.

We’re hosting four events in four days in the following areas:

Bangor: Monday June 1

Lewiston/Auburn: Tuesday, June 2

York County: Wednesday, June 3

Greater Portland: Thursday, June 4

For complete details and to RSVP, please email Darlene Huntress at dhuntress@equalitymaine.org.

I look forward to seeing each of you in June.

Sincerely,

Betsy Smith

Executive Director

It should have been voted on by the people of Maine in the first place.

Liberals have invaded Notre Dame as evidenced by Obama's invitation to speak. Sad day in America, I say. Also what about all the protesters that were arrested and carried away before the arrival of Obama? What happened to the right to peaceful protest?

ladyslipper, quit being so naive ;)

Tellie, hope this gives you some insight into the reality of abortion.

The Serpent's Whisper

by Carrie Gordon Earll

It's not natural for women to kill their preborn children through abortion. Yet, difficult circumstances often cause us to listen to other voices rather than our own hearts.

The inestimable value of human life is a basic tenet of the Christian Worldview. Once you recognize that all human life exists to represent the image of God on earth (Genesis 1:27), the tragedy of abortion takes on new proportions. However, for many women who experience an undesired pregnancy, the concept of human life as sacred rings hollow, offering little tangible support for those considering choices in an abortion-friendly culture. The value of that tiny life growing in a woman's womb loses distinction amidst her own needs and circumstances. God’s universal message declaring His likeness in humanity is crowded out by other voices around her: family, boyfriend, job or school. If you listen closely to these voices, you may recognize an ageless and familiar utterance articulated in the quietness of a whisper.

A biblical account of this whispering voice is found in Genesis when another woman’s ear was tickled by a message contrary to God's. Her name was Eve, and her encounter with a wily serpent and subsequent choice to disregard God’s instruction altered the course of human history.

The opening verse in Genesis chapter 3 recounts the story: "Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, 'Did God really say, "You must not eat from any tree in the garden"?'" You can almost hear the serpent whispering in an enticing tone: "Did God really say…?" The whisper challenged what Eve knew to be true, as is often the case with pregnant women considering abortion. As women, we know intuitively that it's not natural for us to kill our children. The very act of abortion disconnects us from our instinct to protect — not destroy — our young. If we listen to our intuition and the truth that is written on our hearts, we know that abortion is not our first choice. Circumstances may appear to make it our only choice; however, to do so violates who we are as women and mothers. Abortion is contrary to what we know to be true.

Like Eve before us, we consider the serpent's whisper and the unthinkable acceptance of abortion that it promotes. The serpent offered Eve half-truths that paved the way to justify disobeying God. Once she realized the heartbreak that resulted from her choice, Eve confessed what she failed to see at the time of her decision: "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."

The bitter fruit of abortion leaves more than an unpleasant aftertaste with those who eat it. Complications with future pregnancies, substance abuse and deep emotional regret represent only a few of the unintended consequences awaiting us when we are deceived by the serpent's whisper. Women whose ears are open to this murmuring soft voice need tangible support to counter its appeal — support that is available through a network of pro-life pregnancy resource centers across the nation. The voice of truth will always silence the lies, if only we will listen.

In response to On 5/19/09 at 5:58 AM, Ladyslipper - If I went into all of the specifics of how Former President Bush II had hurt the state of Maine my response would pages and pages and we both know that nobody on here wants to read pages and and pages about what anybody on here thinks including me. Second of all I have a life and don't want to waste my time typing pages and ages on a comment that the people who most need to read it won't.

In response to On 5/19/09 at 8:07 AM, patom1 - That he lives in the willywacks is not fairpoints problem. If he wants results he needs to make a phone call and sound as though he is no longer interested in doing business with them. To fairpoint he is nothing but a dollar sign, and if he threatens to take his money and go I promise they will be much more apt to solve the problem. Second of all he does have more then just the one option. He just doesn't like his other options.

One more thing patom1, the key is to make it Fairpoints problem and the only way to do that is take your business elsewhere.

SPARE ME BERQUIS!!! THE GOD OF WINGNUTS IS NOT MY GOD!!! HE'S A HATEFUL, CONTROL FREAK WITH A DADDY COMPLEX!!!

great non-answer cm1113. Thanks.

I can't, sorry :) It's my job as a Christian to love thy neighbor, even if he calls me a wingnut :) Have a wonderful day! God Bless!:)

Here is why religion doesn't necessarily work for everyone:

When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bike.

Then I realized that The Lord doesn't work that way,

so I stole one and asked him to forgive me

I'm just curious?? If we outlaw abortion would churches be willing to be taxed to help pay for the social services that would be required to take care of unwanted children who would be put up for adoption? Would pro- lifers be willing to put their money where their mouth is by paying higher taxes to take care of or even adopt these unwanted children. I agree abortion is an awful thing and no i'm not a religious person. But wouldn't it be better to educate our kids about sex and reproduction and be a little more realistic about birth control. People are going to have sex, kids are going to have sex. no amount of no or threatening with hell is going to stop it. Talk to your kids about sex and birth control if you don't want them having abortions.

Why are people referring to former President Bush as if he was a conservative? Conservatives believe in less spending and smaller government. All things he did pointed to a liberal point of view as the government grew at an astounding rate as well as our debt. There is very minor differences between the current administration and the past administration. The press is pushing the minor differences but where it counts they are identical. Professing being religious like Bush did does not make a conservative. As a matter of fact many of his overt actions while in Presidency seemed to go against the idea that he was truly religious nad was just trying to garner religious votes. If he were a true conservative we would not be in the mess we are in today.

To Thomas Bonner of Alexander: Have you tried Pioneer Wireless? They have coverage in some parts of Alexander. We get 100 mbps for about $45/month.

cm1113, Fair Point has a monopoly over much of us. I would love to have another option. I have switched to Local Net for my internet service. The problem is that we still have to go through equipment owned by Fair Point. About 1 in 5 people who have cell phones who come to our house have problems getting or sending phone service. I have tried all the wireless servers in the area and they all tell me that they can't get a signal to me. I am not the only one getting crappy service, there are thousands in this state who are in similar straits.

In response to at 3:20 PM, Ladyslipper- You proved my point those who need to read it most wouldn't. As to be honest I answered this question already. Clearly you missed (conveniently I might add) On 5/18/09 at 11:39 PM, cm1113 wrote: Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Taxedtodeath - Find me a state that over the (edited) 6 years hasn't seen tremendous job loss or economic hardships. Guess what you can't . So probably the problem was more of a national issue.

Like I said if I went into specifics like wasting a crap load of money on a war that never should have been waged, and tax cuts to the wealthy while stickin it to the other 98% of America etc it would take about 8 years to finish a specific list of how Former Pre... for crackin ice people its just Bush had hurt our state.

patom again its very simple,,, It ain't fairpoints fault that you live in the willywacks! Apparently they don't have a monopoly as Bonner said he had options, Izzy_ME also apparently has other options.

Collins: right on about the abuses of Scoial Security!

Torbett: Good luck with your conservative candidate, you'll need it.

Barry: As others have been pointed, abortion is a terrible thing but if hard-core "Prolifers" also insist on denying contraception and birth control, we're going to have to face the dilemma of abortion whether we like it or not. Sure, abstinence works, when it works (i.e., when it is rigidly practiced). It might be considered necessary but is not sufficient. The status of human life and stem cell dogma is just that, dogma and it should be debatable. It's based on some unrealistic biology and a distorted interpretation of original sin.

Sure, there have been advances in adult stem cell research but there have been advances in embronic research as well, although unrealistically restricted. We need both. It's research after all and we'll never figure out if medical solutions are possible unless both are realistically studied.

So what are we to do? What about all those human eggs that will be discarded anyway? Will "prolifers" try to produce a mutitude of lifes out of them? As for adoption rather than abortion, I agree that adoption is a great movement, but how many protesters have adopted any children? Cared for an unfortunately pregnant woman? Or teen? I suggest one adoption for every succesful protest. You prevent an abortion, you adopt the baby.

Finally, I'm no fan of Notre Dame (nor am I Catholic), but I'd help them resist any disavowal by The Church. As above, good luck, those of you who propse this schism, you'll need it.

It seems pretty odd when Catholics are saying they are anti abortion and then preach JUST abstinence. How about preaching about using condoms and the Plan B method? No? Okay then, well if you are going to teach just abstinence, (until marriage, which we all know barely EVER happens) to a bunch of hormonal teenagers who are following the natural human act of having sexual intercourse, then you're probably not going to have much of a success. Think about it, the Catholic church has had this stance forever and have things changed for them in this department? Nope. And by the way, before Catholics get all high and mighty about pro-choice, how about what has happened/is happening to children that serve in your churches by your "holy men". So it's not right to have an abortion, but it's alright to abuse young children? Yeah, makes sense to me.

If you can't allow debate into an institution of higher learning, then I think you've missed the point of LEARNING.

Peace.

cm1113

"Yes I can substantiate it however if you don't pay enough attention to something as important as Social security, I am not going to waste my time. And no actually if we want to get that nit picky its former President Bush."

"In response to On 5/19/09 at 5:58 AM, Ladyslipper - If I went into all of the specifics of how Former President Bush II had hurt the state of Maine my response would pages and pages and we both know that nobody on here wants to read pages and and pages about what anybody on here thinks including me. Second of all I have a life and don't want to waste my time typing pages and ages on a comment that the people who most need to read it won't."

Just a link or one valid sentence will do. I believe It was I who asked you first to substantiate that claim. But we know you can't, because anyone who knows anything about it knows that SS has been in default since the '70. And it was a serious question, because I recall there was an arcane rule that Clinton overturned, one initiated by Pres Bush 1 which started a slight turn around in the financial health of SS. I origianlly thought you might know. But looks like you just like repeating unsubstantiated dogma.

Sorry Mrs. Barry. But the Catholic Church has become nothing more than a Money Machine. They sold their soul to the devil long ago.

Yes cm, one or two sentences or points would suffice.