Bonus: I got a “shout-out” from Americablog’s  Joe Sudbay! Helluva nice guy; can’t wait ’til we get the chance to gab face-to-face again…

~Louise

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With all of the talk regarding Maine’s equal marriage law, I want to highlight again some of the voices that have come out very publicly in full support.

Like Chellie Pingree. Back in May, she spoke on the floor of the House, where she serves as Maine’s 1st Congressional District’s freshman representative:

Chellie also spoke with Stephen Colbert in some regards about the law.

Then there’s her daughter Hannah Pingree, Maine’s Speaker of the House:

Transcript here of Speaker Pingree’s released speech text.

THIS IS GREAT! A mother and daughter team, both important voices for Maine, speaking out publically in support of this law that allows Maine couples to be marrried.

That does NOTHING ELSE. No matter what the opposition may say in their lies ads.

And certainly there have been many others Maine voices, both names of note and regular folks who write letters to their local newspapers. I could list off hundreds and hundreds of them.

But some important voices are missing from the conversations. Whose, you ask?

More below the fold.The public statements of Maine Senator Olympia Snowe.

2nd Congressional District Representative Mike Michaud.

This is arguably one of the most important discussions going on in the entire COUNTRY right now!

And yet we are hearing nothing from any of the three of them. And have heard nothing from them right along this year… they’ve all been as quiet as mice.

“So what are they doing down in Washington, to help Mainers?”, one asks… let’s take a look.

Olympia Snowe- well, she very publicly threw the majority of Mainers under a bus by supporting the health insurance companies more than a national public option.

The “trigger” she came up with isn’t going to help and she knows it (or should); it’s all an attempt to save face.

Too late, Olympia.

But what could you expect from someone who has had great health insurance through Congress since 1978?

The mind boggles at how many thousands of dollars she has saved in the past 31 years…

So let’s look at Susan Collins next and what do we find?

Rather than doing anything for Maine, George Bush’s little cheerleader and that GOP line-toeing pal of Joe Lieberman has now signed up to the FauxNews Talking Points (TM) regarding the “constitutionality of czars”!

Gimme an effing break already…

WASHINGTON – Lawmakers on Tuesday heard from a panel of legal experts on whether President Barack Obama’s appointment of so-called czars in the executive branch sidesteps the Constitution.

The hearing followed a letter Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, sent to Obama last month raising questions about the positions.

The letter, co-signed by five other Senate Republicans, said 18 “czar” positions, which have not been confirmed by the Senate or established by law, fall into a gray area that raises “serious issues of accountability, transparency and oversight” and circumvents Congress’ “constitutionally established process of ‘advise and consent.'”

(cough! Reagan used the phrase too, Susie!)

Nixon had them!

Your buddy Dubya Bush had ’em!

His “daddy” too!

But don’t let anything like documneted FACTS worry ya- hey, maybe you can host a tea party, too!

GAH.

Honestly, Susan, can ya PRETEND you give a damn about Maine?

And last and most likely least, Mike Michaud.

What, you didn’t know the name of Maine’s “other representative”? Frankly, I’m not a bit surprised… he tends to stay out of the limelight and is hard as hell to find a news story on.

So let’s see what Mr. Mouse (as in “quiet as a”) is doing for his home state, other than what one can find on his own website or something…

Rep. Michaud salutes Maine troop greeters film

Submitted by The Associated Press on Wed, 09/30/2009

WASHINGTON — A film about Maine’s troop greeters, who have welcomed thousands of soldiers back home at Bangor International Airport after duty overseas, is getting attention in the nation’s Capitol.

U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud spoke on the floor of the House of Representatives today about the Capitol Hill premiere of the award winning documentary “The Way We Get By.”

The Maine Democrat said the film captures the spirit of many in the Bangor area who make sure the troops see a friendly face upon their deployment or return home.

At least it’s related to Maine and his district…

Come on, people- you can do better than this!!!