ALLIANCE FOR THE COMMON GOOD

Well over 200 people gathered at our state capital in Augusta, Maine today for a rally on the first day of the new legislative session.  We were led by Native Americans in dance and song outside the building before entering to hold a rally in the Hall of Flags just next to the office of our Tea Party right-wing Gov. LePage.

This was one of the most successful attempts yet to bring together activists from many different independent progressive groups across Maine.  The "liberal" groups associated with the Democratic Party in Maine largely boycotted the event today.  Somehow they wrongly believe that they don't need to be associated with groups tackling such issues as military spending, climate change, No East-West Highway, Tar Sands XL pipeline that is coming to Maine, and other outside the box issues. They tend to move only when told to do so by Democratic Party leadership and even then in only the most cautious ways.  They never dare offer any criticism of the calcified leadership of the Democrats - either in Maine or Washington.  The fact that many of these groups get money from Democratic Party interests helps explain their cautious nature.

We came together under the banner of the newly created Maine Alliance for the Common Good.  We are committed to connecting the dots between our issues and actively supporting one another.  In a statement read at the rally one line stood out for me:  "We have assembled as a unified front to push back against what we see as corporate dominance in our government."

As we were leaving for Augusta this morning I learned that my Letter to the Editor was printed in the Portland Press Herald today.  In fact I got the headline in the letters section with a photo that quoted from the letter in the caption.  My letter, entitled Money for arms, but little for the people, can be found here.