DRONES & FREE SPEECH

 

• About a dozen of us from around the state went to Augusta today for the second joint Judiciary Committee hearing on the drone bill for Maine. The committee tabled the bill for three weeks which in a way is good because it gives us more time to organize. On the other hand the tabling of the bill indicates that forces are moving to try to block any ban or regulation of surveillance drones in Maine.  In fact Maine's Attorney General does not like the bill, wants to divert it to a study (that would likely require funding and in this fiscal climate could mean the bill got killed entirely).  The basic line from the AG's office is that there have not been any drone surveillance abuses in Maine by law enforcement - thus no need for concern. We need Mainers to contact your member of the State House and Senate immediately and tell them that you support a two-year ban on drones in Maine. You can find your House member here and your Senate member here.   I heard one member of the legislature say today in the hallway at the capital that when she posted the drone question on her Facebook page she was flooded with comments opposing drones.  Republicans, Independents, Libertarians, Democrats, and Greens overwhelmingly oppose drone surveillance.  Now we have to take that message to our state elected officials.  We ignore this at our own peril.

• Our Bath City Council voted unanimously last night (8-0) in favor of our resolution calling for a US constitutional amendment to ban corporate big $$$ in our elections.  That makes 38 towns and cities in Maine to have passed such a resolution.  Hundreds of communities across the nation have passed similar resolutions as have 11 states..  
• In the morning I head to Pennsylvania for a weekend meeting of movement leaders to talk about developing a unifying message and strategy nationwide.  It should be equally as exciting as the technology seminar I attended last weekend.  More later.