Only in Maine

[URL unfurl="true"]https://www.foxnews.com/media/maine-lawmakers-kill-bill-gender-health-care-accused-trampling-parents-rights[/URL]

[URL unfurl="true"]https://www.foxnews.com/media/maine-lawmakers-kill-bill-gender-health-care-accused-trampling-parents-rights[/URL]

Not only on Fox, never got out of committee, product of a Moonbat legislator, something every state has too many of...

AUGUSTA (WMGE) -- A bill that would have prevented the enforcement of laws of other states if a minor coming from out of state wanted to receive gender affirming care in Maine was killed Thursday.

The bill, [LD 1735]('https://legislature.maine.gov/backend/App/services/getDocument.aspx?documentId=98631'), brought big concerns from Republican lawmakers.

“The angst that the parents from around the country have reached out to talk to us about this bill, that should’ve never come to be,” said Sen. Lisa Keim (R-Oxford). “Parents shouldn’t have their rights threatened in this way, and this is a dangerous bill for children.”

The bill reads that the state of Maine could take temporary, emergency jurisdiction over minors who are unable to access gender affirming health care, which republicans say could have allowed minors from out of state to receive gender affirming surgeries in Maine without parental consent.

“This gives the state jurisdiction to effectively come into your home and take your kids based on a medical decision you made for the wellbeing and mental wellbeing of your child,” said Rep. Rachel Henderson (R-Rumford).

But the bill’s sponsor says that was never the intent.

She says that language was meant to protect transgender children from an unsafe environment and was taken aback by the message from republicans.

“That’s disrespectful to our care providers,” said Rep. Laurie Osher (D-Orno), “Our care providers are trained, we have certification and licensing in Maine, and they only provide the care that’s needed for their patients.”

But Thursday, every democrat on the judiciary committee joined republicans in a unanimous vote to kill the bill. Democrats, who previously supported the bill, say its language was flawed. But Osher says she and her colleagues will keep fighting for protection for healthcare workers and individuals seeking gender affirming care.

“We will make sure that people are protected that our care providers are protected,” said Osher. “Today was a moment where we’re not getting that done, but we will get that done.”

The vote from the judiciary committee means the bill is dead, and will not be brought to a vote on the Senate or House floor.

2024 will see 2 High Priority Bucket List Items ticked off, and only one of them involves a few hours of travel. Fortunately we'll be going "upta Camp" with friends who's house is in the "Totality" bullseye for the eclipse.
Even if we get rained/clouded out, normal April Maine Weather, it will definitely be cool to watch it become night at 15:30 EDT.

The other Bucket List item is 5400 miles from here and current international conditions may force us to cancel...

This one is too funny, even by Maine standards. Well we know weed is Federally illegal, but we decided it's OK in our state, but we're having problems regulating its growing. Care to help us out?? Can't wait for the first "Maine Legal" operation gets busted by the Feds...
[HEADING=2][SIZE=7]Maine’s congressional delegation renews call for crackdown on illegal pot-growing operations[/SIZE][/HEADING]
They ask in a letter to the federal Department of Justice what federal agencies are doing to support Maine law enforcement shut down the illegal grows.

Maine’s congressional delegation is again calling for the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and help the state crack down on illegal marijuana growing operations in Maine that benefit Chinese investors.

In a letter dated Jan. 25 to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King, and U.S. Reps. Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden urged the Justice Department to provide Maine law enforcement agencies with additional help shutting down the operations.

This week’s letter is a followup letter to one the delegation sent in August. It said illegal growing operations are detrimental to businesses that are complying with Maine marijuana laws. One dispensary owner estimates that these illegal operations are selling marijuana for half the price she pays to legal growers. The price difference is unfair, they say.

The issue gained attention in August when an internal memo by the U.S. Border Patrol revealed that there were an estimated 270 illegal Chinese marijuana growing operations in Maine taking in an estimated $4.37 billion in revenue.

Since then, there have been multiple raids on suspected operations across the state. Law enforcement has arrested eight people and seized more than 4,400 cannabis plants from four growing sites in Belgrade, China and Cornville alone.

Three people were arrested on Jan. 17 during an [illegal marijuana bust]('https://www.pressherald.com/2024/01/17/sheriff-three-arrested-hundreds-of-plants-seized-in-latest-illegal-pot-operation-bust-at-central-maine-residence/') at a home on West Ridge Road in Cornville. More than 750 plants and 90 pounds of processed marijuana were seized during the raid. The Somerset County Sheriff’s Office arrested 75-year-old Huansheng Mai, 63-year-old Yuling Mei, and 68-year-old Yiming Hu.

Each was charged with illegal cultivation of marijuana and unlawful trafficking in scheduled drugs with more than 500 plants. The charges are Class B offenses.

“While these illegal operations may be secretive, they are often not hard to spot for neighbors in these tightknit communities,” the delegation states in their letter to Garland. The arrests and seizures in Belgrade occurred following “community complaints.”

Court documents from the case in Carmel showed that the house rented by one defendant was billed $6,900 a month for electricity, one indicator of a large scale growing operation.

“We applaud Maine law enforcement for their continued efforts to investigate and shut down these illegal operations, and we encourage the DOJ and other federal partners to provide additional support for these efforts,” the delegation says in its letter to Garland. “These illegal growing operations are detrimental to Maine businesses that comply with state laws, and we urge the DOJ to shut them down.”

Maine law allows for adult use of marijuana, but the industry is highly regulated and taxed. There are 144 licensed legal growing sites across the state, according to the Office of Cannabis Policy.

Only 89 of the 144 legal operations are active. A spokesperson for the Office of Cannabis Policy did not respond to questions Monday night.

Maine’s Cannabis Legalization Act, approved in 2016 by Maine voters, established a regulatory framework governing adult cannabis use in Maine. The law specifies regulations for tracking cannabis plants and product, enforcement and compliance, health and safety data, labeling and packaging, and licensing and fees.

The delegation raised a number of questions in the most recent letter, including what the Justice Department is doing to address the illegal operations, whether it is aware that these operations are owned by the Chinese or other foreign governments, and whether the profits from these operations are being funneled back to the countries of origin.

They also want to know how much support the department is providing to Maine agencies working to shut down these operations.

When Maine State Police or the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency uncovers, becomes aware of, or receives intelligence about illegal drug activity, it works closely with federal law enforcement to determine how best to “disrupt and dismantle illegal drug activities,” said Shannon Moss, spokesperson for the Maine Department of Public Safety.

Sounds blue....

[URL unfurl="true"]https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/01/us/maine-prison-juvenile-justice.html[/URL]

Sounds blue....

[URL unfurl="true"]https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/01/us/maine-prison-juvenile-justice.html[/URL]

Southern Maine is basically Northern Masachusetts. Northern Maine is very Red, but the Southern population vastly outnumbers the North. Kind of like NY in it's "divergence", but far fewer substantial cities than NY has in the North...

[URL unfurl="true"]https://www.foxnews.com/us/maine-lobsterman-hears-mysterious-cries-water-leads-miracle-rescue[/URL]

Surprised nobody jumped on this one. A proper library should be politically, religiously, and ideologically neutral. It infuriated me when I wanted to read Richard Wagner's bile-laden, Anti-Semitic treatise, Das Judenthum in der Musik and I had to resort to the "Dark Web" to get a copy. Major Props to the Blue Hill Library's Board and Staff for doing the right thing. All the stuck up hypocrites who are complaining and resorting to sending hate mail to Mr. Boulet should be ashamed of doing to him what they probably scream about when the shoe is on the other foot...

Oh and BTW, since The Generalissimo & Site Owner specified no politics here, that is a standing rule so don't start up with "Where's our Free Speech?". Just the price of being a member...

[HEADING=2][SIZE=7]‘My Heart Sank’: In Maine, a Challenge to a Book, and to a Town’s Self-Image[/SIZE][/HEADING]
Wealthy, liberal-leaning Blue Hill prided itself on staying above the fray — until the library stocked a book that drew anger from the left.

Rich Boulet, the director of the Blue Hill Public Library, was working in his office when a regular patron stopped by to ask how to donate a book to the library. “You just hand it over,” Mr. Boulet said.

The book was “Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters,” by the journalist Abigail Shrier. The book posits that gender dysphoria is a “diagnostic craze” fueled by adolescent confusion, social media and peer influence, and that teenagers are too young to undergo potentially irreversible gender transition surgery.

Many transgender people [and their advocates]('https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/05/opinion/transgender-children.html') say the book is harmful to trans youth, and some have tried to suppress its distribution.

“If I’m being totally honest, my heart sank when I saw it,” Mr. Boulet recalled.

Founded in 1796, the library has a $7.9 million endowment in a coastal enclave popular among affluent summer residents. Blue Hill delivered a 35-point victory for Joseph R. Biden Jr. in the 2020 presidential race. The communities around it are a blend of liberal, conservative and none-of-your-business, all of which helped its library resist political proxy battles like those roiling the nation’s libraries.

But in mid-2021, the Blue Hill library and its leadership were tested in a way none of them anticipated.

“Irreversible Damage” did not reflect Mr. Boulet’s personal views, nor those of his staff. But because “I want the library to be there for everybody, not just people who share my voting record,” Mr. Boulet said he gave the book the same consideration he would any other, and concluded it should be on the shelves.

“I felt like it filled a hole in our collection of a lot of materials on that subject matter,” he said. His staff supported the decision.

Less than a week after the book went on display, the parent of a transgender adult told Mr. Boulet that she found it harmful.

“She and I have known each other for years, and we talked about it calmly,” he recalled. The patron filled out a reconsideration request, asking that the book be kept “under the desk,” available only by request.

The library’s collections committee voted unanimously to keep the book in circulation. “But I knew it wasn’t over,” Mr. Boulet said.

Residents who objected to the book confronted him, library staffers and board members in the grocery store, post office and the library itself.

“They would say ‘I can’t believe that the library is allowing this,’” said John Diamond, the library board president. “My feeling was, ‘I can’t believe the library would not allow it, based on its position on free access to information.’”

The harshest criticism was reserved for Mr. Boulet. One patron told him that if a trans youth checked out the book and died by suicide, “that’s on you,” Mr. Boulet recalled. Critical Facebook posts and negative Google reviews poured in.

Mr. Boulet defended the decision on the library’s Facebook page, which only fanned the discord. Painfully, Mr. Boulet knew many of the negative commenters.

Mr. Boulet appealed to the American Library Association for a public letter of support, which it offers to libraries undergoing censorship efforts. “They ghosted me,” he said.

Asked about the letter, Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the A.L.A.’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, said Mr. Boulet’s request had generated internal debate, and delay.

“Our position on the book is, it should remain in the collection; it is beneath us to adopt the tools of the censors,” she said in an interview. “We need to support intellectual freedom in all its aspects, in order to claim that high ground.” Months after Mr. Boulet requested the letter, Ms. Caldwell-Stone saw him at a conference and apologized.

Mr. Boulet wrote an open letter in the local newspaper stressing that the library welcomes everyone, “not just your or my slice of the community.”

“The presence of an item in the library is not an endorsement of the ideas contained therein,” he added.

A friend of Mr. Boulet’s, a high school teacher, posted a response on social media, and sent it to the library board.

“The ‘All Lives Matter’ stance the Blue Hill library is taking is biased, harmful and manipulative hate speech,” it read. Irate, Mr. Boulet confronted the teacher in person, and the two are no longer friends.

And then by the end of 2021, the furor quieted, and the book remained.

Before the controversy, “I hadn’t really given intellectual freedom as much thought as I should have,” Mr. Boulet said. His conclusion, he said, is that “intellectual freedom or the freedom of speech isn’t there just to protect ideas that we like.”

[URL unfurl="true"]https://www.foxnews.com/video/6345184644112[/URL]

Dam !!, all i can say about this is that if this state does in fact pass a bill to accept it. Im Outta here faster than a Fat kid coming down a sea saw. They can take these freekin Yo Yo's that want this and do what whey want with them. (A brush chipper comes to mind). :mad: I may just have to move to Texas, Or Canada just to get away from the Country that i once defended. Absolutely a horrible idea IMO.

Dam !!, all i can say about this is that if this state does in fact pass a bill to accept it. Im Outta here faster than a Fat kid coming down a sea saw. They can take these freekin Yo Yo's that want this and do what whey want with them. (A brush chipper comes to mind). :mad: I may just have to move to Texas, Or Canada just to get away from the Country that i once defended. Absolutely a horrible idea IMO.

I live in NY, another place of suffering and liberal stupidity. Just trying to get to "a number" and out of here even faster.

For those in the area, City Lights will be putting on a great show at Suck Bang Blow next week. Not sure if the burn out pit will be open.

Me thinks wrong state but Im a bit self medicated right so who knows

Me thinks wrong state but Im a bit self medicated right so who knows

Can you put it in what going on in the world?

I need to catch up!!

Can you put it in what going on in the world?

I can

Can you put it in what going on in the world?

All done your making me work on a Sunday LOL

All done your making me work on a Sunday LOL

First drink on me !

[Reality Check: Forbes Just Proved Maine Is Full of Selfish Idiots]('https://wjbq.com/reality-check-maine-is-full-of-selfish-idiots/')

Crap, now we have to check if you're editing the HTML code???

Guess what, that's a POOFing crime, and it doesn't break my heart to type this...

WTF [USER=288]@longcast[/USER] you got me poofed

[Reality Check: Forbes Just Proved Maine Is Full of Selfish Idiots]('https://wjbq.com/reality-check-maine-is-full-of-selfish-idiots/')

Crap, now we have to check if you're editing the HTML code???

Guess what, that's a POOFing crime, and it doesn't break my heart to type

Always loved computer science. 8-)