The Ties That Bind

When I began writing a column for the Irregular 11 years ago, my children were 17, 5 and 4 years old. Guy was a junior in high school, Josie was in kindergarten, and Eli was still at home with his mum.

Guy left for college two days after his high school graduation in 2001 and has never moved back home. Not even for ‘a week or two’. Josie-Earl is going to be an 11th grader in the fall, and Elias graduated from 8th grade last week. It doesn’t seem possible that the end of our ‘school daze’ is in sight, but it is. A small part of me will be sad to see it end—-but I’m excited for my children and their futures, too. Life is an amazing ride, and even the smallest decisions we make can have long-lasting impacts on our lives. How I wish I were in their shoes right now, with the whole world opening up in front of me. Except… this time I’d like to start my young adulthood with the wisdom I have at 47!

It took me two weeks to pull information about an 8th grade graduation from my youngest son. I’d ask, “Hey, Eli… is your class holding a graduation?”

“I dunno.”

“Your teachers didn’t send home any notes?”

“Not that I know of.”

“Well...wouldn’t you know, if they did?”

“I guess so…”

A day or two later, I tried it again.

“Any news about graduation?”

“Not yet, Mum.”

“Well, it’s the first of June. Exactly when would they tell you?”

“I dunno.” A nonchalant shrug of his shoulders.

“So, I suppose that means you still haven’t brought home any information about it?”

“Not that I know of.”

“Well, Eli… if you’d brought home papers from school; who WOULD know about it?”

Sheesh.

On Friday, June 3rd, I tried again.

“Eli? What’s up with graduation, anyway?”

“Oh! We’re having marching practice on Monday. Or maybe Tuesday. Oh yeah, and I need a note, too.”

“Well, when’s graduation?” I’d already found out the 'old fashioned way'… I’d asked the mother of an 8th grade girl. They pay far more attention to these things, since such occasions call for a shopping trip, hairdo, fingernail polish, toenail polish, shaving of legs and much fretting over who their marching partner will be.

“I dunno. Thursday, I think.”

“What time?”

“I dunno.”

Oh, brother.

“Come on, Eli! Pay attention! It would be nice if we could tell Papa when graduation starts, so he can leave work on time, wouldn’t it?”

“I guess….”

“And why do you need a permission slip?”

“Oh! We’re going to the beach.”

“Ooh, that’s nice. Which beach?”

“I dunno.”

“You don’t know which beach… Is it Popham?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Oh, for crying out loud! When are you going?”

“I don’t know, Mum! Monday or Tuesday, I guess.” He was beginning to sound exasperated.

Welcome to my life, kid.

At 4:30 on Thursday afternoon, Eli came into my bedroom. Gone were the baggy jeans and faded tee shirt. In their place were khaki slacks and a dark dress shirt. He had a necktie draped around his neck.

“I can’t tie this.”

I grinned. That’s one of the cool things about being a mother… this tying of her young man’s necktie. He cautioned me not to snug it too tightly, so I didn’t.

He looked sharp, and I told him so. He wandered into his bedroom to check himself out in the mirror.

“I’m not going to wear this tie. It looks dumb.”

Just then, Josie-Earl wandered upstairs. You know…Josie-Earl; the sister who argues with her little brother all the time, and who tries to boss him around until he loses patience with her! She heard me tell Eli that the tie didn’t look 'dumb', so she popped into her brother’s bedroom.

I overheard the conversation.

“You look GREAT! That tie does NOT look dumb! Wow, Eli! You’re handsome! Oh, my gawd; girls are going to be hanging all over you next year when you get to high school!”

Without another protest, Eli wore the tie.

I love my kids.

Driving With Miss Josie--Part Two

It was a sad day when I realized that I’m not as ‘cool’ as my mother.

Josie-Earl just turned sixteen. She has her driver’s permit, and as all teens do… she wants to get her license. But over the winter, she didn’t fulfill the required 35 hours of driving time.

So… we’re trying to make up for it, now.

My truck is tall. It’s long. It’s got a towing package which makes it a little ‘stiff’. It’s not a sedan; it’s a work truck… something we need around The F.A.R.M., and for hauling the tractor, and for driving to those real estate showings which are off the beaten path. Or to those which don’t have a path, at all.

Josie hates my truck. But Josie wants to learn to drive. Josie wants to get her license. I’ve told her that once she is comfortable driving my pick-up, she’ll be comfortable driving anything (except my pick-up in the city, or in parking garages!)

On Saturday morning, Josie needed to be delivered to her grandmother’s house for a trip to Portland to attend her cousin’s birthday party. She needs driving time, so… I let her drive.

It’s no wonder I have frizzy hair. What IS a wonder is that I have any frizzy hair left on my head.

It’s not that my daughter is a bad driver—she’s not. As long as there are no other cars on the road, she’s actually quite safe. Oh, and as long as there are no corners on the road, either. Or soft shoulders. Or snapping turtles wandering across.

We managed to drive 10 of the 14 miles to Mum’s without a single bellow coming from the passenger seat. I spoke calmly.

“Josie, you really need to stay out of the ditch.” Calm as a clock, see?

“Sweetie, that yellow line is there for a reason. You should be able to see it out your side mirror. No, YOUR side mirror, not mine.” Patient as the day is long.

But then there came a particular corner at the top of John Hall Hill, by the bog. She took it too fast, and swung way out into the opposite lane. And I simply couldn’t help myself.

“Josie! You’re on the WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD!”

Her head whipped around and she snapped back.

“Yes, Mama! I see that!”

Like I was a goober, or something! Like I was simply pointing out the obvious in an attempt to irritate her!

“Well, then! Get back over here!”

I think I also swore, but my memory is a bit foggy. Blind panic does that to me.

Moments later, we arrived at the Bessey home. Mum came out onto the porch to wish us ‘good morning’ as we climbed from the truck.

“How are you?” she asked.

“My nerves are shot, “ I muttered, walking on shaky legs to the driver’s side. I kissed my gorgeous teenager, wished her a ‘good time’, and resumed my rightful place behind the wheel of my pick-em-up truck.

When Josie returned home the next day, she informed me that Nanny let her drive part of the way home from Portland.

“She’s WAY cooler than YOU! Nanny never hollered at me once!”

That stung. Hurt. But I’m not letting it get me down. Now I have a new goal. Someday, I want my grand-daughter to tell Josie-Earl that I’m WAY cooler than she is.

I might not have any nerves left… but I’ve got a goal.

Getting the Message...

One of the first things I do upon arriving home from work each afternoon is to listen to the messages on my answering machine. I push the red-flashing button to listen and then move around the kitchen--taking care of my groceries, sorting the mail I just picked up from the box at the end of my road, and occasionally grabbing a pen to jot down the number of someone who needs a return call.

Sometimes, I'm able to wash a sink full of breakfast dishes while listening to the dulcet tones of friends, clients, and associates--as one or two of them are extremely loquacious and they ramble on and on. Most likely, they do so because they appreciate a captive audience…One which doesn’t interrupt them while they speak.

I’m a creature of habit, and I always look for that flashing light as I set my parcels on the sideboard. Once in a great while the button is dark, and for a moment I feel bereft. Wasn’t there anyone who needed me while I was gone?

And once in awhile, I find myself wishing that I’d never pushed that blinking button.


Last Tuesday was just such a day. The message I heard as I put the milk and eggs in the fridge was a recorded one. No live being asking me a question or telling me some news, but a canned soundtrack. It was from my telephone company, informing me that it was imperative that I call the following toll-free number.

Well, what possible urgency could exist which would cause my telephone service provider to leave such a message? I knew for sure I’d paid my bill. Didn’t I? I wracked my brain, trying to recall that happy occasion. I couldn’t remember specifically writing out the check, but I was positive that I would have felt some unease if I was guilty of the offense of non-payment. The problem came when I realized that I didn’t have the checkbook from which that payment would have been written. My husband did. So, I called the number and see what was what. I certainly didn’t want to risk disconnection based on my mental self-assurances. My memory has let me down too many times in the past.

I dialed the number. Not surprisingly—I was greeted by another recording.

The female voice began speaking in English, but promptly switched to Spanish. I rolled my eyes and sighed. I’m pretty sure my telephone company is based in America, and I really didn’t have time to decipher “por (something) espangnol (something something) numero dos.”

So, I didn’t “something something” anything… just held the line and hoped that the robotic voice would revert to my native tongue. After a pregnant pause, it did.

“Please enter your four digit PIN number, then press pound.”

Oh, yeah. My “PIN” number. For the life of me, I had no idea what that might be. None. I remembered getting a notice from my telephone company several years earlier, informing me of that vital combination of numbers, and I’m sure I’d filed it away for future reference. Filed it somewhere. In my office? In mi casa? I had no idea where it was. No idea why I’d need it.

Until now. How would I find out the reason for the urgent call from the phone company if I couldn’t produce that PIN? In another moment, I breathed a sigh of relief. I had options!

“If you do not know your PIN, please press ‘two’, followed by the pound key.”

Okay! I pressed ‘two’ and '#'.... and waited.

“If you are calling regarding an existing residential account, press ‘one’. If you are calling about an existing commercial or business account, press ‘two’.”

Well, heck. I didn’t know WHY I was calling! But because the message was left on the answering machine at home and not at my office, I took a stab in the dark. I pressed ‘one’.

“If you are calling about making payment arrangements, press ‘one’. If you are calling for a new service, a change in service, or to disconnect an existing service, press ‘two’. If you are calling about internet service, press ‘three’.

Didn’t they listen to their own recorded messages? Didn’t the company realize that they hadn’t given me enough information to know WHY I was calling? How much time did I have before making up my mind about which number to press? I could feel a mild panic setting in. Or was it mild irritation?

“If you would like to hear the menu again, press ‘four’.”

Okay, that bought me some time. I pressed ‘four’ and listened to the whole spiel all over again. At the end of the instructions, I took another stab in the dark. I took a gamble on the most likely reason I was calling. It’s not often that I’m the last to know why I make a phone call, but this is the age of technology. I learned a long time ago that I’m almost ALWAYS the last one to understand anything when it comes to ‘modern conveniences’. (And I use that term loosely.)

I pressed ‘one’.

“One moment, please.”

At least the robot was polite. I waited for a human being to answer the phone.

I waited in vain.

“Please enter your PIN number, followed by the pound key.”

Well, for crying out loud! Hadn’t I pressed ‘two’ just moments ago, when instructed to do so after I ascertained that I didn’t KNOW my PIN number?

Yes, I most certainly had.

“I don’t KNOW my PIN number!” I uttered aloud to no one.

A moment of silence, and then, “We’re sorry. Please enter your PIN number, followed by the pound key.”

“I SAID I don’t KNOW my PIN number!” I felt idiotic as I spoke to a mechanical being, but what were my options?

“We’re sorry. Please enter your PIN number, followed by the pound key.”

Exercising my vast reserves of self-control, I kept silent. I seethed—which was, perhaps, an over-reaction--but the thought crossed my mind that this was a ridiculous waste of my time, and as a customer of this company for almost 30 years, I deserved to be spoken to by a real, live human.

I waited.

“Please hold, while we connect you with the next available operator.”

Halleluiah! I was going to speak with a PERSON. I only hoped he or she spoke English…

I heard a click, and then… “Good afternoon. This is Candice. May I have your PIN number, please?”

Oh, for crying out loud. This was ridiculous. I called up faded memories of Sesame Street and growled, “Si. Quatros-uno-ocho-cinqo.”

“Ah. Buenos dias, Senora.”

I hung up.

And sent a new check--just in case.

"The Dreams Stuff is Made Of"...

Where else but on Grumbles and Grins can one find men and women of integrity? Oh, I know... there are a few blogs which might be as graced as GAG. But I lay claim to a monopoly of the coolest of all 'followers' and visitors.

In my last post, I apologized for starting a contest, and then--for completely forgetting about it. It is the mark of a terrible hostess, for sure. I pronounced my friend Crookedpaw the winner--the choice being easy, as the bloke was the only entrant. I promised to mail his prize; consisting of a quart of Maine maple syrup and an autographed copy of Grumble Bluff, post haste. (Punny, huh? "Post" haste. "Mail". Get it?)

Oh, brother. Never mind...

So, that was yesterday. TODAY, I arrived home to find this:

That's right. The quart of maple syrup which I've had for a month--a month during which no one felt the need to touch it--had been opened, and sampled. Used. Poured over French Toast and bacon.

It's not like there were no other options. There were two already-opened plastic containers of syrup in the fridge. One from sap boiled down in neighboring Embden, and one from the maple trees of Strong, a town approximately 40 minutes away. It was local syrup, yes. But it was syrup which was sold commercially. I'd wanted to gift my friend with the product of our own trees, right here in Lexington Township. I wanted to give him some 'marple sarple' made--not to sell--but to be enjoyed by our family and friends.

So, I was grouchy. Slightly grouchy, but in a loudish kind of way.

"Great!" I said to no-one in particular, and everyone within earshot. "Now I've gotta go hit up Cousin Jimmy for another quart!"

Less than ten minutes later, I came upstairs and sat at my computer. I opened my email account. And, lo and behold, there was a note from my pal Crookedpaw, telling me that he couldn't accept the prize. That to do so wouldn't 'sit comfortably' with him. That I should SAVE THE SYRUP (now known as an impossibility) until he wins the next contest fairly and squarely.

Or something like that.

:o)

I lucked out. I've been let off the hook. I won't have to go down the road to Cousin Jimmy's, hat in hand, and ask for more syrup. I won't have to endure another quarantine of my packages as Aussie Customs tries to determine if the jar contains whiskey or some other type of contraband. Heh...

CP, you're a prince. You DID deserve the prize, but I'll graciously say 'thank you' and keep (what remains of) my syrup here in Maine.

For the time being, anyway.

Thanks, sport.

Oops!!!! Sleeping on the Job!

Hey, gang...

I owe you an apology! I have been so busy (not kidding! I know it's a bad excuse but it's true) that I not only forgot about the ending of my most recent contest, but in between posting it and now, I forgot to promote it, too.

Holy smokes.

It is, of course, obvious that we have a winner. Once again, Crookedpaw prevails. Against all odds and strong opposition, he managed to pull another one out of the bag!

Hehehe........ I feel like such an idiot.

And we really made this way too easy for our Down Under pal. A man with the brains and talent of Mr. paw should have had to work much harder for his victory. (And I should have worked much harder to get others involved, so that he had to.)

A quart of Lexington maple syrup, fresh made six weeks ago by Cousin Jimmy, will be on its way to CP very soon. Since that's a trip of 10,000+ miles, I'll mail a copy of GB under separate cover, just in case the syrup jar breaks, or it leaks, or something. (Won't Aussie Customs love me, then!? We have such a sticky relationship, already!)

Again, I'm sorry I dropped the ball, here. In addition to job and family, I started a new blog, Voices On the Wind (VOW) so that I could keep windy stuff separate from my other writing here on GAG. And I've been very involved in legislation at the Capital in Augusta, along with myriad details having to do with the Highland Wind project. And other projects and people and issues. Like I said, that's no excuse... but it IS my excuse.

Hugs from here,
Kaz

Royally Skewed

Wednesday’s editorial “Nothing to Cheer About…” regarding Angus King’s temporary withdrawal of his application for a wind turbine development in Highland was published in all three of Maine Today Media’s newspapers. If there were any questions remaining about the bias of this publisher in the matter of industrial wind development, they’ve been answered.

Quote (MTM): “Opponents of wind power are no-doubt celebrating…”

Did MTM editors call any ‘opponents’ to see if they were cheering? I spoke with many--and often, the opposite was true. We aren’t naïve, and we recognize that Mr. King is gaming the system. Maine’s Expedited Wind Law is great when it works in the wind industry’s favor, but that abbreviated time-frame proved to be a bane for Highland Wind when their project was challenged by the MDIFW. And lest anyone think this report came as a surprise to the developers, the MDIFW states they “provided technical assistance and consultations to this project since 2007. Despite considerable discussions and previous project modifications, an array of concerns remain unresolved…”

Quote(MTM): “They are not cheering because they love the Roaring Brook mayfly, or are appreciators of the northern bog lemming…”

How are the editors so in tune with ‘wind opponents’? Did they ask how they feel about the ecosystems and environment of Maine? Do they know how many opponents of mountaintop industrial wind are dedicated individuals who appreciate the special qualities of the Maine woods? How many of them guide nature tours in these hills? And are the editors so narrow-minded that they are unable to acknowledge that many other species are affected every time one is endangered or lost? They trivialize a mayfly—but that species has thus far been found only in Maine. Both the above-mentioned species have already been impacted by the Kibby and Sisk wind projects.

Quote(MTM): “opposition has come from people who don't want to look at tall white towers and rotating turbines…”

Quote(Angus King in May of 2010): “It’s all about the view.”

Statements such as those have one purpose: to try to turn public opinion against opponents of industrial wind. To belittle us as selfish elitists who put our ‘back yard’ view above other, more important things.

That is a warped reality.

A view has value, yes. It’s evidenced by the fact that real estate with gorgeous vistas command higher prices on the market, and in towns’ assessment books. “Views” are an integral part of Maine’s celebrated “Quality of Place”, and their value brings billions of tourism dollars to our state’s economy. Yes, scenic value is important. I wouldn’t be surprised if the owners of MTM and Highland Wind LLC enjoy some lovely views from their own homes.


A quick perusal of MTM’s own online comments section would have quickly proven that ‘wind opponents’ have diverse and vital concerns, including Mainers’ health and well-being, protection of our environment, and distress at having to foot the bill for the $1.4Billion transmission costs needed to add ‘wind’ to our energy mix. We are concerned with apparent conflicts of interest as Maine’s leaders chose an unreliable, intermittent, expensive and un-storable energy source which was abandoned 100 years ago for good cause. We are worried about permanently scarring our fragile slopes and ridges, and removing thousands of acres of carbon-sequestering trees. We fear for bald eagles, bats… and yes. Some really are concerned about small rodents and insects, especially as they pertain to the larger picture.

Quote(MTM): “Through the expedited permitting law passed by the Legislature, investors could expect to find a clear path to approval.”

A clear path to approval is exactly what the authors of that law expected, and many of them were heavily invested in the outcome. In a letter from Rob Gardiner (partner to Angus King and president of Independence Wind) to Alec Giffen, chair of the Governor’s Task Force on Wind Power, Gardiner attempts to influence the writing of the law which gave wind developers the advantage over Maine citizens, forestalling their objections to wind developments.

Gardiner states: “In my opinion, the biggest sticking point is visual impact. Under the standard of "fitting harmoniously into the environment", wind is at a serious disadvantage. Because it involves 250' high structures (King and Gardiner’s are 400+ feet tall) that are usually on high ridges, the visual impacts are significant.”


“An immediate executive order followed by legislation that specifically removes the presumption of negative visual impact from wind farms would go a long way toward setting the stage for balanced regulatory review.”

“A second element of such executive order and legislation should be to declare that reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions is a public benefit, and that wind farms can make a significant contribution toward a more sensible energy mix for Maine. Therefore, any regulatory agency should accept these positions and not waste time receiving further evidence and debating them. To the extent that regulators are charged with balancing the benefits of any project against the negative impacts, these beneficial aspects should be "a given" for wind farms.”

“…wind farms ought not to be expected to help purchase conservation lands or do other types of mitigation. Wind farms ARE mitigation for our energy consumption habits and for the impacts of fossil fuel consumption.”

“I understand that preserving Maine's "quality of place" is an important goal for your task force. I fully accept that having wind farms everywhere might ruin that quality.”

"I recognize that LURC feels overwhelmed… This may need attention, but it is a short-term phenomenon. Don't change the rules, provide the necessary resources. The Governor can do that... But creating a new agency or shifting responsibilities will, in actuality, make it harder for developers.”

Yes, investors like those hoping to develop Highland’s mountains certainly expected—and worked hard to get—a ‘clear path to approval’.

Quote(MTM): “any Mainer concerned about an unfriendly business climate and a propensity for over-regulation should look at this frustrating process and wonder if there is anything to cheer about.”

MTM certainly hasn’t supported Governor LePage, but it’s apparent they are attempting to use his administration’s goals of bringing jobs to Maine (and reducing environmental regulations in order to do so) to their advantage. Such statements cloud the issue; but if new, full-time jobs are MTM’s goal, perhaps the editors should read the Highland Wind LLC permit application to see exactly how many will be supplied by this development, and how many American tax-payer dollars must be spent to provide that handful of technical positions.

Maine Today Media has reporters who have been in the field and spoken at length with many ‘wind opponents’. Those journalists know the scoop. MTM’s editorial board would do well to deal in truths rather than biased rhetoric intended to sway the public’s perception of Maine’s wind energy plan.

********************
Top and second Photo: First Wind's Rollins project, credit: Friends of Lincoln Lakes
3rd and 4th photos: Iberdrola Renewable's access point for met towers erected in Lexington Twp., taken by Kaz Pease, November 2010.

ANGUS KING WITHDRAWS HIGHLAND PERMIT APPLICATION

On December 18, 2009, Highland Wind LLC (HW LLC) filed a permit application with Maine’s Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC) to build a 48 turbine grid-scale wind energy facility in Highland Plantation. Due to the inappropriateness of the site and due to the negative impacts such a development would have to the local ecology and environment, to the nature-based economy, to the health and quality of life of the area residents, and to scenic qualities of the area near the Bigelow Preserve, the Appalachian Trail and the Arnold Trail, Friends of the Highland Mountains (FHM), along with the Maine Appalachian Trail Club (MATC) and others, requested intervenor status.

Upon analysis of the application, FHM filed a motion to suspend the review process until such time as HW LLC provided the necessary documentation to meet the completeness standards set forth by LURC. On April 7, 2010, LURC ruled in FHM’s favor, and the review of the permit was suspended.

On December 29, 2010, HW LLC submitted a revised permit application for a 39 turbine wind facility, acceding, in part, to the concerns about the project’s impacts to the Appalachian Trail and the Bigelow Preserve. The application was deemed complete and accepted for processing on February 23, 2011, initiating commencement of the expedited review process once more. Again, upon examining the application, FHM determined several areas wherein the applicant had not provided sufficient documentation for a comprehensive review (including complete Title, Right or Interest; make, model and size of turbines proposed for the project; and sufficient proof of financial capacity) and we once again petitioned LURC to suspend the review process. This time, LURC ruled in favor of the applicant, HW LLC. In keeping with the statutes, FHM and the other intervenors submitted documentation and filings by the deadlines set forth.

On April 13th and 20th, 2011, Agency review comments were submitted to LURC. The comments submitted by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IFW) stated unequivocally that Highland “is not an appropriate locality for an intensive wind energy installation such as that currently proposed by Highland Wind Power.”

On April 26, 2011, the 3rd Procedural Order, including a schedule of events and deadlines, was sent to all parties, and intervenors provided witness lists, as well as the issues they would be addressing at the Public and Technical Hearings, to the LURC staff and the applicant, HW LLC.

On May 2, 2011, Angus King, a principal of HW LLC, submitted a letter to LURC withdrawing his application, with “intent to re-file at a later date”, and stated that those government agency review comments “suggested that additional data would be necessary to satisfy agency concerns.”

The IFW did not suggest that additional data would satisfy their concerns. The IFW stated that Highland was “not an appropriate locality”. "Additional data" will not change the fact that Highland’s mountains are an inappropriate site for a grid-scale wind energy development. In fact, the IFW stated that they have “provided technical assistance and consultations to this project since 2007. Despite considerable discussions and previous project modifications, an array of concerns remain unresolved…”

Highland Wind LLC must permanently withdraw their development permit application to build an industrial wind turbine facility in Highland Plantation. The IFW’s report, in conjunction with the many other issues raised by the intervenors, provides ample reason to abandon all plans to develop the mountains of Highland Plantation.

FHM has conformed to all the standards and restrictions set forth in the so-called “Expedited Wind Permitting Law”. The applicant has pressed for an expedited review, as evidenced in letters obtained through the Freedom of Information Act between Rob Gardiner, President of HW LLC, and LURC. Now that the developers have realized that their project, as submitted, was destined for denial, they are gaming the system. HW LLC has had several years in which to study and ascertain the appropriateness of their proposed development, and has ignored all concerns except those which they determined had the greatest ability to hinder the approval of their project. The Agency review comments submitted by the IFW, an unbiased party, corroborate some of the many concerns which FHM has presented as reasons why approval of this project should be denied. By abandoning their plans to industrialize Highland’s mountains, HW LLC has the opportunity to save Maine tax-payers and individual citizens additional expense.

Mr. King and Mr. Gardiner should publicly and permanently cancel all plans to build an industrial wind facility in Highland Plantation.

Questions...

What happens when you lose faith in your government? What happens when you start asking questions, and the answers you receive stun you to your very core? What happens when you realize that the People haven’t been running the show, but it’s Big Money and Big Corporations which are in charge, and have been for a long, long time? What happens when you realize that those elected officials you thought were there to serve the People are, instead, pawns for a powerful force which does not care about citizens or their rights, but only cares what those citizens can do to help advance their cause and add to their wealth?

What do you do?

Do you ignore the truth, and go about your business? Do you assume that the revelation, while disturbing, won’t affect you? Or do you hope that someone else will take charge, and step up to the plate to correct the problem? Someone more qualified than you, or who isn’t as busy? Do you feel a twinge of dismay, or sadness or hopelessness, but think to yourself, “Well, there’s nothing I can do about it!”? Do you flounder at the immensity of the problem, convinced that your one voice will be ineffective, thereby persuading yourself to remain silent?

Or do you start to speak out? Do you talk to your neighbors and family members? Do you read and research and investigate so that you are as informed as possible, and then take that knowledge that you’ve acquired and try to educate the public?

And if you do take a stand, for how long will you hold your ground? Will you remain constant if your livelihood is threatened? If your reputation is damaged? Will you stay in the game once you find out that you have been “profiled”—your movements tracked, your “tone” evaluated? Will it disturb you when you are approached by strangers from these corporations who seem to know you intimately?

Will you speak out as often and as publicly as possible when you know you are angering the opposition? Will you be intimidated when you testify before Legislative Committees and discover that the corporate lobby has paid dozens of people to come to oppose you and your position? Will you lose hope when you discover that some of the very people you depend on to help you have been paid off, or have personal and financial interests which create obstacles to their ability or willingness to help?

What will you do when well-meaning insiders sympathetically caution you to “give up”? When they tell you that you don’t stand a chance, and that the entities you are opposing are too well-entrenched and powerful to ever be disrupted by someone as inconsequential as you? How will you act or respond when people who’ve promised to support your cause suddenly back off? When you find out they’ve accepted money in exchange for dropping their opposition, or that they’ve been indirectly threatened in some way?

How far will you go? How long can you hold out? Is the battle worth the sacrifice?

Have you ever asked yourself these questions?

I have.

I Don't Like Spiders and Snakes... but if that's what it takes...

Derek Small, Executive Director of the Granite State Zoo (GSZ), a nonprofit conservation-education organization, is bringing some of the Zoo's Animals to Kingfield!

GSZ's animals and Educators have appeared on the Martha Stewart Show, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Fox-25 (Boston), as well as delivering over 1700 educational outreach presentations per year across Northern New England, while also working to build a new public Zoo in Southern NH!

In 2008 they were also a part of the Animal Planet Expo Tour, and today have their own "Wildlife Encounters" TV Show that airs in communities across the area. Don’t miss this rare opportunity.

This is a hands-on show & educational opportunity & everyone is welcome.
Showtime is at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 23
WEBSTER HALL, School St., Kingfield.
Children under 12- $5.00 Adults-$7.50, Families (4 or more)-$20.00

Proceeds to benefit the Friends of the Highland Mountains



WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOU THERE!

Open for Business... but NOT For Sale!

Well, it is official. The State of Maine has re-established its credibility and integrity to the People of Maine. Wow, does that feel good!

As you know, I’ve recently expressed grave concerns about the ‘offer’ levied in the permit application of Highland Wind LLC (the limited liability corporation owned by former governor Angus King and Rob Gardiner) to Maine’s Department of Conservation. Highland Wind LLC is asking permission to construct a 39 turbine grid-scale wind energy facility atop the mountains of rural Highland Plantation. Under the ‘tangible benefits’ section of that application, the owners of Highland Wind LLC made this offer to the Agency which would be determining the fate of their multi-million dollar project:

“For the Maine Department of Conservation, Bureau of Parks and Lands: Highland Wind will provide $1,040,000 to the Maine Department of Conservation, Bureau of Parks and Lands (BPL)over a twenty year period, as a “donation for land or natural resource conservation” pursuant to 35-A MRSA §3451 (1-C) (C). This land or natural resource conservation will be comprised of two Elements:…”

http://www.maine.gov/doc/lurc/projects/Windpower/HighlandWind/Highland_DP4862.shtml

In layman’s terms, Highland Wind LLC was offering a bribe to the very Agency which will be deciding the fate of their development. That was unacceptable. At best—it created a conflict of interest. At worst… it was a blatant bribe. So you can imagine the delight I felt when the following “Agency Comment” was published on LURC’s website today:

“BPL (Bureau of Parks and Lands) declines to accept this proposal. The Bureau’s current policy is to remain neutral in these proceedings, and acceptance of such benefits is viewed as a conflict of interest…”

Acceptance of such benefits is viewed as a conflict of interest….Oh, yeah.

You can’t blame me for smiling when I read that, can you? I hope not. For, you see, concerned citizens have been trying to engage our State Agencies in this ‘wind’ issue for years, and we’d almost given up hope of receiving anything other than politically correct answers which circumvented the real issues. But here, finally, we have proof that a State Agency recognized when it was being put into a compromising situation.


I don’t know about others, but my faith is slowly being restored. Last week the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife submitted comments detailing exactly how the Highland project would pose a significant threat to several threatened and endangered species. And today, the Department of Conservation made it clear that it would not be a party to extortion.

Maine may be “Open For Business” but it is not “For Sale”.

Yep. There’s hope for us, yet.