Nobel Peace Prize chair empty

From the New York Times:

Mr. Liu, 54, a professor, poet, essayist and campaigner for human rights, has been an irritant to the Chinese authorities since helping resolve confrontations between the police and students in Tiananmen Square. Mr. Liu was detained in December 2008, after co-writing the Charter 08 call for human rights and reform, and is currently serving an 11-year sentence for the crime of “incitement to the overthrow of the state power and socialist system and the people’s democratic dictatorship.”

Nuts! Nutting screws state, but may become Speaker of House?

Robert Nutting, owner of now bankrupt True's Pharmacy, was recently elected by fellow legislators as speaker... unanimously! Give me a frickin' break!  

Despite the recent revelations that Nutting left the state and federal Medicaid programs with the $1.2 million in bad debt, Republicans and even some Democrats have said it will not harm his chance to become speaker.

True's Pharmacy was marking up rubber gloves and adult diapers by as much as 153%. The allowable markup was apparently 40%. Here's a link to a story which states, "Medicaid overpaid Trues by $531,792.73."

Maine's new legislature elects three new officers

Finally, I can't wait! Click on the headline to read about the newly-elected Maine bureaucrats. And Paul LePage and other governors-elect, apparently met with President Obama last week! Major items on the discussion list: homeland security and the president's healthcare overhaul. Click here for that news flash. 

William Schneider, who was elected to the office of Maine Attorney General, will have to handle the aftermath under A.G. Mills', regarding the "no wrongdoing" finding in prisoner Victor Valdez' death in a Maine prison, which I blogged about recently. 

Schneider, who is wheelchair-disabled, talked about how the law regarding the rights of the disabled in Maine (passed in 1971) compares to states which never enacted such discrimination legislation Here's that May 10, 2001 story: Maine A Pacesetter In Rights For The Disabled . In it a U.S. Supreme Court case was mentioned: BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF UNIV. OF ALA.V. GARRETT (99-1240) 531 U.S. 356 (2001). The Supreme Court, under Chief Justice Rehnquist, narrowed the avenues available to state government employees with disabilities, who had claims of discrimination against their employers. On March 06, 2001, John McManamy wrote And Justice for All?; the article will help you understand the ruling, which has alot to do with the Eleventh Amendment, and states' sovereign rights.  

And finally, I just wanted to say Goodbye, and good riddance, to the old administration. And here are a few stories about wind energy in Maine... a topic which is receiving much attention these days.  

Wind power's assualt on Maine
Baldacci touts investment, renewable energy

Sanders on Fed transparency

Senators Bernie Sanders and Joe Lieberman are the only two Independent Senators in the U.S. Senate! You'd think that being Independent would make these guys popular. Well, maybe Sanders is; but Lieberman has only a 25% approval rating! According to the Wiki anyway. 

Sanders introduced legislation last fall which would break up companies deemed "too big to fail" into smaller ones.

Care to comment about Cybersecurity? Nobody else did. A bill was proposed this summer which some senators said had no "kill switch."