If you ever thought that your vote didn't matter much, read this story at WGME.
Lucas Lanigan won re-election by one vote; and surprisingly it was right after he was charged with choking his wife! Prior to that, Patricia Kidder was ahead of him. Have Americans grown so distrustful of politicians that some just automatically align themselves with criminals? It happened so near the election that voters didn't get a chance to swallow the news?
Another story at WGME says after posting a $3000 bail, Lanigan is not to have contact with his wife. When two people can't seem to end a relationship, things can get complicated and frustrations can turn into violence if appropriate intervention doesn't happen.
Mediation, in some cases, should include supervised visits, and/or monitoring of telephone conversations. As it stands, even a phone call would be in violation of the order placed on Lanigan. But is completely cutting off ties always the best option? Misplaced frustration can lead to violence.
The non-profit that organized the march in Sanford is Finding Our Voices. The founder is Patricia McLean, and she interviewed Randall Liberty of the Maine State Prison; his father was an abuser who was in and out of prison. To combat the problems of violence, there's a new state office, The Office of Injury and Violence Prevention, a part of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
