It is not enough that Sen. Olympia Snowe has done her best to scuttle needed health care reform for political reasons, now Sen. Susan Collins is bringing further shame to the state by becoming the latest mouthpiece for torture and extralegal prisoner abuse.
Earlier this month, Collins bemoaned the fact that Christmas Day bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was actually to be given access to counsel and prosecuted in civilian court. The pro-torture, anti-Constitution Collins suggested that non-citizens had no rights under the Constitution. Thankfully, that is not the case.
In this country, everyone — citizen or not — has a right to humane treatment, legal counsel and trial by jury. In Collins' ideal world, evil terrorists are too scary for the criminal justice system and must be whisked away to secret prisons, tortured, or summarily executed if "we" deem it necessary.
I believe that this country and its wonderful Constitution are more powerful than any terrorist. It's a shame that Collins does not agree.
Now the Obama administration has demonstrated how effective traditional criminal procedures are in gaining the cooperation of Abdulmutallab. Presented with the facts, Collins hemmed and hawed through an MSNBC interview with Andrea Mitchell, falsely claiming that the proper security officials were not notified that the suspect was granted Miranda rights. Having had her world view demolished by facts, Collins resorted to misdirection.
I urge my fellow Mainers to vote Collins and Sen. Olympia Snowe out of office as soon as possible.
Daniel Salerno, Farmington

Langela12,
Congratulations on being a mouth breathing nitwit. I sure would love to live in your Libertarian Mad Max paradise where the government provides no services and everyone fends for himself. How wonderful that would be! Our old people tossed into the streets; nobody retiring until death; health care costs bankrupting people left and right; streets unpaved; mail undelivered; no unemployment benefits; no oversight of corporations or products liability laws. Sounds AWESOME!
Please go move to UTah or something. You can buy yourself a ranch off the grid where the evil government can't get to you with its Satanic "health care" and "food stamps."
It is really poor form to put out a letter to the editor seeking comment from the readers and then post derogatory comments about anyone who differs with your opinion, DS.
I only post derogatory comments about idiots. People like you. Ask your grandma what she thinks about evil socialist/communist progressive policies like social security and medicare. Why don't you see if grammy wants to eat catfood or live in a shantytown instead?
Conservatives and Libetarian policy=me me me me me, I'm the only person that matters in the world and to heck with everyone else. If you're suffering it's your own fault, get out of my way.
All this bickering over healthcare and cap and trade are only distractions from what is really happening in this country. It doesen't matter Democrat or Republican we should be looking at which ones are actually progressives and which are not. The truth is both parties are using these arguments to keep us off the real issue . The progressives in power from both parties are literally transforming this country into something that it is not supposed to be. Whatever happened to the Constitution? If we simply followed the constitution all threse problems would take care of themselves. The government gas for years brainwashed us into thinking that someone else is responsible for our own wants and needs. Where is personal responsibility? Can we really expect that government is going to take care of us from cradle to grave as though we are their children? We all need to wake up ,open our eyes and take care of ourselves. Government has for too long grown and grown and needs to be scaled back. Could someone please explain to me how can our country survive if government becomes the largest employer? Who will be left to pay the bills? I contend that this path cannot be sustained. Common sense needs to prevail.
langela 1 2, spot on. Progressives going back to T. Roosevelt have been decimating this country and shredding the Constitution in order to push their liberal/socialist agendas. You're absolutely correct that government is too large and should go on a fiscal diet beginning with the abolition of the Federal Reserve System and the destruction of our policy of fiat currency.
Snowe and Collins are the voice of reason in this liberal socialist cess pool we call congress!! Obama wants Republicans to see thing his way, as if he where the only person on the planet with the correct opinion!! First these terrorests, highjackers, suicide bombers want to kill us all!! So lets put them up in the Hilton and give them room service!! maybe if we are kind enough to them they will like us!! THey would cut off our heads with a rusty blade, but making them pee their pants with a feather duster is torture!! Second Health care yes we need an overhaul to question, But and its a big but, Creating government run insurance will not make healthcare more affordable it will make it more costly to everyone and mandatory so the millions of Americans who currently have to chose between health insurance and paying their morgage good news no more worries choice is gone hope you like living in your parents basement with your three kids!! In a country where we can dictate to the Dairy farmers how much a gallon of milk costs. Why can't we controll medical costs!! Thats the real problem the cost are crazy so insurance is through the roof because of those costs. We need to find a cash value on medical procedures, $1000 for five stitches crazy!! $12000 for a broken leg insane!! $2500 for an MRI and Then $800 to read the results nonsense!! If we can controll cost, we lower insurance rates and make healthcare truely affordable!! I would much rather see our government subsidize hospitals like we do farmers, Then allow congress to create another beaurocracy that would only increase the actual cost of medical treatments. But I suppose it would create lots of good paying governments jobs for all those Senators sons and daughters!!
over 300 "terrorists" have been tried in federal court, largely found guilty, and imprisoned or given the death penalty.
New information is that the Christmas bomber is signing like a bird to intelligence agencies.
Looks like it worked well. Like the DHS director said, everything has worked out well AFTER the EVENT.
Collins has no right to be in the Senate. She allowed Halliburton to kill American soldiers by not holding hearings on its failure to ground shower facities. She's the terrorist.
Way to stand up for those terrorists, Daniel!
One more thing Norwood, Northwood or whatever your title is are you admitting voter fraud by saying you were voting for both Collins and Snowe? I would not doubt it we have known for some time about the slimey politics of "registered republicans".
I apologize for the confusion. I have voted for both Snowe and Collins because I have lived in both districts in maine during my life and by chance during election years. I know vote for Collins and support Snowe at any chance I have. Once again sorry for your confusion.
FYI Since I know you will say I moved to vote I will explain I was in College at the time. As you may have noticed I wasn't in school as an English major.
If you continue voting for Snowe and Collins then you will simply be enabling the corrupt, anti-middle class, anti-growth Republican party. Swift.
In true Republican fashion you offer no substantiation for anything you wrote. It's why you are a Republican, logic has nothing to do with why you hold certain positions. There is absolutely nothing more radical than refusing to revise a health insurance system that is destroying America's ability to compete, and which increased rates 200% since the last time Republicans trashed health care reform in 1995. Now they've pretty much done it again and Snowe and Collins sided with the insurance companies.
Why should the profits of health insurance companies be more important to Snowe and Collins than the needs of the people who vited for them? America was not created by and for corporations, but you wouldn't know that listening to Snowe and Collins.
It's astonishing that there are ignorant people who vote against what is best for the nation and themselves. They're called Republican.
Senator Snowe and Senator Collins are far from my ideal candidate, but I find myself voting for them because the alternative is simply not acceptable. Jean Hay Bright and Rep. Allen are just to far out in left field for me to even consider voting for them. I know the Senators will at least do the correct thing, 60-70% of the time, but I knew the Democrat would do the wrong thing 90% of the time. So for me there is really no choice.
Another one of the reptiles that is admitting to voter fraud I would like to see and investigation done to find out if these people are just plain stupid and don't realize what they are saying or are really voting twice, once for Collins and once for Snowe. This may be the reason these two idiots keep getting elected. How many of you Dummycrats voted for both senatorial candidates????????????
Rstonge writes "Senator Snowe and Senator Collins are far from my ideal candidate, but I find myself voting for them because the alternative is simply not acceptable."
Northwoods writes "I think Collins and Snowe are doing a good job and I will be voting for them both for along time to come."
Am I the only one that sees a pattern of fraud here????????
xyz, what voter fraud are you talking about?
Senators are elected by the entire state, so in 2006 Senator Snowe was challenged by Jean Hay Bright, then in 2008 Senator Collins was challenged by then Rep. Tom Allen. Since it is two separate elections I can and did vote for both of them. Since I live in House District 2, I voted for Rep. Michaud and therefore I was not allowed to vote in House District 1.
Unless something has changed recently, U.S. Senators are elected by all residents of a particular state; they are not elected by voting district. So, northwoods is correct when he says he will vote for both Snowe and Collins. You really should take a remedial course in Civics and Government...and maybe one in English Grammar while you're at it.
I think Collins and Snowe are doing a good job and I will be voting for them both for along time to come. xyz what is important to people is different with every person and you can't be educated on what is important.
As long as there are uneducated people like you voting you might be right, by the way it's a long time to come not along time to come. Since you wanted to bring education into it.
XYZ
You are the one that brought up education not me.
Great letter, if people got educated on what is important they both would be GONE.
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