Pat Taub
Amy Coney Barrett Hearings
Nothing like having a Handmaid become our next Supreme to cast me deeper into my Covid-election despair. A bright spot of the hearings (if you can call it that) for Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the Supreme Court was when Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) used his time to document how dark money has become the major force in selecting judges and the cases that come before the court. We need more Whitehouses to speak out against our crumbling democracy, and we need to get money out of politics this second!
Sen. Whitehouse breaking down how dark money has shaped our judiciary
Lisa Savage
For me, the star of Thursday’s debates featuring candidates vying to be Maine’s US Senator was Lisa Savage, running as an Independent. While the incumbent, Collins and Democratic challenger, Gideon wrangled over the Affordable Care Act, Savage made the critical point that unbridled defense spending has robbed our national coffers, so that monies for Covid relief and Medicare For All are off the table. Most candidates won’t go where Savage went because they take large amount of monies from defense contractors.
Lisa during the debates to elect Maine’s senator. Lisa is running on the rank-choice ballot, which safeguards against a “spoiler.”
The Red Hat Society
On a lighter note, I recently met up with a friend for a beach walk and an outdoor lunch, where I spotted a group of older women in red hats. I asked to take their photo, which they happily agreed to. They told me that The Red Hat Society has been meeting monthly for years.
A Harvest Door
I snapped this photo in Portland’s West End of a front door celebrating the harvest season. It made me smile.
My Talented Granddaughter
My granddaughter, Jane made this dress from a bed sheet. Her artistic expressions include drawing, sewing, jewelry making and cutting her family’s hair during the lockdown. I hinted to Jane that I would love one of her original bracelets for Xmas.
A Second Covid Wave
Maine’s director CDC Director, Dr. Dr. Nirav Shah, has warned of a sudden Covid spike as cold weather descends. To date, neighboring states of Vermont, Rhode Island and Massachusetts are reporting increasing numbers of Covid infections. I’m very grateful that Maine has a wise, diligent CDC Director.
Mainers, keep wearing your masks and practicing social distance so we can continue to have the lowest Covid rates in the country!
