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My holiday season has filled with the usual series of long family dinners, and the long family conversations that accompany them. Various topics would wind their way through every meal, but by the time wine glasses had been emptied and dessert has been served, the conversation inevitably circled back to that most irresistable subject – the state of world affairs.

One of my favorite year end rituals is watching the photojournalism pieces that appear on various news programs between Christmas and the New Year.  These visual reminders replay the year’s highs and lows and cause us to pause to honor those we lost.  Sadly, this year I felt heaviness as I viewed many of the images reflecting back at me. I couldn’t help but think of the following quote from Gandhi who believed that there are seven deadly societal sins.“Politics without principle, wealth without work, commerce without morality, pleasure without conscience, education without character, science without humanity, and worship without sacrifice.”  If societal sin is simply not living up to the best version of our collective selves, we are guilty of them all.

I have breakfast every Friday morning surrounded by fifteen children.  Not my own children, but 8, 9 and 10 year olds at Mast Landing School in Freeport, Maine.  These are a group of kids who sit with me or another adult volunteer every week.  This particular program serves children from all walks of life.  Though some choose to come because they might not have had time for breakfast at home, there are also those who are subsidized.  These children are hungry because they didn’t have breakfast at home.  In fact though, some of these children might not have even had dinner the night before.

It was Halloween, 2011 and fall was in the air.  There was some residual snow on the ground from a fluke October nor’easter, along with the leaves.  I was out “trick or treating” with two of my nieces and my sister and I couldn’t help but think of my nieces as future canvassers.

Several weeks ago, while listening to a lecture by one of my favorite contemporary intellectuals, journalist Christopher Hitchens, I was struck by a comment he made regarding the most compelling and effective cure for poverty, simply put, “the empowerment of women.”

The comment was made mainly in reference to countries, which we might refer to as ‘developing nations’. Often, in these countries, women’s access to education, birth control, and political rights and stature are severely limited and poverty rampant.  But after hearing Hitchens’ argument, it occurred to me – given the state of the economic affairs in our own ‘developed’ nation – could there be a correlation? How does the U.S. compare to countries with greater gender equality and women in positions of power? This line of thinking was made even more relevant at our September Emerge training when USM Professor Susan Feiner outlined in detail the current state of representation (or lack there of) on both national and local levels.

Maine has lots of people for a pro-business mural.

If Gov. LePage's intent is to make Maine's Department of Labor equally "friendly" to business and labor, why not commission a Maine artist to create a mural commemorating the contribution of someMaine business heroes to exhibit in the halls of the Maine Department of Labor along with JudyTaylor's returned mural?

When I think of all the wonderful people in my life and my physical and financial comforts and security, I don't think I am blessed. I am not just lucky. I am thankful.

I am the Field Director for the Maine affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union and a member of Emerge Maine’s Class of 2011. In my paid work, I have the tremendous privilege of participating in the legislative process. Wednesday this week, I spent six and a half hours in the Judiciary Committee room listening to testimony on three anti-choice bills. The bills would require women to wait 24 hours prior to having an abortion and require doctors to read coercive, biased scripts to women.  It was a long day of testimony. It's never easy to have to sit through hours of testimony spreading misinformation and shaming women. The whole experience is a perfect example of why, someday, I hope to run for office.

As a teacher, and a woman in education, compensation has always been an issue of discussion. Teachers are sometimes, surprisingly, not considered professionals by the public. The lack of that recognition can be at the core of the teacher pay issue, in that 'professional' is often thought of as a doctor, lawyer, professor, indian chief...(oops!). Thinking of teachers as professionals should envision a person who has completed their baccalaureate degree, and more commonly, their masters degree as well- therefore, are appropriately paid as a highly educated person. History, however, has not treated women educators (and women workers) as equals in their fields of expertise.

Living in Maine, a state that some Americans do not realize is actually a part of the “United States”, you get used to being somewhat on the fringe, both geographically and metaphorically.  However, that has all changed.   Read the NYT or watch MSNBC lately  and you know that those of us in the Maine Progressive Community are now engaged in the fight our our lives.  Not only does our Governor have a reactionary agenda but his Republican Party controls the Legislature, House and Senate.