According to reports, around 250 supporters gathered outside Maine City Hall to cheer the first couple to marry under the new law -- Steven Bridges, 42, and Michael Snell, 53. According to the Guardian, "a group in the crowd sang the Beatles song 'All You Need Is Love,' accompanied by several musicians playing brass horns, and many carried signs with such slogans as 'America's new day begins in Maine' and 'Love one another.'"

Continue Reading...

Reuters reports:

"We've got the lobsters feeding back on themselves just because they're so abundant," said Richard Wahle, a marine sciences professor at the University of Maine, who is supervising the research. "It's never been observed just out in the open like this," he said.

Maine's lobster catch rose to a record 104 million pounds (45 million kilograms) last year, compared with 23 million pounds in 1981. The 2012 catch is expected to shatter that record as overfishing and other factors have led to the collapse of populations of cod, halibut and other groundfish that feed on lobsters.

Warming waters in the Gulf of Maine due to climate change have also bolstered the population even as the same phenomenon has led to more disease and lower populations in Long Island Sound and southern New England, Wahle said.

Continue Reading...

In 2009, hackers installed malware on construction firm Patco’s computers and stole its banking credentials to steal around $300,000. People’s United Bank has agreed to pay Patco Construction Co. all the money it lost plus interest. Although a U.S. District Court ruled that People’s United wasn’t responsible for the lost money as Patco claimed, the First Circuit Court of Appeals found the bank was responsible for an increased fraud risk and advised on the settlement.

"The case raised important questions about how much security banks and other financial institutions should be reasonably required to provide commercial customers," noted Wired. Jeremy Kirk at ComputerWorld.com wrote that the case is "a sign that small businesses are having greater success at shifting liability toward banks in online security meltdowns, including out-of-court settlements."

Continue Reading...

The ADF, formerly known as the Alliance Defense Fund, sent out legal memos to municipal clerks in the three states, which each legalized gay marriage on Election Day, telling them that they “can readily resolve this potential religious conflict” and avoid issuing the marriage licenses themselves, instead delegating to those who don't have such objections.

“No American should be forced to give up a constitutionally protected freedom, nor should any American be forced to give up his or her job to maintain that freedom,” said ADF senior counsel Austin R. Nimocks. “Religious freedom is paramount to every American, including those issuing marriage licenses. They can perform their job without violating their conscience.”

Continue Reading...

In an interview with Don Carrigan of WCSH-TV, Charlie Webster claimed that there was suspicious activity in rural Maine towns. "In some parts of rural Maine, there were dozens, dozens of black people who came in and voted on Election Day," he said. "Everybody has a right to vote, but nobody in (these) towns knows anyone who's black. How did that happen? I don't know. We're going to find out."

The Portland Press-Herald reports that when pressed, Webster would not give specifics on where the alleged fraud may have taken place.

From the Press-Herald:

Webster said he has identified five "pockets" of the state where he has concerns about voting irregularities. He would not identify those areas, but said he plans to mail "Thank You" cards to all of the newly registered voters. If a large number of cards are returned because the addresses are invalid, Webster said, he will know he is on to something.

Continue Reading...

"Rights should not be put to a vote," Evan Wolfson, the founder of Freedom to Marry, told the Wall Street Journal. "While we have now shown we can do it, it doesn't mean that we should have to do it, and it doesn't mean that it is easy to do."

He added that "very few" states will be appealing as fronts to pursue more ballot measures, because of costs and the scale of organization needed.

Adam Umhoefer, the executive director of the American Foundation for Equal Rights, told the New York Times that the ballot measures wins were, as the Times put it, "the right outcomes in the wrong forums."

Continue Reading...

The Maine Republican Party had objected to what it called Lachowicz’s “disturbing alter ego” in the game, and questioned her "fitness for office" because of comments she made in the game's forums. For example:  “So I’m a level 68 orc rogue girl. That means I stab things ... a lot.  Who would have thought that a peace-lovin’, social worker and democrat would enjoy that?!"

Continue Reading...

Salon spoke with Rep. Barney Frank, the first openly gay member of Congress, to get his reaction to the news and thoughts on the future of the equality fight. This conversation has been lightly edited for brevity.

A big night, what was your immediate reaction?

I was very happy. I expected good news, but wasn’t planning on perfect news. By the way, in addition to Tammy’s win, which is big, and the referenda, we have several new openly gay members of Congress. Mark Takano in California; Sean Maloney in Westchester County in New York; Mark Pocan replacing Tammy, so that’ll mean at least five [openly gay] representatives. It’s a significant increase. And then to win all four of the referenda? It was very good news.

Continue Reading...

But if you ask the National Organization for Marriage, which poured millions of dollars into the races, this doesn't mean much.

Brian Brown, president of NOM, put out a statement today saying that they are "disappointed" about losing, but they knew it would be tough because "the four marriage battles [were] occurring in four of the deepest-blue states in America."

"Our opponents and some in the media will attempt to portray the election results as a changing point in how Americans view gay marriage, but that is not the case," Brown said. "Americans remain strongly in favor of marriage as the union of one man and one woman. The election results reflect the political and funding advantages our opponents enjoyed in these very liberal states."

Continue Reading...

Maryland, Washington and Maine will ask voters to decide whether to legalize gay marriage in their states. In Minnesota, the question is whether to implement a constitutional ban on same-sex marriages. So far, marriage equality advocates have had no success getting voters to support them at the ballot box. There are some hopeful signs with the latest batch of polls on each measure, but unfortunately for pro-gay marriage groups, the polls have had a tendency to overestimate support for gay marriage leading up to the vote, usually by about 7 points. As the New York Times explained, "Some experts caution that they may be misleading anyway as voters may be hesitant to voice their opposition to the rights of others, with the vote against legalization often undercounted in polls."

Continue Reading...

While it's commonly accepted that Angus King, a former Democrat who supports President Barack Obama, would align with Democrats, he has refused to say. That's generated suspense and, in theory, could translate to power for King if the Senate ends up close to a 50/50 split. If one party wins a decisive majority, King could find himself with less leverage than he hoped.

"It looks like the Democrats may hold the control of the Senate — I'm not ready to concede that, but they may — in which case there ain't going to be no negotiating," said former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss. "He'll go to the Democratic side and take what they give him."

Who wields power after Tuesday's election is all about the math, but the answers may not be immediately clear.

If President Barack Obama wins re-election, he needs 50 Democrats or Democratic-aligned independents to keep control of the Senate. And similarly, Mitt Romney would need 50 Republicans or independents who lean that way if he wins.

Continue Reading...

From the New York Times:

"While the president does not weigh in on every single ballot measure in every state, the president believes in treating everyone fairly and equally, with dignity and respect," according to a statement in Seattle by Paul Bell, press secretary for Obama's campaign in Washington and Oregon.

The state goes on to explicitly urge a yes vote for Washington state Referendum 74, which would allow same-sex couples to marry.

Nearly identical endorsement statements were issued in support of similar initiatives on the November 6 ballot in Maine and Maryland.

Obama announced his support for gay marriage for the first time back in May.

In Washington and Maryland, voters will decide whether to uphold laws passed by the respective state legislatures. Maine would be the first state to legalize gay marriage by a vote if the measure is successful.

Continue Reading...

Continue Reading...

In a press release last week, the Maine Republican Party slammed Lachowicz's "disturbing alter ego," and comments she made in the game's forums that "raise questions about [the] candidate’s fitness for office." The MRP also set up a website called "Colleen's World," dedicated to mining those comments.

Here are some of the comments highlighted by the Republicans:

- “So I’m a level 68 orc rogue girl. That means I stab things . . . a lot.  Who would have thought that a peace-lovin’, social worker and democrat would enjoy that?!

- “Yes, I am seriously slacking off at work today.  And I called my congresswoman’s office today. And told them I would probably be calling everyday.”

- “I spent my day leveling my alt — an undead warlock…”

Continue Reading...

The Washington, D.C.-based group transferred $250,000 on Thursday to the Protect Marriage Maine political action committee, which is spearheading the campaign against the ballot initiative, said campaign manager Frank Schubert.

Schubert said the Maine election has national implications because the state could become the first where same-sex marriage is legalized in a popular vote.

"It is a critical race for the survival of the institution of marriage in this country," Schubert said. "It's a race that the entire nation is looking at and will have an impact far beyond the borders of Maine."

The National Organization for Marriage is a leading national anti-gay marriage group that has opposed same-sex initiatives in multiple states. Schubert, whose efforts are funded by the organization, also is managing other campaigns in opposition to same-sex marriage in three other states: Maryland, Washington and Minnesota.

Schubert's announcement came during a telephone conference call Thursday night with the co-chairman of Protect Marriage Maine and other gay marriage opponents.

Continue Reading...