The Capitol Building was blanketed in white Wednesday, as snow and wind forced the postponement of a controversial meeting between Maine Senate President Elizabeth H. (Libby) Mitchell (Democrat - Kennebec County) and the leader of the state's largest homosexual rights organization. The secret, closed-door meeting came to light after a memo was released to the Christian Civic League as part of an investigation into the close cooperation between certain legislators and the homosexual rights movement. The title of the memo "Next Step" indicates that the meeting was going to be a strategy session on how to win gay marriage in Maine, despite the recent referendum in which a majority of voters voted to repeal the existing same sex marriage law.

The Brunswick Times Record and the Lincoln County News quickly picked up the story, but the larger papers in Maine ignored it completely. Information obtained since the story broke on Friday points to the most important agenda item for the meeting, cooperation between the Senate President's Office and Equality Maine in identifying and supporting potential candidates for the Maine Legislature over the next three months. Once that support is obtained, another gay marriage bill will be resubmitted to the Legislature.

Evidence suggests that Equality Maine is deeply concerned that pro-gay legislators will be swept from office in the wake of the vote on gay marriage. This same concern was expressed by Representative Sharon Treat (Democrat - District 79) at a recent Equality Maine meeting. Treat lamented that out of three towns she represents, only one - Hallowell - voted for gay marriage. 
 
The Senate President's closed-door meeting so soon after the victory on Question 1 has offended many voters. One Maine voter, Al Lowberg, a prospective candidate for the Congressional seat in District 1 asked the Senate President on Wednesday to open the meeting to the public. Lowberg, shown with Mitchell in the photo at right,  approached the Senate President and asked politely if she would grant the public a place at the table. Lowberg is a former boat captain from the coast and has the frank and forthright manners of a native New Englander, a true Yankee. The Senate President replied in her warm, genteel manner that she could not grant his request, and then added "I don't go to your private meetings, and you cannot come to mine." 

The meeting between the Senate President and the state's largest homosexual rights organization is only the proverbial 'tip of the iceberg.' The Record has uncovered other evidence of collusion between members of the Legislature and the homosexual rights movement. One document reveals that the Senate President's Office collaborated with Jesse Connolly to reschedule the public hearing for midweek, a time when most conservative Mainers were hard at work and cannot attend public hearings.  Connolly was Chief-of-Staff for House Speaker Hannah Pingree at the time, and was later tapped to lead the No on 1 campaign.

These further revelations show there is something deeply wrong in Augusta. The Legislature - which ought to be the People's House - is now a clubhouse for special interests. Worse, in the case of the Senate President, the People's House is merely an opportunity for advancing one's own political ambitions.

Seeking to overturn a referendum one month after it has taken place goes far beyond defying the will of the people. As one Mainer has pointed out, to disregard the outcome of a referendum, is in essence a disregard for the rule of law and a mockery of the democratic process. 

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