I used to dislike hearing that word. Character! A noun meaning "the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual". Sums it up pretty good, wouldn't you say?
As I've said before, I was fortunate to have been  raised by two very distinctive women of "character", my mother and my grandmother. Of course I didn't know it at the time, but they were influencing every day what I would become in life.
Every time I either made a mistake or did something right, my mother used to say "Denny, you are building character".
I never really understood until later in my life when they were both gone, that they had given me something that would carry me through life, through good times and bad. Character.
Of course you can look at that word from a different angle and say " isn't he a real character", and I must say, both were applicable at certain points in my life.
But the main point here is that many times, I feel that what is missing in our society today is the strength of convictions, that we get so wrapped up in our personal lives that we forget we're not alone, that we also have to live as a community.
The lack of strength of character diminishes us as a people, when greed overcomes common sense and decency. Unfortunately, that has become the creed of the modern age.
When we have too many people seeking too few resources, we resort to greed, in the sense of trying to protect our future by denying others the same opportunity.
The monetary greed of today will eventually destroy us, simply because you cannot marginalize a large portion of the population without dire consequences when they rise up against you. And that is where we are today.
People are becoming aware of what is being done to them, and the insurrection has already started. We will no longer tolerate the greed and lack of character of our supposed leaders. Keep that in mind when you go to the polls this year, and for those running for office, that goes double. You are supposedly running for office to do good by your fellow man. Do not forget that, because we certainly won't!
And we will hold you accountable for your actions!
Hold yourselves accountable, rely on your character, because after all is said and done, that's all you have!
LOOK IN THAT MIRROR!
May peace be with you!
#Resist2018 dennismoconnor.com

Does anyone really ever stop and think of why we are in the predicament we are in, monetarily?
This country is bankrupt both morally and monetarily. We are doing exactly what the Soviet Union did before the breakup. We went into Afghanistan 16 years ago, supposedly to get Bin Laden. We are still there. If you recall, the Soviets did the same thing and got bogged down the same way we are now.
So the Union collapsed, and they got Putin. We have been there under 3 presidents, with no end in sight.
In the meantime, the Pentagon is bankrupting us. We now have 45, who knows absolutely nothing about diplomacy or military ways. Throws 2 million dollars missiles at useless targets and then buys more. The Pentagon and it's war-hawks always want more, because congressmen and women must keep the money flowing or they lose jobs in their districts and heaven forbid we stop programs that have outlived themselves!
We pass tax scams that only serve to widen the disparity between the rich and the poor, and then we try to pay for them by taking away the security of others who have no way of fighting back against a 2 party system that provides you with their selected candidates to choose from.
We are a foolish people when it comes to trusting our government to have our best interests in mind!
They are paid well to forget you exist, and they exercise that on a daily basis. They can placate you and tell you they are watching out for you, but they're not! They could care less about you except when it comes election time. Then they'll tell you all you want to hear and more.
I personally believe very few of them, but there are a few good ones. Trouble is, they're in the minority!
We need people who will stand up for their moral values, who cannot be corrupted by power. After all, you are there to perform a duty to the people who put you in office in the first place. You're not there to make yourself wealthy, although many do it!  You're not there for a career, but to help your fellow man.
It's about time that a few more of you start to realize that and act upon it.
May peace be with you
#Resist2018 dennismoconnor.com

I am coming to the conclusion that perhaps I was not meant to be on the ballot this round for reasons yet unknown. Unless someone, somewhere, has 1500 signatures in their pocket in the next 3 weeks!
I now see it as an opportunity to continue on in my quest for common sense and civil discourse in our politics. I may be able to accomplish more as an untethered protagonist in my writings than to be a low-man-on-the-totem-pole legislator. As long as you don't rehire Bruce Poliquin!
I will try to hold (along with all of you) whoever is elected to the values of the majority of Americans, and that is decency and fairness for all. We may be what others are saying about us, lazy about our involvement in our politics. If the past 2 years didn't prove that to you, I don't know what will. But change is coming, one way or another. We must persist!
To surrender to the thought of the present situation staying the way it is and progressing to a higher level is not an option!  I will not and I hope a great many others will not!
My time will come, and I will be much better prepared for it, having gone through what I have and learning what I have.
I can only hope that the giant in the room, who has been awakened by 45, does not go back to sleep!  Please keep prodding it every waking moment.
To the many people who read my posts, you have given me hope that we will overcome this political disaster. We must see to it that Republicans no longer control Congress after November! The only way they know how to govern is a reverse Robin Hood, take from the poor and give to the rich! It's what we do afterwards that matters, as this country has a long way to go to get back to where we were before this disaster struck us.
May peace be with you all.
#Resist2018 dennismoconnor.com

I have asked myself many times in the past few months "how can anyone be that shortsighted or hateful or frightened" to think the way an average 45 supporter thinks?
I know now that it is in their DNA, and it is a heightened sense of insecurity that is pushed by the Republican hierarchy in order to control that portion of society that is subject to it.
Why would anyone feel that, in order to control a wide cross-section of society, we must keep them in distress and poverty! Take away their ability to have basic medical care, take away their Social SECURITY that they paid into all their lives and sink our elderly into an early grave because we as a society do not wish to care for them.
I call that pure and simple greed and hatred for our fellow man, and we are basically the only wealthy country in the world that does this.
They don't care if the world goes on after they are done destroying it for money and power, as long as they get to play in the sandbox and make others suffer by throwing sand in their faces.
I have never, and will never, understand how people can be so greedy and hateful! And a lot of Republicans are hateful, they prove it each and every day. It was not like this until Ronnie Raygun came along and started the decline of civility and caring for one another. The Koch's and Mercer's and Walton's of the world are controlling you, and you don't care as long as you get yours!
So I say to you, each and every one of you who fit in this category, look in the mirror and see what you are.  You are hateful, mean and selfish! You fear that your whiteness will be overtaken by brown people, because you can't see them as just people. This happened in Germany in the 30's and like it or not, we are headed down the same path. We do not learn from revisionist history, where the Holocaust didn't happen. Maybe it's time to awaken from your nap and see life for what it is!
Remember this! One day, hopefully soon, 45 will be gone. But the bitterness and hatred that has been stirred up by him will live on, and you are the only one who can change it!
May peace be with you!
#Resist2018 dennismoconnor.com

I know that I haven't written in a week, but It was for many reasons.
First thing is I was exhausted. I have been in the cold and rain trying to gather signatures on my petitions for a month now and it finally took it's toll. So ,even though I can't afford them, I took a few days off and slept.
Secondly, I am having to do this by myself. I'm not complaining, mind you, I've rather enjoyed it, but I'm learning that you need structure and assistance, and that requires money or access to people willing to donate their time. I have many people backing my effort, but they can only do so much and they have done all they can. You all know who you are and I thank you very much.
Third, if I can't pull the rabbit out of the hat in the next 3 weeks and gather 1500 signatures from somewhere, I will not be on the ballot. I have to realize that!
I think I have done what I set out to do and I hope I can get further, but if I don't reach that threshold of 2,000 signatures, I will not be ashamed of what I accomplished. I brought many people together in a common bond and a common goal, and I and we will go on to the next challenge. I have not given up hope, in that somehow I can still pull this off. I will go down swinging!
It's just been a frustrating week. Tomorrow, I will try Farmington and the college!
May peace be with you all.
#Resist2018 dennismoconnor.com

As you know by now, I have been spending my days in the cold, rain and snow trying to collect enough signatures to get on the ballot in November for Congress. In case you don't know, the system is tilted towards the 2 Parties and away from the average individual who believes Democracy should include all persons who wish to try and make a difference in the world and don't fit in the 2 party system. Although my beliefs are more towards the left, it does not mean that I can't make decisions based on reality and common sense.
I believe that we can find a better system for healthcare!
I believe that we can find a more fair system of taxation!
I believe that we are killing our planet, through pollution and exploitation of our resources, fueled by greed!
I believe that we can find a better way of caring for the elderly, the marginalized, the poor, the hungry! Actually I feel that we must!
I believe that our infrastructure is crumbling, to the point of utter failure. Our roads are shot, our bridges are rusting away, our sewer systems and water systems are failing, and there is no money to repair all these problems because our politicians keep giving it all to the wealthy, who don't need it! Who continue to roll back regulations that would protect us so they can make more money that they don't need! And tax us more, because we have no one in our interest that has the money to influence Congresspeople. I'm willing to bet that you can't find a road in New England that doesn't have potholes or cracks in it!
How much longer, America, before you stop thinking of just yourselves and think of others?
You don't see that your lack of interest is not only killing others, but may soon come for you. You are not the only persons on this blue marble. We are in this together and what you do affects many others, every day!
We must change the way we look at the world as a whole, not just our little portion of it!
I am but one voice, but I know there are millions of you that feel the same as me, Speak up, scream at the top of your lungs that this is not right, the way we are going!
WE MUST CHANGE!
dennismoconnor.com  #Resist2018

Again I am amazed at how many people choose to be willfully ignorant or ill-informed. I have met some very good people out there, yet there are people who are so ideologically entrenched that if you slapped them with a 2x4, they  still would not believe they are being fleeced. Oh, tRump is doing a great job, LePage did such a great job.
MY ASS! Obama screwed us, Hillary is crooked and there were so many deaths around them. Vince foster was murdered! They blame everyone except for the ones who are truly to blame. Where in hell do they  come up with this stuff other than the Republican propaganda machine. And you cannot get through to them, they won't even let you try. Some times I feel totally helpless.
I made a promise to a lot of people that I would try to pull this off, and I intend to honor that promise. And I've met a great many who want decent change. But some days I really start to feel that a great many don't care, that we are already over the border between insanity and fascism. The first thing that the Nazi's and other regimes accomplished was to discourage people to the point where they didn't believe anything except what they were hand fed by political hacks. If that's what people want, there is nothing I can do to change them, if they won't listen to reason. But I try.
I am running out of time, and it is frustrating. But I go back out the next day and try again, and if I succeed, then I will go on. Regardless, all I can do is try!
Thanks to all and may peace be with you!
#Resist2018 dennismoconnor.com

First of all, I am not what I consider a typical politician. A politician should be a person who has the best interests in mind of the population as a whole, not small, wealthy portions of that society. I understand that it takes money to run a campaign, but these days that money has become all-encompassing. You are up against well financed, carefully chosen candidates with backing of people who want the country to go a certain way which fits their interests. It has nothing to do with you as an average citizen or consumer.
I have said time and again that when you accept money to run a campaign from these people, they expect a return on investment, because after all is said and done, you are an investment, just like any other business expense.
It was bad enough before Citizens United, but now that they have a compliant Congress, they can pretty much call the shots as they see fit. When it takes millions of dollars to elect someone, that person is then owned by the person calling the shots. I know my chances of beating that are slim, but I am hoping for RCV to become law in Maine, to at least put some semblance of fairness for the average person trying to overcome this nightmare we have allowed to be created.
To this point, I have taken everything out of my own pocket, and I choose to do that until I am officially on the ballot. At that point, then I will have to consider my options, but I would rather get my voice out there and lose, than to sell it to the highest bidder. I can't do  that!
The people of this country deserve better!
The children of this country deserve better!
The elderly, who have work hard their entire lives, deserve better!
The people who are losing their homes and lives to medical bankruptcy, deserve better!
Greed is killing us, whether it be oil, pharmaceuticals, seed to grow crops, overpopulated prisons, military armaments, waste and graft, consolidation of industry to a point of no competition, you name it. It is killing our society and is the first step toward total collapse of our values, where it becomes each person for themselves in order to survive.
We can change this, but it must be soon! Otherwise we as a society are done! Think about that and get behind someone with those values, even if it's not me. I'll be fine. But at least I can wake up the next day and look at myself in the mirror and be proud!
Peace to all
#Resist2018 dennismoconnor.com

I want to thank all the new people who visited my site  over the past few days, due to the cards I passed out. I hope that you learned a bit more about me and my goals for the future. I am not afraid to take on delicate subjects, even though you may not agree. I respect the fact that you took the time to at least give me a look. So again, thank you!
#Resist2018 dennismoconnor.com

Something just came to mind and I need to write it down. As I was drifting off to sleep, a conversation came up that I had with a man I met in my quest for signatures. And of course guns came up. We got on the topic of how Maine was ranked the #1 safest state for gun violence. He claimed it was because we have open-carry in Maine, but it just dawned on me that he is wrong. It has very little to do with knowing people are armed, and everything to do with how people in Maine think. I've lived here for 35 years, and my very first impression when I moved here was the fact that Maine people for the most part look after each other. If someone loses their home to a fire, the townspeople help them!
If someone is struck with a tragedy of any kind, the people are there.
A lot of people still don't lock their doors. I remember what I felt after I became a Mainer, and by that I mean accepted by the people, not the other way around. People are wary of newcomers, but once they accept you, it's for life. So I became a Mainer!  Where else can you find that?
It's not that you CAN carry a weapon in Maine, it's that you don't NEED to!
Peace to all.
#Resist2018 dennismoconnor.com

I am going to stick my neck out here and probably get it chopped off by a few, but here goes. I know that the 2nd amendment is THE hot button issue in this next election, among other things. But we cannot let it be the only topic.
There is so much wrong with our government at this point that no one really knows where to start to correct it. And if we don't start soon, we will all need our guns. And it will not be against our government, it will be against each other!
I have said before, I am a responsible gun owner, having owned and used guns since I was young, Most people are responsible gun owners. But there are many who are not. Somehow, Maine is different. We have all grown up with guns. We know how to use them safely. But the rest of the country is not the same.
We have an epidemic of gun violence going on in this country. The United States is the world leader in gun deaths, at the rate of 3.7 per 100,0000 in population. I always hear it's not the gun , it's the person pulling the trigger.
No, you don't get off that easy. It is the combination of the  person with the gun that is doing the killing. You can say all day long that it's not, but it is. The availability of guns to people who should not have them is a deadly combination.
I am not against the gun, I am for SENSIBLE regulation of firearms, the same way I am for SENSIBLE regulation of many things. If I haven't lost you by now, I will go on! The word SENSIBLE does not mean I want to take away any of your rights. But your rights as a gun owner do NOT supersede my rights as a citizen to a somewhat safe environment to live in.
They do not supersede my grandchild's right to attend school in a safe environment.
They do not supersede my rights to attend a concert or attend a movie without the fear of some idiot with a semi-auto weapon shooting as many people as he can, simply because he's pissed at the world!
All persons wanting a gun should be able and willing to pass a background check, ALL persons. Unfortunately, today's environment is not like it was 50 years ago and there is little we can do to change that. But we can use sensibility.
This argument will go on, probably forever, but I believe cooler heads will prevail, and many will be pissed and say "your taking away my rights". Well guess what, we have rights too, and we all have to live in this world together, hopefully someday in peace.  But I don't see that happening at this point. We are so diametrically opposed to any change that effects us personally that we cannot or will not see others views.
I can't live that way,  nor should you.
May peace be with you.
#Resist2018 dennismoconnor.com

If I could ask (metaphorically speaking) each person who wants to run for the House of Representatives of The United States of America one simple question, it would be this.
Why do you want to be elected and how do your world views fit within that reason?
In other words, if you want to go to Washington and actually help the PEOPLE of America, would you be able to fend off the lobbyists and special interests "campaign donations"?
Or would you have to join the "game" so you could stay "in the game" come re-election time? If you plan on making a career out of this, then I would say "yes, you have to".
And at that point, you stop being an idealist and become just another pawn in the sewer called DC! I don't consider anything "a career" at this point in my life, so yes, I could live by my principles and serve the people who elected me!
Keep your values intact and worry about re-election when that time comes. If you've lived by your principles and done a decent job, that will take care of itself!
It's the only way we will ever change "the game"!
Peace to all
#Resist2018 dennismoconnor.com

So you want to know what it takes to become a national politician? How about spending your day at the town transfer station getting signers for your petitions in 30 and 40 degree cold with the wind blowing. I've had better days, but today was a good day. I got about 65 signatures. I'm nearly frozen, but I got my quota of signatures. I even got a guy with a MAGA red hat on. 2 people asked me if I voted for 45, and of course I said no. Didn't get theirs. But still again, the majority of my signers want an independent.
They are very tired of the fact that the 2 parties will not talk to one another and reach compromises for the good of the COUNTRY! The Republican House just 2 days ago tried to pass a constitutional amendment whereby they could take the Social Security Trust Fund money and use it elsewhere. They never give up and it's getting disgusting. The average worker and retiree doesn't stand a chance if we don't get people in the Congress with an agenda that is not predicated on making the wealthy wealthier and the middle class poor!
I spoke with a teacher last week, who was in a big hurry. He was late for his second job. I've heard people say that all teachers do is bitch about lousy pay and lousy benefits. I would like to see those people do a teachers job in this political climate, and then they want to make them the armed guard in the classroom. GET REAL!
I honestly wonder some days if we are not already over the threshold. This insanity has to stop!
Use your voices, use your vote, and make it count. Listen to everyone and choose wisely. Pick some new blood for a change. As DT would say, what have you got to lose?
Your LIFE, maybe, if you don't? You're losing everything else.
I talked to one guy today and he had it all figured out, DT was doing a fantastic job and all was going to go well. I told him, "I disagree with you completely, but you have a good day", shook his hand and let it go. But I let him have his say.
So that was my day. Peace to all. #Resist2018 dennismoconnor.com

Tonight was a great one, as far as nights go. I went to my local pubs, where I have many friends. My team, which tonight was called Congressman Dennis Corner, tied the trivia contest with another team by only missing two questions, so being Karaoke night, we had a sing off, where we had one person from our team against one person from the other team sing a song to see who won. The girl from the other team, come to find out, was the singer for a local band, and did a very good song. But I sang "it's only make believe" and ended up winning. Of course, in the spirit of camaraderie, they had to ask for a second time who did the best, and my team just happened to be louder in their cheering. But it was most enjoyable. Thanks to all, and especially Yvonne at the Millhouse Pub!

Let's talk jobs! The favorite mantra of the Republican Party is "Job Creators", in affect the persons and corporations that are supposedly job creators. Throw money at the "job creators" and all will be well, It's a fallacy!
Jobs are created to supply a demand for a product or service, no other reason. and the sooner you realize that , the sooner we can bury this damned notion that "Trickle down" economics works. It works very well for the wealthy, but not for the common man. Never has, never will!
Take for example what our dear Congress just did. They rewrote the tax code in December, knowing full well what the corporations and wealthy were going to do with it, which is stock buybacks and shareholder payouts. They said it was for the middle class and lower classes, but a lot of the people on the lower rungs of the ladder don't pay taxes, because they don't make enough to have to. So where did this "tax overhaul" get us? Did it help the average worker? NO!
What did the Corporations and wealthy do with their newfound wealth? You guessed it, stock buybacks and shareholder payouts! Nothing to the workers! Oh sure, a select few got bonuses, but not the average worker.
And now, just this last week, our country had to borrow 280 BILLION dollars just to pay our debt, because the revenue fall-off from the tax scam has accelerated beyond what they ever could have imagined. They just passed an omnibus bill to fund our government for a period of time that will exceed 1.3 trillion dollars. That's more debt! Since trump took office, our national debt has increased by roughly, depending on who says it, 2 trillion dollars. We are headed to a deficit of a trillion dollars a year by next year! Yet no real jobs have been created, because if the average person has no money, they do one of two things. Don't buy anything new or buy it by adding debt to credit cards.
We could create real jobs in this country by using the knowledge and creativity of our people. We could have a massive solar industry, if the corporations wanted to. And save our planet in the process. But they don't. They are too heavily invested in fossil fuels and can't afford to leave all that money in the ground. So instead of subsidizing solar power generation, we leave it to the Chinese, who are overtaking the world in production of solar equipment.
Our infrastructure is falling apart, but there's no money to repair and upgrade, because we've given it all to the wealthy in tax breaks. Those are good jobs, but they will never exist until we force the wealthy from the government teat.
Never mind that they are killing our home, day by day.
The priorities of this "government" suck! It's all for the wealthy and nothing else! Well, I say it's going to come back and bite them in the ass very shortly. The people I have talked to in my journey are tired of the bullshit spewed by politicians and they don't trust anyone anymore. Why do you think over 30 House Republicans have quit this year? Because they have gotten theirs and they are getting out while the getting is good, because they don't want to suffer the embarrassment of losing.
I thought that running as an independent would hurt me, that I wouldn't stand a chance Yet the minute I say I'm running as an independent, they sign my petition. I believe that says a lot about the political climate of today!
Peace be with you!!
#Resist2018 dennismoconnor.com