Yes, Congress, tonight it's your turn, and it's about how you do your "jobs".
I'm talking to the entire Congress on this one, Dems and Republicans, especially Republicans. I don't really care where you stand on the political spectrum, you are failing the American People. At least 8 years ago, the Dems get credit for passing the ACA. It was never perfect because that's the way you do things, give them just enough to shut them up. But they did it.
And what have you done in the past 8 years except try to abolish it, instead of correcting it and making it better.
Yes, I'm talking to you, Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, Bruce  Poliquin, Susan Collins, and all the rest of you useless people!
I hope all of you never get another restful night of sleep, knowing that what you are doing is literally sentencing people to death!
No trial, no sentencing, just die so we can give the money to the fat cats and multi-national corporations. What did they promise you this time, Susan Collins, so you could sell out your constituents and vote for Brett Kavanaugh. Oh, I forgot, you sold out on the tax scam and got nothing! You sold YOUR soul a long time ago.
McConnell and Ryan never had souls to sell, Neither did Bruce Poliquin and he wants reelection. Voted to repeal right along with the rest of them, time after time.
Don't you get it? People are dying or losing their entire livelihood because of you and illness, and you won't do a damned thing to help.
You hide out in bathrooms so you won't have to vote on our Governors veto on Medicaid expansion, because you might be held accountable. Better to be absent than show up and vote your conscience, because you may not get reelected.
Well, quite frankly, I hope they show you the exit, each and every one of you that are complicit in passing death sentences on total strangers.
I know that if I don't agree on something, I will do one of two things. Try to find a COMPROMISE or vote my conscience and be responsible for that vote!
May peace be with you, cause I'm going back to bed and shake this stomach virus.
dennismoconnor.com

Sorry I haven't been around for the past week, but I've been fighting a nasty intestinal bug.
Anyway, It's 45 bashing night, because I have nothing better to do than to watch my country go down in flames from a mean, nasty, narcissistic, contemptible son of a bitch (I borrowed that from HERR TRUMP) that some people call our president and obviously can't see their hand in front of their face in broad daylight.
I don't know how much more evidence Mueller needs to throw out that bag of garbage, but the dumpster is open and waiting. He's now taking away promised pay raises because , with them giving away all our money to the uber rich, we have none left tor necessities, like keeping the rest of our government running. And then they want to kill Social Security , Medicare and Medicaid, so you all be nice people and DIE before you need it!
What is it going to take for you simple minded FOOLS to realize that the FOOL in the White House is taking you for the ride of  your life, or possibly your death. I know you're not ALL that stupid, although many are.
And the sad thing is, you and the GODDAMNED EVANGELICALS are who put this FOOL in office, because of one thing, and one thing only, the right to tell a woman she is not allowed to choose to terminate an unwanted pregnancy. Who in HELL do you think you are, GOD ALMIGHTY?  I hate to burst your bubble, but you're not.
Mind your own business and stay out of others lives, they don't need your GODLY advice!
Now a school board sends a flyer home to parents for their child to opt out of saying the pledge of allegiance, but still have to stand with their hand over their heart Does Nazi Germany and the Hitler Youth ever come to mind? It's gone far enough, your experiment has failed, get over it and get rid of the trash before he gets rid of you and you rights!
In the meantime, may peace be with you and have a great day!
dennismoconnor.com

Campaign season is officially here!
I just saw my first 2 political ads while watching the Patriots game, and they were both from Bruce Poliquin's side. One was an ad pushing Poliquin's wonderful record, which doesn't exist. And then, within minutes, the attack ad on Jared Golden. Typical Bullshit! Rip your opponent apart, I don't care, but at least base it in all the facts. Apparently Golden is proposing Medicare for All, at a cost of 32.6 trillion dollars over 10 years, yet the ad failed to say that continuing on the course we are on will cost 47 trillion dollars over 10 years.
It's no wonder that people are disgusted with our so-called governing officials!
Bruce, admit it, you will vote again and again to strip people of the little protection that they have, to satisfy your wealthy donors. You need to retire to your mansion by the sea!
As for you, Jared, good luck, because if they will attack you this early and that nastily, you must be doing something right!
May peace be with you all!
dennismoconnor.com

I know I sometimes get long-winded, so this won't be one of those.
I just really wanted to say that I am in a good place with my life. My campaign is going well, and I truly believe that I have a chance, a good chance. I have many who believe in me and my goals. That is a wonderful feeling, not only that you believe, but that I believe!
I am actually enjoying the path that my life has taken. I am calm and at peace, and it's a weird feeling. I have always enjoyed talking to people and this campaign has brought that out. Thanks to all who have been a part of it so far.
May peace be with you.
dennismoconnor.com

Great news!
I have earned the endorsement of the Maine Education Association! I am honored by this, as it solidifies my commitment to the education of our future generations of children.
With the attacks on the public school systems nationwide, we must remain vigilant. We pay athletes millions to play games, yet we can't find the funds necessary to adequately fund our schools and teachers. We can and must do better, or we will become a second-rate country!
Not all children will go on to be lawyers and such, we must invest in the trades through technical schools, so that we have qualified persons for those roles.
We are losing many teachers through attrition because they can't survive financially on one paycheck, yet when they retire they are penalized for working that second job. It makes no sense.
Many years ago, Maine offered pensions for career positions, but through the years have slowly reneged on those promises. If you can't live up to them, do not offer them.
We must somehow value the people who form the future of our children more than athletes playing a game.
May we find peace among ourselves.
dennismoconnor.com

Picture your country, "The United States of America"
Now picture that wall that 45 wants to build, right down the middle of our country, only imagine it as a razor. An oh-so-sharp razor.
On one side of that wall are about 500 corporations, multi-billionaires who pretty much control everything, up to and including our government. On the other side is everyone else. Now take the wealth of this country, split it in half, throw half on each side of the wall and then tell me what happens next!
On one side you have 500 individuals and corporations, on the other side you have 325,000,000 sharing the other half.
Makes you wonder, doesn't it? One side is trying to get over that wall, while the other side keeps sharpening the edge. YOU don't stand a chance of getting to the other side.
Everyone says "Capitalism good, Socialism bad" How does it make you feel when you see those numbers and realize how small a piece of the pie you actually own?
I know I frequently go back to Dwight Eisenhower, but the man warned us of exactly the path we are on, The Military-Industrial Complex. We now have constant war to feed them.
Our military, among other things, has bankrupted our country for the sake of jobs. Yes, jobs! Every member of Congress has some sort of facility in their District that they have to protect, which means they spend our hard-earned dollars to prop up this system by constant war and military buildup. How much do we need? We have airfields in the southwest that are full of perfectly functional aircraft, yet they are not used, Why?
Our military spends so much money, even they don't know where it goes. Why?
We are allowing them to take away anything of value to mankind, all for the sake of money. Why?
And who pays the price? We do, all of us. Don't you think it's time to change that? And if not, Why?
May peace be with you all.
dennismoconnor.com

Today was spent meeting residents of Oxford and Otisfield, where I met very many interested people and was invited to dine with them at the Otisfield Community Hall. That to me is what Maine is all about, communities getting together and enjoying one another, in peace!
I so much enjoy talking to people who want nothing more than fairness and attention from their elected officials, which at this time they are not getting. My hope is to bring some of that to Augusta, where it can do some good .
I know in today's world that may be a pipe-dream, but it doesn't stop me from attempting it.
I hope your day was as good as mine.
May peace be with you all.
dennismoconnor.com

Being a deep thinker, I always find it amazing that people can be so easily manipulated when it comes to emotional issues. Last night, I wrote about the enjoyment I get from a simple practice, and that is simply talking to my mate.
You choose the path you take in life, no one else! You allow others to influence your emotional decisions. You hate, feel anger towards others, because you are unwilling to look elsewhere or find solutions for your problems. It's so much easier to place the blame on someone else.
You love because you choose not to allow hate into your life.
Most of what we feel is determined by forces beyond our control, but the one thing that we can control is HOW we react to them. We can learn. We can become informed, so our fears and biases can be diminished. It takes time, which through policies of our government has become limited, because we are desperately trying to hang onto what little we have.
I guess what I am trying to say is, we choose hate, we choose anger, we choose fear of others, and we can certainly choose to deny those forces!
We can choose to love, not hate.
We can choose peace, not anger.
We can choose to help, not hinder.
Every emotion we feel has an opposite emotion, we choose which path we take.
So choose wisely, because not only your own mental state but the state of others you come into contact with is affected by which path you choose!
May you find your path and may it be a peaceful one.
dennismoconnor.com

With  so much going on these days to distract and bother us, I always find the time to spend with my lovely lady. We have a 16 by 20 deck that we spend a lot of evenings on, just having a couple glasses of homemade strawberry wine and talking to each other. I find that to be much more preferable to going out and simply drinking for the sake of drinking.
Love and life is what YOU make of it, so make it the best that you can.
We talk about our past, we talk about the present, and we talk about the future. Faye and I both know that we are in the last quarter of our lives, yet it doesn't bother us, because we have a love that will last forever. We are fortunate in that respect, but we have worked at it and earned it.
I wish that for everyone, even though I know it will never be.
We have been together for 39 years, and many times we questioned whether we would make it. But we did, and I am forever grateful. To have a partner that you can rely on and trust is the most wonderful feeling in the world.
Cherish what you have in the world, for it can disappear tomorrow. I know, because it almost did last week. Love your friends and neighbors, stop the hate, and learn that all people are not enemies, you just think they are.
May peace be with you all, and may you find love among the anger.
dennismoconnor.com

I was invited to an interview with the MEA (Maine Education Association) on Friday and met 3 very nice educators for my interview. I must say, I was very pleased for the opportunity to give them my views and hope to get an endorsement from them.
Education of our next generation must be a priority, because the failure to do so is leaving us behind in the world. We are teaching to a mandate written by legislators to fit their agenda, not what our children need to cope in this world.
Quite frankly, I'm surprised at the hurdles our teachers must surpass in order to do their jobs! And no appreciation for doing it!
Why must a teacher, who can shape the future of their students, put up with what they have to? Why would anyone choose to be a teacher today? They put themselves in debt to learn, their wages are lousy, they have to take money out of their own pockets to buy supplies for children who can't afford them, and when they retire they get cheated out of their pensions that the state promised them, with no Social Security to back them up. This is ridiculous!
We must transform our priorities back to a place whereby workers can earn a living wage, and stop giving tax breaks to people who do nothing but cheat and don't need them. You give THEM all the money and wonder why we have to cut back on essential services for the average citizen because there's nothing left to work with.
Why is that so difficult to comprehend?
Legislators, you work for the people, not the other way around. It's about time you realize that!
May peace be with you!
dennismoconnor.com

Let us revisit history for a moment, because what is occurring today is basically the same. Many people do not realize that we are still fighting the same forces that we did in the 60's, hatred, war, inequality, etc.
But the methods of fighting those forces has changed. Perhaps it's time to go back and use the same methods we used then, peace symbols, love-ins, sit-ins.
Can you imagine 10,000, 20,000, whatever number, lining Pennsylvania Avenue next week with nothing but peace signs, not saying a word, no hatred, no vitriol, just simply shunning the Nazi's? By doing so, you take away their one weapon, hate and anger. You negate their message! Getting into shouting matches, acknowledging their hatred does exactly what they want, confirmation of their views!
Ignore them, it confuses them! It also makes you stronger! And you are strong, whether you believe it or not!
It is obvious that the back and forth hatred is getting us nowhere except deeper down the rabbit hole. Stop and think!
By feeding into the hatred of 45 supporters, you are doing just that, feeding their ignorance. You do not have to be ignorant along with them. Let them feed off each other, not us. Do not give them the satisfaction of seeing their own hatred displayed on television, it serves no purpose other than to embolden them. If I've learned nothing else in my life about cowards and bullies, it's that if they don't have an audience, they have no power. Use that knowledge!
Do not engage them, that's what they want.
We fought in a peaceful way in the sixties and we changed the world for the better, it's time we learn from history!
May peace be within you!
dennismoconnor.com

I hear the words or phrases tossed around. White Privilege, White Power, White Supremacy!
I am a white male, have lived a long time, and have felt some of those feelings during my life. I stand today to repudiate those feelings. Just what do they mean?
White Privilege is knowing you don't have to fear dying when a cop pulls you over for a routine traffic stop.
White Privilege is knowing that you will not be treated unfairly in all you do in life.
White Supremacy is the belief that you are special because you are Caucasian (White), when in fact you are no better than anyone else simply because you have more money or status!
White Power is hatred, pure and simple, the same as Black Power. But Black Power has more relevance, simply because of how we have treated an entire race for the duration of their existence in this world. Whites fear being knocked off that pedestal they have been on for so long, finally becoming a minority. Is that reasonable? I suppose it is, looking at it from a white viewpoint. But I don't fear that. I would prefer a brown society that can peacefully co-exist, that can mutually gain from each others experiences.
When we can achieve that, we will no longer have a need for phrases like White Privilege, White Supremacy, White Power.
The early European settlers and their offspring believed they could tame anything, because they had a history of dominance. So they ravaged the native populations, stole their lands, and imported blacks to do their work that they didn't want to do. To think that even today, many are still trafficking in human bondage for money is disgusting. And all races do it, not just whites. Maybe we as HUMANS are inferior, because we kill for sport, both animal life and humans, just for the thrill of killing.
We take young men, in the prime of their lives, full of grand ideas and adventure, and turn them into human killing machines, to be used in the pursuit of  world dominance and profit, not really caring what happens to them afterwards, to be thrown out with the rest of the obsolete, used up items.
 Why do we glorify dominance over one another?
Why can we not glorify peace and tranquility?
May peace be with you!
dennismoconnor.com

Do you ever feel like a lab rat in a cage?
Many years ago, experiments were done with lab rats whereby several rats with plentiful supplies of food and water would live peacefully, side by side. They then added more rats and diminished the supplies of food and water, causing societal disruption and fighting. This is where we are as a species, too many people competing for diminishing resources. Think about that!
Our government is owned by corporations, competing with each other for the most dollars, not caring what the consequences are for the average person.
We have now privatized our prison system, where there are contracts with government incentives to keep them full.
Our pharmaceutical industry is owned by maybe 5 giant corporations, with the incentive to stifle competition and maximize profit, not caring that we have created an epidemic of drug overdoses and death searching for that elusive last dollar!
Bayer now controls our food chain!
Sinclair is trying to take over our media!
Nestle controls a huge percentage of our diminishing water supply!
Banks like Goldman Sachs control our monetary system.
Fossil fuels companies dominate our energy sector.
Our health insurance system is incentivized to deny as many claims as they can to maximize profit. when overall we could provide care for everyone at a lesser cost to society by covering everyone!
Our police departments, not all but many, have turned away from community policing to military style policing, where too many are dying from preventable homicides simply because of circumstances or color of their skin.
Our cities are falling apart because of lack of funds for major upkeep, so we can give tax breaks to people who don't need them, but demand them.
We are entering the age of the lab rats, where you hate your neighbor because YOU did not invite them to join your pack. Where you don't want them taking up your air!
We have overpopulated our planet, and we fighting over a finite amount of resources.
It must stop before it's too late, if not already.
Love to all, may peace be with you!
dennismoconnor.com

I truly believe that we, as average humans, do not take seriously how fragile life is. We are ripping each other apart, tearing the fabric of our society apart, and for what? So we can say that we are on the right side of a political or financial status? Is this what we have really become as a people?
I have had two events in my life that could have conceivably ended my life, or changed it dramatically for the worse.
I was fortunate to have survived them both. One happened 9 years ago, a heart attack! But that time I was fortunate enough to have a birth defect that saved my life or prevented serious damage. My anterior circumflex artery is deviated from the side that normally kills, to the side that doesn't. I have a stent and have been fine ever since, thanks to a great cardiologist.
The second event was yesterday. I was removing brush from the yard when I tripped over a rock and slammed my head into a jagged rock with the force of a 6 foot fall, as that's how tall I am. I separated my big toe, which immediately tore through the skin. I hit my head 1 and 1/2 inches to the right of the point of a triangular rock, which had it hit anywhere other than where I hit would have done very serious damage.
Again, I was fortunate. I hit a glancing blow between my eye socket and my temple. Tore a nice patch of skin, but didn't break anything.
The lesson I learned from these 2 incidents is just that, life is fragile, and can change in one second. Value your family, both sides. Learn to ignore those that choose hatred, for they are the the ones who have to live with themselves and their hatred and ignorance. Do not give them voice by publicizing all the hatred they spew. We can prevail in this dire situation, but we must do it without creating more hatred. I do not have all the answers, no one does,  but somehow we must find ourselves and come back to sanity. Our democracy and our country depend on us!
Our lives depend on these moments!
May peace be with you all!
dennismoconnor.com