This is the second part of a two-part story on the Constitutionalists of Maine. The first article appeared on the front page of the Jan. 27 issue of The Lincoln County News.
Editor’s note: Lincoln County Planner Bob Faunce will be the guest speaker at the Mon., Feb. 7 meeting of The Constitutionalists of Maine, at the First Baptist Church in Waldoboro at 6:30 p.m. All meetings are public. Faunce said he credits The Lincoln County News article of Jan. 27 with bringing about the invitation to speak.
Agenda 21 seeks to address the, “perpetuation of disparities between and within nations, a worsening of poverty, hunger, ill health and illiteracy, and the continuing deterioration of the ecosystems on which we depend for our well-being,” calling for a global partnership for sustainable development.
In the face of this information, a Constitutionalist of Maine founder, Bob Kanewski, mirrors the sentiments of fellow Constitutionalists when he said, “It appears (that) what people are trying to do is make a large portion of our country uninhabitable to the human population.” He also commented on recent land use ordinance changes that restrict building construction. “It’s a land-grab and the reasons are not clear to the common man.”
Dr. Michael Coffman has echoed this opinion in his writing in books and through websites, though he downplayed a direct connection between Agenda 21 and Gateway One. He congratulated Maine residents for trying to put a plan together that sought to protect the rights of citizens, but warned his audience that such plans could be the, “seeds that could lead into corruption.”
Coffman is the president of a media company, Environmental Perspectives Inc. (EPI), which distributes books, videos and other media on the alleged conspiracy behind environmental movements, and disputes global warming.
The webpage states, “The purpose of Environmental Perspectives Inc. (EPI) is to sound a warning of the rise of government control and paganism in America through the environmental movement.
“EPI focuses on providing professional guidance and training in defining environmental problems and solutions based on Judeo-Christian principles of stewardship as contrasted with pantheistically-based environmentalism.”
Coffman is also the editor of the website, Discerning the Times, a, “non-denominational ministry to the Christian church and to all who desire to seek the truth about today’s events as they relate to the Bible and biblical prophecy.”
During a Jan. 10 meeting to host Tea Party candidate Scott D’Amboise, discussions among members ranged from the United States military occupation in Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries, to immigration and taxes.
D’Amboise, who states he is running against Sen. Olympia Snowe in the 2012 primary election, is a Lisbon Falls selectman and self-described, “Conservative Constitutionalist.” His campaign for the senate stands on a platform against “Progressive/Communism.” He works as a healthcare technician and is a small business owner.
His comments on a wide range of topics covered at the meeting received positive responses from the approximately 25 people in attendance.
Prompted by questions from the audience, D’Amboise expressed some ambivalence on U.S. military occupations abroad.
“If we had the press, during World War II, that we have now,” D’Amboise said, “We never would have won World War II.
“I’m sorry. There is casualties in war, both civilian and military, but if we were allowed to go through Afghanistan like we did in World War II, the war would have been over a long time ago,” he said.
Constitutionalists of Maine, many of whom indicated their affiliation with the Tea Party movement that helped to elect Gov. Paul LePage, support some of the precepts of the John Birch Society.
The John Birch Society opposed the Vietnam War for its ineffectiveness in destroying the perceived Communist threat (according to John Birch Society president founder Robert Welsh, speaking in a 1965 video on the Society website: www.jbs.org).
Constitutionalist members mirrored this sentiment with respect to the efficiency of United States military in Iraq and Afghanistan. While members’ comments at the meeting indicated that their allegiance to the military remains strong, they think the military is hindered by government policies and procedures.
Members also expressed opposition to homosexuals serving openly in the military, abortion, and President Barack Obama.
Throughout the meeting and on forum posts, members have discussed government spending, taxes, and debt, as well as immigration. Opinions either discussed between D’Amboise and audience members or shouted out during the meeting aligned with some of the views of the Constitution Party, though Kanewski said they are not affiliated with that nationwide organization.
Members identified with the Maine Tea Party and, while some said they did not feel comfortable being labeled as a “Tea Partier,” network with other like-minded political organizations across the country and compare survival skills.
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jan. 17, members discussed the topic of Sharia Law.
To learn more about the Constitutionalists of Maine, their website is: www.constitutionalistsofmaine.com.
