Welcome to the Constitutionalists of Maine!
Evolving from
a small group of individuals sharing a concern for the direction the state and
country has been heading, we have grown to a group of over 130 people.
Rejecting the formality of a structured group, we have instead opted to remain
as a loose knit gathering of likeminded individuals.
Our
primary focus has been to create the opportunity to discuss, debate, and
educate ourselves and others, on the pressing and often controversial issues of
the day. Emphasis, as our name implies, is on the Constitution, and its
relevance today more than ever. We hold that the precepts of the Constitution
are Divinely inspired and we attest to that fact at the commencement of every
meeting through recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance and the offering of a
prayer.
The multitude of interests inherent in the group
has spawned many offshoot groups, each of which has become in effect its own
endeavor. The group additionally has sought communication with likeminded
groups across the state, which has helped in the creation of a growing network
of Constitutionally inspired activists.
The past year has
seen a huge surge in concern regarding the behavior of our public officials.
And as people have awakened to the dangers before us, there has been a growing
hunger for information. To address this, individuals within the group
occasionally prepare and make presentations of specific subjects. We have also
sought out and invited guest speakers to address the group. In order to
understand the political views of others we invite Gubernatorial candidates,
local legislators, and other potential candidates for public office to address
our group. Although maintaining a strictly non-partisan stance for the group,
individuals have banded together when motivated, to work for and promote the
candidates of their choice.
Discussions can get lively at
times, so we have established a set of rules to keep the discussion orderly and
on topic. Our "Moderator," chosen from amongst the group, serves to direct the
discussion, and be the authority on establishing the bounds of the
conversation. The moderator is responsible for setting the meeting agenda,
acknowledging if and when a speaker is to be given the floor, determining when
the floor is to be surrendered, insuring the speaker is given due courtesy by
the group, and finally setting and enforcing any time constraints. By mutual
consent we recognize the moderator's word as final, and is not to be
challenged.
We recognize that in rare instances, passions
may be aroused, as the convictions to which some cling, may be challenged. In
such a situation we expect each member to maintain a level of courtesy,
understanding and decorum, of the highest order. Failure to observe these
rules, may and most definitely will precipitate a request for the aggrieving
party to remove himself from participation in the group. We hope you will find
our presentations and discussions as beneficial as we have found them to be
over the last year.
If you think you would be
interested in attending one of our meetings, or learning more about the group,
we meet every Monday evening from 6:30 to 8:30 at the First Baptist Church in
Waldoboro.
Please check out the
calendar for our meeting schedule and feel free to join us
if you have similar beliefs and goals.
|
