Constitution Coalition Not As Portrayed by Bangor Daily News, Michael Tipping, et al.
By: Wayne Leach
Fort Fairfield Journal, July 23, 2014
I, Wayne Leach, am speaking for myself, both as an individual, and as a member of the group of four Maine men who identify ourselves as the Constitution Coalition of Maine. A constant barrage of unproven, false attacks were, and are still being made against our group, and against us, individually. These attacks originated with, were instigated by, and continue to be promoted by Michael Tipping's comments regarding the release of the 1st chapter of his book, As Maine Went: Governor Paul LePage and the Tea Party Takeover of Maine. Tipping, a “liberal” who supports “liberal” gubernatorial candidate, Mike Michaud, appears to have political motives to sabotage the current governor’s campaign by and through his false, unjust attacks upon our group. However, Tipping’s slander and libel can backfire, expose him as a political hatchet man, and could possibly damage Michaud’s campaign with the blow-back.
The title of Tipping’s book and nearly all the articles and comments being made in relation thereto, speak volumes towards the intentions of Tipping and most media in Maine. These are to attack, castigate, and ridicule the individuals, and the group named in its title, Governor LePage and the Tea Party. However, using the members of the Maine Constitution Coalition to do so, has been, from the very beginning slander and libel, and continues to be, due to many of Tipping's false comments, and the media's apparent neglect to research and vet those comments before publicizing them far and wide! Truth appears to be in short supply with Tipping and the Maine media. These statements also attack the Tea Party, for whom I do not speak.
Tipping gives absolutely no factual evidence to prove his defamatory, libelous and slanderous statements about members of the coalition. For instance, an editorial in the Bangor Daily News falsely claims that “LePage met eight times with people who essentially seek to undermine the state’s public safety.”, but fails to prove how the group would “undermine the state’s public safety.” Another Bangor Daily News article by Tipping, dated June 30, 2014, falsely states that, “Paul LePage held at least eight meetings with a group of Sovereign Citizens, recognized by the FBI and Maine state law enforcement as belonging to “a domestic terrorist movement”, and in the same article, “LePage indulged and supported the sovereign’s beliefs. ... discussed with them the arrest and hanging of Eves and Alfond.” Yet again, in that June 30th article, Tipping states that “The central topic of conversation for most of the meetings was the sovereigns’ “remonstrances,” documents they said gave them the authority to arrest and execute Maine House Speaker Mark Eves and Senate President Justin Alfond for treason.” These statements falsely alleging our group to be “Sovereign Citizens” recognized as belonging to “a domestic terrorist movement”; and about the “hanging” and “execution” of Maine's Legislative leaders are totally and blatantly false. Tipping provides absolutely no concrete facts to substantiate them.
I, as a member of the Constitution Coalition of Maine, demand an immediate, complete, and public front page retraction by Tipping and all media which have made public any of these, and similar false derogatory, demeaning, and libelous attacks on the coalition and its members' good names, their character, reputations, and community standing, and which could even place them in serious danger of attacks by radicals – and even by law enforcement officers!
Read more:
Maine Politicians, Media Running Campaign to Demonize Maine Constitution
