Bangor Police Officer Denied Vote, For Not Surrendering His Weapon

[twyacht]

Here's the dumb ass of the day award, and yes he was fired. (For being a dumb ass)...

http://www.bangordailynews.com/story/Greater-Bangor/Bangor-police-officer-denied-right-to-vote-after-refusing-to-surrender-weapon,157603

Bangor police officer denied right to vote after refusing to surrender weapon

10/31/10 01:53 pm  Updated: 11/1/10 04:56 pm
By Eric Russell
BDN Staff

Update: The election warden who turned the officer away has been dismissed, and the Bangor police chief has stated at a press conference that officers are not required to surrender their weapon at the polls.

BANGOR, Maine — In the 18 years that he has been a police officer in Bangor, James Dearing couldn’t think of a single time when someone has asked him to turn over his firearm.

Until last Friday.

Dearing, who was patrolling his assigned beat near the Bangor Civic Center, decided to stop in and cast an early vote. He walked into the polling place in full uniform and stood in a short line with other voters.

One of the election officials told Dearing he couldn’t bring his gun inside. The officer said he thought it was a joke.

Election warden Wayne Mallar then approached Dearing and reiterated the request: Turn over your weapon to another officer or we can’t let you vote.

Dearing refused.

“I would never relinquish my weapon,” the officer said later.

Mallar stood his ground.

The officer said he left the civic center Friday feeling embarrassed and insulted. Dearing posted details of the incident on his Facebook page late Friday and immediately began receiving strong responses.

“One fellow officer, who is stationed in Iraq, said ‘What am I over here fighting for?’” Dearing said.

The incident bothered the officer enough to draft a letter to Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap, which the officer also provided to the Bangor Daily News. In it, Dearing writes that Mallar claimed he would be violating state law by allowing the officer to vote with his weapon holstered.

****

I hope this dumb ass walks everywhere, he better not drive anywhere....."You have a busted taillight Sir,...."

"No I Don't Officer"......

"You do now."

What a moron..

[tombogan03884]

http://www.thetacticalwire.com/

Around the Water Cooler: Disenfranchisement
by Rich Grassi

Disenfranchisement - or disfranchisement - is revocation of the right of suffrage - the right to vote according to Wikipedia.com. The vocabulary lesson is courtesy of Election Warden Wayne Mallar, according to the Bangor Daily News (Maine) in an article printed on Halloween. The story is that, last Friday, Bangor Police Officer James Dearing was on his beat near the Bangor Civic Center. Realizing that early voting was on, he got out there and went inside.

While standing in line, Election Warden Wayne Mallar approached the uniformed officer and told him he couldn't bring a gun inside. Reporter Eric Russell wrote that the officer gave the warden a chance to reconsider. No soap. If you carry the gun, you can't vote.

The insanity of the situation is only marginally eased by the possibility that there could have been a state statute stating that prohibition. Officer Dearing checked and could find no such prohibition. Dearing is reported to have mentioned a fellow Bangor police officer who is currently deployed to Iraq. He said, "What am I over here fighting for?"

Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap, contacted by the paper, said there was no prohibition against armed police voting. Mallar, when asked for comment, apparently told the paper that, as warden, he had the right to make determinations about safety.

So it's safer to keep armed police away from polling places in his judgment.

So much for his judgement.

News sources have reported that Illinois got the absentee ballots to overseas military personnel too late to get them back and counted.

(http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/10/25/military-vote-question-doj-gives-illinois-pass-act-advocacy-group-warns/)

In a related story, boxes of absentee ballots were taken to Illinois prisons to ensure prisoners had time to get their votes counted.

(http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article/551738/201010261904/Dont-Ask-Dont-Vote.htm)

Maybe that's what the deployed Bangor cop is fighting for . . .

Well, no need to cry about all that. I'm sure Officer Dearing will or has voted.

Have you?

It's not a lot to ask. Freedom isn't free. If you don't believe that -

(1) Check out the guys at the Veterans' hospitals;

(2) Take a look at government expenditures - it's huge, break it down to how much per day, how much a newborn already owes for his/her share;

(3) Consider the package bombs sent to our country from Yemen - and consider that, no matter how little we may like our current politicians, they got this attack nailed before it could be successful.

Even if your particular ballot lists only the lesser of evils, take that ballot and make your decision. We can talk about how bad things are and get enraged over the government all we want - as long as we vote.

If you can't find anyone to your liking on the ballot, now's the time to look at your own background. It's easy to snipe at the Congress, the President, the legislatures and governors, commissioners and councilpersons. What's not easy is to get your name on a ballot. Put together a team. Knock on doors, lick stamps, make phone calls.

Get involved. It's your country too. Some of us have done our time in public service. I've even served as a precinct committeeman since I retired from the job.

Step up. There's one chance to reform this country of ours; that one chance is you. Serving.

You got my vote.