The Lisbon Reporter

WELCOME TO THE LISBON REPORTER. In an effort to keep our community informed of what is going on at local and Federal levels of government, we decided to create this on-line newspaper. It is our hope that this on-line newspaper will help you stay informed so that you can get involved and take action for the benefit of our ENTIRE community. Thank you for visiting and please check back frequently for information about what is happening in LISBON/LISBON FALLS, MAINE USA

Sunday, January 31, 2016

THE HILL: Carson rips Fox debate moderators over speaking time

By Jonathan Easley

Getty Images

Ben Carson on Friday balsted the moderators of Thursday night's Fox News debate in Iowa, saying they intentionally passed him over for questioning because he refuses to attack his rivals.
“You’re not going to go to the person who's not going to fling mud,” Carson told The Hill in a phone interview late Friday. “This is entertainment. Our country has become sort of more like ancient Rome with the coliseum. Everyone wants to go to the coliseum and they want to see the blood and the gore even though society is deteriorating around them.”

TO READ MORE: http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/267577-carson-rips-fox-debate-moderators-over-speaking-time.

Saturday, January 30, 2016

QUALITY OF SERVICE

Back in December 21, 2015, I submitted Freedom of Access Act (FOAA) requesting information from the Town. The FOAA read and I quote “Respectfully Request a copy of ALL certification of Dispatch personnel that pertain to Emergency Service/Dispatch.” Since Lisbon has four (4) regular Dispatchers and six (6) Reserve Dispatchers this should be a simple task. I received information on only nine 9 Dispatchers. One Dispatcher apparently does not have any training or no longer works for the town. However, anytime you are dealing with the Police Department it is never simple.

I received on January 26, 2016, what I perceived to be the information I had requested, especially since it cost me $50.50. I received 71 pages of information which broke down to this: 11 duplicate pages, 5 pages had the Course Name redacted, and one blank page. Since I had to pay $.50 per sheet, 17 pages were completely useless but I still had to pay. Chief Brooks always tries to bury me in paperwork making it more difficult to extract the information I am looking for. Before I accepted this packet, I asked the Town Manager, Diane Barnes if she was comfortable with the information. I also asked the Town Clerk, Twila Lycette, if she was comfortable with the information I was being provided in response to the FOAA. Both said “YES” but I have 17 useless pages.

This gets even worst because even though I submitted this over the Christmas holidays it took 29 days to be completed. Normally, dealing with the Police Department it is around 30 days before I get any response. During the course of this FOAA, I received emails from the Town Clerk. One was asking me to come in the next day between 03:00-03:30 to review the training packets which I refused. Since I asked for copies there should have been no need for me to come in. In another email, I had to explain again, that I was looking for certification of training.

Now, I am going to provide you with a sample of what I received on one Dispatcher:

COURSE NAME DATE COMPLETED

Maine State Police Tier 2 Security Awareness Training 09/11/2015

MAARS-View & APU Operator Certification (State Enhanced 9-1-1 System) 04/5/2001

EMERGENCY MEDICAL DISPATCH 12/14/2006

Re-certification (Course Name Redacted) 12/5/2014

Certificate of Attendance (Maine IF&W and Dispatch) 04/10/2013

Certificate of Attendance (School Violence) 04/10/2013

Certificate of Attendance (State Police Cell Analysis Team) 04/10/2013

EMERGENCY MEDICAL DISPATCH 12/14/2006

Weapons of Mass Destruction First Responders Awareness Level Course

02/2/2004

EMERGENCY MEDICAL DISPATCHER 10/22/2003

Hazardous Materials First Responder Awareness Level Course 10/20/2003

Re-Certification as Terminal Operator 07/01/2003

Dispatcher & Domestic Violence Crisis Communication Training Program

10/24/1999

WMD/HAZMAT Awareness – Role of the First Responder 12/18/2007

WMD/HAZMAT Awareness – Impact of WMD/HAZMAT Incidents 12/18/2007

WMD/HAZMAT Awareness – Response, Control and Communication 12/19, 2007

WMD/HAZMAT Awareness – Incident Protective Actions 12/19/2007

WMD/HAZMAT Awareness – Identifying Presence 12/19/2007

This is a sample of what I received for “Certification pertaining to Emergency Services/Dispatching.” I understand a lot of this has to do with Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and HAZMAT Awareness training which could be mandatory training for Dispatchers but I never asked for Certification for Attendance.

This is the quality of service one can expect from the Town of Lisbon.

Larry Fillmore

EAGLE RISING: Even Nancy Pelosi thinks Bernie Sanders is Insane!

By Onan Coca / 30 January 2016

"We will raise taxes, yes we will!” -- Bernie Sanders, Democrat Candidate for President
In the last Democrat presidential debate, socialist Bernard Sanders

15%

Liberty Score^®

Voting Record

F

15%

Sen. Bernard Sanders (VT) - I

×

(I-VT) made an astounding promise the American people. “We will raise taxes, yes we will. But also let us be clear, Chris: There's a little bit of disingenunity out there. We may raise taxes but we are also going to eliminate private health insurance premiums for individuals and for businesses. If you're not paying any more private health insurance are you going to be complaining about the fact that I've saved you $5,000 in your total bill?”

GOPDD: FBI Director Would Like To Indict Both Huma And Hillary…A SLAM DUNK!!!

By AmyElizabeth - Jan 30, 2016

Indict them…

California Congressman Darrell Issa, who previously led an investigation into Benghazi as former chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said the FBI “would like to indict both Huma [Abedin] and Hillary Clinton” for conducting sensitive government business on an unsecure, private email server.

Friday, January 29, 2016

RECAP PUBLIC WORKSHOP!

Last night, I attended a Public Workshop on proposed Zoning Amendments put on by the Planning Board. Mrs. Amanda Bunker, the Town Planner, first provided the audience with handouts so they could follow along. This is an excellent idea and extremely useful for the people. It serves two purposes: the first is to follow along and the second it enables the people to take them home and study the material in case they have further questions.

Mrs. Bunker did an excellent job on the presentation and facilitating the workshop. The workshop lasted approximately one and a half hours and was both interesting and informative. The people, who attended, asked numerous questions and provided their thoughts on the proposed amendments.

This type of environment is a good way to keep the people informed as to what is going on in our community. The problem is that only 18-20 residents showed up. I understand this is in the beginning phase but residents should be kept informed if it affects them. An example is if the town approves a truck-stop to be place next door to your residence. This could never happen without your knowledge but you should get out ahead of any such move before it is too late.

I recommend that Public Workshops, Public Hearings and any other meeting that involve the community be videoed and played back for the entire community to review. This is a suggestion for the Chair of the Planning Board and the Town Manager to evaluate.

Larry Fillmore

TOWNHALL: Christie: Obama, Hillary Have 'Made Law Enforcement The Enemy'

Cortney O'Brien | Jan 28, 2016

In a tense discussion over national security, Fox News moderator Megyn Kelly asked Chris Christie for his thoughts on racial profiling during Thursday night’s GOP presidential debate. In the relevant exchange, Kelly pressed the New Jersey governor about whether police have the right to engage in profiling to combat terrorism, referencing the tragedy in San Bernardino. Christie refused to defend profiling, but did say citizens should by all means use “common sense” if they have suspicions.

TOWNHALL: Donald Trump Receives 'Honor Ring' From Veterans' Charity; Immediately Removes It

Christine Rousselle | Jan 28, 2016

Speaking at his event on Thursday night, Donald Trump was given an "honor ring" by three veterans from the charity 22Kill, to wear as a constant reminder about the struggle veterans often face when they return home. The charity's name is in reference to the 22 veterans who commit suicide each day. The ring, which is designed to be worn on the trigger finger, is a “silent salute” to veterans.

TOWNHALL: 22 of Hillary's Emails are 'Top Secret'; Won't Be Released

Christine Rousselle | Jan 29, 2016

Despite Hillary Clinton's claims that there were no classified information on her server, the State Department announced today (in a Friday afternoon news dump, no less) that 22 emails in her account are classified as "top secret" and are unable to be released.

Thursday, January 28, 2016

FREEDOM FORCE: Guess What Denmark Wants to Do to Muslim Refugees (and Why It Is Wrong)

Written by Joe Scudder Jan 27, 2016

While the Danish government’s reaction to Muslim refugees is somewhat understandable, it fails is several ways.

A law was just passed in Denmark to plunder Muslim refugees who legally come into the country. As NPR reported, the law orders “police to seize cash and other valuables from some asylum seekers as they enter the country.”

While the practice is arguably a human rights violation, it is easy to see why the Danes thought it was the right thing to do. Denmark, like most other European nations, doesn’t simply allow refugees to enter the country. It pays for them.

“As you know, we are a very small country of just 5 million people with a very, very generous welfare system, which makes us one of the most attractive destinations in Europe and we’ve received numbers that we are finding difficult to integrate,” says Marcus Knuth, a Danish Parliament member and spokesman for his government on immigration and integration issues.

EAGLE RISING: Texas City Councilman Caught Smuggling Illegal Aliens!

By Onan Coca / 28 January 2016

I’m not sure how it happened, but in all of the New Year festivities we missed this ridiculous story from Texas.

A city councilman in Crystal City, Texas was recently arrested attempting to smuggle three illegal immigrants into the United States!
I kid you not.

Councilman Marco Rodriguez has apparently been engaging in a bit of side work when he was supposed to be acting in his city’s best interests.

FREEBEACON: Army Command Recommends

GOP lawmaker demands ‘war hero’ be allowed to continue to serve

Pentagon / AP

BY: Morgan Chalfant
January 27, 2016 4:55 pm

Army Human Resources Command has recommended that the Green Beret who confronted an Afghan police commander for raping a young boy be kicked out of the service.
Rep. Duncan Hunter (R., Calif.), who has pushed back against the Army’s decision to punish Sgt. 1st Class Charles Martland, revealed the development in a letter to Sen. Pat Roberts (R., Kansas) Wednesday.
“Recently, a decision within Army Human Resources Command recommended that the Army uphold the judgment that Martland be removed from service, although a final decision has yet to be made about his future,” Hunter wrote.
While serving in Afghanistan in 2011, Martland and another soldier confronted an Afghan Local police commander at an outpost for kidnapping and repeatedly raping a young boy, reportedly throwing the man to the ground and physically ejecting him from the base.

EAGLE RISING: Muslim Man on Terror Watch List Murders Four, Proving Just How Dangerous it is to Accept Muslim Refugees

By Onan Coca / 28 January 2016

This past week Ali Muhammad Brown was sentenced to 36 years in prison after being found guilty of armed robbery in New Jersey. However, Brown’s case isn’t one of simple violence. The Seattle Muslim has also been accused of four separate counts of murder and of a charge of terrorism.

A Seattle man charged with killing four people in Washington and New Jersey in 2014 to protest U.S. foreign policy was on a federal terrorism watch list and wrote in his journal that he planned to follow the Islamic State group and “learn the ways of jihadis,” a New Jersey state prosecutor said Wednesday.

EAGLE RISING: Oregon Standoff Ends in Bloody Violence - is the FBI at Fault?

By Tim Brown / 28 January 2016

I had just boarded a plane from Denver to Charlotte on Tuesday evening when I heard the news that the FBI had decided to move on the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. During that confrontation, one of the ranchers was shot and killed and eight people were taken into custody.
KATU reports:

One person is dead and eight others, including Oregon occupation leader Ammon Bundy, were detained following a violent confrontation with the FBI and state police Tuesday night.

TOWNHALL: Hillary: I Regret Using Personal Email For Classified Info Only Because It Caused "Uproar" and "Commotion"

Katie Pavlich | Jan 27, 2016

If Americans weren't in an "uproar" about Hillary Clinton hosting top secret, classified information on a private email server, the democrat presidential candidate would have no regrets over using her home brew system during her time at the State Department.
While meeting with the Quad-City Times editorial board yesterday, Clinton was asked whether she regrets using a private system for all of her official government business. Listen to her response:

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

EAGLE RISING: Unjust DA Persecuting Pro-Life Activist has Ties to Planned Parenthood's Board of Directors!

By Tim Brown / 27 January 2016

Talk about being upside down and bringing injustice upon those who are doing what is right while protecting the guilty! The activists at Center of Medical Progress, who exposed the atrocities of Planned Parenthood and its partners engaging in open murder of the unborn and selling the child's body parts, have been indicted by a grand jury in Houston, Texas. However, there's clearly an issue of impropriety and a conflict of interest in the matter, as a Planned Parenthood Board Member works in the office of the District Attorney that brought the indictment.

EAGLE RISING: Shocking Video Shows Clinton Crony Bragging about Mishandling Classified Material!

By Onan Coca / 27 January 2016

Earlier this week Fox News’ Ed Henry broke a shocking story about a recently uncovered video about a former State Department official by the name of Wendy Sherman.

The video is of a speech Sherman gave in 2013, and it shows her bragging about the mishandling of classified government information through the use of personal electronic devices.

FREEDOM FORCE: ENEMY OF MY ENEMY IS MY FRIEND

TO READ MORE: http://comicallyincorrect.com/2016/01/27/hillary-bff/

SAVING A LIFE!!!!!

EDITOR'S NOTE: THIS IS NOT THE PSAP AT ANDROSCOGGIN COUNTY!!!!!

On November 6, 2015, the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) located in the Androscoggin County Dispatch received a 911 call from a 46 year old woman complaining of chest pains. The two Dispatchers immediately swung into action. One started gathering critical information while the other contacted First Responders. The caller subsequently lost contact with the Dispatchers.

The two Dispatchers, Mr. James LaFlamme and Ms. Lena Lavoie continued to work to locate the caller and restore contact with her. The Dispatchers were able to locate the caller and immediately started medical personnel to the scene. The Dispatchers remained on the line and were able to regain communication with the caller. Both Dispatchers, working together, were able to keep the caller calm and at the same time guide rescue personnel to her location.

When the First Responders arrived on the scene, they found the caller unresponsive lying on the floor. The First Responders administer a shock from an automatic defibrillator device to revive the patient’s heart rhythm prior to transporting her to the nearest hospital.

As a direct result of the professionalism of everyone involved in this emergency, this 46 year old woman from Turner is a live today. The Caller, Town of Turner, plus U.S. Representative Bruce Poliquin recognized all Public Service/Safety personnel that participated in this rescue for saving the life of this woman.

It is always rewarding when you learn that your actions help save the life of another. On Monday, Joe Hill and I had the honor of meeting these two truly professional Dispatchers. These two Dispatchers action reflects great credit on themselves and the PSAP/Androscoggin County Dispatch.

Larry Fillmore

TOURING THE PUBLIC SAFETY ANSWERING POINT!!!

EDITOR'S NOTE: THIS IS NOT THE PSAP AT ANDROSCOGGIN COUNTY

Last Monday, my friend Joe Hill and I had the privilege of touring the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) located in the Androscoggin County Dispatch. I wish to thank Sheriff Eric Samson and Mr. Martin Fournier, Director of the PSAP/Androscoggin County Dispatch for the most informative tour. I recommend the Town Council and Town Manager of Lisbon also take this tour. I am going to write about some of the more interest facts provided.

The first and most interesting is that the State of Maine does not dictate the equipment for the Androscoggin County Dispatch. However, the State of Maine provides the 911 system called NEXGEN 911. This system receives all the 911 calls for Lisbon and the remaining towns of Androscoggin County with the exception of Lewiston, Auburn and Poland. This computer system is only provided to PSAP’s to perform the 911 service. A critical part of this system is to provide Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD). This program allows the Dispatchers to gather medical history in order to provide the EMT’s responding to the call a better understanding of the patient and the situation. For Lisbon this is done by providing the operator at the Lisbon Communication Center with an EMD code for the First Responders. This information is transferred to Lisbon like this (Respond to XX Trask Road, 69 year old male subject, chest pains, 10-D-2). The 10-D-2 is the coded message to the EMT’s first on the scene. The process of Emergency Medical Dispatching can only be done by a PSAP or a licensed EMD facility.

Since Lisbon is NOT a PSAP, when residents call 353-2500 this information is NOT available to the EMT’s since no one is authorized to gather any medical history. This is a major reason for residents to call 911 instead of 353-2500 for all emergencies especially medical ones. Another interesting fact is that under the current setup, the Dispatchers have to call Lisbon Communication Center to transfer information using the 353-2500 number. The Dispatchers on duties told Joe and I there have been times when the 353-2500 line was busy when they were trying to contact the Lisbon Communication Center with 911 call information. This delays the process and causes a delay in the dispatching of First Responders to the scene by Lisbon Communication Center.

For Police and Fire emergency calls, the Dispatchers located at the PSAP confirms the 911 caller information from the NEXGEN terminal and transfer the caller directly to the Lisbon Communication Center. The NEXGEN system has the ability to locate the caller. The system has maps of the area and can pin-point the located of the emergency in order to assist First Responders. This is yet another capability of the PSAP/Androscoggin County Dispatch.

The PSAP/Androscoggin County Dispatch is a repository for felony warrants. This is where police, from all over the country, call to verify there is a felony warrant on an individual out of the Androscoggin County courts. The PSAP have access to the NCIC system. This is an added benefit for our law enforcement.

Finally, the PSAP/Androscoggin County Dispatch records all the 911 calls into the Record Management system.

Joe and I also had the pleasure of talking with two professional Dispatchers whom have been credited with saving the life of a 46 year old woman from Turner and in my next article I will provide more details.

Once again, I would like to thank Sheriff Samson and Mr. Fournier for allowing Joe and I to tour their facility.

Larry Fillmore

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

LISBON PLANNING BOARD PUBLIC WORKSHOP - JANUARY 28TH

EAGLE RISING: WW II Hero says 90% of Congress are Traitors to our Nation!

By Tim Brown / 26 January 2016 /

World War II Veteran Warren Bodeker from Plains, Montana is no stranger to controversy.

He was a war hero who was involved in the saving of 2,000 American prisoners from execution by the Japanese, only to return home to have the federal government intimidate him and threaten to take his home and land, which were fully paid for.

EAGLE RISING: Trey Gowdy Just Gave a Speech for the Ages and the Democrats were Floored

By Onan Coca / 15 January 2015

We have grown used to the fiery speeches and powerful rhetoric that flow from South Carolina’s firebrand Congressman Trey Gowdy (R-SC). Even so, there are times when the former District Attorney speaks that we find ourselves holding our collective breath in anticipation of what he’ll say next. The man is exactly the kind of politician other politicians fear (even when they’re on his side) because he can change everything with the power of a few simple words.

Seriously.

Rep. Gowdy gave us another example of his ability when he rose to speak about the dangers of executive overreach and the sad state of the legislature. He moved the Democrats to jeer and his fellow Republicans to cheer. It was the best speech of 2015, and though it’s early, it may still be when 2016 rolls around.

TOWNHALL: Millennial Bernie Supporter to Hillary: We Think You're Dishonest, You Know

Katie Pavlich | Jan 26, 2016

Last night in a last ditch effort before the Iowa caucus next week, the DNC held a Democrat forum with CNN. Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Martin O'Malley participated.

During Clinton's question and answer session, a millennial told Clinton that not only is he voting for Sanders, but his friends don't think she's very honest. As a warning, Clinton laughs loudly at the beginning of this clip.

Monday, January 25, 2016

GOPDD: FED UP: Norway sends Syrian refugees back to Russia

By clyde - Jan 25, 2016

The Norwegian authorities have begun sending the first of around 5,500 mainly Syrian refugees who’ve been housed in a transit camp in the north of the country, back to the Russian border they crossed last autumn.

Dozens of asylum seekers are resisting and have left the camp, around 30 others staged a brief hunger strike in protest.

GOPDD: Obama’s Daughter Living Lavish Lifestyles Like Their Mom: He is Furious After Personal Info Leaks Out

By clyde - Jan 25, 2016

The White House is in panic mode today after personal info leaked about the Obama girls and their schooling. Once again, the Obamas are spending hundreds of thousands of our tax dollars to fund their own ridiculously lavish lifestyles.

Bombshell new details have just been leaked about Sasha and Malia Obama’s education, and it has the White House in panic mode. We knew that Barack Obama had a serious spending problem, but this shows it’s so much worse than we ever imagined…

TOWNHALL: Report: Team Hillary Deliberately 'Copied and Pasted' Classified Info Onto Private Server

Katie Pavlich | Jan 25, 2016

As if keeping the highest level of sensitive human source information, which FBI investigators had to obtain special clearances to handle, on a private server wasn't bad enough, a new report in the New York Post shows Clinton's top aides may have deliberately 'copied and pasted' highly sensitive, classified information from secure government systems onto Clinton's private, unsecure server. (Bolding is mine).

The FBI is investigating whether members of Hillary Clinton’s inner circle “cut and pasted” material from the government’s classified network so that it could be sent to her private e-mail address, former State Department security officials say.

Clinton and her top aides had access to a Pentagon-run classified network that goes up to the Secret level, as well as a separate system used for Top Secret communications.

The two systems — the Secret Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPRNet) and Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System (JWICS) — are not connected to the unclassified system, known as the Non-Classified Internet Protocol Router Network (NIPRNet). You cannot e-mail from one system to the other, though you can use NIPRNet to send e-mails outside the government.

TOWNHALL: Is There Enough Evidence to Indict Hillary Clinton?

Guy Benson | Jan 25, 2016

As both Ed and Katie noted this morning, the New York Post is reporting that the Federal Bureau of Investigation's ongoing, expanded probe into Hillary Clinton's potential crimes has turned to the question of how extremely sensitive classified information "migrated" from secure government servers to Hillary's improper, unsecure private server. This prohibited crossover is "specifically forbidden," according to a former CIA official who recently weighed in on the controversy, who added that there is "zero ambiguity" on this point. At this point, we know that federal investigators are looking into habitual, serious mishandling of classified information -- including intelligence that rose to the levels of secret, top secret and 'beyond top secret' (SAP). One by one, Hillary and her allies have erected excuses for her willful, national security-endangering scheme; one by one, those excuses have crashed and burned under scrutiny. We also know that the feds are exploring whether Team Hillary obstructed justice to cover up her conduct, and whether she violated anti-corruption laws in her capacity at the State Department. Those 30,000-plus "personal" emails she unilaterally ordered deleted may come into play on those fronts. The FBI has reportedly recovered the contents of those messages, several of which have already been exposed as work-related. But where does all of this lead, from a legal perspective? Katie touched on it in her piece, but it's worth taking a closer look at analysis from former federal judge and US Attorney General Michael Mukasey, who penned a compelling op/ed in the Wall Street Journal over the weekend. He makes the case that based on publicly-known details alone, criminal charges are in order:

GOPDD: Muslim airline pilots planned to bomb four UK cities

By clyde - Jan 25, 2016

By Pamela Geller,

If their plot had succeeded, would the British government have awakened to the reality of the global jihad? No, it would have commissioned a blue-ribbon study of “islamophobia.” And of course anyone who suggests that it might be unwise to hire Muslims as airline pilots is a racist-islamophobic-antimuslim-bigot.