Gumbasia, from 1953

Maine woman avoids prison in killing of white supremacist husband after years of abuse

Amber Cummings gets a hug from Rev. Ken Parker of the First Baptist Church as she leaves Waldo County Superior Court, Thursday, Jan. 7, 2010, in Belfast, Maine. Cummings was released after receiving a 8-year suspended sentence for killing her husband after years of physical, emotional and sexual abuse. The killing lead to the discovery of her husband's Nazi memorabilia, radioactive materials and instructions for building a dirty bomb.(AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty). (Robert F. Bukaty, AP / January 7, 2010)

BELFAST, Maine (AP) — A woman who shot her white supremacist husband while he slept — leading to the discovery of Nazi memorabilia, an arsenal of weapons and bomb-making materials in their home — won't have to go to prison for killing the man she said subjected her and their daughter to years of extreme abuse.

Amber Cummings, 32, was allowed to go free Thursday after being handed a suspended sentence in the death of James Cummings at their house in Belfast.

Cummings used a battered-woman defense, claiming she killed her husband to protect herself and their daughter, who was 9 at the time. Defense lawyer Eric Morse graphically described how James Cummings lived in a sadistic world of darkness and hate where he ridiculed, abused and debased his wife during their decade-long marriage.

"James Cummings in my mind truly personified evil," Morse told Justice Jeffrey Hjelm.

The killing drew the FBI's attention after Nazi mementos, radioactive materials and instructions on how to build a "dirty bomb" were found in their home.

Her husband was angered by Barack Obama's election as president and the bomb-making materials were discovered near the time of Obama's inauguration, but law enforcement officials said the public was not at risk.

The Cummings moved in 2007 from California to the coastal town of Belfast, where they bought a fixer-upper at a foreclosure sale. But family life was far from normal, according to court documents, and lawyers and mental health experts who spoke at the sentencing hearing.

James and Amber Cummings slept in separate bedrooms and kept loaded guns under their pillows. He obsessed over child pornography and instructed her to conduct Internet chats to lure women to Maine, according to court documents.

He told people he was fascinated by Adolph Hitler and said he had a collection of Nazi memorabilia.

And he was actively amassing bomb-making materials in the wake of the 2008 presidential election. "His hostility toward her and the world was increasing," Morse wrote in a sentencing document.

On the morning of Dec. 9, 2009, Amber Cummings and her daughter, Claira, woke up early and ate breakfast together, as was their normal routine. The mother then went to her bedroom, where she said she put a gun in her mouth and considered killing herself. Instead, she decided that she had to kill her husband to protect Claira.

She took a Colt .45-caliber revolver, walked into her husband's bedroom and fired two bullets into his head while he slept, then fled with her daughter to a neighbor's home and called police.

A psychologist who evaluated Amber Cummings said the turning point for her was James Cummings' growing obsession with child pornography and her "escalating sense of doom." He often talked to her about his sexual attraction to young girls, and she thought that he was becoming obsessed with their own daughter.

Morse and prosecutors came to a plea agreement, calling for a sentence of up to eight years with Cummings to serve no more than a year in jail, followed by six years of probation. In his sentencing memo to Hjelm, Morse recommended that Amber Cummings serve no jail time.

Assistant Attorney General Leane Zania recommended that Cummings spend a year behind bars. Although Cummings was clearly abused by her husband, a message must be sent that "this kind of 'self-help' is severely anti-social behavior and that it will be punished accordingly," Zania wrote.

Amber Cummings didn't address the court, but three mental health experts who evaluated her urged Hjelm not to send her to jail.

In handing down the sentence, Hjelm said he looked at the case in its entirety and the reasons behind the shooting — not just the few seconds of the shooting itself.

After Hjelm left the courtroom, about 50 people wearing "Free Amber" stickers burst into applause.

Outside of the courthouse, Amber Cummings thanked people in the community for their support. Her husband was mentally ill, she said, and she didn't want people to be angry with him.

 

Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

 

 

Well, this puts things in perspective....

New Year's By the Bay
Thursday, December 31, 2009  Starting at 12:30pm till 1:00am
Downtown Belfast

Welcome to our thirteenth annual, chem-free celebration of New Year's by the Bay in Belfast. Come dance, sing, eat, strut and party with your family, your sweetie, your friends all throughout our cool little town.

One button gets to to all events. $15 for adults, $5 for K-12, and kids under 5 get in free.

Purchase before Dec. 31st at any of these locations:
Downtown Belfast: Parent Gallery, The Belfast Coop, The Fertile Mind Bookshop. Reny's Plaza: Mr. Paperback. Rtes. 1 & 3 North: Belfast Harbor Inn, Comfort Inn Ocean’s Edge. Lincolnville Ave/Starrett Drive : Hannaford (Service Desk)

EVENTS
********
PARENT GALLERY
92 Main at High St. at Traffic Light
noon-9:00 NYBB 2010 HEADQUARTERS

BELFAST CURLING CLUB
Rte. 3, 2.5 miles west of Rte. 1
3:00 - 5:00 Observe, learn the game of Curling on ice

THE BOATHOUSE
Front & Commercial Sts. Belfast Harbor
6:00 - 8:30 Willy Kelly Band: Blues, Swing & R&B
9:30 - 12:00 Three Button Deluxe Band: Jump, Swing & Rock n' Roll

COLONIAL THEATER
High St. near Main St.
6:00 - 6:45 Scot Cannon: Mime & Music
7:00 - 7:45 Scot Cannon: Acoustic Guitar & Song, Original, Standards
8:00 - 8:45 Rousing Rabble of Poets: Readings by Poet Laureate & Friends
9:00 - 9:45 Free Seedlings: Bluegrass & Old-time Acoustic Band
10:00 - 10:45 Free Seedlings

FIRST CHURCH UCC HALL
Spring St. between Church & Court Streets
6:00 - 6:45 Belfast Bay Fiddlers: Fiddle Music in Contra Dance Tradition
7:00 - 7:45 Belfast Bay Fiddlers
9:00 - 9:45 OdLaw - Dance Band: Acoustic Folk, Soul, Rock n' Roll
10:00 - 10:45 OdLaw
11:00 - 11:45 OdLaw

FIRST CHURCH UCC SANCTUARY
Church St. at Spring St.
5:00 - 5:45 MR PC - Jazz Trio: Lincoln, David & Phil-Ballads to Bebop
6:00 - 6:45 Castlebay: Celtic Songs with Harp, Fiddle & Guitar
7:00 - 7:45 Gintare McCurdy: Composer Performer, Piano & Vocals
8:00 - 8:45 Castlebay
9:00 - 9:45 David Dodson Trio: Funny, Profound Original Songs
10:00 - 10:45 Castlebay
11:00 - 11:45 David Dodson Trio

UU CHURCH SANCTUARY
Miller St. between Church & High Streets
4:00 - 4:45 Conjuring Carroll: Interactive Magic & Illusions
5:00 - 5:45 Conjuring Carroll
6:00 - 6:45 Jennifer Armstrong - Storyteller: Songs & Stories-Fiddle, Banjo & Bagpipe
7:00 - 7:45 Jennifer Armstrong - Storyteller
8:00 - 8:45 Hawk Henries: Native American Spiritual Flute, Storyteller
9:00 - 9:45 Hawk Henries
10:00 - 10:45 Class Machine: Original Rock Power Duo
11:00 - 11:45 Class Machine: Maximum Rock

ABBOTT ROOM Belfast Free Library
106 High Street & Miller Streets:
6:00 - 6:45 Spirited Folk: Folk Harmonies & Lively Instrumentals
7:00 - 7:45 Spirited Folk
8:00 - 8:45 Tango - Kristen & Martin: American Songbook - Piano & Vocals
9:00 - 9:45 Tango - Kristen & Martin
10:00 - 10:45 Jason, Owen & Josh: Experimental, Electronic, Breakbeat Music
11:00 - 11:45 Jason, Owen & Josh

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH
High St. near Miller St.
5:00 - 5:45 Belfast HS Swing Chorus & Stage Band: Perform Pop Music
6:00 - 6:45 Blue Hill Brass: Brilliant Brass Entertainment
6:30- 8:30 Caricatures by P.J. Carter: Caricature Drawings
7:00 - 7:45 Katahdin Valley Boys: Traditional Bluegrass Band
8:00 - 8:45 Blue Hill Brass
9:00 - 9:45 Katahdin Valley Boys
10:00 - 10:45 Blue Hill Brass
11:00 - 11:45 Katahdin Valley Boys

BELFAST COOP
High St. at Beaver St.
5:00 - 5:45 George Lirakis: Irish Sea Shanties
6:00 - 6:45 George Lirakis
8:00 - 8:45 Rural Electric: Original, Instrumental Folk Rock
9:00 - 9:45 Rural Electric

TRAFFIC LIGHT
Downtown at Main & High Streets
11:50 Drum & Rabble Corps
5th Annual Procession to the Bonfire By The Bay

WATERFRONT PIER AT HARBOR
Bottom of Main Street
12:00 - 1:00 7th Annual Bonfire By The Bay

FOOD
********
The Boathouse — Steamboat Landing (Front & Commercial Streets), 6 to 11p.m. Belfast Rotary Fundraiser to benefit you th programs & ndash; Hot Chocolate, Cider, Coffee,Tea, Bottled Water, Chili, Brownies

Weathervane Restaurant — Outdoors at the Harbor,Waterfront Pier, Lower Main & Front Streets, 11:45 pm to 12:15am
COMPLIMENTARY Hot Chocolate

Scoops & Crepes — 35 Lower Main Street, 1pm until...Sweet & Savory Crepes, Soup, Ice Cream Desserts & Soda, Fountain Drinks, Homemade Popovers, Brownies, Coffee, Espresso, Cappuccino, Hot Chocolate

Bay Wrap — 102 Main Street & 20 Beaver Street (between High & Church Streets), 4 to 10 p.m. Special New Year’s Eve Menu of Wraps:“To THAI For”, “Texan’s Nightmare” & “Me A My Wrapalaya”; Soup of the Day, Baked Goods, Full Espresso Bar, Hot & Cold Drinks, COMPLIMENTARY Hot Spiced Cider

Alexia’s Pizza — Corner of Main and High
Streets, noon to 9pm Pizza, Calzones, Salads, Sandwiches, Beverages

First Church Hall — Spring Street (between
Church & Court Streets), 10pm-1am New Year’s Eve Breakfast Eggs, Bacon, Sausage, Homefries, Bread, Hot & Cold Drinks; Drinks & Snacks available earlier

Unitarian Universalist Church — Miller Street (between High & Church Streets), 5 to 8 p.m. Complete Lasagne Dinner, Hot & Cold Drinks, Baked Goods

First Baptist Church — High Street (near Miller Street), 5 to 11 p.m.
Homemade Beef Stew, Chili, Bar-B-Q Beans,Turkey Soup, Hot Cocoa, Coffee, Doughnuts, Cookies, Bars, Fried Dough, Funnel Cake

Belfast Coop Café — 123 High Street (near Beaver Street), Open until 10 pm. Sandwiches, Soups & Hot Food; Hot Chocolate,Teas, Desserts

Belfast gears up for 13th New Year’s By the Bay - Bangor Daily News
Source: www.bangordailynews.com
The annual event features a wide range of performers and acts at venues throughout the downtown. From the Boathouse at Steamboat Landing to the First Church, planners hope the downtown will be buzzing with excitement and anticipation as Thursday night moves into the new year.
Posted by Kristen Burkholder

Willy Kelly Band - Maine Blues,Folk & Rocking Guitar Music
Source: www.wondrousmusic.com

Posted by Kristen Burkholder

Many people who bought into the promise of hope and change are feeling deeply betrayed by President Obama. Many progressives actually seem stunned!