The group was composed of representatives from seniors, telephone workers, first responders, parents and health care providers -- all of whom want to make sure that Governor Baldacci gets the message: Stop the Sale!

The post cards ask the Governor to "take a strong stand against allowing Verizon to sell its assets to FairPoint." Maine Public Advocate Richard Davies received the cards for Governor Baldacci.

In a short briefing in the State House Welcome Center just prior to delivering the post cards, retired pediatrician Tom Whitney from Norway said, "High speed Internet is vital to providing quality health care to all persons in Maine. In other states, it has already saved lives. Experts at a major hospital can use high-speed Internet to review a patient�s symptoms, monitor a patient and even prescribe the right treatment over the Internet. We have a much better chance of achieving that level of service with Verizon than we do with FairPoint."

"All Mainers � and especially our schools, hospitals and emergency responders -- desperately need to have improved access to the information superhighway," said Gerry Gay, President of the Professional Firefighters of Maine in a prepared statement. "In our opinion, the proposed FairPoint acquisition of the Verizon Northern New England properties poses unacceptably high risks. We do not want to be left on FairPoint's "dirt road' to nowhere!"

"In the modern, competitive global economy, students without high-speed Internet will simply be left behind," said Matt Beck, a parent of three school age children from South Portland. "It's really unfair that anyone in Maine is denied the kind of high speed Internet service that is available for most of the rest of America. This sale to tiny FairPoint may only deepen the digital divide that is already putting people in Maine at a disadvantage."

"High speed Internet can help senior citizens live independently, improve our quality of life and reduce the cost of care," said Neena Quirion, Director of the Maine Council of Seniors Citizens. "Especially in Maine, long distances often separate friends and family. For Seniors, both physical and financial concerns can make long trips difficult. High speed Internet connections can help connect us to friends, family, medical and social assistance, and the larger world. Seniors need to have improved access to the information superhighway. We do not want to have our future access to high speed Internet left to a company that is already on very shaky ground!"

"If this sale is approved it could send Maine and its economy backwards," said Ed Gorham, President of the Maine AFL-CIO. "Cutting edge technology is essential to keeping good paying jobs in the state. FairPoint has not demonstrated it has the resources or the technology to keep pace with today�s world."

"We went door to door to collect many of these post cards," said Brian McAnally, Field Director of Working America, an AFL-CIO affiliate that organizes working families to fight for good jobs, affordable health care and secure retirements. "The majority of households still hadn't heard about the proposed sale, but when they did, people understood how risky FairPoint could be and were eager to sign."

Pictures from the event may be seen at: picasaweb.google.com/randwilson.aflcio/DeliveringPostCardsToGovBaldacci

More information about why citizens are mobilizing to stop the Verizon sale to FairPoint is at: www.stopthesalenow.org and www.no-deal.org. For information about ending the digital divide visit: www.speedmatters.org.