Tom, you were a great judge, and I myself even voted for you. However, taking retribution against Thames because you were not appointed chair of the Criminal Justice Department has lowered yourself.

I do not want to encourage any more public activity on your part, but this is an anonymous board. At the very least, you should have used an anonymous name to post your plea to oust Thames. That way you would not be embarrassing the department so much. As it is now, copies of your post and several of the replies to it, are circulating on campus. I myself have had to remove seven copies from the walls of Walker Science over the last few days.

I am shocked by how many USM employees—who do not get what they want and who feel they are all the "best" person for employment—feel they have to seek some kind of retribution when other administrative officials feel there are better people out there. I am even more shocked that you, Tom Paine, turned out to be one of them.

You were a great judge Tom, and that is why I voted for you. However, there is a large distinction between a city judge and an academic chair in a department that is somewhat scientific and that is trying to increase its scientific activity. Please do not be a sore loser. You are not only demeaning yourself; you are showing the other faculty and students that the decision to find someone else was the right decision.