Everybody knows who Napoleon I was – he conquered Europe and was doing well until he invaded Russia. After that it was downhill for him, culminating in the Battle of Waterloo, and he ended up in exile on a lonely island in the South Atlantic.

His son, titled by the Bonapartists “Napoleon II,” had lots of titles, including “King of Rome,” but he never ruled over anything and died young.

A nephew of Napoleon I was president of the French Second Republic. He decided he wanted to be an emperor, too, and thus became Napoleon III. Lured into war with Prussia in 1870, he was defeated at the Battle of Sedan and lived the rest of his life in exile.

Here is a chance for Maine to crown its own Napoleon. Of course, the Blaine House is no Palais de Versailles, but that should not be a problem for the current occupant, Gov. LePage.

Maine could live up to its motto, Dirigo (“I lead”), and became the first of the 50 states to have its own emperor. I think the current Blaine House occupant and his minions might be most amenable to this idea. And might his choice of exile be Florida?

Robert G. Bent

Falmouth


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