The Danger of One Party Rule

The Middletown mayoral campaign debate last evening at Wesleyan’s Crowell Hall between incumbent Mayor Sebastian Giuliano and challenger Dan Drew attracted an audience of perhaps 100 interested, and I suppose mostly partisan, spectators.  Unfortunately, nothing really new, and nothing that had not been already known through newspaper articles and Facebook postings was discussed.   There was nothing to cheer about; in fact no cheers were heard and the only applause occurred at the conclusion to thank the candidates. The collegiality and respect between the two speakers was apparent and one took from the event some satisfaction that the “old civility” still rules in local politics.

Civility in political discourse is of course a good thing. But when civility devolves into acquiescence, and when the minority party submits to, and is co-opted by the majority party that is not a good thing. We have a one party state in Connecticut and a one party city in Middletown. This condition leads to cronyism and corruption. What sort of response should Republicans offer? Columnist and blogger Don Pesci suggests (Oct 20)

“… a resistance posture. The point of a party surely is to offer resistance to the reigning power. History has not dealt kindly with parties that have cooperated with the prevailing regime. The one party state, like a rolling stone, gathers no moss, but the single party state is an invitation to corruption…Because Republicans have too often cooperated with the prevailing regime. You cannot cooperate without being co-opted… The Republican resistance has been washed away in Connecticut. Here and there, one finds brave blades of grass shooting through the concrete. During the last elections, two Republican conservatives – state senators Len Suzio and Joe Markley — won office, both of whom may be considered part of a resistance vanguard.”

 The February 2011 special election that brought Len Suzio to the Connecticut Senate was an early sign of dissatisfaction with long term Democrat domination in Connecticut. In the case of the district (Senate District 13) won by Suzio it had endured Democrat control for 36 years according to the Hartford Courant’s calculations. At the time of Suzio’s win I wrote;

“One can only hope that Suzio’s election is a harbinger of reform to come. Recent developments in other states suggest that a nationwide retreat from reckless spending, unfunded mandates, and impossible entitlements is in the offing. The turnout for this election was remarkable for a special election and I imagine that taxpayer concerns here and the news from other states spurred voter participation yesterday.”

The hope today among Middletown Republicans is that the movement away from Democrat domination in local politics can continue with the election of a full slate of able candidates on Nov. 8, 2011. The Republican slate for Middletown is headed by incumbent Mayor Seb Giuliano who has been in office for six years during which time he has been faced with a Democrat majority on the Common Council and Board of Education.

Massed Fife and Drum Corps – A Deep River July Tradition

Reposted from today’s Rocky Hill Historical Society web page:

58th Annual Deep River Ancient Muster-Massed Fife and Drum Corps-July16, 2011

Everyone loves a parade and what can be more appropriate for a parade than a fife and drum corps marching smartly down the street, banners and flags unfurled. Better yet, how about several hundred fifers and drummers in a mass parade through a sleepy Connecticut river town.

That is the scene on the third Saturday of every July when the annual Deep River Ancient Muster, a Connecticut tradition since 1885 convenes. Of this massing of drum corps an excited newspaper reporter, in a contemporary account, exclaimed;

“The noise shook green apples off the trees, moved a frog onto the railroad track, jolted nails out of the shingles in the roofs, and the hens in the poultry yards along the route laid premature eggs in fright.”

Read more of this interesting article from Time magazine: Time Aug 03, 1970

Video Credit: L.E.Agnelli

The Middletown Press printed an article with video by Claire Michalewicz about the muster:

“DEEP RIVER – The sound of drums was hard to miss in Deep River on Saturday, as 60 fife and drum corps marched down Main Street to Devitt Field for the 58th Annual Deep River Ancient Muster. Once there, the corps performed one by one for hours into the evening…The festivities started with a “tattoo” on Friday night, with a smaller group of corps performing on the field. On Saturday morning, all the participating corps lined up on Main Street and marched down the street to Devitt Field. One by one, they participated in “jollification” – stepping out onto the baseball diamond and performing a few short pieces before the judges and audience…”

Video Credit: Claire Michalewicz, Middletown Press

Congratulations Len Suzio – No More Taxes!

Len Suzio Victory Speech - New Day for NO More taxes!

One can only hope that Suzio’s election is harbinger of reform to come. Recent developments in other states suggest that a nationwide retreat from reckless spending, unfunded mandates, and impossible entitlements is in the offing. The turnout for this election was remarkable for a special election and I imagine that taxpayer concerns here and the news from other states spurred voter participation yesterday.

Overall, Suzio had 1,627 more total votes, with 6,110 to Bruenn’s 4,483. According to Suzio camp data:

in Middlefield Suzio received 503 votes vs. Bruenn’s 307;
in Meriden, Suzio won 3,083 to Bruenn’s 2,614;
in Middletown he had 950 to Bruenn’s 871; and
in Cheshire, Suzio received a sizeable 1,574 to Bruenn’s 691.

Suzio said he felt that his win of a seat that has been in Democratic hands for so many years (36, according to the Hartford Courant) was a sign for Connecticut politicians in Hartford.

“I hope this sends a message to the governor loud and clear – no more taxes,” he said. “I think this is the beginning of a conservative revolution in Connecticut.”

See Middletown Patch for complete details and video.

The Wesleyan Killer Surrenders: A Fantasy World Crumbles

By now we are all pretty much familiar with the events of Wednesday and Thursday here in Middletown. I do have some thoughts on the matter which I posted elsewhere but will repeat here. A pathetic loser obtains a gun and shoots a woman with whom he has a long standing grievance. It is not surprising in these post 9/11 days that intelligent, but nevertheless deranged, killers can immobilize entire communities with notebook scribblings about rape and attacks on Jews. It is also not surprising what sort of murders attract the TV and print media. There must be, I don’t know, at a least a dozen or more murders in Middletown each year that don’t rate more than a paragraph or brief mention on the air. By the way, I don’t fault Wesleyan University for their reaction to the perceived threat.

Of course we are relieved that Stephen Morgan has turned himself in to the police. One report says that he saw his photograph in a newspaper at a convenience store in Meriden and requested the clerk call 911. That Morgan shot Wesleyan junior Johanna Justin-Jinich in revenge for some past grievance or slight seems logical.

Morgan had a history of harassment directed at Ms. J-J that the authorities n New York and Connecticut were aware of. They both attended a summer program at New York University in 2007. They both have connections to Colorado where she has family. Morgan drove here, possibly from Colorado, in the last day or two. His car, left at the scene of the shooting bears Colorado tags. Morgan’s family in Massachusetts publicly pleaded that he surrender, and he did. So far, so good.

That Stephen Morgan intended to kill Johanna Justin-Jinich seems clear enough. The five, or in another account, seven bullets were more than enough. He entered the bookstore where Ms.J-J worked wearing a wig as disguise. After the shooting he discarded the wig and the murder weapon, and according to one account used the book lift, or dumbwaiter device, to descend to the basement and thence to the street. There, again according to some accounts, he mingled with the gathering crowd; the speculation is that his escape in his auto was foiled by the almost immediate deployment of police vehicles at the scene blocking his car. Luckily, the Middletown Police SWAT Team was engaged in an exercise nearby and was on the scene in seconds. Amazingly, Morgan was questioned by police along with others at the scene. His contact information was taken and he was free to go. Only hours later did the police realize that he was among the ones questioned earlier at the scene.

In Morgan’s automobile the police say they found a personal journal where he writes that he will rape and kill Ms. J-J There also they say he writes of a desire to bring a killing spree to the Wesleyan campus, with emphasis on targeting Jewish students. One media outlet reports this as a posible “Jewish Columbine”! At this point many questions arise:

If Morgan intended to kill persons other than his intended victim, why did he discard his weapon at the murder scene? No other weapons were found in his car so one must conclude that he most likely had no further plans for a shooting spree on campus. The fact that the police were almost immediately on the scene only spoiled his getaway in his automobile, not any further plot of mayhem.

In all fairness to Wesleyan University, one cannot fault the administration for the drastic lock down measures that were imposed on the campus. They did the right thing. The media frenzy about this event drove that response. There are, this is just a guess, perhaps a dozen or so murders a year in Middletown. Does the crumbling fantasy world of a pathetic loser deserve this sort of attention?

Posted yesterday at Right of Middle

Related stories: CNN Crime

Johanna Justin-Jinich

The Oath to Defend the U.S. Constitution….

By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood,
And fired the shot heard round the world….

Concord Hymn by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1837) (Audio Here)

Chinalauren Photo: Concord Reenactment

h/t china lauren for the photo

In commemoration of “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World” (April 19, 1775) The Committees of Safety and The Oath Keepers rallied yesterday on the Lexington (MA) Battle Green. On April 19, 1775 the Minutemen and British regulars met here in a brief battle signaling the opening of hostilities between the American colonies and Great Britain. Early this morning the annual reenactment of the event took place on The Lexington Battle Green; yesterday the patriots and red coats skirmished at Concord’s North Bridge.

A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. (Amendment II, U.S. Constitution)

The Committees of Safety presented written remarks by the constitutional scholar Dr. Edwin Vieira who has described himself as “one of the very few people… vociferously advocating revitalization of “the Militia of the several States” along strict constitutional lines”. Dr. Vieira was unable to attend and his speech was read by Tom Moon. The present day Committees of Safety is a national organization founded by Walter Reddy. The group consists of citizens

“who exercise their constitutional rights of association, speech, and petition through non-partisan, non-violent, public education and legislation and legislative activism for the purpose of restoring a “constitutional system of security and defense” in their own States what the Constitution declares as “necessary to the security of a free State” throughout the United States….(and further)…one State at a time, restoring the system of community defense crucial to a “Republican Form of Government” in each State through the efforts of the people themselves – true “government of the People, by the People, and for the People.”

Go here for history of the original Committees of Safety during colonial times. Founder Reddy spoke briefly before introducing the Patriot Pastor, Garrett Lear.

The Oath Keepers portion of the program was initiated by the group’s founder Stewart Rhodes. At his blog Dirt Rhodes Scholar, Rhodes says this about himself:

“Blog of E. Stewart Rhodes, ex-paratrooper, disabled vet, ex-firearms instructor, former Ron Paul staff member, Yale Law grad/Research Scholar, & Montana/Nevada lawyer. Stewart has written for Gerry Spence’s The Warrior, for moreliberty.org, writes the Enemy at the Gate column for S.W.A.T. Magazine, and is writing a book on the dangers of applying the laws of war to the American people in the “war on terror.” Stewart is NOT a liberal, unless you want to consider him a classical liberal.”

Stewart Rhodes spoke at some length about the obligation of our military members and peace officers not to obey unlawful orders. Rhodes Audio Clip 1 (2:13) Next he read an address by General Washington to his troops just before the Battle of Long Island. Rhodes Audio Clip 2 (3:41) Rhodes then read out and explained the orders the Oath Keepers will not obey. (see video that follows)

Next the audience of around 200 persons heard a spirited speech from Sheriff Richard Mack whose website says: I’m Richard Mack, former sheriff of Graham County, Arizona, and long-time crusader for freedom and individual rights. Right now,

..it is vital that we restore the Constitution as the supreme law of the land. The greatest threat we face today is not terrorists; it is our own federal government. If America is conquered or ruined it will be from within, not a foreign enemy.

Sheriff Mack spoke passionately about peace officers’ personal moral obligation to keep their oath of office, to defend the U.S. Constitution. Mack has written several books, the latest being “The County Sheriff-America’s Last Hope”. Do take the time to listen to his speech; it’s a little over 16 minutes.

Sheriff Rchard Mack (Audio-16:37)

Note especially the part where Sheriff Mack talks about Rosa Parks of Montgomery Alabama and the audience response to his humanitarian tone. Patriotic conservatives are nothing like the evil imaginings of the moronic Janeane Garofolo (audio: 02:32) recently heard on MSNBC where she described the Tea Party participants as racists and white power freaks who hate the Black president. For an answer to Garofolo see Michelle Malkin on Katrina Pierson who says “We are a Free People….We will resist socialism…We as the people have the right and the duty to protect our  Constitution and our sovereignty from any person or government that threatens it…”

Sheriff Richard Mack

The finale to the program was the reaffirming of their oaths by those present, and for those who had never been sworn there was the opportunity to take the oath then and there. Set out below is the Oath to Defend the Constitution with audio of the swearing in.

I (name) do solemnly swear, or affirm, that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; pledging my life, my fortune and my sacred honor, so help me God.

Oath to Defend the Constitution (Audio-3:43)

The program ends with as the assembly sings “My Country ’tis of Thee; Sweet Land of Liberty; of Thee I Sing Let Freedom Ring (2:09)

A little light music to end this post:

The Constitution (from School House Rock)

Grass Roots America Understands and Has Spoken!

Revolution is Brewing by Chris Muir

“..Grassroots American Understands You Can’t Simply Spend Yourself into Prosperity…the Average American is Totally Disapproving of What’s Going on out There….Within the Beltway they Really Believe that Spending is the Right Thing to Do…that the Only Reason Roosevelt didn’t End the Great Depression was that He Didn’t Spend Enough..and Now They are Trying so Desperately to Spend so Much So Quickly!”

Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD 6th) at a Tea Party in the rain; Frederick MD April 15, 2009

Story and Video from Frederick News-Post

frederick-md-tea-party (audio)

Credit: Bill Green Frederick MD News Post

The Middletown Press had good coverage of the Hartford Tea Party: (excerpt)

…Durham resident Jay Berardino, a member of the Board of Finance and the chairman of the Republican town committee, said he joined the thousands of tea-party protestors because “there is a limit” to taxation and government spending.

“There’s enormous government waste on the state level,” he said. “Elected officials — and I’m talking about the Democratically-controlled House and Senate — are out of touch with the average citizen. They live in a bubble, and this [tea party] is a way to burst it.”

As a taxpayer, Berardino said he opposes potential increases in sales, income and gas taxes; as a finance board member, he seeks relief from unfunded state mandates that burden towns like Durham.

Hartford Rally: Middletown Press Photo

There were rallies, large and small, in Hartford, New Haven, Norwich, Greenwich and Shelton (video) and…I’m sure I’ve left some out.

Along the harbor in Norwich, nearly 400 people gathered from 3 to 6 p.m. around the gazebo at Howard T. Brown Memorial Park to listen to speakers, talk among themselves and encourage vehicular traffic to honk in support of various messages scrawled across basic poster-board: “I am not your ATM,” “We’re TEAd off (Taxed Enough Already),” “Give me liberty, not debt.” Many of the signs were adorned with tea bags.

The rally began with Rich Curtis, one of the community organizers, reading a portion of the First Amendment, and 8-year-old Kayleigh Ezzell of Lisbon, there with her grandmother, co-organizer Jen Ezell of Canterbury, leading the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Overall, the rally was docile. There was only one chant – Curtis got the crowd to spell out “no pork.” (from The Day-New London)

Greenwich Rally

Friend Laurel from Virginia reports from D.C.:

Washington D.C. was cold, wet all day. We started talking about the rally on the subway, and others joined in and actually decided to come to the Event! We could hardly hear the speakers, because one woman paid for the sound system herself and could only afford what she could afford…but everyone listened intently, from 11am to 3pm, until we could respond with a resounding voice – in unison with the message. Almost 3,000 people spilled into sidewalks surrounding the Lafayette Park – some even walked over to the White House to spell it out for the NYT press. Many gave out free-bees, like a copy of the Constitution, bumper stickers, and yes, I gave out window clings….the poster signs were great….One fellow had a pic of George Washington, labeled as a terrorist! Everyone was polite within very close quarters. Absolutely no violence…lets keep that way!

Obama claims he wasn’t aware of the Tea Party Events, yet the White House has windows…Nancy Pelosi speaks from her experienced agenda giving credit to millionaires for bringing us out there… and CNN believes that FOX news master-minded it…while HLS labeled us all terrorists…a label now reserved for “tax paying, Christians who believe in working for a living!”

This administration is truly confounded, pointing fingers everywhere and blundering all over each other Their own stories don’t match up… maybe their losing control?

Well, we will see, its a good start, Congrats to all!
This is a grass roots movement because no one is in charge and many are jockeying for position…to be that focal point…I love it!

From the New Haven Register:

The crowd also included about a dozen students who walked to the harbor from Yale University. William Wilson, 22, a senior, said he was there to protest the bank bailout and the federal stimulus plan.

He said the the Yale College Libertarians have a tradition of doing a tax protest every April 15 and the tea party event was a perfect fit. Wilson said he was heartened by the fair number of Libertarians in the crowd, but he questioned some of the sentiments expressed.

“I was a little bit disappointed to see a lot of mainstream Republicans who didn’t complain when Bush was doing this stuff, all of a sudden starting to complain now that Obama is doing it. That was a little bit annoying, sort of felt like they were corrupting our message,” said Wilson.

As for the tea, after it steeped in the sun all day, the bags were removed and the liquid was poured into the harbor, a symbolic reference to the Boston Tea Party.

Much more at Michell Malkin…and at RadioVice Online….And finally a roundup of photos from around the nation; a picture gallery from the Tacoma (WA) News Tribune:

Pleasanton CA

Joe the Plumber in Lansing MI

Tea Parties: A Mass Movement of Ordinary People

…a mass movement of ordinary people who don’t feel that their voices are being heard doesn’t bode well for the party that positioned itself as the organ of hope and change….the tea-party movement may lead to a new third party that may replace the GOP, just as the GOP replaced the fractured and hapless Whigs.

Wall Street Journal 4/15/09 via Drudge

Be sure to read Michelle Malkin’s piece today on how it all started.

Now here’s the WSJ article:

By GLENN HARLAN REYNOLDS

Today American taxpayers in more than 300 locations in all 50 states will hold rallies — dubbed “tea parties” — to protest higher taxes and out-of-control government spending. There is no political party behind these rallies, no grand right-wing conspiracy, not even a 501(c) group like MoveOn.org.

Reuters

A rally and march in protest of higher taxes in Santa Barbara, Calif., April 4.

So who’s behind the Tax Day tea parties? Ordinary folks who are using the power of the Internet to organize. For a number of years, techno-geeks have been organizing “flash crowds” — groups of people, coordinated by text or cellphone, who converge on a particular location and then do something silly, like the pillow fights that popped up in 50 cities earlier this month. This is part of a general phenomenon dubbed “Smart Mobs” by Howard Rheingold, author of a book by the same title, in which modern communications and social-networking technologies allow quick coordination among large numbers of people who don’t know each other.

In the old days, organizing large groups of people required, well, an organization: a political party, a labor union, a church or some other sort of structure. Now people can coordinate themselves.

Tax Day Tea Party Action Across the Nation

Tax Day Protests Seek to Take America Back from Big Government Leftists.

Out of Control Spending Amounts to Generational Theft. 700 Protest Events Planned for April 15 and Beyond.

Google Map Tea Party Locations

A Google Maps four-page list shows more than 500 locations of Tax Day tea parties – so many that the United States is nearly hidden behind a sea of red markers. It boasts more than half a million views. Source

Today’s protests are about massive spending amounting to generational theft, without competent representation; i.e. a Congress that to a man/woman (most Republicans excepted) did not read what they voted for and have passed an unsustainable burden on to future generations . Today’s protests are also about reasserting states’ sovereignty as provided in the 10th amendment to our constitution. Our states are being crushed by unfunded federal mandates and other unwarranted intrusions by a massive Washington bureaucracy under the control of socialist ideologues.
Also read Michelle Malkin

Think Tea Party!

A new type of Tea Party Coming April 15th to a Town Near You! Be There at Noon on Tax Day

You mean like this:

Ahh No, Not This Sort of Tea Party

Oh, Maybe This Sort of Tea party:

Now, That's More Like It!

National Tax Day Tea Party

From RadioVice Online:

The Tea Parties planned in Connecticut and around the country have finally caught the attention of the MSM. And why not? They were supposed to fade away after the first round in March. They were supposed to be just a flash in the pan … a momentary blip on the radar screen … a small group of angry right wing nuts that would disappear as soon as they worked off their frustrations with Hope n’ Change. But they haven’t and they won’t…..

From 9.12 Project Connecticut, a list of Connecticut April 15th Tea Parties: (Please note various times of assembly)

This Wednesday there will be Tea Parties state wide and nation wide to wake up our elected officials. We are telling them that raising taxes and spending without end will not get us out of our economic slump. Invite your friends and family to join us for just a little bit of time these days to voice your support and protest. Unless otherwise noted, these parties will take place at NOON on Wednesday These are taken from and http://www.taxdayteaparty.com; and http://www.teapartyday.com :

Hartford : North Steps of the State Capitol 11 am – 2 pm
contact: hartfordteaparty@gmail.com , or mattjackdesign@att.net

Hartford Tea Party info site

New Haven: Long Wharf I-95 exit 46 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
winningathome@yahoo.com , newhaventeaparty@gmail.com There is a Facebook page set up for this one too!

Greenwich: Town Hall on Field Post Rd. 3:00-5:00 pm

New Milford: New Milford Green 12 noon
roger@nmrepublicans.com and there Facebook page set up!

Norwich: Marina Area near the Gazebo 3:00 pm- 6:00 pm
freenorwich@hotmail.com There is a Facebook page!

Shelton : Farmer’s Market in downtown 12 noon
bring a tea bag and $1
mlmadm@aol.com

Vernon: Town Green, 14 Park St. 12- 2 pm
jim.hoover@sbcglobal.net

There is more information at National Tea Party Day site.

Michelle Malkin reports:

As I warned last week, the smear campaign against the Tea Party movement has swung into full gear.

We've Had Enough!

A Redistributive Hallowe’en!

Also seen at Michelle Malkin

My menacing porch pumpkin!