Metaphorically speaking, you were formerly just an ass but now you've dug a hole to add to your name

Creepy Joe™ says: "Relax." And while we're speaking of metaphors, he's saying exactly what Frankie Goes to Hollywood was saying in that catchy little pop hit about sodomy.

"Relax. Me and my buddy Johnny Mac are about to probe the depths of political muckery."

Strangely, CJ™ was not so sanguine when Ned Lamont was poking fun at him in the Senatorial race.



And now for a musical interlude, and in a video you've likely not seen.

The titanic battle of press conferences

Stephen Devoto describes the dueling press conferences this week in Middletown as "weird bookends."

On Monday, Congresswoman Rosa Delauro held a private meeting with concerned citizens and local government officials to address the issues surrounding the proposed Army Reserve Training Center in Middletown. The press was locked out of the meeting, and in the case of Middletown Press reporter Sloan Brewster, asked to leave when she had the audacity to enter the room during citizen testimony. A press conference was held after the meeting complete with a podium that held the official seal of the US Congress.

Today, the Army Corps of Engineers will return a volley with press conference of their own, which is "press only" and not open to the public, or to public officials. In fact, when questioned, the Army representative indicated that members of the press will be asked to show credentials - something which rarely happens outside of top-security visits from high heads of state.

According to an article in yesterday's Middletown Press by Brewster, the Army seems a bit confused as to the resistance they are encountering. Still, they seem adamant that the Boardman Lane site is perfect for their needs. A large contingent of townspeople, and elected officials happen to disagree.

In town, there's an official position that the Army is welcome, if they will consider building on two recommended sites (one on River Rd, and one on Saybrook Rd - both technically in Maromas), or on another site, owned by Pratt and Whitney, on River Road.

Still, there are many in town opposed to the construction of the training center in Middletown, anywhere, because it is one more large parcel off the grand list, and a parcel which will then be outside of local regulation. I'm one of those who think the Army should look elsewhere.

As for how this will all be settled? It appears that at least part of it will be argued in the press.

The wondeful world of color...

Thanks to Andrew Sullivan for pointing out this:



and this:

American justice called for technical foul

Citizens, tonight we can sleep soundly. For a monstrous criminal, of such proportions as to spread fear, and yes terror, in the bosom of every American, a villian, who has wounded the security of our very way of life, has been remanded to the most secure dungeons of our penal system. Now, with him behind bars, our Constitution is safe. Now our flag waves freely. Now our children can feel unencumbered to carry themselves like their heroes - tatooing arms, and legs, arguing and brawling gratuitously, woofing like the sickest athlete on any hardwood floor across this beautiful land.

Yes, the NBA is safe to overpay spoiled athletes, and to reap the filthy lucre of the advertising dollar, broadcast contracts and merchandise deals, because Tim Donaghy's in jail.

Yes, our daughters are safe, once again to travel to the casino, purses heavily laden with silver to feed the one-armed bandits. Our grandparents are at liberty to empty their retirement funds for hundreds of scratch tickets, which promise everything, which exploit hope, and which deliver the joy of screeching, "Shit, sell me another." And our sons are free to worship the gods of Texas hold 'em, our fathers and mothers unshackled to wander the gaudy halls of Circus, Circus and flush their greenbacks away.

Because Tim Donaghy's in jail.

And while we can't determine the right method to imprison those who have raped the Constitution, defiled our civil liberties, relieved us of the lives of our brave service people, squandered our treasure, impoverished our nation and trampled our laws, we can breathe easy.

Because Tim Donaghy's in jail.

Don't mourn the freedom of Bush and Cheney, Rove and Yoo, Addington and Pearle, Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, Gonzales and Mukasey, for these men are above the law which they have sworn to uphold. They are like gods among men. Servant to no ink scrawl on any parchment. And they will keep themselves free, and we will be safe from the terrorists which lurk behind every tree.

Because Tim Donaghy's in jail.

And Tim Donaghy should thank the judge who sentenced him that he won't be sent to Gitmo, or Pakistan, or Poland, or Syria, and that he'll serve his term in the sanest and safest of fortresses where every prisoner is treated like an equal animal. And we will watch Donaghy, as he grows frightened, and dim and demented on the next episode of MSNBC's Lockdown. And we will praise his conversion.

Because Tim Donaghy's in jail.

And I ask you, what the fuck is wrong with us?

Oh, the law? That's for chumps

From the "tell us something we didn't already know" department, the GAO has found that the Bush Justice Department has violated civil service laws.

In two years, we'll find out that they're still violating laws. Oh, my.

POHA, must be an election around the corner

In the next few weeks the Department of Homeland Security will be playing the terror card as they "heighten awareness" about possible terror attacks during the Olympics and the conventions in Denver and Minneapolis.

Count on lots of talk about 9/11 and al Qaeda.

Rosa Delauro challenges the Army Corps of Engineers

Representative Rosa Delauro invited Westfield residents, city councilors, and the owners of the property coveted by the Army, to talk about the proposal to build an Army Reserve Training Center on Boardman Lane in the Westfield section of Middletown.

Because it was a private meeting, I agreed not to report on the meeting itself, but only on the press presentation which followed.

Delauro reported that at the meeting Westfield residents, and others from Middletown, council members, the mayor, Sebastian Giuliano and Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz, discussed and debated the proposed Army Base. Westfield residents oppose the siting of the training center in Westfield for a number of reasons, from environmental and traffic concerns, to questions about the economic impact of the base. New concerns about water, sewer and flood issues surfaced.

At this point Delauro, Giuliano and Bysiewicz are all opposed to building the training center on the site in Westfield. All cited the intractability of the Army, and their lack of communication on the topic, as problems in solving the siting issue. Delauro and Bysiewicz are also amenable to having the training site built outside of Middletown, while Giuliano stills supports building the training center on one of three city-recommended sites, a site adjacent to the Pratt and Whitney plant on Aircraft Road, a site next to the Kleen Energy plant on River Road, and a site behind an auto junkyard on Saybrook Road. All three sites are technically in Maromas.

Delauro has promised to lobby Secretary of the Army Geren, and along with Bysiewicz has authored a letter to Governor Jodi Rell, who is commander-in-chief of the Connecticut National Guard, and may have some influence in determining where the training center is built.

The press conference drew all four local TV stations, two newspapers, the state TV station CTN, and at least three radio reporters. Delauro, Bysiewicz, Giuliano (the three political leaders who are most deeply involved in the issue) and Jennifer Mahr, a representative of the Westfield Residents Association addressed the gathered reporters. Then a parade of less-directly-involved, though concerned, politicians including state representatives Ray Kalinowski, state senator Paul Doyle and state representative Joe Serra (who was not at the meeting with residents because of a dental appointment), took the opportunity for a little political grandstanding before the gathered cameras. Also in attendance was state representative Brendan Sharkey who represents governor Jodi Rell's push for smart growth.

It's become clear that the Army will have a fight on its hands if it insists on the Boardman Lane site, but it's not clear whether they will abandon Middletown, or reconsider building on brownfield sites.

The Middletown Common Council meets on August 4th to consider a resolution which will oppose the Army Corps of Engineer's choice of the Westfield site.

As Mayor Giuliano indicated, that to make the site buildable, "thousands of tons of trap rock will be shifted into wetlands. If the city had asked the Corps of Engineers to approve the site for the building of the new high school, they would have stopped us."

No man but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money

Call me a blockhead.

And while there's exquisite truth to Sam Johnson's words, there's an internet full of blogging blockheads, like me.

But in a Comment exchange with Connecticut Bob, one of those very blogheads, I asked a question that needs to be asked: Is the Hartford Courant exploiting bloggers when it uses excerpts from their blogs without pay?

As CT Bob recognizes, the Courant is in the midst of the biggest layoff of writers ever, and they are cherrypicking blog posts to fill their opinion pages. Bob is justifiably gratified with the attention, and with the ability to get his progressive opinions out in the world to a larger audience. And while Bob does not consider himself a professional writer (he doesn't currently accept advertising on his site), he, and bloggers like him, are arguably the future of political, social and cultural communication. His perspective is valuable and unique, his columns logical, interesting and clear. His writing is as good as anything the newspaper offers, and he's often closer to the ground than a lot of reporters can be. He was skewering Senator Lieberman (that stairwell video is a classic) when the Courant was giving the creepy lawmaker a pass (hell, they even endorsed him).

Newspapers which haven't figured out how to use the web are so John McCain. Re-printing blogposts with ink and paper, isn't "conquering the web." It's more like the folks who need to print the attachment to read it, because they can't read a Word doc on line.

Aside from Letters to the Editor, the Courant pays for every other word of editorial copy it prints. Shouldn't the paper at least pay a nominal fee to bloggers whose words they excerpt? The blogger who wants to remain pure can give permission to print without a fee, but the very idea that the Courant hasn't made the offer is exploitative.

They've been in the business for a long time, and they must surely understand that while the web is extraordinarily freewheeling when it comes to sharing and borrowing information, if you are a major media outlet, who makes money for your newspaper/website, then "borrowing" without pay is impolite, if not immoral.

Finally, the Courant edits the blogs without an approval. As if they know better than the person who wrote the damn thing.

There is a solution. A little © on your site will probably mean the Courant won't come calling, but it will assure you that if they want to use your stuff, they'll have to ask permission.

Speaking of blockeheads, here are some of the originals.

Thanks for the support

Yes, I'm being relentless, but Roy Zimmerman is really worth supporting. He's smart, funny and idealogically sound (sounds idealogical?) This is the only Connecticut stop in his pre-election tour of the lower 48. Anyway, it's all about getting an audience for him on a Tuesday night in the summer when everyone's brain is on vacation. The only one making money at this gig is Roy, and the sound engineer.

Again:
Roy Zimmerman
Tuesday August 5
Wilde Auditorium, University of Hartford
Box Office: 860-768-4228

Mark Erelli raises a beautiful barn

Eric Danton, or the Hartford Courant, has a nice piece this morning about alternative methods musicians are using to raise enough cash to record albums.

As a contributor to Mark Erelli's cause, I'm happy to say that the new album, Delivered, is his most accomplished yet, the bonus CD is filled with interesting alt takes of album songs, and song which didn't make the final cut, and the letterpress poster by Bennett Holzworth is beautiful.