Silvio the Plumber Long before Joe the Plumber was on the political scene, there was Silvio the Plumber, and were he alive he would be voting for Obama. (And if half of the ACORN voter registration fraud stories are true, he very well may be!) Silvio the Plumber is the first character a reader meets in the 1996 Pulitzer Prize finalist non-fiction The Inheritance: How Three Families and the American Political Majority Moved from Left to Right by New York Times columnist Samuel G. Freedman. (Simon & Schuster)…

Who Dat Gonna Beat Dem Owners? Isn’t it time for the fans to unite against “Big-Sports”?  Let’s start a “fans’ union.”

Get Outside Your Box. Choose your news, choose your music. What’s not to like? But is customized content just making Americans insular and polarized, parochial and provincial?  (Fox Forum post)

Tale of Two Worlds: Rightwing Extremists, Leftwing Extremists, the FBI and DHS. Weren’t the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) talking? An FBI press release this morning proclaimed “NEW MOST WANTED TERRORIST: First Domestic Fugitive Added to List” and stated that the domestic terrorist being sought is “an animal rights extremist wanted for allegedly bombing two San Francisco-area office buildings in 2003.” But a DHS report issued in…

A (An?) Historic Event: I’ve been invited to five Presidential Inaugurations, but have never been to one – too much glitz for my tastes. Generally, I have tried to ignore this quadrennial ritual, but this year that was impossible. One would have to be comatose to have avoided the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President… These special plans in response to this historic event should serve as a blueprint for another historic inaugural I hope to see in my lifetime (one I might just attend) – the inauguration of our first woman President. It will be a blueprint, unless of course, that first woman President is my choice, Sarah Palin, in which case these plans probably won’t be emulated and this list will serve as an indictment of the hypocrisy of the those “enlightened elite” who believe only they know what is historic.

Thank God I Am Not a Cop, and Thank God For Those Who Are! (2003): I was “killed” twice this fall – once by a “FATS” machine and once by a classmate. I am fortunate enough to live to discuss it because the “killings” occurred during my training as a member of the first graduating class of the Greenwich Citizens Police Academy….

Movie, “The Passion of the Christ” helps give focus to Christian faith (2004): I’ve seen the passion scores of times — not the movie (I’ve only seen that twice), but the passion that my faith believes is relived whenever one person makes a completely selfless, significant sacrifice for another — especially for a person he does not “owe” or perhaps even know….

The Power of No Power: Early Friday morning, there was a storm-related blackout in and around “the Hub,” as the downtown Cos Cob neighborhood is known locally. “Back country Cos Cob” (as townies call the area adjacent to North Mianus on the west side of the river) was uncharacteristically unaffected. “Back country Cos Cob” (as townies call the area adjacent to North Mianus on the west side of the river) was uncharacteristically unaffected. Typically, life in back country Cos Cob is regularly punctuated with power outages – more often the brief “semi-colon” type, than the full-stop “period” kind or the even more rare “ellipsis” multi-day type like we endured a few winters ago….

“Senator Obama, are you mad at me?” “… In that skit a character playing Telemundo correspondent Jorge Ramos is worried that he may have offended Senator Obama and uses a debate question to query, “Senator Obama, are you mad at me?” Well, in real life we are seeing what happens to journalists who offend the Obama campaign…”

“Senator Obama are you mad at me?” PART 2 Apparently Senator Obama’s campaign staff didn’t hear it correctly the candidate’s promise to “make America united.” They must have thought he said make reporters from newspapers that don’t endorse Obama fly American or United. The Obama campaign has booted from their campaign plane reporters from three newspapers….

Uncivil Civics: Driving to work, contemplating what I should write for my first Our Greenwich.com “blog, I noticed dueling signs on Valley Road. Travelling west, on the left (appropriately) was a house with an Obama sign and directly across the street a house with a McCain-Palin sign. I thought I could write about neighbors disagreeing without being disagreeable – much like my next-door neighbor and I with our own juxtaposed McCain-Palin and Obama signs….

All Politics is Local: In the last Presidential election, I was recruited to use my election law background to help try to keep the election honest in Philadelphia. Even though I was a veteran of defending against Election Day fraud in places in New York, nothing prepared me for the blatant transgressions I saw in the City of Brotherly ….

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea: A favorite tactic of terrorists is to perform a decoy attack before a major attack. Not only is the attention of authorities and the public diverted, but the first attack is monitored closely by the terrorists. They watch to see how the authorities react. The first attack has the additional consequence of causing the authorities. Beyond that, those who responded to the first attack are often emotionally worn-out. And if the first attack was prevented, or a false alarm, there is the “boy who cried wolf” effect in place for the real attack. Could that be the tactic of those behind the newly-introduced Connecticut “Death with Dignity” or assisted-suicide bill, raised bill 1138, now before Stamford’s Senator Andrew McDonald’s Judiciary Committee?

Who’s Watching Out for Our Kids?: Not much could shock me – or so I thought.  I certainly was shocked as a student at the FBI Citizens Academy when in one of the optional exercises some of us watched over the shoulder of FBI agents in a computer center working on an Internet sting.  I saw with my own eyes, a father in a chat room offer up his pre-teen son for sex with an adult male (who was actually an FBI agent in a chat room…

Ordinary Time: Tomorrow begins “ordinary time.” For those of us who “bleed blue” football season painfully ended today as the Giants were eliminated from the playoffs. We don’t care about the NFC and AFC championships next week, or even the Super Bowl. Tomorrow marks the beginning of the countdown until Giants summer camp in Albany. Sure, there may be a slight distraction when the Yankees start playing again, but otherwise tomorrow starts “ordinary time” for Giants fans. And for those of us with college kids who returned to campus today, tomorrow is ordinary time in a different way. Starting tomorrow, there will be no more dinners with the full family in attendance. There is no more special time for us parents to spend with our college children, and for us to marvel at how they are ever more close to full adulthood. And for those of us in the Catholic Church, tomorrow marks the liturgical season called “Ordinary Time” which is most easily defined as generally the time in the liturgical calendar when it is not Advent/Christmastide or Lent/Eastertide…

NY Times stereotypes Greenwich (2005): Stacey Stowe’s article “A Name Change to Protect the Innocent” (New York Times, October 21, 2005) begins by referring to residents of a certain street in the Cos Cob section of Greenwich, Connecticut as “people of the L. L. Bean-wearing, exercise-the-dog sort” and later refers to Greenwich as “a town where Lacoste shirts and country club memberships are a virtual birthright.”  Using such phrases to describe Greenwich must be in the New York Times style guide….

What it means to be a true “Greenwich Person.” (2002): The essay in Greenwich Time, (Sunday, February 10, 2002) “Becoming a Greenwich Person and Proud of It” should cause all Greenwich residents to reflect on what it means to be a “Greenwich Person.” The “typical” Greenwich person depicted in the essay is what I like to think of as the “nouveau Greenwich person” and while that person may have many redeeming qualities, as pointed out at the end of the essay, the nouveau Greenwich person also brings with him many qualities that are an anathema to the Town….

“Dad! People really live in basements?”: “Dad! People really live in basements?” my son said in disbelief when he was five or six years old. Thankfully, he waited until we were in the privacy of our car before making the comment, rather than blurting it while in the basement home we had just visited. My son and I were helping to…

The Penultimate Word: While it would have been ideal if all three Greenwich papers endorsed my favorite local candidate, Fred Camillo, I got the next best thing.  The one paper which did not endorse Fred fully, gave me and a few others enough time to have published in their paper rebuttals to their editorial. As a partisan I was pleased at the tactical advantage we have, because our opponent’s supporters are not able to rebut the pro-Fred editorials. But having been on the receiving end, I know the other camp’s frustration. Last minute editorial endorsements have been a peeve of mine for years now….

Putting Your Prayers Where Your Vote Is — 7:30 p.m. Election eve: Drafted into the Catholic Church at birth, I attended “boot camp” for a dozen years of parochial school, considered “officer candidate school” (i.e., a religious vocation), and after a time being AWOL, I went on active duty on a daily basis about age 30. Over the decades since, I have heard a few pro-life homilies…

2009

OCTOBER 2009

Oct 18th, 2009  Political Pandora. Choose your news, choose your music. What’s not to like? But is customized content just making Americans insular and polarized, parochial and provincial?

Oct 8th, 2009.  GPD Snipers Tops in North America.  The Greenwich Police Department Special Response Unit “Sniper/Observer” team finished first at the North American Sniper Summit held earlier this week at the Harvard Sportsmen’s Club in Harvard MA.  (The Special Response Unit or “SRU” is Greenwich’s SWAT unit.)  The GPD team, Dave Hall and Chris Girard — both police officer technicians who supervise and train [...]

Oct 5th, 2009.   Tesei Excited Crowd at HQ Opening. Oct 5, 2009, 8:05 p.m. — Speaking to an overflow crowd, First Selectman Peter J. Tesei ignited the party faithful at the grand opening of the Republican Headquarters this evening.  The theme of his extemporaneous remarks can be summed up as “Greenwich should not gamble on who its Chief Elected official should be.”  Calling it “performance [...]

Oct 5th, 2009.   BREAKING NEWS:  Town Prevails in Honulik Case. October 5, 2009, 12:31 p.m. — In a split decision, the Town of Greenwich has prevailed in the appeal by GPD Lt. F. Gary Honulik.

Oct 5th, 2009.   Republican HQ to Open Tonight.  Tonight, starting at 6:30 p.m. our Greenwich’s Republican party will celebrate the opening of its Campaign Headquarters.  All supporters are welcome. The HQ is located at 86 Railroad Avenue (across from the train station)– the same location as the Tesei HQ two years ago.  While the HQ has been functioning for about a week already, the [...]

Oct 2nd, 2009.  New Laws to Take Effect. FROM 151st District STATE REPRESENTATIVE FRED CAMILLO OF COS COB.  On October 1st a number of laws passed by the state legislature became effective. It is important to remain informed on new Connecticut laws as many of them can directly affect your life or the lives of your loved ones.  Some of the new laws [...]

SEPTEMBER 2009

THE NYPD IS ASKING FOR THE PUBLIC’S ASSISTANCE IN LOCATING THE FOLLOWING SUSPECT THAT IS WANTED IN CONNECTION WITH A HOMICIDE THAT OCCURRED ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2009 AT APPROXIMATELY 1745 HOURS, ON 8 AVENUE AT WEST 33 STREET, IN THE CONFINES OF THE [...]

Sep. 18th, 2009. KEEP Chief Ridberg. [R]umors have been circulating in local police and political circles since early summer that Chief Ridberg may be retiring — perhaps as early as November 1.  There are discussions in the halls of government, that the Chief would stay to groom a successor if he were to receive additional compensation.  … Keeping the Chief is essential to a smooth transition in GPD.  Our Greenwich needs to keep such a valued, tested-under-fire, leader.  Let’s hope the Town Fathers and Mothers make it happen.

Sep 15th, 2009.  Arrest in Riverside Estate Treasures Robbery.

Sep 15th, 2009.  Longest Running Show in Town.  This coming Sunday’s Cos Cob Republican Clam Bake, thought to be the oldest recurring event in our Greenwich, is the official kick-off to the campaign season.

Sep 14th, 2009.  Fatal Crash on Lake Avenue.

Sep 14th, 2009.  Get Ready Greenwich (Emergency preparedness, important numbers.)

Sep 10th, 2009: Cos Cob Time. Downtown Cos Cob — known to Townies as “the Hub” — is the home of the newest pole-mounted clock.   It is similar to the one on Sound Beach Avenue and the two on opposite ends of Greenwich Avenue

Sep 10th, 2009: FBI Seek Citizen Help in Finding Missing Co-ed.

Sep 4th, 2009: BREAKING NEWS: Greenwich Schools to delay broadcast of Obama speech: According to a trusted source, a recorded message (or “robo call”) from the new Superintendent of Greenwich Schools, Dr. Sidney A. Freund, has been made to public school parents informing tem of his decision to delay viewing of President Obama’s speech to students slated for Tuesday.

Sep 3rd, 2009: Fawcett Place Police Enforcement: There is a sign which reads, “STATE LAW: Yield to Pedestrian” on Fawcett Place at Milbank and Mason (near the old Griffin Ford).  I take partial credit for that sign….My experience tells me the sign hasn’t curtailed significantly the number of violators. But it does grant me a bit of righteousness to add to my indignation when I holler at drivers whizzing by me in the crosswalk.

Sep 3rd, 2009: Photo is not Freddie: A photo virally spreading through the Internet shows two Connecticut legislators playing computer solitare and a third watching the Yankees game on his computer screen during the budget debate. Some have speculated that the faceless State Representative watching baseball was avid Yankee fan and part-time umpire State Representative Fred Camillo of Cos Cob.  We can definitively …

AUGUST 2009

Aug 28th, 2009: Free Oldies Concert Tonight is a GO!: Hoping for a break in the weather, Greenwich Police Silver Shield representative Lt. Tom Keegan informed OurGreenwich.com that the concert tonight is “a go.”   Silver Shield President James Bonney suggested that people bring chairs to stay up off the wet ground. The once-postponed will start at 7 p.m. at Roger Sherman Baldwin waterside park on Arch …

Aug 25th, 2009: Police Get a New Home: At the turn of the 19th century there were stories of retired “fire horses” replace by pumper trucks, which horses, long after retiring, would be on the ready for a trip to a fire upon hearing the alarm bell. Like an old fire horse, the flag pole at old police headquarters clung to life …

Aug 21st, 2009: BREAKING NEWS: Oldies Concert Postponed: The Greenwich Police Silver Shield free Saturday Night Concert featuring the Platters and Chiffons has been postponed due to the weather forecast tomorrow. RESCHEDULED FOR FRIDAY AUGUST 28TH ROGER SHERMAN BALDWIN PARK BEGINNING AT 700 P.M.

Aug 19th, 2009: GPD Officer of the Month: Police Officer Frederick Quezada: The Greenwich Police Department has selected Police Officer Frederick Quezada as its Officer of the Month for June 2009. Here is why: On Tuesday, June 30, 2009 at approximately 8:16 P.M., Officer Quezada along with other police units responded to a violent domestic dispute involving a subject wielding a knife and threatening family members.  Officer Quezada …

Aug 15th, 2009: BREAKING NEWS: Black Bear Sighting in backcountry Greenwich?: Town Conservation Director, Denise Savageau, gave town personnel a “heads-up” yesterday morning that she had receive a report from a credible source, of three black bears at the corner of 310 Round Hill Road and Porchuk.   At the time of her email she had not connected with person who …

Aug 10th, 2009: BREAKING NEWS: Major Gas Leak in Greenwich Stops MetroNorth Trains, Halts Traffic: According to Greenwich Emergency Services dispatch as monitored on the Internet there is a major propane gas leak (approximately 500 gallon tank) on Field Point Road at a welding supply company.  Police and Fire Officials are on the scene and are evaluating the area.   MetroNorth is stopping all trains.  …

Aug 10th, 2009: YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST: “Sneak Peak” at GPD Headquarters: At this moment, the local media, including OurGreenwich.com reporter/columnist Sarah Darer Littman and OurGreenwich.com photo-essayist, John Ferris Robben, are touring the soon to be opened new police building.  You will see their professional accounts — in proses and photos — shortly.  But in our continuing effort to bring you …

Aug 9th, 2009: It Took Years: Almost six years ago I wrote about my experience as part of the first graduating class of the Greenwich Police Department Citizens Police Academy. Writing about our use of an expensive and then “state-of-the art” piece of equipment called the Fire Arms Training Simulation machine, or “FATS” machine. I wrote: “One …

Aug 8th, 2009: Police HQ tours to start: With the Greenwich Police set to occupy their wing of the Public Safety Complex in September, police and volunteers from the Community and Police Partnership (CAPP) will be giving “sneak peak” tours to a broad array of local residents starting Monday. On the morning of Monday, August 10, the local media, including OurGreenwich.com …

Aug 6th, 2009 Two new cops coming to our Greenwich: There will be two new officers joining Greenwich’s Finest on Monday, August 10, 2009. Lisa M. Ruiz and Christian Rosario will be sworn in before family and friends by First Selectman cum Police Commission Peter J. Tesei at high noon in the Town Hall Meeting Room.

Aug 4th, 2009 U.S. Attorney and FBI Announce Creation of Connecticut Mortgage Fraud Task Force

Aug 3rd, 2009: OFFICIAL GPD Press Release on Human Trafficking Story

Aug 2nd, 2009: BREAKING NEWS: Human Trafficking Arrests in Greenwich: Greenwich Police, responding to a brawl at the Riverside Common “Thruway” Shopping Center on East Putnam off Exit 5 on the Connecticut Turnpike late this morning, came upon what is believed to be a human-trafficking operation and a kidnap-ransom payment and attempted victim rescue.  Reports are that the victims were en route…

JULY 2009

Jul 28th, 2009: New Greenwich Police Headquarter Ribbon-cutting Scheduled: The tentative date for the ribbon-cutting for Greenwich’s new public safety complex was confirmed today. It will be Monday, August 24. Government officials and local dignitaries will be on hand for the dedication event, which is also opened to the public. Interested parties will be given the opportunity to take a …

Jul 27th, 2009: Greenwich Quota System Should Be Changed: Recently, the Greenwich Time in an editorial accused the town Republicans of a failure of democracy for nominating two instead of four candidates for the Board of Education. There are four openings, but by law no one party can have more than half the members. The local daily wants both parties to nominate four …

Jul 26th, 2009: GPD Rides for Roger: On Sunday, nearly 200 people biked through Greenwich to raise money for a cure of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) including a team of Greenwich Police Officers (”Team Greenwich Police”) who were “riding for Roger”:  Sgt. Roger Petrone, who has been diagnosed with ALS. The rain held off, and the bikers trekked up the Johns Street hill …

Jul 23rd, 2009: DEADLINE APPROACHING for “Behind the Badge”: July 27 is the deadline for high school students who live in Greenwich to enroll in the first ever Greenwich Police Youth Academy — “Behind the Badge“- -for on training and education in the work GPD does.

Jul 23rd, 2009: Greenwich Police Ride Bikes to honor one of their own: Sgt. Roger Petrone

Jul 22nd, 2009: BREAKING NEWS: RTC contested races: Live, from the floor of the RTC nominating convention, here are the results of the three contested races:
First Selectman Peter Tesei was renominated without opposition. His running-mate will be Dave Theis, the choice of the Executive Committee. Theis beat B.E.T. member Bob Stone for the number two slot by …

Jul 22nd, 2009: Aged News: Recently, the Daily Show coined the phrase “aged news” to describe print newspapers.  Here is an example.  Readers of today’s Greenwich Time (July 22) could read on page 3 about burglaries in eastern Greenwich.  The burglaries first occurred two weeks ago on July 7 and 8.
Readers of OurGreenwich.com could have read of these events, and …

Jul 17th, 2009: BREAKING NEWS: Possible Inappropriate Touching Incident at YMCA: The Greenwich YMCA has informed parents and guardians of children enrolled in their program of a possible “improper touching” incident. We have confirmed that the Greenwich Police are investigating such an incident.

The July 7 letter from YMCA President Rebecca Fretty says that “the employee under investigation is no …

Jul 16th, 2009: Local Daily: Too Much Information: Normally, I’m saying the local daily doesn’t have enough Greenwich news. Well, today my complaint is that they printed too much information. The local daily had a story “Local psychic attacked in Greenwich.” The story told of a midnight attack of a local woman outside of her Greenwich Avenue office. The woman is …

Jul 16th, 2009: “10-13″ Party for Officer Rivera a Financial Success: While the money continues to come in from those unable to attend this Sunday’s “10-13″ Fundraiser for beloved former Greenwich Police Officer Antonio Rivera, initial results for the event are in.  In excess of $40,000 was raised for the Rivera family.  (Those who could not attend still can send a contribution to Silver Shield Association …

Jul 12th, 2009: Greenwich Avenue Block Party a Success in Many Ways: There was a family party on Greenwich Avenue today. The party, which was held on the closed-off foot of Greenwich Avenue, was to raise funds for the family of stricken Greenwich police officer Antonio Rivera and was organized by the GPD Silver Shield Association.  Besides Officer Rivera’s immediate and extended family, he was joined …

Jul 11th, 2009: Three burglaries in Havemeyer neighborhood: I enjoy “scooping” the local papers, in part because I love local news.  I believe competition from “citizen journalist” will make our local print media strive to be more local and more timely.  I also believe I am bringing a benefit to our readers by keeping you informed of local goings on.  However, I do …

Jul 1st, 2009: Are Michael Jackson’s kids coming to our Greenwich?: A will purported to be the last will of Michael Jackson was filed in a  Los Angeles court today.  Under the will, the guardian of his three children is his mother, Katherine Jackson.  Should his mother be unable or refuse, the successful guardian is our Greenwich’s own Diana Ross.  Katherine Jackson turned 79 about a …

Jul 1st, 2009: BREAKING NEWS: State drops charges against Catholic Church: One day after our Greenwich resident, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal recommended that the State Ethics Commission drop its investigation of the Catholic church’s activities at the Capitol, the Commission did just that. The ethics agency was investigating claims that the Catholic church was a lobbyist who should have registered as such, when it paid for …

Jul 1st, 2009: Get the LOCAL news here first: We beat the print a dozen times in June alone: On Monday, as the local daily’s lead story was about the Greenwich Police considering encrypting all radio calls, OurGreenwich.com reported that the decision NOT to scramble all radio messages had already been made.  The local daily caught up with the story — and with us — today. And if yesterday, you read for the first time …

JUNE 2009

Jun 29th, 2009: BREAKING NEWS: Greenwich Police NOT to Encrypt Radio: Notwithstanding the main headline on the front page of today’s Greenwich Time, Greenwich Police will NOT be encrypting all of its radio calls.   First Selectman Peter Tesei, in his role as Police Commissioner, accepted the recommendation of Police Chief David Ridberg that GPD continue its current practice of clear-view broadcasting of all but the most sensitive…

Jun 29th, 2009: What Does the Ruler Say?: I’m not an educator, but I’ve been a student enough to know some of the tricks of the trade. When you don’t have enough material to meet the teacher’s expectations you adjust the margins, play with the font, and add a lot a pictures and graphics. A clever student could make two pages of content…

Jun 26th, 2009: BREAKING NEWS: Police Make “Megan’s Law” Violation Arrest: Yesterday, Greenwich Police arrested a resident for failing to comply with the change of address rules under the Connecticut Sex Offender Registration list, commonly referred to as “Megan’s Law.”  The offender, whose name is not available at this time, failed to notify the state within 5 days of a residence move, as required by statute.
GPD …

Jun 26th, 2009: ACLU Supports Catholic Church in law suit

Jun 25th, 2009: Subway Goes Under: A little more than a year after the defection of most of his team Mike Pompa has shuttered Subway Barbers. Mike is nearly 80 years old. The quintessential shop, a Greenwich Avenue landmark, for 50 years, has a sign posted in its window informing passers-by that the shop is closed, Mike retired, and…

Jun 25th, 2009: This evening’s goings-on: At 5:30 p.m. today, in the Town Hall meeting room, First Selectman Peter J. Tesei will announce his bid for a second term.  The theme of his first campaign was “Experience You Can Trust.” His announcement speech is expected to touch upon how he has lived up to that theme during his two-year term….

Jun 21st, 2009: The Greenwich Advocate?: he other morning I noticed the masthead on the paper in the Greenwich Time box in front of St. Mary’s on the Avenue said “Advocate.” The first thought that crossed my mind was “they are coming out of the closet” — that the Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc. company was admitting, finally, that the difference between …

Jun 18th, 2009: Madame Comes to Old Greenwich: Nothing perked up our business school class like the visit of a famous “Madame” who was auditing our classes to see if Columbia University Graduate School of Business would help her in her trade.  The “Madame” was Jo Maeder, the “Rock and Roll Madame” of NYC classic rock radio, K-Rock (WXRK)….

Jun 17th, 2009: First Ever: GPD Youth Police Academy: Your high schooler complaining about being “bored” this summer?  Have them enroll in the first ever Greenwich Police Youth Academy (application deadline July 27) for hands-on training and education in the work GPD does. Modeled after the tremendously successful GPD Citizens Police Academy, the session will run from August 4 through 20 and will entail crime…

Jun 8th, 2009: BREAKING NEWS: GPD Cracks Down on Red-light Violators in June: Morning commuters saw an unmarked Greenwich Police car — not the typical Ford Crown Victoria, but a sleek black Dodge Charger — pull over a driver on the corner of East Elm and Mason Street shortly before 8 a.m. today.   Other unmarked police vehicles, sedans as well as SUVs, used by the GPD Traffic Enforcement…

Jun 4th, 2009: Rep. Gibbons Spearheads Safe Rides Exemption: State Rep. Lile R. Gibbons of Greenwich, a member of the General Assembly’s Transportation Committee successfully spearheaded the passage Monday night of an exemption from driving restrictions for teens while volunteering for Safe Rides and similar programs.  The restrictions enacted in August extended a curfew on teen drivers.   The law also provided that these teen-drivers…

Jun 3rd, 2009: 10-13 Party NOT the first time “the Avenue” has been closed: Apparently, I erroneously reported that the Greenwich Police Silver Shield “10-13″ party to aid Officer Antonio Rivera was the first time Greenwich Avenue will be shut down.  The event, to be held at the bottom of Greenwich Avenue on July 12, will mark the resurrection of fundraising on “the Avenue.” According to one Greenwich historian, the…

MAY 2009

May 29th, 2009: Greenwich Avenue Block Party to Help Officer in Need.: “10-13″ is the universal police code for an officer in need of assistance.   When police hear that dreaded code on their radio, they drop everything and rush to the scene. Likewise, the police, who are really a big “family,” come to the aid of their own when there is in need by throwing a “10-13 Party” …

May 29th, 2009: BREAKING NEWS: 16 New “Swine Flu” Cases in Greenwich

May 27th, 2009: Greenwich: Land of (Criminal) Opportunity.: There was a crime spree in my neighborhood.  Valuables were stolen from several cars and a car itself was stolen (and later recovered in the Bronx).  Upon further inquiry I learned that each of the cars involved were unlocked — and the stolen car even had a key in it….

May 27th, 2009: Monster Flag-Pole Coming to North Mianus: Back in February 2007 a plan was filed to install an 80 foot stealth cellular antennae flagpole on a 0.9 acre parcel at 328 Palmer Hill Road, steps from the North Mianus School, and close to the soon-to-be-completed Bridges Nursery School. The tower will be for T-Mobile.

May 27th, 2009: THIS JUST IN: Jail for one of two in blackmail scheme: There were guilty pleas in the Greenwich blackmail case.  Husband got jail time.  The wife didn’t.

May 22nd, 2009: BREAKING NEWS: Cos Cob Home Invasion

May 21st, 2009: First confirmed Swine Flu Case in Greenwich Public School

May 20th, 2009: Greenwich RTC going to Gingrich event in Stamford: As first reported here on April 9, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and author, Newt Gingrich will be at the Stamford Marriott on June 4th as the keynote speaker at the Connecticut Republican State Center Annual Prescott Bush Awards Dinner. Gingrich is mentioned as a potential Presidential candidate in 2012.

May 16th, 2009: Legal Eagle Radio Show Premiers on Local Station — starring Mickey Sherman: Famed criminal defense lawyer, Mickey Sherman, is hosting a weekly radio show on our Greenwich’s local station, WGCH. The show, “Sherman’s Law,” launched Thursday May 14, and will air every Thursday from 4-5pm EST.  Lis Wiehl…

May 15th, 2009: TWO AREA CODES FOR GREENWICH: Starting May 16 Verizon customers within the 203 area code should begin dialing the area code plus the seven-digit number for all local calls.: Greenwich has long had two local telephone companies. Residents west of the Mianus River are serviced by Verizon, and in Old Greenwich and Riverside (east of the Mianus) dial-tone is provided by SNET, now AT&T. [The history of this bifurcation is something I’ve been researching for a future blog-post…

May 14th, 2009: Greenwich’s Newest: What better way to cap National Police Week than with a new member added to the force? A new Police Officer will be sworn in as a member of the Greenwich Police Department on Monday, May 18, 2009: Andres E. Sanchez will be sworn-in the Town Hall Meeting Room.  Family and friends of the new officers …

* May 13th, 2009: Thank God I Am Not a Cop, and Thank God For Those Who Are! (REDUX) At Noon today, First Selectman/Police Commissioner Peter J. Tesei, during a ceremony in his office, will read a proclamation commemorating National Police Week. (Friday is National Police Memorial Day.) I am a huge supporter of the police, and especially Greenwich’s Finest. I work with them on the GPD Community and Police Partnership, and was trained by…

May 12th, 2009: GPD: “Buckling Down” On Those Not Buckled Up

May 11th, 2009: BREAKING NEWS: Honulik case to be reheard en banc: Surprising legal experts, the state’s highest court, the Supreme Court, reversed itself, and granted another appeal by GPD Lt. Gary Honulik in his law suit against the Town of Greenwich.  The first appeal, decided in favor of the Town, was decided by a panel (subset of the judges on the high court) of five justices.  …

May 6th, 2009: GPD: April — Turn signals focus; May target — seat belt violations

APRIL 2009

*  Apr 21st, 2009: A Tale of Two Worlds: Rightwing Extremists, Leftwing Extremists, the FBI and DHS. Weren’t the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) talking? An FBI press release this morning proclaimed “NEW MOST WANTED TERRORIST: First Domestic Fugitive Added to List” and stated that the domestic terrorist being sought is “an animal rights extremist wanted for allegedly bombing two San Francisco-area office buildings in 2003.” But a DHS report issued in…

Apr 16th, 2009: BREAKING NEWS: 2nd Arrest in Field Vandalism Case: As reported here yesterday, Greenwich Police made a second arrest in the ball-field vandalism case.

Apr 15th, 2009: BREAKING NEWS: Second Arrest Expected Today: Police sources indicate that a second Greenwich High School student will be arrested today for the vandalism at our town’s ball-fields.  The first arrest was reported here Monday.  More details as they become available.

Apr 13th, 2009: BREAKING NEWS: Arrest Made in Ball-field Vandalism: Greenwich Police arrested a 17-year old Cos Cob man for the damage to the Town ball-fields at Loughlin Avenue and at Parkway School. The name of the youth is not being released because of his age. Police said “the investigation is still ongoing with additional arrest(s) pending.”…

Apr 9th, 2009: Newt to Stamford: The Connecticut Republican Chairman, Chris Healy, announced that former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich would be the keynote speaker at the 31st annual Prescott Bush Awards Dinner to be held in June in Stamford….

Apr 8th, 2009: Bishop Lori to Boycott Kennedy Event at Sacred Heart.: The Roman Catholic bishop for Fairfield County (the Diocese of Bridgeport) will not attend or support a local event honoring Kerry Kennedy, because of Ms. Kennedy’s role as a vocal pro-choice advocate.  The boycott is even more significant because the event is sponsored by Sacred Heart University, where Bishop Lori is the Chairman of the…

MARCH 2009

Mar 31st, 2009: BREAKING NEWS: Arrest in Old Greenwich Auto Break-ins.

Mar 19th, 2009: NBC NIGHTLY NEWS IS COMING TO OLD GREENWI

Mar 16th, 2009: BREAKING NEWS: More arrests made in Wilbur Peck case. Tussle at the Courthouse: State Police confirm that arrests were made today as a result of a tussle at the courthouse in Stamford during the arraignment of those charged in the fracas at Wilbur Peck Court early Saturday morning.   According to one source, when bail was reduced for one defendant but not another, a scuffle broke out between marshals…

*  Mar 16th, 2009: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea: A favorite tactic of terrorists is to perform a decoy attack before a major attack. Not only is the attention of authorities and the public diverted, but the first attack is monitored closely by the terrorists. They watch to see how the authorities react. The first attack has the additional consequence of causing the authorities. Beyond that, those who responded to the first attack are often emotionally worn-out. And if the first attack was prevented, or a false alarm, there is the “boy who cried wolf” effect in place for the real attack. Could that be the tactic of those behind the newly-introduced Connecticut “Death with Dignity” or assisted-suicide bill, raised bill 1138, now before Stamford’s Senator Andrew McDonald’s Judiciary Committee?

Mar 14th, 2009: BREAKING NEWS: McDonald and Catholic Church to lock horns AGAIN!: The dust was just settling after the skirmish this week between the Catholic Church and Senator Andrew McDonald, a prime mover of a bill to regulate the governance of the Catholic Church in Connecticut. Now, the Catholic Bishops are ringing a second alarm bell to the faithful, asking them to oppose a bill coming before…

Mar 10th, 2009: State Should Stay OUT of Church Business: Catholics from parishes from around the state were planning to descend upon the state Capitol and Legislative Office Building on Wednesday to protest a bill before the Judiciary Committee.  The Judiciary Committee announced today that scheduled hearing is postponed but the Senate and House Republicans are going ahead with an informational hearing in room 2C…

Mar 7th, 2009: BREAKING NEWS: Hartford bill altering Catholic governance to be discussed from pulpits this weekend. Well, Tom Gallagher may have another “victory” to celebrate. Gallagher, who gained notoriety in his successful effort to evict the “Wiffle Ball kids” from their makeshift stadium, has been a vocal advocate for Catholic parishes being run by lay boards. A bill advocating just such a radical requirement has been introduced in the Connecticut…

Mar 5th, 2009: SAFE RIDES IS IN JEOPARDY. Needs letters /emails from supporters.: Greenwich Safe-Rides and similar programs around Connecticut could be in jeopardy unless the legislature grants an exemption to the teen driving laws. The legislature is holding a hearing on “Exempting Drivers in a ‘Safe Ride’ Program from the Passenger Restrictions Applicable, tomorrow (Friday, March 6). Greenwich Safe Rides is likely to lose most of its …

FEBRUARY 2009

Feb 26th, 2009: BREAKING NEWS: Selectmen ratify Child Protective Ordinance: In a unanimous vote today, the Greenwich Board of Selectmen passed a “Child Protective Ordinance” recommended by the Greenwich Community and Police Partnership (CAPP).  CAPP spent two years working on the project, including research and drafting. East Sector CAPP chairman, Sam Romeo, spearheaded the efforts for adoption, working with First Selectman Peter Tesei…

Feb 26th, 2009: Presidential Math: On Tuesday, before a joint session of Congress, President Obama made a “George H. W. Bush: Read My Lips, No New Taxes”-type statement when he said “if your family earns less than $250,000 a year, you will not see your taxes increased a single dime.  I repeat: not one single dime.” Sounded pretty ambitious to me….

Feb 19th, 2009: GPD adds third chaplain: Police Commissioner Peter Tesei calls them, “the God Squad” and said he’d love to have them as his personal security detail.  They are the Greenwich Police Department chaplains, Monsignor Frank C. Wissel, pastor of St. Mary’s Church,  Rev. Daniel F. Hickman, who is retired Greenwich Police officer, gave the invocation, and now Rev. Dr. Thomas…

Feb 18th, 2009: Two Veteran Officers Promoted: Before a standing-room-only crowd, Greenwich First Selectman-cum-Police Commissioner, Peter Tesei issued the oath of office to two veteran police officers who were promoted.  Timothy D. Berry was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, and Police Officer John Rodriguez was promoted to Sergeant, filling the spot Tim Berry vacated.  Coincidentally, both officers are from California.

Feb 9th, 2009: BREAKING NEWS: Town wins Honulik Case: In a split decision, with two of Connecticut’s Supreme Court Justices dissenting, the Town won its appeal in the Honulik case. The decision, released at 11:30 can be found at the Supreme Court’s website….

Feb 8th, 2009: Honulik Case FINALLY to be decided.: OurGreenwich.com has confirmed rumors in the legal and law enforcement community about a decision in the Honulik case, over 9 months after the case was argued on an expedited basis before the State Supreme Case.  A decision has been rendered and lawyers in the case have been advised that it will be released at 11:30 a.m….

Feb 6th, 2009: BREAKING NEWS: Honulik Case — Decision likely Monday: Nine months of waiting often results in a baby.  The Town of Greenwich has been waiting over nine months since arguing the case of Honulik versus the Town of Greenwich, et al before the Connecticut Supreme Court.  Rumors circulating in the law enforcement and legal community indicate that a decision will be made public on …

Feb 1st, 2009: Scooped — 10 examples of OurGreenwich scooping the local daily: The main headline in Sunday’s Greenwich Time was “Promotion Freeze Impedes Police.” If you are a regular reader of OurGreenwich.com you would have known about that story about two weeks ago.  Indeed we ran two columns on the story: “NOT a pretty picture. The local print media chose not to focus.” and “Judicial Passivism…

JANUARY 2009

Jan 30th, 2009: Surprise! Double Standard at NBC: NBC stands to make millions on its Super Bowl® advertising this Sunday. But one ad they are refusing to air is one first broadcast on the Black Entertainment Network in Chicago on Inauguration Day and features President Obama. According to one report, “It has become an Internet hit with over 700,000 views in seven days….

*  Jan 29th, 2009: Who’s Watching Out for Our Kids?: Not much could shock me – or so I thought.  I certainly was shocked as a student at the FBI Citizens Academy when in one of the optional exercises some of us watched over the shoulder of FBI agents in a computer center working on an Internet sting.  I saw with my own eyes, a father in a chat room offer up his pre-teen son for sex with an adult male (who was actually an FBI agent in a chat room…

Jan 22nd, 2009: Judicial Passivism: The justices are impeding justice and jeopardizing Greenwich’s public safety. Foot-dragging by Connecticut’s highest court has left Greenwich vulnerable. A court-ordered ban on promotions in the Greenwich Police Department command staff (officers above the rank of Lieutenant) coupled with a series of retirements has more than decimated the GPD command ranks. The literal definition of decimate, to reduce by one-tenth, would have been a relative blessing when compared to the current state – a chief and no other command officers. A chain is as strong as its weakest link, and the GPD chain of command is too many links too short for public safety….

*  Jan 21st, 2009: A (An?) Historic Event: I’ve been invited to five Presidential Inaugurations, but have never been to one – too much glitz for my tastes. Generally, I have tried to ignore this quadrennial ritual, but this year that was impossible. One would have to be comatose to have avoided the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President… These special plans in response to this historic event should serve as a blueprint for another historic inaugural I hope to see in my lifetime (one I might just attend) – the inauguration of our first woman President. It will be a blueprint, unless of course, that first woman President is my choice, Sarah Palin, in which case these plans probably won’t be emulated and this list will serve as an indictment of the hypocrisy of the those “enlightened elite” who believe only they know what is historic.

Jan 20th, 2009: NOT a pretty picture. The local print media chose not to focus: The new year saw the retirement of Michael Pacewicz, Greenwich Police Department’s only remaining Captain. GPD Chief David Ridberg commented that Captain Pacewicz served in almost every division in the department, and did so well. As a member of the GPD Community and Police Partnership (CAPP) I got to know Captain Pacewicz who headed the….

Jan 16th, 2009: Bush got THIS right: This excerpt from President Bush’s farewell address last night, in my opinion, sums up the Bush Doctrine: “As we address these challenges – and others we cannot foresee tonight – America must maintain our moral clarity. I have often spoken to you about good and evil. This has made some uncomfortable. But good and …

Jan 14th, 2009: BREAKING NEWS: Town sets up “warming centers” for approaching cold wave. PRINT THIS BLOG POST SO YOU”LL HAVE IT IF THE POWER GOES OUT. In anticipation of the predicted sub-freezing temperatures, several “warming centers” have been established in town to assist residents who have lost power and/or heat. The centers are a joint effort of the Town of Greenwich First Selectman’s Office, the Office of Emergency Management…

*  Jan 11th, 2009: Ordinary Time: Tomorrow begins “ordinary time.” For those of us who “bleed blue” football season painfully ended today as the Giants were eliminated from the playoffs. We don’t care about the NFC and AFC championships next week, or even the Super Bowl. Tomorrow marks the beginning of the countdown until Giants summer camp in Albany. Sure, there may be a slight distraction when the Yankees start playing again, but otherwise tomorrow starts “ordinary time” for Giants fans. And for those of us with college kids who returned to campus today, tomorrow is ordinary time in a different way. Starting tomorrow, there will be no more dinners with the full family in attendance. There is no more special time for us parents to spend with our college children, and for us to marvel at how they are ever more close to full adulthood. And for those of us in the Catholic Church, tomorrow marks the liturgical season called “Ordinary Time” which is most easily defined as generally the time in the liturgical calendar when it is not Advent/Christmastide or Lent/Eastertide…

Jan 2nd, 2009: YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST: We at OurGreenwich.com try to bring you the news first.  We broke the story about the Merritt Corridor burglaries last year (on December 30).  The local daily just reported the story today - three days later.  And the photos of the Metro North fire in Old Greenwich were another OurGreenwich.com exclusive — with the fire…

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2008

DECEMBER 2008

Dec 30th, 2008: BREAKING NEWS: GPD Warns Residents Along Merritt Corridor: The Greenwich Police are warning residents along the Merritt Parkway corridor to make sure their second story windows and balcony doors are locked. GPD’s Burglary Clearance Squad is investigating several residential burglaries and burglary attempts in proximity to the Merritt. In those crimes, apparently the perpetrator(s) is gaining access through second floors, specifically windows and doors…

Dec 26th, 2008: Not Silver Bells, a Silver Lining: A few years back my kids and I decided to write a Christmas ditty about the nouveau riche infesting our Greenwich. There was some promise in “Silver spoons. Silver spoons. It’s Christmastime on the Avenue.” But what we eventually came up with was to the tune of Jingle Bells, and it goes like this: Riding down the Ave, In our big SUV…

*  Dec 14th, 2008: The Power of No Power: Early Friday morning, there was a storm-related blackout in and around “the Hub,” as the downtown Cos Cob neighborhood is known locally. “Back country Cos Cob” (as townies call the area adjacent to North Mianus on the west side of the river) was uncharacteristically unaffected. “Back country Cos Cob” (as townies call the area adjacent to North Mianus on the west side of the river) was uncharacteristically unaffected. Typically, life in back country Cos Cob is regularly punctuated with power outages – more often the brief “semi-colon” type, than the full-stop “period” kind or the even more rare “ellipsis” multi-day type like we endured a few winters ago….

Dec 6th, 2008: A Mother’s Christmas Present: One of the parental passage-points, I guess, is spending your first big holiday (Christmas, Hanukah) apart from your child. I have yet to experience that minor trauma, but I am reminded of it by one mom in our Greenwich (a prominent Greenwich denizen, by the way) who doing something about spending this Christmas half-a-world. Her son is a U.S. Navy SEAL serving our country in Afghanistan.   In typical motherly love….

NOVEMBER 2008

Nov 28th, 2008: RESULTS: Local media bias survey: In a highly unscientific survey conducted on this website about local media bias, some expected trends were seen….

Nov 23rd, 2008: Greenwich Social Services wants your help for the holidays.

Nov 21st, 2008: 4,000 Turkeys needed!: With Thanksgiving days away, the Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County is in dire need of holiday turkeys….

*  Nov 17th, 2008: “Dad! People really live in basements?”: “Dad! People really live in basements?” my son said in disbelief when he was five or six years old. Thankfully, he waited until we were in the privacy of our car before making the comment, rather than blurting it while in the basement home we had just visited. My son and I were helping to…

Nov 12th, 2008: Lobbyist limited: Politico.com is reporting that the Obama transition team is limiting the role of lobbyists.  Lobbyists cannot help with the transition in subject areas in which they have lobbied within the last 12 months, and will be banned from lobbying for 12 months after the Inauguration in subject areas where they do help with the transition.
Maybe…

Nov 11th, 2008: Veterans’ Day gift from the Town of Greenwich — FREE PARKING: I was walking in downtown and a stranger asked me if he had to put money in the parking meters today. I didn’t know the answer.  Almost all the meters on the street had been fed.  But, after all, it is Veterans’ Day — a federal (but not national) holiday.
Veterans’ Day is one of those…

Nov 9th, 2008: Is the local media bias? I was with some smart people yesterday, one or two of whom suggested that they and their friends thought the local media covering Greenwich had a “right leaning” or conservative bias.  I was nonplused because I have generally heard the opposite viewpoint — that the local media is left-leaning.  There is much talk of America being…

Nov 6th, 2008: Bands invited to apply to be part of Inaugural Parade: Wouldn’t it be great if the GHS band applied to be part of the Inaugural?

Nov 6th, 2008: President Bush focuses on seamless transition of power.: FROM WHITE HOUSE NEWS RELEASE: Today, President Bush will meet with his Cabinet to discuss Administration-wide efforts taking place to ensure a seamless transition of power to the next Administration….

Nov 5th, 2008: Wishing the President-elect Obama Godspeed: Watching Fox News Channel tonight, I was impressed to see that every guest made a point of wishing the best to the President-elect. From Dick Morris to Governor Bobby Jindal to Governor Sarah Palin to each host, those who appeared urged viewers to remember we are Americans first, and it is our patriotic duty to…

Nov 5th, 2008: “All Americans Can Be Proud Of The History That Was Made Yesterday” NOTA BENE: WE MAY, FROM TIME TO TIME, POST NEWS RELEASES, BUT WILL DO SO WITH FULL ATTRIBUTION. THIS IS A NEWS RELEASE FROM THE WHITE HOUSE. President Bush: “All Americans Can Be Proud Of The History That Was Made Yesterday.” President Bush Congratulates President-Elect Barack Obama, Says He “Can Count On Complete Cooperation …

Nov 4th, 2008: 44th President of the UNITED States of America: The longest peaceful transition of power in world history – nearly two years – is (thankfully) over. My candidate lost, but this is America, and I will not be led off to prison tomorrow because I supported the losing side. The networks have declared Barack Obama the 44th President of the United States of America….

Nov 4th, 2008: Change?: I guess “change” has different meanings to different people.  See my blog post earlier today where I mention election problems in Philadelphia.  Looks like nothing’s changed in the City of Brotherly Love…

*  Nov 4th, 2008: All Politics is Local: In the last Presidential election, I was recruited to use my election law background to help try to keep the election honest in Philadelphia. Even though I was a veteran of defending against Election Day fraud in places in New York, nothing prepared me for the blatant transgressions I saw in the City of Brotherly …

*  Nov 2nd, 2008: The Penultimate Word: While it would have been ideal if all three Greenwich papers endorsed my favorite local candidate, Fred Camillo, I got the next best thing.  The one paper which did not endorse Fred fully, gave me and a few others enough time to have published in their paper rebuttals to their editorial. As a partisan I was pleased at the tactical advantage we have, because our opponent’s supporters are not able to rebut the pro-Fred editorials. But having been on the receiving end, I know the other camp’s frustration. Last minute editorial endorsements have been a peeve of mine for years now….

*  Nov 2nd, 2008: “Senator Obama are you mad at me?” PART 2: Apparently Senator Obama’s campaign staff didn’t hear it correctly the candidate’s promise to “make America united.” They must have thought he said make reporters from newspapers that don’t endorse Obama fly American or United. The Obama campaign has booted from their campaign plane reporters from three newspapers….

*  Nov 2nd, 2008: Silvio the Plumber Long before Joe the Plumber was on the political scene, there was Silvio the Plumber, and were he alive he would be voting for Obama. (And if half of the ACORN voter registration fraud stories are true, he very well may be!) Silvio the Plumber is the first character a reader meets in the 1996 Pulitzer Prize finalist non-fiction The Inheritance: How Three Families and the American Political Majority Moved from Left to Right by New York Times columnist Samuel G. Freedman. (Simon & Schuster)…

*  Nov 1st, 2008: Putting Your Prayers Where Your Vote Is — 7:30 p.m. Election eve: Drafted into the Catholic Church at birth, I attended “boot camp” for a dozen years of parochial school, considered “officer candidate school” (i.e., a religious vocation), and after a time being AWOL, I went on active duty on a daily basis about age 30. Over the decades since, I have heard a few pro-life homilies…

OCTOBER 2008

Oct 29th, 2008: Troops want McCain as their Commander-in-Chief: I did NOT see this in the NY Times — those in harm’s way want John McCain to be their Commander-in-Chief….

*  Oct 26th, 2008: “Senator Obama, are you mad at me?”: … In that skit a character playing Telemundo correspondent Jorge Ramos is worried that he may have offended Senator Obama and uses a debate question to query, “Senator Obama, are you mad at me?” Well, in real life we are seeing what happens to journalists who offend the Obama campaign…

Oct 22nd, 2008: Two Campaign Finance Myths Busted: Think the most you can give to help the McCain or Obama campaigns is $2,300 for the primary and $2,300 for the general election? Think again. It is a myth…

Oct 22nd, 2008: GOP celebrities flock to our Greenwich: Yesterday, it was Newt Gingrich who had breakfast on Winding Lane in Greenwich as a fundraiser for Chris Shays…

Oct 20th, 2008: Governor to be in Greenwich Wednesday: Governor M. Jodi Rell will be in Greenwich Wednesday evening, for a cocktail reception at the home of Susan Bevan and Tony Daddino on Field Point Park…

Oct 20th, 2008: Giants Stadium venue for Greenwich youth football: About 70,000 fans at Giants stadium got a glimpse this past Sunday of what Greenwich residents can see every Sunday during the autumn. The half-time show at the New York Giants victory over the San Francisco 49ers was a series of scrimmage-plays between the Cos Cob Crushers and the Putnam Generals, two of the six teams in the Greenwich Youth Football League.

Oct 18th, 2008: “OUR GREENWICH” Exclusive: GPD has new weapons against speeders: Those speeding in Greenwich beware! “OurGreenwich.com” has learned that the Greenwich Police Department is equipping nearly all of its patrol cars with new, state-of-the-art radar, courtesy of a grant. And speeders need to be on the lookout not just for those marked and unmarked Crown Vics. GPD is now the proud owner of a couple of new incognito cars, a Chevy SUV and a mean-looking Dodge Charger….

*  Oct 15th, 2008: Uncivil Civics: Driving to work, contemplating what I should write for my first blog, I noticed dueling signs on Valley Road. Travelling west, on the left (appropriately) was a house with an Obama sign and directly across the street a house with a McCain-Palin sign. I thought I could write about neighbors disagreeing without being disagreeable – much like my next-door neighbor and I with our own juxtaposed McCain-Palin and Obama signs….

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PRE-2008

*  NY Times stereotypes Greenwich (2005): Stacey Stowe’s article “A Name Change to Protect the Innocent” (New York Times, October 21, 2005) begins by referring to residents of a certain street in the Cos Cob section of Greenwich, Connecticut as “people of the L. L. Bean-wearing, exercise-the-dog sort” and later refers to Greenwich as “a town where Lacoste shirts and country club memberships are a virtual birthright.”  Using such phrases to describe Greenwich must be in the New York Times style guide….

*  Movie, “The Passion of the Christ” helps give focus to Christian faith (2004): I’ve seen the passion scores of times — not the movie (I’ve only seen that twice), but the passion that my faith believes is relived whenever one person makes a completely selfless, significant sacrifice for another — especially for a person he does not “owe” or perhaps even know….

* Thank God I Am Not a Cop, and Thank God For Those Who Are! (2003): I was “killed” twice this fall – once by a “FATS” machine and once by a classmate. I am fortunate enough to live to discuss it because the “killings” occurred during my training as a member of the first graduating class of the Greenwich Citizens Police Academy….

*  What it means to be a true “Greenwich Person.” (2002): The essay in Greenwich Time, (Sunday, February 10, 2002) “Becoming a Greenwich Person and Proud of It” should cause all Greenwich residents to reflect on what it means to be a “Greenwich Person.” The “typical” Greenwich person depicted in the essay is what I like to think of as the “nouveau Greenwich person” and while that person may have many redeeming qualities, as pointed out at the end of the essay, the nouveau Greenwich person also brings with him many qualities that are an anathema to the Town….

An  FBI press release this morning proclaimed  “NEW MOST WANTED TERRORIST: First Domestic Fugitive Added to List” and stated that the domestic terrorist being sought is “an animal rights extremist wanted for allegedly bombing two San Francisco-area office buildings in 2003.”

But a DHS report issued in late January on left-wing extremists had me convinced left-wing extremists are non-violent.  (It used that word four times in a seven page report.)

On the other hand, the term non-violent was nowhere to be found in the DHS report on rightwing extremists.  But the term “violent” was used 18 times.

And the FBI used the word “terrorist.”   Surely, according to DHS it was the right-wingers who were the terrorist threat.  “Terrorist” was used 13 times in the right-wing report, but only twice in the left-wing report.  (Hey, didn’t the DHS Secretary tell us the correct language is “man-made disasters” not acts of terror?  I guess someone in DHS didn’t get the memo.)

So, what’s going on with this animal rights extremist on the FBI Most Wanted list?   Hmmm.  Perhaps “animal rights activists” are RIGHT-wing extremists?   Nope, that wasn’t it.  Animal rights extremist — along with “environmental, and anarchist extremist movements” – are defined by the DHS report as left-wing extremists.

The DHS report states that these left-wing extremist are focusing on cyber attacks against our nation, because of “the perception that cyber attacks are nonviolent align (sic) well with the ideological beliefs, strategic objectives, and tactics of many left-wing extremists.”

DHS comes to the conclusion that “cyber attacks are attractive options to left-wing extremists who view attacks on economic targets as aligning with their nonviolent, ‘no-harm’ doctrine and tactic of ‘direct action.’”

The report on the left-wing extremists does mention bombing about half-way through the report and goes on to say on the last page, “Animal rights and environmental extremists … use non-violent and violent tactics that, at times, violate criminal law.”

What about those right-wingers?  Why should we fear they will become violent?  The DHS report says, “The DHS/Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) has no specific information that domestic right-wing terrorists are currently planning acts of violence, but right-wing extremists may be gaining new recruits by playing on their fears about several emergent issues. The economic downturn and the election of the first African American president present unique drivers for right-wing radicalization and recruitment.” (Looks like I&A and Janeane Garofalo are reading the same “talking points” memos.)

DHS based their findings partly on “right-wing extremist chatter on the Internet.” Now, if DHS is monitoring Internet chatter of domestic left-wing extremists it sure wasn’t mentioned in the report. I guess they only monitor the “chatter” of al-Qaeda and the right-wing.

And who are these potentially violent right-wing people?

According to the DHS report, “Right wing extremism in the United States can be broadly divided into those groups, movements, and adherents that are primarily hate-oriented (based on hatred of particular religious, racial or ethnic groups), and those that are mainly anti-government, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority, or rejecting government authority entirely.  It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration.”

Well, I’m not hate-oriented, but I do think federal authority has overstepped it bounds. I also oppose abortion, and disagree with the current non-enforcement of immigration laws. I wonder if the DHS thinks I’m an extremist?

Another DHS red-flag seems to be supporting Second Amendment rights. I guess my life NRA membership isn’t helping me in the eyes of the DHS.

The DHS right-wing report goes on to say these groups include “violent Christian Identity organizations and extremist members of the militia movement.” (I wonder why violent organizations which identify with other religions aren’t mentioned?)

And what is the potential threat of these right-wing extremists? According to the DHS “The possible passage of new restrictions on firearms and the return of military veterans facing significant challenges reintegrating into their communities could lead to the potential emergence of terrorist groups or lone wolf extremists capable of carrying out violent attacks.”

Indeed, the “veteran” connection is mentioned eight times in the report’s nine pages.

So, a reasonable surmise as to who would be the first domestic terrorist to be on the Most Wanted list, would have been a returning vet with a Christian Identity, who supports the second amendment, is pro-life, wants a non-porous border, and favors state and local authority over federal authority. That describes many people, but it doesn’t seem to describe the person who made the list.

So maybe the FBI and DHS are not singing from the same page in the hymn-book.

Or maybe the FBI is just smarter than DHS.

Or maybe, just maybe, the FBI Most Wanted list reflects reality and the DHS reports reflect something else.

They watch to see how the authorities react. The first attack has the additional consequence of causing the authorities to waste resources responding to the first attack so they have fewer resources to respond to the real attack.

Beyond that, those who responded to the first attack are often emotionally worn-out. And if the first attack was prevented, or a false alarm, there is the “boy who cried wolf” effect in place for the real attack.

Could that be the tactic of those behind the newly-introduced Connecticut “Death with Dignity” or assisted-suicide bill, raised bill 1138, now before Stamford’s Senator Andrew McDonald’s Judiciary Committee?

The Catholic Church in Connecticut just last Sunday issued a call to action from the pulpits to defeat another bill before the Judiciary Committee requiring priests and bishops to cede control of all Catholic Church assets to lay boards. Now they are alerting local pastors of the appearance of the assisted suicide legislation. The Church strongly opposes assisted-suicide and other forms of euthanasia.

There is no “conscience clause” in this bill, so physicians and pharmacists who are morally opposed to suicide would nevertheless be required to prescribe the death drugs if a patient requests it. But isn’t the lack of such a clause a predictable outcome? The proponents of the assisted-suicide bill are aware of how the Catholic Church in Connecticut responded under similar circumstances.

Remember, the terrorist in the opening to this essay who anticipate an opponent’s response based on past actions? Now, remember, the Church’s response last year to the legislation to force Catholic hospitals to administer a potential abortificant?

Initially, the church threatened to close the Catholic hospitals in the state if the legislation became law. Then, in the opinion of many, the Church caved, by agreeing to a bill without an exception for Catholic hospitals. If the Church’s initial moral stance was abandoned in the “Plan B” matter, might it be a good assumption to think they could again let a law be enacted without a “conscience clause?”

One would hope the Catholic Church in Connecticut was encouraged and emboldened by its recent success.  The victory should bolster their resolve and rectitude to stand tall against this form of euthanasia.  But they will likely have a harder time rallying the troops for this battle.

First, there is the “cry wolf” factor. Several thousand Catholics, at the request of their priests, marched on Hartford last week to protest a bill, which the sponsors, in a tactical move, withdrew hours before. The Church was able to halt three-quarters of the buses planning to descend upon the capital, but the activation of the troops and intense but brief and successful lobbying effort did somewhat deplete a bit of the Church’s political capital, both with the soldiers in the pews and with the legislators.

Also, the issue this past week was a direct frontal assault on the Catholic Church specifically. Many people will feel less vociferous about a moral issue not specific to the Catholic Church. And this bill is sure to be couched as a matter of choice. (It is only the doctors and pharmacists who will have no choice.)

Catholics and social conservatives in the Nutmeg state should get used to these battles. Connecticut is becoming a hotbed of liberal activism.  It is one of only two states to permit homosexual marriage (Massachusetts being the other). Were the bill to become law, Connecticut would be one of the two or three states to require doctors to prescribe drugs to assist patients in killing themselves. Oregon has an assisted suicide law and the state of Washington passed a referendum in November allowing such a law.

Additionally, the Judiciary Committee this coming week is considering a “transgender rights” bill. Another bill the committee may pass is a “micro-coding” bill which will have the practical impact of making illegal in Connecticut every currently manufactured firearm now in existence. Face it, Connecticut is becoming a deep blue state.  I now understand better the expression, between the devil and the deep blue sea.

The bill is specific only to Roman Catholic corporations.  Not all corporations.  Not all non-profits.  Not even all churches.  It is written only to affect the Catholic Church.  The legislature wouldn’t be so presumptuous as to dictate how a Lions Club, Junior League or local Red Cross chapter should be governed.  Why should it interfere with the governance of any church — let alone a single church?

On its face, the “Catholics only” element strikes me as a violation of the Connecticut Constitution, Article I, Section Three, which states, “The exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship, without discrimination, shall forever be free to all persons in the state.” By pinpointing the Roman Catholic Church, this bill discriminates. Also, by dictating governance policies for the Church, it seems to me this would violate the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution (Bill of Rights).

The original Connecticut law, which this bill seeks to amend, also pinpointed the Catholic Church. It was the result of the effort in 1855 of Gov. William T. Minor, a member of the anti-Catholic “American Republican” nativist party (otherwise known as the “Know-Nothings”). Even that restrictive law passed muster because it had a provision deferring to canon law. The new proposal overrides Catholic Canon Law.

What is the problem this bill is supposed to remedy?  Is it theft of church funds?  There already is a remedy — criminal prosecution and prison.  There are bad people in every profession — bad priests, bad lawyers, bad hedge fund managers.  No priest has ever stolen $50 billion, as Bernie Madoff admits to doing — but I don’t see the legislature saying hedge funds should be governed by a board of stakeholders.

Under its current structure, each Catholic parish is a corporation with five “members” – the Bishop, the Diocese Vicar General, the pastor and two lay members. The parish corporation owns the assets of the parish, including the land, church building, and schools. The parish assets are for the benefit of the parishioners, so that if a parish is closed or consolidated into a new parish, the assets are not sent to the Diocese, but are transferred to the new parish. There is a canon law requirement of a lay parish council and lay finance board. As a past member of both the St. Mary’s parish council, and finance committee, I am aware of the canon law safeguards – and the pitfalls, if the safeguards are ignored. Ignoring such safeguards is an internal church matter, and NOT the province of the government.

Beyond that, I know from first-hand experience that a group of volunteers, no matter how well-intentioned, is not in a better position to manage the day-to-day operations of an organization than those who work full-time for the organization. This bill requires the yearly election of 7 to 13 lay directors, and states that “the pastor of the congregation shall report to the board of directors with respect to administrative and financial matters.”

The bill would emasculate the role of a parish’s pastor and bishop by not allowing them even a vote on the new board. The board would hold the power of the purse-string, and thus ultimate control over each parish and all parish assets, including land and buildings.

Government involvement in the internal affairs of any church is a slippery slope. For example, if this bill becomes law, who is to determine who is a “congregation member” eligible to vote for the lay board? Will the legislature need to establish criteria for one to be a voting church member? If the legislature sets parameters it is perilously close to establishing a religion.

Yet, if anyone can claim to be a member and vote, one can easily foresee corporate raiding — groups, whether for profit or other reasons, taking over parishes – especially land-rich parishes. Think what a huge lot in the middle of Greenwich Avenue (St. Mary) or 32 acres on North Street (St. Michael) is worth. Enough for an unfriendly take-over?

Were this a law a few years ago, what might have happened at St. Agnes – a very tiny parish, when it was considering selling part of its land to the Stanwich School? It would have been an easy feat to “stack the deck” with new parishioners concerned more with property than with their souls. This legislation could lead to the biggest “land grab” since the Russian Revolution!

If the legislature is concerned about misuse of charitable funds, there are less onerous ways to accomplish this without getting into the internal affairs of the Catholic Church. For instance, St. Mary’s has a CPA firm audit its books. The law could require ALL churches – Catholic, Muslim, Jewish, Protestant, and other religions — to be audited by CPAs and make the audit available.

Sounded pretty ambitious to me. So, a bit sleepless, I decided before dawn to do some “back of the envelope” presidential math. The President said higher taxes would be assessed on only the wealthiest 2% of Americans. According to 2007 figures, there are 138 million taxpayers in the United States, some of whom are not Americans. But less assume the wealthiest 2% of Americans are 2% of taxpayers. Two percent of taxpayers would be 2,760,000 taxpayers. 

Yesterday, the President said his new taxes would raise $318 billion over ten years to be used for health care.  So the tax burden to those 2% of taxpayers would be $115,217.39 each just to pay for health care. That does not pay for the other spending that has been voted on in the month he has been in office.

Well, wouldn’t you know it, this morning the Wall Street Journal did some presidential math of its own. Its conclusion, “Take everything they [the wealthiest 2% of Americans] earn, and it still won’t be enough.”

Math was only my minor in college, but to me the numbers don’t seem to add up.

Repulsion is an understatement.  I have as much disdain and disgust for that father as I do for the men of the cloth who preyed on children instead of praying for them.  I was so angry that if I could have crawled through the wires to reach that father I would have probably been charged with a violent felony.

Well, I was shocked again recently, and relived that rage momentarily when I read the New York Times January 14, 2009 headline, “Report Calls Online Threats to Children Overblown.” The lead in the story by Brad Stone was “The Internet may not be such a dangerous place for children after all.”  The story continued that the task force created “to look into the problem of sexual solicitation of children online has concluded that there really is not a significant problem.”

Not dangerous?!  Not a significant problem?  Without the Internet, how else could have that father easily offered his son for sale?

The news story went on to say that a report of a group called Internet Safety Technical Task Force issues a “278-page report [which] was the result of a year of meetings between dozens of academics, experts in childhood safety and executives of 30 companies, including Yahoo, AOL, MySpace and Facebook.”

Hmmm, exactly where did you think representatives of ISPs, social-networks and other businesses who make  profit from Internet filth and carnage would come out on this issue?

Maybe we should save a bundle of cash and time and skip Senate investigations by following this model and asking the banks if they were responsible for the sub-prime mortgage.  Of course we will need “dozens of academics” to sprinkle “academic holy water” on the report. We all know how right THEY are.

The task force was created by 49 state attorneys general.  One of those attorneys general, Greenwich resident, Richard Blumenthal, criticized the report.  He opened his official statement on the report by saying “This report is a step forward in the fight to better protect children from predators and inappropriate content on social networking sites.”

But in the next breath he states, “The report unfortunately downplays the threat of predators — in relying on research that is outdated or inadequate — and it fails to provide specific plans to implement technology in improving social networking safety.

“Law enforcement officials know the reality: children are solicited every day on line. All too often, they fall prey. MySpace alone has identified and removed more than 50,000 profiles of convicted, registered sex offenders. For every one of them, there may be countless using false names and ages.

“Technology companies and social networking sites must do more — and do it now. Blaming the victim is appalling and outrageous.”

Bravo, A.G. Blumenthal!  At least someone in authority is watching out for our children.  It is certainly not the U.S. Supreme Court who refused to overturn a lower court ruling banning implementation of the Child Online Protection Act.

Generally, I have tried to ignore this quadrennial ritual, but this year that was impossible. One would have to be comatose to have avoided the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44^th President of the United States. One reason the inauguration seemed omnipresent was the $150 million or so spent on the event – three times the second most expensive inaugural. (Perhaps these festivities – along with the Obamas hiring Santa Monica designer Michael S. Smith to decorate the White House living area — were a preamble to the Obama Stimulus package.)

Another reason this inauguration is different is that those who monopolize our eyeballs – Hollywood stars, mainstream media – seem to feel a pride of authorship, if not ownership of the Obama candidacy, so the inaugural was as much their party as the President’s.

That explains the reason the nation’s largest cable carrier created a special “all-Obama channel” for the inauguration. That explains why the Washington Post hired hundreds of people to hawk more than 1.5 million additional copies of the newspaper, and why newspapers in the other major cities followed suit. . That explains why CNN created software which let viewers comment and otherwise “social-network” on Facebook directly from their video players while watching the inauguration, and why MSNBC helped arrange free viewing parties at movie theaters in Stamford and a score of cities and in hundreds of Starbucks on both coasts. That explains why USA Today and other publications created special commemorative editions to sell at a premium – along DVDs, T-shirts, mugs, and other tchotchkes. (Of course, Greenwich Time managed to mar the beautiful cover photo with an advertizing sticker.)

But undeniably this inauguration was different because it marked a historic moment for this great country. (Follow link to see why “a historic” is preferred to “an historic.”) Remarkably, in the bicentennial year of the birth of the Great Emancipator, Abraham Lincoln, America’s first African-American took the oath of office as our nation’s 44^th President. So things around America were done differently for this inauguration than for all past inaugurals.

Because it was historic my son’s public university suspended classes during the inaugural. Because it was historic, my daughters’ private school abandoned their no-television in school rule and broadcast the ceremony during lunch. Because it was historic, UConn Stamford broadcast the event. Because it was historic, NYC school teachers were required to accompany their classes to locations where they could watch the swearing-in (even though some teachers didn’t want to watch and felt it was a violation of their rights to be forced to watch).

Because it was historic, Greenwich First Selectman Peter Tesei had the Greenwich Library and the Town Hall Meeting Room opened to the public to watch the event. Because it was historic, the Fox News Channel broadcast their coverage on large screens at New York’s Times Square, and the Associated Press found a way to let those at work pick which of the seven live anchored and raw feeds from around Washington to watch on their computers.

Why does all this matter?

These special plans in response to this historic event should serve as a blueprint for another historic inaugural I hope to see in my lifetime (one I might just attend) – the inauguration of our first woman President. It will be a blueprint, unless of course, that first woman President is my choice, Sarah Palin, in which case these plans probably won’t be emulated and this list will serve as an indictment of the hypocrisy of the those “enlightened elite” who believe only they know what is historic.

The new year saw the retirement of Michael Pacewicz, Greenwich Police Department’s only remaining Captain. GPD Chief David Ridberg commented that Captain Pacewicz served in almost every division in the department, and did so well.

As a member of the GPD Community and Police Partnership (CAPP) I got to know Captain Pacewicz who headed the East Sector CAPP at its formation. In some ways he was a quintessential cop – part Kojak, part Jack Webb, part Sam Spade. I knew whenever I asked Captain Pacewicz a question that I would get a straight answer. I might not like his answer, but it would be frank. He was direct, unvarnished, and at times blunt.

The local newspapers chose to emphasize the controversy surrounding his appointment as captain in their coverage of the Pacewicz retirement. The controversy resulted in prolonged litigation which has a current impact on our Greenwich: an injunction against filling vacancies in any GPD rank higher than Lieutenant. With Pacewicz’s retirement there are no remaining captains or deputy chiefs. Imagine an Army with a single General and no Colonels, Majors, or Captains. NOT a pretty picture – but a picture on which the local print media chose not to focus. (We will focus on the implications of the injunction in a future post which is currently being fact-checked.)

For those of us who “bleed blue” football season painfully ended today as the Giants were eliminated from the playoffs. We don’t care about the NFC and AFC championships next week, or even the Super Bowl. Tomorrow marks the beginning of the countdown until Giants summer camp in Albany. Sure, there may be a slight distraction when the Yankees start playing again, but otherwise tomorrow starts “ordinary time” for Giants fans.

And for those of us with college kids who returned to campus today, tomorrow is ordinary time in a different way. Starting tomorrow, there will be no more dinners with the full family in attendance. There is no more special time for us parents to spend with our college children, and for us to marvel at how they are ever more close to full adulthood.

And for those of us in the Catholic Church, tomorrow marks the liturgical season called “Ordinary Time” which is most easily defined as generally the time in the liturgical calendar when it is not Advent/Christmastide or Lent/Eastertide. Priests will once again wear the green chasuble for Masses rather than the violet vestments signifying penance as worn during Lent or Advent, or the joyous white robes of Christmas and Easter. Green, an ordinary color, for Ordinary Time.

Green is steadfast and constant like the narrow-leaf conifer trees – “ever green.” Green is not flashy like autumn leaves, or like the festive blossoms of spring. But think of how pedestrian autumn leaves and spring blossoms would seem if they were present year-round – with no green summer lawns and leaves as the norm punctuating them.

Ordinary time is what life is about. As composer-recording artist Marie Bellet poetically puts it in the title song of her album Ordinary Time: “There will come a time for quiet kitchen mornings, lunches with the girls, books clubs in the afternoon….There will come a day without constant interruptions, confusing all my senses, my reason and my rhyme. But for now I trip on the backpack in the hallway; scrub the crayon from the walls that marks this ordinary time.”

Her beautiful ballad goes on to tell that there will come a day when she will long for a backpack in the hallway (like the one strangely missing with my son’s departure for his new semester). She ends with the message that we need to “learn to be happy and have patience with the constant changing rhythm of this ordinary time.”

THAT is a rather extraordinary concept in the type-A world of Greenwich.