Sox Fever '67: NESN Brings Back "Penultimate" Game After 40 Years

In 2007 most fans of a certain age will tell you the most memorable, joyful days in Red Sox history had to occur in 2004 when the dominant Yankees lost to Boston in seven games. The Yankee collapse was followed by a sweep of the Cardinals, the other team the Sox needed to avenge for earlier heartbreaks. The 86-year-old curse ended.

For some of us old enough to remember, however, 1967 was and is the best, not just for one game or series but for a whole season: "The Impossible Dream."

NESN knows we're out here and they are making a big deal of the 40th anniversary of the 1967 Red Sox with TV specials and a CD documentary. The worst-to-first Red Sox, for years humbled by the Orioles and Twins in the 10-team American League, came out of no where to reach the World Series. It started on opening day in Yankee stadium when rookie pitcher Billy Rohr nearly no-hit the Yankees, helped by an incredible catch by Triple Crown winner Carl Yastrzemski in the bottom of the 9th. Expectations for an improved .500 season soon gave way to pennant fever. It built into August when that terrible beaning of local hero Tony Conigliaro (St. Mary's High, Lynn, MA) occurred. With no divisional playoffs, the season all came down to the final day on September 30, 1967.

A senior at Lynn English High School in the fall of 1967, I and some classmates stood in long lines to get reserved grandstand tickets to witness the last game of the season, a matchup between Dean Chance and Jim Lonborg on an Indian summer Sunday at Fenway Park. In those days it was possible for ordinary folks, even kids from Lynn, to get seats by simply showing up early -- a fact confirmed when a few days later I scored a $2 bleacher seat to see Game 7, Lonborg vs. Bob Gibson in the World Series.

NESN this month has re-broadcast the next to last game with Jose Santiago and Jim Kaat for the Twins pitching -- a matchup the sports network called the "penultimate" game of the season. The real penultimate game for me , however, came on Sunday when I managed to be sitting in the right field grandstand midway between home and the Pesky pole.

My memory after 40 years isn't that good of the game the Sox had to have for a tie or pennant win. I know the Red Sox prevailed over the Twins that day, then waited for hours as the White Sox and Tigers put each other out of contention. I think it was "Boomer" (George Scott, 1B) who got a big hit and Lonborg the victory. We stormed onto the field and I collected some dirt where Rico Petrocelli (SS/3B) patrolled and caught the final out. I can't find the bag of dirt anymore, but I am sure it's around somewhere compounding in value as a piece of Sox memorabilia.

So thanks NESN for tapping into the season and games that go down for some of us as the most memorable time to be a Red Sox fan. I may have missed Barry Bonds and the All-Star game this year. But I watched every pitch of Red Sox vs. Twins in a re-broadcast of the next to last game. NESN, knowing a captive audience is here, packed most of the commercial time during the re-broadcast of the next to last game promoting the CD that includes the clincher on the last day.

Summer Farm Report: Crops Are Coming In At Urban Oaks

Living in the city and organic farming/shopping are not mutually exclusive thanks to the Urban Oaks Organic Farm on Oak Street.

"We've started picking our own summer crops including French round zucchini and regular zucchini, and, of course, we'll have more of our first picking of basil," reported our friends at Urban Oaks on June 28th. "We also have some yellow summer squash from Massachusetts. We're picking greens – including our glorious kales. Keep the kitchen cool by cooking up some greens rather than using your ovens."

Oak Street New Britain may seem an unlikely place for a working farm that practices sustainable agriculture and produces lettuces, salad greens, tomatoes, fresh herbs and eggplant that chefs at fine restaurants favor. In 1999, however, Tony Norris and Mike Kandefer made Urban Oaks Organic Farm a reality. In the 1990s, mobilizing environmental clean up funds, grants and volunteers, Tony and Mike reclaimed the former Sandelli Greenhouse property at 233 Oak Street and created a working city farm utilizing their skills as certified organic farmers. The restoration of 15,000 square feet of greenhouses has allowed the farm to offer fresh greens and produce.

The nonprofit farm has been an urban revitalization success story second to none in New Britain. The presence of Urban Oaks is a positive force in a city neighborhood struggling with blight and safety issues. It's been a gathering place where city residents and students can learn about sustainable and environmentally friendly farming. It proves that farming is not just an enterprise for the open roads and lower density of rural Connecticut.

And now here is your order form for the week of July 9th:

Welcome to the Urban Oaks Shopping Service!
Urban Oaks Organic Farm, 225 Oak Street , New Britain, CT 06051
Phone or Fax 860-223-6200, Email: urbanoaks@earthlink.net

Price list for orders to be picked up on Fridays from 3-6 (or on Saturdays from 10-1).

DEADLINE FOR ORDERS: TUESDAY, JULY10TH BY 12:00 MIDNIGHT

Please give us your name: ______________________and daytime telephone: ________

How to order

You may order in pounds (lbs.) or quantity (qty), for example, 3lbs. of Macintosh apples or 8 qty Macintosh apples. Everything is certified organic unless otherwise indicated.

CT-grown products are boldfaced. You may also pickup pre-orders anytime after 1 p.m. on Fridays (although, Sweet Sage bakery items will not be available until 3).



Urban Oaks Organic Farm Produce

___Edible Chrysanthemum $6/lb
___Scallions $1.95/bunch
___Finnocchio (bulb fennel) $5.75/bag – two per bag
___Red Bor Kale $3.25/bunch
___Scotch Kale $3.25/bunch
___Sorrel, French @ $6/lb
___Soup or Braising mix @$6/lb
___Swiss chard $6/lb – SALE - $5/LB
___New Zealand spinach $6/lb
___Dandelion greens $3.25/bunch
___Garlic scapes $6/lb
___Rhubarb $4.25/lb
___Edible blossoms $2.50/dozen
___French round zucchini @ $2.50/lb
___Hardneck garlic @ $9.75/lb

Basils @ $2.50/sandwich sized bag

___Sweet

Herbs @ $1.75/bag:
___Bay Leaf
___Fennel, Bronze
___Fennel, Green
___Greek Oregano
___Lemon Grass
___Thyme
___Mint, Roman
___Mint, Spearmint
___Sweet Marjoram
___Rosemary
___Garlic (Chinese) chives
___Sweet Cicely
___Winter savory
___Lemon balm

Parsleys
___Parcel $1.95/bag
___Italian (flat leaved) Parsley $1.95/bunch
___Curly parsley $1.95/bunch

Farm River Honey, Branford (not certified organic)

___Honey, Raw, 8 oz. jar @ $3/each

Certified organic eggs (NH)

___Extra large @ $4.50/dozen

The Bridge, Middletown (non-gmo, not certified organic but made with organic soybeans

___Tofu 15 oz. $2.35/each
___Amasake (rice drink sweetened by fermenting rice) 16 oz. @ $3.50
___Seitan 8 oz. @ $3.85

Abraham's

___Hummus 8 oz. $2.70/each

Sunshine Burgers

___Sunshine organic Southwestern flavor vegan burgers @ $4.25/8 oz. package of three burgers
___Sunshine barbeque vegan burgers @ $4.25/8 oz. package of three burgers
___Sunshine organic regular original garden herb vegan burgers @ $4.25/8 oz. package of three burgers

NON-PRODUCE ITEMS

___Vinegar, Raw, unfiltered organic apple cider @ $4.49/32oz.
___Grateful Harvest Lime Juice @ $1.25/4.4oz. (made with organic ingredients)
___Volcano Organic Sicilian Blood Orange Juice @ $5.50/25.3oz.
___Matt's Organic Orange Juice @ $7.95/56oz.

Bionaturae Whole Wheat Organic Pasta @ $2.50/1 lb. pkg.

This is the best tasting whole-wheat pasta you've ever had!

___Spaghetti
___Penne Rigate
___Fusilli

Organic butters (frozen)

___Cultured Sweet Butter @ $6.39/1 lb. pkg. (Organic Valley)
___European Style Butter (lower moisture, higher fat) @ $3.99/1/2 lb. pkg. (Horizon)

Natural Meats from North Hollow Farm, Vermont

These meats are from a family farm (the Carlsons) and are pasture-raised without
hormones, antibiotics, growth stimulants, etc.

___Bacon @ $8.49/one-pound pkg.
___Beef, Ground @ $5.69/ 1 lb. pkg.
___Beef, Porterhouse or Rib Steaks @ $12.39/lb
___Beef, Eye of the Round Roast @ $8.49/lb (about 2lbs.; preorder one week in advance)
___Hams @ $8.49/lb no nitrates, nitrites or MSG (about 4 lbs; preorder one week in advance)
___Hot Dogs @ $5.95/1 lb. pkg., no nitrates, nitrites or MSG
___Country style Spare Ribs @ $6.29/lb

Applegate Farms

___Bacon 8 oz., $4.25/pkg. peppered no nitrates, nitrites, etc.
___Bacon, Sunday organic $6.25/8oz. pkg

Organic Meats from Organic Valley

___Ground Organic Beef Patties - 2 per package (10.6oz.total) @ $6.29/each (these are great!)
___Whole organic chickens approximately 4-7 lbs. $4.89/lb

Equal Exchange Organic Fair Trade Coffees and hot cocoa (whole beans):

___French Roast @ $10/lb
___Breakfast Blend Decaffeinated @ $14/lb

SPECIALS -- These are items we try to keep in stock if people keep requesting them

___Apples, Fuji @ $3.50/lb (38 lbs.)
___Avocado, Californian Haas @ $1.75/each (48 count)
___Beets, Gold @ $3.50/lb
___Beets, Red @ $3.75/lb (25 lbs.)
___Broccoli @ $3.95/bunch (14 count)
___Cabbage, Green @ $1.75/lb (40 lbs.)
___Cabbage, Red @ $2.35/lb (40 lbs.)
___Cabbage, Savoy @ $2.35/lb (40 lbs.)
___Carrots, bunched @ $2.50/bunch (24 count)
___Celery @ $2.95/bunch (30 count)
___Celeriac (celery root) $2.95/lb (25 lbs.)
___Garlic, softneck @ $4.75/lb (10 lbs.)
___Ginger, Hawaiianr @ $8.95/lb (5 lbs.)
___Grapefruit $2.25/lb (38 lbs.)
___Kiwi @ $.99/each (20 lbs.)
___Leeks @ $2.75/lb (20 lbs.)
___Lettuce, Green leaf $2.50/each (24 count)
___Lettuce, Red leaf $2.50/each (24 count)
___Lettuce, Romaine $2.50/each (24 count)
___Nectarines @ $2.95/lb (38 lbs.)
___Onions, Red @ $2.25/lb (50 lbs.)
___Onions, Yellow @ $1.75/lb (50 lbs.)
___Onions, Vidalia @ $2.50/lb (40 lbs.)
___Oranges, Valencia @ $1.95/lb (38 lbs.)
___Pears, Packhamt @ $2.25/lb (44 lbs.)
___Pears, d'Anjou @ $2.75/lb (38 lbs.)
___Plums, Black Amber $2.95/lb (22 lbs.)
___Pluots @ $3.95/lb (18 lbs.) [plum/apricot cross]
___Potatoes, Garnet Sweet @ $2.25/lb (40 lbs.)
___Potatoes, Red @ $1.95/lb (50 lbs.)
___Potatoes, Yukon gold @ $1.95/lb (50 lbs.)
___Potatoes, new White @ $1.75/lb (50 lbs.)
___Radish, daikon @ $2.75/lb (11 lbs.)
___Radishes, Red @ $2.50/bunch (24 count)
___Shallots, new with tops @ $6.50/lb (10 lbs.)
___Spinach @ $2.50/bunch (24 count)
___Summer (yellow) squash @ $2.50/lb (20 lbs. MA grown)

Other produce – These are new specialty items we could get if enough people pre-order!

___Apples, pink crisp (another name for Pink Lady) $3.95
___Apricots @ $3.75/lb (24 lbs.)
___Artichokes, Globe Jumbo @ $2.25/each (30 count)
___Asparagus @ $6.50/lb (11 lbs.)
___Bananas, Fair-Trade @ $1.15/lb (38 lbs.)
___Beans, Green $3.25/lb. (25 lbs.)
___Beets, Chioggia @ $2.95/lb (25 lbs.)
___Blueberries @ $8.25/8 oz. pkg. (12 count)
___Cabbage, napa $1.75/lb (35 lbs.)
___Cauliflower @ $4.95/each (12 count)
___Cherries @ $10/lb (18 lbs.)
___Croutons, seasoned @ $3.75/4.5oz. bag (12 count)
___Cucumbers @ $3.50/lb (20 lbs.)
___Escarole @ $2.25/each (24 count)
___Grapes, Red Flame Seedless @ $3.25/lb (18 lbs.)
___Lemons @ $3.25/lb (38 lbs.)
___Limes @ $4.25/lb (10 lbs)
___Mangoes @ $1.95/each (10 count)
___Melons, Cantaloupe @ $1.50/lb (9 count)
___Melons, Honeydew @ $1.85/lb. (20 lbs.)
___Mushrooms, Crimini @ $4.75/lb (5 lbs.)
___Mushrooms, Portabella @ $5.95/lb (5 lbs.)
___Mushrooms, Shiitake @ $13.75/lb (3 lbs)
___Mushrooms, Maiitake @ $17.50/lb
___Onions,sweet Wall-walla $1.95/lb (50 lbs.)
___Oranges, Mandarin $2.95/lb (25 lbs.)
___Parsley, Italian flat leaf $2.25/bunch (24 count)
___Peas, sugar snap (MA grown) $7.50/lb (10 lbs.)
___Peaches @ $3.75/lb (18 lbs.)
___Peaches, White @ $3.75/lb. (18 lbs.)
___Peas, snow (MA grown) $6.50/lb (10 lbs.)
___Peppers, Green bell @ $3.50/lb (11 lbs.)
___Peppers, Red bell @ $5.50/lb (25 lbs.)
___Peppers, Yellow bell @ $5.95/lb. (11 lbs.)
___Pineapples, Gold $5.50/each averaging 3-4 lbs. (6 count)
___Radishes, Watermelon @ $5.95/lb (10 lbs.)
___Squash, yellow zephyr @ $2.50/lb (20 lbs.)
___Tomatoes, hothouse @ $3.95/lb (11 lbs.)
___Watermelon $1.50/lb (8 count)

ALL OTHER PRODUCE WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE FARMSTAND

Sweet Sage Bakery by Kathy Duffy

___Baguette @ $2.50
___Morning glory muffins @ $1.75 (ALL MUFFINS ARE NOW $1.75/each)
___Challah @ $4
___Rustica @ $4 (no yeast)
___San Francisco sourdough @ $4 (no yeast)
___Three seed @$4 (no yeast/whole wheat flour)
___Norwegian farm loaf @$4 (no yeast/whole wheat flour)
___Rosemary walnut @ $4 (no yeast/w/whole wheat flour)
___Squaw (Molasses and oat) @ $4 (no yeast/whole wheat flour)
___Stromboli @ $4; roasted vegetables(peppers, onions, garlic, zucchini, eggplant with mozzarella cheese,
___Foccacia @ $4: greens tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette with mushrooms, roasted peppers and asiago cheese

Chapel Hill Muffin Company by Kathie Magzag

Kathie offers delicious heart-healthy Magic Muffins loaded with beneficial bran and Omega 3 fatty acids. Ingredients include: Oat bran, organic all-purpose flour, organic flax seed meal, wheat bran, oranges, brown sugar, eggs, buttermilk, golden raisins (optional), canola oil.

___Magic Muffins 6 @ $7 (in a clamshell)
___Orange/cranberry muffins 6 @$7

DEADLINE FOR ORDERS IS TUESDAY, JULY 10TH BY 12:00 MIDNIGHT

Did Mayor Lobby Too Hard For His City Pension In Legislative "Rat"?

From the New Britain Democrat e-letter 4 July 2007

An amendment to give Mayor Timothy Stewart higher pension benefits for his employment as a New Britain firefighter failed in the waning days of the 2007 state Legislature despite Stewart's personal lobbying of city lawmakers for its passage.

The amendment filed by State Rep. Sean Williams (R-68) was contained in a bill "updating the social security retirement age to reflect federal changes and concerning a retirement annuity program for municipal employees."

The original bill was enacted as Public Act 07-211 without the provision that would have directly benefited Mayor Stewart The amendment in question is commonly referred to as a "rat" by legislators and lobbyists because the intent is usually to benefit one particular person or a small number of people without benefit of legislative hearings or fiscal oversight. Such obscure measures are often embedded in legislation with a broader purpose as was the case with the bill that became Public Act 07-211.

The late-filed pension language, which initially passed the House but ultimately failed in the Senate, stated that "any member of the municipal employees' retirement system or any other municipal pension system elected to serve as an official of the state or any political subdivision of the state during the 1988 calendar year or thereafter may elect, during the time he so serves, but no longer than ten years, to continue his membership in said system." The wording was specifically written to enable Stewart to claim fuller pension rights from the Fire Department for his 18 years of service. The Mayor does qualify for a pension, but could attain a much more lucrative deal if given more time in the system. He is currently on leave from his Fire Department position and serving his second term as Mayor. A more favorable and fast-tracked pension deal has been a goal of Stewart for several years, dating back to the time he worked in the Fire Department.

The pension flap emerged last week after Democratic Town Chair John McNamara contended Stewart should have pushed harder for municipal aid and higher levels of Educational Cost Sharing (ECS) from the Governor. McNamara asserted that if Stewart found time to make a strong push for his pension, he should have pushed just as vigorously for a more equitable local aid package with the Governor.

In a June 29th news story Stewart denied he sought any consideration for a bigger pension through the late-filed bill and called Democrats "liars" for saying he did.

New Britain legislators Senator Don DeFronzo, Rep. Tim O'Brien, Rep. John Geragosian and Rep. Peter Tercyak, issued a statement on July 3nd , however, saying Stewart "did use political influence in an effort to increase his own city pension benefits. Stewart clearly stated, to Rep. Tim O'Brien, that he had asked Rep. Williams, a close ally and friend, to introduce the legislation on his behalf. Mayor Stewart's comments to O'Brien were made during a trip by Mayor Stewart to the State Capitol, on June 5, 2007, the day that the legislation to provide him with the special pension benefit was considered in the State Senate."

Prior to final action on the pension amendment in the House, the legislators' statement said that "Mayor Stewart stated, to both Rep. O'Brien and Sen. Donald DeFronzo, that he, Mayor Stewart, would cause working conditions for New Britain city fire fighters to be made worse as a result of the legislature rejecting the special pension legislation that benefited Stewart personally."

McNamara reiterated his statement that the Mayor should have pushed harder for local aid to reduce the property tax burden and more support for schools with the Governor and other members of his party at the end of the legislative session. "I don't begrudge him a fair pension and I would even support his service in office as counting for something. But he should pursue that matter openly and cooperatively and in accordance with the rules, not through back-door legislation and intimidation."

A New Britain Biker Fights Global Warming

Merrill Gay of New Britain is nearing the end of a month without driving an automobile. It may not be that unusual for an individual who lives a short, pleasant walk from home to workplace in the Walnut Hill Park area of New Britain. But Gay, 46, is a busy father of young children who works as executive director of the New Britain Discovery Collaborative that engages the community in creating quality early childhood education. Given his activism and schedule, I'd say he needs a car in a city and state with a very sparse public transit system.

Between May 15th and June 15th, however, Merrill Gay has been "triking" through the streets of New Britain and beyond in a recumbent bike with a fiberglass frame that looks very much like a winning soap box derby entry. Gay is part of a "car free" challenge whose participants are sending a personal message on the over use of the automobile and the environmental benefits to be had if we reduce auto emissions.

To start his last week without gasoline-powered wheels Merrill triked to a meeting in Hartford. "This is now the 3rd trip into the capitol city," Gay wrote on his blog (www.nbtriker.org). "So I've perfected the route and shaved about 10 minutes off the trip. That's probably due mostly to having lost a couple pounds and gotten into better shape with daily riding. As of the end of the ride today my mileage for the challenge is 253 miles so far."

When he's asked why he's making this mostly personal effort for a greener earth, Gay has a ready answer: "It doesn't seem like a day goes by that I don't hear or read another story about global warming and its effects. I wonder what kind of mess we're leaving for our kids. As I ride I see that most cars on the road have one person in them and I've read that 40% of car trips are just a few miles long. So in a way I'm trying to prove to folks who see me that it can be different. It is possible to do most of what we use a car for by human power." And besides, he says, "I'm having a blast."

Not all of us need to follow Merrill Gay onto the streets with a recumbent bike to strike a blow for the environment. Some of us might take a bus to work if limited transit routes and schedules allow. We could walk down to the local drug store for a prescription instead of driving a couple of blocks using less gas and burning more calories. We could engage neighbors and family members in ways to car pool to work, events or other activities to which we mindlessly drive alone to the same place.

The point is that Merrill Gay is being a good citizen, showing us in a fun and interesting way that we need to heed the warnings and act personally and politically to reverse global warming and preserve mother earth for the next generation.

Blight At East And Kelsey: Sad End For Former Parochial High School Building

Alumni and friends of New Britain's St. Thomas Aquinas high school will gather for a reunion on May 19th at New Britain Stadium. The pre-game picnic is a fundraiser for a Noah's Ark of Hope, a Meriden playground named for a child of an Aquinas alumna.

Participants will bring many good memories of the hallways, classrooms and gymnasium of the parochial school at East and Kelsey streets.

But memories are all that is left now because the century-old school house attached to an addition and gymnasium built during the school's 1960s heydays is an eyesore. Over the last year the building's deterioration has accelerated. Its hulking presence hurts property values and the neighorhood's quality of life.

A Herald story by Francine Maglione last January described just how bad things have gotten at the former parochial high school site:

The St. Thomas Aquinas school, which closed in the 1990s, remains abandoned and somewhat open for vagrants or even school children to enter and wander around. Though many of the doors are boarded up, a few of them are open and easily accessible. Inside the building, broken glass and garbage litters the floor, and books and furniture are scattered about. Graffiti covers the walls outside as well as walls and chalkboards inside the classrooms. Next to the school in the former nun's quarters, boxes of old financial records still sit in the hallways and canceled checks lay all over the floor. The school building is currently for sale and remains boarded up.

The situation finally prompted the city Building Department to condemn the property, posting signs that the structure is a public safety hazard. Aquinas'deterioration is a main topic of concern for members of the East Side NRZ which regularly meets with city officials about blight and other issues.

For a time following the close of the parochial school there was talk the facility could have been turned over to the public schools -- giving the city an adaptable place to add classrooms for once and future needs. It would have been appropriate for the Archdiocese of Hartford to turn the parcel back to the city, having obtained it for $1 when the municipality could afford to give that kind of space away. Instead, the building housed a now defunct charter school and became a source of income for the church. Eventually the Aquinas property was sold off to an absentee realty interest. The result -- so common in urban properties acquired for speculation -- has been a quick decline into blight for the once proud secondary school whose graduates include city leaders such as State Senator Don DeFronzo and State Rep. John Geragosian.

The Aquinas property demonstrates the limits city government faces in dealing with abandoned, absentee-owned buildings. The federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program has guaranteed funds to New Britain for a generation now. CDBG, which emerged in the 1970s, is supposed to address blight issues with funds for the acquisition of property and the rehabilitation of residential and non-residential buildings. Through the years federal appropriations have precipitously declined, however. According to an estimate by the Northeast-Midwest Coalition federal money for CDBG dropped 51% from 1981 to 2006. Twenty five years ago New Britain possessed more than double the CDBG funds it has today -- less than $2 million. When inflation is taken into account the city has no more than a third of the resources it once had to address blight and community development issues. Of CDBG dollars currently available, much of current funding is dispersed to human and social service agencies because the federal and state pipeline for their services has been cut to the bone as well.

Despite the absence of federal dollars for interventions and no apparent bidders to purchase the property from out of state owners, the city needs to adopt a more aggressive approach to revitalize the Aquinas parcel. It's too large a piece of property and too important a space on the East Side to ignore on the list of abandoned buildings in New Britain.

What should be done?

Talks should open or re-open with the owner on marketing and finding a re-use of the property.

The feasibility of tearing down the facility should be explored. Its age and deterioration would seem to make rehabilitation and costs such as asbestos removal prohibitive at this juncture. An open parcel would accelerate the process of restoration and identifying a good use of the land.

The city on its own should contact developers interested in moderate income housing or similar appropriate uses (There have been no shortage of them inquiring about the Pinnacle Heights public housing site).

Officials should pursue any opportunities for competitive community development grant funding, including a University partnership program from the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that could involve Central CT State University's construction studies programs.

(Photo courtesy of East Side Community Action)

'06 Postscript: Lamont Still A Voice To Challenge Conventional Wisdom

Ned Lamont, returning to New Britain for the first time since his U.S. Senate campaign last year, addressed a packed room of students and faculty at CCSU’s Marcus White Hall on April 26th.

Invited by History and Philosophy faculty to speak on “Challenging the Conventional Wisdom”, Lamont recounted how he decided to run against incumbent Joe Lieberman after failing to persuade more seasoned politicians to take on an 18-year incumbent who had become increasingly aloof from rank and file CT Democrats. The turning point, Lamont said as he did often on the campaign trail, was Lieberman’s late 2005 admonition: “It’s time for Democrats who distrust President Bush to acknowledge he’ll be commander in chief for three more years. We undermine the president’s credibility at our own peril.” When he heard those words, Ned Lamont knew he could not abide “George Bush’s favorite Democrat” any more. Having held just a town office in Greenwich, the upstart Lamont decided he would have to give the Democratic Party the much needed debate over the U.S. course in Iraq it yearned for. As the campaign moved from winter to spring in 2006, Lamont found that Lieberman’s increasing estrangement from the people who put him in the Senate back in 1988 was real and growing.

Appearing at ease and reflective during his CCSU appearance, Lamont said his overtures about a Lieberman challenge were dismissed out of hand by Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), the head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Lamont’s assertions that Lieberman was undermining other Democrats and walking lockstep with the GOP fell on deaf ears within the party hierarchy at the state and national level.

The Greenwich Democrat, who is a visiting fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government this semester with former Cong. Nancy Johnson (R-New Britain), credited the internet bloggers for fueling what became a grassroots movement that led to his improbable victory in the August 8th Democratic Primary.

Lamont’s primary win, many have since contended, gave Democrats a spine and the gumption to forcefully take on the Bush administration over Iraq. It certainly spawned an unprecedented upsurge in voter registrations in favor of the Democrats. Arguably, the Lamont general election campaign gave Joe Courtney his razor-thin win in the 2nd Congressional District and helped propel Chris Murphy’s overwhelming win in the 5th Congressional District. With Lieberman as the Democratic nominee the Democratic message and the important contrasts to be made between Democrats and Republicans would have been blurred considerably.

In the general election Lamont conceded he may have been hurt by Lieberman’s emphasis on “experience”, and the incumbent’s hammering home the message of “bringing home the bacon.” Lamont said his campaign sought to counter Lieberman with his own experiences in building a business and challenging the go-along and get-along atmosphere of Washington, which was not being particularly responsive to the state’s problems in transportation, job dislocation and health coverage.

The decisive factor in the General Election, Lamont reminded an appreciative audience at CCSU, was the failure of the Republican nominee, Alan Schlesinger, to break over single digits as a percentage of the final vote. From July onward last year the Republican Party abandoned its nominee to line up behind “George Bush’s favorite Democrat”, a development that gave Lieberman the barely 50% he needed to win another term.

Last November a New Britain Democrat commentary assessed the impact of Lamont’s candidacy immediately after the votes were counted:

“Ned Lamont lost the electoral battle last Tuesday but his upstart candidacy and winning of the Democratic nomination helped start a movement within the Democratic Party that may win the peace in Iraq sooner rather than later and helped define the 2006 election in favor of Democrats. The ouster of Donald Rumsfeld last Wednesday was a sign that policy change is coming fast. The entry of grown ups (the Baker/Hamilton Iraq study group) into the Oval office are the beginning of the end of the Cheney/Lieberman policy of neoconservatism and intransigence. In Connecticut, Lamont, calling out Lieberman on his many accommodations with the GOP Administration, has inspired thousands of people to become involved, including newcomers to the New Britain Democratic Town Committee, who will stay involved for future elections.”

Ned Lamont, speaking as if he yearned to be on the stump campaigning again, ended his 30-minute talk by challenging his mostly young audience to take on conventional wisdom themselves. He let it be known that there will be no “woulda, coulda or shoulda” for him when he looks back on 2006. By choosing to challenge an incumbent U.S. Senator who thought he could ignore his base, Lamont used his own considerable resources to lead a grassroots movement that contributed to a change of power in Congress and inspired thousands of people to become involved in the political process. And his talk at the CCSU campus showed that he's not done rocking the boat nor being a prominent voice in the Democratic Party.

Murphy Reports On War Without End At First New Britain Forum

Cong. Chris Murphy (D-CT 5), just returned from a visit to Iraq and Afghanistan with a six-member Congressional Delegation (CODEL) led by Cong. Steve Lynch (D-MA 9), provided a sobering assessment of U.S.. intervention in both countries at a Slade Middle School forum on Saturday, April 21st.

Standing beside posters showing the growing costs of the war and an escalating insurgency, Murphy said the “life changing” trip reinforced his position in favor of a clear Iraq exit strategy now contained in legislation adopted by both the House and Senate.

Bush and the Congress are now at odds over the "Troop Readiness, Veterans' Health and Iraq Accountability Act" that sets a July 1 deadline for meeting benchmarks. If benchmarks are not met, redeployment of U.S. troops would begin within 180 days. Bush vows a veto over the timetable and falsely accuses Democrats of not supporting the troops.

Murphy confessed to a rookie congressman's awe about being part of the congressional fact-finding trip. But his command of the facts and analysis made for a compelling case against Bush and Cheney's intransigence.

Iraq and Afghanistan pose two very different challenges, according to Murphy. The fight against the Taliban in Afghanistan is difficult. Unlike Iraq, sectarian violence is not rampant and the country possesses a greater sense of nationalism. Murphy, however, worries that the U.S. may be "under-committed" in Afghanistan where post 9/11 efforts to thwart terrorism began.

In Iraq, Murphy and his colleagues held a meeting with General David Petraeus at which the U.S. military leader candidly told lawmakers that he could not say whether the latest “troop surge” was working or would work at all. Murphy said President Bush, who met with him and CODEL members in the Oval Office following the trip, remains “unreformed” and as obstinate as ever about his war without end.

Murphy pointedly added that those who think the U.S. can now easily extract itself from the quagmire are only fooling themselves.

There was an unspoken frustration at this first Congressional forum held by Murphy in New Britain. One woman, who jeopardized her nursing education to protest the Vietnam War, said the protests a generation ago had more of an impact than the protests of today. Others pointed to the Draft and Selective Service in the 1960s that made the war toll more of a shared sacrifice and led to a more potent anti-war effort. Cong. Murphy noted that this war involves sacrifice only among the soldiers and families who are facing multiple tours of duty. He put the number of troops who have been back more than once at 170,000. Those tours are stretching Guard forces and regular troops to the limit, but are necessary to patrol the streets of Baghdad and do for the Iraqis what they are unable to do for themselves.

Much on the minds of the New Britain audience was the neglect in the delivery of services for returning veterans. Murphy, noting the well publicized deficiencies in outpatient care at military hospitals, said that it takes a minimum of 18 months for returning soldiers to obtain veteran’s benefits and services. It shouldn't take that long, he said, pointing out that Congress' reauthorizing bill for Iraq and Afghanistan (HR 1591) includes an additional $1.5 billion for veterans.

The Bush Administration may be penny pinchers for veterans but they have been most generous to some of their friends. Among Murphy's "costs of the war" is $10 billion which is "the amount of Iraq reconstruction funds currently unaccounted for." Among the companies receiving war profits has been Dick Cheney's Halliburton. Halliburton's engineering subsidiary, Kellogg, Brown & Root, was awarded $7 billion in no-bid contracts early in the "Iraqi Freedom" campaign, according to the Center for Public Integrity.

Murphy, a member of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, indicated that Congress is uncovering "layers of contracting upon contracting" wherein no-bid contractors are skimming funds and sub-contracting actual work for Iraq projects to others.

House-approved legislation (HR 1362)known as the "Accountability In Contracting Act" would change federal acquisition law to end these "abuse-prone" contracts that have proliferated in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is opposed by the Bush administration but has gained new momentum with the takeover of Congress by the Democrats. Ironically, the measure has now gone to the Homeland Security Committee chaired by Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut for further action in the Senate.

Having gained firsthand knowledge of the Iraqi situation, Cong Murphy goes back to Capitol Hill to press for enactment of an Iraq policy that does not depend on an unending presence of U.S. troops. It is doubtful, however, that he and Democrats in Washington can succeed in the short term so long as Bush has enough allies in the Congress to maintain a status quo that fuels the insurgency, drains our resources and makes us no safer. Murphy and the Democratic majority now need Republicans to stand up to Bush and Cheney to change direction in Iraq before the President's term ends.