Ken Dixon's Blog-O-Rama

Thursday October 23, 2008

Professor Larry J. Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, this morning has put Connecticut’s tight Fourth Congressional District race into the Democratic’s column. In his web log (centerforpolitics.org/crystalball) Sabato, a nationally respected political analyst, said that a “big wave” of Democrats seems poised to vote US Rep. Chris Shays out of office after 21 years and make Democratic challenger Jim Himes the next congressman.
Formerly, Sabato had the 4th CD “leaning” Republican, but now he’s called it “leaning” Democratic.

Thursday October 23, 2008

It’s a big public day this morning, as hundreds of people have filled the Capitol’s south lobby, which is unfortunately not wheelchair accessible, for the unveiling of the new statues commemorating Prudence Crandall, the state heroine.
The smallish, life-sized bronze of Crandall includes an image of one of her African-American students. Crandall, in case you don’t know, was a Quaker whose Canterbury academy for girls included both blacks and whites. Parents withdrew their white kids, so in April of 1833, a full 30 years before the battle of Gettysburg, she started a school for “young ladies and misses of color.”
Anyway, the art work has been in the works for years and finally the bronzes of Brooklyn sculptor Gabriel Koren that have been covered most of the month with a thick blue sheet, are being shown off officially for the first time.Just another reason to visit the Capitol.

Wednesday October 22, 2008

Thye Blogster is back from a day-long symposium, at CCSU, attended by about 650 people from throughout the state, on the racial and ethnic disparities in the criminal-justice system.
Organized by a state commission, it brough together a variety of stakeholders (THERE’s a wonkish word) who waqnt to create positive change.
Professor Charles J. Ogletree Jr. of the Harvard Law School and the executive director of the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race & Justice, boiled down one major solution. If we can cut the high school drop-out rate in Connecticut, there will be a corresponding decrease in the state prison population.
It’s more ammunition for the in-school suspension bill that’s been delayed in the General Assembly the last few years. Rather than send kids home to watch TV (at best) and hang around gangs on the other end, in-school suspensions would force kids to show up at school anyway for closely supervised attention. School administrators have said it’s too costly.
“What happens to a kid who doesn’t come to school?” he said. “We send them home, so they can’t come to school.”

Tuesday October 21, 2008

You may remember U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd as the white-haired Connecticut pol who couldn’t believe he was a long-shot candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, so he moved his family to Iowa last year, then never emerged from single digits.
Meanwhile, as Dodd, chairman of the Senate Banks committee, pretended to run around with the big political dogs, the nation’s financial services and credit industries were going to hell in a handbasket.
The Blogster also remembers Dodd as the guy who got a sweetheart refinancing deal with Countrywide mortgage at a VIP rate of 4.23 percent. It must be nice. Anyway, he’s been promising for months that he was going to release detailed information about the deal, but ….just…hasn’t…gotten….around … to …it.
I mean, Dodd’s a busy many who is pointing fingers about the cause of the nation’s economic meltdown at everybody but himself. He can’t be expected to multi-task, can he?
Anyway, Dodd seems to be a uniter, not a divider, after US Rep. Chris Shays and Democratic Fourth Congressional District agreed yesterday – during their penultimate of seven debates – that it’s time for Connecticut’s senior senator to cough it up.
“I believe that the people of this country and this district deserve and should expect the highest standard of ethical behavior from their leaders,” Himes said. “From top to bottom, from city councilors right on up to the president of the United States.Frankly, I think that the fact that we haven’t expected that level of accountability from our leadership is not a small part of the situation we have today.”
Himes said it’s time, now, for Dodd to release the documents.
“He obviously should,” Shays agreed. “And it should not be lost that while we were dealing with an economic crisis, he moved his family to Iowa for a year. And my opponent is totally silent about that.” Last week Shays called for Himes to return $14,000 that U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel, the embattled veteran New York congressman, gave to the his campaign.
“It’s only Republicans who do things that are wrong,” Shays said, sarcastically.

Friday October 17, 2008

What could be scarier than a pumpkin carved into the likeness of Gov. Jodi Rell?
Well, frankly, if it isn’t wearing one of those doily scarves that the governor seems to be weaning away from, alot of things, her predecessor, John “Why Should I Resign if I’ve Done Nothing Wrong” Rowland, for starters. He presents a cautionary tale for any adults and children alike.
John McCain laughing would be another.
Anyway, the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk is promoting its imminent “Jack-O’-Lantern Spectacular” and have a pumpkin with her image.
From October 23 through November 2, the aquarium will expand its usual 10-to-6 hours by reopening from 6 to 11. Tickets are available on their web site: www.MaritimeAquarium.org.
Too bad the Rell pumpkin artist, Kim Reckner, used a photo provided by Rell’s office. The Blogster would prefer an artist’s vision that struck the look of distaste that Rell could have displayed upon first realizing that she is more articulate than Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
There’s no word in the news release on whether the pumpkins are destined to become pies.
The Aquarium expects 20,000 people coming through and recommends you buy tickets in advance.You can also get them over the phone by calling the Aquarium’s reservations desk: 203-852-0700, ext. 2206.
Show times are 6 to 9:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights until 10:30 p.m.
If you like your politics printed rather than carved, consider CafePress’s political T-shirt contest. The Blogster failed to post the rules of the challenge before the deadline last week, so you can’t design a shirt yourself, but you can still vote for your favorite entry and have a say in who gets the Gibson SG guitar and who goes to Washington for the inauguration of the next president, who at this point appears to be Barack Obama, barring more of those long lines at the polls in Cincinnati or the Democrats’ ability to self destruct.
Check the entries at:

http://shop.cafepress.com/sportyoursupportcontest

If I had it together to meet the deadline, I would have entered “Dow 7,500 Vote McCain,” or depending on your persuasion “Dow 7,500 Vote Obama.”

Thursday October 16, 2008

About 10 p.m. last night, the Blogster wondered who had the scarier smile. Was it the self-destructive mask Brian Dennehy wore as “Erie” Smith, the riveting, fading gambler in the Long Wharf Theatre’s great revival of Eugene O’Neill one-act “Hughie?” Or was it the eerie, forced grin/grimace that Sen. John McCain seemed to sprout every time he wanted to refute Barack Obama during the final presidential debate?
The play, which has already been extended for a week, according to Gordon Edelstein, the artistic director, opened last night.
The brisk, 50-minute show includes Joe Grifasi as the night clerk in the fleabag New York hotel who has been hired to replace Erie’s pal, Hughie, whose death sent Erie on what they called in 1928 was a “toot” of several days. Erie’s bluster nearly covers the pain and the piper that must be paid in several days. It reminded me of the coming Election Day, around the corner, when we’ll find out who’s the next president.
After the performance, just before the Blogster fled to hear and see the presidential debate, Edelstein offered a toast to a crowded hallway in the little theater, calling O’Neill, who died in 1953, a still-iconic presence in American theater. He praised Dennehy and Grifasi for working for a pittance. Dennehy, standing with Grifasi, then chimed that unemployment might be lucrative.
“We’d make more money if we WEREN’T working,” Dennehy quipped.

Monday October 13, 2008

The Capitol and state government are shut up tighter than clams today, it being Columbus Day and all. But the Blogster is gauging the fallout of Friday historic ruling from the Supreme Court that declared same-sex civil unions unconstituional.
As reluctant as Gov. Jodi Rell is to accept Associate Justice Richard Palmer’s historic majority ruling, the governor should embrace the possibilities.
She’s been promoting this semi-lame “Staycation,” so think of the economic spillover when committed gays and lesbians start getting hitched next month. Garry Stack of Woodbridge, the retired Stratford educatior, joked that he and his partner John Anderson are all set to register at Home Depot.
Well, the statewide Justice of the Peace Association, who’ll be performing the majority of the new civil marriages, are ready to make more money.
Here’s an excerpt from their emergency newsletter.
“Revised licenses for marriage will be available at Town
Clerks’ offices beginning on October 28, when the law takes
effect…
“Thousands of civil unions have been performed in
Connecticut since 2005. Now that they have been declared
unconstitutional, it’s likely that a majority of couples
affected by the decision will take the step of getting married.
Furthermore, since NY Governor Paterson recently declared that
NY will recognize legal marriages from other jurisdictions
(despite their not being offered in NY), gay couples residing in
NY will likely head for CT in the near future. That’s a lot of
new business for Connecticut JPs. (Of course many religious
leaders will also be willing to officiate at gay ceremonies, but
most Catholic priests and officiants from other denominations
will probably refuse.)
“The JP Association has revised the home page of both
[http://www.jpUS.org] and [http://www.findaJP.com] hailing the
Supreme Court ruling and promoting member Justices of the Peace
as ready, willing and enthusiastic about performing marriages
for gay couples.
Upcoming Fall Conferences Will Address Gay Marriage
Civil unions had been on the agenda for all three
morning conferences scheduled for Oct. 25 (Durham), Nov. 8
(Bristol) and 15 (Norwalk), so we are indeed prepared to help JPs
get ready to marry couples of the same gender. Three different
speakers will share their unique experiences performing civil
unions to help conference attendees find the right words and get
comfortable pronouncing gay couples MARRIED. (By the way, which
term do you prefer: same-sex, same gender, gay or something else?….
How YOU Can Help
This is a great opportunity to publicize the important role that
JPs play as wedding officiants. Newspapers, TV and radio
stations will be seeking out JPs to interview. The JP
Association has prepared a news release and we welcome your
assistance in submitting it to media. You know your local
resources better than we do and a local contact is always
appreciated to provide further information or for interviews. If
you let us know which outlets you will submit to…”

October 10, 2008

After 17 months of waiting, gay activists are celebrating this morning’s state Supreme Court decision that calls the 2005 civil-union law unconstitutional and says same-sex couples should have the right to marry.
“It’s a clear-cut victory,” Rep. Mike Lawlor, D-East Haven, co-chairman of the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee, a lawyer and University of New Haven professor. He’s also gay.
Now it’s clear why it took since May of 2007 to crank out the case. The 4-3 ruling includes three lengthy dissents.
The bottom line is the case will go back to New Haven Superior Court for a possible evidentiary hearing and the General Assembly will be under the gun to create a gay-marriage statute.