Busy doing stuff

Like work and stuff.

And sailing once, or maybe TWICE a week if I'm really lucky!

Hope everyone is enjoying these first few days of summer.

Does it have to be 90-plus degrees yet? I only just put away my fleece pullover, and now we're in August all of a sudden!

Meanwhile...last week's drunken sailboat race!

Donovan standing tall

I gotta admit...Chris Donovan is impressing me with how well he's handling what would be a public relations disaster for a lesser man. He's standing tall, and people are behind him as he navigates through some perilous waters.

Here's an email I received today from the campaign. Tomorrow (Wednesday) there is a rally to support Chris Donovan. I will be at work (working second shift kinda sucks, but I'm happy to have a decent job, so I'm not complaining) but I'll be there in spirit:

Stand with Chris Rally
Wednesday, June 6th at 5PM
21 Oak St, Hartford

On Sunday, I stood in front of news cameras and reporters, made a statement, and took their questions. I have a video of it up online, but I wanted to share some of my remarks with you:

Let me be very clear about this: At no time did I know that anyone might have been trying to funnel illegal contributions to my campaign. No one ever made a deal with me as a quid pro quo.

I did not know about it at any point during the legislative session.
...
Let me say this unequivocally: No one bought my involvement, my position or my influence on the 'roll your own' legislation or any other. Period.
...
I have cooperated with federal authorities and I will continue to do that as this investigation proceeds.
...
All I can do is emphatically reassure the voters that I have done nothing wrong.
...
I am so very grateful - I've been overwhelmed by some of the calls and notes I have received from others. People who have known me for 30 years – or a lot less – have told me to fight on, and I will.
...
I'm looking forward to this race, and this fight, like no other in my life.

As Tom Swan told you yesterday, the campaign is moving forward and it's moving forward the right way.

We are going to win this race because I am the only candidate who is willing to fight for the working families of the 5th CD - to bring good jobs with strong benefits back home, to protect Medicare and Social Security, and to end the Republicans' destructive attacks on women's health care and contraception.

And we will win because I have you by my side. Together we organize, together we knock doors, together we make calls, and together we win by getting out the vote. Will you join me today by clicking here and pledging to stand with me?

The headline in yesterday's Hartford Courant was "NO QUIT IN DONOVAN" - well, I can confirm it for you. There is no quit in me. Not now, not when we have the most important fight of our lives - for the future of the working families of Connecticut.

Thank you once more for all you do,
Chris

PS Let's spread the word far and wide - will you forward this email to your friends and ask them to stand with us too?

Bad timing for Donovan's campaign

For the last few days local media were abuzz with the news that House Speaker Chris Donovan's finance director was charged with accepting and trying to hide illegal contributions.

For a Congressional candidate facing a tough primary just over 2 months away, this is definitely an unfortunate twist of fate.

There is an awful lot about this story that I don't yet understand, so I'll try to stick to the facts of the criminal complaint against finance director Robert Braddock. Braddock is charged with hiding contributions to Donovan's campaign that were part of an FBI undercover sting operation, where an agent posed as a cigarette retailer trying to buy influence in the House against legislation that could tax "roll-your-own" cigarettes. In the wake of Braddock's arrest, Donovan's campaign manager Josh Nassi was fired along with Braddock.

Which casts some reasonable doubt on whether Nassi may have known something about the contribution. But whether he knew anything or not, he was the guy directly responsible for the workings of the campaign and the hiring of the staff, including probably the finance director, and he likely deserved to be let go.

BTW, this is just my opinion, and I base it solely upon the stuff I've read in the papers and blogs and on Twitter, including this gem from my ol' friendly nemesis @A_C_R, which probably will get a huge belly laugh from the Rush Limbaugh aficionados out there in the Twittersphere:

Some Donovan defenders are quite annoyed. I suspect one is wearing that naughty barbed wire bra again it always makes her so cranky.

All misogyny aside, I haven't spoken to anyone inside Donovan's campaign yet, nor will I be likely to do so until the investigation is complete. So please don't put any weight on my idle speculations.

In regards to the allegations about the tax issue, it never even made it out of the Senate, so the House had absolutely no conversation about whether a tax should be levied. This will probably work in Donovan's favor as the investigation proceeds. Donovan has also hired a former US Attorney for Connecticut Stan Twardy to look into how the alleged wrongdoing occurred.

Also, according to published reports there are connections with House Minority Leader Larry Cafero in the investigation. From CT News Junkie:

Cafero was one of a dozen lawmakers interviewed Thursday by federal investigators. During the course of their conversation, Cafero said he learned that straw donors also delivered five $1,000 checks to three House Republican PACs.

Cafero said he promptly returned the donations after being informed that they came from straw donors, but he added that he was not given an explanation as to why the donations were made and was told he was not a target of the investigation.

So, after being informed, presumably by the same agents investigating Donovan's campaign, Cafero was allowed to return the donations, no questions asked.

Sounds weird. I dunno, but it kinda makes you wonder, eh?

Look back here for more solid information, idle speculation, and wildly unfounded conjecture as the story develops. After all, nobody ever threatened to give me a Pulitzer for my journalism!

Meanwhile (remember whose blog you're reading) I just contributed to DonovanForCongress.com. And I love using Paypal. It makes life so much easier.

Because, when he's finally vindicated of any connection with this awful situation, I absolutely want Chris Donovan to be our next congressman from Connecticut's 5th District!

Sunday Night Music Club XXIV

Here's the Squirrel Nut Zippers performing "Put A Lid On It" from 1996.



A reconstituted version of the band was involved in the 2006 senate campaign for Ned Lamont, who defeated Joe Lieberman in the primary before losing to him in the general election when Joe ran as an independent and got tons of Republican support. They recorded a customized version of the song, sung by Rikki Lee Jones, which was an instant classic among us political aficionados:



This was six years ago. Six fucking years ago! I can't believe it! What is it that makes time accelerate as you get older? Somebody get Stephen Hawking working on it right away.

Deadline for the CT Film Industry Training Program

There's only two weeks left for you to sign up for a spot in the CT Film Industry Training Program that starts on June 4th. Here's the details:

The program is four weeks, Monday through Friday, 9AM to 5:30PM at Quinnipiac University in Hamden.
Tuition is $500
You must be a Connecticut resident (sorry all you other 49ers!)
Application deadline is May 31st, apply HERE FOR ADMISSION.
When you complete the program, you will be knowledgeable enough to get a job as a PA (Production Assistant) in the craft you selected.

The program works! I took the course in 2010 and was hired onto a film starring Keir Dullea ("2001: A Space Odyssey") and Kathleen Chalfant ("Law & Order", "Rescue Me"). I've also worked on other films and projects.

Don't delay! If you've ever dreamed of working in the movie business, or if you want to get a glimpse of how movies are made, you need to sign up for this program now.

Ned Lamont discusses Iran

Last month John Hartwell on his excellent political interview show "Stream of Conscience" spoke with Ned Lamont about how the nation seems to be gradually inching towards war with Iran, and what we need to do to prevent it.



www.youtube.com/user/DFATV.net
www.democracyforct.net

Chris Donovan wins Congressional convention

The Connecticut Democratic Party today at the 5th Congressional District convention overwhelmingly endorsed Speaker of the House Chris Donovan as the 5th Congressional District candidate for Congress in 2012. Donovan won the Democratic Party's endorsement by beating both of his competitors by more than 3-to-1; one of the largest margins in a contested convention in recent memory.

"I am honored to have the support of so many hard-working Democratic activists, and the endorsement of the Democratic party," said Donovan. "I will fight every day for the right of every Connecticut family, and every American, to be treated with fairness, dignity, and respect. That is what I have done in Connecticut, and it's what I will do in Congress."

"Not everyone shares the values of fairness, dignity, and respect," continued Donovan. "Congressional Republicans are actively blocking job creation measures, attempting to destroy Medicare and Social Security, and waging a war on women's access to health care and contraception. In Congress, I will fight for all of our families to have access to great jobs with strong benefits, to Medicare and Social Security as they age, and I will fight to make sure that every woman has access to the health care and contraception that they need."

Congrats to Chris, and I know he'll do just as good a job in that Congressional seat as the current "Chris" is doing!

Congrats to Congressman Murphy

In the recent State Democratic Convention, Congressman Chris Murphy won a major victory over his closest rival for the party's choice as candidate for US Senate. He'll be taking over the office left by "Ain't-no-way-he-could-possibly-win-it-anyway" Joe Lieberman, who will certainly take a seat on the lobbying gravy train after he retires (finally!) in January.

Murphy's closest rival for the nod garnered a mere 24% of the vote, giving him a slightly better than 3 to 1 edge in delegates, and the Party's overwhelming voice of approval.

Now I happen to know that Susan Bysiewicz is a nice enough person. Some of the stuff I personally witnessed that she tried to pull at the 2010 State Convention left me cold though. And I heard someone say that she used her unspent campaign funds to finance a series of statewide parties in her honor, which if true, I think is at least somewhat unseemly.

She has pledged to run in the state primary for senate, which will be literally unwinnable for her and cost the state thousand of dollars, but that's her right and she is eligible to do so.

But I can't help but think how Susan is a like ship without a rudder, floundering to the port and to the starboard, looking for a harbor. First it was the Governor's office. Then, when it was likely she would be easily defeated, it became the Attorney General's seat. Which, when it was ruled that she couldn't legally hold that office, two years later it is now the Senate seat soon to be vacated by Joe Lieberman.

Who happens to be a butthole.

But that's beside the point.

I just wanted to say it.

Because Joe Lieberman is demonstrably a butthole. Check his record.

The point is, Susan is a bit of an opportunist who seems more interested in personal position than actually earning the respect and loyalty that someone seeking a national office should pursue. If she was smarter, she would have never left the comfy confines of the Secretary of State office, where she assuredly would have spent the remaining years of her career in. But her ambition apparently got in the way.

Chris Murphy has been working for Connecticut on the national political scene for six years. I interviewed him on several occasions, and I've seen many of the bills he worked hard to get passed. He's the real deal. He absolutely wants to see Connecticut do better, and I'm sure he'd be willing to pass up on further ambitions to see this accomplished.

I support Chris Murphy for Senate, and you can too, by visiting www.chrismurphy.com

Blumenthal pushes password privacy act

I know it's quite a bit of alliteration there, but I'm a congenitally lazy writer and I simply can't be bothered with actually crafting a more polished headline. If you want good writing, go read CT News Junkie. You want crap writing, well, you're in the right place!

(but go read CT News Junkie anyway...)

That aside, Sen. Richard Blumenthal has introduced a bill to protect employees from having their bosses invade their private personal accounts. This invasive practice is clearly an abuse of authority, and really makes no sense except as a power play by employers. I mean, pretty much everything you see online about a person can be accessed by following their Twitter feed, or friending them on Facebook, or joining their circles on Google (whatever that means; I'm on Google but I've never activated my account).

Making it a job requirement to allow your employer to access your personal accounts, which can easily lead to fraud and identity theft, is way out of bounds. I think there's even an amendment in the US Constitution that is supposed to protect a person from that sort of bullshit.

But we all know that employers often don't consider their employees as citizens; they treat them like cattle, or some other insignificant mammals. Lemurs maybe, or squirrels. And employers don't have any hesitation to invade the privacy of squirrels. (At least, I think not)

So Sen. Blumenthal introduced a common-sense act to protect those citizens and (possibly) squirrels.

I'm going to look forward to hearing whatever bullshit argument that the Republicans cough up to try and block this act from becoming law. Because they will definitely argue that it's the right of corporations to do anything they please, so fuck all you little people with your little people issues. Or something to that effect.

Go there an sign the petition or whatever it is that shows you support this kind of leadership. I did.

Help Protect Our Privacy

When you apply for a job, nothing gives your potential employer the right to go to your house and sift through your personal belongings. So why should he or she have the right to passwords for your online accounts?

Such practices are a real abuse and a threatening problem: employers wrongly invading job applicants' privacy by demanding passwords for private email accounts and social networking profiles like Facebook.

I introduced the Password Protection Act of 2012 to outlaw this threatening problem.

Help build public support for this crucial legislation to keep your employer out of your private, password-protected accounts. Make your voice heard today and add your name as a supporter of this important legislation.

Sunday Night Music Club XXIII

Sad to hear of the passing of Adam Yauch aka MCA of the Beastie Boys. The band was instrumental in popularizing hip-hop with the mainstream audience. All too young at age 47, Yauch lost his battle with cancer this week.

I attended the Tibetan Freedom Fest (which Yauch helped create and promote) on Randall's Island in NYC back in 1997. The Beastie Boys headlined, and it was a memorable event.

Check out this lineup, via Wikipedia:

Downing Stadium, Randall's Island June 7 & 8 1997 $250,000 raised Over 50,000 Attendees,

Noel Gallagher, Foo Fighters, U2, Sonic Youth, Biz Markie, Alanis Morissette, Patti Smith, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Radiohead, Yungchen Lhamo, Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals, A Tribe Called Quest, Beastie Boys, Rancid, Björk, Pavement, Blur, Michael Stipe & Mike Mills, Taj Mahal and Phantom Blues Band, De La Soul, Dadon, Chaksam-pa, Nawang Khechog, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Eddie Vedder & Mike McCready, KRS-ONE, Porno for Pyros, and Lee Perry featuring Mad Professor & the Robotiks Band

Damn, but they don't have shows like that very often anymore! RIP Adam Yauch. He will be missed.