6/17/07
First off, no one should be surprised at this latest blast of lunacy. Followers of the neoconservative doctrine, of which Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman is among the most famous, have been itching to go after Iran for years. So though CBS host Bob Schieffer was taken aback by Lieberman’s push last Sunday to go after that country for supposedly endangering our troops in Iraq, he really should not have been.
It was never a secret that Baghdad was just the beginning. And had the current war gone well, the push to move on into Tehran and Damascus and points beyond would have commenced apace. But, of course, Iraq has been an unceasing disaster, so supporters of constant warfare have been forced to hold off. Whatever their actual reasons are for this grand empire in the sand, no one seems to know.
Among constituents who think Lieberman’s stance is sheer madness, there’s an awkward balance. No one wants to be seen as defending a country run by a tyrannical, fundamentalist regime. Iran’s religious leadership espouses a worldview that is antithetical to everything our country is supposed to stand for. It has long been recognized as a supporter of international terrorism, and many observers thought our country could have been justified had we decided to take on that nation, instead of Iraq, all those years ago.
But that’s not how it went. Five years ago, we were at the peak of our international stature. Had we then laid out a coherent rationale for taking on a violent, regressive Tehran regime, we might have been followed by much of the world. Instead, we decided to lie our way into the neighboring country. Saddam Hussein made a more convenient villain.
So what is one to make of Lieberman’s claims, repeated on Friday, that Iran is training forces just over the border to go into Iraq and harm our soldiers?
"We’ve told them," said Lieberman, "we’ve said so publicly that the Iranians have a base in Iran at which they are training Iraqis who are coming in and killing Americans. … We can’t just talk to them. If they don’t play by the rules, we’ve got to use our force and, to me, that would include taking military action to stop them from doing what they’re doing now."
Here’s the problem. In the wake of WMDs, never-ending reports of progress, the insurgency’s "last throes" and politicized terror alerts, our leaders have lost the country. We don’t believe you.
It’s a dangerous scenario. Having been wrong so often and having so completely politicized national security policy, our leaders have no credibility to tell us who is and is not a threat. We’ve been lied to before, and our troops are paying the price. After everything we’ve seen, does Joe Lieberman honestly expect the country and his home state to fall in line behind him?
"We cannot let them get away with it," he says. "If we do, they’ll take that as a sign of weakness on our part."
Enough of this. We don’t make policy based on how other countries will "take" it. We don’t want never-ending war, and our Army couldn’t handle it if we did. Surely Lieberman knows the Iranians wouldn’t react meekly to military action on our part. We can’t just strike once from the air and be done with it.
Lieberman and his ilk cannot be allowed to lie us into another war. This madness must be stopped.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Grant belongs with those who need it
6/15/07
The problem started right at the top, with the first two words in the headline: "GE gets."
Fairfield-based General Electric Co. in April reported net income of $4.5 billion for the first quarter of 2007. By any accounting, that’s a lot of money. But Thursday morning brought news that the multinational behemoth was the lucky winner of a $722,000 state of Connecticut grant to help cover the cost of installing solar panels on its headquarters.
Heaven forbid the company foot the bill by itself.
The grant, from the state’s Clean Energy Fund, supported by a charge on commercial and residential electric bills, is designed to encourage the use of renewable power sources, and it’s a grand notion. By all means, the state should be encouraging a move away from fossil fuels and their air-fouling, war-starting side effects.
State officials are clear that the grants are not need-based; all ratepayers are equally eligible. And GE is not the only successful business to take advantage of some green PR; a Staples, a B.J.’s Wholesale Club and other businesses, towns and schools also accepted grants.
But PR works both ways. Yes, we are all happy with GE for making an effort to promote renewable energy, and we applaud their forward-thinking approach. But maybe that state money could go someplace other than the company account.
Surely the business doesn’t need it. In a multibillion-dollar budget, $722,000 is a rounding error. For Plainville High School, on the other hand, a $736,000 green-energy grant will present opportunities and set a sterling example for the educational community. This is where money from this grant belongs.
Similarly, a $46,000 grant to a homeowner could enable environmentally friendly solutions previously undreamed of. The money only goes toward installation, not purchase of the panels, so grant recipients need to have a financial stake of their own in the project.
It’s a good, responsible program, and one that could be a model for future environmental projects. But recipients would do well to consider their options. There must be a school out there they could pass that money along to, right?
The problem started right at the top, with the first two words in the headline: "GE gets."
Fairfield-based General Electric Co. in April reported net income of $4.5 billion for the first quarter of 2007. By any accounting, that’s a lot of money. But Thursday morning brought news that the multinational behemoth was the lucky winner of a $722,000 state of Connecticut grant to help cover the cost of installing solar panels on its headquarters.
Heaven forbid the company foot the bill by itself.
The grant, from the state’s Clean Energy Fund, supported by a charge on commercial and residential electric bills, is designed to encourage the use of renewable power sources, and it’s a grand notion. By all means, the state should be encouraging a move away from fossil fuels and their air-fouling, war-starting side effects.
State officials are clear that the grants are not need-based; all ratepayers are equally eligible. And GE is not the only successful business to take advantage of some green PR; a Staples, a B.J.’s Wholesale Club and other businesses, towns and schools also accepted grants.
But PR works both ways. Yes, we are all happy with GE for making an effort to promote renewable energy, and we applaud their forward-thinking approach. But maybe that state money could go someplace other than the company account.
Surely the business doesn’t need it. In a multibillion-dollar budget, $722,000 is a rounding error. For Plainville High School, on the other hand, a $736,000 green-energy grant will present opportunities and set a sterling example for the educational community. This is where money from this grant belongs.
Similarly, a $46,000 grant to a homeowner could enable environmentally friendly solutions previously undreamed of. The money only goes toward installation, not purchase of the panels, so grant recipients need to have a financial stake of their own in the project.
It’s a good, responsible program, and one that could be a model for future environmental projects. But recipients would do well to consider their options. There must be a school out there they could pass that money along to, right?
Train station can be a model project
6/11/07
With the massive train station development in Fairfield clearing every regulatory hurdle, the largest project in town history is starting to take shape. It will be a boon not just to its town, but to its larger neighbor just to the east — specifically, the Black Rock neighborhood of Bridgeport.
The planned Fairfield Metro Center will likely see a groundbreaking next month. All the permits are in hand, all the approvals have been granted. What’s left now is to watch and wait for the train station/hotel/office building/retail center to rise from the shores of Ash Creek. It’s an opportunity for the neighboring communities to work together for the benefit of everyone.
The first phase, scheduled to open in early 2010, includes the rail station, hotel, a concourse building with 89,000 square feet of office space and 30,000 square feet of retail space, and the first of what will eventually be four 200,000-square-foot office buildings.
The train station is key — the state says it favors "smart growth" development, and projects based around transit and walkable communities are vital. With the promise of express trains from what will be Fairfield’s third train station down to Manhattan, the location should appeal to workaday commuters.
This is where the relationship with Black Rock comes in. The nearest populated area is right over the Bridgeport line, and housing and condominium developments are already being marketed as within walking distance of the new transit center. It’s in both community’s interest to make sure the development serves everyone’s needs, and doesn’t create unnecessary traffic, noise or congestion.
The train station project has been years in the making, and some initial reluctance on Bridgeport’s side appears to be in the past. With continued good planning and follow-through, the area can be a model for the less car-centric future that might rescue a state choking on its own exhaust. If this project succeeds, everyone gains.
With the massive train station development in Fairfield clearing every regulatory hurdle, the largest project in town history is starting to take shape. It will be a boon not just to its town, but to its larger neighbor just to the east — specifically, the Black Rock neighborhood of Bridgeport.
The planned Fairfield Metro Center will likely see a groundbreaking next month. All the permits are in hand, all the approvals have been granted. What’s left now is to watch and wait for the train station/hotel/office building/retail center to rise from the shores of Ash Creek. It’s an opportunity for the neighboring communities to work together for the benefit of everyone.
The first phase, scheduled to open in early 2010, includes the rail station, hotel, a concourse building with 89,000 square feet of office space and 30,000 square feet of retail space, and the first of what will eventually be four 200,000-square-foot office buildings.
The train station is key — the state says it favors "smart growth" development, and projects based around transit and walkable communities are vital. With the promise of express trains from what will be Fairfield’s third train station down to Manhattan, the location should appeal to workaday commuters.
This is where the relationship with Black Rock comes in. The nearest populated area is right over the Bridgeport line, and housing and condominium developments are already being marketed as within walking distance of the new transit center. It’s in both community’s interest to make sure the development serves everyone’s needs, and doesn’t create unnecessary traffic, noise or congestion.
The train station project has been years in the making, and some initial reluctance on Bridgeport’s side appears to be in the past. With continued good planning and follow-through, the area can be a model for the less car-centric future that might rescue a state choking on its own exhaust. If this project succeeds, everyone gains.
I-95 crackdown should last all year
There’s not much more nerve-wracking around here than taking your chances on Interstate 95 next to an 18-wheeler. With narrow lanes, constant on- and off-ramps, limited sight lines and questionable road conditions, the trip is harrowing under the best of circumstances.
Drivers know this and state officials know this, but nothing much is ever done about it. Once a year, though, for three days, the state shows off its regulatory wares with the DMV Roadcheck, an event that sends Department of Motor Vehicles inspectors out on the highways to put a halt to noncomplying truckers. It’s a great idea — these may be the only three days people can feel relatively safe on the roads.
But, of course, violations happen every day, whether they’re caught or not. And it’s less than comforting to hear about the problems officials came up with Tuesday, at the start of the inspection period. "You’d be amazed at what we’re finding out here," said Sgt. Ralph Cafiero, an inspector. "Unlicensed drivers, cracked wheels, steering and brake problems — it’s scary."
Yes, it is scary, as we’re all well aware. There is only one truck route through the area, and I-95 is a bad highway that’s only getting worse. Barring a dramatic breakthrough in feeder barge service or some sort of rail link under the Hudson River, it will continue to be the only cargo path through Fairfield County. As populations and demand keep rising, the problem only stands to worsen.
A bill in the state Assembly to keep weigh stations at the state line open for longer hours makes good sense; it’s tied now to the state budget process, and it’s yet to be seen whether it will survive. But increased enforcement would be a good step. If inspectors are finding so many problems in this well-publicized three-day stretch, it’s a good bet there are problems the rest of the year, too.
All of which makes the DMV crackdown welcome, but disappointing. The highway is dangerous, and hazardous trucks (and cars) don’t help. We’ve avoided for a long time the kind of mass-death tragedy on the interstate that might inspire some real changes, but it’s probably only a matter of time. Until then, we cross our fingers every time we climb that on-ramp.
Drivers know this and state officials know this, but nothing much is ever done about it. Once a year, though, for three days, the state shows off its regulatory wares with the DMV Roadcheck, an event that sends Department of Motor Vehicles inspectors out on the highways to put a halt to noncomplying truckers. It’s a great idea — these may be the only three days people can feel relatively safe on the roads.
But, of course, violations happen every day, whether they’re caught or not. And it’s less than comforting to hear about the problems officials came up with Tuesday, at the start of the inspection period. "You’d be amazed at what we’re finding out here," said Sgt. Ralph Cafiero, an inspector. "Unlicensed drivers, cracked wheels, steering and brake problems — it’s scary."
Yes, it is scary, as we’re all well aware. There is only one truck route through the area, and I-95 is a bad highway that’s only getting worse. Barring a dramatic breakthrough in feeder barge service or some sort of rail link under the Hudson River, it will continue to be the only cargo path through Fairfield County. As populations and demand keep rising, the problem only stands to worsen.
A bill in the state Assembly to keep weigh stations at the state line open for longer hours makes good sense; it’s tied now to the state budget process, and it’s yet to be seen whether it will survive. But increased enforcement would be a good step. If inspectors are finding so many problems in this well-publicized three-day stretch, it’s a good bet there are problems the rest of the year, too.
All of which makes the DMV crackdown welcome, but disappointing. The highway is dangerous, and hazardous trucks (and cars) don’t help. We’ve avoided for a long time the kind of mass-death tragedy on the interstate that might inspire some real changes, but it’s probably only a matter of time. Until then, we cross our fingers every time we climb that on-ramp.
Monday, June 4, 2007
Bridgeport must stop Arena pursuit
6/4/07
Maybe now the message is finally getting through.
Bridgeport was rejected once again in its bid to get out of paying a contractor for final work on the Arena at Harbor Yard. The city, claiming that the contract was obtained through corruption and that therefore should not have to be paid, has turned a $4.8 million argument into an $8 million-plus problem.
Interest and legal fees have continued to pile onto the original sum in question, and the city has been stymied every step of the way. Officials are of course entitled to seek legal remedy for actions they deem questionable, but the signs have been pointing against them for a long time.
The contractor, C.R. Klewin Northeast, was informed in 2001 that it was not a target in the federal corruption probe that ensnared former Mayor Joseph P. Ganim, but the city continued its pursuit despite receiving that knowledge two years later.
Now, finally, it’s time to stop. When the state Supreme Court ruled against Bridgeport in April, it was difficult for some city officials to take, but that was the time to fold up the tent. Instead, they asked the court to reconsider, which they last week declined to do. Now, the city says it will confer with the City Council on how to proceed, but there’s really only one choice — pay the bill.
It’s not as though the city has millions of dollars lying around to spend on quixotic legal campaigns. The mill rate is out of control, schools are underperforming and property owners are looking for relief. No one wants to see more money wasted on this lost cause.
The city is still picking up the pieces from the disastrous aftermath of the Ganim years, and it is looking for help anywhere it can think of. The courts have proven, though, that this is not the place to look. There are no federal issues at stake, so turning to the federal Supreme Court is out of the question. Painful as it may be after so much time and money spent, it’s time to get on with it and pay the money that is owed. There is, at this point, no other choice.
Maybe now the message is finally getting through.
Bridgeport was rejected once again in its bid to get out of paying a contractor for final work on the Arena at Harbor Yard. The city, claiming that the contract was obtained through corruption and that therefore should not have to be paid, has turned a $4.8 million argument into an $8 million-plus problem.
Interest and legal fees have continued to pile onto the original sum in question, and the city has been stymied every step of the way. Officials are of course entitled to seek legal remedy for actions they deem questionable, but the signs have been pointing against them for a long time.
The contractor, C.R. Klewin Northeast, was informed in 2001 that it was not a target in the federal corruption probe that ensnared former Mayor Joseph P. Ganim, but the city continued its pursuit despite receiving that knowledge two years later.
Now, finally, it’s time to stop. When the state Supreme Court ruled against Bridgeport in April, it was difficult for some city officials to take, but that was the time to fold up the tent. Instead, they asked the court to reconsider, which they last week declined to do. Now, the city says it will confer with the City Council on how to proceed, but there’s really only one choice — pay the bill.
It’s not as though the city has millions of dollars lying around to spend on quixotic legal campaigns. The mill rate is out of control, schools are underperforming and property owners are looking for relief. No one wants to see more money wasted on this lost cause.
The city is still picking up the pieces from the disastrous aftermath of the Ganim years, and it is looking for help anywhere it can think of. The courts have proven, though, that this is not the place to look. There are no federal issues at stake, so turning to the federal Supreme Court is out of the question. Painful as it may be after so much time and money spent, it’s time to get on with it and pay the money that is owed. There is, at this point, no other choice.
Involve the state in building's plans
6/4/07
It was disappointing news, but hardly a great shock. Plans for the abandoned building at 333 State St. in downtown Bridgeport fell apart, again. Now it’s up to the city to finally make sure something is done about the lingering eyesore.
Officials announced a year ago that a Norwalk developer had reached a deal to turn the former office building into apartments. The proposal fell apart when an agreement could not be reached on parking, leaving the city searching for a return on its investment. Bridgeport gained title to the structure last year in lieu of back taxes, and now needs something to show for the $3 million it forgave to the former owner.
The building, on the corner of State Street and Lafayette Boulevard, sits in the midst of Housatonic Community College, one of the city’s true bright spots. The city should try to find a way to sell the building to the state and push for it to be incorporated into the HCC layout, adding luster to the school and removing a blight on its entryways. Gov. M. Jodi Rell should give any proposed state takeover serious consideration.
Bridgeport says it will be sending out a new round of requests for proposals on the building, with possible plans coming back this summer. An office building could make sense, because the apartment plans fell through on the parking considerations. Any similar housing plan would face the same problems, so unless there’s an alternate approach in store, the city should take a different tack.
But the best plan would be to get the state involved. Whether they then decide to implode the building or take it down to its steel frame or somehow work with what’s there now, something has got to be done about it.
Bridgeport has seen its share of downtown projects come near to fruition in recent years, so it’s disappointing that this long-festering dark spot continues to blight the landscape. Out of respect for the students and faculty at HCC, and for anyone who goes downtown, we implore the city — get this done. We’re all tired of looking at it.
It was disappointing news, but hardly a great shock. Plans for the abandoned building at 333 State St. in downtown Bridgeport fell apart, again. Now it’s up to the city to finally make sure something is done about the lingering eyesore.
Officials announced a year ago that a Norwalk developer had reached a deal to turn the former office building into apartments. The proposal fell apart when an agreement could not be reached on parking, leaving the city searching for a return on its investment. Bridgeport gained title to the structure last year in lieu of back taxes, and now needs something to show for the $3 million it forgave to the former owner.
The building, on the corner of State Street and Lafayette Boulevard, sits in the midst of Housatonic Community College, one of the city’s true bright spots. The city should try to find a way to sell the building to the state and push for it to be incorporated into the HCC layout, adding luster to the school and removing a blight on its entryways. Gov. M. Jodi Rell should give any proposed state takeover serious consideration.
Bridgeport says it will be sending out a new round of requests for proposals on the building, with possible plans coming back this summer. An office building could make sense, because the apartment plans fell through on the parking considerations. Any similar housing plan would face the same problems, so unless there’s an alternate approach in store, the city should take a different tack.
But the best plan would be to get the state involved. Whether they then decide to implode the building or take it down to its steel frame or somehow work with what’s there now, something has got to be done about it.
Bridgeport has seen its share of downtown projects come near to fruition in recent years, so it’s disappointing that this long-festering dark spot continues to blight the landscape. Out of respect for the students and faculty at HCC, and for anyone who goes downtown, we implore the city — get this done. We’re all tired of looking at it.
Shays, Lieberman: Please stop talking
6/1/07
Maybe Messrs. Shays and Lieberman can clear up a few things.
Those two esteemed congressional representatives are recently back from trips to the never-ending war in Iraq, but neither of them seems especially downbeat. U.S. troop deaths are reaching all-time highs, but, apparently, there’s reason for optimism. Who would’ve guessed!
Here’s Sen. Lieberman: "Overall, I would say that what I see here today is progress. Significant progress from the last time I was here."
Shays, never one to contradict his Best Friend Forever, concurred. But just to make sure he was covered on all fronts, he made sure to temper his enthusiasm. "We have just encouraged the insurgents to throw everything they have at us. [U.S. officials] think it will be a very hot summer."
One can only wonder what in the world he’s talking about. If the insurgents aren’t "throw[ing] everything they have at us," then what to make of recent developments?
l May 28, 2007 — 10 U.S. troops killed;
l May 26, 2007 — eight U.S. troops killed;
l May 19, 2007 — nine U.S. troops killed.
It goes on and on. No one has failed to notice that American deaths in Iraq have spiked in the past several months, and no one has been able to see a return for our losses. Men and women are dying every day, men and women in the primes of their lives, dying far from home and away from family. And yet still, we have no idea why. We have no indication of when it will stop.
Conventional wisdom has it that Republicans, while sticking with the Bush-Lieberman-Shays line for now, were chastened by last November’s election losses, and will not tolerate another election cycle of continued war without end.
Don’t bet on it. The president has shown no sign he is pulling out troops — none. Instead, he’s busy high-fiving himself after Democrats rescinded a demand for timelines to leave that country.
As for Shays and Lieberman, their credibility on Iraq is so shot that it hardly matters what they say. They’ve been wrong over and over, time after time, year after year. Why should anyone possibly care what they have to say?
Maybe Messrs. Shays and Lieberman can clear up a few things.
Those two esteemed congressional representatives are recently back from trips to the never-ending war in Iraq, but neither of them seems especially downbeat. U.S. troop deaths are reaching all-time highs, but, apparently, there’s reason for optimism. Who would’ve guessed!
Here’s Sen. Lieberman: "Overall, I would say that what I see here today is progress. Significant progress from the last time I was here."
Shays, never one to contradict his Best Friend Forever, concurred. But just to make sure he was covered on all fronts, he made sure to temper his enthusiasm. "We have just encouraged the insurgents to throw everything they have at us. [U.S. officials] think it will be a very hot summer."
One can only wonder what in the world he’s talking about. If the insurgents aren’t "throw[ing] everything they have at us," then what to make of recent developments?
l May 28, 2007 — 10 U.S. troops killed;
l May 26, 2007 — eight U.S. troops killed;
l May 19, 2007 — nine U.S. troops killed.
It goes on and on. No one has failed to notice that American deaths in Iraq have spiked in the past several months, and no one has been able to see a return for our losses. Men and women are dying every day, men and women in the primes of their lives, dying far from home and away from family. And yet still, we have no idea why. We have no indication of when it will stop.
Conventional wisdom has it that Republicans, while sticking with the Bush-Lieberman-Shays line for now, were chastened by last November’s election losses, and will not tolerate another election cycle of continued war without end.
Don’t bet on it. The president has shown no sign he is pulling out troops — none. Instead, he’s busy high-fiving himself after Democrats rescinded a demand for timelines to leave that country.
As for Shays and Lieberman, their credibility on Iraq is so shot that it hardly matters what they say. They’ve been wrong over and over, time after time, year after year. Why should anyone possibly care what they have to say?
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