Birthday Thoughts

On this, my thirty-eighth birthday, I bid you greetings from the Constitution State of Connecticut.  Having just completed another orbit of the sun, I find it suitable to talk about my journey so far.  

My life has been filled with ups, downs, and occasions when I didn't know what direction I was going in.  I am fortunate that my gifts have been many, and my troubles few.  There are no words to describe how thankful I am to God for this.  He has indeed been good to me, having blessed me with great friends, an intelligent mind, and a wonderful family (including the two best parents that a guy like me could ever want).  

Returning to the original discussion, I find that over the years, I have not just grown, but matured.  At one time, I was a boy, and did many boyhood things.  Now, I am a man; I believe that my former boyhood life ended long ago, along with many of its thoughts and experiences.  This maturation was not without difficulty; I had to go through some very dark days to get where I am now.  Lo and behold, I have walked through the fire (so to speak), and survived the flames.  Even though my life is different than it was, I'm still here.  

Now, contrary to popular belief, I'm not always the most cheerful guy in the morning.  There are some days where I wake up feeling grumpy, depressed, or that I've awakened "on the wrong side of the bed".  Life is not the easiest thing to go through; then again, who ever said that it would be? WWE's Undertaker said it best; "sometimes it is hell trying to get to heaven".  Nevertheless, I have come to realize that I am lucky.  Some people go to bed at night, and never see another day; that is, they pass during the night.  I have been blessed to see another new morning, and a new dawn.  

"For I know the plans I have for you', declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future"  -- Jeremiah 29:11

PS: OK, OK, maybe only a "semi-intelligent" mind...LOL!!

Update On Fill Pile Mess

In a previous post, I commented that my hometown is in the midst of a toxic waste scandal.  Here's what has been happening recently regarding this issue. 

Last night, the Fairfield Board of Selectmen (the top executive committee in town politics) held a meeting to address, among other things, the fill pile controversy.  All three members of the Board (Democrat First Selectman Michael Tetreau, Republican Selectman Chris Tymniak, and Republican Selectman Ed Bateson) were in attendance.  (1)

Mr. Tymniak began the discussion by reading several statements into the record, and then turning his attention to the First Selectman.  "I absolutely believe this is a complete lack of leadership on (the First Selectman's) part from the beginning", said the Republican Selectman. 

This is where things began to get heated.  Citing "Robert's Rules of Order", Mr. Tetreau opined that Tymniak's remarks were not allowed.  In reply, Selectman Bateson commented that he was "allowed to criticize" the First Selectman's job performance.  Tetreau rejected this notion, saying "not while you're sitting in a Board of Selectmen meeting". 

Later debate centered around a warrant for the arrest of two former town employees.  In an attempt to explain the charges alleged, Selectman Tymniak began to read the statements contained in said warrant.  Town Attorney Stanton Lesser objected to this, pointing out that the relevant allegations must be proved in court, and may not be "necessarily true".  Fairfield Police Commissioner (and Chairman of the Fairfield Republican Party) Jamie Millington later remarked that signed warrants are "true and accurate to the best of (any police officer's) knowledge".  (1) (2)

Here's some other things that we know about this case. 

• In 2015, Police Chief Christopher Lyddy sought to meet with the First Selectman over concerns in what had become a criminal investigation.  This notwithstanding, First Selectman Tetreau chose not to meet with Chief Lyddy.  

• Town activity on this case goes back to at least 2011, when a state investigator looking into corruption charges (against former public works superintendent Scott Bartlett) requested to meet with the First Selectman.  Through legal counsel, the above meeting request was rebuffed.   

•  E-mails and other records seem to confirm that town officials previously knew of this matter, but did nothing about it.  (3)

• During the past week, lawyers for the Town sought to (by means of legal maneuvers) prevent a group of citizens from meeting with the State's Attorney.  (4)

• First Selectman Tetreau continues to vehemently deny that he had any previous knowledge of the situation.  He has also stated that he "did not remember" the investigator's request for a meeting (this request was apparently made in 2011).  

Obviously, things are beginning to get hostile in town, with each side throwing out accusations and charges of impropriety.  

This is my take on the matter; perhaps I'm reading too much into it, but it seems to me that SOMEONE is not being completely forthcoming.  Whether that is the First Selectman's office or the "whistleblowers" in this case is a matter of opinion.  

That being said, there is WAY too much bickering going on; the situation has gotten to the point of being a "he said, she said" case.  Hopefully, my fellow Fairfielders will realize that this serves nobody.  It's time for Fairfield to come together as a community, and solve this problem once and for all.  

More updates as I am made aware of them.  

How To Win A Primary Without Actually Winning

In which your author describes how to be a successful candidate in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Step 1.  Be close friends with the state's election supervisor (in Connecticut, that position is filled by the "Secretary of the State", which is akin to "Secretary of State" in other states). (1)

Step 2.  Install a Town Clerk that is loyal to you, and will "rubber-stamp" your decisions and wishes.  

Step 3.  Have that same Town Clerk disqualify the majority of your opponent's petition signatures (see notes 1-3). (1) (2)

Step 4.  Even if you are defeated in the ballots cast on primary day, declare that absentee voting has made you the winner (see note 4). 

Step 5.  When confronted by concerned citizens on this issue, have this two-word response ready..."no comment" (see note 5).  

Step 6.  Bask in the knowledge that you have played such citizens for fools.  Laugh long and loud.  

Notes:

 1.  In Connecticut, it is possible for a candidate from a "major party" (read: Democrats and Republicans) to be endorsed by a "minor party".  In this manner, said candidate could receive votes from additional "third parties".  This is known as the practice of "cross-endorsement", or "electoral fusion".  See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_fusion#United_States for more information.  

 2.  In order to be accepted as a "minor party candidate", said candidate must petition for ballot access.  Successful petitions are those which gather at least one percent of the total number of votes cast in the last election (for a certain office).  In this instance, Ms. Marilyn Moore (the declared loser of the primary) was trying to register as a "Working Families Party" candidate.  She needed to gather two hundred and seven signatures in order to do this.  

 3.  According to the Connecticut Post, Bridgeport Town Clerk Charles Clemons (an ally of incumbent Democratic mayor Joe Ganim) accepted only one hundred and sixty eight of the two hundred and seventy signatures that Ms. Moore's team submitted.  The rest were declared to be invalid, and rejected.  As such, the Secretary of the State announced that Ms. Moore will not be able to run (in the general election) under the Working Families Party banner.  This is significant because it means Ms. Moore's only option is to mount a write-in campaign. (3)

 4.  When all the votes cast on primary day were counted, it seemed that Ms. Moore had won the endorsement of the Bridgeport Democratic Party.  However, according to election officials, absentee voting totals were enough to give the victory to Mayor Ganim.  This is a matter of some concern; according to these same officials, twelve percent of all votes cast were by absentee.  Such a number of absentee ballots is significantly higher than the average amount, which suggests possible misconduct regarding the vote count.  

 5.  As of now, Mayor Ganim has had no comment regarding allegations of fraud or misconduct.  

Thoughts on September 11th

In describing my feelings about the terrible events of September eleventh, I must refer to a quote by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.  

"December 7th, 1941, a date which will live in infamy; the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan" -- President Franklin D. Roosevelt (December 8, 1941) (1)

Hopefully, you realize that the bright, early autumn day in question was my generation's "date of infamy".  It was a day of death and destruction that nobody thought could ever occur.  

Even almost eighteen years later, I still remember where I was when I heard the news of the attacks.  On that day, I was visiting my mother in South Florida.  I had just woken up from the previous night's sleep; my recollection is that the sky was a brilliant shade of blue, even in Florida.  Suddenly, I heard my mother say, "turn on the TV, the World Trade Center's on fire".  My reaction was one of utter amazement; I had to rub my eyes to make sure I wasn't still asleep (this was just before the second crash).  

In the next moments of the day, my innocence (and that of many others) was shattered forever.  As I watched, stunned by the scene unfolding, ANOTHER large jet crashed headlong into the Trade Center.  

I don't recall much about the next few minutes; it is a blur to me.  What I do remember is my reaction upon hearing that Washington was under attack ("the Pentagon TOO?!"), and sitting before the television, my jaw having fallen through the floor (as opposed to it being "on the floor"). 

Then, something really strange happened.  

Looking at a shot of the burning (South?) Tower, I commented to my mother that the building seemed to be leaning a bit.  To this day, I remember exactly what I said; it was "does that tower look stable to you?" 

There are no words to describe the gravity of the next moments.  What I witnessed was, in all likelihood, the most horrific thing I have ever seen in my life (the word "horrific" doesn't even come close to illustrating the terror of that day).  Before an audience of millions, perhaps even billions, the (South?) Tower buckled...and fell in a gigantic dust cloud.  The (North?) Tower would do the same some time later.  

As the buildings fell, they took with them the lives of many innocent people.  It wasn't just Americans who were killed on that day; it was people of every stripe.  Many of the lives lost belonged to everyday citizens; those blue-collar workers who showed up to do their jobs, day in and day out.  These men and women thought they would come home to their families that night; history had other plans for over three thousand souls.  

It has been said that "time heals all wounds".  Even so, the man who coined this phrase probably could've never fathomed the absolute horror of this September day.  

The wounds associated with the events of September eleventh are still fresh, like a cut that does not heal.  They irrevocably changed America, indeed the entire world.  And yes, we lost a little bit that morning.  Yet. here we stand, still the proud beacon of "liberty enlightening the world" (the original name of the Statue of Liberty).  To paraphrase Mel Gibson in "Braveheart", our enemies may have taken American lives, but they will never take American freedom.  

Thanks for reading. 

"No matter how long it may take us...the American people, in their righteous might, will win through to absolute victory" -- President Franklin D. Roosevelt (December 8th, 1941) (1)

Update From The Genealogy Files

Frequent readers of this blog will note that I have been doing research into family origins.  Specifically, I have been investigating a possible link to the McMahon family of professional wrestling.  

From a previous post, here's what I've come up with so far.  

"As the result of my searches on Ancestry.com, I have found that my grandfather on my father's side (George Boland Sr., 1903-1962) was married to a Margaret M Curtin (1904-1979).  This woman was the great-granddaughter of a Mary McMahon, from County Clare, Ireland.  Through additional research, I have discovered that the McMahon wrestling family has its roots in the same area of Ireland that Mary was from.  This points to at least a reasonable possibility of a link between my family and the McMahons of WWE. 

OK, this is where the plot thickens a bit, as there is one more mystery yet to be unraveled.  Vincent Kennedy McMahon is the great-grandson of a Roderick James McMahon (1848-1922).  It is this man who immigrated from Ireland, thus starting the American side of the McMahon family.  My Ancestry.com research hits a (pay) wall in the generations before Mary McMahon; I do not know who her parents were, and if she had any siblings.  This unknown has proven to be the final part of the puzzle. 

You see, if Mary was (a) sister to Roderick James, then the evidence shows that I am indeed related to the wrestling McMahons.  At the moment, I have no idea whether this is the case.  However, if true, this would be an astounding coincidence (as I am a huge fan of WWE).  To quote Joey Styles, my reaction would be something like 'oh my God"

The latest report is this...although I don't yet know the answer to my question, I'm making progress on finding what that answer is.  

Earlier, I posted a general inquiry to the genealogy forums on Ancestry.com, asking for information on Roderick James McMahon.  Hopefully, I will soon get get some news on this, and be able to conclusively say "yea or nay" on the issue.  

As always, I'll keep you informed regarding any new developments...

..."when news breaks out, we'll break in" !