Right of Middle

According to Saturday’s (5/3/08) Middletown Press (in the Sports Section!),

“An alleged hazing incident of a sexual nature involving the Cromwell boys’ tennis team occured about a month ago…” The Press Sports Editor Tiffany Ventura had the unfortunate task of reporting on this sordid affair. She writes:

“…The incident involved freshman doing sit-ups blindfolded and on the way up, their face would be forced into the naked buttocks of another player…” (such exercises are known as Atomic sit-Ups, Middletown Police News Blog has a posted a video about this activity)

Cromwell Police are looking into this according to Chief Anthony J. Salvatore. No comment was forthcoming due to an investigation in progress.

Again, according to the Press article, “Boys’ Tennis Coach Betty Weaver also declined to comment on the matter. “

Oh, by the way, the Cromwell tennis is doing poorly this season and are 0-10. Apparently the hazing did nothing to raise team spirit!

An explicit You Tube video can be seen here. Participate in our Poll:

Are “Atomic Sit-Ups” sexual deviance or harmless pranks?
	Gross, but harmless Pranks
	Way perverted man!
	Funny, but actually illegal dude!
	Don’t Know
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Tags:cromwell ct,middletown police news,cromwell ct high school,hazing,atomic situps,high school tennis,sloppy tennis

Wesleying blog reported on Friday about an incident earlier that day involving several students and several Middletown police officers.

Last night when walking down Washington Street at around 12:30 am, Al Fertig, ‘10, was eating out of a bag of Sour Patch Kids and threw an orange one which tasted funny into the street. Unfortunately, a policeman speeding past in his vehicle assumed that this projectile was aimed at him, so he pulled over and verbally abused Fertig for about ten minutes, repeatedly calling him an “asshole”, a “punk kid”, and a “douchebag full of shit”, and trying to make him admit to being intoxicated.

Fertig maintained his sobriety and tried to protest that his rejection of the gummy candy had nothing to do with any kind of passive-aggressive hatred towards the Middletown PD, and besides, it was biodegradable, but this guy was having none of it.

The policeman, who introduced himself as “Clark, Officer Clark to you,” told Fertig he was writing him up “for being an asshole”, with no further explanation, and ordered Fertig to “stand in front of my car and don’t fuckin’ move”, while he got inside his vehicle and started to furiously scribble a ticket. Meanwhile, his canine companion was barking furiously from the backseat and baring its teeth.

The comments to the post were generally supportive of the student and also in general agreement that this was no time to lash out at the entire Middletown Police Department. One commentator mentioned an incident from last year also involving an Officer Clark. Someone else writes:

So let’s keep this discussion from getting out of hand, and keep this from turning into a crusade against the MPD. This was an isolated incident, so please don’t use it as an excuse to call the entire MPD and psafe “shitheads.” Like sheek said, I’m not looking for any drastic action to be taken against Middletown police or Officer Clark, just for this specific injustice to be acknowledged and corrected. And hopefully the attention that this has gotten will keep it from happening to anyone else.

The blog Middletown Police News links to a site named RateMyCop.com. I checked out that site a few months ago and found the comments of praise for police offcers far outweighed the complaints. There were no officers from Middletown mentioned. Now, it seems that the domain host Go Daddy has taken the site down citing excessive band width usage. RateMyCop.com was getting hundreds of thousands page views daily.

Tagged:wesleyan university,middletown ct,middletown ct police,

Former Middletown resident and businessman Trumbull Huntington (Mr. Happy Days!) died Feb. 3, 2008 in Bedford MA. He was 89 years of age. Mr. Huntington was born in Hartford and after military service and marriage he moved to Middletown where he opened Huntington’s Book Store at College and Broad Streets here in the city. He later opened Huntington’s Book Stores in Hartford and West Hartford. He was known as a gourmand and bon vivant, a universally liked man of the world. According to his obituary which appeared in the Boston Globe, Hartford Courant and Middletown Press and elsewhere;

“His enthusiasm for life was vast and included a great love of conversation, good literature, good food and wine, politics, travel, dogs and theories on the origins of man. His characteristic salutation, “Happy Days” conveyed his unrepentant optimism.

Trumbull Huntington was most of all a fierce advocate of free speech and opponent of literary censorship. On Thursday Nov 2, 1961 Trumbull was arrested for selling Henry Miller’s “Tropic of Cancer” from his shop in Hartford where the authorities had banned the book. The Wesleyan Argus (quoting the Middletown Press) reported the next day;

Trumbull Huntington, owner of Huntington’s Book Store…was arrested…after challenging the Hartford County ruling against the sale of Tropic….(there was only area censorship of the work in numerous states and other jurisdictions)..A warrant was issued…after several copies of the book were found in (the) Hartford store….Huntington in a prepared statement said, “In deneying the public the opportunity to use its own judgment on this and the other issues involved, I believe the state is embarking on a form of censorship which enlightened people must abhor and must combat.”

Huntington was released on $50 bond and was convicted in a subsequent trial. In a statement released at the time of his trial Huntington said;

“I believe that “Tropic of Cancer is a serious work of literature and should be available in local bookstores….I am, therefore, challenging the right of the state to stop distribution of Tropic of Cancer..the questions raised here seem to me to be of the gravest nature - particularly to a society such as ours which rightfully claims freedom as its traditional heritage.”

Three years later Huntington was vindicated when the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that banning Tropic was unconstitutional.
A memorial service for Trumbull Huntington is to held Mar 29, 3 PM, at Faith Lutheran Church, Cambridge MA.

Happy Days!

Some history of the publication, importation, and banning of “Tropic of Cancer”. The book was first published in 1934 by Obelisk in Paris; the illustration at top is from that edition. The Wikkipedia entry on Henry Miller (1891-1980). The following details are from FileRoom.org.
In 1938, the U.S. Government banned Henry Millers novel Tropic of Cancer, saying it dealt too explicitly with his sexual adventures and challenged models of sexual morality. To further drive the point home, the government went on to ban all of Millers works from entering the United States.In 1961 the US ban on Henry Miller’s novels was finally lifted, but the controversy surrounding his books (in particular “Tropic of Cancer”) continued. “Tropic of Cancer” was still labeled as “obscene” by the US government and nationwide there were attempts to stop the sale of Miller’s novel. In the fall of 1961, police officials in the Chicago area systematically intimidated bookstores who sold the “Tropic of Cancer”, making several arrests. The book’s publisher, Grove Press, along with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit arguing it is illegal for officials to interfere with the sale of the novel. During the first year of publication Grove Press spent more than $100,000 fighting 60 cases nationwide. It was not until 1964 that the US Supreme Court finally declared “Tropic of Cancer” not to be obscene and its sale protected by the US constitution.

Tags: trumbull huntington,middletown ct,tropic of cancer ban,henry miller,censorship,press freedom,book burning.wesleyan argus

Despite the doom and gloom of the national media and the prognostications of Warren Buffett we here in Middletown and Middlesex County are doing just, fine thank you. In fact, business is booming and economic development is surging. According to the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce this is a real hot spot:

In Middletown, the multi-million dollar Kleen Energy System project is underway, as is the new Middlesex Hospital Emergency Room, which will be opening in the next few weeks. The Harding Development Group has started their mixed use project on the corner of Main Street and Liberty Street, which will be a great addition to Middletown’s north end once complete. O’Rourke’s Diner is once again open for business and has been a packed house ever since their grand re-opening. Abe Kahoud has an exciting project for Washington Street as well.

Centerplan Development Company will begin their work on the old Middletown Press building, which will soon become a new office and retail building, while another possible medical building may go up on Saybrook Road. There are also several hotels looking to build in Middletown and Cromwell.

The Federal Government is putting a military base in Middletown and although it has been met with some opposition, we are supporting this effort. The base will bring over two hundred jobs to Middletown, not to mention a broader tax base and an increase in activity for local businesses and suppliers.

That’s just the list for Middletown; there’s much more at the link above. The Army Reserve Center proposal is a controversial issue but only as to the siting issues. I’m sure common grond will be found in providing a Middletown home for this important facility.

Links to the Army Reseve base proposal are here, here, and here.

Tags: recession,warren buffett,middletown ct,middlesex county ct,economic development middletown ct,kleen energy,orourkes diner

Cromwell 1st Selectman Jeremy Shingleton has ruffled a lot of feathers in town with his suspension of Police Chief Anthony J. Salvatore. A number of citizens have queried Connecticut Attorney Genral Richard Blumenthal about the possibility of a recall of 1st Selectman Shingleton. The Hartford Courant reports:

….state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal — at the request of several local residents — launched an investigation into whether there is a way for residents to remove Shingleton from office.

A group of about 10 dissatisfied residents is drafting a petition that asks Shingleton, who took office in November, to step down. An organizer of the group said the petition should begin circulating early next week.

According to blogger Headless Horseman:

Shingleton’s erratic behavior has raised eyebrows since his election last November, and now the Hartford Courant is reporting on this politician who has truly come unglued.

Cromwell’s Chief of Police Anthony J. Salvatore, a 30-year veteran of the Cromwell force who was a policeman in town one year before Shingleton was even born and twenty-eight years before Shingleton even moved to town, was recently credited with the quick work his department had done in solving the community’s first homicide in a quarter century.

The latest word is that Chief Salvatore will be resuming his duties next week.

Tags:cromwell ct,jeremy shingleton,anthony j salvatore

The public is welcome at a Middletown Common Council workshop concerning the siting of the proposed U.S. Army Reserve Center. The date is Feb 21 at 7 PM in council chambers.

See our earlier posting for more details on the proposal; also more from Right of Middle here.
Tags: Middletown ct,middletown common council,u s army reserve base

SpazeBoy Photos

SpazeBoy Video of event at Wesleyan (40:29)

At this event, held on campus, Ned Lamont and Kal Penn gave animated and humorous talks aimed at gaining the participation of Wesleyan students in the Obama for President campaign. They particularly urged their audience to attend the Obama rally in Hartford next Monday. Connecticut State Senator Don Williams spoke first and introduced Ned Lamont who was followed at the lectern by film actor and producer Kal Penn .

Lamont gave what was essentially his campaign stump speech brought up to date while Penn took an entirely different approach emphasizing his earlier independence, i.e. not party enrolled, and basic cynicism about the political process. He urged the students to vote in the Feb. 5 primary and mentioned that they must be enrolled in a party to participate. But, he said you only have to enroll in a party for a little while. His spiel was “fie on both your houses”, Democrats and Republicans. He said to great applause; “Two families have controlled the White House for the past 16 years”. Penn metioned Connecticut’s history of having little influence in presidential primaries but that this year, due to the confluence of evnets leading to “Super Tuesday”, our state has a role to play and our votes do count.

Update: Fox 61 WTIC “News at Ten” covered the rally at Wesleyan. The coverage appears as a video at Wesleying blog or at Fox 61 WTIC (click on “Primary Preview”)

Below are stills from the above video.

See Steady Habits for our take on Clinton/Obama or Obama/Clinton

Tags: barack obams,ned lamont,kal penn,wesleyan u,hartford obama rally

CT Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz and Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch at the 2nd night of The Middletown Straw Poll , January 26,
at Holy Trinity Church, Middletown

Although sparsely attended compared with the previous night’s function , this event featured a more animated crowd, entertained with political oratory, rock music and children dancing. Once again the Ron Paul supporters were front and center in numbers and enthusiasm as this was a bipartisan event, whereas the previous straw poll at the Middletown Elk’s Lodge was a Republican only event.The beautiful sanctuary of Middletown’s Holy Trinity Church could have accommodated many more folks than the 75 or so that showed up. The straw poll ballots offered 1st, 2nd and 3rd choices but after all the ballots were consolidated and tabulated the final result was Ron Paul 23 and Hillary Clinton 21.

Below is raw video from the evening which runs about 15 minutes:

(more complete video can be found at Brainflation)

The first Ron Paul speaker was Joshua Katz. (pictured above) Tom Sheehan, a later speaker for Ron Paul made an impassioned speech about the sanctity of our constitution. Hillary Clinton was represented by two speakers, most notably by Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch. (pictured at top) Mike Huckabee was represented, as he was last evening, by William Landers. John Killian, who organized the event, read a short statement about the Obama candidacy while later in the evening a more impassioned speech for Obama was made by Bradley Spahn. Middletown city council member Earle Roberts spoke for the John McCain candidacy.There were no presenters for Mitt Romney, winner of last evening’s straw poll, or Rudy Giuliani. The corporate sponser of the event was NEOS, L.L.C., a software consulting firm from Manchester, CT , whose owner, Ernst Renner, presided as M.C.Special mention must be made of the presence this evening of the lovely, gracious, and animated Susan Bysiewicz, Connecticut’s Secretary of the State. Her stand up, hand and arm ballet, by way of explaining the state election requirements for the Feb 5 primary was beautiful and effective. A great many Connecticut registered voters are unaffiliated with a party so Ms. Bysiewicz brought with her stacks of registration forms to enable anyone present to enroll in a political party. I succumbed to her blandishments and switched from independent to party enrolled.
Tags: susan bysiewicz,middletown ct,middletown straw poll,middletown politics

Middletown Mayor Sebastian Giuliano and CT G.O.P. Chair Healey

This is some raw video of the Straw Poll event

This is some raw video of the Straw Poll event

See more complete video at Brainflation.

There was a nice turnout this evening for the Middletown Straw Poll sponsored by Connecticut Republicans. Around 150 people were at the Middletown Elks lodge to hear pitches for the various Republican presidential candidates. The Everyday Republican blog is now reporting the final vote tabulation: Romney 136, McCain 104, Paul 96, Giuliani 34, Huckabee 9, Thompson 2, and Hunter 1.

It was a lively crowd and the Ron Paul supporters were certainly the liveliest! Chris Healy, Connecticut G.O.P. chairman, and the evening’s M.C., had to tell the Paul people at one point to quiet down and let all sides be heard. Healy then introduced Middletown’s Mayor, Seb Giuliano, who gave a short welcoming address.TT

Former Massachusetts governor Jane Swift was on hand to speak for John McCain. Her remarks followed a video presentation of McCain’s military and P.O.W. experiences.

The Mitt Romney camp also used a video to explain the candidate’s experience in business and government. Mayor Mark Boughton of Danbury then spoke on the candidate’s behalf.

Ralph Campanera of Rocky Hill gave a humorous and engaging defense of his candidate, Rudy Giuliani.

Mike Huckabee was represented by William Landers, a local businessman.

Here are some additional still photos:

Tags: Middletown Straw Poll,Middletown ct,middletown republicans,

This blog also appears today on Habits Not Peculiar.

Today on Steady Habits: Why the Media Love John McCain….

The meeting in Middletown council chambers about the U.S. Army proposal concerning the above pictured site has been tentatively rescheduled for Thursday Jan 24 at 5 PM. The property in question is in the area bounded by Freeman Road on the North and Saybrook Road on the West. (We apologize for an earlier description that was erroneous)

h/t Jonah Center’s John Hall for notice of above meeting and announcement of Home Energy Saving meeting Tuesday Jan. 22.

See our earlier report here.

Tags: u s army reserve middletown ct,middletown ct land use,u s army middletown ct