Johnny Fabs: 340 lbs. of Stupid

Proving that clean living and a sense of decency will probably never be the fashion in Bridgeport politics, Democrat Mayor John Fabrizi appeared Tuesday in Bridgeport Superior Court to act as a "character witness" on behalf of one Juan Carlos Camacho, a 22-year old convicted sex offender.

Camacho was convicted and sentenced to three years in prison for second-degree sexual assault, having a relationship with a 13-year old girl that he managed to get pregnant twice.

Fabrizi stated that Camacho was a friend of his son, and had been to his house. If this is so, Fabrizi may want to check and see if any of his cats or dogs are pregnant.

Fabs, who still holds office after confessing to having been a cocaine user last summer while occupying Bridgeport's executive post, apologized on Wednesday for his poor judgment in appearing on Camacho's behalf.

One has to wonder who was helping who? Does the coke-head's association with the sex offender help the public image of the coke-head or the sex offender?

Meanwhile, the man Fabrizi replaced, Joe Ganim, remains in prison for bribery and corruption.

Bridgeport continues to do Connecticut proud.

Speaker's Gas Can't Power State

If empty promises, blame-games and inaction could be converted into raw fuel, Connecticut wouldn't have an energy crisis. We could run a pipeline right out of House Speaker Jim Amann's office in Hartford and power half the state.

The Speaker breathlessly assured readers of the New Haven Register in a December 21, 2006 column that Democrats would have an energy plan they would unveil at the beginning of the session. In that column he blamed everyone from a nebulous “ Washington ” bogeyman to Governor Jodi Rell and Attorney General Richard Blumenthal for the problem.

Here we are three months later, and Speaker Amann and the Democratic majority have offered nothing. The Energy Committee’s deadline has come and gone without the appearance of this much-celebrated piece of fiction. It is interesting to review what he wrote those three months ago.

While this problem has been growing for years, the Speaker lectured us that it will take a “thoughtful, deliberative approach” to develop sound energy policy, indicating that he just recently began to think and deliberate on the problem. In fact, the House Democrats’ “Breaking Ground” agenda of 2006 broke more wind than ground, failing even to mention energy reforms in the release announcing the package in February 2006.

In his column, Speaker Amann rattled off an impressive list of things he and the heroic legislative Democrats have done to combat rising energy costs in Connecticut . They held summits! They heard testimony! The testimony was from “experts”! Then they created not one but two task forces!

They also had a very catchy name for this fantasy bill: "Energize Connecticut." Now, I may be no judge of character, but after watching Amann blow up like Paulie Walnuts at the Milford Train Station, I'd guess his idea of energizing people might involve a cattle prod to the pink parts.

During the previous session Senate Democrats and House Democrats, firmly in the majority, spent six months disagreeing on the form an energy bill should take. When adjournment took place in May without a bill, others were somehow to blame. Then everyone called for a special session. The Speaker says he called for one too, which is hardly convincing since to make a special session happen, all he had to do is say “I call a special session.”

Meanwhile the electric rate increases have put an enormous burden on residential customers, particularly those on fixed incomes. They also have a deeper impact on the state overall. Businesses will look to relocate to states where they can obtain power more cheaply. Those industries and businesses which are considering moving to Connecticut will re-evaluate that move because of high energy costs. As a result, Connecticut ’s economy will falter during a time when recovery has been slow.

So far we do have one terrific bill that aims at outlawing the light bulbs we use and requiring us to use fluorescent bulbs because they are supposedly big energy savers. Proponents include the likes of Rep. Mary Mushinsky (D- Wallingford), one of the biggest eco-geeks in the legislature whom I believe won't even eat fruit unless it has died of natural causes, and Rep. James O'Rourke (D-Cromwell), ironically one of the dimmest bulbs in the legislature who would doubtless be helped out by any room with lower lighting.

Legislative Democrats won a veto-proof majority in both the state House and Senate in the last election. They have been given the job of governing. If they are truly interested in making real reforms to the electric industry, they can implement them with or without Governor Rell. So far they have shown no interest in the Republican solutions to this issue. This session is already half over and they have nothing to show for it. If they fail, there is no one else to blame.

The Bully Hook

There was plenty of theater this past week at the General Assembly's Environment Committee. Representative Diana Urban (D-North Stonington) continued to push her elephant protection bill, outlawing the use of an item known as a "bull hook" on the animals by circus or zoo personnel.

Urban, and her concubine, Rep. Steve Fontana (D-North Haven) have made themselves conspicuous over the past several years visiting circuses and protesting the treatment of animals. The two of them are spearheading this legislation.

While Urban was at one time a member of the Republican party, she switched to the Democratic Party following the 2006 elections claiming the GOP had abandoned the principles of Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt.

It is at least mildly ironic that Urban consistently names Theodore Roosevelt as a model for her politics, especially considering her crusade to save the elephant from any discomfort. While Roosevelt was a naturalist and an environmentalist in the early 20th century sense, his concern for the elephant extended to making certain he used the right caliber rifle in taking one down. Roosevelt would likely wince at her weepy sensitivity over animal rights considering that the collections of the New York Museum of Natural History were jump-started by his donation of the large number of animals he shot. But I digress...

Urban began discussion on her bill by giving a damp-eyed speech asserting that she had been the victim of "ad hominem attacks." It was unclear, at least to me, to what she was referring. It could be that Hartford Courant columnist Kevin Rennie recently referred to her as a "faded coquette" and her lover Fontana as a "sad satyr" when he wrote about the folly of this bill. She could also be referring to the fact that she was widely accused of being a hypocrite because, as an accomplished equestrian, she presumably spurs horses.

There is also the possibility that someone made unflattering reference to her shockingly pungent perfume which may be a blend of rare rotted hibiscus plants. At any rate, those would be terrible ad hominem attacks. You'll find none of that here in this blog.

While Urban was embarrassing herself by demonstrating that she has a political glass jaw, other interesting things unfolded. Apparently a Republican member on the Environment Committee, Craig Miner (R-Litchfield), was threatened by Fontana behind the scenes. Miner, an opponent to this bill, intended to offer amendments while the clock ticked down the final hours of the committee's ability to act for the year. Fontana, who chairs the legislature's Energy Committee, warned that should the elephant bill die in Environment, Republican bills before Energy would be in jeopardy. As if Democrats would allow them any shot of going anywhere in the first place.

Connecticut residents have the highest energy bills in the country and Democrats haven't done a single thing about it, despite promising it would be fixed by now. But that's okay. Connecticut residents clearly don't care about that! They're hard at work making sure we're not poking Babaar with a bull hook. Who could question such priorities?

Sadly, the Environment Committee passed the Dumbo bill by a vote of 16-15 and will move forward. We will continue to be treated to a circus act far more offensive than those involving the participation of elephants.