We're Back! Announcing Our New Editor-in-Chief

We're back! 1,400 blog posts, 3,020 uncensored, published comments, and over 555,000 page views in under 4 years, via word of mouth advertising.

We are proud to announce we have decided to name William Boylan as Editor-in-Chief and the voice of the Middletown Insider!

As the editor of The Middletown Insider, Bill’s philosophy is, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Naturally, there will eventually be some changes, but nothing drastic is anticipated. While primarily a voice in the wilderness for conservative views, conflicting points of view will not be censored, off hand. The Insider still encourages reader participation through comments, letters to the editor, newsletters, slices of life, photos, etc. addressed to Mr. Boylan at middletowninsider@gmail.com .

Who is Angel Fernandez?

Candidate Angel Fernandez for the 100th

The post below was originally featured in the Hartford Courant:
"Fernandez, 45, is running for State Representative for the in the race for the 100th House District seat.

Fernandez  grew up in the North End of Hartford and has lived in Middletown for 17 years. He spent 18 years in the U.S. Navy, retiring in 2007 due to injury as a master-at-arms second class.
"Right now people are so disappointed with both parties," he said. "It's shocking how disconnected a lot of our politicians are with a lot of people."

Fernandez described himself as "a big Second Amendment guy" but stressed that his campaign is also focusing heavily on rolling back some Common Core education requirements and cutting taxes.

He said he felt laws already in place before new gun control laws were enacted – if they had been properly enforced – would have been sufficient to address gun violence. He also said the new laws did not address many concerns about mental health, and said as a state representative he would support the rights of gun owners.
Fernandez was served in Operation Desert Storm and was deployed four times to Iraq and Afghanistan in the recent conflicts as part of a military police unit and an anti-terrorism unit providing security.

By his view of the local political scene, elected officials are out of touch with the needs of low- and middle-income residents.

"I served and I fought for my country and I came home to find a mess," Fernandez said.
He is now the owner of Eleven Charlie, a consulting company he started with friends from the Navy. The firm provides threat assessments for corporate and public buildings. He also has volunteered as deputy director of emergency management for the city for five years.
Fernandez ran for common council in the 2013 municipal election, his first attempt at running for office, but drew one of the lowest vote tallies out of the 18 council candidates.
He faces a challenge to unseat Lesser, who is running for a fourth term in the heavily-Democratic district.

Letter to the Editor: DeLauro calls for VA reform...

5 Conflict Memorial in Middletown

Letter to the Editor from Christopher Schaefer of Connecticut:

—to clean up mess SHE created!

Yesterday, while touring the West Haven VA hospital,

DeLauro urged passage of a Senate bill,

which would increase flexibility to provide outside medical care

when the VA is unable to provide prompt treatment.

However, if you talk to staff at the West Haven VA and/or at Yale-New Haven they’ll tell you that the VA

ALREADY routinely sends patients over to Yale for various treatments which the VA can’t handle themselves.

The VA is THE model of the “socialized single-payer, govt-owned, govt-run healthcare system” which

ObamaCare proponents—including Rosa DeLauro—

see as their ultimate goal. So how’s that working out at the VA?

At a Jan. 20 meeting at The Grove on Chapel Street, New Haven,

when someone asked if the country should move to a single-payer system

“U.S. Rep. DeLauro said the Affordable Care Act is a step in the right direction on that front.” [New Haven Independent, 1/21/14]

Because of ObamaCare, which Rosa DeLauro called her “proudest vote”,

and the resulting massive defunding of our state hospital system,

failed hospital inspections are becoming standard.

However, failed inspections of public hospitals don’t make the news because inspections are performed by the Joint Commission (jointcommission.org) which does not release its findings to the general public or media.

However, ask any medical staff member of a state hospital (e.g. Yale-New Haven) and they’ll confirm that failed inspections are not uncommon.

Thanks to DeLauro, our state hospital system is becoming like a third-world system.

Of course, you won’t hear DeLauro decrying this development

—because she bears much of the responsibility for it.

November elections will be here before you know it and

DeLauro needs to continue fooling everyone with her feigned “concern”

—including veterans—

to maintain her opulent, elitist, ‘Downton Abbey lifestyle’

via her lucrative office-for-life.

If you believe in returning our govt to the People—YOU!—

rather than allowing it to be run by corrupt, self-serving, elitist, control-freak MultiMillionaires like DeLauro—

then copy/paste this entire post into an email—and send it to 3rd district* friends, post on Facebook, etc. to share with others [you can use the Facebook and Twitter buttons below]—and help expose this fraud!

http://rosadelauroexposed.wordpress.com/occasional-updates/

https://www.facebook.com/RosaDeLauroCronyism

Meet DeLauro’s opponent:

https://www.facebook.com/JamesBrownForCongress
http://www.jamesbrownforcongress.org/James_Brown_For_Congress/Welcome.html

*CT's 3rd district: Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Bethany, Branford, Derby, Durham, East Haven, Guilford, Hamden, Middlefield, Middletown (part of), Milford, Naugutuck, New Haven, North Branford, North Haven, Orange, Prospect, Seymour, Shelton (part of), Stratford, Wallingford, Waterbury (part of), West Haven, Woodbridge.

Be sure to share this with folks in these towns—

help DUMP DeLAURO—and get YOUR government back!

Christopher Schaefer, Connecticut

Local Veterans & Patriots Protest Government Shut down of War Memorials

On Sunday October 13th, a group of protestors lead by Gail Whitright of Middletown formed a march in protest of the closed national memorials due to the government shut down. Concerned citizen patriots and veterans from around Connecticut stood their ground in protest of the closure and barricading of nation monuments at the Iwo Jima World War II Memorial located at exit 29 off Rt 9 at  9 am on the board of Newington and New Britain. Like protests in Washington DC and around the country happened over the weekend.  The Connecticut protest was organized through word of mouth and a facebook campaign; according to the group page more protests will be planned should the shut down continue to effect veterans. 

Photos and video courtesy of  guest blogger Palin Smith. 

Ann Morse, Middletown, and Gail Whitright also of Middletown

Veteran's News: Vietnam Veteran's Events of Notes

 Middletown happens to be home to a great network for veterans. This month we are highlighting the Veterans of The Vietname War of Middletown CT group. They just published their monthly newsletter avaialble on their website : 

http://www.vietnamvetsmiddletownct.org/Newsletter.htm

Events of note are below. We always welcome letters and essays from veterans of all types who share our community .

http://www.vietnamvetsmiddletownct.org/Welcome.htm

October 1st

–Regular Meeting, 7pm

November 4th–

Middlesex County Chamber of

Commerce “Support the Troops”

Breakfast, 7am

November 5th–

Regular Meeting, 7pm

December 3rd–

Regular Meeting, 7pm

December

TBA–

Chapter Christmas Party

Citizen Angel Fernandez Donates Training to Middletown Emergency Management

https://www.facebook.com/elevencharlie

Office of Emergency Management Deputy (OEM) Chief Angel Fernandez's company Eleven Charlie LLC donated $10K worth of Training to Middletown Emergency Management this year.  Eleven Charlie LLC specializes in security and anti terrorism training and planning. The training included over 40 hours of classroom instruction and hands on type training. Participants received tactical training from  US Navy Seals as part of the course. Fernandez and Chief of OEM Bruce Driska are responsible of the operation of the department to respond to any emergency of man made or natural disaster. The Emergency Management Department of the City of Middletown is part of the Rapid Deployment Team of the Mobile Field Hospital for Connecticut Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. OEM provides additional resources to police,fire, and public works when the need arises.for operation of equipment. The City has always been well protected by police and fire.Fernandez saw a need for more training for the volunteer department as far as emergency support,, and there being none funded, stepped up to the plate to see to it that proper training was available.
Now that is being a pro active member of the Middletown Community Fernandez! Well done!

How Cuts in Emergency Management effects Public Safety: Emergency Management took a big cut in its operation costs in the budget proposed by Mayor Drew. Even more cuts were made in the budget presented by the Democratic Majority of the Common Council, which were adopted. Vaccinations for staff against communicable diseases they are likely to encounter in emergency situations were nixed. While the Office of Emergency Management has a chief, Bruce Driska, he must follow orders of the Mayor. It is the mayor who is ultimately in charge of operations & distribution of city resources during an emergency like a blizzard for example, with the chief and deputy chief as his advisers. The chief and deputy chief make suggestions for the budget, but like the other departments, the mayor can choose whether or not to include these items when he writes the budget presented to the Common Council. 
What about the safety of Middletown schools?:Private defense companies are in high demand through out the state right now in school districts looking for ways to improve security  in the wake of the Sandy Hook Tragedy. Middletown Public Schools has had emergency plans since the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks and has and always will have the full support of local police and fire. Many Middletown parents are asking for improved additional specialized security which doesn't just include cameras, additional local police at schools (currently done by one officer for all schools), but also specialized training of staff by private security companies in tactical planning.

A local parent, who asked not to be named," The kids are told to hide under their desks should an intruder enter, to me that is counter productive. More [security measures] should have been in the  superintendent's school budget."

Danbury, for example, hired private security to protect/patrol elementary schools at the request of parents. The private security was an addition to regular police. http://danbury.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/danbury-hired-private-security-for-its-elementary-schools

Why the donation of Training comes in the nick of time:Training and other equipment provided to Emergency Management staff was not provided for under the Drew 2013 budget which passed the Common Council in early May. The budget, which included cuts that effect public safety during emergencies, raised taxes, and included an increase the amount of the stipend given to each councilmember, passed  7-5 with Republicans and 1 Democrat voting against it. The donated training that took  place prior to the budget vote certainly would not have been possible as part of the adopted 2013 fiscal budget. 
Read about what the training entailed here on Patch: http://middletown-ct.patch.com/groups/police-and-fire/p/middletown-ems

Fernandez teaching "Intro to Terrorism"
a class about defense against terrorism

About Fernandez: Angel Fernandez studied Public Safety Administration and Criminal Justice at Central Connecticut State University. Fernandez is a veteran, having served in combat during wartime.  Fernandez was enlisted in the U.S. Navy from  1989 to 2007. Upon retirement from the Navy in 2007, he received the J. Edgar Hoover award. Fernandez has young children in the Middletown public school system, and is the father of a soldier currently serving overseas.

 Fernandez gave a humble response to why he donated his services," [We] are just doing the right thing for the guys at OEM. We have been working for over a year  providing standard training for them." 

Fernandez taught the OEM staff a course called Intro to Terrorism. Fernandez said 
"It is important teaching Public Safety Personnel how terrorism is organized and their ideology. It is imperative to teach personnel about situation awareness."


Fernandez is no stranger to volunteering. He recently helped out with a Free NRA Gun Safety Class for youth held at Kings 33 Defense in Southington on May 26th.

Pistol Permits by L.I.S.A  provided instruction. The session also included discussions with parents on how to talk to their kids about gun violence and safety.

At the Free NRA Youth Gun Safety Class.

Lisa Mezzio & Angel Fernandez.

Hosted by Kings 33 in Southington. 

photo credit. L. Mezzio