Greenwich News - June 20, 2010
It was late 2001, and Thomas C. Foley , a Greenwich investor and a major Republican Party fundraiser, was immersed in a contentious and protracted battle with his ex-wife for custody of his 11-year-old son. Dear Editor, Imagine, if you will, living in a neighborhood where all of your neighbors hate you. They routinely walk through your yard and many throw rocks through your windows. You have one loyal friend in your life but he lives a couple of towns over and, though he used to visit and give you a chance to sit on your porch and enjoy the fresh air -- because there is strength in numbers -- he rarely visits anymore. You try to live your life. You go to the coffee shop but people still scorn you. You hire a police officer to make sure that the people walking through your yard are not carrying rocks. You don't stop them. You just want to make sure that they don't throw rocks through your windows.
Occasionally you have to take action against a neighbor who bursts into your living room and smashes your TV. It's not that they want to steal it -- they just don't want you to have it. Then, yesterday, the insult of all insults:
That good friend of yours from a couple of towns over comes to your neighborhood ... but he doesn't come to see you. He stops next door and drops off a cheesecake to the guy who lives there -- the guy who throws the most rocks at your windows. It's not any cheesecake, though, it's a huge Godiva chocolate cheesecake in a beautiful gold box with a hand-tied ribbon.
How's that make you feel?
Israel has been on the front lines of a holy war, waged by her neighbors against the world since the nation's founding in 1948. Israel has endured more relentless attacks than any other nation on earth.
Her Muslim neighbors vow to never recognize her right to exist, let alone the right of her citizens to move safely through their lands.
Recently there was controversy over the Mavi Marmara incident. In short, Israel has made a decision that requires Gaza-bound ships put into a nearby Israeli port, submit to inspection, and have the cargo delivered by land, at Israel's expense, to its destination.
It's not a terribly onerous blockade. It doesn't prevent any legal cargo from entering Gaza -- just the rocket launchers and bomb components that are used to kill Israel's citizens.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dan Malloy has launched his first television ads of the campaign..... ... for the state's public financing of campaigns, and received more than two-million dollars for the primary against Greenwich millionaire businessman Ned Lamont. Unlike Malloy, Lamont has opted out of the public financing system and is using a ... Salvatore J. Armao Partner Armao, Costa & Ricciardi Armao is a partner in Armao, Costa & Ricciardi, a Garden City-based accounting firm that also has offices in New York and Greenwich, Conn. United Rentals today announced the implementation of three key initiatives that expand customer access to safety training in the United States and Canada.... ... United Rentals is a member of the Standard & Poor's MidCap 400 Index and the Russell 2000 Index and is headquartered in Greenwich, Conn. Additional information about United Rentals is available at unitedrentals.com. More News From The Greenwich Topix Message Borad
Excerpts From Peter Schiff's Endorsement Of Rick Torres: "It's not just about electing a Republican; it's about electing the right Republican. There are a lot of Republicans in Congress right now and most of them are part of the problem, not part of the solution. So if you really believe in the Constitution, free market capitalism, in individual liberty, in sound money, you have to vote for those things. You have to vote for someone who is committed to those things. If you think everything is okay in Washington, if you like the status quo, then go ahead and rubber stamp the convention's nominee. But if you really want real change, then you're going to have to support a candidate who will deliver that change."
"And from what I know of Rick Torres, he is the guy in this race, he is the only person in this race that has a chance of bringing those values back to Washington. That is why I support him."
"And if there was ever a year when we can beat back the establishment, and elect a candidate that will really bring back our values and principles to Washington, this is the year to do it. And don't accept the word from the party elite that no you can't win. A real grassroots campaign can win, it can win in Connecticut, and it can win 2010. And I thank everyone for coming and I wish Rick the best of luck."
- Peter Schiff, US Senate Primary Candidate
Both Rick Torres and Peter Schiff are ICaucus endorsed candidates. Tags: 2010 Elections, Conservatism, Dan Debicella, Fourth Congressional District, Independent Caucus, Jim Himes, Peter Schiff, Republican Primary, Rick Torres, Rob Merkle
Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez, right, is shown in Hartford Superior Court on Friday, June 18, 2010 on the second day of jury deliberations in his corruption trial in Hartford, Conn..... ... they would ask the Democratic mayor to resign. The two Democratic candidates for governor in this year's election, Greenwich businessman Ned Lamont and former Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy , both issued statements saying Perez should step down. ... The arrest of a popular minister at an Old Greenwich church on child pornography charges has shocked the congregation, a senior church official said. Star Parker has endorsed the Rick Torres candidacy for the congressional seat that Greenwich resident Jim Himes holds. Star Parker is a nationally recognized Conservative leader, political commentator, and author. Rick Torres Says ....
"Star and I have a shared background and a common message. We both suffered under the welfare state and with hard work and some luck both of us were able to join the free and prosperous economy that most Americans take for granted. Like me, Star understands that capitalism creates wealth and that government destroys wealth. Wealth grows the economy and creates jobs, a concept lost on Jim Himes and Nancy Pelosi. "
Rick Torres Continues ...
"I am running for Congress to demonstrate that authentic American conservatism is the truest form of 'social-justice.' For too long my native Bridgeport has been held in bondage to the socialist experiments of the Democratic Party. As a Congressman I will work to end schemes of wealth redistribution and liberate my city of Bridgeport from the clutches of the Democratic Machine. With Star Parker's endorsement I am all the more confident that I will beat Jim Himes and that I will have a chance to serve the people of Connecticut. "
Rick Torres has made a lot of progress in a short period of time, but his campaign still needs contributions and financial help to restore the first principles of this exceptional nation.
Tags: 2010 Elections, Christopher Shays, Conservatism, Dan Debicella, Fourth Congressional District, Jim Himes, Republican Primary, Rick Torres, Rob Merkle, Social Justice, Star Parker
Kai Hibbard in 2009. NEW YORK "Biggest Loser" constant Kai Hibbard says the hugely popular reality show is not only untruthful, but harmful to the health of some of the contestants.... ... a week, to lose the weight. She didn't give specifics. Molly Carmel, director of Greenlight at Wilkins Center in Greenwich, Conn., said, "It's in no way normal to lose 118 pounds in a 12 week amount of time. Even with surgery, that would be a lot of ... Danbury Fair Mall customers got what they asked for -- fashion retailer Michael Kors will be opening in the mall late next month.... ... to Eigen, the 2,100-square-foot store will be the second location for Michael Kors in the state. The first is on Greenwich Avenue in Greenwich. There is also a Michael Kors at The Westchester mall in White Plains, N.Y. The Michael Kors label was ... Rick Torres may be considered an anomaly by some. Not only is he a Republican in a city where Democrats outweigh the GOP faithful, he's a Latino Republican. On a warm spring morning, Torres, 51, sits at a table outside the Harborview Market, the business he owns in the neighborhood where he lives, talking about the life experiences that shaped him into the staunch conservative he is today.
Torres is working hard to secure the Republican nomination -- there are six candidates -- to unseat Democrat U.S. Rep Jim Himes in the Fourth Congressional District. It would be easier, especially in Bridgeport, to be a Democrat.
Hispanics tend to vote Democrat. And, in fact, at one point Torres himself was a Democrat. Not any more. Not after living across the street from the P.T. Barnum housing complex in Section 8 housing -- housing subsidized by the government -- after he father moved the family back to the U.S. from Cuba in 1967.
"I believe in me, I believe in you," Torres said.
"I don't believe in the government. The problem with the government is they don't get it right. I want to fix it and the only way to fix it is to get government out of it."
He wants, he said, to "liberate the people living in public housing ... It was intended to help, but it does the opposite. The children don't see anyone who's never been on welfare. Everyone's been on welfare so long, that's the norm for them."
Torres said he thinks there should be a homesteader plan--if you've lived in public housing for 10 years or more, it's yours. "Get them off welfare, let them earn as much as they can, and keep as much as they can," he said.
"Open the doors of education. That's what you and I take for granted. That's foreign to them.
That's just the way it is and there's no other way to say it better." He admits that some of his stands are not always popular with his customers, but that doesn't bother him, Torres said, as he points to a man sitting inside. "That guy, he's a Socialist." Going against the grain, the accepted way to do things, the easiest way, is not something new for Torres.....
Sarah Kramer, # 9 of Greenwich High School during the introductions at the 2010 Girls Lacrosse State Division 1 Finals at Bunnell High School, Stratford, Saturday afternoon, June 12, 2010..... Rick Torres, candidate in Connecticut's 4th Congressional district, has highlighted what he believes to be the critical distinctions between him and his rivals in the race. Anyone who runs for office to better our country deserves respect, only certain policies warrant support. Labels are too often misleading, which is why policies matter.
To illustrate, Torres points to a press release by rival Rob Merkle, who professes to be a fiscal conservative. In the release, Merkle claims to be a '"small business owner who strives to reduce the size, reach and burden of the federal government."
"His policies do anything but reduce the size of government," Torres notes.
"He is merely another big-government Republican." Torres points to just two of the many big government solutions
Merkle advocates:
1. In a poor attempt to 'help' the economy, Merkle praises the SBA loan program. "The Small Business Administration is a government agency which actually takes taxpayer monies and decides who to loan it to. It is another form of corporate welfare," Torres says.
2. Another of Merkle's poor attempts to revive the economy is virtually identical to the 'jobs plan' of Barack Obama. It is to "mandate" banks to make loans to small businesses. Torres points out that banks are private enterprises. "Government mandating banks to give loans to property owners resulted in the near collapse of our economy. Yet Merkle wants the government to repeat this same mistake and hopes for a different outcome."
"These policies led to the budget deficits, tax increases and unemployment we have today. We cannot spend our way out of a recession or tax our way to prosperity. Clearly, a conservative should know this," Torres asserted.
The two Democratic gubernatorial contenders - Ned Lamont and Dannel Malloy - are scheduled to debate at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the local NBC affiliate studio in West Hartford. 
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