Suds On Sunday, Plus: Bird Is The Word, And Justice For Marsha

Okay, give me a show of hands: how many OIB fans support the Republican plan in Hartford to allow Sunday booze sales and 24-hour liquor service at state casinos?

Me, I say go for it. We need the loot. I love the hypocrisy of state elected officials taking a hands-off approach to Sunday gin sin. Why, it violates our puritanical tradition, they say. Bite me.

The state of Connecticut is the biggest bookie in the country. We are home to the most successful casinos in the Western Hemisphere, a scratch-ticket, Power Ball-lovin’, pony-betting virtue of vice, yet the Dems in Hartford cave when the liquor lobby says you’re hurting the little liquor store guy that must work seven days a week. Let them decide whether they want to work. Take that friggin’ canvass off the booze at Big Y and Super Stop & Shop.

You must understand that when I was a cub reporter at the Bridgeport Post-Telegram 30 years ago, booze hours did not matter to us. I worked the evening shift at The Telegram which meant we were done at midnight or so and then off to Sol’s Café in downtown Bridgeport. Good ol’ Sol Roth kept the place open for the scribes for as long as we wanted–2 a.m., 3 a.m. 4 a.m., on a good night there’d be a dozen of us. Did we care? Nope. Cops wouldn’t mess with us (some of them drank with us) and if they did who’d write about it?

Yes, we were arrogant.

Bird Droppings

Listening to Mayor Bill Finch’s State of the City address on Thursday, my former client did a nice job. He drew a snicker from me espousing his integrity-driven administration yadda, yadda, yadda, but I’m sensing he’s a lot more comfortable in the role of chief executive. Birdie never aspired to be mayor. Party pols recruited him when they feared Johnny Fabs’ trouble would lead to a wrist-slicing Chris Caruso mayoralty. (And I’m not convinced that Caruso would be any better, especially after the way he handled his loss to Finch.)

Bill will always be a wonk; it’s his nature to spew on you what’s on his mind, which as a mayor can be good and bad. He’s doing a lot better though dealing with the daily madness of being mayor, but he’s going to need a couple of big breaks to persuade the electorate that he’s the goods. In particular this budget process is crucial. Another large tax increase and the next two years will be tough.

So he’s smart to make nice with a governor battling with a Democratic legislature. Stay tuned.

Justice For Marsha

My friend Marsha Pitera was found not guilty Friday afternoon of the most serious charges in the horrific July 4, 2007 car crash that took the lives of two of her children.

The government doesn’t always get it right. In this case the prosecutors screwed up, and the jury agreed. Marsha was not intoxicated, but a false positive alcohol test by Bridgeport Hospital–despite many witnesses saying otherwise, despite clear past medical evidence showing that the kinds of injuries she sustained including a lacerated liver and collapsed lung could produce a false positive–convinced the state to charge her for the deaths of her children.

The jury concluded that the accident was caused when Marsha attempted to refasten the seatbelt of her son John who had dislodged the belt. When she leaned over she lost control of her SUV.  For this mistake the jury convicted her of the lesser charge risk of injury to a child.

I sat through several hours of testimony wondering why the government overcharged the case. So, in the end, did the jury.

Say Hi To Himes

If you want to show Congressman Jim Himes some love on Saturday he’ll be hanging out at the Take Time Café, 211 State Street from 9 to 11 a.m. Jimmy is meeting his peeps for an open-house session. Public is welcome.

Tickle My Teeth

News release from Dr. Phillip DeJesus

Bridgeport Dentists Give Kids A Smile

Dr. DeJesus and Associates Partners with Oral Health

Bridgeport Initiative (ORBIT)

Dental professionals at the office of Dr. DeJesus & Associates will provide free dental services to disadvantaged Bridgeport children this month. It’s all part of the American Dental Association’s nationwide “Give Kids A Smile” program, coordinated locally by the Oral Health Bridgeport Initiative (ORBIT). The program offers free educational materials, screenings and free dental care such as cleaning, fluoride treatments, fillings, and more.

“We have seen the effects that inadequate dental care can play on a child’s overall health and future development,” said Dr. Phillip J. DeJesus. “We are happy to partner with ORBIT to provide these essential services for our community’s children,”

Earlier this week, the dental office provided pre-screenings to the children who will receive services at the office through the program. These children will receive cleanings, composite filings, and sealants.

Throughout the month, Dr. Oberhand, from the office of Dr. DeJesus and Associates will also be visiting local schools and speaking to children about the importance of caring for their teeth. His visits include literature for the children to take home to parents as well as on-site demonstrations.

Oral Health Bridgeport Initiative (ORBIT), a collaboration of public and private agencies, works to improve oral health and to reduce the disparity in access to oral health care for disadvantaged families in Bridgeport and Stratford. This collaborative was established in 1999 with the goal of enhancing oral health and oral care access for the underserved and vulnerable of Bridgeport and Stratford, lead by Southwestern Area Health Education Center (AHEC). The ADA reports that 26 million children in the United States do not have dental insurance. (2005) The National Institutes of Health reports that 80 percent of tooth decay is now found in only 25 percent of children. Nearly half of tooth decay in children ages 2-9 is untreated. For additional information on Give Kids A Smile Day 2008, please contact Vani Anand, MPH, ORBIT Oral Health Care Coordinator at (203) 372-5503.