Opinion: Gingrich’s take on Obama’s vision

So I said to him, "Barack, I know Abe Lincoln, and you ain't Abe Lincoln."

For those who study history --- you recall that despite Obama's continuous attempts to quote Lincoln as a Democrat --- President Lincoln was a Republican President!
 
SO WHY DOESN'T OBAMA USE THIS FAMOUS LINCOLN QUOTE?????????

You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.  
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.  
You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative and independence.
You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves.

......Abraham Lincoln

READER COMMENTS

DRRTones Posted - January 26, 2011 09:11 PM

Maybe nobody got attacked and it was all just a bad dream!

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Jarhead Posted - January 26, 2011 07:35 PM

Dr. Fischer, I am afraid you just made yourself look like a disillusioned fool, bent on protecting your own image of a rosy New London school system. Good luck, I wonder what will happen when you yourself encounter the negative stereotype of a youth sauntering across the street, then throwing an obscene gesture at you while you wait to proceed on your way. Or perhaps you will congratulate the young person as they steal from your car or vandalize school property for being industrious or artistic. I would suggest you pay a bit more attention to reality, Sir.

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Twobars Posted - January 26, 2011 03:37 PM

Are you kidding me is the first thought that came to mind. It was the second time I had the thought. The first was when there was a quote from Mr Fischer stating that the problem was educational not safety. This does not give me much comfort in that committee if that is the thought. Because Mr Fischer is looking for more money in the next budget, especially after he's hired 20 more administrative personal in the school system. His remarks were also insulting to the victim. The kids that turned in the assailant were protecting their own buts from the police and their family. Don't *** on my hand and tell me it's raining Mr. Fischer. This was a crime with a gang of young adults and to say it any other way is a lie and just as self-serving as the kids who supposedly did their civic? duty. You should be admonished by the BOE for the way you are handling this.

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Gary G. 06320 Posted - January 26, 2011 01:41 PM

I believed completely that Dr. Chris Clouet was the worst administrator that could ever be. But Dr. Fischer has proven my beliefs to incorrect. I must say that as bad as Clouet was Dr. Fischer is far worse. How can he be so out of touch with what is happening in New London and the part that the school students play in it all?

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K.Robert Posted - January 26, 2011 12:50 PM

Again, one can not conclude from the victim's account that ALL of the group acted irresponsibly, however, the taunting and attempts at counting coup by several of the teens are not indicative of reasonable, civil behavior. Reparing the image of our school system is the duty of the superintendent and I applaud him for his attempt. Perhaps we should hear from the teens involved-- perhaps they should be apologizing to their classmates for casting them all in a bad light. Turning the light off and keeping us all in the dark and depending upon Mr. Fischer's version of the facts, however, is not an option that we should consider at this time.

I believe both the Editorial and Dr. Sprecache's commentary that ran in the Day have merit and look at the potential crisis-- obviously the Superintendant feels that a crisis looms or is here, as he sits on the Safe Cities Committee-

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FF4NewLondon Posted - January 26, 2011 12:39 PM

Nick Fischer has to go. This piece only hurt him in this city.

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K.Robert Posted - January 26, 2011 12:26 PM

I appreciate the Superintendent of Schools for voicing his concerns about how things may be incorrectly reported. Perhpas the theme of his piece, which to many readers appears to be a bit of professional ***, should have been how the ACTIONS of certain groups of city youth impact negatively on the perception that residents and visitors have of our fair city in general and students who attend his school system in particular.

I suppose that Mr. Fischer is sharing some insight and knowledge into the investigation gained by his position as Superintendent as a way of making his case, since any interviews with these minors were made by ( according to the initial reports by The Day) the School Resource officer in the presence of their parents. Not sure what authority the Super has to review said reports, although he may have some review responsibility.Not certain that sharing this information with others should be part of his authority, however, that is not what is in question here.The facts appear to be challenged .

I attach the initial remarks made by Mr. Dumas, the "alleged" victim - who made them in this forum shortly after the events were reported.

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bdprod Posted - January 18, 2011 03:08 AM

I'm the victim described in this article. I'll fill in some of the details some of you were speculating or wondering about. As for race, I'm a white male, middle-aged and a very fit. The youths were black teens, 6-8 in number and around 14-16 years old.

I parked my car across from Hannafin's (Garde side.) As I was locking the car I saw a group of rowdy teens up the street in front of the Garde and another group walking past Hannafin's. I started to cross the street and realized this could be a bad situation especially when one kid started crossing the street from the Garde side in a long diagonal route towards Hannafin's.

I was walking confidently towards Hannafin's when the kid crossing the street from the Garde sneaked up behind me and hit me hard on the back/side of my head. He must have had something in his hand that he hit me with. I think he was surprised I didn't go down. He started backing away from me as I walked towards him and I yelled, "What the hell are you doing!" He was mouthing off and backing up and then I noticed the group of kids past Hannafin's were coming back towards us and the ones from up the street were approaching from the right.

The kid that hit me ran down the street and a few were collecting around the front of Hannafin's. They started taunting me as I started crossing the sidewalk towards the door. They were saying, "Come into the street!" "Take it to the street!" I turned to the one with the biggest mouth as they were alternating charging towards me and then backing off hoping I would go after them or maybe get close enough for a punch. I faced the apparent "leader" and said, "Yeah, you're real tough when have your little army with you."

Then the kid who hit came running back up the street and now there were several of them coming towards me. I quickly took the final steps to the door, turned and pulled out my cell phone. One of them yelled, "He's calling the cops!" Then the kid who hit me charged the door, opened it slightly and slamming it very hard, then ran off with the rest of them. That's when everyone in Hannafin's was alerted there was a problem.

What was amazing to me about this incident was just how brazen these kids were to be doing this in front of a bar full of witnesses. And how violent and wild they were. Really, like a pack of rabid dogs. It was very bizarre and surreal - to the point I wasn't all that much afraid of them. Later I realized I should have been very afraid.

They had, moments earlier, been chased away from Tony D's where they were throwing ice at the door. That's when the first 911 call came in. I made a 911 call and then flagged down a police car that was up by the Garde. The officer was investigating the Tony D's call and was just getting radioed about my call when he drove down to Hannafin's.

While I was explaining what happened a radio call came in that they had a group of kids they were questioning a couple blocks away. The officer asked me to get in the squad car to go take a look at the gang. There were three girls with them which threw me because I never saw any girls among them. The kid who hit me (as I later realized) had taken off his hat so I didn't recognize him at that moment. With their now meek demeanor as they were cornered by three police cars they hardly resembled the crazed punks they were minutes earlier.

It wasn't until I was dropped off back a Hannafin's and another officer came to take my statement and then left, did I find out from the bartender that there is a security camera outside the front door. I called the NLPD on the business line and told the shift supervisor about the camera. Very quickly sent another officer to look at the video footage. Then several more officers (and a couple plain clothed detectives or so they seemed) came to view the video.

Also, a couple Coast Guard cadets who saw me get hit gave statements and they provided more details than I could about physical descriptions. I was then asked to view the video and it was obvious the kids detained on Washington St. were indeed the attackers.

I was impressed with how quickly the NLPD locked down the situation. Not sure why they didn't know Hannafin's had a security camera. And the staff at Hannafin's was very helpful. Kept the ice for my head coming all night and free stout to dull the pain! If I had medical insurance I would have gone to the emergency room just to make sure the injury wasn't worse than it felt.

All in all it was well worth a few lumps on the head to get these freaks off the street even if for a short while. Also, very thankful I didn't walk to Hannafin's from the Bean & Leaf because I would have encountered the gang on desolate Washington St. and I wouldn't have had the safety net of Hannafin's at arm's reach. And I wouldn't have had the confidence to keep my cool during the ordeal. Could have been much, much worse. These mini hoods were out for blood.

Be careful out there everyone, and carry a big stick!

*** I tend to give more weight to Mr. Dumas's recounting of the facts than I do Mr. Fischer in this instance, and would have expected a tome on this issue to be more reality - based.

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annec Posted - January 26, 2011 11:59 AM

Are you kidding me? This editorial is even scarier than the original crime. New London is in serious trouble with you as Superintendent of Schools. Go back and read Bill's firsthand account of the attack in the comments section of this article:

http://www.theday.com/article/20110117/NWS04/110119587/1070/FRONTPAGE&frompost=1

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David Irons Posted - January 26, 2011 10:12 AM

There is much blame to go around for this situation. We can not lay it all at the feet of Mr. Fischer and the schools at the youth involved. But they too must share in the blame.

There is no question that the schools could be doing better by our young people. And the youth also must be held accountable for their own actions. Whether only one person struck the victim or all did, the one who did so was emboldened by the presence of a group. I doubt he would have done this if alone. And those who pointed the finger of blame at just one individual were not doing a civil service, they were looking out for themselves. I refuse to put them on a pedestal for doing so, even if it was the right thing to do. Their motive was self serving, not doing what is right.

Parents too must share in this blame. While I am the first to say that parents can not possibly monitor children 24/7 nor can they know who all of those their children are hanging out with, they have a responsibility to instill the right values in their children. Had this been done, I believe much of this violence would not be happening.

The NLPD seems to do a good job from my perspective. But I'm sure there is still more that they too could be doing to improve the situation.

A number of groups have formed to work on the problem. Perhaps too many. Maybe they should look to consolidate. At the least they must make sure they communicate what they are doing and their objectives with each other.

I won't overlook nor let off the hook the media, including The Day in this comment. Media has long made use of headlines and reporting to exaggerate situations. Unfortunately this seems to be what sells newspapers. And in today's environment of declining readership, media is looking to improve its bottom line and retain readers and subscriptions. But they leave themselves open to criticism by doing so.

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Roberto Domingo Posted - January 26, 2011 09:09 AM

Dr. Fischer started out well as did Dr. Clouet. The difference is that Dr. Clouet was able to keep the curtin drawn on who and what he really was for longer. In a very short time the people of New London see just how out of touch he is with reality and with what is going on in New London. The schools are a mess and the young people are out of control. To pretend that this is not the truth is just foolishness.

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J Ryan Posted - January 26, 2011 08:26 AM

Dr. Fischer, once again you have made some ill timed remarks, I can only guess you are trying to curry favor with certain groups within the city, who lke you are trying to pretend that there is not a problem with youth violence in New London. This is not to say that every child in New London is a hoodlum but there are a percentage that are and it is larger than it should be for a city New London's size. Three years ago, there were at least 25 arrests of New London youth involved in video taping beat downs which were gang inspired and related. In the incident with Mr. Dumas, he himself stated that he was hit by more than one indivudual and in reality should it matter if he was accosted by a group of 5 or 10 and only hit by one? Yourr editorial did a disservice to the New London police department, the administrators at the hiigh school and junior high school and the law abiding citiczens who live in the city. You are out of your element Maybe the city council will offer you a buy out before your teachers and administrators revolt.

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DRRTones Posted - January 26, 2011 07:40 AM

This comment has been removed for violation of policy.

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Emily Kendall Posted - January 26, 2011 07:03 AM

Mr. Fischer would be justified in his opinion piece had this been an isolated incident. The facts are quite different. The middle schools and high school in New London turn the thugs out into our streets each day after school, these thugs throw trash all over the neighborhoods, these thugs curse at the residents that dare ask them to pick up the trash they throw on the streets. These same thugs walk in the middle of the streets blocking traffic and terrorizing the residents. The latest violent acts are just the tip of the iceberg here in New London. Remember a young man was brutally murdered by New London teens because they were bored. As others have stated in the comment section of articles the staff and aministration of the NLPS have these young people in a captive audience setting 180 days a year. No one can minimize the potential impact of this time. Yet we have thugs running our streets each day after school. The school grounds are llittered with trash and the language of these kids on school grounds and at school events if unchecked. Please explain all that away Mr. Fischer. Mr. Fischer you are out of touch.

• "We have young people who are hurting and feel helpless, in their minds." (from the Rev. Benjamin K. Watts) 
• Connecting the Matthew Chew murder with "the hiring in the city of seven new firefighters and 20 new teachers, all of whom are white, speaker after speaker called upon the community to change things." City Councilor and Rev. Wade Hyslop said: "Our children need people they can look up to who look like them."

Corrective action

What we need are immediate remedial actions and long-term deliberations. The latter will be the purview of the large committee developed by the City Council.

The former should be in the form of effective prosecution of the accused, identification and disbanding of youth gangs connected with any illegal actions, consideration to implementing loitering and curfew ordinances, neighborhood watches and reports, surveillance cameras throughout the downtown areas and, especially, remedial actions by the school system to offer and to demand engagement by its charges.

Actions must have consequences. These are not "children." And they must learn that they will be either educated and productive members of a color-blind community or they are outlaws. That is their choice. And that is the responsibility of all of us.

READER COMMENTS

SHORETHING Posted - January 25, 2011 09:51 PM

The Day is censoring.

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Tony Cabral Posted - January 25, 2011 07:23 AM

Except for the a garden spot of the world comment,the only garden spot in New London I know of are the south,Ocean,Montauk and Pequot Avenue neighborhoods Doc, Dr. Sprecace has told it like it is.

It all really is about bad parenting and bad schools when you come right down to it and the reason New London schools are bad is because too many New London parents don't care about their child's education.The nonchalant uninterested attitude a kid has in any school is learned at home.I lived in New London for several years.When it came time for me to decide if my kids would attend New London High School, on several ocassions I intentionally would count 10 kids to the group walking home from New London High School and remembered how many were carrying books or book bags.The average was three and almost always girls. Needless to say I did not want them in that atmosphere.

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Darwy Posted - January 25, 2011 06:16 AM

"Our children need people they can look up to who look like them."

What, the residents of New London are aliens? They've got 4 arms and 6 legs?

We're all human. We all look like each other. A positive role model is a positive role model IS A POSITIVE ROLE MODEL. Race should NOT be a factor at all!

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concerned waterford citizen Posted - January 25, 2011 12:38 AM

To Rev Hyslop, mom always taught me to lock up to Jesus and from what I gather I look nothing like him

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aparent Posted - January 24, 2011 06:36 PM

It's all GW Bush's fault. (somehow I bet there is someone out there who does believe just that)

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Dan G. Posted - January 24, 2011 03:29 PM

Mr. Sprecace, I think you've done a good job here, telling it the way it should be told. I would say, however, that the schools aren't failing our children, but that our politicians and lawyers are failing our schools. Students have so many rights in school, that teachers can't discipline students so that a teachable atmosphere can be achieved. Ask most teachers and they say that they would run the schools in a completely different way. The problem is that we live in a litigeous society. Schools cave in, to avoid a lawsuit. You should know this, you sat ona BOE.

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tag57 Posted - January 24, 2011 01:08 PM

Thank you Dr. Sprecace for a wonderful article.

Rev Hyslop, please don't make stupid comments like "Our children need people they can look up to who look like them". REALLY??? Are you kidding me? That is not only a stupid statement, it's another excuse.

Schools make excuses for kids that act out - grade schools give hugs and offer counseling because they don't want to "hurt" anyone. Everyone must be politically correct so we don't "hurt" anyones feelings. It's ridiculous. Bottom lining it is let's face it, there are parents who are rotten at their job - who raise children with no morals or integrity and who really don't care what happens to them. You know, someone else will take care of it -not my problem syndrome. There are so many good kids out there who don't steal, rape or murder. Kids from all walks of life - kids who have had it hard - but end up becoming successful because one or both of their parents or another adult in their lives have taken responsibility for raising and mentoring them. Coming from a poor or divorced family doesn't give you the right to murder or harrass people on the street or anywhere for that matter.

Parents wake up and smell the coffee. YOU are responsible for your kids. YOU are responsible for them growing up to be respectful, law abiding citizens. Stop trying to blame everything under the sun on someone or something else. Parents you need to be accountable and stop the madness. This problem is not going away - it's only going to get worse - God help us all.

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Me0818 Posted - January 24, 2011 01:07 PM

Dr. Sprecace, you are most articulate. Thanks for saying what needs to be said. Unfortunately, ALL of this will stay in the blogs and never been seen in print media, where it would get the most circulation. And soon, the blogs will likely be shut down and labeled racist. Unfortunate. The only way through a problem is to acknowledge it first. Black leaders have done their youth a disservice by NOT speaking out against these atrocities. They deserve more.

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STATELAX Posted - January 24, 2011 12:56 PM

A responsible opinion! Very refreshing considering that "The Day" likes to find any and everyone, including their own staff, to make excuses for those who the article is written about. Parental guidance and family structure that emphasizes love, learning, goals, morality and personal character makes for stronger, law abiding individuals when they are adults (for a majority of the time)...Thank you Mom and Dad, I would not be the person I am today without these principles...

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RickM1373 Posted - January 24, 2011 12:23 PM

Censor_This, they do have a plan, sign parental rights over to their parents or grandparents

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Rlee Posted - January 24, 2011 12:06 PM

"The former should be in the form of effective prosecution of the accused"

Good idea.

"identification and disbanding of youth gangs connected with any illegal actions"

Obviously, they should be put in separate cells.

"consideration to implementing loitering and curfew ordinances"

Not necessary. Police can already investigate youth gangs that are roaming streets late at night as suspicious.

"neighborhood watches and reports"

Good idea.

"surveillance cameras throughout the downtown areas"

The crimes were both caught on camera already. Should the city install roving cameras downtown to surveil individuals and groups?- No. Not without specific warrants. Why not install cameras on every street, not just downtown?- doesn't everyone deserve equal protection? Property owners, including the city, have a right to monitor their property for activity; but the city has no authority to set up a surveillance system "downtown", or anywhere else in the city.

"and, especially, remedial actions by the school system to offer and to demand engagement by its charges"

I don't even know what this means.

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--Robert Posted - January 24, 2011 12:00 PM

I said it before and I'll say it again: A big problem, maybe the biggest problem, with the culture that spawned these young murderers and thugs, is that there isn't anyone capable of holding anyone accountable, in some families.

In 1994, kids a lot like the ones we are talking about (maybe older, maybe younger) were giving birth to this generation of kids. Think these were responsible parents, able to provide a loving supportive home?

Do you think these kids are listening to messages about birth control? Do you think they are hearing family-planning and safe-sex messages? Or do you think they are too cool for that, and in 2028 there will be a new generation of murderous 17 year old thugs?

Sorry if the facts of the situation sting a bit for some of those involved. I know that everyone's situation is different. I know that some parents try very hard.

But people with attitudes like this are growing up on the streets around me. They have assaulted and murdered people I know. These actions are unacceptable and we must talk about it to prevent this dysfunction from spreading further throughout our society.

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Dogfish Posted - January 24, 2011 11:50 AM

Censor_This & Bigmouth: 1000% RIGHT! Thank you for taking the time to spell it out.

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Censor_This Posted - January 24, 2011 11:24 AM

It is both amusing and disgusting to read the "Reverend" Hyslop's inane comment about this criminal scum,"Our children need people they can look up to who look like them."

The conclusion I draw from that is apparently he feels that he, Rep. Hewitt, and the Rev. Watts are not good role models. I would have to agree with him, especially since they are clearly more interested in making pathetic excuses for these budding sociopaths than protecting society. Hopefully New London voters will wake up this Fall and give the good Reverend his walking papers.

Perhaps it is not fair to lump the invisible Rep. Hewitt with the Reverends, since, as always seem to be the case in time of crisis, Mr. Hewitt has disappeared. Perhaps The Day could send a reporter to the casinos to seek him out, that is where I most often run into him.

While I agree with most of Dr. Sprecace's column, I must disagree that the schools failed these monsters. While they are far from perfect, the New London schools offer all children the opportunity to learn. As the parent of a successful student in the NL schools, I see the difference between those who do well and those who are headed for failure. It is the family, or lack of one, that is the primary difference. Watch the kids leave New London High some afternoon. Many carry a bulging back pack or book bag, while many others dance home empty handed. Any parent with a lick of sense or who gave a darn would pick up on that immediately.

The real problem is the social programs that encourage and enable teenagers to have kids they cannot support or raise. It is time to cut those programs off. You get pregnant at 15, you and the baby daddy better have a plan, otherwise you and the baby are going to starve. Tough, yeah, but in the end it will lessen the sum of human misery. If the two evil sociopaths who stabbed Matthew Chew had been left to starve as babies, an innocent man would be alive today. Or perhaps, had their parents had to struggle to survive, instead of having free food and housing handed to them as a reward for misbehavior, they might have demanded more from their offspring.

We must cease rewarding bad behavior. We must also cease making excuses for it. It is a basic tenant of Christianity that we have free will; the Rev. Hyslop ought to be familiar with that fact. Those six young men made their choice freely. They chose to brutally murder a young man who they did not know, who presented no danger to them, who was helpless to defend himself. If we lived in a rational society they would be promptly executed, just as we would swiftly put down a rabid animal.

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NLG Posted - January 24, 2011 10:06 AM

DOGFISH-

Of course it race related. What have you been reading for the last year. Choose not to be part of the problem. I suggest we remove there spare time and utilize the convicted, when the town (city) needs them. Violators of all colors can do this:

1. Wear a florescent green and orange striped vest (Never to be removed while on duty) and shovel city property sidewalks, park walkways, and senior housing areas. Motorized scooters have difficult time getting around to doctors offices and supermartkets

2. Mop floors in school gyms. Kids are sliding all over the floors during gym and recreation events.

3. Riverside park, Bates wood, and all city property in and out of neighborhoods could use a huge clean up.

4. AT NIGHT- Thursday to Monday- Clean firehouses, clean fire, police and city owned and leased vehicles. They should be supervised by the employed workers and custodians.

Just my opinion and I am sure someone else has more creative ideas

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D Posted - January 24, 2011 09:16 AM

This is great, but does not quite hit the nail squarely on the head. For too many years we have made excuses for people, created programs designed to circumvent an existing system deemed "unfair" and to provide work around's, quotas, etc.

Recently, the Day and others supported yet another equity work around in Fire Department hiring...

Here is the truth, there are no short cuts in life. The day and usefulness (if it ever was useful) of affirmative action is passed. We need one set of standards. We should make no exceptions, if you go to school, you must pass, you must conform to the rules and if you cannot or will not you fail. Teach this lesson early, unless and until we stop giving folks a free ride, a second chance...extra help they will continue to expect it. The end result is a group of teens who think they are above the law, above the rules of society. Even still people are making excuses for the teens involved in these crimes...

It is not their being poor, or their being minorities that caused this, it is that they, their parents and their grandparents were never held accountable, they don't know the meaning of the word...

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Bigmouth Posted - January 24, 2011 09:09 AM

Part of the problem these kids doing and acting how they want with no consequence is that they are not first generation punks. Most of them come from parents who are also punks and so were the grandparents. It is a mindset they inherited from self indulged parents and grandparents. Each generation get a little more out of control, and the court system gets a little bit more lenient. In the old days, courts and jails were run to keep the trash off the streets. In today's thinking, the courts and jails are more concerned with rehabilitation than punishment. The courts don't want to step on some punks rights, but have no problem looking the other way as to what this is doing to the rest of the people who have to live with this nonsense all around them and their children who are decent law abiding contributing members of any town or city. It is time to take off the kid gloves and treat these misfits as they treat other. That is with no emotion and no chances. Remove the problem child, and the other children will feel safer and be able to achieve their potential without always looking over their shoulders.

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John Yannacci, Sr. Posted - January 24, 2011 09:07 AM

itzakt.

I believe that there are many people who believe as Dr. Sprecace states. There are factors though that keep them from being open about them. Most people who write in these blogs do not use their real names because they fear repercussions from others. In America, you are no longer free to have your own opinion, you are only free to have an opinion that the main stream media and the liberals agree with. I, on the other hand, have no reason to fear any of them.

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Doug Posted - January 24, 2011 08:58 AM

Good comments but I feel most fall short of what I feel may be the underlying problem. When you depend on others, (such as Government)to correct your problems you become very complacent. You continue to want others to solve problems that are within your power to solve. You also start blaming others for all your whoa's. Parents need to reclaim their respect and teach this to their children. I do not like to bring religion into the answer but if most of these young folks understood the Golden Rule, Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, I feel this would solve most of the problems out there.

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DRRTones Posted - January 24, 2011 08:58 AM

I agree with most of what Dr. Sprecace stated in his column, especially the last paragraph. I also found it interesting that the community panel formed to address the problem does include a former gang leader, it doesn't include a police officer nor a victim of these thugs. Maybe the victim could convey the amount of fear (stress) they have caused, although I don't really think the thugs will care.

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Gossip Posted - January 24, 2011 08:39 AM

these violent events are the consequences of cultural 'inaction', over years.

had the parent/s the ability (without liabiity) to dish out some whooopa.s.s. to the kids like we used to get, might it be different?

today we dish out the 'consequences' after careful deliberation, fact finding, investigation, lawyerspeak, and juvenile jail care often over the course of years. long past the actual event.

years ago, if the kids misbehaved, even slightly, they had to serve their behinds up, no later than the end of the day, to a good belt whippin/hand spanking by a parent or other. the message was easily connected to the bad behavior, and the learning process was effective. rapid justice, fairly dispensed (by a loving hand ;-)), and very cost effective too!

and i'm not talking child abuse either, thats an entirely different category.

argue all your selves to the death about spanking, but immediate enforcement of rules IS EFFECTIVE.

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momof2kds Posted - January 24, 2011 08:31 AM

Bravo! Finally - someone who is telling it like it is! Thank you, Dr. Sprecace, for writing this. I know many who feel the same way, but have to put it in writing. We, as parents, have to be the role model for our children, and not put blame on other community members when our parenting fails.

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newlondonfan Posted - January 24, 2011 08:31 AM

Enforcement is one piece. All of our youth need at least one caring adult in their lives to guide them. Be a mentor. Find out more about being a mentor on Thursday, 5-7 p.m. at Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School.

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itzakt Posted - January 24, 2011 08:31 AM

It is sad because there are to few people who think like Dr. Sprecace. As far as the race card goes, some of these ''reverends'' sound like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson clones.

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morton Posted - January 24, 2011 08:16 AM

How refreshing.

George Sprecace for Mayor!

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e pluribus unum Posted - January 24, 2011 08:04 AM

Such wise words and yet they are common sense. He is only saying what, until recent decades, any American would have said about raising kids and right and wrong.

"Political correctness" should not be taught in the schools, tippy-toeing around everything lest someone else, of a special interest group, is offended (by the truth). All cultures are NOT equal, otherwise we wouldn't have onslaughts of people trying to escape the tyrannical cultures of their birth to come here.

America is a special place but is only one generation away from becoming like too many other countries if we are not vigilant to work hard at maintaining it. With freedom comes responsibility.

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John Yannacci, Sr. Posted - January 24, 2011 08:02 AM

Be careful, Dogfish, Kathleen Mitchell gets very uspet if someone uses the words, "race card." Even if it's true.

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Dogfish Posted - January 24, 2011 07:04 AM

Couldn't agree more. Finally someone who makes sense.

"Our children need people they can look up to who look like them." Really? Sounds like someone's playing that old tired race card again. How embarrassing to be "represented" by someone who would make such an idiotic statement.

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Kenneth R. Lewis Posted - January 24, 2011 06:35 AM

Accountability! That will not happen in New London under the present leadership and structure of the city.

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WtfdPhil Posted - January 24, 2011 05:52 AM

Wow! Someone who tells it like it is.

THE FUTURE OF HEALTH CARE DELIVERY IN U.S.A.

Facts…and Musings – gleaned from Readings, 2010 and 2011

 George A. Sprecace, M.D., J.D.

• Overturning ObamaCare (ACA) and substituting what is Needed!
• Existing shortage of M.D.’s to worsen with ObamaCare.
• The role of “Physician Extenders”
• My critique of the book: Partners in Health”.
• Changes in payment for medical care with ACA
• “Practice Guidelines” and the falsely low esteem accorded to Clinical Experience: “Low-Level Evidence”, according to the Academic world .
• Government to “start small” with “Essential Benefits”.
• Poor protection for “whistleblowers”…but there are Qui Tam actions….
• Anticipated increased demand for health care with increased coverage, but dependent on cost and government subsidies.
• The importance of Coordination of Care, by any willing physician, together with comprehensive care.
• Where acute care is mainly sought and received.
• “Death Panels”…and the Truth!
• Employers and Health Care coverage: their reactions and actions.
• Ranking of (and On) U.S. Health Care system in the world.
• Peer Review Immunity.
• Medical Home models – and Specialists.
• The unconstitutionality of ObamaCare: two examples.
• Society’s record on “fixing” society’s problems.
• “Sicko” is sick.
• Docs and Hospitals disgruntled.
• The Massachusetts experience to date.
• Opting out of Medicare….
• Medicare’s Actuary…Truth vs Spin. (WSJ editorial)
• The AMA: the good, the bad and the ugly.
• ObamaCare guts Medicare to pay for itself.
• New government interest in fraud, abuse, withholding of necessary care for profit, and anti-trust considerations, including with relation to Accountable Care Organizations (ACO).
• Accountable Care Organizations and “capitation”.
• ACO’s: Who’s in charge?
• My review of book by Robert Linden, M.D.
• My review of article by Frank Maletz, M.D.
• My comments and reactions re. L&M Retreat, June, 2010.
• Saying “I’m Sorry”.
• Representing M.D.’s in disciplinary actions.
• Peer Review.
• “Never Events”…not really.
• Hospital / MD Staff Integration: opportunities, problems and pitfalls.  “Win-Win, or “Lose-Lose”.
• ObamaCare and the expected explosion in litigation.
• Why Medicare Matters!
• Federalism and Health Care Reform: the role and initiatives of States
• Genetic Testing, Genomic Medicine…and the Law.
• Illicit Drugs: time for legal reform?
• ACA and Primary Care: Promise and Peril.
• Assisted Suicide vs Advanced Directives – and the Law.
• ACA and changes in Tax Law.
• ACA and great increase in Medicaid rolls.
• Political campaigns and donations: The U.S. Supreme Court speaks.
• The continuing saga of SGR.
• Private Practice Physicians and Anxiety/ Depression: their greatest challenge.  
• Hospital Hutzpa: its greatest risk. 
• ACO’s.  Much more to come.

GS:   About 50% of health care needs are life-style related.  Until that changes, Health Care is not an entitlement or a right.

About 30% of health care costs relate to Defensive Medicine, fueled by the threat of Medical Mal-practice suits and their abuse.  Until Medical Mal-Practice reform occurs, that will not change.

• "Departing Schools Chief":'We Weren't Bold Enough'", by Javier C. Hernandez, NYTimes Sunday December 26, 2010, pCt 1;
• "Accountability Is Working In Florida Schools", by Jeb Bush, WSJ Monday Jan. 3, 2011, pA17;
• Education Lobby Should Consider Its Product As Its Top Priority", by Dick Ahles, The Day (www.theday.com), Saturday Jan. 15, 2011, pA4.  

• "Brrrr: It's Global Warming".  Whatever the explanations offered by scientists, the world climate is suddenly changing and bringing with it serious and at times catastrophic results: floods, deserts, famine, pestilence, uprisings, wars....No, I am not an "End of the World" man.  But all of this certainly captures my attention and galvanizes me to action. 
  
• The world can no longer feed its growing population with current methods.
• "Religious Wars" are again raising their Satanic heads.
• The world industrial economy, totally dependent on a ready and affordable supply of Oil for its survival, is now in jeopardy...a "Crude Awakening" as described in a documentary of the same name. 
  
• The disparity between rich and poor, and even between the self-sufficient and those whose historic means of livelihood have disappeared, grows daily with no clear indication of how to restore any balance. 
  
• In Health Care, we can do more and more...but can afford it for fewer and fewer...leading inevitably to some form of rationing / prioritization that will be very painful in creation and implementation.  
• As the pressures increase on mankind, and with the poverty of educational quality that has eliminated for so many the opportunity to learn from past experience, the hind-brain kicks in with its blind quest for hedonistic pleasures and for violent advantage over fellow man.  

Subject: New Ford Plant in Brazil, why everything is going overseas

• "The Arizona Tragedy and the Politics of Blood Libel", by Glenn Harlan Reynolds, Opinion, pA17; 
• "Murder in Tucson", Editorial, pA16. 
  

Palin charges critics with 'blood libel'

Sarah Palin released a video statement Wednesday calling the rush to pin blame on conservatives for the shooting in Tucson, Ariz., a “blood libel.”

“Acts of monstrous criminality stand on their own,” she said. “They begin and end with the criminals who commit them.”

In the eight-minute video, Palin says, “Especially within hours of a tragedy unfolding, journalists and pundits should not manufacture a blood libel that serves only to incite the very hatred and violence they purport to condemn. That is reprehensible.”

Palin’s use of the charged phrase “blood libel” — which refers to the anti-Semitic accusation from the Middle Ages that Jews killed Christian children to use their blood to make matzo for Passover — touched off an immediate backlash.  (see: Full text of Sarah Palin's statement)

“The blood libel is something anti-Semites have historically used in Europe as an excuse to murder Jews — the comparison is stupid. Jews and rational people will find it objectionable,” said Hank Sheinkopf, a New York-based Democratic political consultant and devout Jew. “This will forever link her to the events in Tucson. It deepens the hole she’s already dug for herself. … It’s absolutely inappropriate.”  (see: The Arena: Palin's 'blood libel' defense fair?) 

It’s not certain that Palin even knew the historic context of the phrase, which was used by Glenn Reynolds in a Wall Street Journal op-ed on Monday and has been picked up as a rallying cry by the right in their effort to pushback over the blame-casting by the left over the attemped assassination Saturday of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.)

What is clear, though, is that her used of such a loaded phrase has all but overwhelmed the rest of her message.

“By using those words she failed to rise above and focus on the victims,” said former Bush press secretary Ari Fleischer. “It was a mistaken approach, though I don’t think offensive on religious grounds.”

And it couldn’t have happened at a worse time for conservatives.

The furious counter-attack on the right against the notion that conservatives were somehow responsible for the tragedy had been galvanized by respected figures as George F. Will and Charles Krauthammer, who each wrote compelling columns; a CBS poll released Tuesday night showed that 57 percent of Americans didn’t think that the country’s harsh political tone had played a role in the shooting; and, most important, there was mounting evidence that the gunman was a deeply disturbed young man who was not motivated by conventional political grievances.

But in her first extended response to the shooting - and just hours before President Barack Obama planned to speak at a memorial service in Tucson - Palin created a frenzy.  (see: Obama hopes for healing in Arizona)

It was chiefly because of her use of “blood libel,” but also because she used the video largely to make an unapologetic case for her brand of confrontational politics.

Though some “claim political debate has somehow gotten more heated just recently,” Palin said, it has always been “heated.”

“When was it less heated?” she asked. “Back in those ‘calm days’ when political figures literally settled their differences with dueling pistols?”

“In an ideal world, all discourse would be civil and all disagreements cordial. But our Founding Fathers knew they weren’t designing a system for perfect men and women. If men and women were angels, there would be no need for government. Our Founders’ genius was to design a system that helped settle the inevitable conflicts caused by our imperfect passions in civil ways. So we must condemn violence if our republic is to endure.”

Palin said that “America must be stronger than the evil we saw displayed last week.” 
(see: Arizona to Obama: Rise above the 'vitriol')

“We are better than the mindless finger-pointing we endured in the wake of the tragedy,” she added. “We will come out of this stronger and more united in our desire to peacefully engage in the great debates of our time, to respectfully embrace our differences in a positive manner and to unite in the knowledge that, though our ideas may be different, we must all strive for a better future for our country.”

Before posting the video, Palin had said little about the shooting. She released a brief message on Saturday afternoon expressing her condolences to the families of Giffords (who at the time was incorrectly reported to have died) and the other victims.

Her only other remarks were in a brief e-mail exchange with Fox New host Glenn Beck. “I hate violence. I hate war. Our children will not have peace if politicos just capitalize on this to succeed in portraying anyone as inciting terror and violence,” she wrote to Beck, who read her statement on the air.

SarahPAC Treasurer Tim Crawford told POLITICO the Palin camp chose to release the video because Palin wanted to redirect media attention back to the tragedy and away from the raging political blame game. (see: House rolls out Gabrielle Giffords resolution)

“She is her best spokesperson by far,” said Crawford. “She had things she wanted to say.”

Palin warned against any efforts to limit free speech, saying, “We will not be stopped from celebrating the greatness of our country and our foundational freedoms by those who mock its greatness by being intolerant of differing opinion and seeking to muzzle dissent with shrill cries of imagined insults.” (see: Beck, Limbaugh respond to shooting)

She noted in the video that less than a week after the shooting “another member of Congress announced that he would propose a law that would criminalize speech he found offensive.” (see: Tragedy marks turning point for Palin)

That was an apparent reference to Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), who has said there may be a need for revised standards for talk shows on TV and radio.

“I came up in a time that the Fairness Doctrine did not allow media outlets to say things about a candidate or a person in public office without giving that person equal time to respond,” he told NPR on Monday. “And I really believe that everybody needs to take a look at where we are pushing things and may need to take a serious step back and evaluate what’s going on here.”

Meanwhile, former Nevada Republican Senate candidate Sharron Angle is blasting those blaming her for inciting the Arizona shooting, saying the accused shooter went off the deep end long before the tea party movement started. (see: Angle defends herself, tea party)

In her first comments — coming three days after the shooting — Angle said in a harshly worded statement that her critics were “dangerous and ignorant.”

“Expanding the context of the attack to blame and to infringe upon the people’s constitutional liberties is both dangerous and ignorant,” she added. (see: War of words rages on)

“The irresponsible assignment of blame to me, Sarah Palin or the tea party movement by commentators and elected officials puts all who gather to redress grievances in danger.”

She added, “Finger-pointing towards political figures is an audience-rating game and contradicts the facts as they are known — that the shooter was obsessed with his twisted plans long before the tea party movement began.” (see: Loughner’s supremacists tie debunked)

Andy Barr and Jonathan Martin contributed to this report.

• The shooting in Tucson is certainly a tragedy for the nation.  Despite our violent national history, we are not supposed to solve political problems that way.  Our divisions at this time are deep; but all the more reason to monitor and measure our discourse.  And in this regard, there is ample opportunity to assess blame on all sides of the political spectrum.  For eight years of vituperation, I feared for the life of then-President George W. Bush.  Words matter, particularly for the many unstable and drugged people among us. Be careful. 
  
• Meanwhile, don't talk to me about "gun control" for law-abiding citizens. One such armed citizen in that gathering in Tucson could have greatly reduced the carnage. 
  
• And it is emblematic that this shooting took place in Arizona, a State that has been severely criticized and even sued by the Federal Government for exercising its constitutional State's rights to protect its borders and its citizens under its Police Powers from a veritable invasion from Mexico. What stupidity.  Yes, I mean you, Attorney-General Holder and President Obama. 
  
• Regarding the Immigration problem, Senator McCain has it exactly right: first secure the border, including with our military.  Then devise a comprehensive solution based on the facts on the ground today.  And stow the crap about "amnesty".
  
• Regarding our military establishment and especially its "grunts", Secretary of Defense Gates appears to have succumbed to the condition popularly called "Folie a Due": catching the psychiatric illness of his charges.  How else to explain his attack on the health benefits of the rank and file while tolerating the wasteful excesses of the "Military/Industrial Complex" which surround him. And what about the perpetual stonewalling of assistance for exposure to Agent Orange or for PTSD, or for the massive delays in awarding disability benefits to those whose who earned them?  A good man; but "get thee to a shrink".
• Regarding our Welfare State, let's get back to individual responsibility rather than to a sea of "entitlements".  And Social Security and Medicare are not entitlements; they were earned by their recipients. Neither is Health Care an entitlement...not when 50% of all medical illnesses are life-style related.  Help yourself...and then we'll do the rest. 
  
• Regarding Wall Street, it cannot be trusted, simply because it operates under different Commandments from the rest of us.  So, effective regulation and oversight must be a given. 
  
• As we approach a critical election in 2012, we must guarantee that every vote counts...and that all fraud in voting is eliminated.  In recent elections there have been too many credible breaches of those basic principles on which our democracy depends. And if the public at large loses faith in that foundation of our freedom, watch out!

Keep politics out of end-of-life discussion - The Day

The issue, which in no way should be controversial but remains so, surfaced again this past week when The New York Times reported that starting this year Medicare will reimburse physicians who discuss with patients their options and preferences for end-of-life care. The discussions will be part of a patient's annual Medicare "wellness visit."

This has led to accusations in some political corners that the Obama administration is accomplishing through regulation a policy it could not obtain in the health care bill. Section 1233, adopted by the House but dropped from the final health bill, allowed Medicare to pay for consultations about end-of-life issues.

Some conservatives expressed fears such counseling would pressure elderly patients to forgo care and hasten death in the interest of reducing medical costs. Former Alaska governor, former Republican vice presidential candidate and current TV celebrity Sarah Palin notoriously referred to them as "death panels."

In reality, there were never any panels planned, never mind death panels. But the scare-mongering worked politically and it stuck. A recent poll by the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation found 30 percent of Americans 65 and older said they believe the new health care law allows a government panel to make decisions about end-of-life care for people on Medicare.

Quite the contrary - the intent of the language stripped from the bill, and the goal of the new regulation is to provide patients greater empowerment. The rights of the individual to determine his or her destiny should be a core Republican value, but apparently not as important for some as politically undermining the president.

Thankfully, the protests are fewer and less zealous than during the health care debate.

The latest regulation actually flows from legislation signed by President George W. Bush in 2008 that allowed end-of-life planning to be part of a patient's "welcome to Medicare" exam. Health care reform transformed the welcome visit into an annual wellness visit, with discussions about how the patient would want to handle a future medical crisis as part of the continuum of care.

When faced with a potentially fatal disease, the goal is to cure it. But at some point, that option may end, and the issue becomes prolonging life. A patient's priorities may then shift to other goals, such as having quality time, minimizing pain and having the opportunity to die at home surrounded by loved ones. Utilizing every medical option to squeeze out a few extras days, only to die attached to machines in a hospital, is not the end many prefer.

As uncomfortable as it may be, the time to discuss these matters is earlier, not under the stress of a crisis and not leaving it to others to guess what the patient would want.

The National Catholic Bioethics Center, which would never be accused of having a liberal agenda and consults regularly with the Vatican on medical ethics, recommends individuals create an advance directive, also known as a living will, which states the patient's wishes with respect to aggressive medical treatment.

This is not about rationing care or hastening death or euthanasia. It's about letting individuals manage a fatal illness and control how their lives will end. It makes sense that Medicare facilitates that planning.

• Keep your powder dry.  We aren't out of this Great Recession yet.  And we will not be back to "normal"...whatever that means in the future...for two or three years, if we're lucky.  
  
• To the Baby Boomers: Welcome to Senior Citizen status.  And by now you will have experienced for yourself: it never was all about You.  
• To the "children" in New London, Ct. whose "boredom" led a few of them to kill: READ A BOOK; GET BACK TO SCHOOL AND ACTUALLY PAY ATTENTION; GET OFF DRUGS; GET A LIFE.  You are owed nothing so far because you have invested nothing so far. 
  
• To all the good-hearted New Londoners who constantly keep asking "Why". It's because so many adults have abrogated their responsibility to children and to society: parents, the public school system, clergy, shlock psychologists, government at all levels, a judiciary that acts as social worker of last resort.  So, stop asking "Why" and do something about it, at all levels.  How about BACK TO BASICS...AND COMMON SENSE...FOR STARTERS.  
• During the next two years, we will see what Republicans and Tea Party common folk can do to right this severely heeling ship of State.  Either back to the center...or on to a Federal Constitutional Convention.  And of course: don't forget 2012!
• Now who is starting another Crusade?  Radical Muslims are targeting Christians throughout the world.  To my Muslim brothers: Islam is either peaceful or murderous; either tolerant or despotic; either Good or Bad.  You Muslims have to decide which you are...or else you will all be painted with the same brush by civil society...with terrible consequences for all of us. 
  
• War.  Wars have always been inevitable in the human condition.  They should not be interminable.  A war should be fought as quickly and brutally as possible, so as to end it as soon as possible.  But our wars in Iraq and in Afghanistan are being fought so as to render them interminable.  Has Donald Rumsfeld risen from his well-deserved political grave? So, in those areas of the world where our national interests are especially engaged - especially the Middle East - we should give the Pakistani and Afghan people an offer they can't refuse: cooperation and massive support...or devastation. Our sons and daughters are dying and being maimed there.  Mr. Commander-In-Chief, it must not be for nothing. 
  
• The Wikileaks fiasco has unearthed and promoted a recurrent movement in human history: anarchy and anarchists. Honestly, it's fun and reassuring to learn that our representatives at Foggy Bottom are not as stupid as they regularly seem to be in their public pronouncements.  But civil society and anarchy are mutually exclusive concepts. One must give way to the other.  At this time as in all prior times of decision, civil society must prove its right to survive by promptly and effectively suppressing anarchy and anarchists - including "with extreme prejudice".