Casting Aspersions

To the Editor:

As did Joe Bojnowski in his letter in The Newtown Bee [Misinformation Campaign Fails Court Test, April 20, 2007] let me begin this letter hiding behind the war in Iraq. In short, I am filled with shock and awe that Mr Bojnowski would be so unethical as to use his bully pulpit as an elected official to cast aspersions on a citizen and to publicly call that citizen a liar because that citizen questioned the wrongful actions of Mr Bojnowski and his fellow selectmen. What goes beyond the pale of this lapse of ethics is that Mr Bojnowski, not satisfied with insulting the taxpayer, does the unthinkable; he insults Mr DeAngelis’s nearly 70-year-old, partially disabled father, me. My goodness, my brothers and I are now considering putting our 92-year-old mother in the witness protection program lest Mr Bojnowski pen a withering attack on her for writing an opinion piece to the editor of her local town newspaper last November.

Mr Bojnowski accuses me, the father of Matt DeAngelis, of engaging in various nebulous activities in my town and that my son, Matt, is copying my behavior. Let me elaborate on some of the activities that are so upsetting to Mr Bojnowski: I proved in a legally obtained deposition that an elected town official lied under oath, twice. I was able to bring about the first budget referendum in modern times in town. The referendums are now in place permanently following budget meetings, and the political campaign we waged following the referendums brought about the highest voter turnout in Connecticut in 2005, for which we won an award from the Secretary of the State. In addition, in a three-year period we, a group of citizens, stopped a 380-condo development from being built in 57-acre pristine woodland. You bet I’m active, Mr Bojnowski, and I don’t doubt that I make politicians like you nervous. I’m proud of what I did in my town, and I’m even prouder of my son. Speaking of courage, Mr Bojnowski could have questioned me, to my face, but he failed to exhibit the very same courage that he claims to value so highly.

The day Americans stop speaking up because they fear retribution from politicians will be the day democracy ceases to exist in our country.

Pat DeAngelis

162 White Avenue, Middlebury                                         May 7, 2007