In the summer of 2020, Westport was in a dark place.
COVID ravaged the country. Thousands of people died each day. We wore masks, and kept 6 feet apart as much as possible. Most entertainment venues were closed. Parks & Rec had removed the grills from Compo Beach.
Then came literal darkness.
On August 4, Hurricane Isaias roared through town. Power was out for over 5,600 customers.
Grove Point Road (Photo/John Kantor)
Without air conditioning or internet, Westporters gathered — socially distanced, of course — all around Jesup Green, to use the Library’s Wifi.
(Photo/Miggs Burroughs)
It took over a week for some residents to get back to what, in the summer of 2020, passed for normal.
The National Guard rolled in. (Photo/Sandy Rothenberg)
Today, it all seems like decades ago.
But anyone who lived through that summer will never forget it.
Hales Road. (Photo/Patricia McMahon)
Saugatuck Shores (Photo/News12 Connecticut)
Richmondville Avenue.
Saugatuck Avenue.
Compo Beach kayaks (Photo/Sandra Long)
Several days later, on Charcoal Hill Road. (Photo/Pat Blaufuss)
A welcome sight — finally.
Longshore golf course. (Photo/Brian Sikorski)
Pumpkin Hill Road at Colony Road, a few days later. (Photo/Christie Stanger)
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You’ll never see the National Guard or FEMA help again because Trump will eliminate FEMA and he’ll keep the national Guard helping ice deporting Citizens and people of color
That’s not accurate. The National Guard operates under both state and federal authority, and its missions are directed by governors unless federally activated. FEMA is established by law, and eliminating it would require an act of Congress. The National Guard’s mission is based on flexibility, which allows it to respond to many types of situations. When under state control, governors direct Guard missions, most often for disaster relief, riots, and other emergencies. Even when federally activated, the Guard operates within the law and cannot target citizens based on race or ethnicity. Stop believing everything you see on MSNBC.
DJT ordered 2000 National Guard troops into Los Angeles, despite the Governor of California opposing the activity. (They have since gone home.)
And re: FEMA, as we saw with the recent SCOTUS decision regarding the Department of Education, even if a Federal Department is established by Congress, DJT can effectively eliminate it by defunding it.
If you mean the June 2025 deployment, Trump acted within federal authority to send troops over Governor Newsom’s objections during the ICE protests. While rare, there is precedent for this. The deployment was temporary, and most Guard members returned within weeks, which is not the same as permanently repurposing them for immigration enforcement.
And as for FEMA, a president cannot simply “eliminate” it by defunding. Congress controls the federal budget, and dismantling a department or agency created by law requires congressional action. While a president can influence funding priorities, full defunding without Congress is not possible under the current system.
Our new friend A.I., reports that as of 8/8/25, the legality, lawfulness, and constitutionality of Trump’s National Guard deployment in Los Angeles remains a matter of ongoing legal debate and judicial review.
So the jury is still out on whether or not he acted legally and within his authority or not. Of course, he can always just fire the jury, the court, whatever it takes.
Glad to hear you’re watching MSNBC. I hear you can learn stuff just by watching and listening.
SCOTUS already okayed DLT’s dramatic defunding of the DOE under “it’s his department to management as he sees fit” logic. If he cripples a department and it remains in name only, you argument is completely disingenuous.
The Stratford National Guard was activated around March 1970 to deal with the Vietnam War protests.
I remember that because my brother was in the National Guard at that time. I do think it was before 1970 that he was called up during riots, however.
Not sure how the Vietnam War protests relate to this, but these days most Guardsmen serve part-time and balance civilian jobs unless there’s a real emergency.
The president lied and broke the law by his deployment of the national guard, claiming there was rebellion and an invasion. There was not. What there actually was were American citizens, that’s you and me, protesting illegal ICE kidnappings. In the UnitedStates, the police do NOT operate in secret, unidentified and with complete disregard for the due process and the rule of law.
Do your local police cruise through your town masked, unbadged and in unmarked vehicles disappearing people off the streets? Yeah, didn’t think so.
Russell, the President does have authority under federal law to deploy the National Guard in certain situations, even over a governor’s objections. While you may disagree with his assessment of the circumstances, that’s a political argument, not necessarily a legal one. Federal law allows the Guard to be used when there is civil unrest that interferes with the execution of federal laws or threatens public safety. The “rebellion or invasion” language comes directly from the Insurrection Act, which has been invoked by both parties in the past. Whether you believe the protests met that threshold is separate from whether the President had the legal authority to act.
And your point about masked, unbadged, and unmarked officers. Federal enforcement agencies like ICE are allowed and sometimes required to wear face coverings for safety, operational security, and to protect their identities. This is especially true during high-risk operations or protests where they could face retaliation. That doesn’t mean they’re “unidentified”. They’re still bound by federal law and internal accountability measures, even if they aren’t in standard uniforms. There’s no secret Gestapo roaming your streets, and this isn’t some prelude to you leading a underground resistance. Maybe read up on how the law actually works before you start LARPing as a partisan hero.
I saw plenty of footage of the los angles situation. Most of the city was completely unaware of the protests at the time because they occurring in a very small area of the city and very few people were actually involved. The situation deteriorated when law enforcement intervened.
Public protest is still legal in this county. It is not a crime to criticize the goverment in public.
The president is certainly allowed to respond to bonafide emergencies. He is certainly not permitted to make false claims of an emergency to the American people for any reason such as carrying out what would otherwise be an illegal act.
ICE has faced zero accountability for their abductions.
ICE illegally denies due process.
ICE uses unidentified uniforms, wear no badges, answer no questions, take their abductees away in unmarked vans and face no accountability for their actions. Hey, you called them gestapos, not me, but if the shoe fits…
But these things are indeed happening. Is that the America you signed up for? Not me.
Russell, your version of events leaves out a lot. The situation in LA wasn’t just “a few people in a small area.” Multiple incidents of property damage, assaults, and interference with federal operations occurred before the Guard was called in. Public protest is legal, yes, but destruction of property and attacks on law enforcement are not.
As for your “false claims of an emergency” argument, the President acted under the Insurrection Act, which allows federal intervention when unrest obstructs federal law or threatens public safety. That’s a legal question, not one you can settle by calling it fake.
And spare me the “abduction” nonsense. They’re acting under warrants and federal authority. Covering identifying info is a legal, standard safety measure to protect officers from retaliation and they still display agency affiliation. You’re not exposing some sinister secret; you’ve just watched too many bad WWII movies and should probably get back on your meds.
If you want a serious debate about the law or policy, fine. But stop dressing up your political opinions as facts and pretending your exaggerated dystopian fantasy is reality. If you don’t like what Trump’s doing, you are more than welcome to leave. Just don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
So glad to hear what they’re acting under, the problem is they’re ignoring due process (let me spell it out for you):
No person shall … be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law
Trump and company just ignored a court order to turn around and to return abductees immediately. You’re not acting legally if you think you can decide which court orders to ignore or which parts of the constitution they choose to ignore.
But seeing as how you’re out of ammo, I fully expect you to resort to another personal attack.
I’m done here.
You are correct, he cannot simply eliminate departments he don’t like, he don’t need to. He just nominates or installs incompetents to do the work for him and boy, have they delivered. It’s gotten so bad, even Trump had to fire the complete clown he installed at the IRS. Then there’s little Bobbie K.jr, plam Blondie, FBI Kash and his sidekick Dan, the incompetent at Education gal, etc…
“The Epstein files are right on my desk.”
There’s a growing cancer on the presidency.
I get you’re mad. It’s hard not to be when you’re stuck fighting the power like it’s Woodstock in the 60s and you’re still waiting for your revolution. Calling everyone clowns and incompetents doesn’t change the fact that running a government is messy and complicated. Every president faces problems with staffing. It’s not a conspiracy, just politics. If you want real change, maybe step out of the protest circle and focus on facts instead of recycling the same tired slogans. And about those Epstein files right on your desk, yeah, we’re all just waiting for that dramatic reveal.
Maybe you’re not waiting for the big reveal, but it’s the red meat the MAGA base has been basting in for years and now they want the goods. It is MAGA nation, not Woodstock nation, that will not take no for an answer.
So yeah, it would be a big reveal if the files showed the president is indeed a rapist and molester of children in addition to his multiple sexual assaults he has committed against dozens of adult women.
Russell, you’re parroting the same unproven accusations the media’s been feeding for years, packaging them like they’re facts. If there was real evidence, it wouldn’t be lost in Facebook comments, it would be front-page news. Instead, you’re spreading baseless smears disguised as truth. Your logic isn’t about seeking facts; it’s about pushing a politically biased narrative to demonize someone you don’t like. That’s not justice, it’s propaganda.
Not a clown? Ok, watch this and tell me what a more accurate word might be. Enjoy!
https://youtu.be/N87wW7BbbkU?feature=shared
Each appointee has stated their intent to close the agencies they are heading. Each is thoroughly unqualified to run those departments and deal with the hard job of running the federal government. Garbage in, garbage out.
I was intrigued when I saw ‘not a clown’…clicked on the YT link and was immediately disappointed it didn’t direct me to an Aaron Boone video.
You and me both, still disappointed (but honestly, not surprised) by Russell’s usual deflection. It’s a perfect case study of why some people really shouldn’t skip their meds.
Huh, it’s almost the Sox haven’t been playing .425 ball for most of the season and suddenly have bobbed up on the surface. I’m not worried, they’ll be sinking down to last place shortly as they have done many, many, times. Enjoy second or third place while it lasts.
Peter, My father was good friends with Sandy Mihalick in the 1960s when Sandy lived on South Turkey Hill. Did I already ask you if you were related to Sandy?
Jack,
Stop asking everybody if they’re related to other people. We’re all related because we’re all Westporters. You chose to move away and I was run out of town because I skipped too many classes at Staples and the WEA put a bounty on my head.
Wait… Eric…how much is the bounty? I have a friend who needs money. He’s so poor he paints his ankles because he can’t afford socks.
I was a teenager in August of 1954 when hurricane Carol hit and in 1955 we had back-to-back hurricanes Connie and Diane.
The posted pictures of 2020’s hurricane Isaias look so devastating
compared to what I remember. Of course, that was before the internet and 06880.
Only five years ago, but it seems like centuries. So much has happened since then!
This thread has run its course. It is closed to further comments. I’m sorry I didn’t shut it down earlier — right at the beginning, when a slightly tangential first comment led to many others.
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