my thoughts and prayers go out to

the friends and family of u.s. army ranger Gabrielle Costello

Stamford soldier killed in Iraq
STAMFORD, Conn.—Stamford officials say a 26-year-old U.S. Army Ranger from the city has been killed in Iraq.
more stories like this
Fire Lieutenant Troy Jones told The Advocate of Stamford that Gabrielle Costello was killed in action Sunday. He says Costello's mother called the Glenbrook firehouse Thursday morning to tell people about her son's death.
Costello was a volunteer for the Glenbrook department. Jones says firefighters are stunned and are trying to absorb the news.
The Department of Defense has not announced Costello's death. Jones says Costello went into the Army in October 2004.
Costello is believed to be the first military member from Stamford to die in the war on terror. City native Barbara Heald was killed in Baghdad in 2005 while working a civilian job for the Army.................

this is odd odd odd indeed: i just read this (7:13 pm on 11/30)
Death Of Stamford Soldier A Possible Hoax
STAMFORD - The U.S. Army is trying to determine whether a report of a Stamford man killed in Iraq was a hoax.

Glenbrook Fire Department officials on Thursday said Gabrielle Costello, 26, a U.S. Army Ranger and member of the volunteer department, was killed in action in Iraq. The story was reported in The Advocate and other area news organizations.

There is no report of a U.S. Army Ranger killed in Iraq last weekend or any record of Gabrielle Costello -- or anyone with a similar name -- serving in the Army, said Shari Lawrence, deputy public affairs officer for the U.S. Army's Human Resources Command.
.................

i lived rather close to griswold drive

if the doctor abused some neighborhood kids (in the 60s and 70s) i am certain i may know some. this happens all of the time and i know many times children are NOT believed. as it turns out this was the case here. oh the doctor had his hand slapped all right but NO punishment. and let's see here. saint francis hospital bitches and moans about dispensing birth control AND the morning after pill (let's say for a RAPE) YET THEY TRIED (AND I BELIEVE SUCCEEDED) to have a further delving into the doctor (by the feds) stopped. what the f**k is wrong with this country? we protect a tiny little cell but we don't protect a full formed ACTUAL HUMAN CHILD? wth

to those that were molested by dr reardon (or anyone else), you are no longer victims, you are survivors.
Victims Come Forward After 50,000 Child Pornography Slides Found
At least 10 victims have come forward to police after more than 50,000 slides of child pornography were found in a West Hartford home that once belonged to a prominent doctor.
Police are now working with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to identify the victims in the images.
Police said evidence shows that the slides belonged to Dr. George Reardon, who practiced medicine at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center for over 30 years, serving as Chief of Endocrinology. Reardon died in 1998.
The slides were found when the new owners of Reardon’s home on Griswold Drive began renovating the basement and removing paneling. Reardon had lived in the Griswold Drive home for roughly 20 years. The family currently living in the home is the second owner since Reardon lived there.
A secret storage area was found filled with slides and video of child pornography.
Police said there were about 50,000 35 mm slides. There were also more than 100 8 mm video reels. Police said these were photos Reardon is believed to have taken..........

Police: Former Doctor Had Child Porn Stash
By DANIEL P. JONES AND HILDA MUÑOZ The Hartford Courant
................Reardon practiced medicine at St. Francis for 30 years. He resigned in 1993 after accusations that he had taken advantage of youngsters in his care since he was a medical student in the 1950s.The first two complaints to the state medical board were filed in 1987, but the state brought no charges against him until 1993, when the number of complaints had climbed to four. During the intervening years, neither the state nor the hospital moved to restrict his practice or to take precautions to protect young patients.................

why bother?

being an honest cop or a whistle blower that is. trying to do the right thing. seems like both governor jodi rell AND her lil' public 'safety' commissioner john a. danaher iii, are doing NOTHING to protect troopers who have been threatened and harrassed. from what the following article says, public 'safety' commissioner john a. danaher iii should HIMSELF be investigated and governor rell booted out of office. i, as a connecticut resident and YOU as connecticut residents should NOT accept this bullshite public 'safety' commissioner john a. danaher iii AND jodi rell are spouting.

i wish i could say i have your back (physicially) troopers matthews and pagoni but you work there and i work here. i DO have your back in spirit though. i'm also going to write a letter to both governor rell AND public 'safety' commissioner danaher. it appears the way you've been treated is a travesty. i'm also well aware of the story of the person in the aviation unit that's briefly mentioned in the following article. he's been written about before. if what has been reported is true, why he's still a trooper is beyond me

Officers Claim Retaliation
State Police Whistle-Blowers Allege Harassment; Attorney General Expresses Concern

By TRACY GORDON FOX Courant Staff Writer
Two of the principal whistle-blowers in a highly publicized investigation of the state police internal affairs unit are claiming that they are targets of retaliation for making complaints and that the attorney general's office is not adequately protecting them.The complaints of Sgt. Andrew Matthews helped trigger the investigation late last year that found, among other things, that internal affairs officers failed to address the misconduct of some troopers.......

.............A report released by Blumenthal in May found that Matthews was harassed, retaliated against and ostracized by high-ranking managers because of his claims against the agency. Blumenthal's investigation found that Matthews was not only subjected to a hostile work environment, but was punitively transferred around the agency, including to Brainard Airport in Hartford, which "posed a safety risk to Matthews" because some of the officers he had reported on work there.Matthews was again transferred to Brainard Airport on Nov. 1.Matthews' attorneys said sending him to Brainard is "an extremely hostile, possibly dangerous environment for him to be in," adding that there is still an active internal investigation at the airport "where a trooper in the aviation division threatened to shoot fellow officers and civilians."Blumenthal, after hearing that Matthews was transferred to an office at Brainard, which he had specificallyopposed, wrote a letter Nov. 1 to Danaher and Gov. M. Jodi Rell, urging them to re-evaluate the assignment. "My office lacks the legal authority under the whistle-blower statute to order state agencies to assign or reassign personnel," he said.Danaher replied on Nov. 6 that he had "never received any specific information that anyone has made any threat against Sgt. Matthews," but that he has attempted to address the officer's safety concerns. He said Brainard has keycard access and an office for Matthews with a separate lock and that any problems involving Matthews should be reported directly to him...........

operation elf

please think about donating (gift cards, grocery cards, pre-paid phone cards, toys, etc) to our deployed service members and their families. it's a way to give back to them

Governor Rell Kicks Off Operation E.L.F.
Governor M. Jodi Rell and the Connecticut National Guard today kicked-off this year’s special effort – Operation E.L.F. (Embracing Lonely Families) to help Connecticut servicemembers and their families during the holiday season.

“The holidays are usually a time for festive family get-togethers and celebrations. This year, many military families will spend the holidays worrying about and missing their loved ones who are on active duty,” said Governor Rell. “Many of our Connecticut servicemembers, in turn, are worried about their families back home........

Donations may be dropped off at the following armories beginning Monday, November 26, 2007 through Wednesday, December 12, 2007 between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. -

Army Aviation Support Facility Hartford State Armory
Bradley International Airport 360 Broad Street
Route 75 Hartford, CT 06105
Windsor Locks, CT 06096

Waterbury Armory New London Armory
64 Field Street 249 Bayonet Street
Waterbury, CT 06702 New London, CT 06320


Stratford Armory Manchester Armory
63 Armory Road 330 Main Street
Stratford, CT 06614 Manchester, CT 06040


Norwich Armory
38 Stott Avenue
Norwich, CT 06360

i personally am ALL FOR

quieting down both horns and music. let's say i'm at the half door let's say i'm outside. let's say that light (sisson and farmington avenues) is a mess. hey peeps if you get off 84 (exit 46) DON'T take a right to sisson and farmington. go down capital OR boulevard. IT'S QUICKER. i swear to you. if you don't heed my sage advice and take a right onto sisson DO NOT EFFING BEEP AT THE LIGHT AT THE CORNER OF SISSON AND FARMINGTON. IT'S A SHORT LIGHT. IT'S A BAD INTERSECTION. i don't want to hear you. KNOCK IT THE HELL OFF. let's say ALL sorts of honking goes on AND all sorts of HORRID LOUD MUSIC (what the hell are people thinking? i sure don't want to listen to their shite. i have my own BUT i'm courteous. i don't blare. how DARE they take up MY space with their bass speakers. it's so invasive and so rude.

Trying to keep the noise down in Hartford
by News Channel 8's Bob Wilson
Hartford (WTNH) _ Honking cars and loud music are just some of the sounds heard in the city of Hartford and tonight a public hearing was attended by residents begging for reprieve against the constant barrage of noise.
It was standing room only at Hartford City Hall as folks got their chance to sound off about the noise. Hyaciath Yennie says she has called the police more times than she can remember to complain.
"We are well into triple digits," Yennie said.
The City Council is looking to make a change to the current noise ordinance. Right now when officers are called to a noise complaint they have to measure the decibel level 100-feet away from the source using a noise meter. ......