you know i hang at plan b every once in a while

my REAL home is the half door their FIRST and BEST place (in my most humble opinion. i like it cause it's not chuck full of id-jit hipster* west hartford folk**)


Helen Ubiñas points out something rather ickky about the new restaurant next to plan b tavern in west hartford. to be honest i never really noticed the fence and i've never been inside taqueria tavern either. i smoke so i've seen the lovely cactus shaped ashtray at the taqueria (left over from the last joint). never ever noticed the fence though.



An Of(fence)ive Image, Intended Or Not
There were a good number of people eating outside Taqueria Tavern and the adjoining Plan B restaurant the other day, but no one seemed to pay much attention to the fence with metallic strips between the two eateries.

A reader had tipped me off about some curious decor at the new Mexican restaurant on Park Road in West Hartford, and suggested I go take a look.

So, I grabbed one of my more measured colleagues and while we waited for our food at an outside table we debated whether the fence was as offensive as the reader had said.

Could be a cattle fence, he reasoned.

Could be.

Or some rustic Tex-Mex take-off?

Maybe.

Or just some cheesy addition to go with the equally cheesy cigarette receptacle shaped like a cactus. Also a possibility.

But then I asked our waitress what the fence represented.

The liquor commission mandates a division between eateries, she said, while grabbing the check.

Oh, if only she had stopped there.

But she didn't. It's supposed to represent the border fence, she continued. Inside, she told us with cringing enthusiasm, they even have a sign, one side pointing to the U.S., the other to Mexico.........................

*hipster is my new favorite word
**i am west hartford folk but i am NOT a hipster nor am i trying to be one. i DO NOT own an suv. i do NOT own a designer dog. i do NOT need to see or be seen. i am NOT pretentious.

i'm all for free speech

except when it includes death threats or incites violence, harm or murder. one cannot THREATEN anyone without paying consequences. i'm more than pleased this gatsu piedi was arrested. although i must say i never listened to him. i did just listen to a bunch of stuff on youtube. i'm not going to post any of it though. just type in hal turner at youtube and a ton of stuff will come up. it's NOT pretty. i must add there are a LOT of crank callers out there getting in to him. that makes me smile a bit. he can fume and name call and say evil things all he wants. if you must listen to him, go on ahead. i don't understand it, but i won't stop you. HOWEVER if the threatens someone or asks someone else to cause violence or harm to others, HE MUST BE MADE ACCOUNTABLE.

Radio Host Hal Turner Charged With Inciting Injury To Two Connecticut Lawmakers
By DANIELA ALTIMARI |Hartford Courant
Radio host Hal Turner — accused of hosting a website that incited Connecticut Catholics to "take up arms" and singling out two Connecticut lawmakers and a state ethics official — was taken into custody in New Jersey late today after state Capitol police obtained an arrest warrant for him. Turner, who has been identified as a white supremacist and anti-Semite by several anti-racism groups, hosts an Internet radio program with an associated blog. Last week, the blog included a post that promised to release the home addresses of state Rep. Michael Lawlor, state Sen. Andrew McDonald and Thomas Jones of the ethics office. "Mr. Turner's comments are above and beyond the threshold of free speech," Capitol police Chief Michael J. Fallon said in an e-mail announcing the warrant. "He is inciting others through his website to commit acts of violence and has created fear and alarm. He should be held accountable for his conduct.".........


if his wiki entry can be believed, he sounds like a real 'prince among men dickwads


pic:

Radio host Hal Turner, shown during his broadcast over the Internet from his New Jersey home, was arrested in that state Wednesday on a warrant obtained by Capitol police in Hartford. Turner, who also hosts a blog, is accused of inciting his listeners and readers to "take up arms," and of singling out two Connecticut lawmakers and a state ethics official. (HANDOUT)

this happened in springfield in november

i didn't hear or read about it until right now. it's VERY disturbing in more ways than one.

the first of course being these men (allegedly) burned a predominantly african american church to the ground INJURING FIREFIGHTERS for good measure

the second is they are out on 100,000 bail. that seems VERYYYYYYYYYYYYY low to me., there was over 2,000,000 in damages done

the third being - the MAXIMUM they could get (if found guilty of course) is 10 years. that's the MAX. it is rare for anyone to get maximum sentences especially if you're a whiteboy

all because they were afraid when barack obama got elected to be OUR president. cowards. they are cowards

Three men indicted for burning black church on election night
Jeremy Gantz
Just hours after Barack Obama was elected president last November, three men set ablaze a predominantly African-American church in Massachusetts to "interfere" with the civil rights of its congregants, the U.S. Department of Justice said Tuesday.

Benjamin Haskell, 22, Michael Jacques, 24, and Thomas Gleason, 21, all of Springfield, Mass., burned Macedonia Church of God in Christ to the ground in the early hours of Nov. 5th as payback for the election of the country’s first African-American president, the department's indictment alleges.

The three men were released Monday on $100,000 bail each, the Springfield Republican reported, after spending 11 days in federal custody..........

the following article IS from november...
Black church in Springfield burns
Fire began hours after vote, prompting fears it was arson
By Milton J. Valencia
Globe Staf
A predominantly black church under construction in Springfield was destroyed by fire early yesterday, just hours after Barack Obama's landmark victory, triggering concerns that the building was purposely set ablaze in a possible hate crime. The blaze started at Macedonia Church of God in Christ at 3:10 and caused an estimated $2 million in damage.

Church officials pledged to rebuild, but the concerns that their building was targeted dampened a mood that had been so uplifted in the night of Obama's historic win to become the nation's first black president-elect.

"This was a special time in our nation's history, but I also know not everybody was happy and celebrating," said Bishop Bryant J. Robinson Jr., head of the church. "After 71 years of being an African-American, you know these things happen."

Located on King Street, the church was moving to the site at 215 Tinkham Road, where the fire occurred..........

pic: Firefighters worked to prevent the blaze in Springfield from spreading to houses. (Mark M. Murray/Springfield Republican)

you know i read this yesterday

and could only shake my head. one would think ANYONE with half a brain couldn't support someone like sarevil palin for political office. i mean the women is beyond ignorant AND let's face it, she couldn't name ONE periodical she has read in the past? listen, i'm being KIND to her here, especially only mentioning that ONE thing.

i mean the courant story NAMES NAMES and all. i'd be MORTIFIED if people actually knew i admired someone like sarevil (who really did stir up the racial pot more than ANYONE or ANYTHING else). well, it seems like daniela altimari is sort of actually GUSHING about sarevil, doesn't it? i don't see where she reports any racism or people insisting barack obama is something he's not or how there are MORE barack obama posts than sarevil ones........... hmmmmm

Sarah Palin Fans In Connecticut Hold On To Hope
By DANIELA ALTIMARI |The Hartford Courant

Sarah Palin lost the election, but to many, her light hasn't dimmed.

In fact, the Alaska governor, with her sassy, frontier-woman image and rock-ribbed, right-of-center politics, has become the repository for the hopes and dreams of conservative Republicans across the nation. Even here in liberal Connecticut, she has a devoted circle of fans.

"Most politicians say what they think people want them to say," said Melita Motherway, a 46-year-old mom and engineer from southeastern Connecticut. "She's different. She absolutely practices what she preaches."

As they set about restoring the shine to the national GOP's tarnished brand, many Republicans have seized upon Palin as the one who will lead them back to the win column, and help them endure the Barack Obama years............

......But supporters such as Motherway, Brislin and Trawick already have found an outlet for their pro-Palin activism. It's called TeamSarah.org, a social networking site with more than 60,000 members who are determined to stay connected and keep the conversation going...........

........Once on board, members can join groups: Rush Limbaugh Fans for Sarah Palin; Catholics for Sarah; and Pro Woman, Pro Life, to cite three examples. There are family pictures of the Palins. Husband Todd has a page of his own. And sprinkled throughout, there are personal testimonies from members about what they did to help Sarah. Praying for is her popular, especially following the arrest Thursday of Bristol Palin's boyfriend's mother.........


and then i came across this from larisa:
TeamSarah.org: where racists come to discuss "Christian values"

This is downright scary - TeamSarah.org - a bastion for those that evolution has left behind, including racists, anti-Semites, and the not so Christian Evangelical "end of times" crew. Oh, and of course the pro pre-life bunch too (anti-abortion is not what these people are... they are pro everything before and after life and the living). Here is Geoff Dunn describing this collective of the left behind in a HuffPo entry:

But what's interesting is that there are actually more blog topics about "Obama" than about "Palin." Of course, Obama's citizenship, birth certificate, and alleged Muslim upbringing are constantly questioned, along with his youthful drug use (though funny, Palin's admitted use of marijuana is not, and we won't even mention Levi Johnston's mother). There are also a lot of references to Obama being the anti-Christ: "He is the antichrist sent here to destroy America. Nobody knows who he is or where he was born."

And then there's some plain, downright nastiness and plenty of good ol' fashioned racism that, well, certainly doesn't sound Christian, if you catch my drift. When a blogger named James asks if anybody has bought the new Obama coins, SavantNoir responds: "[Y]es James, and i melted it down to see the look of agnoy on his face, made it a BB pellet and shot it into a pile of shit.".......

#1 ) i am shocked

that i didn't hear about this until NOW (the avon cop's emails and barack obama)

like i commented on andy's blog; the cool justice report i worked in avon for more than 1/2 of my life. i saw what i saw when i worked there (meaning i saw who got stopped and who didn't).

how can ANYONE with half a brain pass misinformation on (of the sort that was happening with barack obama). i saw people (on videos, i never saw one in person) foaming at the mouth to get a noose out (and i'm NOT exaggerating either). i saw certain other people (one of whom was sareveil) egg these neo-facist neo-nazis on.

do people REALLY think barack obama is the devil? i don't know. i KNOW SOME PEOPLE THINK I AM (really they do. i'm not just saying that to make a point for this story. i've written that about me before)

Court Documents: Schwapp v. Town of Avon

Avon Cops Forwarded An Obama Smear Before The Election

School To Jail Tracking System For People Of Color In Connecticut

Failing to obey the posted limit (colin's original posting)

Helen Ubiñas nails it

she nails it hard and she nails it so it ain't movin'. a great piece. it's short - READ IT
(some things are acceptable if you're white and the daughter or son of let's say a governor. some things are NOT acceptable if you're browner and the daughter or son of let's say a clerk at a discount store. think about this, what would those rightwingtips be saying if barack obama had a 17 year old and SHE was pregnant. if you don't think they'd rip him and her apart YOU ARE A FOOL)

A Family Values Exception For Pregnant Palin Daughter

Helen Ubiñas
I didn't get it; the way the young mothers refused to talk, how one lied about the baby girl in the stroller not being hers, and why the teenage couple who bluntly talked about the hardships of having a baby when you're just a kid yourself wouldn't go on the record.

It's their business, the young father told me. Why broadcast their lives? People will only judge.

But that's just it — I was there to tell him and all of the unwed, teenage Hartford parents I came across this week that this was a new day. No longer did they represent the face of shame. They were — thank you, Bristol Palin! — the new face of family values.

Didn't they hear?
No matter how hard I tried to share the good news though, they weren't buying it. And who could blame them — they knew better than to think that title would ever apply to them. Before Palin made having a baby at 17 the "tough and courageous" decision it has suddenly become, mostly what rained down on her poorer, darker counterparts was shame...........

what the hell is going on at ccsu?

first a 'satirical' piece on rape being fun (especially if you're ugly), then a 'cartoon' featuring a 14 year old grrrl LOCKED IN A CLOSET and urinated on (well they talked about urinating on her) and now this? is everyone going to say this is a harmless joke too, just like the other two 'jokes'?
Black Stick Figure Draws CCSU Campus Fury
While students at Central Connecticut State University headed home for winter break, campus police hoped they could catch a break and find the person or persons responsible for a hate crime.
It was in a bathroom at Barrows Hall where someone found a drawing clearly depicting a black stick figure being hanged. There is no tolerance at CCSU for such a blatant act of racism.
"I don't believe in it myself but we have 10,000 students here. There would have to be some of which are racist,"Rob Lamere, CCSU junior, said...........

evil rotten souls

that if there WAS a hell would be burning in it (i know that is not a correctly structured sentence. so? i'm on vacation what do you want? )
Fake CNN Website Tries to Frame Hispanic Group for Wildfires
Posted by Lindsay Beyerstein
.........This post, written by Lindsay Beyerstein, originally appeared on Majikthise
Speaking of fake news... Someone registered the domain name "cnnheadlienews" on Oct. 25 2007, to run a bogus news story alleging that Hispanic separatist group had claimed responsibility for setting the California wildfires.
The page is dummied up to look like a CNN web page. There's no other content on the site. A WHOIS search reveals that the page is registered to something called "Bleach Boy Manufacturing."........................

pauline basso is up for re election

i'd think twice about voting for her if that's what you plan on doing

how horrid is this?
Danbury politician apologizes for racist e-mails
by News Channel 8's Erin Cox
Danbury (WTNH) _ A Republican councilwoman from Danbury has sent an apology to the NAACP for sending racist e-mails to her friends.
News Channel 8 obtained copies of the offensive e-mails distributed by Pauline Basso. The e-mails take shots at illegal immigrants, Muslims and Africans.
"I'm just appalled. I can't believe someone who has a position as she does would do this," said Danbury resident Sonnie Council.
Rev. Ivan Pitts of the NAACP says, "We are outraged, deeply concerned and insulted."
In Danbury, undocumented workers have been a hot button issue.
"It is scary that someone in elected office is sharing these feelings," said Wilson Hernandez of the Ecuadorian Civic Center........

i don't like the idea of censorship

but i DO like the idea of people who are responsible. who treat women as equals. who treat people of all colors as equal. yes, people who have a sense of humor but also have a soul. when one is responsible for publishing a college newspaper, they really should think hard about publishing articles (even 'satirical' - their word NOT mine) stating rape isn't all that bad. especially for unattractive women (you know what happened earlier this year with THAT) AND about publishing articles about pissing on a young grrrl locked in a closet. (the grrrl in the 'cartoon' was latino. i am MORE concerned with the gender of the character than the ethnicity. of course that too is a factor). well think twice unless you go to kkk university. then i would understand (you know what i mean)

i want to know what these MEN are thinking. yes the person who wrote rape is fun had a dick (and IS a dick) and the person who is responsible for publishing THAT and THIS NEW 'cartoon' has a dick and IS a dick as well.

the cartoonist is unidentified (and NOT a student at ccsu) however, the EDITOR IS mark rowan and the RAPE IS FUN author is john petroski. i think we should ALL remember those names.
Cartoon Prompts Protests Against College Paper in Conn.
HARTFORD, Conn. The student-run newspaper at Central Connecticut State University is under fire for publishing a cartoon this week that critics call racist and sexist. The three-frame comic, titled "Polydongs," features two characters who mention locking a "14-year-old Latino girl" in a closet and urinating on her. It was published in Wednesday's edition of The Recorder, a weekly newspaper distributed free on campus. "We are outraged about this cartoon, which only dehumanizes women and especially Latino women," said Francisco Donis, a psychology professor and president of the university's Latin American Association. The Student Media Board met Friday to discuss the cartoon, and members of the Latin American Association and Latin American Student Organization planned to gather in a separate meeting to discuss their response. Some plan to seek the removal of student editor Mark Rowan and to take other steps to make the campus more welcoming to Hispanics and other minority groups. "A lot of Latinos don't feel very welcome here at Central," Donis said. "In the last few years, the environment here at Central has deteriorated." ..........

CCSU Student Paper Causes Stir With Comic
'Polydongs' Depicts Kidnapped Latina Locked In Closet

NEW BRITAIN, CT -- Central Connecticut State University students and faculty said Thursday they are livid over a controversial comic strip featured in the school newspaper, The Recorder.
The comic strip, dubbed "Polydongs," depicts explicit images surrounding the humiliation and degradation of a 14-year-old Latina girl. The paper printed a disclaimer saying it "does not support the kidnapping of (and subsequent urinating on) children of any age or ethnicity."
Said CCSU professor Katharine Hermes of the strip: "It's disturbing that it would appear as a cartoon, suggesting that there's something funny about this, although I couldn't find anything funny in it."


The comic is not the The Recorder's first brush with public outrage. Last February, an opinion piece was published detailing how less attractive and overweight women "may benefit" from being raped.
Many called for the resignation of the student paper's executive editor, Mark Rowan, though he is still at the helm./................

CCSU Cartoon Arouses Fury
By MATT BURGARD Courant Staff Writer
NEW BRITAIN - The campus newspaper at Central Connecticut State University, which came under fire earlier this year for printing a satirical article extolling the virtues of rape, is the target of angry protests again after it printed a comic strip this week that made reference to locking a teenage Hispanic girl in a closet and urinating on her.Francisco Donis, a professor at the university and president of its Latin American Association, said the group plans to submit a letter today calling for the ouster of Mark Rowan, the editor of The Recorder."I would like to see him removed from his position because he clearly does not understand how the things he prints hurt people," Donis said..............
...........Earlier this year, Miller convened a special task force after the Recorder printed a controversial satire in which student editor John Petroski likened rape to a "magical experience" that has been a benefit to society for centuries.The article - which defended rape as a way for "ugly women" to enjoy sex - sparked protests by dozens of students, including women's and gay rights groups.The task force, which included Rowan and other members of the Recorder staff, concluded that the paper had a right to print offensive material, but should strive to be sensitive to minority groups who have different perspectives than the paper's mostly white staff.................

THERE IS NOTHING FUNNY ABOUT BEING RAPED OR ABOUT A 14 YEAR OLD BEING LOCKED UP AND PISSED ON. NOTHING

it's getting uglier and uglier to live in west hartford

i am upset black and blue square was not only passed and built but it effed up our budget AND mill rate AND goddess only knows what else.

i am upset about west hartford center losing it's charm (in all fairness, it was starting to lose it's charm a while ago). i'm upset about the influx of traffic ALREADY starting in town.

i'm upset the kinds of things outlined in this article happen. i am a GIANT critic of what has happened to our town and what is happening to our town. yet, i would NEVER think to harass anyone OR threaten anyone OR destroy property.

it is morally reprehensible and i hope the guilty parties are caught AND made to pay

2 Recipients Denounce Mailed Cartoon
Item Is Described As Racist, Attack On Teaching Of Tolerance

By DANIEL P. JONES Courant Staff Writer

WEST HARTFORD - Two residents who received an offensive cartoon in the mail after speaking publicly in favor of West Hartford education spending say the image goes beyond anti-Semitism and attacks the idea of teaching tolerance and diversity in schools.Police continue to investigate the anonymous mailings, which arrived at several West Hartford residents' homes last week. At least three residents complained to police."My suspicion is that sentiment is not unique to West Hartford," one of the residents who received the cartoon said Thursday. "I wouldn't be surprised if it was picked up from some ultra-conservative fringe group. It certainly had earmarks of a [white] supremacist organization.".........