i haven't seen any yet this year

nor did i see any at all last year, but i do hope one day soon i'll see another. i had never seen one as a child. the first time i saw one was about six or seven years ago. i was amazed at their beauty

The Green Giant Is Back! A Rare Visitor, The Luna Moth, Is On The Increase
By STEVE GRANT Courant Staff Writer June 19 2006
It may not be quite time to celebrate yet, but one of the biggest and most beautiful moths in the U.S., one whose numbers had crashed in southern New England, seems to be making a comeback.In the past 10 years, scientists and naturalists agree, populations of the luna moth, a pale-green creature with a wingspan of more than 4 inches, have increased in Connecticut."Just from personal observation and hearing from other people, they do seem to be doing OK," said John Himmelman, author of "Discovering Moths: Nighttime Jewels in Your Own Backyard" and a naturalist who attracts and monitors moths from his home in Killingworth using an ultraviolet light......

picture: www.fcps.k12.va.us

the angry chair

sounds like MY kind o' place! although i'm NOT 15-24, i sure do not fit in any type of mold. perhaps i'll pay them a visit.

'Do's All The Rage At The Angry Chair In Wethersfield, Way Out's Way In
By COURTNEY McLEOD COURANT STAFF WRITER June 19 2006
The stylist at Cost Cutters was scandalized. She looked at David Esposito's bushy brown hair, then she looked at the picture of what he wanted his hair to look like: bright orange and choppy, like his favorite Japanese cartoon character. She said his hair would fall out first.But a customer who overheard the exchange had a suggestion: try The Angry Chair.Two visits, $110 and 51/2 hours later, Dan Mather, a stylist at The Angry Chair who sports miniature double Mohawks with blond tips, was putting the finishing touches on Esposito's red-orange shag cut. "For the day, do you want to go less funky?" Mather asks on this recent Thursday afternoon, rubbing pomade between his mauve-painted fingernails..........

hey droney, i'm PROUD to wear the tag (YOU came up with); weirdo

if it means bringing our MEN AND WOMEN HOME FROM IRAQ!!!

liebs MUST go, ned lamont will be our next senator from connecticut!!!

do you think people are weird because they dislike lies? they dislike being spied upon illegally? they dislike us torturing people who have NOT been convicted of ANY crime(s)? they dislike the fact that a MINIMUM of 2,501 of our men and women have come home in body bags because of oil and retribution (and no pictures of their flag draped coffins can be taken)? they dislike the fact thousands of our men and women have come home with missing limbs and other physical AND mental injuries because we were LIED TO? there are so many more, far too many to list right now

so droney and liebs, i am PROUD to be WEIRD and a VOTING CITIZEN OF BOTH CONNECTICUT AND THE UNITED STATES


Senator Holds Party In Limbo Lieberman's Choice Risks Ripple Effect
By MARK PAZNIOKAS Courant Staff Writer June 18 2006
With a surprising nonchalance, Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman is approaching a critical crossroads in his 36-year career as a Democratic politician.Will he remain a candidate in the Aug. 8 primary and give the final word on his re-election to Democratic voters, only half of whom approve of his performance?Or will Lieberman cede the Democratic nomination to challenger Ned Lamont and petition his way onto the November ballot?No later than mid-July, Lieberman will reach the point of no return. If he is going to run in November as a petitioning candidate, Lieberman would have to collect 7,500 signatures from registered voters by 4 p.m. on Aug. 9. A decision to quit the primary would ripple far beyond the Senate race, depressing the turnout for the Democratic gubernatorial primary and possibly undermining the efforts of three Democrats in tight contests with Republican congressional incumbents.And it could force hard choices for Lieberman's most active supporters, who would have to decide whether their own political fortunes are best served by loyalty to Lieberman or to the party. One ally has no doubts: Lieberman's old friend and Democratic state chairman, John F. Droney Jr., is publicly urging Lieberman to skip the primary, saying "every single weirdo in the left wing" enraged by Lieberman's support of the war in Iraq will turn out........

it's so cool so many even from out of state want the liebs OUT and mr lamont IN

i am so happy, i really am! everyday i see more and more 'lamont' signs on lawns around the state (i was supposed to be getting one, but that didn't happen yet. i'll have to check on it). when i registered to vote at 18 (a LONG LONG LONG time ago in a galaxy far far away) i registered as an independent. i did NOT change affiliation until i knew mr lamont was going to run in a primary. i changed so I COULD VOTE FOR NED LAMONT

Lamont Stars At Activists' Meeting In Washington
By DAVID LIGHTMAN Washington Bureau Chief June 15 2006
WASHINGTON -- It's one thing to be the darling of the liberal bloggers; it's another to pull bodies into a room.Ned Lamont did that Wednesday as 350 progressive activists crammed a hotel meeting room to witness the Senate challenger's first big national appearance.After basking in three standing ovations before, during and after his nine-minute speech Wednesday, Lamont was asked by his new-found fans to pose for pictures."We really want to see Joe Lieberman defeated," said Lois McCarthy, a Chestertown, Md., retiree."I'm going to send this [photo] out to the blog right away," promised Holly Johnson, a physical therapist from Byron, Ill.Lamont was touted by activists at the Take Back America Conference as a man on a mission, their best hope for sending a loud anti-war message to Democrats and Republicans.........

ned lamont

ms silva it really does appear you were wronged

i think you're being persecuted for your LIFESTYLE NOT your permits or lack thereof. it's a damn shame but hold your head up and keep looking forward


Operator Of Adult Website Facing Charges

Woman Says She'll Seek Trial In Case Involving Bondage, Domination Videos
By MONICA POLANCO Courant Staff WriterJune 16 2006 ENFIELD -- A woman who produced bondage and domination videos at her home and sold memberships to customers who watched them on her website turned herself in to police Thursday.Michelle Silva of Montano Road has been charged with violation of zoning regulations, promoting prostitution, promoting prostitution in the second and third degree, and prostitution, Police Chief Carl J. Sferrazza said. Silva posted a $30,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Enfield on June 27. A copy of Silva's arrest warrant was not available Thursday.Silva, 44, said she was surprised at how police arrived at the charges against her and said she will request a trial."I understand what the charges mean, but I don't understand how they apply to me," she said, adding that she obtained a permit for her business in 2004.At the time, Silva said, she explained the nature of her business to Zoning Enforcement Officer Wayne Bickley. Bickley could not be reached for comment. She showed a visitor a copy of a home occupation and professional services registration form that describes her business - selling adult-based content. She also produced a zoning permit application for a home occupation office signed July 12, 2004. "I don't think I would have gone through all that if I was going to do prostitution," she said.Sferrazza said the zoning violation count Silva faces is not a criminal charge. .........

a head made in Palermo and a body from Catania

no, i'm not talking about my friend 's' (he's from siracusa any damn way)

Missing puppet found by side of highway
June 15, 2006
BRANFORD, Conn. --A man who said he found a stolen marionette by the side of the highway has returned the $10,000 puppet to its owner -- no strings attached.
The 4-foot, 60-pound handcrafted puppet, which was going to be showcased at this week's International Festival of Arts and Ideas in New Haven, was stolen over the weekend from the Stony Creek Puppet House Theater.
The Sicilian puppet with African features suffered some minor damage in the ordeal. The metal rod used to hold it up was bent and it had some scratches above the eyes on its hand-cut walnut head.
But the puppet's owner, Jim Weil, said he was able to fix the rod with a vice.........






picture: www.thepuppetstudio.com

sometimes i wish i could be more like david brown

living more simply. living with a root cellar and a little stucco home. doing more crafts and living off of the land (at least a bit more than i do).

yesterday, my ex-boss took me out to dinner. we went to a restaurant in west hartford center. we met at 5:30. the center wasn't bad then. not too too crowded. plenty of parking spots in the big lots. we had a lovely conversation and lovely dinner. (she was my BEST boss ever and we are absolute TOTAL opposites in EVERY way). she remarked how she really liked west hartford center and was looking forward to blue back. i remarked how i HATED the center, it's status-seeking people with their suvs (we were sitting by a big window and i noticed an suv pull up in front of the restaurant. it contained ONE young woman. ONE. too young to have a family and too old for it to be her parent's car. i was LIVID) and how i had voted AGAINST blue back TWICE. by the time we left the restaurant, the sidewalks were CHUCK FULL of people in their finery showing off. that's exactly what they were doing. they were there to see and to be seen. i parted from my ex-boss and went to my car. the entire lot i was in (it's huge) was FULL. i really don't like what my center has become. we've lost something in the process of gaining nothing but crowds with too-big cars.

Artist chooses a life without running water or electricity

Artist chooses a life without running water or electricity
By Steve Grant, The Hartford Courant June 15, 2006
OLD SAYBROOK, Conn. --But for his beat-up 16-year-old pickup truck, David Brown of Old Saybrook might be oblivious to today's rising oil and gas prices, even impervious to them.
He's lived for 20 years in a tiny house made of hay and stucco without electricity or central heating. He grows much of his own food organically, so he doesn't need fertilizers or pesticides derived from petroleum products.
A highly efficient wood stove heats his home. He keeps his food chilled in a root cellar. Tiny amounts of propane power a reading lamp and a stove. He once had running water, but his well became silted, and he now fills jugs with water when visiting friends.
At a time when it has become almost fashionable to measure one's carbon footprint -- the amount of carbon dioxide produced from one's lifestyle -- that of David Brown is all but undetectable, as if he could walk in sand without leaving a trace.
He could be smug right now. He's not.
He just goes about his life, a life he has chosen, not a life he must endure, keeping things simple, though he seems almost saddened by some of the things he sees. A woman arriving at the supermarket alone in a mammoth SUV to pick up a few groceries left him with a mental image of excess.
Small is beautiful.........

wow, i am rather surprised (in a GOOD way) by this

the state's two major teachers unions are going to back ned lamont!!! wicked cool is what i say. i also say, i'm so very happy mr lamont is making the liebs quake down to the bottom of his shriveled soul. it's absolutely time we had someone such as mr lamont represent the very good and very decent citizens of connecticut

2 State Teachers' Unions To Endorse Lamont Today By MARK PAZNIOKAS Courant Staff Writer June 15 2006 Ned Lamont today is to formally accept the backing of the state's two major teachers' unions, the first to endorse his Democratic primary challenge of Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman.A supporter of vouchers for private schools, Lieberman never has been a favorite of public-school teachers, and the unions - the AFT-Connecticut and the Connecticut Education Association - have not endorsed Lieberman in his three previous Senate campaigns. But the Lamont camp touted the endorsements as significant milestones."Joe has gone out of his way to alienate these groups," said Tom Swan, the manager of the Lamont campaign. "It still took a lot of courage for them to be the first ones out of the box."Lieberman's campaign manager, Sean Smith, said the senator is proud of his labor record and the support he already has received from 20 union locals, including Teamsters who recently struck Sikorsky over health benefits.By contrast, Lamont voted as a local official in Greenwich to increase the cost of health benefits to municipal employees, Smith said. Lamont served on local boards in Greenwich in the late 1980s and early 1990s.The AFT and CEA will present their endorsements to Lamont today at a press conference outside the Lewis Fox Middle School in Hartford.Sharon Palmer, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, said some union members were reluctant to go against the three-term senator. The union's political action committee recommended no endorsement, but its executive board voted 10-6, with three abstentions, to back Lamont. The choice was to endorse Lamont or no one, Palmer said.......

i feel SO safe! NOT

i don't understand what's up with the guns in hartford. so many murders this year. over sixteen shootings (something like that) in LESS THAN A MONTH. i am posting this story because i work VERY close to where this happened. i do mean VERY close. i don't fault the police. they ARE a presence in the neighborhood. i blame the stupid-ass people themselves. the ones that think guns are a way of life. THEY'RE NOT!

Four Arrested After Multiple Shots Are Fired
By CHRISTINE DEMPSEY Courant Staff Writer June 15 2006
Hartford police Wednesday night arrested four men who were with a group that had fired shots at others during a fight on Park Street, authorities said.No one was injured in the gunfire, which continued as a car sped from the scene with two officers running after it. Patrol officers used their cars to box in the car on Capitol Avenue - down the block from the state Capitol - and confiscated a sawed-off 12-gauge shotgun, a .22-caliber semiautomatic pistol and a small amount of drugs."The more guns we get off the streets, the more assurances we have that people will have a happy summer," Sgt. Francis Perrone said.The first burst of gunfire was reported about 7:40 p.m. Two officers on foot patrol on Park Street - Officers Alexander Estrella and Rebecca O'Shea - saw people arguing and heard the shots. ..

in the 'you gotta be kidding me' department

do i want this man to be able to sell ice cream off of a truck to kids? NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO

AND

NO

West Haven sex offender wants to sell ice cream
June 14, 2006
WEST HAVEN, Conn. --A registered sex offender who wants to sell ice cream has appealed the police department's rejection of his permit application.
Erdal Sahin, 24, sells ice cream out of a truck and calls his business Twin Monkey Ice Cream. Last month, the West Haven police denied Sahin a permit after a criminal background check.
He wrote a letter asking the City Council to reconsider. He said his permit application was approved last year after a similar background check. But Police Chief Ronald Quagliani said he enacted stricter rules when he became chief in July, after Sahin's permit for last year had already been approved........

ok ok ok, tell me, just how stupid do you have to be

to ATTACK A STATE TROOPER WITH DOUGHNUTS??????? i posted this because of the headline - it really struck me as being............absurd???? is that the word i seek? yup, that's the word

Five Teens Arrested In Doughnut Incident
The Hartford Courant June 13 2006
TOLLAND -- Five teenagers were arrested early Sunday and charged with throwing doughnuts at a state trooper and his car, fleeing the scene and eventually backing into two troopers with their Jeep, police said.Trooper Patrick Mulcahy was driving north on Cider Mill Road at 12:45 a.m. Sunday when he and his car were pelted with doughnuts. Mulcahy and Trooper James O'Donnell, who was in a second car with a police canine, stopped and chased the five teens through the woods to their Jeep, which was parked in the lot behind town hall, said Lt. Alaric Fox, commander of Troop C in Tolland.The driver backed the Jeep out and hit both troopers, police said. The four teens in the Jeep were arrested. The fifth was found later that morning, police said. All were released to their parents that morning.....

picture: ekmpowershop.co.uk

lowell supports lamont

and so do i!

Former GOP Senator Weicker To Hold Lamont Fundraiser
Associated Press June 13 2006, 4:38 PM EDT
Former Gov. Lowell Weicker is helping to throw a fundraiser later this month for Ned Lamont, the Greenwich businessman challenging U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman in an August Democratic primary.Weicker, a former Republican who lost his U.S. Senate seat to Lieberman in 1988, is being billed as an honorary chairman, along with his wife Claudia. Suggested contributions to the June 18 event in Chester range from $100 to $1,000.Weicker said six months ago that he would consider challenging Lieberman if a credible anti-war candidate did not step forward.Lamont "is 100 percent opposed to the war in Iraq and so am I," said Weicker, who is now registered as an unaffiliated voter. His wife is a Democrat. "I want him to be the next United States senator from Connecticut."Weicker's backing shows that Lamont resonates with a wide range of voters, campaign manager Tom Swan said......

ned lamont

sour grapes?

why is john droney jr saying people who back ned lamont are TERRORIZING the liebs? scared are ya? just because someone is a THREE TERM SENATOR doesn't mean they SHOULD BE A FOURTH TERM ONE

from taegan goddard's political wire
June 13, 2006

Lieberman Allies Planning Independent Bid
Political Wire has learned that key allies of Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) are making contingency plans for the three-term senator to run as an independent in this fall's U.S. Senate race in Connecticut. Lieberman faces a challenge in the Democratic primary from businessman Ned Lamont.In fact, an important Lieberman backer, former Connecticut Democratic chairman John F. Droney Jr., is quoted by the Hartford Courant as a supporter of the plan: "I think to be terrorized through the summer by an extremely small group of the Democratic Party, much less the voting population, is total insanity for a person who is a three-term senator."Though the Lieberman camp is trying to discourage such speculation, the senator's campaign manager was quoted on the radio today saying they would not back Lamont (D) if he won the Democratic primary.

ned lamont

we have turtles in connecticut too

p o p at morning martini often blogs about animals. she had a turtle post the other day (lovely i must say) and i thought i'd post this one

Haddam man concerned about mating turtles

(Haddam-WTNH, June 12, 2006 11:45 PM) _ A busy road in Haddam has become hazardous for some turtles trying to cross to the other side.
So one man is proposing to build the reptiles a tunnel.
by News Channel 8's Bob Wilson
This is the time of year when turtles are on the move and are out and about looking for mates and a place to lay their eggs. Right now is the time they come out of the ponds and streams and there is never a good time for a turtle to cross the road.
"There are a lot of cars on Candlewood Hill Road and they go fast. A lot of times you don't see the turtles, until you are right up on them, and they do get hit a lot," says Christine Centola........

charlie company

a link to stories about a connecticut marine reserve unit stationed in iraq

with a reporter and photographer embedded in the unit from the hartford courant

goodbye liebs, hello mr lamont!

i AM angry at king george, but i judge everyone on their own merits. i will NOT vote for the liebs because of HIS beliefs on certain subjects. the war in iraq is first and foremost. WE DO NOT BELONG THERE and we must find a way to leave. LEAVE NOW. i am going to vote for ned lamont in the primary and i HOPE to vote for him in the election as well


June 12, 2006, 1:04AM
Far from clear sailing for Bush's favorite Democrat
By FROMA HARROP
ANGER at President Bush could bring down a number of congressional Republicans, and one Democrat might join them. He is Joseph Lieberman, senator from Connecticut. Many voters there want nothing more than to sink "Bush's favorite Democrat." They are mad at Joe Lieberman over his uncritical support of the Iraq war and 18 other things, including his bottomless need for right-wing approval.

So Lieberman will not have a clear sail into November, easily smiting a little known Republican. First he'll have to duke it out in a tough Democratic primary on Aug. 8. His challenger is businessman Ned Lamont, who, if elected, would not be Bush's favorite anything.
There is delectable irony in the candidacy of Edward "Ned" Lamont. Polished, trim and rich, Lamont lives and works in Greenwich, home of the Bush dynasty. Lamont would make a more convincing descendant of the late Connecticut Sen. Prescott Bush than W himself. But he doesn't need anyone else's fancy ancestors. He has his own, namely great-grandfather Thomas Lamont, who headed the House of Morgan..........

ah a bit of GOOD news

Lamont Shown Gaining Ground
By MARK PAZNIOKAS Courant Staff WriterJ une 9 2006 NEW HAVEN --
A new poll shows a dramatic tightening in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, indicating that Democrats increasingly see newcomer Ned Lamont as a credible challenger to Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman.The Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday found Lieberman's lead shrinking nearly by half in the past month, with voter anger toward the three-term senator trumping unfamiliarity with Lamont, a Greenwich businessman.Lieberman leads Lamont among all Democrats, 57 percent to 32 percent, compared with 65 percent to 19 percent on May 2. Among Democrats judged likely to vote, Lamont has closed to within 15 percentage points, 55 percent to 40 percent.One-fifth of those who oppose Lieberman cite his support for the war in Iraq as the primary reason. Connecticut voters overwhelmingly disapprove of President Bush's handling of the war, 73 percent to 23 percent."I'm in this race because I think George Bush's priorities are absolutely wrong, and if Joe Lieberman doesn't want to challenge him, I will," Lamont told supporters at a crowded, celebratory rally at the Omni Hotel in New Haven.With most voters still largely unfamiliar with Lamont, 78 percent of his supporters described their position as more anti-Lieberman than pro-Lamont, a finding not challenged at the rally."If there was not a Lieberman problem, would they be looking at Ned Lamont? No way," said Vivien Blackford, whose dislike of President Bush turned her into a passionate supporter of Howard Dean for president in 2004.Blackford's fundraising for Dean led her to join Democracy for America, the group that Dean founded to promote progressive Democrats. She is now actively backing Lamont, despite initially hoping for a "red-meat union guy," not a millionaire, to challenge Lieberman.Tom Swan, Lamont's campaign manager, said he was neither surprised nor distressed that the poll found more anger toward Lieberman than affection for Lamont. It is a common dynamic, he said....

ned lamont

sometimes i think our court system is INSANE

first it was the 5'1" CONVICTED child assaulter whom the judge thought was too short to go to prison and now THIS?????? WTF??????? read this and see if you don't agree with me. WTF is this man doing out AT ALL let alone being given ONLY five years for his LATEST assault. what's WRONG with THIS picture?


"Predator" sentenced to 5 years in prison
June 8, 2006
NEW LONDON, Conn. --A repeat sex offender that even a Superior Court judge suggested be locked away forever has been sentenced to five years in prison for the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl.
Edward F. Boyle, 45, was sentenced Wednesday for two counts of second-degree sexual assault.
"You scare me, Mr. Boyle," Judge Susan B. Handy said before sentencing Boyle. "You frighten me and I don't think you have a true concept of the illness you suffer from."
The sentence was accepted by the court because the lawyer for the Groton teenager who was assaulted said her client was too fragile to testify.
Boyle was released from prison in 1999 after serving 18 years on manslaughter and sexual assault charges. In 1980, he strangled a 20-year-old Coventry bowling alley worker while he tried to rape her, according to court records.
He admitted the crime while he was serving a six-year sentence for raping a 52-year-old woman in Manchester.
Boyle will be required to register as a sex offender, receive psychiatric evaluation and treatment, and be subject to random testing and searches.
As a condition of his 15 years probation, Boyle will also be required to get approval for romantic and sexual relationships.

venture smith called connecticut his home

(of course he was stolen away from his REAL home at the age of seven)

Scientists, historians hope clues put face on legend of slave
By Eileen Mcnamara, The Day June 8, 2006
EAST HADDAM, Conn. --Kidnapped from his African homeland at age 7 and sold into slavery in America, Venture Smith would grow into a man of mythically large proportions. He won his freedom and became a successful 18th-century businessman so revered by this river town that its denizens to this day tend his grave.
While state and local historians know Smith's story well, they want to make it as well-known to the rest of the world as the story of Amistad and its hero, Cinque. To do that, they have undertaken an ambitious, international research project that will call on the expertise of scientists, archaeologists, historians and human rights activists.
"This is the story of the human spirit prevailing over evil," said David Richardson, a British historian taking part in the project. "It is a legacy of hope and optimism."
In July, scientists and historians will open Smith's grave in the First United Congregational Church's cemetery and remove his remains in an effort to bring Smith, metaphorically, back to life.
In doing so, they hope to provide a human face to represent the millions of anonymous Africans forced to come here as slaves in the country's early years. They also hope Smith's story will advance the country's dialogue on American race relations and broaden Connecticut's understanding of its role in the slave trade.......

........His name came from various sources. Venture was the name his first owner gave him, because his purchase represented a business venture. He took the last name of the family that gave him his freedom............


(picture: docsouth.unc.edu)

went to

sit-n-knit yesterday and got more stash! the center was a MESS yesterday but the visit to the yarn store made it all worth while. very nice people in the store. it's a pleasure doing business there (unlike many OTHER stores in the center). the rain was unbelievable. i'm wondering if i should start building an ark

the blue & pink yarns are 100% alpaca from peru. the green and green/purple combo are luxury bumpy yarn by charlene (99% merino and 1% nylon - it's SO cool) and it's by farmhouse yarns. the orange/pink yarn is; claudia hand painted yarns 100% merino. the little red and green balls are baby alpaca (SO SOFT). i'm going to use them to make the strawberry fruit hat for baby s (well she's a year and a half now) . the brown/orange and grey/black/brown wicked cool yarns are malabrigo hand dyed - kettle dyed merino.

i have NO idea (except for the strawberry hat) what i'm going to use the yarns for. i also bought a book (you can see it under the malabrigo) with unbelievable modular vest/sweater/jacket patterns.

i'm being attacked by the 'family institute of connecticut' and i do use the word family LOOSELY here

first off i'm NOT PRO abortion, i am PRO choice. second off, i am NOT going to insist anyone have an abortion IF THEY DON'T WANT ONE. i'm NOT going to insist anyone take or use birth control if they don't want to. i AM going to insist THEY leave me and my body the hell alone and let ME make my OWN decisions. i don't think of myself as narrow, close-minded, frightened (by what i sure don't know) and uncaring like others who shall remain nameless


May 26
PRO-ABORTIONISTS' NEWEST REVENGE TACTIC: CENSORSHIP [Peter Wolfgang]
First we defeated a pro-abortion attack on the religious freedom of Catholic hospitals. Then we defeated the pro-abortionists' attempt to financially penalize those hospitals. Now those same pro-abortionists are trying to censor pro-life license plates: ....

....The "Trainspotting" quote posted on a local pro-abortion blog gives you a sense of the mentality of some of our opponents.
The fact is, the state's pro-abortion establishment is hopping mad over their defeats in the 2006 legislative session and they are determined to seek their revenge wherever they can, even before their inevitable next assault on religious freedom in the 2007 session...........

my home away from home

the half door tuesday june 6th 4:00 pm (chris and erin)

nero speckin' out the hood

tuesday june 6th 4:00 pm

my beads, FINALLY

remember these strips ^^^^^^^? well the beads are finally done (drying on drinking straws)! i made them out of torn strips of raw silk, fabric paint, fabric ink, wire, beads, silk roving, wool roving, a bunch of different yarns and LOTS of mod podge. i am going to make yarn necklaces and use one or two of these beads on each one as focal points. when i get that far, i'll post pictures

why these people didn't have to do ANY time is beyond me

it sickens me people get away with treating animals like this. it really does. well HER case is settled and SHE didn't have to do time, his case isn't decided yet. PUT THEM BOTH AWAY in a CELL COVERED IN EXCREMENT with KNEE DEEP EXCREMENT ON THE FLOOR. make them STAND IN IT as long as the animals had to. don't feed them much, just now and again toss them something putrid and nothing but stagnant water to drink.... (this is just a fantasy, i really am not cold enough to wish it were actually true EVEN THOUGH THEY DESERVE SUCH A PUNISHMENT)

Animal Cruelty Case Decided
By STEPHANIE SUMMERS Courant Staff Writer June 2 2006
In a major farm animal cruelty case, a 43-year-old Mansfield woman received a suspended sentence and probation this week after signing over to the town 30 malnourished and parasite-ridden horses that were found in foot-high manure.Donna Russell and her husband Kenneth Morgan, 48, were charged in late April with 51 counts of animal cruelty and four counts of confining dogs for an unreasonable amount of time. In March, animal control officers and investigators discovered the horses, dogs, sheep and goats confined without water, sufficient food and proper shelter on the 80-acre farm at 342 Mulberry Road in Mansfield. Two horses and a ewe were found dead.In a plea bargain agreement Tuesday in Superior Court in Rockville, Russell pleaded guilty to five counts of animal cruelty and received a five-year suspended sentence and three years' probation.Morgan's case has not been resolved. He is scheduled to appear July 11 in court........

if the fbi investigates me, it is NOT going to be because i'm pro liebs. that's for sure!

i went over to connecticut local politics to check it out myself. it may be MUCH ado about nada

Lawyer says FBI is investigating pro-Lieberman blog postings
By Don Michak , Journal Inquirer
A Hartford lawyer says the FBI has agreed to investigate postings promoting Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman's re-election on a popular Connecticut-based Internet "blog" in the names of Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. Bruce D. Rubenstein, a former finance chairman for the Democratic State Central Committee and a Lieberman critic, said Wednesday that an agent in the FBI's Meriden office told him the agency would probe the postings on the "Connecticut Local Politics" Web log run by an Enfield man, Chris Bigelow.

The FBI as a matter of policy refuses to confirm or deny that it is conducting any investigation.Bigelow said Wednesday that he had not been contacted by anyone investigating the matter.Meanwhile, a spokesman in Obama's Washington, D.C., office, Tommy Vietor, said Wednesday that he could state "unequivocally" that "there is no way" the Illinois senator sent any messages to the Connecticut blog.He added that "whoever" posted one of the messages, which he said appeared to be based on reports of Obama's comments at the Connecticut Democrats' annual fundraising dinner, had spelled his first name incorrectly, dropping the "c."......

more on our brave (and KICK-ASS) connecticut librarians

i really AM proud to be a native. they're heros

Librarians Defy the FBI
By Larisa Alexandrovna, Raw StoryPosted on June 2, 2006, Printed on June 2, 2006http://www.alternet.org/story/36953/

Four Connecticut librarians, members of Library Connection, a not-for profit cooperative organization for resource sharing across 26 Connecticut library branches sharing a centralized computer, were served with a National Security Letter (NSL) in August of last year as part of the FBI's attempt to attain access to patron's records.
The NSL is a little known statute in the Patriot Act that permits law enforcement to obtain records of people not suspected of any wrongdoing and without a court order. As part of the NSL, those served with the document are gagged and prohibited from disclosing that they have even been served.
The foursome of Barbara Bailey, Peter Chase, George Christian, and Jan Nocek were automatically gagged from disclosing that they had received the letter, the contents of the letter, and even from discussions surrounding the Patriot Act.
The librarians, via the national and Connecticut branches of the ACLU, filed suit challenging the Patriot Act on first amendment grounds.
"People ask about private and confidential things in the library setting ... like about their health, their family issues and related books they take out ... these are confidential and we did this to protect our patrons from authorized snooping," said Peter Chase, Vice President of Library Connection."........

chris durang is talking up ned! (and talking down the liebs)

chris durang has a great posting about the liebs AND mr < href="http://nedlamont.com/"> in the huffington post

Lieberman - Why I've Cancelled My HRC Membership

Last week I sent an upset email to the Human Rights Campaign, the gay rights organization, telling them to cancel my modest monthly donation to them. I did this because I was furious that they had come out and endorsed Senator Joseph Lieberman. The HRC finds him friendly on gay issues.
Senator Lieberman is a firm supporter of President Bush's dangerous folly in Iraq..................

imagine if you will..................

note: i am going to post a couple of pictures of my handbag (yeah, i'm that brave) but blogger for some reason won't upload them. i'll try later

i am so angry with myself i could spit! at approximately 11:45 am in broad daylight on a VERY major street in hartford, i missed a photographic opportunity of a lifetime (this was yesterday, wednesday may 31st). i would have won awards, EVERY photography award there is out there. oh, i had my digital camera with me. i take it every place i go. it was stuffed somewhere down in the bowels of my handbag. well, handbag is a misnomer. it's more of a canvas type CASE. it's heavy too. i have a LOT o' stuff in it. consequently i walk rather lopsided at all times (but i'm STILL as graceful as a gazelle). there are several sections of hartford. downtown where all of the insurance companies are. years ago, downtown had giant wonderful department stores. g. fox and company was the biggest and best. it had 10 or 11 floors, i've forgotten the exact number. all of the state of connecticut came out to see their christmas display in december. i loved that store! the north end where i grew up. now it is the 'ghetto' section of the city. it still has some lovely old houses but it has a lot of homes and apartments in ruins too. within the span of the last week, there were SIXTEEN shootings in and around that neighborhood. my friend brian lives on the street i grew up on. he is one of those 'catholic workers' our govmint (rory's word which i just appropriated) is spying on. he was recently arrested at a protest in dc. i believe he is the ONLY white (i mean REALLY white, irish white) person living in that area. anyway, it's a SMALL world. another section is the north meadows. that's where a lot of trucking companies and porno shops are. then there is the south end. the south end was strictly italian back in the day. now it is some italian and very much hispanic. the italian grocery stores and INCREDIBLE bakeries are still there though as well as a ton of the best italian mom and pop restaurants. DAMN they make some FINE FINE FINE food. the section of hartford i was in is called the west end. it has a GREAT mix of people. young ones, old ones, all ethnicities, some VERY nice homes, some not so nice ones. tons of doggies (one of my favorite hounds, nero the pit bull lives in this hood), lots of restaurants of ALL types (authentic mexican, a 1/2 japanese 1/2 korean one, pizza joints by the dozens, and probably more little tiny chinese restaurants than any other place in the world, including china. my favorite pub the half door is in this hood too. well to get back to what i was really saying......i was stopped at a light on this major hartford artery and i glanced over at the sidewalk to my left. the only thing i could focus on (at first at least) were legs. BARE, CHUNKY legs starting at some cut off daisy dukes (when i say cut off i mean you could practically see heaven) and ending with some open-toed, open-heeled, strappy, platform skanky-ho shoes. oh i did notice her hair too. it was either wet or VERY greasy. she had a comb in her hand and was using it constantly. i instinctively had a feeling deep down in my gut something amazing and wondrous was going to happen. i unzipped my bag and started to fumble around for my camera (see recreation) while never removing my eyes from the vision on the sidewalk. all of a sudden, she bent over from the waist (still combing her hair mind you) and what was left of her daisy dukes disappeared up in her crack. i was frantic at this point. in tears, i couldn't find the damn camera! damn damn damn damn. too late - she stood up (wobbly on those skanky-ho shoes) and the light changed and i had to go. i thought about circling back but i had a very important errand to run. i really wanted not only the picture that would have brought me fortune and fame BUT i really really really needed to know if that poor lonely woman ever found the date she so desperately needed.

anyone check the whereabouts of rush???

Drug manufacturer offers cash reward in connection with robberies
May 31, 2006
MESA, Ariz. --The manufacturer of a drug being stolen during dozens of robberies at Phoenix-area pharmacies has put up a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the robbers.
Stamford, Conn.-based Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of OxyContin, is offering the reward through Arizona's Silent Witness program..........

i hope mr rivera is taller than 5'1" or...........

he MAY BE LET GO (well that happened in nebraska). time after time after time, i see these offenders doing SO LITTLE time. they hurt KIDS and they do a year or two, come out, THEN HURT THEM AGAIN. it is my belief sexual predators CANNOT be 'cured'. i do believe some types of criminals CAN turn their lives around, this segment CANNOT

(see: this posting if you don't know what i'm talking about or this one

Life sentence sought in child sex case
By Matt Apuzzo, Associated Press Writer May 31, 2006
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. --A convicted sex offender charged with making child pornography and preying on boys over the Internet faces life in prison in the first Connecticut case brought under a federal two-strikes-and-you're-out law for sex crimes.
Carlos Rivera, 35, was charged last year with using the Internet to entice two boys, 15 and 13, into sexual encounters.
Prosecutors last month added a charge of producing child pornography, triggering the Protect Act, which mandates life sentences for repeat offenders. Rivera's first strike was a 1996 conviction for sexually assaulting an 11-year-old.
The law is written narrowly and only covers certain offenses, so just using the Internet to entice the boys would not have triggered the law.
Rivera appeared briefly in federal court Wednesday to hear Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Glover explain the potential sentence if he is convicted at trial in July. Rivera, who has pleaded not guilty, spoke only to tell the judge he understood.
In February, federal prosecutors in Maryland became the first in the nation to use the 2003 law when 46-year-old James A. Reigle Jr. was sentenced to life in prison for producing child pornography after having already served time for molestation and possession of child porn......

this is a GOOD thing

they should do it for dogs too. EVERY town in EVERY state.

Mansfield levies fees for fertile cats
(Mansfield-WTNH, May 30, 2006 10:25 PM) _ Under a new ordinance, cat owners in Mansfield have to have their felines spayed or neutered or else pay a yearly fee.
by News Channel 8's Sara Welch
There are plenty of kittens and cats staying at the shelter in Mansfield.
All day long the town's Animal Control Officer fielded calls about stray cats.
"It's a huge problem. I find cats abandoned here at the shelter. People find strays in their yards," says Noranne Nielsen, animal control.
The over-population of stray and unwanted felines has grown so out of control in the Mansfield that town leaders are taking steps to stop it.
A new ordinance will require cats older than six months to be spayed or neutered.
"It's a matter of owners taking responsibility."
The mayor says part of the problem stems from the town's transient population such as students at UConn who leave their cats behind. Noranne Neilsen has seen the sad side of overbreeding.
"I have seen litters frozen to death in the winter or kittens eaten by coyotes and I don't want this to happen we want them to find a good home.".............

and from the courant

Mansfield Institutes Spay-Or-Pay Option For Cats
By STEPHANIE SUMMERS Courant Staff Writer May 30 2006 MANSFIELD -
- For all you dogs feeling singled out by the leash law, wait till you see what they're doing to the cats in Mansfield.Unlike their more regulated canine counterparts, cats don't have to wear tags and are free to roam. State law requires only that cats be vaccinated against rabies.But last week, the town council unanimously approved an ordinance to require that cats older than 6 months be spayed or neutered unless the owner pays a $75 annual fee for an "unaltered animal" permit.You could call it a license to breed.Town officials hope most residents will willingly pay the fee, but the animal control officer is ready to enforce the ordinance when cats are found and returned to their owners.Mansfield is the first town in the state to approve a cat spay/neuter measure, says Susan Linker, president of the Animal Welfare Federation of Connecticut.Why single out cats? Because those aforementioned feline freedoms have led to cat overpopulation and abandonment problems, say animal control and rescue experts. Linker says the best estimate of free-roaming cats statewide is 500,000......

our connecticut librarians are tough mothas!

i for one salute your principals and your strength!

Librarians bitterly decry gag order in Patriot Act case
By Frank Eltman, Associated Press Writer May 31, 2006
NEW YORK --Recently released from a months-long gag order, four librarians from Connecticut did little to hide their displeasure about the FBI's demands for records about library patrons under the Patriot Act.
"I am incensed that the government uses provisions of the Patriot Act to justify unrestrained and secret access to the records of libraries," said George Christian, of Windsor, Conn., who along with three others spoke out Tuesday for the first time since the gag order was lifted.
"Free public libraries exist in this country to promote democracy by allowing the public to inform itself on the issues of the day. The idea that the government can secretly investigate what the public is informing itself about is chilling," said Christian, executive director of the Library Connection, Inc., a consortium of libraries in the central part of the state.
U.S. District Judge Janet Hall ruled last year that the gag order should be lifted, saying it unfairly prevented the librarians from participating in a debate over how the Patriot Act should be rewritten. But it wasn't until April that prosecutors dropped an appeal of that order.
Speaking at a press conference organized by the American Civil Liberties Union, which represented the librarians, Christian noted with irony that the gag order was lifted only after Congress voted to reauthorize the Patriot Act.
"The fact that I can speak now is a little like being permitted to call the fire department only after a building has burned to the ground," he said..........

no surprise here

moveon is endorsing ned lamont as am i (although i don't have any political sway

Strong Signs of Rift Among Democrats
Support for a challenger to longtime Sen. Joe Lieberman indicates tensions over Iraq war. By Ronald BrownsteinTimes Staff WriterMay 27, 2006
WASHINGTON — The liberal challenge to Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) escalated Friday when the political arm of MoveOn.org, an influential online advocacy group, endorsed the political newcomer opposing his bid for renomination.Gaining the support of MoveOn's political action committee was Ned Lamont, a businessman who wants to unseat Lieberman largely because of the veteran lawmaker's staunch support for the war in Iraq.The group announced its backing after polling MoveOn's members in Connecticut.MoveOn has emerged as a leading voice for left-leaning activists, and the endorsement marks the first time that its PAC has sought to unseat an incumbent Democratic senator."Lamont's message resonated with members who want a senator who will stand up to President Bush on key issues and represent the views of most people in Connecticut," said Eli Pariser, executive director of the MoveOn PAC.With the endorsement, the group will seek to raise money and generate volunteers for Lamont among MoveOn's 3.2 million members nationwide.Lamont earlier this week gained an endorsement from Democracy for America, a liberal grass-roots group that Howard Dean established as his campaign for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination foundered. Dean gave up his leadership role when he became chairman of the Democratic National Committee last year, but the group is headed by his brother, Jim Dean.Lamont's candidacy also has become a priority for many liberal websites, such as Daily Kos — whose founder, Markos Moulitsas Zuniga, recently appeared in one of Lamont's television advertisements........

dodd NAY (and i thank you) the liebs YES and i DON'T thank you

of course i'm NOT surprised by this vote

Roll Call: Hayden confirmed to head CIA

half of the marines in this company are from connecticut

once again, the courant presents another GREAT story about our service people. also, please remember IF you'd like to support a deployed service person (you don't get to choose who or where they're from), please join soldiers' angels organization. they'll hook you up with someone. all you have to do is write to your soldier (or sailor or marine, or airman/woman) and send a care package once in a while. i can tell you from personal experience what this means to those deployed. i can also tell you, i've almost had to THREATEN my soldiers/airmen to get them to admit exactly WHAT they want in their care packages (meaning they do NOT ask for anything and when they do, it's usually something they can share with others). join, it makes YOU feel good!


FOR CONNECTICUT MARINES, THE ENEMY IS EVERYWHERE
Story By JESSE HAMILTON l Photos By Tom Brown l The Hartford Courant May 28 2006 FALLUJAH, Iraq --

The Marines are filthy and tired and act hard, like they've been here two years instead of two months.Charlie Company's 200 or so infantrymen - half from Connecticut - are reservists, pulled from civilian life for the unit's first trip into the war. They will spend seven months running patrols, guarding posts, raiding suspect houses and manning checkpoints in one of Iraq's most dangerous cities.The men from Enfield, Colchester, Middletown and East Windsor are fighting in Fallujah to keep things from getting worse. They fight to buy time for the training of Iraqi replacements. They fight for an unknown future under yet-to-emerge Iraqi leaders. And, at the most basic level, the corporals and privates first class fight to keep themselves and their friends from getting killed.They rehash their battle stories sometimes before they've returned to safety, writing their own characters into the war movies they gravitate to. They court death in their spare time, watching violent movies and some playing video games of war. Under it all, they are young and far from home."We're trying to keep Fallujah stable and get out of here," said Cpl. Parke Stearns, 26, of Lebanon, Ct. The Marines here are fighting a war. But it's not always clear whose war...............

choose life - oh, THIS isn't what they meant?

(Trainspotting
John Hodge)
Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest mortage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisurewear and matching luggage. Choose a three-piece suite on hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who the fuck you are on a Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pishing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked up brats you spawned to replace yourself.
Choose your future.
Choose life.

to tell you the truth, i really don't think i have EVER seen one of these plates and if i have, it sure didn't register with me. i like the ANIMAL plates though! oh the save the sound ones are cool too

Pro-Life License Plates Under Fire

DMV To Reconsider Sponsor's Eligibility
By JON LENDER Courant Staff Writer May 26 2006
A swirling national First Amendment debate hit Connecticut Thursday as the Department of Motor Vehicles said it will stop issuing special "Choose Life" license plates for The Children First Foundation - a New York-based pro-adoption group opposed to abortion - while it investigates, along with the attorney general, whether the foundation qualifies for the plates. DMV Commissioner Ralph J. Carpenter agreed to reconsider the small foundation's eligibility for the plates - a status it applied for, and was granted, in 2003 - based on a letter Wednesday from Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and a Democratic state legislator charging that the group has "negligible, if any, `operations' in Connecticut, much less a base of operations in this state."The charge surprised the nonprofit group's founder and president, Elizabeth Rex of Yonkers, N.Y. She had heard nothing from Blumenthal about such questions - but she quickly produced a series of letters from Connecticut officials who have recognized her group's efforts in recent years. The letters came from Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, Govs. John G. Rowland and M. Jodi Rell, the state's child advocate - and Blumenthal himself."Please extend my deepest appreciation and admiration to your members for the outstanding work that they do in advocating that every abandoned child should have a home with adoptive parents who love that child unconditionally," Blumenthal wrote Rex March 4, 2003.......

wow, i went out on the ct dmv site and there are a TON of plates available! way more than the last time i checked

ravings of a semi-sane madwoman: soooooooooooooo#links

ravings of a semi-sane madwoman: soooooooooooooo#links

and now i find this in the state of connecticut

Manchester man sentenced in child sex assault

a man gets FIVE YEARS for sexually abusing a child from the time she was EIGHT until she was FOURTEEN???? he has a PRIOR conviction from the 70s too. he was caught with a WEAPON in jail but FIVE YEARS IS ALL HE'S GOING TO ACTUALLY DO. WTF is wrong with THAT picture?

wednesday may 24th 6:00 am

this is NOT the first time i have seen abandoned shoes on the side of the road. this time, they had a shirt to keep them company.

sunrise and sunrise through a tree

an odd shaped branch

no amount of ANYTHING would EVER make me think

guns should be allowed to be owned by the public.


Woman Injured By Shot Police Believe Round Not Aimed At Her
By CHRISTINE DEMPSEY Courant Staff Writer May 23 2006
TOLLAND -- Pam Gale was sitting in the car with her husband after attending a wedding when she heard what sounded like an explosion.A bullet shattered her passenger-side window, which was inches from her head, and lodged in the car's ceiling above the back seat.Flying glass cut the right side of Gale's face, her jaw and the right side of her neck, the Newington woman said Monday night. An inch-long gash to the back of her head, which may have been caused by the bullet grazing her, took two stitches to close, she said.Still, Pam Gale, 47, and her husband, Andrew Gale, 45, were safe."It was definitely my lucky day," she said.Trooper John O'Connor, who is investigating the Saturday shooting, put it differently."She's beyond lucky," he said.O'Connor said the shooting appears to be unintentional.........

check this out if you please

this is what happens when we don't care about one another

you don't call 911 for help even if it's badly needed. this is just a big shame. the number one priority should NOT be la migra, it SHOULD BE one's life

Fear Delays Call For Help Worker's Fall Now An Immigration Case

By ARIELLE LEVIN BECKER And DANIELA ALTIMARI Courant Staff Writers May 24 2006 MIDDLETOWN -- When she first heard the crash, Valerie Melanson figured it was debris.Then she saw several of the men who had been working on the roof next door rush to the back of the house. A young man from Ecuador who was part of the construction crew was lying in the driveway, on his back."I saw them trying to revive the guy," she said. "And they weren't having a good time at it."Melanson asked if the men had called for help; one of them waved her away.But time slipped by and she still hadn't heard sirens. Finally, Melanson dialed 911.Police say the men, apparently fearful of detection by immigration officials, tried to administer their own form of first aid to an injured co-worker, who had fallen 30 feet off the steeply pitched roof late Monday morning.Ultimately, a half-hour elapsed before the injured man got the medical help he desperately needed. He was flown by helicopter to Hartford Hospital with a broken leg, dislocated shoulder and other injuries.The remaining seven workers were taken into custody by federal authorities. Five have been released and ordered to appear in immigration court; the other two are being detained by authorities.......

more on lewis

Photograph by : Associated Press
but still NO decision yet (and i hope his life is spared). ms cisero MUST NOT let lewis leave the house though. EVER

Owner faces hearing over cat
May 23, 2006
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. --Lewis the cat, whose alleged attacks have landed his owner in legal trouble, will learn his fate in court next month.
Ruth Cisero, the cat's owner, was in court Tuesday on a charge of second-degree reckless endangerment. A hearing was set for June 20 to determine whether she could get special probation and have her cat's life spared.
Cisero, a Fairfield resident, recently withdrew her bid for special probation and opted for trial because she would have had to allow Lewis to be euthanized.
"She's on pins and needles," said Eugene Riccio, attorney for Cisero and Lewis. "The animal is important to her. It's a member of her family."........

howard dean's brother backs him AND SO DO I

ned lamont

PAC run by Howard Dean's brother endorses Lamont

By Susan Haigh, AP Political Writer May 23, 2006
HARTFORD, Conn. --A liberal political action committee run by the brother of Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean is backing U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman's opponent, highlighting the displeasure some Democrats have with the moderate senator's support of the war in Iraq.
The group, Democracy for America, raised $20,000 for Greenwich businessman Ned Lamont within three hours of posting the endorsement on its Web site, executive director Tom Hughes said.
"Ned Lamont has been loud and clear about America's position in Iraq and world affairs, one of the most important concerns for voters," said Jim Dean of Fairfield, chairman of the Vermont-based PAC. "Sen. Lieberman has been a broken record for supporting broken policies.".......

passage of a GOOD bill in the house!!!

but who the hell are the 24 who voted AGAINST this bill i wonder?

By Jim Abrams, Associated Press Writer May 22, 2006


A television shot of a little boy losing his dog during Katrina rescue operations was the catalyst for House passage Monday of legislation requiring pets to be considered in future emergency preparedness plans.
"The dog was taken away from this little boy, and to watch his face was a singularly revealing and tragic experience," said Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., sponsor of the Pet Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act. "This legislation was born at that moment."
The bill, which passed 349-24, requires that state and local preparedness offices take into account pet owners, household pets and service animals when drawing up evacuation plans. Offices that fail to do so would not qualify for grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., with Lantos a co-chair of the Congressional Friends of Animals Caucus, said estimates are that some 600,000 animals either died or were left without shelter as a result of Hurricane Katrina. He added that the lack of pet rescue plans also put many pet owners in danger.
"When asked to choose between abandoning their pets or their personal safety, many pet owners chose to risk their lives," he said.
The Humane Society of the United States cited a recent Zogby International poll that found that 49 percent of adults say they would refuse to evacuate if they couldn't take their pets with them......

picture: idausa.org/hurr_nov_23.html

what's this? interesting news i must say

Dodd Poised For Possible '08 Presidential Run
10:00 PM EDT,May 22, 2006 By DAVID LIGHTMAN, Washington Bureau Chief
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Christopher J. Dodd said today he has "decided to do all the things that are necessary to prepare to seek the presidency in 2008."The Connecticut Democrat will hire staff, raise money and travel around the country in the next few months as he tries to enlist support.Like other presidential contenders, Dodd said during a lengthy interview in his Capitol Hill office that he will not formally decide until early next year whether to make his bid official. At the moment, he joins about 10 other major Democratic Party figures who are considering a run.Dodd came close to running in 2004 but never entered the race. Circumstances are different today -- he is not up for re-election to his Senate seat, and colleague Joe Lieberman is not running for president.Dodd, who turns 62 Saturday, was elected by a wide margin to a fifth Senate term in 2004. He has never lost an election, but starts his White House effort as a long shot -- invisible in most presidential preference polls..........

a great little analysis of the liebs

PAUL KRUGMAN: Talk-Show Joe

.....Friday was a bad day for Senator Joseph Lieberman. The Connecticut Democratic Party's nominating convention endorsed him, but that was a given for an incumbent with a lot of political chips to cash in. The real news was that Ned Lamont, an almost unknown challenger, received a third of the votes. This gave Mr. Lamont the right to run against Mr. Lieberman in a primary, and suggests that Mr. Lamont may even win..............

wow

it's cool they're remaining anonymous!

Couple Donates $2 Million To Restore Whaling Ship
POSTED: 12:31 pm EDT May 19, 2006

MYSTIC, Conn. -- Mystic Seaport's effort to restore the whaling ship Charles W. Morgan has received a $2 million boost.
A couple, who wish to remain anonymous, has donated the money for the work, which is expected to cost about $3.5 million.........

goodbye pat

i didn't know her, although i did meet her once. she was attempting to interview a friend of mine. he was unavailable and actually not on the premises so pat was off like a flash in search of other stories - she sure was a bundle of energy i'll say that about her! i did read her column, java, as well. my thoughts and prayers go out to her friends and family

Pat Seremet 1947-2006

Longtime Hartford Courant writer Pat Seremet dies at 58

Other Voices On Knowing Pat Seremet

there WILL be a primary!

and i WILL be voting for ned lamont

Lieberman wins nomination, but Lamont forces primary

By Susan Haigh, AP Political Writer May 19, 2006
HARTFORD, Conn. --U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman was nominated for a fourth term by state Democrats Friday night, but his anti-war challenger garnered enough delegates to force a primary in August.
Backers of Ned Lamont, a Greenwich businessman who has sharply criticized the moderate senator for his support of the war in Iraq, shouted with delight after learning their candidate will be the first to challenge Lieberman to a primary.
Lieberman won 1,004 of the 1,509 votes cast at the state convention, while Lamont won 505. Lamont captured 33 percent of the delegates, well more than the 15 percent he needed to force the primary.
Sean Smith, Lieberman's campaign manager, downplayed Lamont's delegate support. He said Friday's vote showed that Democrats in Connecticut still back the veteran senator, despite his support of the war.
"I think we're moving into friendlier territory," Smith said of the Aug. 8 primary. "There are 600,000 Democrats who are going to be heard from before this is over."
Lieberman worked Friday night to fend off Lamont's challenge, reminding convention delegates that he stands for more than his support for the war. He held a barbecue for delegates in the parking lot of the Connecticut Expo Center to smooth things over.
Lieberman said he has called hundreds of delegates in recent weeks, talking about the environment, his support of the U.S. Submarine Base in Groton, education and other issues.
"I'm a proud Democrat and I'm going to carry the battle forward," said Lieberman, who had to leave the convention early to observe the Jewish sabbath.
Lamont said he believes the level of support he received at the convention will send a message to Washington that people are fed up with the war.....................

yesterday (5/18/06) at about 5:30 p m

6:30 am thursday may 18th

the courant story on the mental health of our troops appeared to kick some butts into action

one of which was our OWN liebs. hey liebs instead of just asking for a federal investigation of the screening of our troop's mental health, how about BRINGING THEM ALL HOME FROM IRAQ? how about asking your good bud, your peep, king george why he LIED? huh? how about it? you serve the people of connecticut - let me speak for the people of connecticut BRING OUR MEN AND WOMEN HOME NOW

Use Of Unfit Troops Blasted Senators Criticize Military Practices
By MATTHEW KAUFFMAN And LISA CHEDEKEL Courant Staff Writers May 18 2006
U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman called Wednesday for a federal investigation of mental health screening for troops deploying to Iraq, after The Courant reported in a series that mentally ill service members are being sent to war and kept there, sometimes with tragic consequences.Also Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld expressing "disgust" at a revelation in the series that the military was sending troops with post-traumatic stress disorder back into combat."You cannot simply have doctors prescribe psychiatric drugs such as Zoloft and send these men and women back to a combat zone," Boxer wrote. "No matter what the Defense Department's recruiting shortfalls, it is absolutely immoral to send soldiers who have been diagnosed as suffering from PTSD back into a combat zone."Lieberman, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, sent letters Wednesday to the Government Accountability Office and the inspector general of the Defense Department, asking each agency to investigate the military's pre-deployment screening practices. Lieberman said he was particularly concerned by The Courant's finding that among troops who indicated a possible mental health problem, only 6.5 percent were referred to a mental health specialist before they were deemed deployable."Clearly, our soldiers are experiencing unusually high levels of stress," Lieberman wrote in his letter to the inspector general, "but if the military is doing an inadequate job of assessing the severity of mental health problems in those deploying, and then placing them in further danger, their lives are [at] greater risk." Lieberman, D-Conn., said Wednesday that he was also "exploring legislative options" to improve mental health screening for troops, which consists of one question on a self-reported questionnaire. "We put our faith in the men and women of our armed services to protect us every day; they should expect and deserve to have the same faith in us," Lieberman said. The Courant's investigation, he added, "reveals that the deployment system's faulty implementation of mental health screening has betrayed the trust of our soldiers and their families. This is unacceptable and inexcusable.".........

(oh and once again, i must congratulate the courant and the reporters who covered this story. VERY well done and i personally thank you)

ned lamont is gaining

and liebs is running scared (as he should be). ned lamont IS MY CHOICE TOO

Lamont wins women's group backing in race against Lieberman
By Stephen Singer, Associated Press Writer May 16, 2006
HARTFORD, Conn. --A women's political action group on Tuesday endorsed Democrat Ned Lamont in his bid to seize the Democratic Party's Senate nomination from Sen. Joe Lieberman.
The National Organization for Women Political Action Committee said the Greenwich businessman would go farther than the three-term incumbent to keep President Bush's nominees off the U.S. Supreme Court. NOW also rapped Lieberman for what it said was his failure to do more to help rape victims get immediate access to emergency contraception.
"There were a number of reasons they endorsed my candidacy today and I appreciate it," Lamont said.
Melody Drnach, a vice president of NOW, said her group believed Lieberman should have backed a threatened filibuster against the nomination of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito earlier this year.
Lieberman voted against the nomination and the filibuster. He is a member of the so-called "Gang of 14," a bipartisan group of senators who oppose filibusters unless there are "extraordinary" circumstances.
"We certainly feel that Ned Lamont's approach to the full range of women's rights.........

the last part of the courant's story on the mental health of our troops

5-YEAR-OLD Alexis McCabe in April holds flags planted at the gravesite of her mother. Army Pfc. Melissa Hobart, an East Haven native, who collapsed and died in June 2004 while on guard duty in Iraq. Hobart had been prescribed Celexa to ease the anxiety of being separated from her young daughter while in Baghdad. Her cause of death, the military says, is still undetermined.
(Mark Mirko)
May. 16, 2006

once again, cudos to the courant and the reporters who investigated this story. amazing! thank you for bringing it to our attention

Still Suffering, But Redeployed They have post-traumatic stress and other combat-related disorders. So what are they doing back in battle?

Story By LISA CHEDEKEL PHOTOS By Mark Mirko The Hartford Courant May 17 2006

Eight months ago, Staff Sgt. Bryce Syverson was damaged goods, so unsteady that doctors at Walter Reed Army Medical Center wouldn't let him wear socks or a belt.Syverson, 27, had landed in the psychiatric unit at Walter Reed after a breakdown that doctors traced to his 15-month tour in Iraq as a gunner on a Bradley tank. He was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, and was put on a suicide watch and antidepressants, according to his family.Today, Syverson is back in the combat zone, part of a quick-reaction force in Kuwait that could be summoned to Iraq at any time. He got his deployment orders after being told he wasn't fit for duty.He got his gun back after being told he was too unstable to carry a weapon.But he hasn't quite managed to get his bearings."Nearly died on a PT test out here on a nice and really mild night because of the medication that I am taking," he wrote in a recent e-mail to his parents and brothers. "Head about to explode from the blood swelling inside, the [lightning] storm that happened in my head, the blurred vision, confusion, dizziness and a whole lot more. Not the best feeling in the entire world to have after being here for two days ... "And I ask myself what the F*** am I doing here?".....

that's what i want to know, WHAT THE EFF IS he doing with a gun and being deployed????????

ANN AND JAMES GUY visit the grave in Arlington National Cemetery of their son, Marine Pfc. Bobby Guy, on the first anniversary of the Marine's death, on April 21. The Guys did not find out until two months after his death, in a telephone conversation Ann had with a Marine official, that Bobby had committed suicide.
(Mark Mirko)
May. 16, 2006

part iii of the hartford courant story on mental health in the military

there will be one more day of reports on this subject from the courant. i think they did an incredible AND excellent job on this story (stories actually). bravo to the reporters who worked on this!

Health Chief Responds
Assistant Secretary Of Defense: `Comprehensive Process' Determines Fitness

Assistant Secretary Of Defense: `Comprehensive Process' Determines Fitness

By LISA CHEDEKEL
And MATTHEW KAUFFMAN Courant Staff Writers

May 16 2006

The Defense Department's top health official and the Army Surgeon General on Monday defended the military's screening and treatment of mentally troubled troops, saying the mental health of service members is a top priority for the Armed Forces.

Responding to a series of articles in The Courant, Dr. William Winkenwerder Jr., assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said he was satisfied that troops with serious mental illnesses are not being deployed to Iraq, and service members who develop mental problems in the war zone are receiving appropriate care.

"Our policy and our practice is to ensure that every deploying service member is fit, both physically and mentally," he said. "We have a very comprehensive process to do this.".........

Amid Patriotism, Anger And Questions

By MATTHEW KAUFFMAN
The Hartford Courant

May 16 2006

WILLARDS, Md. -- Just off the two-lane main street of this southern Maryland town, a couple doors shy of the big lumber mill that rumbles all day like thunder, Ann and Jim Guy's modest dwelling is the picture of a patriotic American home.

Out front, atop a tall white pole that dominates the postage-stamp yard, a scarlet and gold Marine Corps flag flutters in the wind, bearing the essence of the elite fighting force: eagle, globe, anchor and the venerable motto "Semper Fidelis."

Inside the house, that iconic emblem is stitched into quilts and pillows, engraved into picture frames, and printed on the only coffee mug Ann will put her lips to. "My son," the mug proclaims. "One of the few, the proud." The same Marine emblem adorns the gold ring on Jim's finger, the buckle on his belt, the watch on his wrist, the cap on his head.

And in the small living room, just above the piano laden with yet more Marine mementos, is the emotional epicenter of this home - an oversize portrait of Pfc. Robert Allen Guy in his Marine dress blues - his jaw rigid, his eyes determined.

It is a recruiting brochure fantasy of a proud, faithful military family.

But that family doesn't live here anymore.

They began to vanish at 4:15 p.m. on April 22, 2005, the precise moment Ann pulled open her front door, looked up from her wheelchair and found a somber trio of men in uniform staring back at her............

Potent Mixture: Zoloft & A Rifle

The military told Congress that medications aren't used to keep soldiers with serious mental illness in combat. But a Courant investigation reveals that drugs are increasingly being handed out.

STORY By LISA CHEDEKEL And MATTHEW KAUFFMAN
The Hartford Courant

May 16 2006

When Army Sgt. 1st Class Mark C. Warren was diagnosed with depression soon after his deployment to Iraq, a military doctor handed him a supply of the mood-altering drug Effexor.

Marine Pfc. Robert Allen Guy was given Zoloft to relieve the depression he developed in Iraq.

And Army Pfc. Melissa Hobart was dutifully taking the Celexa she was prescribed to ease the anxiety of being separated from her young daughter while in Baghdad.

All three were given antidepressants to help them make it through their tours of duty in Iraq - and all came home in coffins.

Warren, 44, and Guy, 26, committed suicide last year, according to the military; Hobart, 22, collapsed in June 2004, of a still-undetermined cause.

The three are among a growing number of mentally troubled service members who are being kept in combat and treated with potent psychotropic medications - a little-examined practice driven in part by a need to maintain troop strength.

Interviews with troops, families and medical experts, as well as autopsy and investigative reports obtained by The Courant, reveal that the emphasis on retention has had dangerous, and sometimes tragic, consequences............

part ii in the courant story about the mental health of our service people

COURANT INVESTIGATION: MENTALLY UNFIT, FORCED TO FIGHT Slipping Through The System

A Courant investigation has found that less than 1 percent of deploying troops receive an evaluation from a mental health professional, even though the military admits that more than 9 percent have a serious psychological illness.
By MATTHEW KAUFFMAN And LISA CHEDEKEL
The Hartford CourantMay 15 2006
In the 17 months after their son, Eddie, announced he was heading off to fight the war on terror, Margaret and Edward Brabazon of Bensalem, Pa., had held their breath.They were accustomed to holding their breath with the boy they had taken in as a foster child at age 3 and adopted at 12 - the boy who had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and attention-deficit disorder by the time he was 10, and who had spent his early teenage years in a psychiatric hospital and group homes for the emotionally disturbed.They watched with bewildered pride as the young man they had affectionately nicknamed "Crazy Eddie" was handed a uniform and an M-4 rifle and accepted into an elite fraternity - the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment based at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Although Margaret protested, the 18-year-old soldier also had informed his parents that he had stopped taking his psychotropic medications because he "wanted to be like everyone else," Margaret recalled."We were surprised they took him, with the kind of mental problems he had, but we figured the Army must know what they're doing," Margaret said. "We didn't think they'd send him into combat."Today, the Brabazons regret those assumptions..........

some GOOD news about a connecticut marine in iraq

on this mother's day, (well EVERY DAY) let's send our thoughts and prayers out to all of the men and women who are deployed in the middle east (and everywhere else too, what the heck!)

Hard Hat, Hard Head, Marine Saved Sniper Bullet Pierces Helmet Of Local Man Fighting In Iraq

By RACHANA RATHI, Courant Staff Writer

WESTBROOK -- A helmet was all that stood between a sniper's bullet and Marine Pfc. Fred Mitchell Linck's forehead. As it turned out, it was all he needed.
The armored helmet took the brunt of the May 5 shot, enabling Linck to casually mention the shooting in an e-mail from Iraq last week to friends and family."Things here are going decently," the e-mail read. "But I have some news for you all. I was shot in the head about two days ago..."I got some stitches, but will have a pretty big scar and a Purple Heart. ... Thank you for your love and prayers. Mitch."..............

ravings of a semi-sane madwoman: this from the hartford courant

ravings of a semi-sane madwoman: this from the hartford courant#links