Saturday, February 16, 2008

a shout out to hannah kluger and

the rest of the brave AND moral AND smart other glastonbury high students who protested the IMMORAL, ILLEGAL AND UNJUST war in iraq (including mary-kate james, emily jessen). no other names were available in the article. i'm proud of you!

Students Protest The War In Iraq
By NOMAAN MERCHANT Courant Staff Writer
GLASTONBURY - — With the war in Iraq about to enter its sixth year, a group of students from Glastonbury High School made their voices heard Friday.About 25 of them braved cold, windy weather to attend a rally at the intersection of Main and Griswold streets, holding signs listing the war's costs and calling on politicians to recall U.S. troops."I just strongly believe that violence has to end," said senior Hannah Kluger, the rally's organizer. "And the war is costing a huge amount of money." Kluger talked about the rally to students in the school cafeteria and in hallways, in addition to printing fliers and creating a group on the social networking site Facebook. .......

Friday, February 15, 2008

a link to a post

from one of my favorite blogs. the cool justice report by andy thibault (even though this article is not by andy). andy is quite the renaissance man. i've never met him, but he and i both live in connecticut. i'm in the process of reading one of his books right now, law and justice in every day life. it's fascinating. i've told him i love reading the book, but the stories are scaring the HELL out of me (they deal for the most part with connecticut cases).

andy has taken up causes (i don't know if that's the correct terminology. i don't know if HE would describe it that way) from
billy smolinski to avery doninger AND LOTS in between.

if i was ever in a jam, i hope i'd have someone like andy at my back


Column: Top Connecticut Lawyer Delineates Ethics Rules On Telling The Truth

Liar, Liar Pants on Fire: The Rules For Lawyers Have Changed" The lawyer is mandated to remedy the falsity, even if it means informing the court that the client is lying ... Thus it is not only truth by others, but as importantly, truth from attorneys that is mandated."By RICHARD MEEHAN The Cool Justice Report http://www.cooljustice.blogspot.com/
Feb. 15, 2008
EDITOR'S NOTE: This column is available for reprint courtesy of The Cool Justice Report,
http://cooljustice.blogspot.com/
The Rules of Professional Conduct (RPC) are the Bible governing lawyer ethics. Despite the cynicism of some wags, we do try to police ourselves as a profession and adhere to a code that places respect for the process above all other considerations.Lawyers have always had an obligation to be truthful with the court. Overzealous representation should not lead to an attorney misrepresenting the facts or misleading a court on issues of legal authorities. Traditionally, the RPC required that an attorney not participate actively in presenting false testimony before a tribunal. That rule has been amended to demand even more of lawyers.Rule 1.6 of the RPC requires lawyers to maintain client confidences. The sanctity of the attorney client privilege is no less than the sanctity of the seal of the confessional between priests and penitents.But what is the lawyer's responsibility when he learns that a client has given false testimony? Does the privilege mandate attorney silence and allow a subversion of the truth finding purpose of the judicial process? No.................. (read the rest at the link above)

a shout out to

supervisory assistant state's attorney stephen preleski who charged (the ALLEGED) dog torturer with a crime that carries a stiff sentence. it's about time. animals suffer. there was NO justification for what was done to that dog. if indeed the dog bit the child (and i'm believing she did. HOWEVER, she was in a cage and from what i understand was ALMOST ALWAYS IN A CAGE), i blame the adults FULLY. i could accept having the dog put down (humanely) if she was vicious. i cannot and will not accept having holes drilled in her head. may the person responsible for this (the one accused is pleading NOT GUILTY BY THE WAY) serve the MAXIMUM time allowed by law (and have this stay with him for the rest of his life)
Animal Cruelty Defendant Denounced
Protesters Attend Court Hearing For Man Accused Of Drilling Holes In Pit Bull's Head

By DON STACOM Courant Staff Writer
BRISTOL — - Outraged by allegations that Severino Cruz drilled holes in a pit bull's head, dozens of animal rights advocates protested Thursday morning as Cruz appeared in Superior Court.Cruz, 32, pleaded not guilty to animal cruelty charges in a brief hearing, then walked with his lawyer through a crowd of angry protesters who shouted "killer." Cruz was initially charged last month with cruelty to animals and disorderly conduct after police in Plainville determined he bored holes into the dog's head because the dog bit his 8-year-old son. Supervisory Assistant State's Attorney Stephen Preleski on Thursday added a new, more serious charge against him: maliciously maiming or killing an animal. If Cruz is convicted of that felony charge, he could be fined $5,000 and sent to prison for up to five years."I reviewed the case and charged Mr. Cruz with what I feel are appropriate charges," Preleski said later. ....

YOUR (certainly not mine) senator, da liebs

voting for TORTURE. (imagine this happening to OUR men and women). so if this is ok, what's the NEXT step? the rack? the iron maiden?

Lieberman says some waterboarding OK
By PETER URBAN
Article Last Updated: 02/15/2008 01:39:42 AM EST
WASHINGTON — Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman reluctantly acknowledged Thursday that he does not believe waterboarding is torture, but believes the interrogation technique should be available only under the most extreme circumstances.
Lieberman was one of 45 senators who voted Wednesday in opposition to a bill that would limit the CIA to the 19 interrogation techniques outlined in the Army field manual. That manual prohibits waterboarding, a method where detainees typically are strapped to a bench and have water poured into their mouth and nose making them feel as if they will drown.
The Senate passed the measure.
"We are at war," Lieberman said. "I know enough from public statements made by Osama bin Laden and others as well as classified information I see to know the terrorists are actively planning, plotting to attack us again. I want our government to be able to gather information again within both the law and Geneva Convention."
In the worst case scenario — when there is an imminent threat of a nuclear attack on American soil — Lieberman said that the president should be able to certify the use of waterboarding on a detainee suspected of knowing vital details of the plot.......

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

if you're in the bristol area tomorrow

february 14th, why don't you show up at the hearing of saverino cruz. he (allegedly) did something so horrid to one of his dogs, it's beyond belief. the following is from susan at ourcompanions.org

Dear Animal Loving Friends,

Many people have been horrified by the recent cruelty case in Plainville, CT in which Saverino Cruz took a power drill and brutally drilled several holes into a dog's head.
http://plainville.ctcitizens.com/story/police-charge-two-men-animal-cruelty

Our Companions has received many calls and emails from heart-sick animal lovers asking what they can do to help pursue justice for this unthinkable crime. We have been in touch with the Plainville Animal Control Department and have been advised that there are ways that you can make a difference.

1) Attend the Hearing that is scheduled for Thursday, February 14th at 9AM at Bristol Superior Court. (131 North Main Street, Bristol, CT 06010 ). A large show of public support to prosecute Mr. Cruz to the fullest extent of the law would help make an important statement about the serious nature of this crime.

2) Write to the Prosecutor Steven Preleski (same address as the Superior Court) and encourage him to seek the maximum punishment for this crime.

3) Consider adopting a pitbull. The Plainville Shelter has several loving pitbulls that are in desperate need of a home. You can help this very misunderstood and needy breed by opening your heart and home to a homeless dog. Check out Lucky, just one of the many sweet and loving pitbulls that desperately needs a good home.
http://search.pet finder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=9935606

4) Please forward this email to your animal loving friends and encourage them to also take action!

Thank you for caring and I hope you can attend the hearing on 2-14-08.

CONNECTICUT FOR ANIMALS connecticutforanimals.blogspot.com

www.uchckillsmonkeys.com

Monday, February 11, 2008

i thought they said the devil was NOT going to speak

at choat? well he's speaking TODAY and no one is invited
Karl Rove To Speak February 11
Edward J. Shanahan, Headmaster of Choate Rosemary Hall, released the following statement at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Monday, January 28, 2008:
"I am pleased to announce that Karl Rove will be coming to the Choate Rosemary Hall campus on Monday, February 11, 2008 to speak with our students.
Mr. Rove originally accepted our invitation to speak at Choate’s commencement in early June. However, after meeting with our seniors last week and reading their emails regarding this subject, it was quite clear to me that our students much preferred a visit during which they might engage Mr. Rove in some thoughtful conversation about his experiences in public life. In addition, both the students and I had some concerns that, because of the public nature of our commencement exercises, we ran the risk that their graduation day might be disrupted by outsiders. When I relayed that information to Mr. Rove over this past weekend, he graciously understood our students’ interests and our concerns.
In Mr. Rove’s words: ‘I would not want 12 minutes..........


Media barred from covering Rove speech at prep school
WALLINGFORD, Conn. -- The media have been barred from covering a speech by former presidential adviser Karl Rove to students at a prestigious prep school on Monday.Mary Verselli, spokeswoman for Choate Rosemary Hall, said Headmaster Edward Shanahan and Rove decided mutually to exclude the media. The prep school, which is the alma mater of President John F. Kennedy and two-time Democratic presidential nominee Adlai Stevenson, is limiting attendance to students and staff due to space restrictions in the auditorium, she said......

Sunday, February 10, 2008

for the most part


i have no issues with the hartford police department. EXCEPT their issuance of PARKING TICKETS. my very first ticket ever (not THIS storm by the way) was for parking on a hartford street during a (practically non-existant) snow storm. by the way, the snow plow(s) NEVER came down the street that day. NEVER, and it is a busy street with an entrance and exit to the highway on it. so i KNOW how these people feel. i was going to take all sorts of pictures of OTHER non-ticketed cars on practically every street in hartford, but i didn't. i just didn't want to go downtown and argue. i'm glad these people DID



By JEFFREY B. COHEN Courant Staff Writer

The city was prepared for a big snowfall. The parking ban was in place, and city police were enforcing it.But when the snowfall on Jan. 14 was less than expected, and a blizzard of parking tickets fell anyway, a lot of motorists took exception.More than 250 irritated people — a record-setting number, according to municipal officials — jammed the small lobby of the city's parking citation office Friday, coming to complain about the $99 tickets they got for parking on the street during a big-storm-turned-smaller-than-expected on Monday, Jan. 14...........


picture: DAVID PUTTERMAN, of Burlington, fills out a form on Friday to appeal the parking ticket he received on Jan. 14, a day when a parking ban was in effect in Hartford because of a snowstorm that proved to be less severe than expected. More than 250 people jammed the small lobby of the city's parking citation office to complain about the $99 ticket they got that day. (MICHAEL MCANDREWS / February 8, 2008)