japanalia eiko

has opened a store in back of the cvs on farmington avenue (actually it's on whitney street) in hartford. it's called japanalia on one

their grand opening was yesterday (i didn't attend) but i stopped by today early afternoon. WONDERFUL clothing, WONDERFUL bargains.

i got a denim swing jacket (i'm planning on sewing a knitted patch of some kind on the back. that will come MUCH later, the holidays are fast approaching and i have to concentrate on making things for others), a shirt AND the most wonderful cape-type thing. it is not something i can describe. it's made out of fleece (mine is deep green) and is just all slit up. i will take a picture of it soon. it's something i actually had in mind to make out of felt, but that would take forever (hand made felt of course) and cost a small fortune. the original price of the cape type object DID cost a small fortune BUT i got it marked down AND i got an additional discount for paying in cash (or check. just through tomorrow, saturday)

if you're in the hood, stop by and check them out. VERY unique clothing. very wicked cool woman working there as well

i can certainly attest to the traffic problems in hartford

due to the accident on i-84 yesterday (thursday) afternoon. i left work sometime between 2 and 2:30 and was driving west on farmington avenue. the traffic coming east on farmington avenue (diverted from the highway) was HORRENDOUS. there were all sorts of cops at intersections (sisson avenue was closed to traffic coming FROM farmington avenue, but open going ON to farmington avenue. nasty nasty nasty. tons of tractor trailers. what a MESS. i did stop at the half door for a beverage and a bowl of soup and watched all of the irate drivers on sisson.). the line of cars extended all the way from hartford into west hartford. i hear capitol avenue was no better off either. to those families and friends of the injured and killed, my thoughts go out to you. (there was also an accident on the berlin turnpike i believe)

Serious Accidents Snarl I-84, Route 15

The Hartford Courant September 7 2006, 7:06 PM EDT Police reported two major accidents Thursday afternoon - a fatal crash on Interstate 84 East in Hartford and a collision with a critical injury on Route 15 North in Berlin.Both highways were closed until the accidents were cleared.Investigators are still releasing very few details, but said a man was severely injured when he was hit by a tractor trailer around 2:15 p.m. on Route 15. Northbound traffic backed up quickly, and police advised motorists during the rush hour to take alternate routes.Traffic on Interstate 84 East in Hartford and surrounding streets was snarled for hours this afternoon after a multi-vehicle accident resulted in the closure of all lanes and claimed the life of one person, officials said.The accident was reported to authorities about noon on I-84 East between exits 46 and 48.Most of the traffic exited the highway onto Capitol, Farmington, Sisson avenues, and South Whitney Street, only to find that Hartford Police officers were controlling the traffic signals on those city streets, officials confirmed. Twelve Hartford traffic officers were directing traffic that backed up on the city streets............

what the HELL is up with this woman???

what the hell was she thinking? well i guess in this case, she wasn't thinking AT ALL

Mom Tangles With Cop At Manchester School
By JIM FARRELL The Hartford Courant September 6 2006, 3:23 PM EDT
MANCHESTER -- A police officer was injured when he tried to stop a mother who officers say refused to cooperate as she raced to drop her child off at school this morning.The woman stopped her vehicle briefly, but then rolled up her window on the policeman's arm and drove 80 feet as he ran alongside to avoid being dragged, according to a police report.Sol Marie Perez, 32, of 151 School St., faces charges including reckless endangerment, assault on a police officer, traveling too fast in a school zone and two counts of risk on injury to a minor.Her two children, ages 7 and 13, were in the car with her, according to police, who said Officer Bernie Hallums suffered bruises to his upper right bicep and abrasions to his right hand and wrist."It's unfortunate," said Troy Monroe, the principal at Illing Middle School, which on Wednesday put new traffic enforcement policies into effect because of severe congestion in the parking lot on Tuesday, which was the first day of classes. "The new policy prevents parents and guardians from entering the lot between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m., with police instead directing drivers toward traffic cones designating a drop-off zone on East Middle Turnpike..........

my thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Pfc. Nicholas A. Madaras

HARTFORD, Conn. --An Army private from Wilton was killed Sunday in Iraq when an explosive device blew up near his patrol, the Defense Department announced Tuesday.
Pfc. Nicholas A. Madaras, 19, died in Baqubah when the bomb detonated near his patrol, which was dismounted, military officials said. He was the third member of the military from Connecticut to be killed in Iraq since Aug. 25.
Gov. M. Jodi Rell ordered that U.S. and state flags remain at half staff to honor Madaras and Marine Lance Cpl. Philip A. Johnson, 19, of Enfield, who was also killed Sunday in Iraq.
Madaras was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division based in Fort Carson, Colo.
"This is a tremendously sad day for Connecticut," Rell said in a statement. "In fact, combined with our recent loss of Marine Cpl. Jordan Pierson, the past several days have been very sad ones for the people of our state."
Johnson was killed Sunday morning with one other Marine as his unit was traveling from Ramadi, family spokesman Ron Jackman said. Pierson, 21, of Milford, was killed Aug. 25. in Al Anbar province when he was shot during combat operations.
Pierson was to be buried Wednesday in Arlington National Cemetery.
Madaras' family declined to comment Tuesday. Funeral arrangements were pending...........

log cabin baby blanket (three stages so far)

i'm making for my boss and his wife. i'd best hurry, little noah was born this weekend.

i am mostly using kettle dyed malabrigo merino i got at sit-n-knit in west hartford center. the colors are wonderful and the yarn is fairly soft as well. the middle square is a lumpy bumpy mix of wool and silk. i do NOT recommend using this type of yarn for log cabin knitting. the stitches are very hard to pick up (so i'm not going to repeat it's use). i think i'm going to use some lovely noro i have to do some embroidery (chain stitch i think) where the yarns join. i think i'm also going to single crochet the noro around the completed blanket as a border.


update update update: FINISHED BLANKET

monday september 5th - shrooms and stumps

well it's tuesday now, but these were taken yesterday afternoon

just a caution if you use atm machines

(i actually use this one from time to time. not often, it's not my bank but the location is convenient to me. of course i'm only going to use atms in well lit areas with people around and ONLY during the day)

West Hartford Police Search For Robbers

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. -- West Hartford police are searching for two men they said tried to force people to withdraw money from an ATM at the Sovereign Bank.
They are looking for a white male, approximately 17-18 years old, about 5 feet, 5 inches to 5 feet, 6 inches tall who has short black spiked hair. He was wearing a red and white short-sleeved shirt and jeans. He had a bandana over his face. The other suspect was described as a 6-foot -ta ll black male in his early 20s with a muscular build. The suspect was described as having no facial hair, having a bald or shaven head, wearing a blank tank top, white belt, black jeans and a black winter hat on his head.
Police said they tried to force victims to withdraw money but no money was obtained

my thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Lance Cpl. Philip Alexander Johnson

Marine from Enfield killed in Iraq
September 4, 2006
ENFIELD, Conn. --A 19-year-old Marine from Enfield was killed in Iraq over the weekend, a family friend confirmed Monday night.
Lance Cpl. Philip Alexander Johnson died Sunday morning with one other Marine as his unit was traveling from Ramadi, family spokesman Ron Jackman said.
Ramadi, about 70 miles west of Baghdad, is considered one of Iraq's most dangerous cities and is patrolled by hundreds of Marines. The Marines are confined to bases during the day and return to the streets at night.
His parents, Louis and Kathy Johnson, were notified by the military Sunday night, Jackman said. Jackman said Johnson apparently was killed in a roadside attack.
A Pentagon spokesman said more information on the details of his death would be released Tuesday. The Department of Defense policy is to make details available 24 hours after the family has been notified.
Johnson is the second Marine from Connecticut to die in Iraq in just over a week. Cpl. Jordan Pierson, 21, of Milford, was killed Aug. 25. A memorial service for Pierson was held Monday. He will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
A 2005 graduate of Enfield High School, Johnson was fulfilling a lifelong dream of becoming a Marine, said those who knew him. He joined the Westover Young Marines when he was 11 and remained with the unit through high school.
"He started real early, which gave him a big heads up on everybody," Jackman said.................

senator dodd, i don't like bolton either

yet another choice by king george and his court, who is an embarrassment to the united states of america

Dodd Fights To Get Bolton Out Of U.N.

By DAVID LIGHTMAN Washington Bureau Chief September 4 2006 WASHINGTON -- John Bolton has been the public face and voice of the United States during the recent crises in the Middle East and Iran. Beginning this week, Sen. Christopher Dodd will renew his dogged campaign to get that face out of the picture.Bolton, the United States ambassador to the United Nations for the past year, has not been confirmed formally for the job by the U. S. Senate, and members will try again when they return from their summer recess today.But Dodd, who almost always goes along with administration nominees from either party, has been a fierce critic of Bolton for years, and does not plan to let up.He intends to address the Senate Democratic Caucus to make his case, make a speech to the full Senate and argue against approval by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee when it meets Thursday."My objection isn't that he's a bully," said Dodd, D-Conn., when Bolton appeared before the committee recently, "but that he's been an ineffective bully and can't win the day when it really counts."Mr. Bolton clearly has an aversion, in my view, to being diplomatic or to building consensus for U. S. positions," Dodd went on, "and that is deeply troubling to me."Dodd's view has strong support among Democrats and some interest groups. "I've never seen a more weird public figure than John Bolton. He is the complete ideologue," said Larry Birns, director of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs...........

it's time for a visit to

behind the blue wall

a million voices for darfur

my friend paulie sent this to me and i thought i'd share:

Dear Friend,I am writing to let you know I just signed a postcard to President Bush asking him to take action to stop the genocide in Darfur.Will you join me?Visit http://www.millionvoicesfordarfur.org/ to send your postcard today!Right now a campaign of rape, slaughter and displacement is currently being carried out in the western region of Sudan, the largest country in Africa. Government-supported troops have displaced 2.5 million people in the past two years, hundreds of thousands have died due to attacks, disease and starvation, and it is estimated that 500 men, women and children continue to die every day. You can make a difference today by sending a postcard to President Bush at http://www.millionvoicesfordarfur.org/We must put pressure on our national leaders to take immediate action. President Bush and the United States Congress have recognized the situation in Darfur as "genocide," but it will take much more than words to end the violence and suffering in Darfur. In fact this recognition imposes a legal obligation, let alone the inherent moral obligation, upon the U.S. to take action to stop the genocide.Visit http://www.MillionVoicesForDarfur.org to send your postcard today!If our leaders made Darfur a priority, hundreds of thousands of lives could be saved. Please join me in calling for immediate attention to Darfur and more robust action on behalf of the U.S. to support security efforts in the region. Visit http://www.millionvoicesfordarfur.org/ to send an online postcard to President Bush and to learn more about what is happening in Darfur and what you can do to help.Please also join us to rally in Washington, DC on April 30th. For more information on this Save Darfur: Rally to Stop Genocide visit http://www.savedarfur.org/Rally

cowl for erin

my friend erin is going to france until christmas eve. i made her this cowl to keep her warm on those windy french nights (while sitting at an outdoor cafe sipping on some powers IF she can find it). i used a combo of wool and silk for most of it and some baby alpaca here and there. i got the yarn at sit-n-knit in west hartford center (i LOVE it there)

cpl jordan pierson

An Empty Space

Charlie Company Marine's Death Leaves His Family Reaching For Meaning
By JESSE HAMILTON Courant Staff Writer August 29 2006 MILFORD -- The photos on the coffee table are like puzzle pieces, a thick stack of 4-by-6-inch hints about the Jordan Pierson his family couldn't know.There's one that shows the street that runs past the main cemetery in Fallujah, Iraq. Next, the view from the rooftop guard post on the edge of the compound where Cpl. Pierson was becoming a battle-hardened Marine. And dozens more, freezing the dusty faces of Plainville's Charlie Company against the monochromatic backdrop of Fallujah.Somewhere within these images is the man and boy his family knew, whose body is expected to arrive today on U.S. soil, a middle step in Pierson's long journey home.In the living room of his family's house in Milford, the wiry corporal's dress uniform hangs from a door. It had awaited his return, maybe in late October, just in time to attend his unit's Marine Corps ball. He had asked that it be ready for him, just as he had been planning his University of Connecticut class load. Pierson, 21, was looking to get his life together after seven months at war.On Friday, the news that he had been shot to death on a foot patrol in Fallujah broke this home open like an ant hill, leaving his family still hurrying purposelessly from room to room on Sunday, powerless to repair the breach.There is food to eat - so much that neighbors are making space in their refrigerators. People keep bringing it, their offering for the impenetrable grief that is settling in. Aunts, friends, his mother and grandmother sit around the dining table exercising their memories, stamping their versions of Jordan's unruly youth into the family record..........

and from 1st sgt grainger; Saddened hearts

Saddened hearts
Sunday, Aug. 27 -- It’s with a saddened heart that I returned to Charlie Company last night as we have lost a great Marine to the rigors of combat in Iraq: Cpl Jordan Pierson. Cpl Pierson had been a bright spot in his platoon, in a place that can take the softest of hearts into a void of darkness. Even when the gloom of combat reached deep in a man's soul, Cpl Pierson could bring the Marine back to a sense of purpose, a sense of why we were here, and that we were making a difference. Cpl Pierson was destined not to only be a Marine, but a leader among Marines. He fostered a sense of caring for Marines while still embodying all it meant to be a Marine. .......

we have a chance to donate supplies to louisiana school nurses

let's DO it! in the greater hartford area, a drop off point is the hartford armory.

Connecticut To Collect Supplies For Louisiana School Nurses

HARTFORD, Conn. -- The state will begin collecting health care supplies this week to help school nurses and school-based health clinics in Louisiana.
The new charity drive comes a year after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast.
"Tuesday marks the first anniversary of the devastation left by Hurricane Katrina. The images we have seen on television and newspapers remind us that the Gulf states, especially Louisiana and Mississippi, are a long way from full recovery and are still rebuilding," Gov. M. Jodi Rell said in a written statement. "Connecticut again stands ready to help in any way we can."
The list of supplies being collected includes new, unopened boxes of bandages, calamine lotion, cotton balls, dental floss, flashlights and batteries, gauze and gauze rollers, facial tissue, gloves, cotton swabs, liquid soap in a pump, adhesive tape, thermometers, tongue depressors and tweezers.
Rell and Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco spoke last week. Blanco told Rell her state needs to restock school nurses' offices for the start of the new school year. Rell said her staff has also contacted the Mississippi governor's office.
The following Connecticut National Guard armories have been designated as drop-off sites for the supplies: State Armory at 360 Broad St. in Hartford; New Haven Armory at 290 Goffe St.; New London Armory at 249 Bayonet St.; Norwich Armory at 38 Stott Ave.; Stratford Armory at 63 Armory Road; and the Waterbury Armory at 64 Field St.
The supplies will be collected from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Aug. 31 through Sept. 8. The armories will be closed, however, during Labor Day weekend.

an invite extended to da liebs (to chomp down on a weenie perhaps)

i seriously doubt he'll show, but it was rather nice of of the greenwich democrats to invite da liebs to their picnic. i wouldn't have

DTC meal may get real messy Town party invites Lieberman to picnic

By Neil Vigdor Staff Writer August 27, 2006 Joe Lieberman will get an invitation to next month's Democratic picnic in rival Ned Lamont's hometown of Greenwich, but it could be no picnic if he shows up."I hope he comes. I think it'll give an opportunity for many of us to vent our anger," said Peter Berg, a Democratic Town Commitee member and Lamont supporter.Lieberman, who lost the Aug. 8 Senate primary to Lamont, has been ostracized by many in his own party for continuing the race as a petitioning candidate. His critics say his decision to mount an independent candidacy shows utter contempt for the party and its primary process.Some of them even debated whether the 18-year incumbent should be invited to party events such as the picnic, which will be held from noon to 3 p.m. Sept. 24 at the Greenwich Civic Center in Old Greenwich."Even though many of us are unhappy with Senator Lieberman, he is still a Democratic officeholder," said Jim Himes, the DTC chairman............

my thoughts and prayers go to the family of Cpl. Jordan C. Pierson

Marine from Milford killed in Iraq
August 26, 2006
HARTFORD, Conn. --A marine from Connecticut was killed in combat Friday in Iraq, the U.S. Department of Defense announced Saturday.
Cpl. Jordan C. Pierson, 21, of Milford, died during combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division in Plainville.
No additional information was immediately available.
Pierson was the second marine from the 25th Marine Regiment to be killed in three weeks. Lance Cpl. Kurt Dechen, 24, of Springfield, Vt., was on a foot patrol in Fallujah, Iraq, on Aug. 3 when his unit came under fire and he was shot.
Thirty-two servicemen and women and civilians with Connecticut ties have died since March 2002 in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Pierson and another serviceman were hit with shrapnel earlier this year after a grenade exploded near them, The Hartford Courant reported in May.
Roberto Diaz, of Manchester, said he trained with Pierson in California and last saw him nine months ago.
"He was an excellent marine," he said. "He did his job to the fullest."

and from the courant

Marine From State Fatally Shot In Iraq

By HILDA MUÑOZ And TINA A. BROWNCourant Staff WritersAugust 27 2006A U.S. Marine corporal from Milford died from hostile gunfire Friday while on foot patrol in Fallujah, the U.S. Defense Department said Saturday.Cpl. Jordan C. Pierson, 21, was shot once through the shoulder and died at 12:12 p.m. Iraqi time, according to Lt. Col. Gerald Larghe, commander of the U.S. Marine Center in Plainville, where Pierson's company - Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 25th Marines - is based. He became the third Marine with ties to the company to be killed in action since the unit was deployed in March.Pierson joined the U.S. Marine Corps in December 2003. He was wounded in the arms and legs by shrapnel from an insurgent grenade in May. He was treated at Camp Fallujah and awarded the Purple Heart.A full-time student at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, Pierson postponed his studies to go to Iraq, military officials said. The unit is scheduled to return to Connecticut in October.Milford Mayor James L. Richetelli Jr. visited Pierson's family Saturday. "I expressed the condolences from the city of Milford," he said. "Once the time comes, this city will remember him in a big way. We are known as a small city with a big heart." .............

down with tyranny

this was left in the comments section of my posting (referred from the enigmatic paradox) entitled 'have you had enough'. i wanted to post the whole response. if you see it in your heart to make a contribution to the blue cause, the link is below.


Thanks very much for posting the lyrics and offering the download. Please accept my gratitude. The whole story of how Rickie Lee Jones and the 2 guys from The Squirrel Nut Zippers (Tom Maxwell and Ken Mosher) came to record the song is here at Down With Tyranny. We're doing our best to get it on the radio so people start to get familiar with it and we've offered it for free download at MySpace.com/haveyouhadenough/ (and in 2 weeks it will be available for free on all the big digital services). The goal, though is a little more involved. We've made 30 second radio spots out of the song. For targeted districts, with particularly terrible incumbents and particularly excellent challengers (like Jerry McNerney taking on Dick Pombo in CA-11 and Vic Wulsin taking on Mean Jean Schmidt on OH-02) we've replaced the line "it's time to throw the rascals out" with "it's time to throw Pombo out" and "it's time to throw Mean Jean out."The districts we're targeting can all be called "dollar a holla" media markets. A very little bit of money can go a relatively long way. Our hope is to get our ads up on the radio during October. We're trying to raise $250,000, not just for these two districts but for as many of the Blue America candidates as we can help. The list is here: http://www.actblue.com/page/blueamerica/ And that is also a place where, if you think it's worthwhile, you can chip in some money too. Even $10, if enough people chip in, will be incredibly helpful.It's been a real grassroots project from Day One and now supporters of candidates are doing remixes and making video clips and spreading it virally. This week a supporter of Coleen Rowley sent me a little video he made, which is up on YouTube. It's cute: http://homepage.mac.com/mmcintee/hadenough/iMovieTheater115.html/I'm sure you know Bush and his rubber stamp Congress aren't going away of their own accord. We can expect terror alerts and God knows what else from them to sway a voting public that has become increasingly disgusted with them. It makes people feel good to take part in ousting them and freeing themselves. Thanks for any help you can give and please don't hesitate to send me suggestions. Howie Klein downwithtyranny@aol.com

why would a 21 year old sailor

steal information off of a military laptop and try to sell it to a foreign government? there IS no sound reason is the answer. something doesn't sit right about this story

Oregon sailor to face court-martial on espionage

By Michael Felberbaum, Associated Press Writer August 26, 2006
RICHMOND, Va. --A sailor accused of taking a Navy laptop loaded with classified information and peddling its contents to a foreign government will face a court-martial, the Navy said Friday.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Ariel J. Weinmann, of Salem, Ore., will face six charges -- including three counts of espionage -- that were approved by Adm. John B. Nathman, commander of the U.S. Navy's Fleet Forces Command in Norfolk.
The espionage charges carry a maximum punishment of death, but the Navy will not seek a capital sentence, Navy spokesman Capt. James Taylor said. Weinmann, a fire control technician previously assigned to the USS Albuquerque based at New London, Conn., faces up to life in prison if convicted.
A trial date has not been set.
The Navy has said Weinmann, who is being held at the brig at Norfolk Naval Air Station, gave classified information related to national defense to an undisclosed foreign government before he destroyed the computer.
During a preliminary hearing in July, the Navy disclosed that Weinmann was picked up at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on March 26 after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents found the 21-year-old with $4,000 cash, three CD-ROMs, an external computer storage device and memory cards for storing digital images............

a couple of postings ago i gave you the link to the enigmatic paradox

now star has posted a link to a GREAT song for a GREAT cause. the song is have you had enough (link to the posting which links to the song). one of my all time favorites is singing; ricki lee jones along with tom maxwell and ken mosher from the squirrel nut zippers.

.........................
Have You Had Enough?

Have you had enough of hypocrisy?

Have you had enough of the spending spree?

Have you had enough?

Does it make you want to scream and shout?

Have you had enough of the rubber stamps?

Have you had enough of the wire taps?

If you’ve had enough, then it’s time to throw the rascals out!

We’ve let them take the test too long

They’ve gotten all the answers wrong

No plan, no shame, no oversight

Now’s the time to put it right!

Have you had enough, cause they’re all corrupt?

Have you had enough of being divvied up?

If you’ve had enough, then it’s time to throw the rascals out!

Well, do what’s right and spread the word

It’s time to make our voices heard

You cast your vote it don’t cost a dime

Sittin’ it out will be a crime

I’ve had enough, and it’s time to throw the rascals out................

please check out the posting AND the cause

stop by and say hello to

enigmatic paradox

imagine rx2008

saw this on skippy's site and i knew i had to post it as well

the cine-one-too-effing-many in east hartford is closing

i make a point of AVOIDING those giant theaters. i HATE them. i HATE most of the movies they show.

i'm sorry it's closing though. i am always upset when i hear of something that is going to close. i worry about the loss of jobs.

i prefer to go to cinestudio at trinity or the theater by brainard field (it was called cinema city, but i'm not sure of the name now). i'm more of an independent or foreign movie snob (don't get me wrong, i be lovin' me some animal house). i'm also an avid member of netflix. i LOVE that service. the last time i was in a video rental store, it was to return some dvds i didn't even know i had and the late fees cost me ALMOST as much as it would have cost me to replace the dvds. i tore up my card to that store then and there. (by the way, that had NEVER happened to me before. i am usually VERY reliable. don't know what happened. i just forgot i had those videos)

East Hartford Cinema To Close

BY DAN UHLINGER Courant Staff Writer August 24 2006, 2:26 PM EDT EAST HARTFORD -- Suffering from fewer moviegoers, Showcase Cinema, a town fixture and eyecatcher along I-84 for more than 30 years, will close Sept. 4 after its last showing.Company officials were preparing a press release about the theater after employees said they were told Tuesday about the closing."It wasn't a huge surprise but everyone was pretty sure it was going to stay around for a while," said Chris Devaux, an employee who has worked at the 14-screen theater since 1997.Robert Moch, theater manager, said he could not comment and was told to refer all inquiries to Dedham, Mass.-based National Amusements Inc., the owner of Showcase Cinemas."The word is out there," said Devaux. "Employees have been telling customers as they buy tickets, but I guess the company wants to make a big announcement."Mayor Melody A. Currey said company officials have not notified the town about the closing or returned phone calls to her."I think obviously it was decision they made a while ago and they're moving on," she said. "I'm disappointed they chose not to upgrade the site. The last time was 1995. It's a great location with great visibility."........

who was the last president you knew who LOST A PLANET???

i cannot take credit for that, but bruce and colin CAN!!!

pas de deux approximativement NOTHING

wicked wicked wicked funny dear mr stewart

a shout out to this family - they are our own

they are our neighbors, our friends, our sons and our daughters. they DESERVE to stay safe and not be put in harm's way. i thank the whole family

Big family, big issues
By Ben Rubin , Journal Inquirer

EAST HARTFORD - At first glance, the home at 49 Wells Ave. seems like an unassuming place on an ordinary street. But inside, it is in constant motion.It's where Karen Defond brought up 12 children - eight of whom were adopted and one a daughter of a friend who died.Three of her seven boys - Peter Defond, 23; Timothy Graveline, 20; and Douglas Graveline, 21 - grew up to join the Marines, with one fighting in Iraq, one stationed in Japan, and one back home, injured.

After serving in Iraq for three months, Douglas returned to East Hartford in January after an improvised explosive device blew up the tank he was driving. The incident happened Dec. 20, 2005, in Fallujah.Douglas was nearly killed in the attack, Karen said, and by the time he came back to the U.S., he had a jagged scar across his right arm, a broken jaw, missing teeth, and short-term memory loss."If he didn't get hurt, he said he'd be right back there to help his fellow man and the people who wanted help," Karensaid. "When he started to walk again, he said he wanted to go back."Now recuperating at home, he seemed to heal quickly. Never one to talk to people outside a small core of friends and family, he refused to discuss the incident."I was happy, because he was alive still," Karen said. "He's considered a veteran now, a 21-year-old veteran. You wouldn't think that, would you?"Peter is serving a third tour in Iraq - one he volunteered to do -battling in towns and cities his family sometimes can't remember the names of.As a frontline soldier, Karen bluntly described what Peter does: "He shoots a lot."..........

when i heard this on my car radio yesterday, i was aghast

this dude has STONES fo sho. can you believe this?

Giordano Wants Pay For Unused Sick, Vacation Days

WATERBURY, Conn. -- Waterbury officials said former Mayor Philip Giordano, a prison inmate, isn't entitled to thousands of dollars for unused vacation or sick time.
Giordano, who's serving 37 years on federal child sex charges, claims he's owed tens of thousands of dollars for the vacation and sick days he never took before his arrest.
Sheila O'Malley, Mayor Michael Jarjura's chief of staff, said under the charter they're not obligated to give him sick time and won't even entertain his request.............

tell king george to stay out of EVERYTHING ELSE as well as CONNECTICUT

Bush says he'll stay out of Connecticut Senate race

August 21, 2006
WASHINGTON --President Bush said Monday he'll stay out of the Connecticut Senate race, widely seen as a referendum on the war in Iraq.
Anti-war businessman Ned Lamont beat U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman in an Aug. 8 Democratic primary, largely by criticizing Lieberman's support of the war and accusing him of being too close to Bush and Republicans.
Lieberman is now running as an independent, and national Republicans have declined to back Alan Schlesinger, the Republican candidate in the race. He drew support from 4 percent of likely voters in a Quinnipiac University poll released last week, compared with 53 percent for Lieberman and 41 percent for Lamont.
"I'm going to stay out of Connecticut," Bush said at a news conference Monday.
When a reporter reminded him that he was born in Connecticut, Bush grinned and said, "Shhhhhh."
During the primary campaign, Lamont supporters wore buttons with a picture of Bush appearing to kiss Lieberman's cheek after his 2005 State of the Union address. Top Bush adviser Karl Rove has said he called Lieberman on primary night and wished him well, although he denied offering the senator help in the election's final hours.
Bush said during his news conference Monday that he was troubled that so many U.S. House and Senate candidates were calling for withdrawal U.S. forces from Iraq. Lamont is among those calling for a speedy withdrawal.............

da liebs in rolling stone

who knew he was such a hep happenin' dude? NOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT any way, it's a good article. give it a read.

THE LOW POST: Dead Man Coming
Don't hold your breath waiting for Joe Lieberman to go away. MATT TAIBBI

Late at night in Hartford's Goodwin Hotel last Tuesday -- I'm not even sure what time it was -- Joe Lieberman made his way to the podium for his much-anticipated "concession" speech.
I'd been joking with another reporter that en route to his capitulation Joe would leave fingernail tracks in the carpet leading all the way back to his private room upstairs, but surprisingly he did not have to be dragged onstage at all, and his little elfin nails looked unbloodied and intact as he spoke. I was looking over a crowd of reporters and Joe staffers, off to the right and to the rear of the hall, as he announced his determination to press on:
"If the people of Connecticut are good enough to send me back to Washington . . . " he began, "I promise them I will keep fighting for the same progressive new ideas and for stronger national security . . . "
At the words progressive new ideas I couldn't help myself and let out a little laugh, recalling Lieberman's determination to yank funding from public schools that counseled suicidal teens that it was OK to be gay. Was that the kind of progressive idea he was talking about? I really did try to muffle it, but it was too late -- a middle-aged woman with big dangly earrings in a Lieberman T-shirt whipped around and glared at me.
"Yes?" I said.
"Have some respect!" she snapped.
"What?" I shouted.............. ......."You know what?" she said. "You reporters are all alike. You won't admit it, but you're all anti-Semites . . . "
I scratched my head. Anti-Semites? The song rattled on creepily:
If you rough it up
If you like it you can slide it up, slide it up
I shuddered at this, trying to keep my wits, but Horn-Rimmed Glasses was still whaling away at me. "You people really do have no respect," she went on. "Joe is such a wonderful man . . . "
"Listen," I exploded, interrupting her. "Do you know what this song is about?"
She froze.
"It's about a guy who gets an erection that doesn't go away," I said. "Can you explain to me why this song is playing now? What the hell is wrong with you people?"
Horn-Rimmed frowned and listened. At that exact moment Mick Jagger was wrapping the song up:
You, you make a dead man come . . .
You, you make a dead man come . . .................

don't forget it's tax free week (on shoes and clothing) in connecticut

Brief Tax Break Begins Back-To-School Shoppers Take Advantage
By JODIE MOZDZER Courant Staff Writer August 21 2006
WEST HARTFORD -- While each of their teenage daughters carried a load of clothes to the Gap dressing room Sunday, Donna Michlinand Jackie Meacham prepared for their own heavy lifting."We're here to hold the bags," Meacham said. "And we do the credit card thing."With the girls trying on $100 cashmere sweaters and more at the Westfarms mall store, Michlin and Meacham said they were happy they chose this week - sales tax-free week in Connecticut - to do the bulk of their back-to-school shopping.Sunday was the first day of Connecticut's seventh annual tax-exempt week for clothes and shoes. No tax will be charged on single items priced up to $299.99 through Saturday. Every other week of the year, items under $50 are exempt from the 6 percent sales tax.Connecticut is one of 13 states to have some sort of tax-free shopping incentive. Other states, such Massachusetts, hold a tax holiday for just a weekend.Despite the added allure of an extra 6 percent savings, many stores at Westfarms did not have signs advertising the deal.............

molly (i love her!!!) from texas has the scoop on lamont from connecticut

and why osama bin is so very happy ned won. the terrorists were on the edges of their seats the night of the election i'll have you know!

Molly Ivins: Osama Hearts Lamont

By Molly Ivins
If you listen to Dick Cheney, Bin Laden & Co. were staying up late to hear the Lamont-Lieberman election returns from Darien, Conn.
AUSTIN, Texas—The most cunning refinement yet in the administration’s plot to scare the liver, lights and onions out of us with Tales of Terror Plots is the Department of Homeland Security’s brilliant move to declare Indiana the national center of terrorism, with 8,591 potential targets. Many citizens have questioned the Indiana move—some claiming it is a waste of money trying to stop attacks on the Wabash Cannonball. The Statue of Liberty and the Washington Monument might merit a little more attention. This is precisely why it is better to have Michael Chertoff and Karl Rove making these Homeland Security decisions, rather than Osama bin Laden.
The defeat of Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman in the Democratic primary alerted Veep Dick Cheney to the menace. Ned Lamont, the guy who beat Lieberman, said he was surprised that Cheney claimed his victory would embolden Osama bin, as we call him Texas.
“My God, here we have a terrorist threat against hearth and home, and the very first thing that comes out of their mind is how we can turn this to partisan advantage,” complained Lamont. Lieberman warned that Lamont’s call for a phased withdrawal of troops from Iraq would be “taken as a tremendous victory” by the terrorists. Cheney said it would encourage “the Al Qaeda types” who want to “break the will of the American people in terms of our ability to stay in the fight and complete the task.” .........

i saw let da liebs keep jawin'

the more he says, the angrier he makes his constituants. i am NOT a terrorist, or a supporter of terrorists. i am NOT a kook. i am NOT opening my front door to al queda by voting my heart AND my mind. i'm not willing to sacrifice any more lives of our men and women to a war based on lies and goddess knows what else. da liebs MUST go (as well as the king and his court, but we have to wait a bit more for king george to leave his throne) and we MUST elect ned lamont

Senate Democrats grow angry at Joe Lieberman for campaign tactics

Some Senate Democrats are becoming angry with Senator Joe Lieberman's statements on the campaign trail, today's issue of The Hill is reporting.
Democrats are upset with statements Lieberman made about the Iraq war, implying that the stand of many Democrats to bring the troops home from Iraq by a certain date puts national security at risk. Some senior aides have intimated that Lieberman may lose seniority within the caucus over the imbroglio.
A majority of Senate Democrats, 26 to date, have said they will support Ned Lamont in the November election. Lamont beat Lieberman in the Democratic primary last week.
Excerpts from The Hill article follow............

the worm crawls

a GOOD ending to this story. how ridiculous to try to stop a youngster from selling worms. damn what a bunch o' idjits

Cromwell's Can Of Worms Ends Happily For Teenager

By JODIE MOZDZER Courant Staff Writer August 16 2006 CROMWELL -- The worm turned for 13-year-old Joey Cadieux Tuesday night at a special meeting of the planning and zoning commission.In a unanimous vote, the commission rescinded what some members said was an "unauthorized" July letter sent to Joey that told him to close down his night crawlers business - an action that triggered international outrage against the order and support for the young entrepreneur.The backlash also prompted finger pointing among town officials who blamed each other for the black eye given the town's reputation."I'm excited," Joey said after the meeting. He headed home to put up the 18-by-18-inch sign, "NITE CRAWLERS," that drew town officials' attention to his worm business on Washington Road in the first place.At the commission's June 20 meeting, a general discussion of home businesses and signs led to a discussion of the worm sign and how such signs violated zoning regulations. In the end, commission members asked that the zoning enforcement officer, Fred Curtin, look into it. He did and then issued the order without following up with the commission, according to commission Chairman Peter Hanson.Since the public uproar over the order, other signs have been popping up on Washington Road in support of Joey and his worms, reading, "Hug a worm," "Worms for Rent" and "Live Worm or Die."...............

my friend dottie and i were chatting a bit yesterday

and she said to me she didn't think ned lamont had a chance to be elected in november (not that she doesn't like ned mind you). i of course disagreed with her. i really DO think ned will win. the more da liebs makes commercials and is endorsed by the king and his court jesters and the RADICAL unsympathetic close minded right, the more comfortable i feel

Collins endorses Lieberman in his re-election bid

PORTLAND, Maine --U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman's bid for re-election as an independent received a solid endorsement from the chairwoman of the Homeland Security Committee on Tuesday.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said she fully supports Lieberman, ranking Democrat on the committee, who's running as an independent after losing the Democratic primary to political newcomer Ned Lamont.
"I very much hope that Sen. Lieberman will be re-elected in the fall. His is an important voice of moderation and experience in the Senate," she said..........

(important voice of MODERATION? what a load of shite. anyone who endorses this unjust war in iraq is NOT moderate. they are in my opinion responsible for the deaths of 2,500 plus of our men and women)

springfield, not so very far away you know

A visitor enjoys himself at the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden. (MARC-YVES REGIS I)

who knew all of these things were in springfield? i knew about the dr seuss memorial but not about the other things. of course i also knew about the basketball hall of fame (go larry bird)

Culture Cluster Springfield's Quadrangle Of Museums Is A Rich Mix

By ANNE FARROW Courant Staff Writer August 15 2006

I saw a Picasso, visited with the Grinch, drank a delicious cappuccino in an Italian cafe, and took a trip back to the world of Currier & Ives, all in one place. For my "daycation," I drove 26 miles on I-91 North to Springfield, then spent the day exploring the city's rich complex of museums, four of which border the long green quadrangle that is home to the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden.The cover of the visitors' center map says, "Come in and See the World," and it is an apt phrase for the culture cluster known as the Springfield Museums, which includes the George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum, the Springfield Science Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts and the Connecticut Valley Historical Museum.I go to museums the way some women shop, so the idea of "all museums, all day" was perfect for me. I began with the science museum's Hall of Dinosaurs, which is dominated by a 20-foot-tall model of tyrannosaurus rex. It may be the effect of those "Jurassic Park" movies, but dinosaurs seem more familiar than scary. This is a museum with a strong emphasis on the education of children, so even the video that plays in the hall is rather comforting. I learned that "many of the herbivores didn't chew their food," and that the dinosaurs "have left us great dental records."I love dioramas, and this museum has a lot of them - from moose of New England, to bison of the Great Plains, all of whom looked small after seeing that tyrannosaur. The highlight of the museum for me was the planetarium show, because I hadn't seen a planetarium show since my dad took me to the Museum of Science in Boston in the 1950s.............

this speaks volumes

and it's downright unusual. and i agree with snow (on this issue at least), the connecticut race IS unique. but for king george not to come out an openly support his republican senatorial candidate is odd odd odd.

White House vague about Bush support for GOP Senate candidate

By Andrew Miga, Associated Press Writer August 14, 2006
WASHINGTON --President Bush isn't exactly eager to lend his support to the Republican nominee in Connecticut's tumultuous Senate race.
The White House was circumspect on Monday when asked whether Bush would support Republican Alan Schlesinger in the three-way fall contest that includes Democratic nominee Ned Lamont and three-term incumbent Sen. Joe Lieberman.
"The president supports the democratic process in the state of Connecticut and wishes them a successful election in November," White House spokesman Tony Snow said.
Bush routinely backs Republican candidates in races all across the country.
Lieberman has won praise from the Bush team for his unwavering support of the Iraq war and is seen by some Democrats as too close to the president. He began an independent bid to keep his seat after losing the Democratic primary last week to anti-war challenger and political newcomer Lamont.
Snow was asked whether Bush was balking at supporting Schlesinger because he liked Lieberman -- or wanted to stay out of the contest because Schlesinger was trailing badly in the polls.
"There may be a whole host of reasons the president -- I'm just not going to play," Snow replied.
He suggested the Connecticut race was unique.......................

an update on the story (two stories) below

(well the part that deals with me that is)

the person at work whom i had a discussion with last thursday, said HELLO to me this morning very loudly. i didn't answer him. i was still quite upset (and to tell you the truth a bit hurt). he came over to my desk and asked me what was up. i told him, i was very upset and it was hard for me to deal with some of the things he said to me. i said i wasn't so much upset about what he said about things in general, i was upset he didn't want to deal with me anymore because of MY beliefs (which i normally keep to myself at work. remember HE brought it up. although he did overhear me talking with someone else about my political beliefs). a few other things were said and then he apologized to me and i of course apologized to him (although i didn't do anything that i felt needed an apology. i just wanted to say it to clear the air). i then said i am going to consider the prior discussion forgotten (and i will). end of (this) story

ned lamont

on the nay sayers. and i agree with ned. it IS offensive

AP Interview: Lamont says he's surprised by harshness of attacks from Lieberman, Cheney

By Andrew Miga, Associated Press Writer August 13, 2006
WASHINGTON --Democratic Senate nominee Ned Lamont, the anti-war candidate who toppled Sen. Joe Lieberman in the Connecticut primary, says he was surprised by Lieberman and Vice President Dick Cheney's claims that his victory could embolden terrorists.
"My God, here we have a terrorist threat against hearth and home and the very first thing that comes out of their mind is how can we turn this to partisan advantage. I find that offensive," Lamont said in an interview Sunday with The Associated Press.
After British officials disclosed they had thwarted a terrorist airline bombing plot on Thursday, Lieberman warned that Lamont's call for a phased-withdrawal of troops from Iraq would be "taken as a tremendous victory" by terrorists.
Cheney on Wednesday had suggested that Lamont's victory might encourage "the al-Qaida types" who want to "break the will of the American people in terms of our ability to stay in the fight and complete the task."
Lamont said Lieberman's swipe at his candidacy "sounded an awful lot" like Cheney.
"It surprised me," he said. "It seemed almost orchestrated. It's sort of demeaning to the people of Connecticut ... I thought the senator and the vice president were both wrong to use that attack (strategy) on the voters of Connecticut."
The Lieberman camp Sunday brushed aside Lamont's comments.
"All Lieberman did was point out an important difference between his approach to national security and Ned Lamont's, which is what campaigns are all about," said Lieberman spokesman Dan Gerstein..........

ravings of a semi-sane madwoman: free speech in america

ravings of a semi-sane madwoman: free speech in america

this sounds like west hartford (but it's not)

how stupid is this? how silly, how sad for joey


No worming out of this: Town shuts down teen's nightcrawler sales
By Stephanie Reitz, Associated Press Writers August 11, 2006
CROMWELL, Conn. --For the last three summers, 13-year-old Joey Cadieux has headed outside with his flashlight on rainy nights to collect nightcrawlers from his yard.
Purchased by fishermen and passing drivers, the wriggling worms brought him about $7 to $10 in a good month, just enough for bike trips to his favorite neighborhood pizza joint.
But when a town official recently objected to his stenciled black-and-white "nite crawlers" yard sign, Joey's business got the hook.
The move has set off a flurry of protests from residents of this suburban central Connecticut town, who have been calling and e-mailing officials to stick up for the budding entrepreneur.
Joey, who starts high school in a few weeks, is a quiet teen who is uncomfortable about the controversy, is running short on pizza money and just wants to sell his worms again.
"We end up using a lot of the worms for ourselves. It's honestly not a real thriving business," said his stepfather, August Reil, who received the town's cease-and-desist letter in late July. "I actually laughed when I opened it. I couldn't believe they were serious."
But they definitely are.
If Joey and his stepfather erect the sign again and revive the informal worm-selling enterprise, they could face penalties for violating town zoning rules..........

you tell me who the kook is

me for believing

it is wrong in every way shape and form 2,598 of our men and women have died in iraq, it is wrong $303,073,056,797 has been spent on iraq when (AT THE VERY LEAST) OUR united states citizens on the gulf coast still have NOT been thoroughly taken care of after katrina, it is wrong for me to be spyed on by our government WITHOUT A WARRANT, it is wrong for corporations such as halliburtan to profit (and when i say halliburton i am including the WHOLE good ol' white boy network) off of this unjust war (based on lies) in iraq

or the asswipe who said THIS:

Columnist Cal Thomas Says 'Taliban Democrats' To Blame for Lieberman Loss

By E&P Staff Published: August 11, 2006 10:00 PM ET
NEW YORK Is the normally midl-mannered syndicated columnist Cal Thomas venturing into Ann Coulter territory? In his latest column today, he declared that the recent primary defeat of Sen. Joe Lieberman in Connecticut "completes the capture of the Democratic Party by its Taliban wing."The Taliban Democrats, he added, "are willing to 'kill' one of their own, if he does not conform to the narrow and rigid agenda of the party's kook fringe.... "It will be difficult for any Democrat to seek consensus with any Republican without being targeted as an infidel worthy of electoral death. Our already-poisoned political dialogue has not only been made more toxic, but contagious. Taliban Democrats have effectively issued a political 'fatwa' that warns all Democrats not to deviate from their narrow line, or else face the end of their careers through a political jihad. Perhaps the few remaining rational Democrats should put on their burkas now and submit to the will of the party mullahs."

they're crazy

they're insane. they're certainly BIASED (and of course NOT supposed to be. i CAN be biased, i'm NOT a news reporter). i wonder when the last time was chuck asked king george where osama was. osama is probably with the killer of nicole simpson.



Headline News Anchor: ‘Might Some Argue That Lamont…Is The al Qaeda Candidate?

Today on CNN Headline News, anchor Chuck Roberts discussed the impact of the foiled British terror plot with Hotline senior editor John Mercurio. Roberts asked Mercurio, “How does this factor into the Lieberman/Lamont contest? And might some argue, as some have, that Lamont is the al Qaeda candidate?” Watch it:

.................

Stewart Eviscerates Sore-Loserman for Independent Run

and now a word from now on ned lamont

(peace IS a women's issue. it's everyone's issue, but it starts and ends with women)

NOW Celebrates Ned Lamont's Victory in Connecticut Democratic Primary


Statement of NOW President Kim Gandy

WASHINGTON - August 9 - I am proud to stand here today with Ned Lamont to celebrate this significant victory in Connecticut's Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.
Back in May, when the National Organization for Women Political Action Committee became the first national PAC to endorse Ned Lamont, there was no bandwagon to jump on. In fact, many Beltway politicos thought we had lost our senses, or worse -- endorsing a relative unknown against a well-connected 18-year incumbent.
This challenger, however, spoke truth to power; and NOW PAC never shies away from a principled fight when women's rights are on the line.
In the wake of perhaps the most stunning political upset in decades, we could not be more pleased. Women's rights are being challenged in every arena, our access to emergency contraception is being blocked, and Roe v. Wade is hanging by a thread. That's why we applaud Ned Lamont -- a candidate who stands firmly and uncompromisingly for women's rights and reproductive justice.
Peace is a feminist issue and the Iraq war has been a key issue in this campaign, but it is not the only issue. Because of the actions of the Bush administration, the national economy is in a shambles, our civil rights are being eroded, and the nation's standing in the world community has been seriously compromised.
It is time for the elected members of Congress who have enabled such travesties to retire or be retired. We applaud the voters in Connecticut who sent a strong message with Ned Lamont's primary win. The status quo must be transformed, and the voters recognized in Ned Lamont a forceful advocate for change. ...........

frightening VERY much so

if this doesn't say it all, i don't know what else could: Report: Rove offered Bush's assistance in Lieberman campaign Karl Rove, a close advisor to the President, has expressed interest in assisting Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman in retaining his seat, despite a loss in the Democratic Primary last night, ABC News has reported.
Rove was, according to the report, acting on behalf of President Bush.
George Stephanopoulos, writing for the World Newser blog at ABC, wrote that a Lieberman aide had shared with the news agency a message from the White House: "The boss wants to help. Whatever we can do, we will do."
According to the report, The Lieberman campaign is assessing its options, including whether it is beneficial for a candidate attempting to appeal to independents and moderate Democrats in Connecticut to be publicly supported by the President.
Excerpts from the ABC report follow:
#
The White House might help Lieberman by putting the kibosh on any move to replace the weak Republican candidate, Alan Schlesinger, with a stronger candidate............

what a soul-less ass

i don't think ANY of 'em have souls for THAT matter.

how dare this ass call ME (and anyone else who has the brain to know we were lied to in order to get us into iraq - as the stepping stone to the REST of the middle east it would appear) impatient. i am impatient because 2500 (plus) of our men and women died? died as a result of
the actions of a king and his court some would consider to be madmen/madwomen.

IMPATIENT??? our constitution, the constitution of the united states of america has not only been torn up but been spat upon by this administration. spying on it's own citizens WITHOUT warrants in order to 'capture' the ninja three stooges in florida? c'mon now. the health and well being of our citizens has been ignored. katrina and stem cell research for two (there are many more). the rich get richer while the working women and men strive to feed themselves, their families, heat their homes and fill their cars with gas. BUT the rich get richer. how DARE snow or ANY of the soul-less ones judge ME and the citizens of MY state for using not only our MINDS but our HEARTS AND SOULS as well. we made the RIGHT choice.

White House tears into Dems over Lieberman loss
RAW STORY Published: Wednesday August 9, 2006 White House press secretary Tony Snow today launched into a lengthy diatribe regarding the loss of Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) in yesterday's primary election--before stating the President has no official comment to make on the subject, RAW STORY has learned.
Snow, commenting from a middle school near President's ranch in Crawford, Texas, seemed to be attempting to use the loss to portray Democrats as weak on issues relating to national security.
A transcript of Snow's comments follow the video excerpt below: SNOW: As for the primary election in Connecticut last night -- I know there's a lot of concern and interest about that -- Democratic voters in Connecticut have made their choice, and they have chosen Ned Lamont over Senator Lieberman.
Just a couple of observations:
Key leaders in the National Democratic Party have made it clear -- no, let me back up -- this is a defining moment, in some ways, for the Democratic Party. I know a lot of people have tried to make this a referendum on the president. I would flip it. I think instead, it's a defining moment for the Democratic Party, whose national leaders now have made it clear that if you disagree with the extreme left in their party, they're going to come after you. And it is probably worth trying to trace through some of the implications of that position, because it is clearly going to be one of the central issues as we get ready for the election campaign this year, that is, the midterm elections.
First, let's think about Iraq. One of the positions is that we need to leave Iraq. We need to do it on a timetable, and we need to do it soon. It's worth walking through the consequences of that position................

i am sorry for your loss

my thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of lance corporal kurt e. denchen. i am so very sorry for your loss.

Charlie Company Marine Killed In Fallujah
By JESSE HAMILTON Courant Staff Writer August 8 2006

The price Charlie Company is paying for its mission in the heart of Fallujah now has a name: Kurt E. Dechen. After months of close calls and Purple Hearts, the Plainville-based Marines lost one of their own in Iraq last week. The lance corporal from Vermont fell under insurgent gunfire.His body is in Dover, Del., now. That's where the military prepares its dead for the final trips to their hometowns. In this case, it's Springfield, Vt., where Dale and Richard Dechen wait in the netherworld between the knock last week on their front door and the homecoming of their son, Kurt.The big Marine was in the 4th Platoon of Charlie Company, one of the platoons living in an old school administration building in downtown Fallujah, where The Courant embedded with the Marines for more than a month. The Connecticut-based Marines - about 200 of them - are the only U.S. troops living inside the city that was once controlled by thousands. The days have swung dramatically between sun-baked boredom and the attacks of insurgents. Mortars. Rocket-propelled grenades. Roadside bomb ambushes. And gunfire.While much of the world has turned its eyes to the bloodbath of sectarian killings in Baghdad, Al Anbar Province - with its violent urban pairing of Fallujah and Ramadi - sends a relentless stream of U.S. troops to combat hospitals and to mortuary services. ............

thank you

to the peeps of my state, thank you!!! i have a bat in my house. i think i got her/him out, but i don't know for sure. i've not seen her/him in four days so i'm guessing it's gone. last night i ripped my big toe open (badly). thankfully when i went to the doctor's in early july he decided (out of the blue) to give me a tetanus shot. but of course, i don't care about ANY of this. i only care about ned lamont winning!!! my heart is singing (even if my body isn't). thank you to the most wonderful people in the great state of connecticut. Lamont Wins Connecticut Primary, Defeats Lieberman POSTED: 11:02 pm EDT August 8, 2006
UPDATED: 11:21 pm EDT August 8, 2006
HARTFORD, Conn. -- Lamont has defeated incumbent U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman.
Lieberman appeared before a crowd of supporters at 11 p.m. and congraduated Lamont on his victory
"This was a much closer race that all the pundits predicted," he said to a cheering crowd...............

oh and thanks to my pops too. even though he's a democrat, he's wicked conservative. he voted for ned too. the war MUST stop. the lies MUST stop. the constitution of the united states of america must be mended and adhered to!

v o t e

now newt is chiming in and calling me an insurgent

i am NEITHER an insurgent NOR a terrorist. i am a resident of connecticut who knows we were lied to (and worse) by the king and his court. i will not remain silent. i want democracy BACK. i miss it.

and hey newt, I DON'T WANT TO HIDE, i want the united states to STOP KILLING AND MAIMING AND DESTROYING LIVES. AND I WANT IT NOW, RIGHT NOW YOU GIANT LUMP OF STEAMIN' SHITE.

Gingrich: There Is An ‘Insurgency’ in CT Which Says ‘Can’t We Come Home And Hide?’

This morning on Fox News, Newt Gingrich claimed there is a “legitimate insurgency in Connecticut, which needs to be met head on,” made up of people who say Iraq “is so hard, it is so frightening, it’s so painful, can’t we come home and hide?” Gingrich said that if the “insurgency” wins, “it will be the beginning of extraordinarily important period in American politics, and in American history.” Watch it:...........

da liebs said it WOULD be a disaster to iraq and us if we pull out now????????????

WOULD BE? wtf does he think it is NOW? over 2,500 of OUR men and women dead and countless thousands maimed and i'm NOT even counting the ones who are mentally maimed. damn. WOULD BE? there IS NO WOULD BE. the entire middle east is in the midst of a death spree. brutallity everywhere. the smell of death everywhere. i cannot even imagine.

and what precipated this? US WE DID IT. WE DID IT AND NOW there is NO WAY OUT. yes, the region was unstable and yes it would have remained unstable if we didn't go in there but we still had NO BUSINESS GOING THERE. NONE. when will the american people wake up and get rid of all of the evil ones in charge? i don't even think the democrats have stones any more. only so very few of them speak up.

tomorrow is the connecticut primary. i will (as always for EVERY election) be there when the polls open at 6:00 am. i will cast my vote for ned lamont. we must bring our men and women home. we've ruined enough lives. both theirs AND ours.

it's too late liebs. too little too late.

Lieberman Explains Iraq Stance in Bid to Win Back Voters

By PATRICK HEALY and JENNIFER MEDINA
Senator Joseph I. Lieberman made a last-ditch attempt this evening to explain his support for the war in Iraq and win back doubting voters in Connecticut before the state primary election on Tuesday.
Using his strongest language of the campaign in a speech that might well determine his political fate, Mr. Lieberman said that he still believed his vote to authorize the war in 2002 was correct, yet he now felt a “heavy responsibility” to end the war quickly. (Text of Speech)
He said he wanted to withdraw American troops “as fast as anyone,” yet insisted that quitting Iraq now would be a “disaster” that could lead to further sectarian violence there.
“I want to get our troops home as fast as anyone, probably more than most, and as I have repeatedly said, I am against an open-ended commitment,” Mr. Lieberman said, according to a copy of remarks prepared for delivery. “But if we simply give up and pull out now, like my opponent wants to do, then it would be a disaster to Iraq and to us. We would run a high risk of allowing Iraq to become like Afghanistan when the Taliban were in charge, and Al Qaeda had safe haven from which to strike us.”..........

please vote tuesday the 8th

it's one thing to SAY you're going to vote for ned lamont, it's another thing to do it. use your RIGHTS as an american AND VOTE in the primary on tuesday. tell the WHOLE COUNTRY (YES, THE WHOLE COUNTRY IS WATCHING US) the king and his court ALL MUST GO.

ned lamont, next senator from connecticut

Lieberman falls farther behind in Connecticut race

By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent
HARTFORD, Connecticut (Reuters) - U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman, a one-time Democratic vice presidential candidate now dragged down by his support for the Iraq war, trails a challenger from his own party by double digits ahead of a key political test next week, a poll released on Thursday showed.
Lieberman, a three-term Senate veteran, has been pummeled by millionaire cable television executive Ned Lamont over Iraq and for his willingness to work with Republican President George W. Bush. He is behind by 13 percentage points among likely voters, the Quinnipiac University poll found.
The increasingly bitter primary campaign has drawn national attention and is an early gauge of anti-war sentiment among U.S. voters before November's elections that will determine control of the U.S. Congress. ......

i'm still going to vote for ned lamont

but having al sharpton and jesse jackson stand for ya ain't no good thaing in my eyes. i think al is an ass and jesse is a pompous second tier wanna be big mouth (not as big a mouth as al's though). i really DO NOT like either of those men. AT ALL (oh and da liebs blackface cartoon in huffington post was in WICKED POOR taste too. i know the lamont campaign had NOTHING to do with that. what WAS that woman thinking?)

Raising Their Voices

Sharpton, Jackson Praise Lamont
August 3, 2006 By CHRISTOPHER KEATING Capitol Bureau Chief

BRIDGEPORT -- The Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Rev. Al Sharpton urged Connecticut voters Wednesday night to send a message next week to the nation about the direction of the Democratic Party by choosing Ned Lamont in the U.S. Senate primary.The two former presidential candidates drew a crowd of more than 200 into the basement of the Mount Aery Baptist Church and told them to vote for Lamont over the incumbent, Joe Lieberman, and for New Haven Mayor John DeStefano for governor.
"The nation's eyes are on Connecticut," Jackson said. "This is a battleground state about the direction of our nation."Sharpton delivered a fiery speech that brought more supporters to their feet with each sentence as he raised an analogy about a bird and the direction the nation is taking..................

i'm cranky today

well crankIER today i should say. i'm staying at my dad's for a couple of days due to the heat. i live on the third floor of a three family with NO ac so i think i would literally die if i were to sleep home this week.

last night i went to bed (in my OLD bed from when i was a teenager) and suddenly awakened a short time later. my dad wasn't home but my sister (who lives with him was). turns out i woke up because there was no power in my room. my sister was running all of the lights, the tv, the fans AND the ac and the washer and dryer and blew a fuse. not all of the power was out just the power that would keep me cool. she tracked the old man down who finally came home and after another 30 mintues found the blown fuse. of course he didn't have any that size so he had to go find one. ANOTHER 30 or 45 minutes later, he was back. well he eventually replaced the fuse and i was cool again, but day um, i got LESS than my normal 3 or 4 hours. so if you know me STAY AWAY FROM ME TODAY (it's for your OWN good)

Heat Wave Scorches State

Ted Lamont Stumps on Colbert Report

two quotes stand out:

it's our OBLIGATION to stand up as citizens!!! (on king george)

and

we can't do it for 'em with the barrel of a gun (on iraq)

even the nyt knows it's time for da liebs to go

and time for ned lamont to be a senator from connecticut.. the war HAS TO STOP. we have NO BUSINESS being in iraq and we have NO BUSINESS goading other countries into war in the middle east. we have NO BUSINESS torturing prisoners. we have NO BUSINESS standing by and letting the people of the world die. hell, the king and his court cannot even care for their OWN citizens (katrina for example). a change must come and it must come now. and no, i'm NOT a hysterical anti-war blogger trying to oust a bipartisan senator. i'm trying to oust someone who supports a war we have no moral, ethical or ANY reason to be in. our men and women are dying every day. FOR NO REASON. the iraqis did NOT blow up the world trade center. why are we killing them?


A Senate Race in Connecticut

Published: July 30, 2006
Earlier this year, Senator Joseph Lieberman’s seat seemed so secure that — legend has it — some people at the Republican nominating convention in Connecticut started making bleating noises when the party picked a presumed sacrificial lamb to run against the three-term senator, who has been a fixture in Connecticut politics for more than 35 years.
But Mr. Lieberman is now in a tough Democratic primary against a little-known challenger, Ned Lamont. The race has taken on a national character. Mr. Lieberman’s friends see it as an attempt by hysterical antiwar bloggers to oust a giant of the Senate for the crime of bipartisanship. Lamont backers — most of whom seem more passionate about being Lieberman opponents — say that as one of the staunchest supporters of the Iraq war, Mr. Lieberman has betrayed his party by cozying up to President Bush...........

.........If Mr. Lieberman had once stood up and taken the lead in saying that there were some places a president had no right to take his country even during a time of war, neither he nor this page would be where we are today. But by suggesting that there is no principled space for that kind of opposition, he has forfeited his role as a conscience of his party, and has forfeited our support. ...............

ned lamont

i didn't get a chance to see ned lamont speak at 2:00 in hartford yesterday. BUT when i returned home yesterday at about 6 or 7, he was on the steps of my neighbor's house across the street, speaking!!! i believe he was then going to head to the irish festival in glastonbury.

i came across this article in the nation on ned and da liebs. great article with a bit of background on ned's family.

i am so very happy ned is running. it's so important to me to have someone speak out on this horrible war. of course ned is MORE, MUCH MORE than a one note singer. every day more and more people realize this. yes, ned doesn't have much political experience but that isn't important to me. what is important to me is getting ned elected. the experience will come after.

A Fight for the Party's Soul

Never mind the internecine Democratic politics of Connecticut and the role that ethnic, labor and local sentiments will play in deciding the primary contest between centrist Senator Joe Lieberman and liberal challenger Ned Lamont. Never mind that the contest has made Connecticut the front line in an increasingly bitter brawl involving MoveOn.org and the liberal blogosphere on one side and the Democratic Leadership Council and a substantial contingent of the party's Washington elite on the other. Never mind that both sides spend inordinate amounts of time debating whether George W. Bush thanked Lieberman for the senator's unwavering support of the Iraq War with a slobbering kiss or merely a peck on the cheek when the two embraced at a State of the Union address.
When the votes are counted on August 8, the whole of the Connecticut primary, and much of the national debate over the direction of the Democratic Party, will be boiled down to a one-line pronouncement. It will either be "Antiwar challenger trounces Lieberman" or "Lieberman prevails over war foes." The reduction of this complex contest to a headline may not be entirely fair, or entirely accurate. Yet it will be understandable, because to the surprise of just about everyone, the man Democrats nominated for Vice President in 2000 is in a fight for his political life with a previously unknown candidate who decided a few months ago to surf the wave of anger stirred by Lieberman's emergence as the loudest Democratic defender of the occupation of Iraq. ................

............When Lamont offers his critique of "George Bush and Joe Lieberman's" foreign policies to the business owners who have gathered at the Indian restaurant in Stamford, several of whom make favorable references to "the House of Morgan," every head in the room nods. And when he quotes former Connecticut Senator Abe Ribicoff's Vietnam-era suggestion that America is strongest not when it brandishes arms but when it earns the respect of the world, the nodding heads are smiling............

ned will be in hartford today at 2:00

i talked to my sister yesterday (she lives with my pops). they have both decided to vote for ned. i'm WICKED HAPPY about that! only a few more days until august 8th.................VOTE

Join Ned for a press conference tomorrow (it's TODAY, this was sent to me yesterday)at at 2 p.m.
Michael Schiavo, whose wife Terry's death shocked and galvanized the nation, will travel to Hartford tomorrow to endorse Ned for the US Senate.
The press conference will be on the steps of the Connecticut Supreme Court Building at 231 Capitol Avenue in Hartford.
"Politicians in Washington DC and Florida abused their public trust by forcing the government in the middle of my family tragedy," says Schiavo, who has formed a political action committee.
Schiavo and Lamont will both attend the press conference.

ned lamont

i'm personally FOR banning foie gras

and for that matter veal. most people aren't going to be eating foie gras, but most people will eat veal. i'm not sure they know WHAT veal is or how a veal calf is raised. i don't think people know where gelatin comes from or what rennet is (it's in cheese) either.

Cruelty Claims May Foil Foie Gras
July 25, 2006 By WILLIAM WEIR, Courant Staff Writer

In the kitchen of Grants in West Hartford Center, chef Eric Sass holds up a couple of pounds of foie gras. Before it gets fancied up for customers, this delicacy isn't much more than a plastic-wrapped shapeless lump. It's so underwhelming that it's surprising that it would be the center of the latest food controversy. In fact, this shapeless lump would be banned from restaurants and stores in Connecticut under a bill to be offered in the General Assembly next year.
The way to bring attention to this is to ban the sale," says Rep. Diana Urban, R-North Stonington, who plans to introduce legislation in January. "I know that that's going out on a limb, but what I want to do is generate discussion - and I'm sure we will."By January, it may seem less of a long shot. Chicago's city council has already passed a ban on selling foie gras (pronounced "fwah grah"), and California will restrict its production starting in 2012. Regulations are also being considered in Philadelphia, New York, Massachusetts and Illinois...........

the avon mountain crash

i have posted on this before but i wanted to post on this subject again for a few reasons.

i used to drive over avon mountain to go to work daily for MANY years (our office moved into the main hartford office so i no longer drive over avon mountain daily. my doctor and some of my friends live in avon, so i still frequent the town).

my boss is the cousin of one of the people who perished in the horrible crash.

mark robinson is a friend of mine (he's writing a book on the subject)

EMERGENCY PERSONNEL gather at the accident scene on the morning of July 29, 2005. At the bottom right is Mike Cummings’ dark-colored minivan, crumpled and shoved against the side of a commuter bus, near the bus’s open front door. The runaway dump truck is on its side at the top of the photo. The vehicles hit by the truck and its load were waiting at a red light at the Route 44-Route 10 intersection, just beyond the lower right corner of the photo. (BOB CHILD)

A Horrific Crash That Changed Lives

A dump truck plows into commuters one Friday morning. The death toll is four. But the emotional toll is inestimable. Survivors wonder why they lived. Rescuers wish they could've done more.
BY DANIEL P. JONESJuly 23 2006Mike Cummings can't get the sickening sound of metal on pavement out of his head. If a truck pulls up alongside him in traffic, he quivers with fear.His broken ribs, punctured lung, broken collarbone, and torn knee and ankle have healed. But he still has 6-inch scars on both sides of his lower right arm from surgery to repair a compound fracture, and he still suffers stinging pain in the chest where his seat belt tore cartilage around his sternum. Just days ago, he had dental work done on several broken teeth.Despite all that, Cummings, 36, considers himself lucky to be alive.A year ago, he survived the catastrophic 20-vehicle crash at the foot of Avon Mountain, when an American Crushing & Recycling dump truck hurtled out of control down the hill and smashed into cars and a commuter bus waiting at a traffic light, killing four people and injuring 11.Other survivors also feel the same profound sense of gratitude. And, like Cummings, they don't want to dwell on their suffering."I should be dead," said Mark Robinson, who barely missed being crushed by slabs of concrete from the dump truck's load that crashed through the windshield and sunroof of his black 2001 Cougar.Those who survive catastrophes in which others die often deal with guilt, remorse and post-traumatic stress. The Avon Mountain crash last July 29 has caused its share of such anguish...........

i can't wait to see the completed mural

i haven't been out winsted way in a few years. i used to take many a drive up rt 44 and just keep going. i think it may be time again

Ellen Griesedieck, a professional photographer and artist, stands on a ladder in front of a her painting that will be but a part of mural that, when finished will measure about five stories tall and be 120 feet in length. She is coordinating a massive art project The American Mural Project (formerly Wall of America.) (RICHARD MESSINA)


American Tapestry Gigantic Winsted Mural To Portray Country At Work
Story By JESSE LEAVENWORTH The Hartford Courant July 23 2006

The planned mural - about 1,000 square feet bigger than a basketball court - includes a 47-foot-long section of blown-glass ocean waves and rocket flames, human figures more than 20 feet tall, soaring cuts of marble and metal, and one of the largest collections of sports autographs anywhere.Central to this Mount Rushmore of interior art is a tiny woman who says her grand vision is inspired by the American worker's energy and creativity.From her Sharon studio, Ellen Griesedieck is coordinating the American Mural Project, a three-dimensional work to be placed on permanent exhibit in a former textile mill in Winsted. Before she started the project, Griesedieck, 58, spent years photographing and painting pictures of steel and foundry workers, miners and oil riggers, football coaches, surgical teams, jet airliner assemblers and many others who make the engine of America run."This is really a portrait of this country," Griesedieck said of the mural. "Before this is over, there's one thing I can guarantee: You walk into this thing and you will find yourself."Eight years into the effort and still several years from completion of what is estimated to be a $4 million project, Griesedieck said she's about to launch a major fundraising push. About $400,000 is in hand, she said.The project has attracted some prominent benefactors, including actor and philanthropist Paul Newman, artist Frank Stella and cardiovascular surgeon and frequent Oprah guest, Dr. Mehmet Oz...