ravings of a semi-sane madwoman: the nomination was (suspiciously) withdrawn

ravings of a semi-sane madwoman: the nomination was (suspiciously) withdrawn


ah and a bit more from the hartford courant

By DAVID LIGHTMAN, Washington Bureau Chief, The Hartford Courant

................Connecticut's senators became active on opposite sides of the controversy.Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, an independent who caucuses with Senate Democrats, took the extraordinary step in February of testifying on behalf of Fox, praising his civic work and calling him a man who "represents what America is all about."The day after the 2006 election, Fox and his wife each contributed $10,500 to Lieberman's Senate re-election campaign.Last week, Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, D-Conn., the second-ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, took a very different view.``His unwillingness to denounce the reprehensible activities of the Swift Boat organization, and express regret for providing $50,000 to bankroll the organization, convinced me that he would not be an acceptable candidate to represent the United States abroad," said Dodd, who usually goes along with presidential nominees...................

blue state coffee - check it out!

wow, an 18 year old with a heart and soul and conscience. andrew, i'm going to check out your website AND i wish you much luck in your venture.



blue state coffee

Liberal Causes Suit Start-Up Coffee Company's Tastes

By JANICE PODSADA, Courant Staff Writer

The average American drinks an estimated 23 gallons of coffee a year - about 400 cups, according to a recent study.Add a dollop of foam or flavor, and a cup of designer joe at a coffee shop can cost more than $4.
Those high prices didn't escape 16-year-old Andrew Ruben's notice as he and his father stood in line at a Wallingford coffee shop two years ago."It made me wonder, where is the money going?" said Ruben, who is now 18 and one of the founders of Blue State Coffee LLC, a Hartford-based coffee company.............

.............With everyone downing so much java, they reasoned, why not start a coffee company that donates a portion of its profits to worthwhile causes and organizations?In September 2006, they launched Blue State Coffee, a for-profit company. Right now, the company has only a website, but this June it's planning to open its first coffee shop in Providence................

you go boy!

a connecticut unit, keeping the peace

a rather nice story out of afghanistan. hurry home 102nd! we miss you and WE THANK YOU for your service.
(and thanks to the students of ms troy's and other classes at mathewson elementary school for the clothing drive!!! wicked cool)

Trained To Kill, Instead They Give For State Troops Returning From Afghanistan, Helping Children Made All The Difference

By JESSE HAMILTON, Courant Staff Writer
When U.S. soldiers settle into a strange land, such as the rocky borderlands of Afghanistan's eastern side, you can bet their best friendships will be with the smallest of the locals: the children.In Iraq and Afghanistan, the outposts and bases become suns in the orbits of area children, hoping for handouts and excitement and maybe an education about the armored strangers living in their neighborhoods

Some troops from Connecticut who have been in Iraq have learned a special wariness of children, who have sometimes been deadly, grenade-carrying pawns of the insurgency. But for a few Connecticut soldiers now in the Jalalabad area of Afghanistan, the bond with Afghan children is what they will take away from their year at war..........

............"You're trained to be aggressive, to fight, to kill. The hardest thing coming here is they're trying to win over the hearts and minds of the people of Afghanistan, so you have to take your aggression down a couple of notches," Troy said by phone from Afghanistan. His group has only been in a single long firefight, he said, and none of the soldiers was hurt."We came over here expecting to fight a war when what we're actually doing is trying to keep the peace.".........

a horrible shame

i'm sorry to the family and friends of officer burgos. i'm sorry his girlfriend had to witness this.

i heard about this yesterday morning. i stop and get my coffee VERY early. there are always some type of officers there. capital police. state police. hartford police. i heard a state trooper tell someone about this.

Hartford officer kills self

West Hartford-WTNH) _ A Hartford police officer on the job for about four years killed himself Sunday night, Hartford police said.
Officer Freddy Burgos shot himself outside a Walgreen's drug store on Farmington Avenue around 11:00 p.m............

Hartford Officer Commits Suicide

By HILDA MUÑOZ AND TINA BROWN, Courant Staff Writers


A off-duty Hartford police officer committed suicide in his car in West Hartford shortly after 11 p.m. Sunday night, officials said this morning.Officer Freddy Burgos shot himself outside of the Walgreen's on Farmington Avenue near the Hartford town line, officials said. The medical examiner's office has scheduled an autopsy today............

..........West Hartford police were called at 11:03 p.m. about gunshots at 674 Farmington Avenue. When officers arrived the victim was being loaded into an ambulance, West Hartford police said.He was taken to St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center, police said. A hospital spokeswoman did not confirm that Burgos was at the hospital..............

first flowers

my martini

it's already starting in west hartford because of black and blue square

i KNEW it would. didn't know it would be that soon.

i went to whole foods yesterday afternoon about noon. yes, i know it's usually a bit more crowded at that time. i know not only the regular crew of shoppers is there but some of the construction workers from black and blue also stop off to get lunch. they don't drive though, they walk across the street. there is a new light at the entrance of whole foods. it's jamming up the lot AND raymond road. i know they did build another entrance into whole foods from trout brook too AND there is an entrance from farmington avenue (which i use). the lot was a mess. all of the spots were full (of GIANT UNNEEDED AND UNNECESSARY i might add) SUVs. suvs being driven by ONE person, not entire families. SUVs taking up 1 1/2 parking spots.

the traffic was a nightmare and black and blue square isn't anywhere near open yet. i can only imagine

i'm already saying i told ya so

my thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of private 1st class orlando gonzalez

Soldier born in Bridgeport killed in Iraq

(WTNH) _ A soldier born in Bridgeport and who has family in Shelton died in combat in Iraq.
Army Private 1st Class Orlando Gonzalez, 21, was killed in combat on Sunday in Baqubah, Iraq.
Pfc. Gonzalez was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division out of Ft. Bragg, North Carolina.
According to the Pentagon, Gonzalez and three others in his unit were killed when an IED, or improvised explosive device, went off near their vehicle.
Gonzalez was born and lived in Bridgeport until he was six. His father currently lives in Shelton..........

da liebs is living in the SAME world as mccain is

remember the other day mccain said it was SAFE to take walks through some iraqi neighborhoods? well i wanna see johnny and joey hand in hand strolling on a breezy summer's eve right down an iraqi main street or two! oh, WITHOUT armed security protective forces of course

every day you pick up the paper and read about the horrors. the people fleeing their homes for other countries. the retaliation killings, the bodies found.

i don't know WHAT soldiers they talked to that said it's getting better. i say put the crack pipe down, back away slowly AND COME BACK TO REALITY

Lieberman: Soldiers 'more confident' in Iraq

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Connecticut, told CNN Thursday he thinks the president's changed policy in Iraq has successfully decreased the violence in Baghdad and increased the confidence of U.S. forces there."Our soldiers told [Ret. Gen. Jack Keane] they feel more confident than ever as they go on patrol in Baghdad in the neighborhoods we've settled into with their Iraqi colleagues," Lieberman told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "The Iraqi people are coming out and protecting them because they have chased out the fanatics on both sides, those who were carrying out sectarian killings." (Watch video: CNN's Wolf Blitzer interviews Sen. Lieberman)"The American soldier is more confident walking the streets of Baghdad today and that's a very important change," he added.........

(one of the soldiers i correspond with was especially wary about 'walking the streets'. he told me they all have to bring their gas masks with them now. lots of chlorine attacks)

justice for billy

sam fox should NOT be an ambassador

why we allowed the 'swift boat veterans' to skewer kerry is beyond me. unlike others who really didn't serve (even though they MAY have been in the texas air national guard), kerry served in vietnam. and according to reports (that ARE credible) he served bravely.

now to me the term 'swift boat veterans' has negative connotations. it SHOULD NOT HAVE.

Kerry shipmates, Dodd come out strong against swift-boat donor nomination
Posted by Bob Geiger
................"As Swift Boat veterans who served together in Vietnam, we strongly believe that Mr. Fox does not deserve to be confirmed for this position. We have been frustrated to hear some suggest that the 2004 election is in the past and we should 'get over it.' Those who make that argument forget that this wasn’t just about an election; John Kerry may have been the target of the lies of the so-called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, but he wasn’t alone in having his military record falsely impugned."

Saying "for us, this is personal," the letter is signed by eleven Swift Boat sailors, including Jim Rassmann, who said Kerry saved his life in the incident for which the Massachusetts Senator was awarded the Bronze Star..........

well what the REAL swift boat veterans are saying is they don't want fox to be the american ambassador to belgium. mr fox, a swift boat veteran himself was one of those that claimed kerry was NOT a war hero. what goes around comes around

and one of my state senators, chris dodd HAS stood up for the right thing here too!

...........Also stepping up to the plate to do the right thing in the vote, which will take place on Wednesday in the Foreign Relations Committee, is Chris Dodd (D-CT), the first Senator to make clear his plan to reject Fox's nomination.
"I strongly oppose the nomination of Sam Fox to be U.S. Ambassador to Belgium. U.S. Ambassadors need to be both responsible and credible, and Mr. Fox’s support for an organization known to have spread falsehoods illustrates neither," said Dodd, a candidate for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, in a statement. “Moreover, the fact that Mr. Fox refused to apologize for his behavior during his nomination hearing reinforces my belief that he would not be an acceptable representative for the position of U.S. Ambassador.”..............

and an update:

Swiftboat funder withdraws bid to be US ambassador to Belgium

maybe he had to pee (VERY BADLY)

Conn. Speeder Clocked At 142 MPH By State Troopers

i (or is that aye) like it too!

this angers me no end

nothing has changed since, let's say last week (or we could even say the mid-90s) EXCEPT the courant did a couple of pieces on foley and the allegations against him

yet it was just announced he was kicked out of the seminary (as a residence) in bloomfield and ordered to get rid of his fake police/fire car.

foley was never convicted of anything YET there is strong evidence against him. it appears the catholic church took all of the allegations seriously since it did indeed remove him from parishes, strip him of his collar (he has NOT been stripped of the priesthood mind you) and remove him from being the police/fire chaplain.

it was no problem for reporters to go on the bloomfield seminary grounds and SEE foley's fake police/fire car. one would imagine all of the catholic clergy who reside AND visit there would ALSO see that car. one would think when they did indeed see that car WHY THE HELL WOULD THEY ALLOW HIM TO KEEP IT????

did the archdiocese of hartford grow a set now ONLY because of the negative publicity? now THAT is what makes me sick.

we MUST (catholic or whatever) protect our children AT ALL TIMES not only when we may receive negative press

Diocese Tells Priest To Leave

By ELIZABETH HAMILTON, And DAVE ALTIMARI Courant Staff Writers

The Archdiocese of Hartford has ordered the Rev. Stephen Foley, suspected of being a child molester, to leave St. Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield and sell the police-equipped Crown Victoria he's been driving for years even though he no longer serves as a police or fire chaplain.The decision was made by Archbishop Henry Mansell and communicated to Foley Tuesday afternoon in a phone call from the Rev. Gerard G. Schmitz, the vicar for priests, according to diocesan spokesman the Rev. John Gatzak..........

"The bishop has taken immediate action," Gatzak said. "Stephen Foley is no longer welcome to reside at St. Thomas Seminary. He has been asked to make immediate plans to vacate and he's been told to get rid of the car.".........


Foley's attorney, Walter R. Hampton Jr., said Tuesday night it is "incorrect" to say that his client is leaving the seminary...........

Hampton said Foley still has the car."There would be absolutely no reason for him to turn in the car. The fact he drives a Crown Victoria is no different than me driving a Subaru," Hampton said...........

the cool justice report, reports on billy smolinski

please stop by the cool justice report to read a very thorough report on the disappearance of billy smolinski.

the story of jan smolinski (billy's mother) has been in the papers of late. ms smolinski is working tirelessly to get laws passed to assist in cases of MISSING ADULTS.

i had NO idea exactly what ms smolinski was up against. information appears to have been kept from her by the waterbury police department. ms smolinski was arrested by the police department for PUTTING UP FLYERS REGARDING HER MISSING SON.

what is wrong with this picture?

jim brewer wrote the article andy thibault did the investigation. give it a read. it's EYE OPENING.

to the smolinski's, i hope you find peace. i'm sorry you had to go through what you did.

Sex, Violence & Politics, aka The Smolinski Case
Cool Justice Report Exclusive:Government Inaction And Unaccountability Why Does This Case Stink Like A Cover-Up?FOI Officer Orders Disclosure Of Police Reports In Smolinski Missing Person Love Triangle Case Family Clings To Shred Of Hope That Investigation Will Generate Results
By JIM BREWER
The Cool Justice Report www.cooljustice.blogspot.com
March 25, 2007 EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is available for reprint courtesy of The Cool Justice Report, http://cooljustice.blogspot.comPolice reports about the Smolinski Missing Person Love Triangle Case are scheduled to be released to the public next month, giving Billy Smolinski’s family a shred of hope that the investigation will finally generate some results..........

.............The FOI decision notes the documents requested were “any and all reports … mentioning Madeleine Gleason and / or Christian Sorensen.” Several high-ranking members of the Waterbury Police Department – including Chief Neil O’Leary – had confirmed to Waterbury Observer Publisher John Murray the identities of Gleason and Sorensen as part of a love triangle with Billy Smolinski.Gleason, a bus driver in Woodbridge, went public with a bizarre legal action. After tearing down handbills about a reward for finding Billy Smolinski, Gleason sued Jan Smolinski and Murray, accusing them of violating her privacy. Murray had published photos of Gleason in public.Compounding the absurdity and outrageousness of this case, Woodbridge arrested Jan Smolinski and accused her of disorderly conduct for posting reward flyers about her missing son. The case was dismissed.............

stop of the day

magic wings

in south deerfield mass

(a stone's throw away from connecticut)

Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory & Gardens, opened in October of 2000, consists of an 18,400-square foot facility that includes a 8,000-sq. ft. glass conservatory filled with butterflies, moths and tropical vegetation. We commemorated our new expansion in a Grand Opening ceremony June 26, 2004. The sun shines through the glass walls and heats up the conservatory to an 80-degree tropical-like environment all year round. The heart-shaped pond with Japanese koi graces the center of the conservatory. The sound of the waterfall, peaceful music and hundreds of butterflies fluttering freely through the air creates a tranquil and serene atmosphere. It has become a sought-after romantic place for weddings, for which we can provide a justice of the peace. Visits anytime throughout the year are delightful. It's truly amazing inside, for no matter how many people are enjoying the conservatory, it's still a peaceful sanctuary for all. Enter through the main entrance into our plant-filled atrium.

i thought of magic wings because of this article

Saving butterflies, and man's future, in French gardens

An unusual SOS that has gone out from French ecologists may not initially go down well with gardeners, who are being asked to leave weeds well alone.
But it's all in a good cause -- to save disappearing butterfly species.
Having set up the first butterfly 'refuges' in northwestern France in 2004, a Brittany-based association is now urging gardeners to do their bit for butterflies and biodiversity by not cutting back their brambles or nettles.
"We are asking people to leave several square metres of wild grass, brambles, nettles in their garden... which caterpillars love," Jeremy Allain, of the Vivarmor association behind the initiative said.............

i'll probably never see voices in conflict but i'm still proud of the students who planned it

i'm not sure why i didn't read about this in a connecticut paper. i guess i could have missed it though.

i disagree with the principal in this case. i DO believe the students should have been allowed to perform this piece. however, at the same time, i also believe the principal had every right to say no. i think it rather slimey though he may not have stated the TRUE reason the students weren't allowed to put the play on.

we have to give our young people more credit sometimes. not all of them are constantly thinking about ipods and what celebrity shaved their head this week. it seems like SOME of the wilton students are thinking about what is happening to their country, the citizens of their country and how life is NOT always very easy.

i have no voice in wilton, but i do say to those students involved with voices in conflict, i am very impressed with ALL of you


Play About Iraq War Divides a Connecticut School
By ALISON LEIGH COWAN
WILTON, Conn., March 22 — Student productions at Wilton High School range from splashy musicals like last year’s “West Side Story,” performed in the state-of-the-art, $10 million auditorium, to weightier works like Arthur Miller’s “Crucible,” on stage last fall in the school’s smaller theater.

For the spring semester, students in the advanced theater class took on a bigger challenge: creating an original play about the war in Iraq. They compiled reflections of soldiers and others involved, including a heartbreaking letter from a 2005 Wilton High graduate killed in Iraq last September at age 19, and quickly found their largely sheltered lives somewhat transformed. ............

..............In response to concerns that the script was too antiwar, Ms. Dickinson reworked it with the help of an English teacher. The revised version is more reflective and less angry, omitting graphic descriptions of killing, crude language and some things that reflect poorly on the Bush administration, like a comparison of how long it took various countries to get their troops bulletproof vests. A critical reference to Donald H. Rumsfeld, the former defense secretary, was cut, along with a line from Cpl. Sean Huze saying of soldiers: “Your purpose is to kill.”...........

ravings of a semi-sane madwoman: andy thibault shares a story with us#links

ravings of a semi-sane madwoman: andy thibault shares a story with us#links

my thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of private first class stephen k richardson

as well as the family and friends of sgt wayne r cornell. i am so very sorry for your loss

Bridgeport solider killed in Baghdad

(Bridgeport - WTNH) _ A Connecticut soldier has been killed in Baghdad, Private First Class Stephen K. Richardson, 22, of Bridgeport was killed on March 20.
The Department of Defense announced today that Richardson and Sgt. Wayne R. Cornell, 26, of Holstein, Nebraska died March 20 in Baghdad, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle during combat operations...........

Bridgeport solider killed in Baghdad

by News Channel 8's Kent Pierce

Pfc. Richardson was just 22 years old. He is the 38th person with Connecticut ties to die in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Richardson's roots were in Jamaica, but he spent a year of high school and one semester of college at the University of Bridgeport in the fall of 2004. Richardson was not there long, but he made an impression on his professors.
"He was here for only one semester. He did well in all of his classes the term he was here," Prof. Edward Geist said. "He wanted to be a business major, and I know he was planning to go into international business."

PFC Stephen K. Richardson (Photo: Jamaica Observer)