For Victims of Rape

The Milford Bank to Sponsor a Collection Drive for the Rape Crisis Center of Milford

"When a victim goes to the hospital after an assault, they can participate in an evidence collection procedure which requires them to leave their clothing. Victim Support Packages are brought by an advocate of the Rape Crisis Center so the victim can leave the hospital with dignity. 
This serves as a stepping stone to healthy recovery."

Items needed are:

•  light weight pants
• sweat pants
• elastic-waist shorts
• sweat shirts
• t-shirts
• white low cut socks
•  underwear all in sizes, especially large and extra-large
•  flip flops
• comb/brush set
• toothbrush/toothpaste set
• water
• Gatorade
• individual tissue packs
• mall hand sanitizer
• individual snacks like granola bars or crackers. No nut products please. 

Here are the locations for drop-offs of supplies:

33 Broad Street, Milford, CT 06460 (203) 783-5700
259 Merwin Ave., Milford, CT 06460 (203) 783-5770
205 Bridgeport Ave., Milford, CT 06460 (203) 783-5780
1455 Boston Post Road, Milford, CT 06460 (203) 783-5790
295 Boston Post Road, Milford, CT 06460 (203) 783-3017
And, In Stratford:
2366 Main Street, Stratford, CT 06615 (203) 386-9176
ShopRite Office 250 Barnum Ave Cutoff, Stratford, CT 06614 (203) 378 – 2260

Thank you for your generosity in donating, and Thank You to Milford Bank for sponsoring this collection.

Critical Finance Deadline - Donate NOW!

Don't forget to donate today:

Chris Murphy for Senate
Chris Donovan for Congress
Ben Blake for Mayor

and, if you are still feeling flush after that:

Elizabeth Warren

Thank you.

Jim Collins Foundation

The Jim Collins Foundation raises funds to provide grants to transgender individuals who need, but cannot afford, gender-confirming surgery. In May of this year, the Foundation awarded its first grant.

What great kindness.

It takes lots of small donations to raise enough money to help out even one person.  As I understand it, this surgery is not covered by insurance, most likely due to prejudice and an assumption that this is "elective" and "cosmetic".  In reality, this surgery will allow the recipient to live more fully as their true gender. 

Fundraisers are often held in places like the 168 York Street Cafe, down one flight in what is sometimes called "an English basement". Usually, people want some entertainment when they donate.

This week there will be an open mic night, with a featured headliner, as well as many exclamation marks!

OPEN MINDS...OPEN MIC!!!! WITH HEADLINER...KAT MULVANEY!

Saturday, August 6 at 8:00pm - August 7 at 1:00am
168 York Street Cafe at 168 York Street, New Haven, CT

Please come and join us for a night of local entertainment,
great people, good food, and strong drinks
...and it is all for a good cause!
Bring your talent or bring a friend!
The doors will open at 8...the show will start at 9.

Or - of course - you can just stay home and donate online instead.
Click here ya lazy but generous bum!

Susan Bysiewicz - It ain't a Boy/Girl Thang.

EMILYs List (EarlyMoneyIsLikeYeast) is ruining their franchise.  The organization is (wo)mandated to support pro-choice females running for federal office.  That said, they need to be vetting the candidates more closely...

OP-ED in CT News Junkie
Dear EMILY’s List . . . Really?
by Sarah Darer Littman | Jul 28, 2011

Sarah Darer Littman is a columnist for Hearst Newspapers and an award-winning novelist of books for teens. 

Dear EMILY’s List, I am a registered Democrat and a pro-choice woman, and I appreciate the goal of your organization. I’ve even given you money in the past.

But here’s the thing. When I decide who will get my vote, it’s based on a lot more than whether or not my candidate has a penis. My thought process is considerably more complex, because, as I’m sure you’ll appreciate, we women are thoughtful, intelligent and educated and we want the best possible candidate regardless of sex, sexual orientation, religion or any other discriminatory factor.

That’s why I was appalled to see that you’d endorsed a flawed candidate like Susan Bysiewicz in the U.S. Senate race. Perhaps you didn’t do your research or actually talk to people in Connecticut?

The writer of this Op-Ed (full disclosure: a Pal o' Mine) goes on to use phrases like "overweening ambition" and "utter and complete tone-deafness" to describe the former Secy of the State. Click here to read the whole Op-Ed.

Susan "I coulda been a Contender" Bysiewicz has been a candidate for Governor, then Attorney General, and now US Senator, defying the 3-Strikes Rule.  The scandals and diversions and misdeeds and missteps are detailed in the CT News Junkie article, and I recommend everyone in Connecticut read it.

In addition, Here is a Blogger's Eye View from Mike Piersall at Political Cactus this past January:

But What About the Children?!?!?!

Here is a telling bit of juxtaposition from the archives:

"I am running for the U.S. Senate for the same reason I first entered public service: because I want this state to be a better place for my children and yours," Bysiewicz said in her emailed announcement. "As I travel across this state listening to the people of Connecticut, I hear over and over that too many of our children have to leave our state because there aren't enough opportunities here for them."

As quoted by Mark Pazniokas in The Connecticut Mirror (also back in January 2011)

Versus

New Secretary of the State Denise Merrill has cancelled a popular spring student essay and poster contest, telling elementary principals she was not left enough money by predecessor and 2012 U.S. Senate candidate Susan Bysiewicz.

"Unfortunately, when I took office in January, the Connecticut Citizenship Fund was nearly 100 percent depleted," Merrill recently wrote school administrators about delaying the 16-year-old competition until the fall.

As written by Brian Lockhart in the Greenwich Time (April 2011)

But Wait...There's More

Not that I am any kind of Fan of the Murdoch-owned Wall Street Journal, but here is what they published in March 2011:

The auditors' report released on Feb. 25 raised issues about oversight and management at Ms. Bysiewicz's previous office.

Connecticut's Office of the Secretary of the State is charged with managing corporate and other records for the state and collecting fees for the service. State auditors found errors in all 20 accounts they reviewed, leading the office to overstate its coffers by $5.2 million.

Auditors also pointed to questionable practices over three years when 30 employees accrued sick days as if they were working full-time even though they were on unpaid leave.

Other problems included reduced fees that were granted to out-of-state businesses without proper investigations to see if they were warranted.

As respite from all this, I remind all readers that you can contribute to the Chris Murphy for Senate campaign through this link.

My Photo of Chris Murphy taken in 2008 at the Bantam Picnic.