Women's Day at the Capitol (aka Hartford)

A great time guaranteed! This event is free and open to all! 
PS Wear a red jacket...I don't know why.

Permanent Commission
on the Status of Women
hosts

Women’s Day at the Capitol

“Journalism & Gender:
When Women Report on
Politics and Public Policy”

Wed., March 12, 2014

9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Legislative Office Building, 
Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT

A panel discussion moderated by Susan Campbell (@campbellsl) and Q&A with several of Connecticut’s leading female political reporters including:

• Christine Stuart, CT News Junkie, @ctnewsjunkie
• Sue Haigh, Associated Press, @SusanHaighAP
• Lucy Nalpathanchil, WNPR, @LucyVN
• Angela Carter, Digital First Media, @ReachAngi
• Jeni Frank, CT Mirror, @JeniferBethFran
• Daniela Altimari, The Hartford Courant, @capitolwatch
  …and others.

Schedule of the day:
9:30 a.m. Coffee & Networking – LOB 2nd Floor Atrium
10 a.m. Greetings from Constitutional Officers & Presentation of High School Essay Contest Winners
11:00 a.m. “Journalism and Gender” Panel Discussion, Moderated by Susan Campbell
Download and share our event flyer.

Questions? Contact michelle.noehren@cga.ct.gov

There are new security protocols at the Legislative Office Building so build in extra time this year to make sure you get through security and to the event on time.

CT Dem Party Party-Crashed by Ted Cruz

The Connecticut Democratic Party held the 65th annual Jefferson Jackson Bailey dinner featuring Governor Dannel P. Malloy and Congresswoman Robin Kelly [UPDATE] Congressman Ted Cruz.

WHEN: Saturday, Sept. 28 2013; Event begins at 7 p.m.; Press check-in begins at 4 p.m.

WHERE: The Aqua Turf Club, 556 Mulberry St., Plantsville, CT 06479

Intended as a celebration of the Connecticut Democratic Party’s political control of both Senate seats, all five Congressional seats, the Governor’s desk and the Constitutional positions of Lt. governor, Attorney General, Comptroller, and Treasurer, the JJB was undermined y the Tea Party Takeover in Washington DC. 

Five of the seven DC folks were stuck inside The Beltway being held hostage to John Boehner’s loss of control and the most recent soggy baggery of his Grand Old Party.

Videos from John Larson and Joe Courtney  - looking exhausted and using words like ransom – and Rosa DeLauro said it all: “It appears the lunatics have taken over the asylum”.

To read about the happenings at the event, Click Here and read the report from Christine Stuart at CTNewsJunkie.Com

Local Author Debuts Book on George Washington

Milford author Logan Beirne will be discussing his book “Blood of Tyrants” at Collected Stories Bookstore, on Thursday, June 13, from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

In the book, Beirne reveals through painstaking research, new and surprising details of George Washington’s military leadership and how the experience of the American Revolution formed the basis of the constitution and defined presidential powers.

From the introduction, the author writes: “A bloodthirsty Congress demands revenge. The commander in chief weighs torture. Politicians clash with generals over war policy. Americans’ liberties come under attack. No, this is not the post-9/11 United States. This is the side of the American Revolution you never knew.”
  Collected Stories Bookstore
12 Daniel Street
Milford CT 06460

Thursday June 13
6:30 pm - 8 pm.
Everyone is invited to the event and the author, an Olin Scholar at Yale Law School, will be available to answer questions. For more information, go to collectedstoriesbookstore.com.

Christine Stuart - CT Women's Hall of Fame

There is an important event tomorrow night in Hartford. To be truthful, there are 5 or 6 important events tomorrow night in Hartford.  But this one is particularly cool. 

The Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame has an event scheduled which salutes some very important and interesting members of our community.

19th Annual Induction Ceremony & Celebration
Women's Perspectives:
Celebrating Voice and Vision
Thursday, October 18, 2012    6:00-9:00 P.M.
Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford, CT

Christine Stuart

I don't know them all (and "Annie Lou" Leibovitz certainly wouldn't remember me from 1971 in San Francisco) but, among the honorees is Christine Stuart, a hero of mine.

It is a rah-thah pricey event tomorrow night, so instead of attending (and CHEERING) I am sending a donation (last button on the link page) to the online news outlet CT News Junkie, owned and edited by Christine Stuart.

A coupla Cute Mugs

All donations and subscriptions assist in keeping this site active and able to cover politcial news in our state, along with the fun and cool site CT Tech Junkie ("Covering the Future. Today").

CT News Junkie is also a terrific place to advertise your company or organization. A lot of eyeballs see those ads every day.

2012 Inductees

Anne Garrels - Ground-breaking journalist and 23-year NPR Senior Foreign Correspondent best known for her coverage of conflicts around the world  
Annie Leibovitz - Internationally renowned photographer whose large and distinguished body of work includes some of the most well-known portraits of our time
Faith Middleton - Thought-provoking Connecticut radio broadcaster and celebrated host of The Faith Middleton Show, now in its thirtieth anniversary year on WNPR

2012 Voice and Vision Honorees (in alphabetical order)

Dr. Regina Barreca - Celebrated humorist, academic and author Professor of English literature and feminist theory, University of Connecticut
Jolie Rocke Brown - Award-winning and acclaimed soprano  Performance artist and music educator
Judy Dworin - Choreographer and creative force giving voice to women and human rights through dance/theater  Artistic Director, Judy Dworin Performance Project and Professor of Theater & Dance, Trinity College
Ed Johnetta Miller - Recipient of the prestigious Connecticut Governor's Art Award  Fiber artist, quilter, teacher, curator, lecturer, author
Dr. Marilyn Nelson - Recipient of the 2012 Frost Medal, former Connecticut Poet Laureate Professor Emerita of English, University of Connecticut
Annie Keefe - Theatrical visionary and award-winning stage manager  Artistic Advisor, Westport Country Playhouse
Bessy Reyna - Recipient of the Library of Congress CT Lifetime Achievement Award for Service to the Literary Community  Bilingual poet, opinion columnist and activist
Diane Smith - Emmy-award winning TV journalist, radio broadcaster, author  CT-N producer and host, former on-air personality at WTNH, WTIC-AM, and CPTV
Christine Stuart - Editor and reporter who pioneered online capitol news coverage 
Editor-in-Chief, CTNewsJunkie.com

Katharine Weber - Award-winning author  Teacher of fiction writing at Yale University, Columbia University and Kenyon College

_________________________________________________

"Original journalism is expensive to produce. That's why you don't see as much of it in newspapers these days, because cutting reporters is the easiest way to improve the bottom line."

For individual annual membership donations of at least $60, CT News Junkie will send you a gorgeous CTNewsJunkie coffee mug.

A $99 dual membership for you and yours gets you two mugs  --  and continued coverage of Connecticut politics.

Click here.   NOW

Ebony Goes to the Ivory Tower

The Women's Campaign School at Yale University is a non-partisan, issue neutral leadership program whose mission is to increase the number and influence of women in elected and appointed office in the United States and around the globe. 

On June 11, 2012, Ebony Murphy-Root started the Five Day Annual Summer Session "to hone my skills in preparation for new opportunities within the areas of education, literacy, gender and politics."

It will be an intense week for her, but she is always up for a challenge.
As I like to point out: Ebony is a teacher. Nothing scares her!

In Case You Missed It: from DailyKos

Unite Against the War on Women

[...]
New Group Poised to Challenge “War on Women”
• Virginia legislators recently tried to enact an invasive, mandatory “trans-vaginal ultrasound” measure for women seeking abortions.
• In Mississippi, lawmakers took a cue from Virginia and are now pushing the same type of regressive, restrictive legislation.
• Texas Governor, Rick Perry, has decided to deny funding to Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers under the Texas Women’s Health Program.
• Some presidential candidates want to end Medicaid funding and turn it into state-by-state bloc grants.
• Personhood legislation and amendments are being actively pushed through state legislatures in attempts to criminalize contraception and family planning.
• State laws regarding voter registration designed to suppress voter turnout especially among poor women, seniors and minorities are already in place and spreading.

A new and growing movement called Unite Against The War On Women is poised to push back on measures like this, with protest marches and rallies across the country on Saturday, April 28.

Join us - Saturday, April 28th as we say NO WAY/NO HOW to these attempts to dictate our personal decisions, our bodies, our health choices, and our families.

The newly-minted organization has garnered almost 20,000 members nationally in less than two weeks in the wake of of Virginia’s “trans-vaginal ultrasound” bill and other pending legislation.

JOIN US - SHARE - PASS THE WORD - WE WILL NOT BE SILENT

 ~ * ~ * ~ *  ~ * ~ * ~ *  ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Questions? send an email to unitewomenconnecticut@gmail.com    or    ctFreeRadicals@gmail.com  
sign up at WeAreWomenMarch.net

Quote du Jour

I offer my opponents a bargain: if they will stop telling lies about us, I will stop telling the truth about them.
~Adlai Stevenson, campaign speech, 1952 

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.

[UPDATED] End of Quarter Approaches: Party Time - Milford Edition

All Tomorrow's Next Week's This Week's Parties

Thursday, September 22nd - Fundraiser for Speaker of the House Chris Donovan's campaign to be Connecticut's next Congressman! 6-8pm (with post-event martinis at Scribner's Restaurant). 

Saturday, September 24th - Fundraiser for Ben Blake's campaign to be Milford's next Mayor! 6-8pm (with post-event hilarity at the Milford Rotary's Octoberfest)  Special Guests: Senator Richard Blumenthal, Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman, Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, Comptroller and Constitutional Officer Heartthrob Kevin Lembo (invited but not confirmed), and many others.

For either of the above events, send an email to ctfreeradicals@gmail.com and we will send you all the details.

A Day at the Races - Donovan HQ

Overflow crowds, a fresh pizza wagon, lapel stickers, and a rousing speech: That's the Real Start to any campaign, and Chris Donovan achieved all that in one under-air-conditioned suite of rooms in Downtown Meriden late Friday afternoon.

Although I am not generally a fan of speeches, Donovan always is a pleasant surprise. He combines the fervor of a street organizer with the homespun charm of an Irish American story teller.

The Theme for the Donovan campaign for 5th Congressional District seems to be: Fight for Families.

Able to recite an impressive list of legislative accomplishments, Donovan interrupts himself to tell a family story that seems both truthful and suddenly remembered.  He gives credit to others (Shocking Technique! What's up with that?), speaking about alliances with the Sierra Club, the Working Families Party, Common Cause, and Love Makes a Family.

As a state rep, as speaker of the house, as a citizen, Chris Donovan insists that "Government is People" - a direct rebuttal to another politician's recent assertion that Corporations are People. I came away from this event convinced that we can actually achieve change - for the better - by working together for one another.


the people / have the power
to redeem / the work of fools
upon the meek / the graces shower
it's decreed / the people rule

Of course you can donate to Chris Donovan for Congress by clicking HERE, or find out more grit and bio HERE.  If you are interested in meeting Chris Donovan at a private house event this month in Milford, email me at ctfreeradicals@gmail.com and I will send you details.  It will be a fundraiser.  I swear.

Elephant at Worlds End

If this makes you feel anxious and insecure...It Should.

Damn but Rosa's good!

Rosa DeLauro, literally, In.The.House:

We are not here to represent the interests of Wall Street banks, predatory mortgage lenders and credit card companies as my Republican colleagues are choosing to do by smothering this new agency in its crib. We are here to represent the American people, and that is what the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is designed to do. 

Full text of kick-ass remarks shown below the fold.

“ICYMI Thursday” - Dems Convention in Milford

Photo by Caitlin Mazzola - MilfordPatch

Ben Blake, Mayoral Candidate, Milford, CT

Connecticut Bob, as usual, says it best:

 Blake, an attorney, has been on the Board of Aldermen for eight years, and served as Chairman for several years. He has experience in running the city as Acting Mayor, and he presided over the Board during the only time in city history that there was a tax reduction!

Click here for the May 2011 pre-announcement of the Management Team of Ben Blake for Mayor and Suzanne Manning for City Clerk.

Here Comes the Governor!!!!!!!

The Milford Democratic Party will hold it's Municipal Convention on Wednesday July 20th at City Hall (West River Street) to endorse candidates for Mayor, City Clerk, Board of Education, Board of Aldermen, and Planning and Zoning Board, as well as the dreaded Constables.

On Friday July 22nd at 6:30 pm we will have a grand fundraiser for Mayoral candidate Ben Blake ... with a Special Guest.

Governor Dannel P. Malloy, who I acknowledge you might be mad at this week, is coming to Milford to support the Democratic Party's candidate for Mayor.  

Now, I recognize that everyone is a little testy lately so let me remind you that the "Suggested Donation" is de  rigueur on political invitations. You pay what you feel is appropriate and according to your budget. It is expected that contributions will at least be reasonable, not in coin form, and at least enough to cover your food and drink consumption!

Which is not to say that you shouldn't dig deep. After all, we need to run a campaign here.

For security reasons, I have cunningly blocked out the address of the event, but let me at least reveal to you that there is a view of water.

So, when we say Clams (edible mollusks), we also mean Clams (many dollar$). *

Please RSVP to treasurer@blakeformilford.com
and pre-pay at blakeformilford.com

For further information,
email ben@blakeformilford.com

* The slang word "Clam" meaning money most likely comes from Native Americans on the coastline who strung clamshells as necklaces and used them for trade.

Democratic Party Dinner and Schmooze Fest

Last night was the Jefferson Jackson Bailey event, an annual get together which is intended to raise money, and spirits, for the upcoming election cycle. Unlike the GOP equivalent Prescott Bush Dinner there were no protestors. Rumor has it that Tea Bags get soggy in the evening mist. Rumors, of course, ran rampant all night.

Most important annual feature: Connecticut Bob videotaping short interviews with politicos  (videos being compiled today so check back from time to time to the CT Bob blogsite.) [UPDATE: Connecticut Bob's still photos are up. Click here.]

• Biggest avoidance: Lee Whitnum. I can say no more.
• Energizer Bunny: Susan Bysiewicz. I can say no more.
• Best sticker: Donovan for Congress. (guitar shape - The current Speaker of the House plays one ya know)
• Rally and Largest  Sticker: Team Murphy - Congressman Chris Murphy running for Senate 2012
• Alliteration Award: Team Tong Twenty-Twelve. Wm Tong also has an incredibly smart kid named Eleanor who may be his Secret Weapon.
• Most Desperate Look: A Tie. I can say no more.

People vs Politics - Budgets

The Milford City Budget will be voted on in the next two weeks. Having followed aspects of the Budget discussion for several years now, you would think I have lost the ability to be shocked. But no.

Head Honchos from two major Departments have informed me that the guidelines of their Budgets were predetermined by the soon-to-be-former-Mayor. Cut Positions.

At your job, if you still have one, or at your company, if you have one, a Budget is constructed with a combination of known needs and possible future purchases or increases in costs. When you are told to economize and cut your Budget, you slice away the least needed line items: break room supplies, fancy brochures, non-essential travel, tutus for the guys on the loading dock, new furnishings for the lobby.  But the very last thing you want to cut is staff.


These Head Honchos were not given an opportunity to make the cuts they would determine harm their departments the least. They were instructed by the Mayor to cut positions. Of people.

Begging for a chance to economize on office supplies and gas consumption, they were told "Cut Positions Only".

Both of the Head Honchos who spoke to me about this matter said they would have made personnel the last cut.

And they say it is purely Politics.

And they are angry and disgusted.

It is a good thing this Mayor is not running for re-election. When the Department Heads have had it you are losing all credibility in the city. It is one thing to close schools and lay off teachers (after all, kids get older and their parents may forget what happened),or cut Library hours (after all, only people who read will use the library and maybe they will all change over to Kindles) but it is quite another matter to have city employees turn against their bosses.