El Canillita gets the HUGE scoop and interviews the four day laborers who were picked up by ICE and recently freed from prision this week. Here's all the stuff the News-Times failed to report in their "story" including how the people were treated after they were arrested.

(This is an Engligh translation of the article. It's somewhat choppy but readable).

Four of the eleven workers detained by ICE on Tuesday September 19th in the Kennedy Park area were freed on the afternoon of October 4th.

After the mobilization of solidarity and assistance that sprung up from these unjust detentions, as soon as [luego que] DACORIM, Centro Cívico Ecuatoreano (Ecuadorean Civic Center), and the Danbury Peace Coalition and other area immigrant rights organizations and many members of the community got involved, these four workers were released. On top of all this support came the extraordinary pro bono work of attorney Dr. Michael Wishnie, a Yale professor of immigrant law, and his law students.

On October 4th, after 16 days in detention, the four who were released by ICE after posting $1500 bond included: Isaac Maldonado; José Eduardo Duma; Juan Alberto Barrera y José Froilán Llivisupa. Thanks to the support and solidarity of countless men and women, these four Ecuadoreans could return to their community.

José Froilán Llivisupa, one of those released, provided additional details on the detention in an exclusive interview with El Canellita. He said "Every day we go out to the Kennedy Park ["parada" - bus stop -- pickup area?] to look for work. It was 7:30 AM. A van came and said four people were needed. Then it came again and said four more people in total were needed. and since I wanted to work, I went. When I asked what kind of work it was, he said that a construction fence had to be taken down and said, 'We're going to pay you today (en el dia).' So I got into the van and sat in back and went along." Once in the van, they were taken directly to the parking lot behind the Danbury Executive Tower at 30 Main Street. There they were thrown on the ground and handcuffed and then driven to the Danbury police station. At the police station, fingerprints and photos were taken and their personal effects were confiscated.

Llivisupa said, “The only thing they told us was that they needed someone to work. When we arrived at the police station, they didn’t ask us anything [like whether they had papers or could show their legal status].”

Apparently from Danbury those detained were driven to New Haven. In New Haven they were put in jail overnight. The next day they were taken to Hartford. " In Hartford they put us in a cell, took off the (chains/hand and ankle cuffs)." The cells were completely bare with a concrete floor. " I felt treated like a criminal - they didn't give us anything to eat which is only decent (uno se merece) -- not even a sandwich and a little water. " Later they were taken to Boston.

[no other details provided about Boston part of incarceration.]

“Today the (agente de authoridad -"authority agent") told us ‘You are going home.’ I was in a cell with one of the 11 detainees. They opened the door, they made me sit on a chair outside the cell, they made me put on my clothes, they returned my things, cell phone, money and belt (correa) and they took my fingerprints again. From there, we waited till they took us out to a white van. We got in and they let us go in Boston, told us we were free, so we kept walking, caught a taxi, and we went to the Bonanza pickup location ("parada" - bus stop? worker pickup location?) and they [friends? lawyer?] were looking for us. Thank God and thanks to the everyone in Danbury that fought for this good cause.”

“We aren’t terrorists, we came to work, we want to study, it’s unfair, and there was no justification or reason for what they have done to us.”

The message to his fellow workers is, "To everyone who works in Danbury Connecticut, Let's respect the rules and standards of this country." ("El mensaje a sus compañeros trabajadores es “A todas las personas que trabajamos en Danbury, CT, que seamos correctos que respetemos las reglas y normas que existen en este país.”)

It is hoped that the rest of the group of 11 detainees will have the same good fortune, but at the moment we don’t know when they will be released.

It's unfortunate that the News-Times is unwilling to simply go and report on this story from a personal perspective like El Canillita did. If you read the News-Times, you just get jargin and spin from the Mayor and those involved in the ICE sweep. You never get to hear the story told from the people who were effected the most...the day laborer themselves.

This case is not as black and white as the mayor tried to make it on public access. I hope that the media will take the time, go into the community, and ge the real story and expose how Boughton's radical policy is creating a climate of fear and distrust throughout the community.

Here again is People-Powered media in action. This story will be racing across the blogs in short time and will expose again how poor the local media when it comes to getting the REAL story.

Hats off to the people at El Canillita for their fine work in properly reporting this informative story from a human perspective. Thumbs down again to the News-Times for writing an article that looks like it was done by a reporter who didn't bother to leave the desk when researching this story.

NOTE: A better translation of this story will be posted later.

NOTE 2: Article has been updated.

Found this in the comment section of the News-Times:

Posted by: toobored54 Fri, Oct 06 2006
VOR, I have already written Boughton regarding Hazelton's Illegal Alien law, and implementing it in Danbury. This is his response:

"I would like to implement the ordinace you are describing. Unfortunately we have different state laws then Pennsylvania. We would need the legislature to enact a law to allow cities and towns to adopt this ordinance if they choose. I have asked our legislative delegation to consider doing this next session. Perhaps you should contact your state representative and find out what their position is.
Regards,
Mark Boughton"

Food for thought folks. Just something else to think about when the mayor talks about immigration and reaching out to the ethnic community. I'd love to get my hands on toobored's original email from Boughton but that sounds like something the mayor would say.

I'll bring you all the information you need about the whacked-out law the morons are trying to pass in Hazletown PA later.

Now, this is what People-Powered Media is all about. CT Bob nails Joe Lieberman and catches him in a BIG FAT LIE.

It amazes me how quickly politicians lie and how easy it is to expose them for liars. Remember this when you go to the polls in November.

Seems like my efforts to concentrate more on informing the country about Danbury CT is getting noticed. Ever since the Democratic primary, I've focused more of my time on trying to highlight things that are happening in Danbury and the response has been fantastic. People across the country are interested in knowing more about Danbury, the policies of Mayor Mark Boughton, and the role of the Democratic and Republican Party in the area and in the last month alone, traffic on this site has jumped tremendously.

Why the spike in traffic? Well, information on what's happening in Danbury is limited to the stuff you get in the News-Times (nuff said), a couple of Public Access shows, and whatever you can find on the internet (which is basically nothing). You see, in a place like Danbury where familes go back several generations, you need to know the inside political baseball stuff or else you'll fall victim to the word of politicians (and TV hosts who are politicians) who go on Public Access shows and spin their magic.

Those days are coming to an quick end. Progressive blogs are getting noticed across teh country and this one is no different. Let me put it this way. The combined viewership of all the blogs I write for alone is aprox 20,000-25,000 per week and that's a pretty impressive number. The readership on this site alone has increased to aprox 1,500-1,700 readers per week and with a new statewide and national PR campaign in the works, the traffic is sure to increase.

After the State and National elections are over, people will start to focus on November 2007 and the mayoral elections and Danbury will be one of those cities in the country that will be get attention not only on a statewide scale, but on a naitonal scale as well.

If Democrats learned anything from 2005, it's that information and turnout is key to winning elections. You have to get the information about a politician's record out to the public so you'll know when someone is giving you a line of B.S. and when they're telling the truth. Unfortunately, right now, you're seeing, reading, and hearing more B.S than anything else.

The people of Danbury has had enough of the media not focusing their energy on issues in the city. They want to know what's going on at City Hall and many don't buy all the spin they see from Republicans and unhinged whackjobs who hosts Public Access shows. Trust me, there are more opinions than those people you see on T.V. This area has a population of 70,000 people and once they are informed, they become active and that's where I'm going to come in.

Look, if you want the spin, all you need to do is turn to channel 23 on Friday. Trust me, after watching last night's loverfest interview with the Mayor on In Our Opinion (conducted by a former Republican Common Council member), I almost fell to the ground from all the dizziness they put me through. Although they're new shows on the horizon such as Ideas at Work and Beyond, you can't expect those hosts to know how the game is played. When you talk about politics in Danbury, you're talking about old family names that go back a few generations and lets just say that it takes a while to read all the fine print and train you nose to detect B.S.

It's simple, what's better, information from a weekly taped Public Access show that are conducted by Republicans who agree with 99.99999 percent of the policies of the current administration, or blogs done by common everyday people that bring you the TRUE opinion of average everyday people.

I think the answer is simple.

Trust me, this site is only getting started and several other blogs and online media sources are going to focus more of their attention on Danbury, the actions of Mayor Boughton and the political historical record of the ruling political party. Now, I'm not saying that this site will be all political. Hell, there's only so much politics I can stand and there is a lot of interesting things happening in Danbury that is not getting noticed. The purpose of progressive blogs is to provide the readers with information you can't get anywhere else and that's going to be my main focus as we approach 2007 and the city election season (trust me, it's started already).

This is not a test...this is only the beginning.

Read, watch, learn.

Democratic Senate candidate Ned Lamont will be returning to Hat City tomorrow for a little door knocking campaining. The event will start at Democratic Headquarters at 10:30 so come on down and say hi to the man who wants to give de facto Republican Joe Lieberman his walking papers.

I've followed Ned Lamont's campaign since day one and watch as a small grassroots campaign became the talk of the nation. During the primary, Lamont paid a visit to the Danbury Greek experience festival and I had the chance to do a quick interview with him (with the assistance of CTBob).

I really hope he wins as he promised to wear a old hat made from Danbury the day he gets sworn in and trust me, I'll go to D.C. to make sure he keeps his promise.

Lamont also paid a visit to Danbury High School recently and offered his opinions on the crisis in Darfur. For those who missed it, here's a replay of Lamont addressing the students.

Vote for change.

Photo from Down with Tyranny

Fantasy:

Jobs created from July 2004 to July 2006: 19,700. This is a net figure - meaning it reflects job losses as well as job gains.

Reality:

[T]he state's job growth remained sluggish, a federal agency reported today.

[...]

"Connecticut ranked 45th in job growth, though the state's unemployment rate of 4 percent was better than the national average. Many New England states have experienced slow job and population growth," [said Paul] Driscoll, [a regional manager with FDIC].

"Unlike much of the country, Connecticut and Massachusetts still have not fully recovered the jobs lost from the recession five years ago, Driscoll said. The higher cost of living makes it tougher to attract new residents," he said.

"It's a concern," Driscoll said. "It's something we're watching."

Any questions?

Now do you remember when I told everyone to keep an eye and watch what happens to the eleven people who were picked up by ICE agents? I didn't think these arrests would do any good as I always thought several of these people would be back in Danbury in no time.

Well, I'm not saying I told you so but...

Four of the 11 day laborers charged last month with immigration violations after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement sweep near Kennedy Park are back home in Danbury after a hearing at a Boston immigration court.
"As far as I know, they are back home at this point," said Simon Moshenberg, of the Jerome N. Frank Legal Services Organization at the Yale Law School legal clinic. The clinic is representing the four men, and perhaps all 11, for free. The organization links law students with individuals and organizations in need of free legal help.

Bingo! Oh, but there's more...

ICE arrived in Danbury on Sept. 19 at about 6:30 a.m. and rounded up the 11 men who were among the many there that morning waiting for jobs. ICE claims that all 11 are illegal immigrants.

However, Moshenberg said that he and his supervisor at the clinic, Michael Wishnie, will defend the men on a variety of issues, including whether they are "undocumented."

"I don't want to preview our legal argument too much," Moshenberg said.

Also, the legal team is looking at whether the men were captured in an illegal manner, Moshenberg said.

Ahem.

Now, I'm in a rush so I'll have to be quick here.

The police told the day laborers that they were causing a traffic problem and to stop "darting" in the street. The day laborers didn't get the message and in an act that can only be considered "boneheaded," continue to cause a problem by running into the street whenever some contractor was looking for people.

Okay fine. At that point, the police had every right to take action but, what happened next had nothing to do with the local police.

Baker and Mayor Boughton requested the assistance of ICE who later came in undercover as contractors and at random, picked up 11 day laborers.

Again, that is a brief rundown of the whole episode. Now, ask yourself this very simple question...how did the ICE know that the 11 people were illegal? Remember, the ICE didn't target certain people, they did a sweep and picked up 11 day laborers.

Return to Sender is a program focused on illegals who were deemed dangerou (felons, gang members, etc). Again, how did they know the people they were picking up were illegal if they were picking up people at random. If they were all here illegally, why are four back home in Danbury? Why weren't they deported?

Moshenberg said that these men did not do anything criminal. What they are charged with -- being in the country without proper documentation -- is a civil violation.

"It's a civil procedure," Moshenberg said.

Re-entering the country illegally after being deported is a criminal charge, Moshenberg said, but none of these men was arrested on that charge.

It is unclear why the men were arraigned and had to post bond for a civil violation, but immigration procedures differ from federal criminal law. Also, the names of the four who were released were not known as of Thursday.

You see where I'm going with this. The whole episode, which cause a huge outcry, placed Danbury BACK in the media, and ended with a rally, a march to City Hall, and brought out the most racist a-hole in the area who held a huge cradboard sign that said "Speak English or DIE" brings us to a point where several of the people who were picked up were released, NONE of the eleven arrested were held on a CRIMINAL CHARGE, and NOW questions are raised over whether or not these people were picked up legally.

Oh the insanity!

At the rally, I was able to conduct a number of interviews but because my harddrive was full, I was unable to process the video.

That's until now.

Here's an interview I conducted with Attorney James Welcome, one of the lawyers who representing a number of the day laborers who were picked up. Now this interview was conducted before this story broke but he talks about what happened before these guys were released in Boston.
Grr...it would have been nice to have this interview posted before the News-Times came out with their story. I'll scoop them some other time :-)

(NOTE: If the video is blank, it's because I just uploaded the file and YouTube is stil processing the clip).
Remember what I said before and keep a close eye on this story.

BTW: I have more video interviews from last Saturday's rally and I'll have them posted later. Sorry for the delay but archiving over 100 gig of files takes a little time.

UPDATE: Good grief, I shouldn't type so early in the morning. Sorry 'bout that.

Attaboy Ivon!

September's Common Council meeting will air at 7 p.m. Saturday on Comcast cable Channel 23. The meeting will air again at 11 a.m. Tuesday.

Two Danbury residents with ties to Comcast, Ivon Alcime and John Neumuller, are taping the meetings and will air them as a service to Danbury residents who cannot attend the monthly city meetings. They are calling the broadcast "Danbury Live."

Neumuller said Thursday that he should know soon when the Oct. 3 Common Council meeting will air.

Good! Now everyone will see how easy it is to videotape a meeting and get it on the air.

As I've stated several times, it doesn't take much to broadcast a meeting at City Hall. Hell, I've been doing it for the last year and I know my footage is good enough for cable. Now Ivon will show everyone just how easy (AND INEXPENSIVE) it is to get these meetings on the air.

You don't need a Hollywood production to videotape people talking about politics and if anything, all the lights, cameras, and gizmos will go to everyone's head and you get nothing but grandsanding from everyone. It's simple, one of two camera on a tripod, a good high end mic, and the energy to sit through an entire meeting is all that's needed (and trust me, the only hard part is having the energy to last through an entire meeting as you need to pan the camera constantly).

Hopefully, Ivon will be able to expand this and get more of the community involved in helping out. I'm positive if he or someone would jus pitch the idea to the High School or University, he could get a team of people who are willing to help out in an interm basis.

It was obvious that it was going to take people like Ivon and others to step up to the plate and get these meetings broadcast but it's only the beginning. Other meeting, such as the Board of Ed (which takes the biggest piece of the city's pie) and Planning and Zoning should be on the air and hopefully in time, we'll see those meetings on public access also.

Why don't I just broadcast my stuff you ask?

I would step up to the plate but I simply do not have the time for that type of committment since I also cover state and national politcs and well as freelance for different outlets. Anyway, my thing is the internet and not traditional television and I rather help advance the role of online media. If anything, I'd be more than happy to take the footage and create a site where you can watch the meetings online at any time.

hmm...you know, that's a good idea...let me think about that.

(In light of the new poll showing Chris Murphy tied with Nancy Johnson, I decided to bump this old post to the top for the new readers of this blog. Enjoy.)
(a cross post from ConnecticutBLOG: original post 09.08.06)


5th CD Democratic candidate Chris Murphy is a man on a mission.

This 32-year old State Senator representing the 16th District is currently taking one of President Bush's strongest Republican supporter, Nancy Johnson in on of the most competitive and closely watched Congressional races in the nation.

For someone who's been in politics far less than Rep. Johnson, his political resume is quite impressive.

During his first year in the Senate, Murphy steered the passage of an impressive array of landmark bills advancing public health, including the state's workplace smoking ban. He also authored legislation that prohibits hospitals from engaging in overly aggressive collection practices against uninsured patients. In addition, he authored bills that expand low-cost prescription drug access for the uninsured, establish new government powers to be utilized during a bioterrorism attack, and increase whistleblower protections for hospital employees.

In 2004, Murphy worked to pass legislation increasing standards for auto emissions in Connecticut, and he authored and passed bills protecting nurses from being forced to work overtime shifts and implementing new patient safety protections for hospitals. He also led the fight for increased federal funding for Connecticut nursing homes.

That same year, Murphy introduced legislation that would provide vital funding for stem cell research here in Connecticut. Murphy's work that year helped lay the groundwork for future victory on this important issue, and in 2005 Murphy succeeded in passing Connecticut's landmark stem cell investment act, one of his proudest accomplishments.

His message is simple and easy enough for anyone who's had enough with the status-quo to understand...it's time for a change. Unfortunately for Johnson, it seems like Murphy's message is resonating with the voters in the fifth district and while he was in Danbury, I had a chance to sit down with the democratic challenger and have him explain why he's running for Congress and why he feels that he can do a better job in Washington than his Republican counterpart.


One thing is for certain, this is going to be a very interesting campaign to watch as the fall election cycle gets underway.

For more information on Murphy and his campaign, check out his website and make sure to meet Chris as his travels across the 5th district on his 41 towns on 41 days tour.

(cross-post from ConnecticutBLOG)

No wonder Nancy Johnson has been running those lame attack ads on Murphy. She's in a bit of trouble and No More Nancy has the details.

A new internal poll conducted by the Murphy campaign shows the fifth district race in a dead heat. The same poll showed Johnson with a nine point lead back in June. Clearly, voters are responding to Murphy's positive message of change and aren't buying into Nancy Johnson's fear mongering.

Murphy's 41 towns in 41 days tour definately had a positive impact and his quick rebuttal to Johnson "Battlestar Galatica inspired" attack ad didn't seem to win her any new fans.

Who would you vote for if the election were held today? (June results)

Murphy: 42% (34%)

Johnson: 42% (43%)

Undecided: 12% (21%)

Will you definitely vote for Murphy/Johnson, or might you change your mind before the election?

Murphy: 78% Definite, 21% Might Change

Johnson: 68% Definite, 31% Might Change

In short, people want a change in Washington and Nancy Johnson needs to exit stage right. Her tenure in Congress has only help her deep pockets as she rakes in the money from special interest groups and voters want someone who will go in a new direction.

Ahh...I finally finished archiving all my old video from my harddrive which means I can FINALLY get back to producing my footage from the Taste of Danbury. You see, I went a little nuts at theTaste and recorded over two hours of video which I have to edit and get down to about 15 minutes and trust me, that takes a good amount of time.

I promise I'll get the video up since the event was such a HUGE success. There were several vendors at the Taste that took time out of their schedule to be interviewed and I REALLY want to make sure they get a big plug.

Here's a list of other goodies that will be posted soon.

Highlights from the Greek festival

Highlights from the Monte Cristo festival

The broadcast of the entire immigration forum (A pretty good forum and although things got a but testy at times, both sides were able to bring up some very valid points surrounding this sensitive issue).

Weekly brief highlights of most of the major public access shows

Why wan't this stuff posted earlier? Well, if you don't know, I cover a lot of state politics and with election day right around the corner, I'll be on the road a lot covering all the races. In other words, I won't have much time to do original content here for awhile which stinks since I've been working hard on re-designing this site.

Never fear, you won't even notice that I'm gone as I'll keep this site updated as much as possible.

5th District Congressional Candidate Chris Murphy turned up the heat on Nancy Johnson over Dennis Hastert's role in the disgraceful Mark Foley scandal.

In case you don't own a television, I'll here's a little background.

Florida Republican Congressman Mark Foley is a sick pervert who sent inappropriate emails and sexually explicit instant messages to underage boys.

Congressional leaders learned about Foley's nonsense months ago and rumors of Foley have been circulating for years but the Republicans kept the whole thing under wraps until ABC broke the bombshell last week.

Here's the timeline (via Think Progress):

2001 - A Republican staff member warns pages "to watch out for Congressman Mark Foley." A former page says that they were told "don't get too wrapped up in him being too nice to you and all that kind of stuff." [ABC, 10/1/06]

2003 - Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) has sexually explicit IM exchanges with an underage boy who worked as a Congressional page. [ABC News, 9/29/06]

SUMMER 2005 - Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) sends inappropriate emails to another former Congressional page. [CREW]

SEPTEMBER 2005 - Rep. Rodney Alexander (R-LA), who sponsored the page, learns "of the e-mails from a reporter." [AP, 9/29/06; CQ, 9/30/06]

FALL 2005 - "Tim Kennedy, a staff assistant in the [Speaker J. Denis Hastert's] Office, received a telephone call from Congressman Rodney Alexander's Chief of Staff who indicated that he had an email exchange between Congressman Foley and a former House page…[Mike] Stokke [Deputy Chief of Staff for Speaker Hastert] called the Clerk and asked him to come to the Speaker's Office so that he could put him together with Congressman Alexander's Chief of Staff." [Hastert Statement, 9/30/06]

LATE 2005 - Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL), Chairman of the House Page Board, "was notified by the then Clerk of the House, who manages the Page Program, that he had been told by Congressman Rodney Alexander (R-LA) about an email exchange between Congressman Foley and a former House Page."

Shimkus interviewed Foley and told him "to cease all contact with this former house page." He did not inform Rep. Dale Kildee (D-MI), the only Democrat on the House page Board. [Roll Call, 9/29/06]

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006 - Alexander tells NRCC chairman Tom Reynolds about “the existence of e-mails between Mark Foley and a former page of Mr. Alexander's." Reynolds tells Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-IL) about the emails and his conversation with Alexander. [Reynolds Statement, 9/30/06; Roll Call, 9/30/06; Hastert Statement, 9/30/06]

SPRING 2006 - House Majority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) learns of "inappropriate 'contact' between Foley and a 16-year-old page." After leaning about Foley's conduct, Boehner told Speaker of the House J. Denis Hastert who assured Boehner he would "take care of it." Later, Boehner changed his story and told the Washington Post he didn't remember whether he talked to Hastert. [Washington Post, 9/30/06; New York Times, 10/1/06]

MAY 10, 2006 - Reynold's personal PAC, TOMPAC, donates $5,000 to Foley’s campaign. [New York Daily News, 9/30/06]

JULY 27, 2006 - Foley writes a $100,000 check to the NRCC, chaired by Reynolds. [New York Daily News, 9/30/06]

JULY 27, 2006 - Foley, still co-chairman of the Congressional Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus, attends a signing ceremony at the White House for the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. [White House, 9/27/06; Talkingpointsmemo, 9/30/06; Washington Post, 10/1/06]

SEPTEMBER 28, 2006 - ABC publishes emails between Foley and former page. [ABC, 9/28/06]

SEPTEMBER 29, 2006 - Foley resigns. [ABC, 9/29/06]

SEPTEMBER 29, 2006 - ABC publishes sexually explict Instant Messages between Foley and several former pages. [ABC, 9/29/06]

SEPTEMBER 29, 2006 - "Aides to the speaker [Hastert] say he was not aware until last week of inappropriate behavior by Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., who resigned on Friday after portions of racy e-mail exchanges between him and current and former underage congressional pages became public." [Chicago Tribune, 9/30/06]

SEPTEMBER 30, 2006 - Hastert admits he was told about the emails by Reynolds in the spring. [Hastert Statement, 9/30/06]

This story is shameless and the cover-up from Dennis Hastert and other leading Republicans is even more disgraceful.

Here's a video clip of Hastert doing his best to answer questions surrounding when he was notified about Foley's activities.

Okay, back to Connecticut. Guess who's the only Republican Congressperson who hasn't said a word about Hastert? You guess it, Nancy Johnson.
Chris Murphy smells blood in the water and lashes into Johnson yesterday.

Days have passed since Nancy Johnson learned that the other members of the leadership of her own party knew about inappropriate email exchanges between Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) and a teenage page at the U.S. Capitol late last year and took no action. We do not know when Johnson first learned of Foley’s actions. What we do know is that Johnson is the lone Republican in the Connecticut delegation to refuse to make a personal statement calling on her party's leaders to resign in light of their knowledge of this scandal. Chris Murphy, the Democratic candidate for Congress in the Fifth District, today called on Johnson to publicly demand the resignation of Speaker Hastert.

"If Nancy Johnson had the courage to stand up to her morally bankrupt colleagues in Washington , she would have done so already in a direct, public manner. The Republican leadership she proudly proclaims herself to be a part of knew what was going on and turned a blind eye. Now the people of Connecticut know without a doubt that Nancy Johnson is more interested in staying in Washington than doing what is right," said Murphy.

This is a no-brianer. Hastert knew about Foley but did nothing.

Unlike the Jack Abramoff which involves all types of dirty dealings and political lingo, the Mark Foley case is simple and easy for Americans to understand; Foley is a pervert who likes boys...nuff said. The fact that the Republicans knew about this months (if not years) ago has everyone in America outraged and rightfully so and Murphy is correct in demanding that Johnson do the right thing.

Pick youself up from off the floor folks. That's right, I'm giving props to Republicans.

Look, I've said this numerous times and I guess since this site has become very popular in Connecticut, I'll say it again.

I DON'T DISLIKE REPUBLICANS (well, locally that is)!

Now, on a national level, I have some MAJOR issues with the current majority party (9-11, Iraq war, Terri Schiavo, gay marriage, out of control spending, denial of global warming, religious freaks, corruption, cover-up of Mark Foley, etc, etc, etc, etc) but on a local level, it's somewhat of a different story.

Somewhat...

It's not like the Republican party are the forces of evil and the Democratic party are the forces of good in Danbury. If anyone read this blog...lets say last year this time, you'll see that I ripped the Democratic Party a new a-hole when it came to the mayoral elections as NO ONE knew where the Democrats stood on a number is issues. Hell, people acted like there wasn't a Democratic Party in Danbury period.

Think I'm kidding, okay, lets try this out. Quickly, name me the Democratic candidate who cahllenged Mark Boughton on 2005 (insert elevator music). If you said Lori Kaback, you're wrong but I understand if that's the only Democrat you remember.

Trust me people, I'll hold both party's feet to the fire in a heartbeat and they're is plenty of blame to go around for both parties for the current shape of Hat City. When you look at problems happening in Danbury, you have to hold the people in charge responsible as since the Republcians are the majority party, a majority of my grips are directed at those who run the show. Trust me, I take the gloves off on the minority party as well, just ask Joe DaSilva. Also, if this blog started back during the latter years of the Eriquez administration, I'd be all over him as well (he wasn't a fan of broadcasting Common Council meetings either).

Why am I babbling like this, well last night I had the pleasure of hanging out with two very cool Republicans and we briefly chatted about a couple of issues of concern. In short, these guys didn't have horns sticking out of their heads, they weren't the anti-christ, and they seem generally genuine when it comes to their local government. Hell, you can't knock anyone who goes out of their way to get involved in the way their city operates and for that, I tip my hat off to them. Now, that's not saying that I don't have disagreements with them on a number of issues, it's just that when it comes to where I live, I want the local politicains to work for the common good of the city.

In short, thanks to the two Republicans who took the time to come over and chat with me, I'll have a beer with you guys anytime. The same goes for other Republicans I know that are at City Hall, on the Common Council, and volunteer their time on other committees. It's not personal, it's policy and this site was created not only to tell the story that the News-TImes has failed to do in the past, it's to highlight the problems that the average voter in Danbury gripes about.

Now, back to the show...

I don't how to feel about this one.

Nearly 200 residents, many of them children, rallied in support of a Bethel High School renovation project Tuesday.

Strongly and loudly proclaiming "Yes, yes, BHS," the rally participants gathered late in the afternoon of a beautiful fall day on the lawn of Bethel Municipal Center and marched for about a mile down Greenwood Avenue to the high school to hear several speakers.

Despite the controversy over the cost of the high school project, the rally was a festive one. Many participants carried red and white balloons, and many children wore white and maroon face paint -- the high school's colors.

People carried homemade signs or wore T-shirts with handwritten messages that said "Save our school, save our community" or "Yes, fix BHS -- invest in our community."

As rally participants marched to the school, several motorists honked their horns in support or gave a thumbs-up signal. One man, however, shouted, "Hell, no."

The Bethel board of education has been under fire for being fiscally out of control for years. Unless you've been living in a cave for the last ten years, you've heard and read about the mess, the countless budgets and bonds which failed, and groups like the Bethel Action Committee attacking the BOE and the local government in the media.

Here's where I'm getting at. Is it right for children to be at a rally? Should children (who don't pay home property taxes) be allowed to dawn hard hats and march with supporters of this plan? Do they even fully understand what they are marching for?

Now, I remember when I was in High School and I remember that my entire world was flipped upside down the first day I walked through the doors of my dorm in college. In other words, kids in high school might not be exposed to all the facts surrounding this issue. In my opinion, it would have been better for the kids to stay at home/school and let the parents battle this issue out.

This is an issue for the people who pay taxes and are able to vote, not for students who might not have all the details surrounding this case.

My two cents.

You might have noticed that the site looks alittle different. Well, I'm doing some home improvements to HatCityBLOG and there will be more changes in the near future.

...and yes, I do have a day job :-)

I'm short on time but I wanted to share with you some highlights of the speeches from the Danbury 11-day laborer rally held at Kennedy Park Saturday.

Enjoy (if the video does not play, come back in a few minutes, I just posted the file and it takes a while for Youtube to encode the data).

It's amazing how a picture can tell a story about the viewpoint of the anti-immigrant community in Danbury.

Since the moment I posted this disgusting picture of this idiotic hate-filled xenophobe expressing his true feelings about immigrants and the City Clerk who obviuosly had no problem proudly standing next to him, the image has been picked up by several of the top blogs in Connecticut and has sparked an outrage from readers in Danbury, Connecticut, and across the countty.

CTBob:

It's rare that I'm struck speechless by an image. But I'm afraid if I comment upon this, I'll use naughty words that will offend everybody who reads this blog. And my regular readers know I'm not adverse to using a bit o' salty language on occasion.

Lots of occasions, in fact.

But I'll just let the hateful people in this picture speak for themselves:

[...]

There was a march to support 11 undocumented aliens who were picked up and arrested recently when they were trying to make an honest living!

Meanwhile, we have a US Representative who had to resign because he wanted to perform illegal acts on a child, but he's still walking around free.

Good thing this country has a firm sense of proportion.

There is hope for the situation, I think. A good number of people showed up to support the immigrants in their struggle for an chance at the American Dream. Our nation was founded by the promise of opportunity.

Spazeboy:

I'm sad that there is so much hatred in the world, and that some of it is here in Connecticut. I'm from Iowa, and in Sioux City we have a large population of immigrants from Mexico.

Still, I've never seen anything like this:

[...]

That's not to say that the midwest is free of such hatred-I've just never seen it on display, and in this picture it is almost literally on parade.

We've got a long way to go, members of the human race-even in Blue CT.

I'm sure this particular image will continue to pick steam across teh blogosphere as this story is gaining more interest by the minute (and I haven't even posted the video or filed my full report yet).

Trust me, you haven't heard the last of this yet. Here are a sample of the numerous responses to this picture and brief report.

I hate to tell you... (4.00 / 1)
that sign seems to reflect the general feeling of 99% of WT in Danbury. And when you remind them that it was Reagan who gave amnesty legalization of status to illegals who met certain criteria back in the 80s..

Jodi Rell is useless. And Nancy Johnson, who attended a meeting of the US Citizens for Immigration Law Enforcement in April just fed into the ugly tone.

It makes me fear for my new homestate. :(

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Speak English (4.00 / 1)
That's one of the stupidest arguments I've ever heard.

Hey jackass... does this look like England to you, chap? No? Well, screw English then. You want to live here? Learn to speak American.

Besides, if we're going to start deporting people, I say, let's start with the Irish and Italians.

I wonder what Native Americans think when they see white people bitching about immigrants. YES! That's what we've been saying all along! Deport all of you! Speak Iroqouis or die!


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expose - send to EVERY CT newspaper (4.00 / 1)
That's neo nazi BS. Put some sunlight on this and link the republicans in Danbury to it. Any person who doesn't speak out strongly on it, denounce them too.

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WOW! (4.00 / 1)
Even though I should be used to this Racist crap in CT, I keep getting surprised.
When first moved to Meriden, I had the "pleasure" of witnessing a KKK Rally setting up at Meriden Square Mall (I went there to get tires at Sears... saw the Confederate Flag Raising, and booked the hell out there)

Then in Wallingford, a few years back, some Arian group (I think KKK as well) had a rally going on.

You'd think in this day, or year (2006) we'd be beyond that... and in Connecticut for crying out loud!

I can almost understand the various arguements in regards to immigration (not that I agree with them)... but when "Speak English or Die" (oh yeah, I did like S.O.D. back in the 90s which had a song with the same title, but it was tongue in cheek funny )is plastered and supported by city or state officials, we got a serious problem here... and the problem isn't Puerto Ricans or Hispanics or Mexicans or Vietnamize or Koreans or Jews or Italians or Poles or Pourtagese (please forgive my spelling)... it's the punk ass racists that are just plain miserable with their own lives, that they need to place blame on someone else... and the sorry ass politicians that give them credos.

That picture posted here just sickens me! But I hope more people see it, and see it for what it is.

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What a piss-poor sign (4.00 / 1)
I guess they gave all their disposable income to Joe, Jodi, and Nancy, unless they spent it all at the dry cleaners for their white sheets.

It always made me chuckle when people say that all foreigners should go home. First off, there are several countries that have a large unwelcome American population that is armed to the teeth and secondly, it really looked/sounded silly when the person mouthing off about foreigners had a name like O'Malley, Fellini, or Cormier. There was guy who I used to work with that was French-Canadian that was chirping about all the Asians and Hispanics that moved into the area. I responded by saying "and they ought to take all the damn Canucks with them, huh?" He got the point, but I wonder how deep it penetrated.

You should send this to the local organizations that support the local immigrant community; I'm sure they would have something to say about that.

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thanks for reporting this (4.00 / 1)
Underneath all the rational reasons why people object to immigrants, scratch the surface and you find out that the rational reasons came later, and the basis is they object to immigrants.

that's putting it kindly.

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Death threat? (4.00 / 1)
An overt death threat, especially with racial overtones, is illegal. Where are the State Police? The Danbury police? I agree with a post above, send this picture and commentary to the press -- How about the Newtown Bee? I would also send to Public Safety website, legislators, etc.

I spend time on Candlewood Lake and have had the pleasure of watching hard working and artisan immigrants beautifying the area by repairing stone walls, landscaping, painting, etc. They are on time, take precious little time for lunch, work steadily and always do meticulous work. What does the clown with the sign do for a living? And, I'd like to hear him speak a paragraph without gross errors.

I can't believe Danbury citizens of conscience are not standing up to this crap.

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This is disgusting! (4.00 / 1)
What the hell are these people thinking?! That is the Town Clerk?!

Classless. Vile.

I agree that the Governor and police should get involved here. This is a physical threat against a social group. It's probably illegal. This is exactly the kind of situation where our political leaders need to stand up and have the courage to denounce bigotry.

And in Connecticut of all places! My whole life I mistakenly assumed that our state was clean of this kind of filth.
(correction: The person in the image is the City Clerk).

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that dude dressed in black looks like a neo nazi or something...scary...

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I look at those faces and I see scary hatred. It’s not about speaking English, - it’s about threatening people with violence and looking for a justification for it, using a fake moral high ground.

The language a person speaks is not sufficient reason to condone violence, EVER.

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Somebody in Danbury should write to tne News Times and demand that Jean Natale resign immediately!

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Some people are just ignorant. This is an outrage!

Trust me, this is only a sample of the responses I've seen on the various blogs across the state as word of this hate-speech continues to circulate across the country, expect the outrage to continue.

It makes you wonder why anyone would take many of these anti-immigrant xenophobes seriously in the first place. Imagine what would happen if someone on the pro-immigrant side held a sigh that said "white people, speak Spanish or DIE." You got it, front page of the News-Times and every Republican politician expressign outrage. Yet, this jerk hold up a sign and NO ONE says a word to him. No one.

That speaks volumes about the mentality of those who groups who are against illegal immigration and why you can't take the groups leaders at their word that they're only against illegal immigrants.

If only the News-Times would have posted this picture on their website or put this image in their newspaper. There is no way the photographer could ave missed that sign or that skinhead creep as everyone was horrified with the message. Instead, we get a so-called "fair and balanced" number of images as well as a "balanced" article which doesn't really go into detail about how out-of-control the anti-immigrants xenophobes were when they came down and attempted to provoke the pro-immigrant crowd at the beginning of the rally.

Of, if I only had that portion of the event on my camera. In all my time doing videoblogging, I'll always regret not capturing that moment as it would have truly exposed how under-reported the madness behind a good portion of the anti-immigrant crowd.

One of the reasons I started this blog was because I felt that the media simply wasn't doing their job in reporting on what happening in my city. The issue of immigration is just one of several disturbing issues that is going under-reported and it takes blogs like this one to shed light on what's really going on. Don't get me wrong, the newspaper is very slowly beginning to show signs of life but the jury is still out on whether ir not it will really try to improve itself and get the real story out there.

Again, look at the pictures on the News-Times site and compare it to the images I took at the same event. Now, tell me which photographs tells the true story? If it wasn't for this blog, you would think the event was 50-50 when it was more like 90-10 in favor of the day laborer supporters.

Mainstream media or People-powered Media (PPM), you now have a choice. I'll bring you video and a full round-up of everything later. I know, I know, it was on Saturday but I dealing with a great amount of feedback and there is alot of stuff happeneing in the area this week which is connected to this story.

Trust me, I'm far from done with this image or this story. Enough is enough. This type of hate speech has to stop and the people who support this garbage should be exposed to the public.

...still developing.

DESPERATE POLITICIAN ALERT!!!

Seems like someone is using the immigration card for political points.

109th House Republican candidate Greg Seabury is running against Democrat Joe Taborsak whose mother, Common Council member Lynn Taborsak, publicly chastised Republican Mayor Mark Boughton's role in the arrest of eleven day laborers at Kennedy Park last week.

Well, someone gave Seabury the Republican memo as out of nowhere, with less than five weeks until Election Day, Seabury is jumping on the anti-immigration bandwagon.

Seabury, who is running against Democrat Joe Taborsak for an open seat, proposes making English the official language of the state; cracking down on contractors who hire illegal immigrants; and granting cities and towns more flexibility to enforce zoning laws if multiple families are living in one housing unit. These issues would require legislation.

Seabury also calls for limiting driver's licenses to legal residents -- already the law -- and opposes granting in-state tuition to illegal immigrants, a proposal that failed in 2005 but could be resurrected in a future legislative session.

A bill providing in-state tuition for illegal immigrants was defeated, while the federal government requires that driver licenses only be granted to legal residents, Taborsak said.

Thinking that he can use the Taborsak name to his advantage, Seabury suddenly proposes an immigration policy but if you look at the so-called detail, Seabury is actually proposing nothing at all as most of what he's suggesting is already law. The State already limits giving illegal immigrants driver licenses, as well as denies granting in-state tuition to illegal immigrants.

So what is Seabury talking about?

If Seabury were honest, he would propose a detailed plan which would crack down on contractors who hire illegal immigrants. Where was Seabury when the ICE rounded up the day laborers two weeks ago? Why didn't he comment about the fact that the ICE didn't target the contractor who picked up the day laborers in their sweep? Contractors have been picking up day laborers on Kennedy Park for at least the last five years and although Seabury has been on the Common Council for years and been campaigning against Taborsak for months, this is the first we seen the Republican address this issue to date.

You see where I'm getting at here? Well Joe Taborsak see the writing on the wall and call Seabury out on it.

"I'm missing what his point is. If he has a plan he should be more specific," Taborsak said. He added immigration is "the result of a failed federal policy. We need to push the federal government, particularly the Congressional representatives."

It didn't take long for Seabury to show why he really raised this issue...he's trying to use the views of Lynn Taborsak against her son (classy).

"The people who were arrested in the recent ICE raid were illegal aliens who do not have the rights to be here," Seabury said. "Hence, they should fear deportation, and they shouldn't be seeking health care provided by the taxpayers of the city of Danbury."

Seabury added, "What (Lynn) Taborsak should be doing is encouraging people to take the necessary steps to gain legal status," Seabury said. "... I assume Joe and Lynn are on the same page."

Notice the key phrase "illegal aliens" and "health care." These are key anti-immigrant talking points expressed by the most extreme anti-immigrant members of Danbury.

Connecticut AFL-CIO John Olsen hit the nail on the wall when he addressed the hypocrisy of the ICE round-up and Republicans who are looking to score political points like Seabury when he spoke last week.

Seabury hasn't a clue about how to address illegal immigration and if he really cared about this issue, he would have said something eariler in his campaign as well as during the many years he has been on the Common Council. Stevie Wonder can see that this typical Republican is just making stuff up to rally the anti-immigrant crowd so he can get more votes.

This quote in bold from the News-Times article tells you all you need to know about the honesty of Seabury.

Seabury wasn't specific about legislation to penalize contractors who hire illegal immigrants.

Seabury isn't specific because what he's doing is nothing more than a cheap campaign trick. Seabury is going after a seat, which was held by Lew Wallace so he knows he's in a tough campaign fight since the district is heavily Democratic. Seabury's proposal is nothing more than dishonest and a slap in the face to all those who want to find a honest solution to this FEDERAL ISSUE.

What Taborsak needs to do is attack Seabury hard and expose the Republican's proposal for what it really is...a cheap stunt.

Note to the accurate News-Times: This is a picture of Joe Taborsak.

This is a picture of Chris Murphy.
It doesn't look good when you confuse Chris Murphy with a man who was only born and raised in Danbry as well as part of a popular local political family.

Just sayin'...

UPDATE: Attaboy News-Times! Thanks for correcting the photo error.

It was only a matter of time until someone pointed out the political nonsense behind the ICE.

Questions are being raised about the arrest, detention, and treatment of a long-term Ukrainian legal resident alien in Florida.

Bella Maryanovsky, a thirty-year legal resident of the United States, was arrested last week on Tuesday, September 19, when she entered immigration offices for a routine update of her green card papers. It appears she was arrested under a new immigration program called "Operation Return to Sender."

According to Michael Chertoff in a June 2006 press release, "Operation Return to Sender is another example of a new and tough interior enforcement strategy that seeks to catch and deport criminal aliens, increase worksite enforcement, and crack down hard on the criminal infrastructure that perpetuates illegal immigration."

"The fugitives captured in this operation," claimed Chertoff, "threatened public safety in hundreds of neighborhoods and communities around the country. This department has no tolerance for their criminal behavior."

However, Maryanovsky, according to her family and friends, has long been an upstanding member of society. She is currently employed placing engineers in jobs nationwide with salaries ranging from $75,000 to $250,000.

Gino Sedikov, Maryanovsky's attorney, explained in a Monday conversation that he has yet to determine the charges on which Maryanovsky is being held. She was not provided with a "notice to appear" or given any indication that her immigration file had been flagged or that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) intended to arrest her. Sedikov believes this is part of the new policy in the ICE office.

Michael Keegan, a spokesman for ICE in Washington, D.C. told RAW STORY in a phone conversation on Wednesday, "It is not our job to create the law. It is not our job to interpret the law. Our job is to enforce the law." According to Keegan, "the posture of law enforcement agencies has completely changed since 9/11."

The most likely reason Maryanovksy's file was flagged is that in 1989 she was convicted - wrongfully, according to her family - of committing a crime that at the time was not a deportable offense. Laws passed in the 1990's that applied retroactively, according to Keegan, would have made her offense a deportable one.

However, according to immigration expert Mark Levey, who has practiced immigration law in Washington, D.C. for twenty years, only crimes that were aggravated felonies at the time of commission were swept in under the retroactive rule. Thus, Levey believes that Maryanovsky’s immigration file was probably flagged incorrectly.

"Because Maryanovsky's crime precedes the 1990's laws," Levey explains, "although she is still deportable, she is nonetheless eligible for bond and for relief from removal based on her good character."

Why was Maryanovsky arrested now, almost twenty years after her conviction? Keegan contends, "It's because we’re such a good agency," implying that ICE does a better job than its predecessor, Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS).

According to Sedikov, thousands of immigrants are sitting in jails and detentions centers without any hope of what is called "relief from removal" – that is, cancellation of a charge that would otherwise result in deportation.

The present immigration system, reformulated under the Department of Homeland Security after the passage of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, was divided into two parts: an enforcement agency (Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or "ICE," ironically referred to by immigration attorneys as the "ICEmen") and a separate service agency for getting a green card.

ICE is further divided into an investigative unit, a deportation/removal unit, and a detection/arrest unit. Because of these divisions, "the wheels of justice move slowly," says Sedikov. A detainee's file is supposed to follow them from unit to unit, but sometimes - as in Maryanovsky's case - the file is lost. The detainee may then wait in detention for months until the file is found. Even when a file is accounted for, detainees may still spend weeks in jail, since detention centers are overfull.

In the meantime, explains Sedikov, if the detainee is not held near an immigration court there is no mechanism by which they can be brought before an immigration judge to challenge their detention. The individual must simply wait until the right official in the right department of ICE decides it is time to bring them to court. Immigration courts do not have sheriffs who can bring detainees in, so judges will not entertain an attorney's request for a bond hearing unless the detainee is accessible. Thus, an individual put into detention falls into a sort of black hole. According to Sedikov, "ICE has no duty to respect [the attorney's] requests."

Sedikov claims he has left 70 messages on the Maryanovsky case in five days, and has received no return call from ICE officials. His current aim is to have her transferred to a location that would allow her to be brought before a judge.

Maryanovsky claims that she is currently being held in a jail cell with an accused murderer. Last week she was in a cell with five other people and only two beds, so she slept on a "urine-laden cement floor."

To make matters more disheartening, Maryanovsky takes medication for heart arrhythmia and high blood pressure. She confided to her family and friends that prison personnel mockingly refused to give her medication, telling her, "When you have a heart attack, then we'll help you."

[...]

Maryanovsky is scheduled soon to be transferred to Krome Detention Center, outside Miami, according to Sedikov. Two years ago, Krome garnered much press attention when an 81-year old Haitian Baptist minister, Joseph Dantica, died while being detained there after seeking asylum. He fell ill during his hearing, after, like Maryanovsky, requesting medication for high blood pressure. Officials contend that he died of pancreatitis and deny responsibility for his death.

Ray Del Papa of the South Florida Peace and Justice Network - a coalition that includes representatives from such groups as the Quakers, Pax Christi, Buddhist Peace Fellowship, Jewish Arab Defense Association, Haiti Solidarity, and many others - told RAW STORY that he sees an incongruity in the arrest and detention of such persons as Maryanovsky or Dantica while known terrorists, such as Luis Possada Carriles, Orlando Bosch, and Virgilio Paz Romero, are allowed to remain free in the U.S., despite their criminal records.

Sedikov claims that the arresting officer told him, "We got orders to arrest everybody."

That officer, Keith Bradley, refused to confirm or deny anything about the case to RAW STORY, saying "I still have a mortgage and bills to pay."

Some have speculated that Maryanovsky’s sudden arrest and detention may have a political motive. Levey disagrees, as does RAW STORY managing news editor Larisa Alexandrovna, who was raised together with Maryanovsky since their arrival in the United States. But Alexandrovna, who did not contribute to the writing or editing of this piece, says she believes readers should "view this as a typical day."

"Sure, I find it odd that in Southern Florida - where immigration targets are usually Cuban, South American, and Haitian - suddenly a Ukrainian Jew is arrested, held without charge, and her file goes missing," says Alexandrovna. "But I also find it odd that thousands of people are being swept up in these raids, we don’t know their actual citizenship status, they are disappeared and held in detention facilities, and no one notices. It is all odd," added Alexandrovna in a Wednesday evening email.

In short, an upstanding person who has a great job walks in to update a greencard, gets arrested on nonsense, and if forced to wait in a cell occupied by a murderer while her lawyer tries in vain to contact the ICE and in the end, those who support immigration reform would probably care less about stories like these and just say "enfore the law."

Welcome to our post 9-11 America.

Someone just won the Homer award...

Fantasy: (from comments section)

Posted by: citizenmaggie Sun, Oct 01 2006
The Newstimes gets it wrong again! Welcome to their personal "Spin Zone". There were not 200 protestors. Even with the ones that came from N.Y., N.J., and the legal students.

[...]

I cannot for the life of me understand how the news is consistently reported in such a one sided manner. So slanted to the left it is ridiculous. Let's just hope when the paper sells, the new owners present things in a fair and balanced way. For instance, why weren't the poll results published that showed over 80% of the people supported the ICE picking up these people? I'm writing to the editor of the paper to ask why - they need to remember, the subscribers of the NewsTimes are NOT the illegals.

Reality #1:

Hmm, looks like about 200 to me. In fact, I say that figure might be a bit low.

(Click on image to enlarge)




Reality #2:
An unscientific poll should never be considered a source of information in any article and should never be considered reliable simply because there are many ways one could skew the poll in their favor.

The best example of this is when there is a presidential debate. After the debate is over, messages go out on various blogs asking their readers to participate in the poll l and vote for their candidate. In the case of the News-Times poll, members of the Connecticut Citizens for Immigration Control (CCIC) and U.S. Citizens for Immigration Law Enforcement (USCILE) participate in the online comments and any online polling that is immigration-related.

Anti-immigrant groups like these (which actually are the same group, they just have a different way of approaching the subject, the CCIC started in Danbury) use the message boards like the one on the News-Times to spread their message and communicate with each other. You see, it’s their belief that if they flood the boards with anti-immigrant messages, they can give the impressions that a majority of the readers share their viewpoint (which is not true). I’m a frequent reader of the News-Times online but I do not have an account to post messages and I can assure you that a clear majority of the online viewers do not have a online account either.

The News-Times is popular among the anti-immigrant organizations across the country because the situation in Danbury has been in the news starting with the actions of Mayor Boughton when he tried to get local police to enforce federal laws and when he cracked down on volleyball games (I kid you not). For the News-Times to take a poll like that even remotely seriously, they would have to check the IP addresses of all who voted and find out which people are actually from the area. Now, this isn’t the hardest thing to do but is it really worth it when if you really want to do a poll, the News-Times could ask someone at Western Connecticut State University to do a real scientific poll?

Again, the News-Times is a very popular online newspaper among many anti-immigrant organizations across the country and those groups alert their readers whenever an immigration article posted and encourage them to participate in all immigration-related online polls. Because of these factors, one should always take an online poll with a fine grain of salt.

Now Maggie, I hope you took notes from today's lesson. There will be a quiz later...

I'm still working on the video from yesterday but I didn't catch the great part of the rally when a few of the anti-immigrant protesters made a complete ass out of themselves and tried to provoke a fight with the day-laborer supporters.


Click here to see the images from yesterday. and while you're waiting for my full report, who can name me the Republican elected official who stood next to the skinhead-inspirted nutjob who held the most outrageous sign held among those in the anti-immgrant crowd?