Archive - 2010
May 25th
The Death of Jeter and Jezzebelle
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Tue, 05/25/2010 - 08:03
Everyone knows Jeter is a lady’s man. That was the joke amongst the animal rescue community in Connecticut until the executioner had the last laugh. At approximately 11:20 Monday morning, Jeter and Jezzebelle, two dogs from the New Britain dog pound were put to sleep at the Animal Hospital of Berlin.
Jeter was brought to the New Britain shelter around a week and a half ago, about the same time as Jezzebelle. He always played nicely with the female volunteers that would come visit the shelter. However, Animal Control Officer James Russo reportedly claimed that Jeter was dangerously aggressive around him. Was the aggression because Jeter had been mistreated by a male? Had Officer Russo done something to rattle Jeter’s cage? Unfortunately, we will never know.
Volunteer rescuers contacted professional dog trainer Mark Renick to come evaluate Jeter to determine if there were serious aggression issues. Unfortunately, the city decided to contact state officer Dean Gates, whom rescuers had already filed a complaint against concerning previous actions in New Britain.
The rescuers were also told that another dog, Jezzebelle had suddenly developed aggression issues.
Various people contact the Mayor’s office about the issue. To one of them, Mayor Steward responded,
Please do not threaten bad press as we have made tremendous strides over the past year in the dog pound operation. I have personally allowed the volunteers to get involved with the city operation and have worked with the group to make some positive changes in the way we operate there.This has and continues to be a contentious issue for the Police Department as they are specifically charged with that operation and sometimes volunteers do not understand their limitations when involved in government functions.
He goes on to say, “Officer Russo handles hundreds of dogs and other animal calls during the course of his work week, to say that he would rather kill dogs instead of finding homes for them is a false statement.”
According to data from the Connecticut Department of Agriculture, for the most recent annual reporting period, New Britain reported 1579 complaints, or an average of thirty complaints a week. From these complaints, 249 animals were impounded. 153 were redeemed. 17 were dead on arrival. 71 were ‘sold as pet’ and 87 were euthanized. New Britain is one of a few municipalities that euthanize more of the animals impounded than they sell as pets. In fact, the only other municipality in that category that kills more animals is Waterbury, which impounds three times as many animals as New Britain.
On a statewide basis, about 13% of animals that get impounded end up being euthanized. In New Britain, that percentage is 35%.
Rescuers seem to agree that over the past year, New Britain has made tremendous strides, and it will be interesting to see what the numbers for the reporting period ending this June will be. However, some continue to question the city’s commitment to reducing its kill rate.
A volunteer who helps at the New Britain Shelter wrote a poignant email to friends after Jeter and Jezzebelle were put to sleep.
I want to let everyone know that I just got home and I stayed with both until they passed.
By the time I got to the pound..he informed me he had already dropped Jezzy off at the Vet. Jimmy asked me if I wanted to take Jeter out to which I replied yes. I wondered if Jeter would let me and hoped the cage frustration hadnt got the best of him. To my surprise, once I lifted the handle and opened the kennel, he ran out wagging his tail:) We ran around the yard together and I fed him cheeseburgers and chicken fingers(we had to save some for Jezzy though) He wagged his tail the whole time(this made things much harder). Jeter willingly got into my car a 1/2 hour later and sat in the back like an angel. Poor boy had no idea where he was going. We walked into the vets and waited. NEVER once did he snap or growl even when held to get the injection-the Dr and tech can attest to that too. He was an angel. I whispered "Good Boy" in his ear until his last breath. I then did the same for Jezzabell. She wasnt so thrilled to get the tranquilizer but I rubbed her belly and she calmed down pretty quick. I do believe staying with them was the best as they seemed comforted when they heard my voice and I held them-Im glad they werent dropped off alone with strangers.
Were Jeter and Jezzebelle too aggressive to be adopted or was killing the dogs just the simplest way of dealing with an immediate problem? We will never know. Were these dogs killed because of their size or breed? There continues to be a lot of unwarranted breed discrimination by animal control officers, veterinarians, and others. Is the City of New Britain doing the best it can to address animal problems, or are there other things that can be done?
I sent a request for comment to both the Mayor’s office and the Chief of Police’s office, but neither replied. Whether or not the City is doing all that it can, it is clear that we can all do better. Other cities have well funded non-profit rescue organizations that work closely with animal control officers to make sure that dogs are spayed and neutered and that they are adopted to families that are least likely to abandon the dogs. Some cities make strong use of sites like Petfinder and Dogs in Danger to get the word out about dogs needing adopting. By reducing the number of dogs that come into our cities’ shelters, we will reduce the number of dogs that get killed.
Until a nonprofit rescue organization that works closely with the City of New Britain gets established, people can still help out visiting the New Britain Pound page on Petfinder. They can contribute to the The H.O.P.E. Spay/Neuter Clinic in Waterbury. If you are specifically concerned about dogs in New Britain, they can tell them that the donation is to offset spay and neuter costs of dogs brought by volunteers from New Britain.
New Britain isn’t the only municipality with very high kill rates in Connecticut. Each year, between two and three thousand animals get killed by municipal shelters in Connecticut. Hopefully, the story of Jeter and Jezzebelle will help more people understand the issues of animal control in our state.
Update 5/27: Since writing this article, there have been lots of comments, emails and I'm sure various discussions. One person provided me with updated partial information from the Department of Agriculture for the period July 2008-March 2009. During this period, New Britain only killed 11 dogs, and adopted out 81 dogs. The kill rate dropped to 7.7%. This is a substantial improvement and New Britain should be recognized for its progress in this area.
Let us hope that the death of Jeter and Jezzebelle where anomalies and not a signal of a return to the old days when the would kill more than 11 animals a month.
Currently, there are 14 animals listed at the City of New Britain Animal Control, including nine that are listed as urgent. If you know anyone looking for a pet, please have them check out the New Britain shelter, as well as other shelters in Connecticut.
May 24th
Music Mondays – Blog Mentor, Randy Burns
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Mon, 05/24/2010 - 09:26Every Sunday evening, bloggers gather on Twitter for a #blogchat to talk about blogging. These chats cover many different topics, and last night @alisonlaw asked, “who are/were your blog mentors?”
I replied with my typical response of E.B. White. His essays for the New Yorker brought personal observations to political issues. They had an authenticity that good bloggers are striving for today.
This came back to me this morning as I prepared to write my Orient Lodge Music Review post for the week. One person who submitted his music was Randy Burns. In my book, Randy Burns is up there with E.B. White as one of those writers that bloggers, and for that matter singer/songwriters should look to as a mentor.
His biography describes the start of his career this way:
In 1966, Randy Burns was dropped off on the corner of Bleecker and MacDougal Street, with a bag over his shoulder and a guitar in his hand…ready for anything Randy had gotten his start a year earlier at The Exit Coffeehouse in New Haven, Connecticut but soon left to join the Urban Folk Revival in Greenwich Village. The first three months he slept in flop houses, on subways and park benches in Washington Square Park. Every week he played the open mic nights at the original Gerdes Folk City, The Gaslight Café and The Bitter End. Impressed by his talent, Clarence Hood, the owner of the legendary Gaslight hired Randy as the permanent opening act. At only eighteen he was opening for the biggest folk stars in the country, artists he’d only heard on records.
…
Frustrated with the music industry, Randy returned to his folksinging roots and hit the road again as a folksinger. For years he was literally homeless – ‘It would have been a waste of money,” he says, “I was singing so many places that I’d leave a bag of clothes wherever I usually played so I could travel light.” A headliner at Kenny’s Castaways, in the late 70s, owner Pat Kenny arranged for Randy to tour Ireland. It was off to Dublin, where he played coast to coast two years in a row.
It wasn’t until the early 80s that I started visiting the clubs in Greenwich Village, so I probably missed him there. A little over a year ago, he did a concert at the First Presbyterian Church in New Haven. I missed that concert as well. It was my loss, but it did stop the hall from filling up to capacity.
The first song in his Electronic Press Kit is “The Simple Things”. It starts off, “I’ve always loved the simple things. And I guess I’ll always will”. I’m with Randy on that. Reading some E.B. White, listening to some of Randy Burns songs, these are parts of the simple things for me, and are also important factors shaping my writing.
It’s time for a new generation to discover Randy Burns. He has a new album coming out next month, and he will be participating in the Folk City at Fifty early next month. They are well worth checking out.
May 23rd
2010 CT Democratic State Convention Recap - Background
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Sun, 05/23/2010 - 10:32Later today, or tomorrow, I will finally get around to writing some stories about things other than politics, but for this morning, I need to provide my recap of the 2010 CT Democratic State Convention. It is one that will be talked about for years to come.
May 22nd
The Democratic Party
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Sat, 05/22/2010 - 07:09There is a reason they call it the Democratic Party. Actually, there are probably several reasons for it, and the most accurate probably have something to do with a group of people being a party to a lawsuit, or making a reservation for a party of five at a restaurant. However, the opening of the 2010 Connecticut Democratic Party State convention served as a good reminder of other aspects of what makes it the Democratic Party.
My convention adventure started in my home town of Woodbridge CT, as I met a member of our delegation to carpool up together. She was just finishing up an event at our local school and we got on the road. On the drive up, we talked about local politics. When we arrived at the convention, there were volunteers and staffers holding up signs everywhere, encouraging delegates to support one candidate or another.
In the parking lot, old friends greeted one another. I saw many folks that I had worked together with, on one campaign or another. People wore different stickers indicating their support for various candidates, and friends who had worked together in previous campaigns were now working against one another.
Friday night was about the U.S. Senate nomination. There were more Merrick Alpert supporters outside than I expected. Many were old anti-war activists. Another person held up a giant sign noting Alpert’s support of Lieberman in the 2006 Democratic Primary.
Inside, the giant meet and greet continued. There were discussions about the platform. There were people jockeying for attention on the underticket. There were various legal maneuvers. One table, manned by Susan Bysiewicz supporters gave away the last trinkets of her ill-fated campaign for Attorney General.
The convention slowly came to order, too slowly for many party officials, as Chairwoman DiNardo repeatedly asked the delegates to take their seats and quiet down. She sounded like a beleaguered school teacher, trying to get excited kids to settle down. The Sergeant At Arms joined in, instructing people to clear the aisles. Slowly, the convention got down to business.
The nominations were made in alphabetical order. Merrick Alpert’s nomination was the first. His supporters took yet another opportunity to complain about Alpert not being given a chance to speak. They spoke about the importance of a primary, like a practice game, and giving voters a chance to choose who they think the best candidate would be.
People had questioned whether Alpert would get more than 1 or 2% of the delegates. He needed 15% to qualify for a position on the primary ballot. By lottery, the fourth congressional district was selected as the first district in the roll call. In this district, Alpert received over 5% of the vote, and it continued as a trend through the coming district roll calls.
As the roll call continued on, Alpert asked to address the convention and was given the opportunity. He said that the results were clear and that he wished to withdraw his name from nomination and announced that he would support Richard Blumenthal for U.S. Senate. It was then moved that the convention nominate Blumenthal by unanimous acclamation, and the roll call was cheerfully dispensed with.
The convention adjourned and the next order of business was the parties. There were plenty of good parties to choose from. Dan Malloy had a large party taking place in the parking lot of the Expo Center and many delegates gathered there to discuss their plans for the evening. Blumenthal’s party was the closest one not at the Expo Center. It was a fairly staid event with a cash bar at the Greater Hartford Jaycees Community Boathouse. As we mingled, both Dan Malloy and Ned Lamont showed up to congratulate Blumenthal before heading on to other events.
Since my travelling partner for the evening was a Lamont Delegate, our next stop was Lamont’s party at Pig's Eye Pub on Asylum Street. It was loud, crowded and boisterous, perhaps in part, because it had an open bar. Like with the events throughout the evening, it was packed with old friends catching up with one another. There were several other events of the evening, but we headed back to Woodbridge after Ned’s party. Saturday is expected to be a long day.
Back at home, I checked in online. Text messages flew back and forth at midnight as I talked about the Democratic Convention as well as the Republican Convention.
Friday was a beautiful evening. The weather was nice. Friends gathered; people who have worked against one another in some battles and with each other in other battles. What they all had in common was a belief in the democracy that makes our country great, the ability to fight out the battle of ideas in a friendly manner. Too often, politics gets a bad rap, when looked at through “gotcha” news headlines, and perhaps it is time for people to see some of what is great about the American political process and to join the party.
May 21st
The Horserace
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Fri, 05/21/2010 - 09:06I am not normally a fan of horserace journalism which focuses on things like polling, fundraising, or endorsements at the expense of talking about important issues. However, I am also a number cruncher, and tomorrow is derby day for Connecticut Democrats, so I have created some spreadsheets to try and get a sense at how much support there is likely to be for candidates at the convention.
As a starting point, I received a spreadsheet which lists the delegates, as well as their congressional, state senate, and state house districts. While it might seem that the number of delegates would be the same for these districts, due to a collection of factors, they are not. Based on my calculations, the first district has 408 delegates, the second and third both have 376, the fourth has 333 and the fifth has 334. That means that an endorsement by John Larson may have much more influence than an endorsement by Jim Himes. Likewise, the 24th Senate District only has 38 delegates while the 2nd Senate District has 65. This means that an endorsement by Eric Coleman may have more weight than other State Senators. For that matter the 24th Senate District is represented by a Republican who is about as far from Democratic values as you can get in the State Senate.
To further complicate things, a delegate may find her State Representative endorsing one candidate, her State Senator endorsing another, and her congresswoman endorsing a third candidate. For that matter, the delegate might end up voting based on criteria completely independent of endorsements.
