Connecticut state websites overwhelmed before Gun Violence Prevention public hearings
We are hearing the parking around the Legislative Office Building is all full and there is no more parking around the venue. The state also seems to be having website and video feed issues.
At this point (10:24 a.m. ET), I’m unable to access the A Safer Connecticut website, or the Connecticut General Assembly site or the video stream that was supposed to be made available.
Update: (10:40 a.m. ET) The sites seem to be coming back online, but they are a bit slow. After looking more closely, there was no plan to stream the public hearing live.
I can’t even access http://www.ct.gov.
The hearing was schedule to start at 10 a.m.
For those of you who are attending the hearings, we would appreciate hearing from you.
(I’ve tried two computers, multiple browsers and two different Internet service providers.)
11 Comments
The website's content and articles were migrated to a new framework in October 2023. You may see [shortcodes in brackets] that do not make any sense. Please ignore that stuff. We may fix it at some point, but we do not have the time now.
You'll also note comments migrated over may have misplaced question marks and missing spaces. All comments were migrated, but trackbacks may not show.
The site is not broken.
I arrived from the DPW lot via shuttle at about 9:45 and stood in line and snow? until 11:55 before going through the revolving door of the Legislative Office Palace.? Another 20 minutes were spent in line and through the metal detector under the watchful eyes of numerous armed guards.? The hearing room and 5 overflow rooms served by giant videos screens were in use so we unwashed masses could see the preening legiscritters in action.? Over 1300 people registered to testify and many legiscritters brought constituents to the microphones so their voters could promote gun seizure or restriction.? I left about 4PM having not heard a single suggestion of any new law that would have stopped what happened in Newtown on December 14th.
The vast majority of people there were 2nd amendment supporters, but the newsies spent much more time with those who could be identified as favoring confiscation or restriction of gun rights.? As long as Messrs Looney (well named) Williams and Malloy are in power, the hearings are probably just for show since their minds are made up. ?
Kinda what I thought the “hearings” would be. Dog and pony show.
?
The verdict is already written.
?
?
Thanks for going. I wish every Ct citizen would go to the “Legislative ?Office Palace” ( that is a great name) ?and observe our General Assembly in action or nonaction as the case may be. The most activity observed is the puffing and preening by the legislators all who will present their own version of a bill. ?I have to say here, though that there are a few wonderful legislators who take their job seriously and I thank them. I just wish they were in a majority. Personally, I don’t know how they put up with the oinking pigs (a hat tip to Orwell) that hold the majority.
The news media here ( as everywhere ) are doing the ‘bidding of their masters’ and people are going to have to just plain STAND UP for our rights- no matter WHAT!!!
Ironic in a twisted sort of way that those who write the laws to control us and deny us the Natural Right to defend ourselves would be surrounded by ARMED guards with high capacity magazine firearms.? What gives them the right to put limits on how we will be able to defend ourselves?
A case in point from New York.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCC-rEx81PE&feature=player_embedded
?
I arrived for the hearing at 8:00 AM and managed to get into the main hearing room. I concur with Plainvillian’s description above regarding the TSA-like treatment (thankfully no pat downs although I was wanded due to eyelets on my shoes)? to get in the place but think the Capital Police did a descent job moving all through as quickly as possible given the large turnout.? Like cattle in a cattle shute getting in the place…razzerback lines to drop off testimony and, if desired to give verbal testimony, more lines to pick a lottery number from a box. I would say there were at least 1200 there today since that’s just how many pulled a lottery ticket to testify.? Many more chose to attend without testifying (or just submitted written testimony as I did) and these numbers were not included in the total.? I would say 90% of those who testified spoke against most of the proposed new gun control measures. I stayed until 7:00 PM and testimony was still ongoing.? It is now midnight, and CT-N is showing testimony still ongoing.? Many thoughtful comments made throughout the day….lets hope the legislators are listening. Let’s hope they don’t pull a Cuomo on us….it’s still a real possibility. Testimony today was on the “ideas of…
“ideas of bills”and not on any actual introduced bills. We are still at risk of them passing something under the cover of darkness.
One more thought….just saw the evening news. Elderly couple in Hartford suffered home invasion today.? Thankfully, they were not hurt. Men posing as water company employees gained access and stole 10K from the home before leaving. 911 was called at 5:00 PM.? The Hartford Police arrived at 7:00 PM? … TWO HOURS LATER !? Spokesman for the Hartford PD stated they are “looking into” the reason for the delay in dispatching the call. Consider the phrase? “when seconds count, police are only minutes away.”? It would seem the time frame may need to be adjusted.? Yet another example of the need for the 2nd Amendment Right of an individual to have a firearm for self protection.?
One testimony yesterday spoke of OLR 2207-R-0442 – this report overwhelmingly documents the fact that our existing gun laws are mostly nolled or plead down to lesser charges.? The number stated?at the hearing was 71% – thats most like the Nolled number – add the plea bargains in an you have closer to 90%.? Illustrating this even further is the case in East Windsor where the perp is caught stealing a rifle from a gun shop.? Then they find out he was on probation for a prior charge of the same thing.?? During that event he was caught with 12 weapons – of which he was only prosecuted for one leading to suspended sentence and probation for 2 years.??? Will more laws work?
I have simply lost all faith whatsoever in our “legislators” – they are a captured elite crew of people and you dont get to become a member unless you (thank you sir may I have another) bow down and worship their progressive god(desse)s.
I have no faith that we can have good elections any longer, if its in question people like bycewicz will fudge the counting so that the correct results are obtained.? like they did with franken’10.? like they did with obama ’12. matters not what is dropped in the box, it matters what the algorithm spews out the other side.
I have zero faith our overlords (I mean government) have our best interests at heart in the least – what they consider “best interests” equates to “shuddup and do what yer told ya feykn plebes!”
And it wouldnt surprise me in the least to learn 50 years down the road once the info is available (if it survives) that FEMA did the whole newtown thing.? Fast & furious didnt produce the intended result, nor did aurora, now let’s brainwash another superlatively ADHD drugged up kid into believing the world is hopeless.
Get yer gold guns and ammo before its too late, folks.? Homeland security is buying way more than their share so they can…
This was my first “field trip” to view government in action.? I would agree?with the 90%? – 10% split of people.? Mental health was commmon ground and that it needed to be part of background checks.? Crime was common ground in regards to stopping early release and repeat offenders.? Surpisingly, Mayor DiStefano?was not a?puppet for Bloomberg – just matter of fact stuff.? Just before I testified (11:40pm), I spoke with panel member Jan Geigler(R).? In her 10-11 years, this was the biggest public speaking event.? I then asked an Statie how many folks he thought were there.? He said that 2100 people came through the metal detectors, the most he has seen.?